Posts Tagged ‘Small’

Human Resources Department in small organisation

 

 

Human Resource Department in Small Organisations:

 ”For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.“

 

Being a human resource professional in a small company isn’t the same as being the one  in MNC’s or any bigger organisation. Its still a struggle for the Hr departments in such organisations with other departments for proving its worth, importance and necessity in the organisation. This is in contradiction to what it is in bigger organisation where HR has the power of decision making for many employee based activities and plans.

Most of the departments in the small organisations have a very small team and the person leading the team is its HR Manager. With so many HR managers in the organisation it becomes a place of confusion and non-clarity of roles . Many a times the management considers HR department as burden. I know most of my HR friends (working for MNC’s & bigger companies) wont agree with this as they feel now a days HRD has reached a stage where it has become an integral part of the oraganisation and it is almost impossible to run the company without a dedicated HR department. I agree with most of them as far as the organisations with higher number of employees are concerned and where for handling the lifecycle of the employee there is need for someone to handle the same. But such is not the case with smaller organisations as there are not more than 50 employees working in these companies and managing them is not that big a task if taken up by their individual line managers.

These organisations (especially the ones which are driven by the marketing & sales department) solely depend on the sale of their products and hence the profit of the company which runs the company for next couple of months. Here the whole management is handheld and led by the marketing & sales department, the so called HR being the coordinator and operator & they being the decision makers.

HR is not involved in any kind of strategic planning for these companies. They can only be the ones who can operate this strategic plans as all these future planning is done considering only the increase in the sales and profit of the organisation and not productivity from each employee. But in this planning what they forget is that the sales and profit of any organisation are finally linked with the productivity of each employee and factors contributing to the same.

As soon as these organisations realise the real importance of dedicated HR department and its authorities, start considering their employees as their assets, start introducing benefit plans, schemes, growth plans for these employees then they will surely be able to raise the organisation’s sales and profit numbers to higher levels and can move towards their goal of being a company with higher and higher turnover every year. This is simply based on the action and reaction theory of Newton “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” as employees happy with their organisations are main contributors to its success & growth & vice a versa.

 

 

 

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Start Up Business Financing – What Are The Essentials Of Getting A Small Business Loan?

Ahead of seeking for money to finance a small business, it is necessary to know what a small business is all about. The meaning of this will depend on the location or sphere of operation of the small business. In most cases, the number of personnel that the business has is what will be used to draw a line between a small business and a big one. For example, a small business will employ not more than a hundred personal in the United States and not more than fifty in Europe.

There are so many reasons why as a small business owner, you will request for more finance. You may want to build up the business, make some important acquisition for the business or even redeem your debts. There are so many options to finance this type of business but the most preferable source should be through the use of loans from banks. Access to loans will be easily obtained by those businesses which have a good reputation in the market than those small or new ones just getting into the market.

You will first of all have to make an application to the bank and the application will include the following:

A brief record of the activities of the business and any information showing its probable expansion;

Who the owners are and their position in the business;

Guarantee for the loan;

The business’s present financial status;

A statement of how the loan will be repaid;

Why Is A Brief Record Of The Business Needed?

This is always needed by the banker to make sure that the bank is not only aware of where it is putting its money into, but it is also sure that it is lending to a business which has potentials of growth. Remember that it is always necessary to take reasonable steps to make sure that the loan will be repaid when it is due.

The business must also prove some experience in handling finances. This will be related to the expertise that the owners or personnel of the business have. Keep in mind that there must always be an indication that the loan will be administered in the most appropriate manner.

The application must have a guarantee:

There is no way in which a loan will be provided to a business which does not have security to cover the loan. Remember that the bank will need something to keep hold of in the event of any failure to repay the loan. Security for the loan may take various forms, but the banks are more interested in security which consists of fixed assets.

A statement of how the loan will be repaid should be included:

Every lender will want to know how you plan to pay pack the loan. Make sure you provide evidence of this. You can use your earnings or even personal finance to prove this. In some cases, a refinancing option may also be used. The most probable should be that the earnings from the business should be able to take charge of the loan.

You must always know that the probability of you getting a loan will not be the same for every lender. But if you have all the essentials in getting a loan, you should be sure that it will be given to you.

