Are your clients using vendor capital to finance their expenses or businesses? Vendor capital’s only similarity to venture capital is that it comes from outside. When a customer puts off paying your account for 120 days, you are making a four-month interest-free loan you can ill afford. Even worse, it becomes an outright grant if you, the vendor, aren’t able to collect at all. When customers are squeezing extra weeks and months out of their payables,

For the vast majority of businesses, loan financing comes from private banks. As what a lender is able to offer varies signifi- cantly from bank to bank in terms of cost and size of loan, as well as repayment schedule, it is advisable to shop around at several lending institutions (both large and small) for capital. Also keep in mind that while small independent banks have long been committed to financing community- based firms, several major

As a small business owner, you’re expected to be an expert on everything from product management to strategic planning, marketing and finance. But in today’s changing economy, understanding it all is much harder, especially when weighing the many financing options that can make or break your company. When mystery is removed from business finance, entrepreneurs gain the insight needed to seize opportunities, sustain growth, maintain tight control over their company’s direction, and avoid setbacks. Financial planning,