Business Loans: Make An Intelligent Decision
You need a lot of resources for effectively managing your business. The purpose may be to start a new business project or plunge into a hitherto unexploited domain. Your purpose will define your needs – the requirements may be huge or small. All this calls for serious thinking regarding the type of loan that you should avail.
Business loans are widely available in the UK financial market. Apart from private individuals offering business loans, there are many other options also. Many government-sponsored schemes, designed to assist new businesses, are in the market. There are many ifs and buts when it comes to government grants and loans. These loans depend on many things like where you intend to locate your new business and the type of business. The rate of interest is low in these schemes.
But, business loans are more freely available in the open market. You have a few conditions there. Broadly, lenders provide two types of business loans – secured and unsecured. Mostly, to get a business loan [http://www.apply-4-loans.co.uk/business-loans.html], you should hand over your business proposal, along with your loan application form. An exhaustive and well-drafted business plan will help you get business loans easily. Lenders will assess your business plans and strategies on merit and then accordingly dispose off your loan application. The whole process does not take much time. Lenders understand your business needs and try to minimise the time needed in loan processing.
All secured business loans call for collateral; unsecured loans do not have such a requirement. Secured business loans are easily available and also attract a low rate of interest. But, unsecured ones involve comparatively high rate of interest. You should consider both the merits and demerits of these loans before deciding in favour of any loan. This will help the borrower make a better decision.
Author: Braden Fred
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable pressure cooker
Originally posted 2009-11-01 19:34:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The Basics of Small Business Grants and How You Can Get One
Small business grants are a popular topic because they’re alluring. After all, a grant will give you money to start your own small business, and you will not have to pay it back. It’s sort of like getting a gift of money, or an inheritance.
There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation about small business grants though, and there are a lot of scams too. So let’s look at some of the basics…
- Small business grants are not usually given out by the federal government. State government groups and offices however, often do give out small business grants for specific purposes. Generally state government grants are given to help create jobs and boost the economy in the state.
- Small business grants are usually given for specific reasons. Not everyone can qualify for every grant available. Many grants are only available to specific minorities such as African Americans for instance, or women, or even African American Women. There are grants for Native American owned small businesses, grants for technology based businesses, and grants for innovative businesses too. And this is possibly the least understood aspect of small business grants. Many people mistakenly believe that anyone can get a grant, or multiple grants, just by applying. But you need to follow the application rules and guidelines. A small business owned solely by a man is not going to get a grant which is just available to women owned businesses.
- Grants are offered by a variety of organizations. Many grants are offered by private foundations for instance, while others may be offered by corporations.
- Small business grants take time. Most grants have a detailed, step-by-step application process that must be completed. And that application can take time to complete. A lot of time. Depending on the source of the small business grant, there may be other requirements that have to be met before they’ll even look at your application too. And once the application is accepted, it could be a year or more before the organization decides who will get the limited number of small business grants they have available.
- Small business grants are plentiful yet scarce. There are literally thousands of places to apply for small business grants, but each place usually has a very limited number of grants to give. It’s not uncommon for there to be only one grant available from a given organization each year, and in some cases there’s just one grant every five years or so.
- Small business grants may not help a start up. This is another common misconception about small business grants. Many people who are ready to start a business, think that getting a business grant is the best way to get started. The problem though, is that many small business grants will only be awarded to existing or established businesses.
Part of the grant application process will involve submitting a copy of your detailed business and marketing plans, submitting financial data to show your profits and profit margins.
And even when you do locate sources of small business grants that will accept applications from start up companies, you often need to have money available for hiring grant consultants and professional grant writers too.
So yes, getting a small business grant is quite possible, but be aware you will need to work very hard to get one, and it could take quite a bit of time too.
Author: Adriana Copaceanu
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Bumper guardian
Why Some M&A Fail To Succeed
To read part 1 and understand what a merger and acquisition is, please go to: https://ivoireconsultancy.org/blogs/ivoire_article_view.php?id=54
Limitations of M&A
One should know that M&A as a strategy for rapid growth can be risky and uncertain. Shareholders of acquired firms are likely to earn above-average returns, while shareholders of acquiring firms’ shares fall as soon as an intention to acquire is announced. This is indicative that investors do not see M&A as a vehicle for achieving any added value to the acquiring firm.
Over the years we have experienced the failure of major M&A. Some manages are rather concerned with empire-building strategies rather than maximising shareholder value; the bigger the firm, the bigger the bonus and salary.