5 Most Common Small Business Financing Requirements

Small businesses are the backbone of our American way of life. Yet more small businesses are failing than ever before. Granted, the economy is still in rough shape, even though it’s appearing to slowly improve, but this isn’t helping the small businesses stay open. While the recovery may have gotten to Wall Street, it hasn’t yet made it all the way to Main Street. What drives most small businesses under is a lack of immediate cash flow which could be handled with a small business loan.

The main drawback to this is making sure the business is going to be able to pay back that loan. In order to qualify, there are several requirements that small businesses have to meet. Here is a list of a few:

1. There has to be a business plan in place. Either the original business plan if one was developed, or one to plan out the uses for funds and the projected financials based on the loan.

2. If at all possible, collateral will need to be posted for the loan. This can be equipment, machinery, land and building or anything else of value. Having collateral gives the bank or finance company something to put a lien on in case the business still fails.

3. Business credit scores need to be good. These scores are used just like personal scores are and can affect the amount or availability of small business financing. Check these before trying for a loan as each check by a lending institution affects the scores.

4. If the business is a partnership or has multiple partners, anyone who owns more than 20% may have to have a personal score of 680 or higher. Check these as well.

5. Each lender will have different requirements that will need to be met. The best way to make sure you’re covering all your bases is to check with the lender first and see what those requirements will be. That way you don’t go into the loan process and have issues because a step wasn’t prepared for. This lack of preparation will cost you time because you’ll have to go meet that requirement before the process can continue. And that may be time you don’t have.

Also, make sure what type of small business loan or financing you really need. There are 5 basic types and each are geared for a specific set of needs. Do the research and make sure you’re looking at the right type of loan, otherwise you may undercapitalize and will wind up in the same position you’re in now. Take your time and make sure you’re efforts are going to lead you to success.

Barracudas and Dandelions: Clipart and Small Business Finance

Business is like a barracuda—swift and silvery, sliding through the water and cutting past its prey. Business is also like a dandelion, quick to take root and swift to blow away; unless that dandelion grants a wish, it may vanish on the wind. But whether animal or vegetable, in the water or on the land, can business be—free? As in, can a business provide something for free? Well, free clipart is part of a broad history of online distribution services aimed to increase the public domain and enable the small businessperson. Even in our metaphors—barracudas, water, prey, dandelions, and wind—we have hit on just a small sampling of online clipart.

Free clipart isn’t just a business, though; free clipart is a gift to businesses, especially small businesses. Letterhead, checks, logos, signs, and websites all benefit from free clip art. Whereas extensive design work once had to go into even the most mediocre of media, free clipart has helped build up the reservoir of design opportunities, affording entrepreneurs yet another way to take hold of some stopgap measures. While you wait to grow into bigger advertising projects, clip art makes your fliers exactly what you need.

Quality is crucial, of course. Using just any free graphics to fill your clipart needs won’t always turn out for the best. When appropriate and successful finance is your aim, you can’t afford to load up with shady half-baked measures. Barracudas slide right on by and dandelions blow away unwished-on. For free clipart to be effective clipart, you need to be willing to take the time to go hunting. Most large clip art libraries are able to fit most bills when it comes to small business; however, free clipart does not come only in big chunks. Small free clipart libraries often carry unique images that can be taken and used as is or incorporated into something more to help facilitate effective finance in your small business. Of course, with all of this, you cannot discount the effect that paid clip art can have on your business. Sometimes you have to pay money to make money.

Ultimately, here is the way to think of how clipart affects you. The barracuda might be your venture—but let’s say the barracuda is the clipart. It cuts through the marketing fluff and weaves its way into the hearts of your advertising audience. The dandelion is your small business finance. If you aren’t careful with it—if you don’t want it enough—it blows away, never to be seen again. Free clipart fixes that. Think outside the box. Think creatively. Think free—and think freely; then, you will have the mindset you need to make something happen with your small business. Finance may not be free. It may be frustrating. But making your name can be made easier. Just look for the swift silvery flash, make a wish, and make it work.

