Factoring: Unlock The Money You've Already Earned

If you run your own business there?s no reason to wait thirty days or more to get paid - you can now have the money paid within 24 hours.

When you run a small business which depends on your customers making timely payments, you may find certain times of the year to be hard going. Even with your business being a really solid going concern, at times you may not be able to find the necessary cash for running your operations.

This can lead to some vicious cycles: your suppliers are discontent with your payment delays, so you may lose out on some good deals. Your employees get frustrated if they don?t receive their wages on time, and this can lead to a loss in productivity and higher staff turnover rate. So when you do finally get paid and you want to pick up activity again, you may have no one to supply you and no one to get the work done!

You need cash up front. What are the alternatives?

There are a number of ways for you to get more cash into your business:

* Inject personal funds. This is not usually an ideal solution.
* Find a new investor, if you are prepared to give away equity in your business
* Use an overdraft. A solution that usually implies a great deal of time and a lot of conditions your business has to comply with. Overdrafts can be recalled at any time and can be restrictive on your business.
* Apply for a bank loan. In this case you may be spending a lot of time only to find out that you are not eligible. Small businesses aren't usually banks' favorites when it comes to loaning them money.

The good news is that you don't actually have to wait. A good way to avoid these cash flow gaps and not enter the vicious cycle is to set up an agreement with a factoring company.

How to use your own money?

If you?re thinking that the money you've honestly earned is all locked up in outstanding or aging invoices, think again. A factoring facility can really work for you and help you to unlock the cash in your business.

Your invoices can be as good as any other assets from a factoring company?s point of view. Through factoring you can capitalise on your largest asset, your sales ledger today as opposed to waiting for payment from your customers.

How do you put an invoice through a factoring company?

The process is simple. When you invoice a customer you also send an electronic copy of that invoice to your factor. Then, within 24 hours or less, the factor advances you up to 90% of the invoice value. The factor usually takes on the responsibility of collecting the money from your customer the day the invoice is due to be paid. After that step is accomplished, the factor pays you the rest of the money, minus a small fee for the service.

For small to medium companies outsourcing the sales ledger management function can be of great benefit because it saves you the burden of managing invoices and undertaking the collections activity. By contracting out that element, you can effectively distance yourself from that function and concentrate on the relationship with your customers and focus on sales.

An additional service offered by such companies is protection against bad debts, which would typically cover up to 90% of the outstanding balance on any customer, where you have a designated protection limit in place.

Why should you use factoring?

Factoring is a complementary solution to be used alongside your standard banking facilities. You should look for the right factoring solution for your business.

Here are a few reasons why factoring should be another source of cash to consider:

* Because you'll never run out of cash again as a consequence of extending the payment terms to your customers.
* Because the facility will grow in line with your business growth
* Because the facility will allow you to take up opportunities available to you. to propel your business forward
* Because you can grow your business at the right pace without worrying about how long it takes your customers to pay you.
* Because you want the competitive edge against your competition.

Factoring is a financial tool that will allow you to obtain cash advances by capitalising your invoices, while at the same time easing your workload.

By Freelance writer sponsored by http://www.Ltsbcf.co.uk/ . LloydsTSB Commercial Finance provides business solutions such as term loans & factoring: http://www.Ltsbcf.co.uk/factoring/ . Please link to this site when using this article.

How Invoice Factoring Works

Can?t afford to wait 30 to 60 days to get paid by your clients? If you are like most business owners, waiting to be paid can be very challenging. In some cases it can mean lost opportunities. It can mean that you don?t bid for big sales because you know you won?t be able to play the waiting game. At its worst, it can spell disaster. It can mean that you need to delay payroll. It may mean that you don?t pay rent or taxes. It may force you to shut down your business.

If you are like most business owners, your first reaction will be to call your banker. Unfortunately, banks will not lend money to businesses that are new, have no hard assets or don?t have three years worth of profitable financial statements. At this point, most business owners give up, thinking that they don?t have any other options. However, they do.

If your company sells products or services to large credit worthy companies, you could qualify for invoice factoring financing. Invoice factoring reduces the time it takes for you to get your money to one day. How quickly could you grow your business if your invoices were paid in 24 hours?

As opposed to bank loans, factoring companies do not require hard collateral. The only requirement is that you have invoices form credit worthy clients. Factoring companies work differently than banks. A factoring company will provide you with financing based specifically on your invoices. This means that if your invoicing grows, your financing also grows.