AOL Time Warner is an example of a US multimedia giant created in 2000 by the merger of AOL and Time Warner, new and old media industries. The merger was intended to exploit cross-promotional opportunities following the decline of AOL after the dot.com crash. However, the marriage failed to produce any intended synergy.
Some of the reasons link with M&A failures:
1. Integration difficulties
When two large organisations try to integrate their activities, this can be time-consuming and difficult- The existing organisational culture within each firm is a major barrier to merger. Companies really never integrate their activities some decades later.
However, some organisations like Cisco have managed to achieve effective post-merger integration. Cisco, an American company has developed strong capabilities in this area. The firm always allocate substantial resources to its M&A activities and make great effort in integrating financial, technical and human resources.
2. Inadequate evaluation of Target Company
Acquiring firms do not take sufficient time to evaluating the target company. Lack of a strong due diligence has been cited as the reason of the poor choice of take-over target.
3. Large or extraordinary debt
The revenue-generating activity of the acquired company can be over-estimated, pushing the acquiring firm to take on too much debt to pay for it. In the end, there is not sufficient revenue to service the debt.
4. Inability to achieve synergy
Lack of synergy could be cause for concern. Many companies have failed to achieve the intended outcomes because managers are too focus on their own interests and fail to identify problems within target firm operations during due diligence. Balance sheets of acquired firms could show bad debts that are not mentioned prior to the bid.
5. Too much diversification and too large
Successful managers are too often distracted by M&A and end up destroying what they have already achieved organically, by, losing sight of the core business activities and, investing in activities that fail to maximise shareholders value. In the end the organisation become so large that managers struggle to control.
Ivoireconsultancy.org is an online outsourcing site where businesses and consultants meet to work on projects. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/why-some-ma-fail-to-succeed-1391980.html
Originally posted 2009-10-28 20:40:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Learn To Push Buttons Like Henry Ford And Explode Your Business
One of the biggest benefits of outsourcing is tapping into someone else’s expertise. If you try to become everything to everyone, you won’t get the results you want. There are so many sources of automatic training available to tap into it’s almost ridiculous to think that anyone would have to spend time training reps themselves.Without a doubt, the biggest drag on the momentum of building your home business through the direct selling model is the task of training, supporting and motivating your new reps. You should be doing the activities daily that keep you generating the most profit… recruiting and selling all day long. Getting into “management mode” by stopping to train your team, can KILL your business.
Do What the Pros Do
Some of the highest paid achievers in our industry are leveraging their time by outsourcing their organizations’ training, development, motivation and support. They have more time to do what makes them the most money. How do they do it? They have partnered with a support system that does this for them. They recruit and sell all day long and after some initial one on one, they refer their reps to an online training system that can provide weeks and weeks of training. There are free generic support groups like Mentoring For Free and paid or subscription resources such as Dani Johnson and MLM Lead System Pro. Additionally, many MLM companies have built-in training for new reps. Some are better than others though. Some are just useless.
You Can’t Be A Leader Bee If You’re Busy Being A Worker Bee
Freeing your mind from the tedious process of training people on how to set up websites, capture pages, call leads, have a better presence on Facebook or Linkedin, etc will allow you to be an inspirational leader instead of a professorial one. You don’t need to try to do it all yourself. In face, you CAN’T do it all by yourself.
Delegate or Die !
Truth be told, you will probably lose a few reps along the way. Those that need their hand held every step of the way. It’s happened to me and while it’s a shame to lose them, you’ll find you are better off with self-starters. Hand-holding can bleed you dry and keep you from doing the things that drive your business forward. Delegate or Die !
Henry Ford once said in regards to his apparent lack of knowledge in some areas, “I have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can answer any question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts.
Each and every one of us has at our disposal infinitely more “buttons” than Henry Ford could ever even imagine. Give it a shot and get some new prospects and reps some kick butt training. You’ll be glad you did.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/learn-to-push-buttons-like-henry-ford-and-explode-your-business-1383788.html
Originally posted 2009-10-27 11:55:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Simple Business Plan Templates: The Value They Add
A business plan template is an important tool, especially for an entrepreneur learning business plan format for the first time. These are some of the benefits of buying and using a business plan template to create your business plan.
Shortcut For Outlining
A template will present you with a workable outline for your plan, giving you all of the major sections and subsections of the business plan in the order you should present them. All of the section headings and a table of contents will be prepared for you, saving you the time of creating this. With a template, you are more or less ready to jump into writing the text after you buy a business plan template.
