Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/factoring-and-the-unwell-construction-industry-p-451.html
The tightening of the credit market has been difficult on several businesses, particularly the construction industry which is responsible for building our nation's homes, corporate facilities, factories, apartments, offices, schools, roads as well as bridges. Therefore, the general contractors and sub-contractors still may be experiencing cash flow issues - meeting payroll or buying supplies -long into the New Year.
The industry is categorized into 3 basic areas: building (to take care of residential, industrial, and commercial buildings); civil engineering construction (to take care of roads, bridges, highways and tunnels); specialty trade contractors (to work on special projects like carpentry, painting, plumbing and electrical works.)
But there is more to construction than just new structures - this industry also works on site preparation, repairs, maintenance as well as improvements on old projects.
In addition, this industry takes care of the income and the lives of architects, engineers, inspectors, appraisers, carpenters, brick masons, electrical and drywall contractors, flooring and tile contractors as well as those who are working on asphalt firms. As such, these people could very much benefit from invoice factoring to help them get by during these difficult economic times.
Construction jobs are typically done by general contractors, who specialize in one type of construction such as either residential or commercial building. They're in charge of the whole job, and although general contractors may do a portion of the work with their own crews, they usually give out work to specialty trade contractors who typically do the work of only one.
These get orders for their work from general contractors, architects, or property owners. Owners, occupants, architects and rental agents, however, directly order repair work from these contractors.
Since the construction industry is very much reliant on economic business cycles, it is easily affected by changes in interest rates and tax laws. Changes in state or local regulations or budgets can lead to new construction or a cancelled job.
There has been an increase in factoring among contractors during the previous year, and it's helping to provide the cash flow required to pay suppliers, meet payroll and pay for insurance, even workman's compensation. Construction factoring enables companies to obtain funds based on their current accounts receivables, so they can go ahead with the next phase of a project, instead of wait till the invoices are paid.
Indeed, invoice factoring is very helpful to this kind of industry. With factoring, the need to wait for payment before the construction company begins the next phase or the next project is eradicated. With invoice factoring, the sub-contractor or construction firm can realize quick turnaround, from 24 to 48 hours, on accounts receivable due for completed stages of a construction project. With construction invoice factoring, the construction company, or the sub-contractor, can be paid immediately for accounts receivable invoices, which speeds up cash flow and improves the ability of the company to start immediately on the next stage of construction for each project.
Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/invoice-factoring-and-the-new-year-p-450.html
Around this time the previous year, plenty of businesses need to stop spending. But today, signs suggest that the recession is almost gone and small businesses can get on with their normal "lives." So now is a great time to consider what the recession has done to your business.
But go beyond your business - think about the the effect of the recession on your industry in general. Are the characteristics of your customer base changing? Or is it that your rivals have lowered their prices? How about their service offerings? Are you keeping up? Indeed, recession causes a lot of changes in your business - so it is high time that you give yours a major assessment this time.
If you and your small business have been experiencing layoffs, salary reductions or worse in order to survive the recession, there are some important things to keep in mind as things begin to get better.
First, many companies are going to begin hiring again, which means you could get some new people after another company goes out of business. But your employees also might get a better offer too. It's important to satisfy them, or else, risk losing them to your rivals. Many people are are going for jobs that allows them to make more money to pay off their bills after the last year.
In addition, be wary of what you spend money on. Now that business is getting better. Set your priorities: choose new computers over re-decorating. Think about long term against short-term debts.
Many businesses have learned how to utilize invoice factoring to survive the recession. And that strategy can be continued after the New Year begins. Indeed, it is a good alternative in keeping your cash flow strong, while still being able to address your debts.
And there's a better piece of news than just factoring - there's what we call "spot factoring." It is when one invoice at a time is factored. Take note that spot factoring, unlike a loan, is the purchase of financial assets such as receivables. Traditional bank loans involve two parties, while invoice factoring involves three parties. Another difference of these two financial options lies on the fact that in factoring, decision is dependent on the value of the receivables, while in bank loans, it's based on the person's creditworthiness. With invoice factoring, there are no minimums, no maximums, and no long-term commitments.
Single invoice factoring can assist your small business get back on its feet. Typically, businesses don't get immediately paid for products/services delivered. This negatively impacts cash flow and can make it hard for the business to generate new orders in a timely manner. With invoice factoring, however, businesses that do not get paid for 30, 60 or 90 days will have access to immediate cash - of up to 90% of the invoice total. Invoicing companies, such as IFG, simply looks at the client's customers - and if they're worthy enough, IFG can grant funding within 24 hours.
Construction business factoring has been used in the construction industry for years, but the recent trends show that it is on the rise. Specifically, this is partly because of the economic downturn and the tightening of the credit market. It is shown that changes in the building code standards and cash flow problems have been crippling small-time contractors. And because it is hard enough to seek commercial financing because of the current economic state, it's a good thing that contractors have other alternatives when it comes to construction funding.
In recent times, there has been an increase in construction business factoring among contractors, which provides the much needed cash flow to pay suppliers and meet payroll. With factoring, businesses are able to acquire funds based on their current accounts receivables. The usual case is that subcontractors have to wait for 30 - 60 days before they'll have available cash from their invoices. Construction factoring advances cash against invoices and provides sufficient money to pay the bills when things are tight.
