Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?

There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.

In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.

But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.

Different Types of Financing

One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.

Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.

But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.

Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.

Alternative Financing Solutions

But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:

1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.

2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.

3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.

In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:

It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.

A Precious Commodity

Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).

Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.

Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?

Nutrition Certification For Medical Doctors

Nowadays the competition in the medical world is growing and becoming more difficult. Great numbers of new proclaimed medical practitioners are offering their service and joining the business. For you to get greater edge, it is important that you get nutrition certification for medical doctors. This could help you to gain more knowledge about dietary and human nutrition thus making you wiser in curing and treating your patients.Knowledge in dietary and human nutrition is important especially on holistic doctors that are concerned on dealing with serious and had to cure diseases such as heart disease, cancer, HIV or AIDS, high blood pressure, depression, infertility, menopausal symptoms, prostatitis and diabetes. People who are suffering from these types of diseases usually look for doctors who are well briefed about dietary and human nutrition because the treatment that they need have to be coupled with proper diet and nutrition monitoring.If you are planning to study dietary and human nutrition to get a nutritional certification for medical doctors, well you have to know the relevant and helpful information that could be included on that. Actually there are only three, so here they are, first the study of dietary and human nutrition. If you will study this you will be a dietitian with the goal to promote dietary habits and good health. This is significant in your medical practice for doctors with dietitian education are more in demand. They are considered experts in dietary and human nutrition thus they are looked after by various types of institutions, hospitals, clinic, schools and other living facilities. The second relevant information in the nutrition medical certificate for doctors is the study and completion of Bachelor of Science in Holistic Nutrition. Under this study you could learn how to advise the use of herbs, supplements and natural foods.You will also know how to asses diets and lifestyles to construct wellness programs and brought out nutritional changes in your patients. Medical practitioners who study this course are sought after by patients with severe and serious health conditions. The patient trusts that a medical practitioner who undergoes study of holistic nutrition is capable of speeding up their treatment with minimal and low cost procedures. The last thing that will add advantage in your doctor’s nutrition certificate is the degree of Masters of Science. This is the highest education that you could gain that deals with dietary and human nutrition. It can make you expert and a specialist in understanding of alternative health care options such as enzymatic nutritional therapies, holistic human development and nutrition and disease prevention. Getting this in your nutritional certification for medical doctors will make your patient feel assured with your capacity to provide them with the right treatment and cure.Aside from making you more valuable in the medical world and making your name renowned by your patients, getting the nutritional certification for medical doctors will also help you a lot in your professional growth and advancement. You are now advised to get one for yourself and start to create a recognizable name in the medical practice.

Shopping For Boys Clothing

If purchasing boys clothing there are some things to keep in mind. It should be tough and durable but also be made so that the child in question will be willing to wear it. Avoid anything too fancy or with bright colors that might not go over well.Jeans are always fashionable and are great for boys so buying lots of them is usually a good idea. Basic colors like blue and black are good and always in season unlike fashion colors that may go out of style. Try and keep some khaki’s on hand for special events like dinners or parties.Footwear can usually be summed up in two words:Tennis shoes. Reebok and Nike are both good brands and should go with almost any casual outfits. For hot summer days a pair of sandals or flip flops can work wonders. Do not forget boots, essential for playing in the snow or going sledding in the winter.When looking for tops for boys clothing try and find t-shirts, both in solid colors and with cartoons or funny sayings, sports teams, or cartoons that the boy enjoys. Sweatshirts are a good choice for the fall and winter months. For hooded ones Nike and Champion both have high quality models. When slightly more formal attire is required polo shirts or button down ones should do the trick.For Winter gear be sure to get a coat with a removable liner. You can add it on the really chilly days and take it out when the weather starts to warm up. A hat and gloves are crucial too to stay warm. When you go shopping writing everything down beforehand ensures you do not forget anything and may help with over purchasing.Usually boys clothing will be handed down to next youngest child or given away to some other family members. If you have other children that will be wearing the clothes as the current grows out of them, be sure to keep this in mind and help keep your future costs for clothes down.