Example Text
Some business plan templates will come with text for a sample business within each section of the plan. This serves as a placeholder and, if well-written, a good example of the type of writing you must create. This should show you what a professionally written business plan will look like and what questions must be answered in your own writing. Read the sample text carefully before starting your own writing so you are better prepared.
Some templates include lists of questions for you to answer within each section rather than sample text. This can be just as useful, as the questions funders will want to see answered will be similar for most types of businesses.
Financial Statement Preparation
A template should include an Excel financial model which facilitates the creation of financial statements, charts, and summaries for your business plan and appendices. Using a template for this should save a great deal of preparation time as the basic outline for all of the statements should be prepared with formulas to automatically update the statements based on your changes to financial assumptions of revenues and costs. The time and skill required to set up a financial model like this is considerable. With it you can try out different types of projections and immediately see how this impacts your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement.
Eric Powers is associated with Growthink, a business plan consulting firm. Since 1999, Growthink’s business plan writers have developed more than 2,000 business plans. Call 800-506-5728 today for a free business plan consultation. If you’re writing your own business plan, Growthink offers an easy business plan template to help you finish it faster. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/simple-business-plan-templates-the-value-they-add-1354279.html
Originally posted 2009-10-19 10:55:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Hard Money and Bridge Loans For Real Estate
Although the hard moneylenders were largely affected when real estate industry crashed in the 80’s, recent credit crunch has brought more business to this sector. People who are in need of loans are turning towards hard money loans after the financing by traditional lenders and banks has come to a halt. The casualness and irresponsibility of these banks and lenders when giving out loans in the past has hit them hard and they are going through a severe liquidity crisis. With this serious drop in supply for finances, hard moneylenders are seen as a reasonable alternative. People and businesses are short of funds, and naturally they have to go for the best substitute available. A hard money loan comes as a last resort in such situations.
Characteristics of a hard money loan:
Hard money loan goes by the principles of mortgage; the distinguishing characteristics are the interest rate and the time consumed in approval. A loan application can take quite some time before getting through all the procedures and verification process that are part of a bank policy. Whereas hard money loans are issued normally by private lenders (though you can find many commercial hard money lenders as well) in relatively short time at higher interest rates and lower loan to value (LTV) ratio. The interest rate or loan to value ratio is not fixed and it keeps changing with the ups and down of real estate market. Hard money loans are often for short period of time (also known as bridge loans) that means the correct quick-sale valuation of the property is vital for the lenders.
Some tips for the borrowers and lenders:
As a borrower, you need some extra efforts to convince hard money lenders (these extra efforts are compensated by their fast approval time, once they are convinced), a hard money lender will believe you more if you are ready to put your cash into the deal as well. This is why they emphasize on low LTV ratio more than your previous credit score when compared to traditional lenders. Along with the advantage of their availability in even hard financial times, they are a much better option when you need quick finance. Being a lender, you should be extremely careful when determining the current value of property. Over estimation or wrong valuation can cause you serious loss in case of default. Also borrowers should try to reach hard moneylenders themselves, without bringing too many agents and brokers in between, as it will save them lots of upfront costs and expenses.
Author: William King
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Duty tariff
Making Your Business Fiscally Fit in Tough Times
There’s not one employee in your business, from the CEO down to the lowest level worker, who intentionally tries to create waste or fail in their assigned work assignments. Everyone wants to do a good job. But it’s just human nature, plain and simple; to strive for and attain success in all endeavors we are tasked with accomplishing. Sadly, many of us unwittingly follow the path of least resistance – even when we’re pushing toward our goals.
There are times when shortcuts start to become standard business practice over time as we attempt to avoid the less desirable jobs, and in doing so, we make mistakes, generate waste and experience risk that, not only depletes the bottom-line, but also hurts productivity, customer satisfaction and loyalty. Ultimately the future of your organization is at the very center of your risk factor. Today it is important to identify, quantify and begin to eliminate wasted efforts in your company which will ultimately save dollars; the fuel that puts everything in motion in today’s business setting.
Because we find ourselves in a powerful and destructive global recession; there has never been a better time to get rid of the waste in our organizations as we push toward the financial and emotional fitness of our businesses. Some tough decisions will have to be made; unpleasant decisions that no one wants to make. But in order to truly succeed you need to act on these issues, get a commitment from your management team to plan for action and motivate the team, and make sure that you empower your workforce to get the job done – from the top down.