Raising Small Business Finance

Raising small business finance isn’t an easy process, particularly in light of the recent credit crunch and the liquidity problems experienced across global financial markets. Of course that’s filtered down to small business loans, which are now less easy to come by, particularly at start-up stage. Yet, ironically, getting any business off the ground requires money and a bit of faith from those with the resources to spare.

Raising small business finance from a bank is yet still most likely the path of least resistance to raising funds. Your alternatives are to find a private investor or investors, who will almost certainly be looking for an equity stake in return for their input, and will be far more discerning that the bank in choosing to whom they give their financial backing. This second route is immensely difficult, unless you have a rich family member willing to step in and foot the bill on favourable terms.

If you do intend to raise your small business finance from your bank, you should initially prepare a business plan documenting the fundamentals of your idea, how your business will be run, and how much money you think it will make in the form of cash flow projections, profit and loss statements and other accounting documentation. Take care to explain every aspect of your business in your plan, and make sure to include conservative estimates on your figures. After all, chances are you’ll start as a small business, and the banks will realise this if you project over ambitious or unrealistic figures. Likewise in covering the details of your business, don’t presume knowledge – the bank manager might not necessarily understand why there’s a need for your particular piece of technology or why it’s any different to what’s currently on the market.

Aside from the bank as a source of finance, it’s also advisable where possible that you make use of any savings or personal funds you may have available. This is not only good to give your business the funding it needs, but also as a sign to potential lenders and investors that you are fully committed to making your idea into a success, given the extent of your personal liability. What’s more, you might also find you already have much of your essential start-up capital available in overdrafts, savings accounts and credit cards. While a risky tactic, it can pay off big time if you’re looking to attract serious financial help for your business.

Finding a private investor is difficult for any small business, and if you’re serious about raising money in this way you’re going to have to do some leg work and prepare to surrender a slice of your business profits. It’s also important to make sure both you and your potential investor know on what terms the partnership between you may come to an end, so the investor can realise his investment and you can continue running your business. Thus it takes planning and hard work, not to mention a great, relevant pitch, if you’re looking to secure funding for your small business in this way.

Credit Card Advance: The New Wave of Small Business Financing

The new wave in small business financing doesn’t only mean more and more opportunities for non-traditional small business lenders. It also brings an upsurge in opportunities for small business owners who would not have thought twice about such methods of financing had bank loans remained as easy to obtain as they have been in the past.

Small business owners have the chance to explore alternate sources of business financing, evaluating their businesses and determining what is best for them individually.

One of these increasingly used and sought-out methods of business financing is the credit card advance. With a credit card advance, lenders can give small business owners a loan, the sum of which is solely determined by the business’s monthly credit card sales. That sum, in turn, is also repaid through the business’s credit card sales. With a credit card advance, it does not matter how quickly or slowly the loan is repaid. There is never a penalty, fine, or interest for slow or fast repayment. In fact, once a certain portion of the advance has been repaid, borrowers become eligible for renewal. This unique feature gives small business owners a sense of security knowing that money is always readily available, should they ever need it.

The fact that the borrower’s credit history is virtually irrelevant during this process is also very appealing to many business owners. Because of this, many people who may feel they could never be eligible for a business loan are actually eligible to receive credit card advances.

What is the Credit Card Advance Process, From Beginning to End?

The first step to receiving your credit card advance is completing an application. This can be done online or on paper. Along with your application, you will be asked to submit your business’s most recent credit card statements. Lenders may ask for anywhere from three month’s to one year’s worth of credit card statements.

Overall, the credit card advance process is very speedy. That said, your application can be reviewed and approved in a matter of days, and your account can be funded in about one week. Immediately following funding, the repayment process begins. As a small percentage of your business’s daily credit card sales goes towards your credit card advance repayment, you continue business as usual, and enjoy your newfound business funds. Of course, this percentage will be explained to you along with all of the other numbers, before you agree to accept your credit card advance.

People say that if you try to solve a problem the same way every time, with no solution, it’s probably time for a change. Embrace the changing times and look into a credit card advance. It could be just what your small business needs.

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Protect Your Small Business Financing: How to Assess the Risk of Your Bank Calling Your Small Business Loan

Are you in danger of losing your bank loan? Learn how to measure the risk of your bank calling your small-business loan, and what to do if you need recapitalization. (This self-assessment applies to businesses with annual sales from million to over 0 million, regardless of type of business.)

