02FebFebruary 2, 2021 By Patrick

Invoice Factoring – More Than Financing

INVOICE FACTORING – MORE THAN JUST FINANCING

Invoice factoring is one of the oldest forms of financing available to business.

The purpose of invoice factoring is to speed up your company’s cash flow. By speeding up the cash flow, business owners can scale their sales by leveraging responsibly. However, invoice factoring is more than just financing.

Benefits Of The Factoring Agreement

In a factoring agreement, the client engages the factoring company as their credit and collections department. In a factoring contract, all accounts receivable are collected by the factor from the company’s customers. This collection function serves in conjunction with the credit management of the customer base. The factor approves the customer for credit by conducting industry background checks using management systems not available to business owners (think of this like a personal credit report, but only for business entities). The factor can see the customer’s history of payment and financial condition. There may also be an insurance policy taken out on the customer. This insurance policy provides an additional layer of protection for the lender and a sophisticated credit management system for the business owner.

Grow Your Business And Reduce Your Fixed Expenses At The Same Time

As your company grows, factoring contributes to the bottom line. Instead of hiring more staff to manage the credit and collection functions (or any staff for that matter), you can outsource these responsibilities to the factor. The cost of hiring new employees, medical benefits, paid time off, investment and savings programs, etc. are all eliminated when using a factoring company.

The Factoring Advantage

Invoice factoring provides the client with financing to grow the business while at the same time managing the credit risk associated with that growth. Factoring companies have more resources available to them than the average business owner. The factor becomes a partner to their business versus simply an outside financier.

Could your company use invoice factoring to grow? If so, we would like to speak with you!

Patrick Zazueta | President
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.
714-719-8966

08JanJanuary 14, 2020 By Patrick

3 Things Needed To Qualify For An Asset Based Loan.

Huntington Beach, CA – Asset based loans can be made against any asset on a company’s balance sheet. These include accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, real estate and even off balance sheet items like purchase orders. However, simply having the asset is not a guarantee that you will be approved for a loan.

In order to improve your chances of being approved for an asset based loan, you need to have at least two of the three of the following:

Credit
Cash Flow
Collateral

There are different forms of asset based loans and which two hurdles you will need to clear will change depending on the type of loan you are looking for. Let’s take a closer look. The first benchmark in many asset based loan reviews is credit. This refers to both your personal and business credit rating. In general, a credit score of 680 or better is required of your personal credit. Business credit is a little more subjective, but primarily entails your payment history, past judgments and IRS records. The asset based lender will want to know that you are running your company well by paying your suppliers on time, managing your legal recourse exposure and paying your taxes.

In an invoice factoring arrangement, personal credit is not of that much importance. The majority of the credit decision rests on the financial strength of the customers. Because the lender collects all customer payments through a controlled lock box, the lender has more control over the repayment of the loan. The collateral in this case is the invoice itself and the cash flow is also manged through the lock box. Two of the three requirements are met.

In an asset based business loan, personal and business credit along with cash flow are most important in companies with low levels of assets such as staffing companies, law firm and accounting offices. The collateral taken when lending to service companies is covered under a “blanket lien” of all company assets. However, there are not a lot of hard assets owned in a service company. The focus in this case shifts to the personal credit of the owners and how profitable the business is. The more profitable, the higher the cash flow and the more cash available to pay the company’s debts. This said, loaning to service companies sometimes requires that outside collateral be required, such as a lien on a personal residence or investment property, if available.

In summary, if you have the collateral for an asset based loan you need either the cash flow or credit to compliment the loan request to increase the chances of approval. While higher in cost than traditional financing, there are lower barriers to being approved and less financial scrutiny of your business.

If your company could benefit from an asset based loan, we would like to speak with you and bring the best options to the table.

To your success!

Patrick Zazueta
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.
714-719-8966

19DecDecember 19, 2019 By Patrick

What An Asset Based Loan Can And Can Not Do For You

We occasionally receive calls from people who are looking to buy a business. The advice when seeking an asset based loan is always to target a company with at least some assets. Service companies such as accounting or legal practices for example, typically do not have hard assets that they use on a daily basis. This disqualifies the possibility of an asset based loan assisting in the purchase of the company.

