When you have a need for cash, and you prefer to not borrow money, one option is to get a cash advance on your invoices. Invoice lending, more commonly referred to as factoring, is used by small and medium-sized businesses to help meet their cash flow needs.
How Invoice Lending Works
Invoice lending allows you to provide product to your customers on credit. Once the product has been delivered and the customer has been billed, you can submit the invoice to a factoring company and get cash based on the face value of the invoice.
This method of financing allows you to offer credit terms to your customers, get the cash you need before the 30, 60, or 90-day terms you have offered your customers and turn over the collection of the invoice to the factoring company.
Another advantage of invoice lending is that you typically can determine which invoices you want to factor. Whether you wish to consider factoring a single client, or a specific group of clients, most invoice factoring companies offer that flexibility.
Time to Obtain Funds
One of the most common reasons why a company would use invoice lending is the time between submitting invoices and obtaining funds. In most cases, you can submit an invoice and receive cash within a few business days. This can be helpful to a small or medium-sized business owner who needs immediate cash to make payroll or pay monthly bills.
Unlike a bank loan, or lines of credit which can take weeks to get approved, business owners can get a nearly immediate advance on their accounts receivable. Once your invoice has been approved by the factoring company, you will get a percentage of the face value of your invoice.
Collections of Balance Due on Invoices
When you borrow money against an invoice, you are no longer responsible for collecting the payment for the invoice. The factoring company who made the cash advance will follow up on collections. Once your customer has paid the invoice in full, the balance of the invoice, less the factoring fee will be released to you. Typically, payments will be redirected to a lockbox controlled by the factoring company.
What Type of Companies are Eligible?
One of the many challenges businesses face is having sufficient funding for their day-to-day operations. While banks, and other traditional lenders tend to focus on businesses who have been around for a while, with regular cash flow, a factoring company is often willing to accept more risk. This is because they are loaning you money based on a specific asset, namely your invoices.
Because of how factoring companies work, more businesses are typically eligible for this type of lending. Subcontractors including electricians, staffing agencies, architects and more can benefit from invoice lending. Other types of businesses that often use invoice lending to maintain a steady cash flow include manufacturers, contractors, and suppliers.
Improvement in Cash Flow
Some business owners are faced with seasonal swings in business revenue. This can often result in them being unable to take on new contracts because they do not have the cash flow needed to fund materials for a new customer. Invoice lending can help business owners who are facing a temporary cash flow problem meet their obligations and take on new contracts.
If you are concerned about the cash flow outlook for your business, contact Capstone Corporate Funding by email at or by phone at (212) 755-3636. We are a private finance company offering numerous solutions to help small and medium-sized businesses meet their cash flow needs.