As a result of the recent “Great Recession,” many businesses are in danger of losing their bank loans. Loans can be pulled for a number of reasons but the most common are either poor financial performance by your business or your bank’s credit problems. A bank’s financial problems can also lead to its desire to take less risk and reduce your loan balances. Unfortunately, your bank will generally not tell you your loan will be “called,” or will not be renewed, until right before it takes action. It’s a little like when a bank fails and is taken over by the FDIC: we never hear about it until the Monday after the weekend when the takeover happened.

How can you assess if your business is being considered for termination? There are a few fundamental and relatively simple questions you can ask yourself to determine your risk of losing your small business loans.

Essentially, there are two categories of assessment when measuring the risk of losing your small business financing: the type of loans your company has and your company’s financial performance.

Loan type criteria

The type of bank loans your company are categorized below from riskiest, and currently least popular with the banks, to safest and most popular for the banks to hold.

Considered riskiest, and therefore least popular, is a combination of the following types of lending to one business from the same bank:

Real Estate: A commercial real estate term loan for your place of business Machinery and Equipment: A term loan on machinery and equipment used for your business Inventory: A revolving line of credit tied to your inventory balances Accounts Receivable: A revolving line of credit tied to your accounts receivable balances

If your business has all four of these types of loans in place, all from the same bank, you are at the greatest risk of losing all or part of your financing. Banks are reluctant now to make all of these types of loans to a single client. They would usually welcome the opportunity to get out of loans with this breadth of exposure.

As you eliminate loans on real estate through accounts receivable, your perceived risk to the bank declines. It is possible your bank will be happy to keep your credit in place with all these loans in place if your financial performance is as good as, or better than, it was last year. But a word off caution: if your bank has had unusually high loan losses, is financially weak, or has recently been taken over by another institution, it may call your loans even if your company is strong.

Company performance criteria

How was your company’s financial performance over the past twelve months? If there has been a decline in financial results or a drop in company asset values, you may be at risk of losing your small business loans.

The following financial problems are considered most damaging to your business’s prospects of keeping its bank loans:

Less accounts receivable and/or inventory assets than agreed as the “borrowing base” required for the revolving line of credit amount currently outstanding Insufficient trailing and projected cash flow to make debt service Net operating losses for the current reporting period A top-line sales decline from last year to this year Fixed-asset devaluation below the agreed loan-to-value ratio (i.e. your building is worth much less than when you got your bank loan on it)

What to do if you need recapitalization

If, after this brief assessment, it appears you are at moderate or great risk of having your bank loans pulled or not renewed, what should you do? The answer is “shop your loan,” or have a professional shop it for you.

Most commercial banks are essentially the same when it comes to credit assessment and the types of loans they can make. In the current climate it is nearly impossible to find another bank to take over your loan if your current bank wants you to exit. So walking up and down the street to shop your loan will not be productive.

Where else can you turn? The answer is alternative lenders. These are primarily independent asset-based lenders and financial services arms of banks. Where do you find alternative lenders? Here lies the problem. In the small-business lending world, alternative lending is fragmented and difficult to navigate. There are many lenders and an abundance of financial products but few lenders that will make one loan on all the assets of your company, like you probably had with the bank. Usually, each alternative lender specializes in a certain asset class. They generally will not loan on other asset classes.

Additionally, the pricing for this alternative lending can range from extremely expensive to very reasonable and similar to your commercial bank pricing. These pricing variables are based on a risk assessment of the loan and the type of risk exposure these respective lenders specialize in. If you happen to pick the wrong group of lenders to shop your loan, you will be paying more than you deserve to pay at close.

You are also, of course, left with the problem of having three or four new lenders, each with different terms and pricing, lending on different collateral. This “circus” of lenders can definitely be coordinated to successfully replace the loans your bank has terminated, but it can be difficult, frustrating, and time-consuming for any small-business CEO or CFO. Finding the correct lenders, getting them to cooperate with complex legal documents such as subordination agreements, and then helping them to close simultaneously is challenging. Add to this the normal operational duties of your business, lack of experience in the sector, and an aggressive bank harassing you to get out, and the entire exercise can be exhausting.