What assets do lenders like to use as collateral for their loan? Essentially, any asset found on a company balance sheet can be used as collateral for a business purchase. These assets include accounts receivable, inventory, equipment and real estate. Ideally, a company has more than one of these available to be used as collateral for the lender.

When dealing with a new business acquisition loan request, the first course of action is to explore the SBA loan program and see if you can qualify for a government insured loan. The advantage of this loan is the low down payment of 10 percent required from the buyer. The disadvantage is that the SBA loan program is difficult to qualify for. The underwriting guidelines review the target company tax returns to ensure that the company can take on the additional debt used in purchasing the business. Tax return analysis is the most conservative form of cash flow analysis because everyone looks to minimize profits on their tax returns to avoid paying high taxes.

Secondly, the SBA is also required to take outside collateral when making a loan. This usually means a 2nd position on the buyer(s) residence. Not all applicants own a home, or if they do, have equity to offer in the home. The psychological effects of placing your home as collateral can also be a bit intimidating.

If the applicant can not qualify for an SBA loan, there are private money solutions available. Asset based lenders outside of the SBA program are a bit more flexible. They look at the collateral of the business and see what cash can be taken out of the existing assets. For example, if a company owns equipment and real estate, can those assets be leveraged and applied toward the purchase price? Another popular way of purchasing a business is through factoring the accounts receivable. Invoice factoring companies are asset based lenders focused strictly on the accounts receivable of the business to be acquired. By factoring the accounts receivable, they can make additional cash available for the purchase. For example, if a company has $1,000,000 in open accounts receivable a cash availability of up to $850,000 can be made available for the purchase.

The last piece is what is referred to as a “seller carry back.” This is simply an amount of the purchase price that the seller agrees to accept over the course of a payment plan agreed to between buyer and seller. Asset based lenders view this as equity, but also prefer that the buyer has cash to bring in to the purchase. Cash investment from the buyer is important because it keeps them invested in making the acquisition a success. If the buyer has no capital at stake personally, it is easier to walk away from a failed acquisition. Buyers prefer 100% financing and lenders want some “skin in the game” in order to keep the borrower invested.

Asset based loans can make your business acquisition goals a reality. However, buyers need to be realistic in their expectations. If a buyer has zero capital to put down towards the acquisition or the company targeted for purchase has zero assets, the likelihood of success is very slim.

Advice: if you are looking to acquire a business using mostly outside capital, make sure the business has hard assets and you have a portion to apply to the purchase price. What was not mentioned previously is buyer experience. You should also have some experience in the industry your acquisition is in. For example, purchasing a repair shop and have adequate prior experience as a mechanic.

If you would like to talk about acquiring a business, give us a call 714-719-8966.

To you success!

Patrick Zazueta
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.

23NovNovember 23, 2019 By Patrick

Best Factoring Companies And How They Assist Business Of All Sizes

Blog articles discussing factoring companies, factoring loans, invoice factoring and all things related.

Factoring companies providing invoice financing are a reliable source of capital for companies of all sizes. Entrepreneurs seeking funding through traditional bank lending and through venture/angel investors face numerous obstacles in obtaining an approval, and most are rejected. Established companies seeking additional capital for growth are often declined due to the bank’s fear of over-leveraging a company.

Once thought of as the “lenders of last resort”, factoring companies are the mainstream source of capital for importers, distributors, manufacturers and service companies. Essentially, if your business is carrying accounts receivable on the balance sheet, factoring can unlock your cash flow and catapult your growth. Why wait 30, 60 or 90 days for your customers to pay? You get paid on day 1 when you use a factoring company.

Times have changed in the business world. Business owners need a flexible funding option that changes with those times.

If you would like to know more about how factoring can assist your business, please contact us.

To your success!

Patrick Zazueta | Founder | Huntington Coast Capital, Inc. 714-719-8966

28OctNovember 12, 2019 By Patrick

Can A Factoring Company Help My Business?

Blog articles discussing factoring companies, factoring loans, invoice factoring and all things related.

Most of the small business owners we speak to would love to be approved for a bank loan or partner up with the coveted “equity investor” and ride off into the sunset. The reality of it, however, is that very few small businesses qualify for traditional bank financing and do not meet the requirements equity investors look for.

There is a gap in expectations between what small business owners want and what private investors and banks want. What are they? Summarized below:

Small Business Owner – “I wish to become wealthy by using someone else’s money at a very low rate of interest and prefer not to personally guaranty the loan.”