In order to, at least, stay in the game, one of the first issues you’re going to have to deal with is cash flow. If it is possible, lower the cost of doing business and do it fast. For most companies, the decision is almost made for them; we’ve seen throughout the recession all over the world. Just cut the employee roster. But before you watch valuable employees walk out the door and perhaps into the hands of competitors, you might consider cutting salaries by a percentage before cutting them altogether. You might also want to forego a planned program or two that was on the drawing board; maybe put it on hold for a quarter or two. Or dip into dormant lines of credit. Frequently business owners set up lines of credit they don’t use. The CEO may have it on hand for a “rainy day” and that day has finally arrived. If you get creative you just might find a lot of methods that might help you loosen up the cash flow, at least long enough to get to the next hurdle.
Another step in the process is to become as unique and innovative as possible. Whether you are thinking “inside” or “outside” some imaginary box, your business must generate an excess of interest in your product or service. Normally that means doing something completely different. Find better ways to use the technology that exists in your company to make more profit. Being innovative will require you and your staff to try things that a year ago would have sounded bizarre. The management team must be prepared to offer unusual suggestions; but maybe even more difficult, they must also be prepared to carry out those same outlandish suggestions. It’s always the thing you never considered that will be the original idea to ultimately guide the company out of its doldrums.
There are a numerous “tried and true” methods of doing business that can be used and will help you survive even in the toughest of times. Then, when things start to pick up, you will have a business that is ready to make more profit than it ever did before.
www.whoisJamesDicks.com -For more than a decade, James Dicks has been one of the nation’s leading educators on the subject of Real Estate, Stocks, Options, the Foreign Exchange Market and empowering investors to handle their own investments. James is living his dream by helping investors and businesses overcome the hurdles of reaching their financial goals. Millions of people have heard James’ message of diversification, money management and financial freedom and thousands have attended one of his many free workshops. Increasing investment knowledge is James’ goal and he strives to reach this goal by using a common sense approach that investors of all types can utilize on their road to financial freedom. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/making-your-business-fiscally-fit-in-tough-times-1283268.html
Originally posted 2009-09-29 19:33:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Private Lending – Types of Hard Money Loans
Private lending is an alternative to conventional loans such as you would apply for at your local bank or Mortgage Company. They are also referred to as Hard Money loans. Private loans are short-term loans ranging from 3 months to 3 years. They have a quick approval time line and usually a 55% to 75% LTV (loan to value) rate. This is a great option for residential, commercial, construction, and land investment purchases that are expected to have a fast turn around.
There are a variety of Hard Money loans:
-Hard Money Acquisition Loans – This type of loan is used to acquire real estate using the loan proceeds.
-Mezzanine Financing and Loan – This is a loan subordinate to a Primary Lender. This is a debt instrument, which is paid back at the time of sale or refinance of the total capital stack. Mezzanine loans have flexible structure, including debt and equity mixes that can increase the borrowers leverage.
-Hard Money Acquisition and Development Loan – These loans are used to acquire and develop property with the intention of improving it. The loan proceeds are dispersed with interest only paid on the funds Distributed. The loan amount is determined by the overall LTV Expected following the improvements.
-Asset-Based Hard Money Loan – This can be used for any purpose. Collateral is put up for security. Collateral may be property, equipment, inventory, etc.
-Hard Money Bridge Loan – This is money that is used for only a short period of time until permanent financing is put in place. This is a perfect solution for a business opportunity or acquisition that needs a quick process for financing. Circumstances that may be considered are Buy-Outs; foreclosures; construction; hotel and motel; office complexes; commercial business opportunity; apartment buildings and even golf courses.
-Hard Money Construction Loan – This money is used for the construction of a building or other improvements of real property. The land or the improvements become the collateral for the loan. Some lenders will loan up to 100% of the cost of construction available depending on the determined value upon the completion of all improvements.
-Hard Money Credit Enhancement Loan – This loan is for a borrower who lacks the credit or capacity to acquire a conventional loan of sorts.
-Hard Money Raw Land Loan – This can be used for lots to large acreage. The LTV ratios are determined by the price it would be valued at a 90 day quick sale.
The key to Hard Money loans is the ability to do a quick turnaround in your sale of the property purchased, or speed in which you are able to acquire a more permanent long term financing.
Author: Ginese Wilmot
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news
Seven Topics You Should Discuss with Your Accountant Every Year
Small business owners often use the New Year as a time to plan annual budgets and focus on sales growth and new business opportunities. But it’s also a great time to make resolutions to review accounting practices and financial controls on the business. This is especially true in 2010, as businesses are likely to face another economically challenging year.
“I find it helpful to set up an annual business review with my accountant,” says Steven Hastert, president of AccountingAisle.com. “That way we can review everything from cash flow planning, to tax updates to how another person views my business. I find it useful to get another perspective.”
