Business Funding Tactics to Meet the Challenges of a Recession

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During tough economic times, Finance is a huge gainsay for business owners.  In the “Going Forward” section of the January ’09 Entrepreneur Magazine, Mark Hendricks quotes some sobering statistics which frames up the extent of the recession we are experiencing. Banks have really tightened up their lending purse strings.

My best advice to meet these recession finance challenges is have well developed  Strategic Plans, and a Financial Strategy which effectively proves your Cash Flow Model, determining which finance sources and structures closely match and fit that model.  To accompany that Funding Business Plan, I highly advocate solid  Investment Overview.  With these funding tools in hand and funding strategies highly-developed, here are some real world funding options and strategies to consider when Lenders’ purse strings become increasingly hard to access.

Increase Your Network: Increasing your Networking activities through morning executive breakfast events, trade associations, Chamber of Commerce events and Rotary/ Kiwanis/ Lions Groups can be a great way to find suitable, local, private money.  Local investors are much more approachable in hard times as they have a connection and understanding to the area and your track record.  Other business owners in these groups, associations and events can be highly helpful in finding suitable private money.

Supplier and Trade Credit Finance: According to Rosalind Resuick, CEO of Axxess Business Consulting, no outside party has a bigger interest in your company’s success than your trade partners and suppliers.  Having your supplier as an Equity Partner can be very advantageous when you are having difficulty making payments or want to straightaway develop a new market.  The participating Equity Stake is assigned to your past trends, present and future orders.  Start-up Consultant, Joe Fulvio, suggests your Business Plan “show not only a direct return on investment, but also the value of future business to be gained”.  By making your supplier a partner in your business, the supplier is better suited to understand your Finance needs

Lease Finance: If your cash is tight, then lease finance can be the answer. The advantages of leasing include a smaller deposit, lower payments and great flexibility. And at the end of the lease term, you can easily upgrade your equipment and roll right back into lease payments, making your out of pocket costs a lot less than a typical business loan. Carefully consider whether lease finance will meet your finance needs and have the right cost and tax structure for your business.

Local and Community Banks: Amy Loera, owner of Tio’s Mexican restaurant chain, was denied at nine different banks, for a loan to open a new restaurant, although she ran a very successful business.  These Lenders cited the Nation-wide downturn of restaurant sales due to the current recession as the chief reason for the loan declination.  There is no doubt a year ago, these banks would have lent to her.  Instead of throwing in the towel, Ms. Loera turned to a local, community lender, Arrowhead Credit Union, and she was approved for a $643,000 loan.  What was the difference?  The Credit Union was based in her business region, and she could make a strong case for the health of her restaurant chain.  Reasons Ms. Loera cited for her success in obtaining her expansion loan:

• Low overhead costs
• sensible Prices
• Family-Style restaurants picking up the slack from people by the Fancier establishments in the area.
• Smaller, localized lenders are typically in better shape during an Economic Downturn
• Community Banks are more cognizant of the local economy’s health and vigor
• Larger / Regional / National Banks are more reliant on Credit Scores and cookie cutter Applications.  Local Banks rely more on a Business Plan.
• Niche Market:  Suburban market that likes an affordable meal at the end of a busy day
• Historical Financials display track record
• Debt-free
• 12 month Realistic Projection for the new restaurant
• Comprehensive Business Plan; every detail about the business
• Received approval from the Credit Union due to:
  • Experience
  • Existing locations cash flowing well
  • Affordable meals in a recessionary environment
  • Detailed, well-thought-out Business Plan

– What the Local Bank Looks For…The Inside Story…

• Not Credit Score Driven
• Look behind the scenes of the business
• Cash Flow is Key:  An important indicator of the ability to pay off the loan.
• Believable, forward-looking Cash Flow Projections for the new business.  Realistic Financial Statements.
• Provide Best & Worst Case Scenarios on your Financial Projections
• Small, Community Banks assess a business loan on a case by case basis.  This is a huge advantage over Regional Bank Loan decision making, especially, in an economic down-turn.
• In recessionary times, certain industries will be hit harder than others, like Construction Companies or Auto Dealerships; therefore, it is very important to have a well developed Business Plan and a forward looking Strategic Plan that includes a well researched 12-18 month industry outlook, based upon a believable Marketing Plan.
• Small Bankers can see successful pocket areas in a struggling local economy.  These pocket areas often have a Strong Niche Marketing Offering
• Financial problems are best disclosed to the bank early on so a mutual solution can be implemented
• Small Banks do loan to Companies showing past financial “hiccups” if they can show they were proactive and overcame the issue

Consider hiring experienced  Marketing Consultant to develop that Business Plan and Loan Package that will help you obtain finance in this tough lending market. It is money well worth spent and make sure your business consultant has a background and experience in business finance.

About the Writer – Frank Goley of ABC Business Consulting

Frank Goley is a business consultant, business turnaround consultant and business plan consultant for ABC Business Consulting. He has been helping companies to succeed for many years. Frank wrote his first business plan over twenty years ago. He is an expert in developing business plans, marketing plans, funding plans, strategic plans, turnaround plans, web marketing strategies, and project specific business plans. Frank is also a business coach and a web development, web marketing and web seo consultant. Frank is the author of a business plan book, The Comprehensive Business Plan Workbook – A Step by Step Guide to Effective Business Planning, and he has over 130 published articles and e-books on business success strategies. He also writes the Business Success Strategies Blog.

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