Business Capital Solutions In Canada: Accessing Proper Cash Flow & Commercial Financing

Business capital requirements in Canada often boil down to some basic truths the business owner/financial mgr/entrepreneur needs to address when it comes to financing for businesses.

One of those truths? Knowing the true state of their financial condition and what financing they do and don’t qualify for when it comes to meeting commercial lending requirements in Canadian business.

Business Loans In Canada

Whether you are smaller or start-up firm looking for information on how to get a business loan or a larger established firm looking for growth financing or acquisition opportunities we’re highlighting 3 mistakes that commercial loan seekers like your company need to avoid making when addressing, sourcing and negotiating your cash flow / working capital and commercial financing needs.

1. Understand the true condition of your company finances – These are almost always successful addressed when you spend time on your financials and understand how your financial statements reflect your access to commercial loans & business credit in general

2. Ensure you have a plan in place for sales growth and financial needs as it relates to commercial financing

3. Understand that actual hard facts about cash flow which is, of course, the lifeblood of your company

Can you honestly answer or feel positive about all those 3 points. If so, pass Go and collect $ 100.00!

A good way to address your company’s finance plans is to ensure you understand growth finance solutions, as well as how to manage in a downturn – i.e. not growing, losing money, etc; It’s never fun to fund yourself in an economic or industry downturn such as the COVID pandemic of 2020!

When we talk to clients of new or established businesses it seems they are almost always talking about sales, so the ability to understand and focus on the differences in their profits and cash fluctuations is key.

How do cash flow and sales plans and projections affect the type of financing you require? For one thing sales growth usually starts out by consuming your cash, not generating it. A poor finance plan will drag your business down and addressing financing simply gets tougher and tougher.

Three basics always emerge when it comes to your search for the right business capital and financing.

1. The amount of financing you need

2. The type of financing (debt/cash flow/asset monetization) The business loan interest rate will be dramatically affected by whether you choose traditional or alternative financing solutions. Private business loans in Canada come from non regulated commercial finance companies most often known as ‘ alternative lenders ‘. These lenders are typically highly specialized in one ‘ niche ‘ of business financing and may be Canadian firms or branches of U.S. banks and non-bank lenders

3. How the financing is structured to be manageable with your day to day operations

What Finance Company In Canada Can Meet Your Borrowing Needs & Why Is Capital Important In Business

Let’s identify and break down key financings your firm should know about and understand if they are applicable and achievable to your business. They include:

A/R Financing / Factoring / Confidential Receivable Finance

Inventory finance / floor planning / retail inventory

Working Capital term loans

Unsecured cash flow loans

Merchant working capital loans/advances – these loans are geared toward short term cash needs and are typically one year in duration. Loan amounts are typically 15-20% of your annual sales revenues.

Royalty finance

Asset based non bank business lines of credit

Tax credit financing (SR&ED bridge loans)

Equipment Leasing / Sale leasebacks – Equipment financing in Canada is used by almost 80% of all companies looking to acquire new, and used, assets.

Govt Guaranteed Small Business Loan program – Government Loans in Canada are sometimes referred to as ‘ SBL’, aka Note: BDC Finance solutions are available from this Canadian non-bricks and morter crown corporation. A small business loan via the government-guaranteed loan program comes with true flexibility around term loan duration, market rates, no pre payment penalties, and of course the low personal guarantee that is required by borrowers. These two ‘ government ‘ loan solutions are often perfect for financing a new business.

If you’re focused on not making mistakes in your business finance needs and want to capitalize on the solutions your competitors are probably already using seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you with your cash flow and commercial financing needs.

Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.

His employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) In 2004 Stan founded 7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL – He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.

Online Travel Agent – What Does That Mean?

Once upon a time, in a place not far away, but in an era long since forgotten, there was a magical thing called a full service gas station. Do you remember? People would actually come out and pump your gas for you! It may sound like just a fairy tale, but it’s true, it really did happen!Now days, our travel agents are going the way of the full service gas station. People just don’t have time anymore, time to go in and meet with a travel agent, time to go over options, basically – they don’t have time for full service. Online travel agents are all around us now, on the internet. They are convenient, but not quite the full service “station” we are used to when making our travel plans.What is an online travel agent? An online travel agent is more like an online booking resource. It is any website that you can go to make travel arrangements. I am sure most of you have visited a site like this. You can log in, do multiple searches for flights, hotel rooms, car rentals etc. and place your order online – very convenient!Online travel agent bookings sites are helpful in many ways; people can explore all of their different options for travel right in one spot. If you are looking for a flight to Europe, for example, and your route is flexible, users can map out different itineraries online. Then, the user can pick which works best for them and make a decision about what they want to do. Also, the user gets exposed to options that they may not have thought of before; therefore broadening their horizons of what type of travel arrangements are available to them.Another pro for using an online travel agent website is the wide variety of products that they offer. Not only can a customer browse airfare, car rental, and hotel options. Travel insurance, airport shuttles, and tour tickets are also available for purchase. This is very helpful to an online travel planner, as they can cover most of their travel planning needs in one visit to a website.After booking a confirmation on a travel website, the customer will receive an email with confirmations and contact information. The information that is provided to the customer usually includes information about any E-tickets, car rental policies (or where to go to look for the policies), and provides information on what to do if the travel plans change. All of this information right at the fingertips of the travel planning consumer.Many people wonder if booking these types of travel arrangements online is safe. Yes – it is. Websites spend a lot of time and productivity making sure that their payment systems, whether outsourced or not, are safe. It is important for their reputation to provide reliable payment systems and to maintain secure sights. Bad news travels fast, and if a website wasn’t taking care of their customers, it wouldn’t take long for the world to notice.Taking from personal experience I have never had a problem with booking with an online travel agent. I have been booking travel online for over ten years and I can’t say that I have had one problem! I have even found that after booking my super cheap airfare on a we site, after I received my reservation information via email, it was s easy to tweak my reservation details with the actual airline after the fact. I have never had a situation where I have paid for my booking online, and had it not be legitimate when I showed up for the reservation, either. Basically, booking online with an online travel agent website is an easy, affordable, and safe way to book your travel.Online travel agents may seem scary to some. With news about security breaches and privacy issues, I can’t blame people for being shy about booking travel plans online. I have to say though, give it a try! You are bound to have a great and educational travel planning experience. And who knows, it might even be fun!

