What is alternative financing for small-medium sized businesses?
With their stringent requirements and high-interest rates, small to medium-sized businesses are having a hard time securing a loan from traditional banks. Good thing that there are alternative financing options that businesses now can avail of to get the funding they needed.
What, then, is alternative financing? Alternative financing means obtaining funding from non-traditional funding or non-bank institutions. It has a different process of approving credit or funding, and the terms and conditions are different than those of a traditional bank. It caters to businesses of all magnitudes but small to medium-sized businesses could leverage the advantages that alternative financing brings.
Common misconceptions of alternative financing
While alternative financing has been around for quite some time already, there are still some misconceptions about it due to a lack of exposure to the products. Let us discuss here to dispel these misconceptions.
You need high margins to receive alternative financing
Small to medium-sized businesses are wary to try alternative financing because of the myth that they need to have high margins to be able to have access to these kinds of financing. This is definitely not the case. An alternative lender caters to businesses of all sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises. Others even prefer small businesses as clients. Don’t let your current business margin faze you!
It is harder to qualify for alternative financing over traditional bank loans
This myth is the one that stops small to medium-sized businesses in their tracks. But the truth is, alternative financing employs a more streamlined process. While traditional banks would require good credit standing, some alternative financing would not even look at credit scores in screening your business. Some would only require a list of your current customers, or even expected revenue streams. Seeing as these requirements are not difficult to provide, it’s easy to say that small to medium-sized businesses could opt for alternative financing easily.
Alternative lending is unregulated
Traditional banks usually have regulators that oversee their business. Seeing as these alternative financiers are not banking institutions, it’s easy to understand why many would think that they are unregulated. However, this is far from the truth. Transactions involving alternative financing involve contract and commercial laws and require adherence to federal and state laws regarding financial transaction disclosures and other regulatory issuance.
Borrowing from an alternative lender will hurt your credit score
Credit scores pertain to your ability to meet your obligations to your creditors. A good credit score means that you were able to pay your dues on time and maintain a good record with your banks. Credit score entails your ability to pay your debts; alternative financing on the other hand is revenue-based financing, without the business incurring debts. Since there are no debts involved, transactions involving an alternative lender would not in any manner affect your credit score.
Why alternative financing options are needed by businesses
These alternative financing options fill the gap that traditional banks leave: they provide the much-needed funding for small to medium-sized businesses that are not qualified to avail loans from traditional banks, or even if qualified, are unable to do so due to a myriad of factors. It gives these businesses a lifeline that they can hold on to to be able to pursue their business goals, as well as access to additional funding for any immediate or urgent needs of the business. This is why these common misconceptions should be put to rest so more businesses would be encouraged to try and explore these alternative options.
Types of alternative financing you may want to explore
There are already lots of alternative financing options out there that businesses can consider. Bearing in mind what’s best for the company. Here are some options:
Invoice financing – this alternative financing involves the sale of a business’s unpaid invoices to factoring companies. They pay a certain percentage of the invoice amount to the business.
Merchant cash advance – under this financing, the business owner receives a lump sum amount from the financier. In return, the business owner will pay the financier a certain portion of its revenue from credit card and debit card sales.
Credit card splits – in this financing, businesses can have a credit card split agreement where the financier will provide a lump sum amount for the business’ urgent funding needs. In return, the financier will have a portion, or “split,” on payments made to the business using a credit card.
These are but a few examples of alternative financing that are available for businesses. Moreover, it is not uncommon nowadays for banks to partner with alternative financing providers. This way, businesses need not navigate on their own to find the best funding that would suit their needs. For businesses, now is the best time to explore and get to know more about these alternative financing options.