Hastert says he prepares for this meeting in advance, with a targeted list of items to discuss with he company’s CPA. “Like most small business owners, I’m acutely aware that I’m paying for this time by the hour. I need to make the most of their time and my money.”
Here are the seven steps you should take to prepare for your annual accounting review:
- Review year end financial statements and compare 2009’s results to company’s previous performance. What has changed? Examine financials each month, but it’s important to look at trends over the year. Ask your accountant to review the information as well. Get a second opinion on the financial health of the business.
- Project cash flow for the upcoming months. This provides a road map for you to plan for upcoming business expenses, and helps you forecast sales and revenue. Forwards a copy of your cash flow report to your accountant for review prior to the meeting.
- Review pricing strategies. One way to improve profit is to increase prices for your goods or services. However, in our current economic environment, it could also cause significant loss of customers. An accountant might provide valuable insight into your current strategies and other factors to improve the company’s profitability.
- Inquire about changes in state, local and federal Tax Laws that will affect the business.
- Review accounting software packages. During this meeting, take the time to inquire about your accounting software. Is it time to upgrade to a new version of the software? Has your company outgrown its current marketing practices? Without asking this question, you’ll never know.
- Consider applying for a line of credit or changing merchant accounts. As a business owner you must prepare for emergencies, especially in uncertain times. While your company might not need access to a line of credit right now, it could in the future. It is easiest to establish credit when the business is not under duress, and your accountant might have a personal relationship with a banker that you should take advantage of.
- Is there anything else? Ask this open-ended question of your accountant. They might be able to get an insight you would miss otherwise.
The Accounting Aisle can help you find the right accountant for your business. They specialize in helping businesses maximize profits with accurate reporting and professional advice.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/seven-topics-you-should-discuss-with-your-accountant-every-year-1730326.html
Residential Hard Money Loans Are Easier To Obtain and Can Be Approved Quicker Than Traditional Loans
For anyone seeking residential hard money loans, time is of the essence. The major reason that people seek this kind of unconventional financing is because banks simply take too long, or they are unable to meet the increasingly strict criteria that the lending institutions put forth.
There is some confusion over what the money can be used for. One reason for the confusion is that lenders and brokers use different terminology. In some cases, they mean to confuse the borrower. In others, they simply forget that everyone is not as “savvy” as they are. Below, you will find some common terms used by financers and what those terms usually mean.
Acquisition loans are hard money home loans used to purchase a property. The amount available will vary depending on the lender. It is usually a percentage of the appraised value. Commercial banks typically require that you have around 20% of the purchase price. Else, they will charge a higher interest rate. Private lenders may be able to finance the entire amount and the closing costs are usually lower.
Construction loans may be used to build a residence, but they can also be used for repairs, expansions or upgrades. Current homeowners or real estate investors may be interested in these types of hard money home loans. Conventional lenders typically require that the property in question is or will be your main residence before they will approve financing. Private lenders are usually more flexible.
Mezzanine loans typically refer to residential hard money loans that are similar to second mortgages, but the term may also be used to refer to specific kinds of business loans. Mezzanine loans are short term, typically three years or less. The funds may be used for a variety of reasons, including “buying out” a business partner. The amount that you can borrow depends on the resale value of your home or business, minus the amount of other outstanding loans, such as a first mortgage, in other words, the amount of equity that you have.
Asset based hard money home loans may be used for any purpose, as long as you have collateral or assets to “put up”. Conventional lenders refer to them as secured loans. The primary difference is the time that it takes to complete the loan, but there may be other differences. If you have collateral, private lenders may not be as concerned by your credit score. For conventional lenders, a less than perfect credit score may end up costing you thousands of dollars more, because of higher interest rates, if they will approve the loan at all.
Bridge loans fill in the gap when permanent financing solutions are in the works, but the actual purchase needs to be completed quickly. Bridges may be commercial or residential hard money loans. The funds can be used for practically anything. Depending on the lender, there may be no limit to the amount you can borrow. The funds are made available to you quickly. But, bridge loans are very short term solutions, typically not more than 6-24 months. So, you need to know where your long term financing is coming from.
Both private and commercial lenders might use other terms that you do not understand. The best advice: When you do not understand, ask for clarification. As mentioned above, some lenders simply forget that everyone is not familiar with the “lingo”. If a lender is unwilling to explain something to you fully, then you should probably seek another source for your residential hard money loans.
Author: James Whitmore
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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