Invoice factoring is very simple:

1. You generate invoices for your products or services
2. You submit the invoices to your clients and to the factoring company
3. The factoring company advances you up to 85% of the gross value of your invoices (the remaining is kept as a reserve to offset disputes)
4. Once the invoice is paid by your client, the factoring company releases the 15% reserve and charges their fee

Factoring financing is easy to qualify for and can virtually eliminate the 30 to 60 days it takes for your customers to pay. It provides you with the necessary working capital to grow your company and take new opportunities.

About Invoice Factoring Group. Need to receivables factoring? We can provide you with a factoring, invoice factoring or accounts receivable factoring quote for free. Marco Terry, the president, can be reached at (866) 730 1922 or at http://factoring.qlfs.com

Growing Your Supply Company With Medical Factoring

Medical supply companies in general are very profitable enterprises. However, most medical supply companies operate on a very tight cash flow. Unfortunately, the challenging billing procedures and slow payment cycles of insurance companies, HMOs and Medicare/Medicaid create a situation where many companies wait 30 to 60 days before getting paid.

Cash flow can get even tighter if the company?s sales grow, or if the owners decide to open new locations. When this happens, most company owners try to obtain bank financing through a loan or line of credit. However, qualifying for bank financing is incredibly challenging as they will only lend money to a business that shows profits for three straight years and can provide audited financials.

There is a financing alternative in the healthcare industry that has been used with success with medical supply companies. This solution provides you with quick financing based exclusively on your sales. Furthermore, since financing is tied to sales, the line of financing grows as your sales grow. The solution is to factor your medical insurance claims using medical receivables factoring.

Medical factoring provides you with immediate financing based on your slow paying insurance and Medicare/Medicaid claims. Rather than waiting 30 to 60 days to get paid, with medical factoring you can get paid in a few days. This frees up significant cash, allowing you to finance operations, and more importantly, to buy supplies and fuel new sales.

As opposed to bank financing, where the bank lends you money, the factoring company buys your invoices and pays you immediately for them. The process is fairly straightforward. But more importantly, this also means that you are free from the traditional bank lending requirements. Medical receivables factoring is easier to qualify for, and often, the owners? personal credit is not a consideration.

Factoring your medical receivables can be an ideal solution for your medical supply company if your main challenge is that you cannot afford to wait up to 60 days to get paid by insurance companies. If that is the case, medical factoring should provide you with the working capital you need to operate and grow your business.

About Invoice Factoring Group - http://factoring.qlfs.com We can provide you with a free medical factoring, medical receivables factoring or invoice factoring quote for your healthcare company. Marco Terry, the president, can be reached at 1 866 730 1922 or at http://factoring.qlfs.com/html/medical_offices.htmlCommercial Capital LLC.

How to use freight bill factoring to finance your trucking company

There are few businesses that are as cash flow intensive as a trucking company. The list of ongoing expenses can be endless and can easily overwhelm small and medium size trucking companies. There are fuel expenses, truck repairs, rentals and salaries. Although most trucking companies are very profitable, few can afford to wait the usual 30 to 60 days it takes to get paid for their freight bills.

Unless the trucking company has a significant cash cushion in the bank, waiting 30 to 60 days to get paid can cause serious problems. It can jeopardize existing operations and furthermore, it can prevent you from growing your business. The only way to get out of the cash flow rut is to find a way to capitalize on your slow paying invoices. The best tool to do this for a trucking company is called freight bill factoring.

Freight bill factoring enables the trucking company to get paid for their freight bills within a day of invoicing, eliminating the usual 30 to 60 day wait. With a factoring agreement in place, you can stabilize your company's cash flow and eliminate the stress of not knowing when you'll be paid. Since freight bill factoring eliminates the worries of waiting for your payment, you will be free to focus on what you do best: running your business.

Who qualifies for freight bill factoring?

Most small and mid size trucking and transportation companies should qualify for factoring. There are two main requirements to qualify. First, your company must do business with reputable clients or freight brokers. Second, your company must be free of tax problems. If you meet these two criteria, more often than not you will qualify. Most factoring companies are comfortable working with new businesses, so you should be able to qualify even if your company is a start up. Best of all, you can get a financing agreement in place within a few days.

What services does a factoring company provide?

The main benefit of working with a freight bill factor is that this will provide you with advanced funds on your freight bills. That means you can get paid very quickly after invoicing. However, most factors will also provide you with collections and credit protection as part of their services. This enables you to focus your energies and your staff on growing your company rather than on expensive and time consuming back office work.

Factoring for growth

Although many truck operators initially obtain factoring financing to avert the problems of dealing with slow payers, eventually most owners realize that factoring can help them grow their business. It eliminates their biggest worry by ensuring that invoices get paid immediately, freeing up cash and enabling the owner to grow the business.

