Small Business Finance

There are various business finance plans open to a new start-up, but they all fall into 2 major categories, namely, owner financing and borrowed business finance. Each of these 2 major categories has an upside and a downside that every entrepreneur seeking business finance should be aware of. The key to success in business finance would then be finding ways to exploit the advantages of one’s chosen financing option, while also mitigating against its downside.

The first major business finance category is owner financing. Owner financing refers to money that the entrepreneur and other promoters of the business contribute to start it. In most cases, owner financing comes from the entrepreneur’s savings. The main advantage of owner financing as a source of business finance for a new start-up is that it comes at no cost (except possibly its opportunity costs) . As it were, the other major business finance option – credit – can usually only be had at a cost called interest. That is, all money which is borrowed, especially for business purposes, has to be paid with interest.

But it is a common occurrence to find the interest demanded on a loan being equal to all the earnings from the loan (especially in low margin businesses), thus crippling the business. A business built through owner financing does not have to suffer this interest cost. Thus money which could have been spent on paying interest can be ploughed back into the business, further strengthening its capital base. An added advantage with owner financing is that should the business fail -which is a sad but real scenario every serious entrepreneur should think about – the owner would not be left with debts pulling them back. With owner financing also, the entrepreneur doesn’t risk messing his credit history. This could occur in the event that the business picks up but does not perform as well as initially projected, and is thus unable to meet its obligations to lenders on time. The downside to owner financing as a business finance option is that it is usually very limited in scope, and is thus usually not an option for business that require huge capital outlays.

Turning to borrowed business finance, the credit options available to new start-ups include business loans and trade credit lines. The main advantage with credit as a source of business finance option is that it opens a larger pool of capital than is typically available through owner financing. This is significant because many entrepreneurs who attempt to start a business based on its alternative – owner financing – only often find themselves severely constrained financially. This lack of proper financing is in fact one of the leading causes of failure for many new start-ups. The downside with credit as a business finance option is the interest cost it comes at, which can prove to be a major cost for the business, especially during the business’ incubation and initial growth period when the business does not earn much.

Moreover, securing credit for a new start-up can be an uphill task, as most lenders openly prefer to give business loans to established businesses or at the very least businesses that have practically proven their viability rather than to new start-ups. And then of course there is the sad reality that if you start a business with borrowed funds and the business fails for one reason or another, your credit history could be messed forever. You can, however, mitigate this by registering your start-up as a limited liability company. This way, the business stands as a legal person, and you cannot be held responsible for the business loans it takes.

By: Gary Terrazas