How to start a business with a cash advance
Raising enough capital to purchase inventory and kickstart operations is one of the biggest challenges new business owners face. Established businesses can also face cash flow problems, for instance during seasonal dips or in times of economic uncertainty – such as the one we all find ourselves in today. Fortunately, there are a few business finance options out there that may be able to help.
Business funding can provide you with the support you need when starting a new business. However, strict criteria and inflexibility means it can be difficult to obtain finance from traditional lenders, especially if your business hasn’t been trading for very long.
Crucially, cash advances allow you to access the capital you require at speed. There are different cash advance options and the most common is called a merchant cash advance.
In some ways, a cash advance works like a traditional loan in that you get the money at the start of the loan term and pay interest for the as long as it’s owed. As such, the cost will depend on how quickly you plan on repaying it.
You and the lender agree on a total cost upfront and this doesn’t change, however as repayments come from your business’ revenue in a proportional way, you’ll be paying back more when your business earns more (and vice versa). So, instead of a monthly interest calculation, there’s a set amount you need to get to.
One of the main benefits of cash advances is that they’re a flexible option. Think about it: instead of having to pay a set amount – even when times are economically tough – what you pay back aligns with how much you sell on a month-by-month basis.
A merchant cash advance is designed for merchants – companies that receive customer payments via card machine. Technology makes it easy for merchant cash advance loans to be facilitated because the lender can work with your payments provider.
The amount you’re advanced will be calculated based on your average monthly turnover, so you’ll have to provide evidence of your last few months of card sales. Continue reading “How to start a business with a cash advance”