7 Signs You’re Not Ready For Online Business Success

Dot.Com or Internet businesses started going main-stream in the early 1990′s and between 1995 and 2000 internet stocks were selling at multiples of their book values. Most of the Dot.Com companies had nothing tangible to justify their Mount Everest-high prices. It didn’t take long before the market started correcting itself and by October 4, 2002 the NASDAQ index had crashed by 76.81%, to 1,139.90, from a peak of 5,084.62 recorded on March 10, 2000..Since the burst, the Dot.Com business had separated the men from the boys with valuable lesson learnt. Many of the boys went home to their parents to lick their wounds while the men started searching for the keys to online business success. As a matter of fact, no one key to online business success was found as internet business was a brand new territory. So it became a matter of trial and error to find out what worked.In 2012 Rich Schefren released his much-acclaimed Internet Business Manifesto in which he advised Dot.Com entrepreneurs to approach every aspect of online business, from list building to product development and sales, strategically rather than tactically. He particularly noted that technology is an enabler and the whole focus should be on developing structures and building relationships rather than looking for tactical advantages like trying to outsmart the algorithms.Since the Dot.Com crash, many online entrepreneurs have figured out what works and what doesn’t and the internet is producing millionaires in record numbers in assorted niches and sub-niches. One of such millionaires is Russell Brunson, the author of three best-selling books: Dot.Com Secrets, Expert Secrets, and Traffic Secrets. These books are definitive guides on what works online. If only to note in passing, as at the 2020, Russell Brunson’s net-worth was estimated at $41m; a figure he built over 15 years.Scott Cunningham of Social Lite not long ago pointed out that online entrepreneurs go through three phases: the crawl phase, when you’re making less than $100,000 per annum, the walk phase when you’re making between $100,000 to $1m, and the run phase when you’re making over $1m. It is at the crawl phase you need the most learning.For those of us in the crawl phase, it’s important to note that, just like anything in life, online business has its own guiding principles. Those who succeed in a big way online follow these principles. The opposite is also true for those who fail. As Russell Brunson and other internet business experts would readily advice, do what works. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.Here are seven signs you’re not ready for online business success. Not in any particular order, they include:1. You’re not curious, indeed more often than not you’re skeptical that people like you are building successful online businesses and making money.2. You’re not paranoid, indeed you believe online business is a passing fad and will soon go away. Andy Grove, Intel’s co-founder, once said, “Only the Paranoid Survive”. The internet is not likely to go away soon.3. You believe Social Media is a distraction; if you use SM at all, you use it for the “social” aspect. Social media like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are business tools if you know how to use them.4. You lack production mindset, you rather consume, and if you produce at all, you’re inconsistent. To succeed online, especially if you’re selling digital products, you must be a prolific producer.5. You wear the toga of expert, always asking, “What can anybody teach me?” As Steve Jobs said in his Stanford’s 2005 Commencement address, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”6. You focus on the negatives: fraud, complexity, and the technicalities etc., thus convincing yourself “it’s not for me”. The internet has its dark side. It also has its bright side. Embrace the bright side.7. You live a “satisfied life” believing you’re already successful so “why bother?” This is the attitude of high corporate earners. Why not invest and learn now you’re earning high; sooner or later, you’ll retire.If you exhibit three or more of the signs I have enumerated above: you lack curiosity, you’re not paranoid about the internet, you hate social media or only use it for play, you rather consume than produce, you consider yourself an expert who knows it all, you only see the dark side of the internet, and you’re too satisfied to bother, the simple interpretation is that you lack online business success mindset.The signs simply say you’re not ready for online business success. I define online success as someone who makes a minimum of $10,000 monthly online and scaling and investing massively to move from the crawl to the walk stage. My simple advice to you is this: get off your couch, put on your running shoes and start looking for online business influencers to learn how you too can succeed online.