About Invoice Factoring Group

Invoice Factoring Group (http://factoring.qlfs.com) can provide you with a free trucking company / freight bill factoring quote. Marco Terry, its president, can be reached at (866) 730 1922.

Factoring Financial Services - The Basics

There are several aspects of an existing business that are taken into consideration when getting approved for factoring financial services. The information that is required from any factoring financial servicing company will revolve around average invoice size. This is a huge contributing factor as well as whether the invoices are domestic or international. This means that the company seeking factoring services sells their service or goods outside the boundaries of the home country. The payment terms that were implemented for the invoices will also be considered in assessing the risk factor. The final aspect that any factoring financial services company will consider is the credit worthiness of the clientele base. All of these points together will give the company the opportunity to assess the risk associated with financing the invoices for any existing business.

There are basically two different types applications that are applied by factoring services companies. These are called the discount method and the prime plus method. Many companies use both of these methods of determining the cost that is charged to the client. Each financial situation is unique and most factoring financial services companies accommodate each business client according to their specific situation. With that said, in terms of very general speak, the prime plus method is usually the choice that produces lower rates than the discount method. This is an incredibly important step when finding a company that offers factoring services because many have hidden fees that are not mentioned initially. Find out exactly how each factoring financial services company regulates their factoring fees so there are no surprise fees added on at a later date.

To effectively understand the different methods used by factoring services companies, it is best to individually research each one. Let's start with the prime plus method to determine factoring financial services fees. The prime plus method has only two fees within its structure. The first part of the fee schedule is a one-time fee that is applied to every invoice. This is generally called the factoring fee. The factoring fees are assessed depending upon the gross amount of the invoice and applied accordingly. The second part of the prime plus method is the interest charge on the financial advance that the factoring services firm is providing. The day that the finances are made available to the business is the day that the interest begins. The interest rate is calculated by a pre-determined amount by the firm and the client before any financial advances are made.

The discount method that is applied to invoices by the factoring financial services firm's is based on a percentage per number of days. For example, if the discount method were 3% for the first 30 days, it would be calculated accordingly. It isn't hard to ascertain that the prime plus method is likely the better choice for any potential factoring services customer.

Troy Degarnham is the author and webmaster of http://www.accounts-receivable-financing.info an informative website about Invoice Factoring.

Extensive help and tips on factoring companies, assets, small business, medical factoring, non recourse and other factoring financial services.

Top 5 Factoring Companies

Because factoring is such an obscure function of small business, despite its popularity within the business world, it can be difficult to find the right factoring company to help you out. Getting the right bid, the right terms, and having the cash flow through your business seamlessly is a big deal if you want to concentrate on the big picture. As you probably know, the internet is a wealth of information for small business owners. With that in mind, consider the top 5 factoring companies you can find online.

The first of the top 5 factoring companies you can find online is a site called FactorBids.com. This site is good in that it allows you to submit an application that will result in about a dozen factors bidding on your application. You will get a response in about 3 business days. The site is very professional looking and is very user friendly. Like many other sites that allow financial institutes to bid on business, everything is negotiable with this. A factor can change its bid or even cancel the deal completely, but then again so can you with this site.

The second of the top 5 factoring companies online is getfactored.com. At this fast and user friendly website you will be able to get quotes from up to four factors with just one application. That saves you time, which is a hot commodity for small business owners. This site also has a sister site, FreightCash.com, that specializes in factoring for trucking business, so that is something to keep in mind as well.

In the top 5 factoring companies, the third site to consider is Factors.com. Despite having sponsors on the site, it does offer you a great deal of information. The site is essentially a directory of companies by the industry they serve. You simply find your industry and will then have access to a number of factoring companies that specialize in businesses with needs just like yours.

Fourth is cfa.com, the site for the commercial finance associate. As factoring companies go, this one will help you narrow your choices down to factors who are CFA members. That means they are reputable and safe for you and your business. The site is a little cumbersome, but the information is good and you will be able to find a factor that can help you quickly.

Fifth on the top 5 factoring companies is another information site that will lead you to reputable factors. Factoring.org is the home of the international factoring association (IFA). The site is great if you are informed about factoring, but there is not a lot of information for beginners. Since IFA members are bound by a code of ethics, you know the lenders on the site are going to be easy to work with.

Finding a factoring company can be hard. However, these five factoring companies will help you find the right factor to help with the financial side of your business. Each is worth your time and with just a few minutes of research you will find which of these top 5 factoring companies on the internet can help you find the right factor for you..

Stu Pearson has an interest in Finance & Business and Factoring Companies, for more FREE information and articles please visit Factoring Companies Resources