Recent availability of commercial loans has tightened significantly. For several reasons, this has resulted in even more of an apparent shortage of business financing for construction of new commercial property. And even before commercial finance alternatives have gotten into this restrictive stage, construction business factoring is typically viewed as a risky move. Among its few disadvantages is that potential contractor liens are an added risk. Also, most construction projects go beyond the estimates - both in terms of timeline and budget.
Due to the deteriorated condition of the construction industry, the risk of potential contractor liens becomes a more pressing concern. However, the current problems seen in residential construction are often indirectly impacting the availability of construction funding for commercial properties because of the potential for contractor liens incurred during residential projects impacting the financial stability of contractors involved in both kinds of construction activity.
In this kind of business, truly it's about "location, location, location!" This is because non-local funding can be obtained to assist in the construction of both existing and new properties. Local commercial lenders, in a few areas of the country, have stopped giving out new business financing and construction financing.
In the not-so-good business borrowing climate that we are experiencing today, it is essential more than ever for small business owners to seek out an invoice factoring company which can discuss the possibility of obtaining funding help outside of the local lending area. Contractors and small businesses can certainly benefit from a single invoice factoring, or spot factoring, to keep themselves alive, and in some cases, grow their business.
For further details about business factoring, contact The Interface Financial Group (IFG) at 877.210.9748.
Large business organizations as well as small businesses have been fighting to survive the latest economy. But small business proprietors do not have the means that bigger business organizations have. During 2009, this is the reason wherefore so some small businesses have closed up shop. In the topical economic recovery will progress with the help of small business factoring, in reality aiding many a small businesses, which is quite good news.
While many small businesses have either modified their model, introduced new products or services, or have added products, others have been driven to close. Typically during an economic crisis and is actual for every industries, it is the marginal businesses that cease to exist. During these kinds of "cleansing" some doors close for many businesses but opens up for other new ones that instantly start up after economic convalescence.
So it is actually development that creates an opportunity for many small enterprises because as the surviving businesses rise, they will need funding that can not be acquired by conventional funding such as banks, credit unions or other asset-based loaners. Similarly, the new business organisations beginning have limited assets, also requiring small business factoring services.
How can small business factoring help these little business enterprises? As follows, maybe indeed you require to know some new terms:
Asset liquidity -- this is the ability of a commercial enterprise to convert assets into cash. Available funding is really important in business operations as it is an important part of some small business practice.
Available funding and liquidity -- this allows entrepreneurs to meet their responsibilities and to stay in business. Good cash flow is important to the survival of any small enterprise.
No matter what way you look at it or what you call it, assets get rate to your company, in the form of cash. Nonetheless, your inventory, tools, provisions, machines, even your edifice, they're all assets. The contrary of an asset is a liability, an obligation or outflow of money. A liability could be a lend that you are affecting payments on or some other duty that costs money. To be able to the cost of the liability, you most likely will need to change assets into hard cash.
Liquidity - this is when you change an asset into cash. It also represents the degree that an asset can be exchanged in a business transaction without losing value.
The most fluid asset is cash. Your inventory is another asset that can be changed into cash. Assets, that are not as available though, are invoices.
Via small business factorisation, turning accounts into hard currency can be done while waiting for the requital. A factoring company will look at your customers' credit (not yours) and can pay you the bulk of what's owed to you within as little as 24 to 48 hours. Give a small business factoring company a chance as a new commercial enterprise strategy for profitableness.
Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/pay-tax-dues-with-accounts-receivables-factoring-p-413.html
Be happy to know that you can take advantage of receivables factoring if you are a small business owner and you have to settle your dues now. With this kind of financial option, you will have the peace of mind knowing that you can deflect large tax debts and late filing punishment fees.
Here are several helpful tax advice for small businesses.
Separate your funds - Sole owners, most specifically, must learn to separate money for business and private expenses. Why? Because at tax time, by splitting your expenses, you'll find that it is much easier to trace your expenses.
It's even a good thought to have a separate business telephone - so you can properly apportion deductions for business calls.
Did you know that your business cards, domain name, web site hosting, advertisement, as well as other office supplies are deductable? Plus, 50% of your business-related food or entertainment expenses are deductible.
It's also helpful to use your debit card and checks when paying for the expenses of your business. Avoid withdrawing cash. Payments paid to retirement plans can also be deducted. The same holds true for your health insurance expenses.
Vehicle expenses, such as gas, oil, parking and toll expenses, can also be declared. You have the choice to make the actual expense deduction or the standard mileage deduction; but in either case, parking cost is always allowable. Or, rather than recording mileage, make sure that you utilize a mapping web site like Mapquest.com to compute the mileage only to and from business-related destinations.
You can also deduct a portion of your house (including utilities) if you are running a home office.
Remember, long used as a way to provide peace of mind, you can sell credit-worthy invoices to an accounts receivables factoring company who can help you obtain extra funding for quick working capital to settle taxes.
When it is time to file, e-filing is fast, accurate and easy. Many tax preparation programs come with commands that are able to automatically look out for errors. This is helpful in maintaining your tax return documents precise and up-to-date.
At the same time that one electronically files a federal return, a taxpayer also files a state tax return. The IRS then electronically gives an electronic acknowledgement upon receiving a return. If you file electronically, your refund will be given in about half the time it would take compared to filing a return by paper or mail.
When it comes to your IRS and tax inquiries, check the small business and Self-Employed Tax Center at www.irs.gov. For more information about invoice or receivables factoring, contact The Interface Financial Group (IFG) at 877.210.9748.
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