Investor/Bank – “I want to lend money in a nearly risk free scenario and gain a handsome return on the capital invested.”

The end result is the “Golden Rule” or those the rule that states those with the gold make the rules. It is not uncommon to reach a stale mate after months of negotiations as a result of the gap created by these polar opposite ideals.

What we have found is that the conversation (if the business owner is looking to fund variable expenses) usually migrates to factoring company solutions or an asset based loan. Why? Because factoring companies provide easier access to capital and focus on your customer’s credit. Does that mean they aren’t concerned with their borrower? Not exactly. Both borrower credit and customer credit are important in the factoring companies eyes, but not to the same degree. If you sell on net 30 terms and invoice your customers, chances are you can obtain the funding you need with a factoring company.

The profile of an average business that is approved for factoring has some of the following challenging characteristics:

losses and/or negative equity
business owner not willing to provide a personal guaranty
start up or under two years in business
internal financial statements
contractors
tax liens or past due tax payments
contractors
poor record keeping

This is not a complete list, but shown to demonstrate the flexibility of factoring companies over traditional lenders. As your business grows, your factoring charges will decrease as the factor’s main interest is to grow with your business. We have some clients that choose to stay in their factoring relationship for the ease of use and minimal financial reporting requirements.

Factoring companies finance your operating capital needs, manage your accounts receivable and stay out of the way and let you run your business.

If you have questions regarding whether or not factoring is right for you, please call us for a free consultation 714-719-8966.

To your success!

Patrick Zazueta | Founder | Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.| 714-719-8966

24OctOctober 24, 2019 By Patrick

What Is Your Invoice Factoring Rate?

What is Your Rate?

This is the main question when searching for a commodity finance product such as a commercial or home mortgage. Let’s face it, if I am refinancing my home mortgage, I do not care about the customer service of the mortgage company because I expect them to competently manage my mortgage needs. Further, I would not pay more for a perceived better customer service experience. My main concern, as with all of us when shopping for a mortgage, is rate.

However, in the entrepreneurial lending world, things are much different. For example, as a business owner looking to deliver on a sizeable purchase order you have been pursuing for months, cost is not the primary concern. Availability of cash is. This is because if you fail to deliver on your first purchase order, you will likely never receive another one from the same customer. Your reputation on being able to deliver is what keeps the orders coming in.

Asset based loans, such as invoice factoring, solve most liquidity problems for B2B business owners. We deal with business owners on a daily basis that are under extreme timeline and performance pressure from a customer they have been pursuing for months. Once the opportunity finally comes, they simply must deliver! They view their invoice factoring partner as a team member versus just an asset based lender. Because without the factoring company, they would not be able to deliver on their customer orders.

Our asset based lending sources need to earn a return that is commensurate with the risk they are taking. It is a return that will both assist the borrower in their growth goals and earn the lender enough to justify the risk of capital. A flexible invoice factoring loan that allows the borrower a chance to expand their top line revenue where one did not exist before through traditional financing avenues.

So, the rate discussion is obviously something that is covered, but not nearly as important as it is with commodity lending. Opportunity cost, or the cost required to earn higher profits for the company, is of primary importance in asset based lending. Invoice factoring is the most commonly used forms of asset based loans.

Asset based loans can also be secured against equipment. Click h ere to learn more about our sister company, EquipmentFinanceQuotes.com.

If your business could use a flexible invoice factoring company to grow and meet your full potential, we would like to speak with you!

To your success!

Patrick Zazueta | Founder
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.

17OctOctober 17, 2019 By Patrick

Invoice Factoring and the Lock Box

Our calls with clients always involve providing them with improved working capital for the growth of their business. This almost always involves a conversation on invoice factoring also know as accounts receivable factoring.

An invoice factoring agreement is a buy/sell agreement whereby the factoring company purchases a company’s accounts receivable for a period of time. This time period is usually up to 90 days with some exceptions out to 120 days.

The invoice factoring company will advance between 75-90% of the face amount of the invoice on day 1. The factoring company will then wait for the customer to pay. This alleviates the cash burden sometimes felt while waiting for customers to pay.

A key requirement in an invoice factoring arrangement is the lock box. A lock box is a dedicated address where all customer payments are to be made. Customer payments pay down the advance the invoice factoring company made against the invoice. The lock box provides the factoring company with a certain level of control when managing repayment.