Finding the right advisor to help you

A smart alternative is to spend time finding an advisor who knows what he or she is doing in the alternative lending space. You need someone who is familiar with the many lenders and who has experience negotiating and shopping loans to appropriately priced sources of capital. In the small-business world these are called advisors; in the mid- to large-business arena, they are called investment bankers.

There are a few true investment bankers in the small-business arena, such as our firm US Capital Partners, Inc. US Capital is both a lender and lead arranger or advisor on restructuring small-business debt. When it is cost effective, US Capital will bring in another lender for your loan, then provide additional capital from its own fund to “fill the gap” in required capital to take the bank out in the most cost-effective way.

When looking for a recapitalization advisor or small business investment banker, it is important to look for someone with recent experience in arranging or making loans similar in size to your requirement. Working with someone who has a track-record of larger deals may not be the best choice. The world of large-business or middle-market finance is very different to the world of small-business finance as far as lenders and structure are concerned. The chances are the advisor for larger businesses, although competent, will not be very familiar with the particular lenders in small business or even the common loan structures in this space. They will therefore take longer to get results, and those results may not be optimal.

The bottom line: If you choose to use an advisor to assist you with the financial restructuring of your company, consider someone who does, and has done, deals of your size.

If you would like to know more about how your business can secure the funding it needs, visit US Capital Partners at http://www.uscapitalpartners.net or call (415) 882-7160.

Related Business Finance Articles

Small Business Financing With Factoring

Small business owners have always had a tough time obtaining financing. Simply, most small businesses just can’t qualify for conventional business loans. The requirements are too onerous – the company must have sizable assets, multiple years of profitability and many times, it’s financial statements must be audited by a 3rd party.

Most business owners consider that a business loan is their only business financing alternative. When they get turned away, they give up any hope of obtaining financing. What most small business owners don’t know is that they do have alternatives – and – many times those alternatives can work better that conventional financing.

Let’s take a common cash flow challenge. Companies that sell products or services to other businesses usually have to wait between 30 and 60 days to get paid for their services. So, they incur the expenses of delivery immediately, but then wait a long time to recoup their investment. While this is fine for companies with adequate banking reserves, it is one of the major challenges that business owners face today. As a matter of fact, few startups plan for the fact that it takes 4 to 8 weeks to get paid, which not only limits their growth opportunities, but challenges their very survival as a business.

Now, most business owners would consider that the only solution to the previous problem is to get a loan or a line of credit. But there is another option – it’s called factoring financing. Few people have heard of it, so not many owners consider it if they fail to get a business loan.

Invoice factoring offers a very simple solution to the slow payments problem. Let’s say that you sold ,000 worth of consulting services to a company. And let’s say that they’ll pay the ,000 in about 45 days, which is the industry average. Now, what happens if you can’t wait because you need to meet payroll or make supplier payments? Well, you could sell the invoice to a factoring company. The factoring company would buy it from you in two installments. The first installment would be for 80% of the invoice, or 00 in the case of our example. This is paid at invoicing.

The second installment, paid to you when your client actually pays the invoice, is the remaining 20%, less a fee. Using our example, it’d be 00 minus the cost of the factoring service.

So factoring invoices offers you the following proposition: an immediate advance of about 80% at time of invoicing, and a second advance for the reminder (less fees) at the time of actual payment.

As you can see, factoring provides the needed working capital to meet business expenses without worrying about when your client will pay. It provides you with predictable cash flow, positioning your business for growth. And qualifying for factoring tends to be relatively easy. The biggest requirement (though not the only one) is that you must have a good roster of clients.

Business Financing for Small Businesses

Start-ups and small businesses have traditionally had difficulty raising capital through outside sources and, for new companies, the chances of getting a bank loan is close to zero. Most banks today won’t even consider lines of credit or loans for companies that have been in business less than 3-5 years. Start-ups haven’t built up adequate credit history and banks are just not willing to give money to companies with no credit history. Without adequate money coming in, it is difficult for a small business to maintain payroll and pay its bills.

