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Factoring and Working Capital Financing in Canada – What is the difference?

Guest post by: Stan Prokop

Article Overview: The article reviews issues around the business owners and financial managers choices surrounding permanent or immediate working capital and cash flow solutions, focusing on cash flow loans and also factoring , receivable financing as an alternative .

Factoring and Working Capital Financing in Canada – What is the difference?

When business owners and financial managers think of 'cash flow 'two terms are almost synonymous, factoring, and working capital. Is there a difference. Yes, a major difference.

We believe that when Canadian businesses think in terms of working capital that is often in the context of permanent working capital. This can be in a couple forms, a term loan, a mezzanine loan, or subordinate debt. These are the key terms of 'high finance' for working capital loans! With loans such as these businesses typically use the working capital derived from the loan to invest in sales and marketing, implement new products and strategies, and purchase inventory and materials for further corporate growth.

There are numerous advantages to a working capital term loan. Repayment of the loan is typically in the 5 -7 year range. As such that clearly frees up cash flow. Let's do a quick example - If a Canadian business borrowed $ 150,000.00 and was successful in getting a term loan in place the monthly payments over a 5 year period would be approximately $ 3000.00 per month. (We used an interest rate of 8% just as an example).

Depending on the flexibility of the lender payments can be structured, or even potentially deferred, based on the nature of the customer's needs and overall financial situation.

Naturally any financing scenario as positioned above is long term permanent working capital, which is generally viewed positively by business owners and their lenders. It is in effect a form of 'patient working capital '.

Long term working capital loans in effect 'compliment 'your existing secured creditor relationships. For the purposes of this article we won't dwell too much on the aforementioned subordinated debt and mezzanine debt - we will simply say they are unsecured ' cash flow ' loans, long term in nature, with rates substantially higher than chartered bank rates due to the general unsecured nature of the loans . The lender is simply taking a position that your firm will be able, based on historical and present financials, to repay the loan out of cash flows.

We've discussed the 'permanent ' working capital loan and have seen its characteristics, i.e. term loans, longer repayment schedules, fixed rates, terms and structures .Now lets look at totally immediate working capital/ cash flow, which many customers in Canada are achieving by a factoring or working capital cash flow facility .

The factoring solution is immediate. Transactions and facilities can usually be approved in a much shorter timeframe. Every customer is different of course, and in many different industries, but based on a review of your financials and your tax returns customers receive immediate significant advances (typically 90%) of their invoices.

Since the heart of any business cash inflow comes from collected receivables business who 'struggle' with the collection process often face cash flow shortages due to slow paying customers. Conversely, as receivables and inventory build up for good reasons (good reasons = more sales) the companies investment in receivables and inventory grows.

Factoring, or receivable discounting as it is also known, is based on the overall size, quality, and collection experience related to your billings. It is very safe to say that current invoices are more easily factored (sold) than 65 day unpaid invoices from slower paying customers.

Many factor firms assume the role of your collection department, some business owners actually welcome this as they have in fact utilized the very popular concept of 'outsourcing're their collections .

So is factoring all goodness. Certainly not, what type of financing is. In factoring there is a much higher cost to finance you're A/R portfolio. In Canada there are tens and hundreds of nuances and administrative procedures around the factoring process that many business owners struggle with. Factoring should be used for growth, not survival, and other strategies can be explored at a lesser cost and less intrusiveness to your business.

In summary, business owners considering the ' working capital/cash flow ' conundrum can consider long term working capital loans or short term receivable financing strategies for growth . There are a number of options around both of those financing, and in fact other options (example: a sale/leaseback of your assets or a real operating margined facility with a Canadian chartered bank) should also be potentially explored.

Review al options, and worked with trusted, credible, and experienced business financing advisors to find your optimal working capital solution .

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Article Tags: cash flow loans, cash flow solutions, receivable financing, working capital



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