Some clients have hesitancy with using a lock box. They are concerned with how factoring their invoices will look to their customers. Specifically, they are concerned with the customer thinking they are in financial trouble. This is not always the case. In fact, rarely is it the case. Fast growing companies use invoice factoring to fund the growth of their business. Not having the cash to fulfill orders makes the negative impression.

Combining invoice factoring with purchase order funding and/or supply chain finance will provide even greater cash flow options for the company. More on that in the next blog.

If your business is growing and invoice factoring could help eliminate your cash flow concerns, give us a call 714-719-8966.

To your success!

04OctOctober 7, 2019 By Patrick

Working Capital. Every Business Needs It!

How long would your business last without enough money to cover expenses? Most businesses fail within the first three years due to lack of enough working capital, and even well established operations can experience cash crunches. Competitors are a constant. How financially strong your business is, will determine how well you can compete.

The frustration for many business owners is this – traditional lending sources either require you to be financially solid before they lend you money to grow or are conservative in the amount of credit they extend to the seasoned business operator.

So where do most business owners obtain the financing they need to grow their business? In short, asset based lenders. There is a 2nd tier of lenders below bank financing that finance purchase orders, equipment needs, inventory, real estate and accounts receivable. Essentially any asset listed on a given company’s balance sheet can be eligible for financing. Their focus is either on the quality of the asset they are financing or the financial strength of the customer placing the order (in the case of purchase order and accounts receivable financing). This approach makes financing growth much more obtainable for business owners.

What about financing for the established companies? A challenge remains here as well. Financing available for the established business owners is often inadequate to meet growth needs. Banks are most typically conservative and provide small lines of credit, even to companies with strong net worth and income. Companies need creative solutions when seeking additional capital and this creativity comes from the non-regulated, more entreprenuerial thinking, capital sources in the market. Could your business benefit from knowing a partner like this?

About Huntington Coast Capital.

Huntington Coast Capital secures funding for companies in a broad base of industries. Our clients come to us to find a more flexible lending partner to meet their growth needs. Many are declined by the bank and are in need of a more creative and entrepreneurial funding solution.

We consult on a wide range of funding options for business owners throughout the United States in the following areas:

Supply chain financing
Equipment loans and lease programs (learn more about our equipment loan platform offered through our subsidiary)
Lines of credit for working capital needs
Term loans for marketing, hiring staff and general expansion needs
Factoring services for accounts receivable financing that also provides for back office credit and collection functions
Purchase order financing
Asset based loans
Business acquisition financing
Inventory financing
Private commercial real estate bridge loans
SBA loans for business and real estate needs

Whether you are a startup or established, in need of $100,000 or $10,000,000 we have the capital partners to meet your needs. Contact us to see how we can assist in taking your business to the next level. To your success!

14JulNovember 23, 2019 By Patrick

Factoring Companies Help When Others Can’t

Blog articles discussing factoring companies, factoring loans, invoice factoring and all things related.

As capital markets advisers and small business advocates, we are in communication with business owners on a daily basis. For small business owners, cash flow is critical. In a recent example, we spoke with a supplier of art frames and pieces. Their major account, Panda Restaurants, has been steadily increasing their orders and while this was a welcome arrangement, it was creating a cash flow problem for the small business owner.

The company had current accounts receivable between $10,000 and $25,000 per month – much too small for traditional banks to be interested. They specifically stated they were interested in a working capital line of credit versus a loan.

After a brief conversation, we introduced them to the perfect factoring company for their business. Factoring your accounts receivable, or invoice factoring as it is also referred to, is a buy/sell agreement and not a loan. The factor will “purchase” the invoice for a period typically up to 90 days. The client is able to take a cash advance on the face amount of the invoice. For example, if you have a $1,000 invoice out to a customer, the factoring company will advance 80% (more or less depending on the situation) allowing you to use $800 of that cash on day one. Once the $1,000 invoice is collected, the advance is repaid along with the $200 balance minus the factoring fees assessed.

Factoring companies have provided invoice factoring for over 100 years. It is the simplest way to cash quickly for your business capital financing needs. If your business could use a boost in capital to fund growth, give us a call.

To your success!

Patrick Zazueta | Founder
Huntington Coast Capital, Inc.
714-719-8966.