No wonder we keep reading the statistic that 85 percent of business start-ups fail in the first five years. Some research has indicated the reasons for these failures are a lack of funding and poor planning. These facts combined with today’s economy makes small business financing more important than ever.

Well, there are ways for small businesses to avoid funding issues and find alternatives for obtaining business financing. One method is receivables financing, also known as receivables factoring, invoice factoring, invoice discounting or debtor financing.

Receivables financing enables small businesses to obtain the cash necessary to keep the company running by getting the money they need without having to go to a bank for a loan or take on additional debt. What they can do instead is sell their receivables at a discounted rate to a factoring company. Factoring companies pay cash for the invoices and handle the collection process.

A factoring company usually pays 70 percent to 90 percent of the total invoices. Then, after collecting the invoices, the factoring company returns them to the small business owner. For this service the small business will pay a fee of 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent of the total invoices.

As you can see, factoring differs from a loan in that invoices are being sold to the factoring company and not being offered as collateral. The small business or start-up is then able to convert its invoices into operating cash and not have to wait 30, 60, 90 days or more to receive payment.

There are numerous benefits to factoring for any business, but especially for a small business or start-up. Receivables factoring will shorten the collections process giving a small business the cash flow they need without taking on new debt. Factoring can also be a great option for a small business or start-up that has been attempting to obtain a loan and is having trouble qualifying with a bank.

Many small businesses that are in a start-up situation will find it difficult to receive a bank loan making factoring services essential if they want to maintain an adequate cash flow.

Most small businesses don’t have a collections department or adequate personnel and working with a factoring company provides this much needed service. Factoring provides them with the required cash flow to survive and enables the business owner to focus on the day-to-day operations.

Receivables financing, receivables factoring or invoice factoring places the time, cost, and effort of collection into the hands of a factoring company. This enables the business’ staff to concentrate on what they were hired to do and not worry about how to sustain the business financially.

Business Financing for Small Businesses

Start-ups and small businesses have traditionally had difficulty raising capital through outside sources and, for new companies, the chances of getting a bank loan is close to zero. Most banks today won’t even consider lines of credit or loans for companies that have been in business less than 3-5 years. Start-ups haven’t built up adequate credit history and banks are just not willing to give money to companies with no credit history. Without adequate money coming in, it is difficult for a small business to maintain payroll and pay its bills.

No wonder we keep reading the statistic that 85 percent of business start-ups fail in the first five years. Some research has indicated the reasons for these failures are a lack of funding and poor planning. These facts combined with today’s economy makes small business financing more important than ever.

Well, there are ways for small businesses to avoid funding issues and find alternatives for obtaining business financing. One method is receivables financing, also known as receivables factoring, invoice factoring, invoice discounting or debtor financing.

Receivables financing enables small businesses to obtain the cash necessary to keep the company running by getting the money they need without having to go to a bank for a loan or take on additional debt. What they can do instead is sell their receivables at a discounted rate to a factoring company. Factoring companies pay cash for the invoices and handle the collection process.

A factoring company usually pays 70 percent to 90 percent of the total invoices. Then, after collecting the invoices, the factoring company returns them to the small business owner. For this service the small business will pay a fee of 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent of the total invoices.

As you can see, factoring differs from a loan in that invoices are being sold to the factoring company and not being offered as collateral. The small business or start-up is then able to convert its invoices into operating cash and not have to wait 30, 60, 90 days or more to receive payment.

There are numerous benefits to factoring for any business, but especially for a small business or start-up. Receivables factoring will shorten the collections process giving a small business the cash flow they need without taking on new debt. Factoring can also be a great option for a small business or start-up that has been attempting to obtain a loan and is having trouble qualifying with a bank.

Many small businesses that are in a start-up situation will find it difficult to receive a bank loan making factoring services essential if they want to maintain an adequate cash flow.

Most small businesses don’t have a collections department or adequate personnel and working with a factoring company provides this much needed service. Factoring provides them with the required cash flow to survive and enables the business owner to focus on the day-to-day operations.

Receivables financing, receivables factoring or invoice factoring places the time, cost, and effort of collection into the hands of a factoring company. This enables the business’ staff to concentrate on what they were hired to do and not worry about how to sustain the business financially.