Friday, January 18, 2008

Factoring is Good for Business

It seems you can never have enough money, and factoring is just one more way to meet that goal. The basic premise behind the business idea of factoring is that an owner sells his accounts receivable to get a quick influx of cash. The buyer gets the accounts receivable at less than their actual value. The pay off comes when the accounts are paid in full.

Factoring can be good for the business owner. The sell gives the owner some immediate working capital that would have trickled in otherwise. It also takes the hassle of collecting outstanding accounts out of the hands of the owner. The down side to factoring is that the owner will get less money for the accounts than they show on paper.

Most owners who look to factoring are trying to find a way to smooth out the cash flow and free up time. It basically comes down to a need for having the money now instead of later. The money is guaranteed at the sell of the accounts, and the business owner doesn’t have to spend time and resources trying to collect on accounts. Factoring also relieves the owner of concerns about bad debts. Collection is strictly in the hands of the buyer.

The buyer side of the factoring benefits because the accounts are purchased as much as 25% below their face value. This is a nice profit on a short term investment. It is also likely that a company interested in factoring has streamlined the collection process – making the process much more cost effective.

Factoring is not for every company, nor every investor. The best route for factoring is to find a company that specializes in this investment process and develop a relationship with it. It would also be wise to consult with an accountant to see if the process of factoring could be a money saving tool for your business.

Kathryn is a freelance journalist covering business and finance issues, specializing in subjects such as factoring and ecommerce.

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

What is Accounts Receivable Factoring?

Do you have clients that take up to 60 days to pay their accounts receivable? Waiting months to get paid for your invoices can wreak havoc in your company’s cash flow, especially if you have to meet payroll, pay suppliers and pay rent. But what happens if your business can’t wait to get paid because it must meet its obligations?

One solution to this problem has been gaining popularity recently. It’s called accounts receivable factoring and it allows you to turn your slow paying receivables into cash, almost immediately. It works by selling your receivables to a factoring company, who in turn, pays you on the spot. This provides you with the necessary cash flow to pay suppliers, rent and salaries.

Selling your receivables to a factoring company is relatively simple. It can be done with a 3-step process:

  1. You deliver goods/services and issue an invoice
  2. You sell the invoice to the factoring company who advances the first installment you up to 90% for them. The average advance is 80%.
  3. Once your client pays the invoice, the factoring company rebates the remaining installment, less a small fee (installment #2)

As opposed to other financing products, accounts receivable factoring is easy to obtain and can be setup in a week or so. A critical benefit of a/r factoring is that the financing companies make their credit decision based on your clients. So, accounts receivable factoring is an ideal tool for small and medium sized businesses who cannot obtain bank financing but have a roster of solid customers.

About Commercial Capital LLC Commercial Capital LLC is a factoring company that specializes in accounts receivable factoring. For an accounts receivable factoring quote, please call Marco Terry at (866) 730 1922

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

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

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