Personal and Business Loans

If you are considering a start up business loan to finance your new venture, be certain that you have all the facts.Fully understanding the commercial loan process is paramount to making the right decision.

Let’s explore the 5 key factors which shape the entire loan approval process.

Key Factor #1:Do you have a sound business plan?

In addition to the loan application paperwork, a commercial lender will need to see your small business plan.You must prove that your business is viable on paper and demonstrate exactly how and when your new business will turn a profit.No reputable lender will hand over a loan check without first ensuring that your new business will have the ability to pay back the borrowed funds.

Key Factor #2:Do you have good personal credit?

Even with the best possible small business plan, it is highly unlikely that you will be approved for a start up business loan without a reasonable credit history.A lender determines the lending risk by evaluating your personal credit worthiness.Please understand and consider that you are entering into a legally binding agreement in which you promise to make timely, scheduled repayments.Your past credit history is the only evidence available to a potential lender, indicating how you have repaid other debtors in the past.

Key Factor #3:What collateral do you have to secure the loan?

Notice I didn’t write “do you have collateral”.You absolutely must have collateral to be approved for a standard commercial loan.This also includes SBA guaranteed loans.Please believe me when I tell you that the US Small Business Administration is not in the business of guaranteeing “high risk” commercial loans.A commonly used source of collateral for a start up business loan is the equity in your home, or other real estate you may own.Therefore, the start up loan is secured on this real estate.If you fail to repay the loan, your property may be at risk.

Key factor #4:What are you planning to use the money for?

In addition to demonstrating that you have need of a loan (in other words, you do not have other means of obtaining the funds to start a business), you must also indicate to a lender what you will be spending the money on.The lender must approve of how you intend to spend the loan.If you wanted to spend your start up business loan on research and development, the lender must approve.No matter for what or how you intended to spend the loan amount, it must be approved by the lender. This is usually spelled out in your small business plan.

Key Factor #5:What if you decide to repay the loan early?

Did you know that you can be hit with prepayment penalties of as much as 5% for paying off your loan early?This even applies to SBA guaranteed loans.Keep in mind, lenders are in business to make money.They only make money on interest repayments, not the principal loan amount.If you pay your loan off too early, they will lose out on potential profits!

Some Potential Problems…

What is you have poor credit or don’t own a home?Are you still able to secure a start up business loan?The answer is likely no.You can however check out alternative lending sources, such as peer-to-peer lending groups like Prosper or Loanio.

What is the Solution?

The solution is to find a sound alternative to taking out a BIG bank loan in the first place.Consider bootstrapping your new business.As a Start Up Business Consultant, I help budding entrepreneurs find low cost alternatives to loan financing.Clients who have purchased my eBook have found the money they need for small business success.You can find absolutely free sources of business start up funding to make your dream of small business ownership a start up success story — even if you have bad credit or don’t own a home!

2009 Kimberly Kelly – All Rights reserved

This article may only be reprinted in its entirety, including author byline, bio and with all live links in tact.

Author: Kimberly Kelly
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The U.S. Federal Government is the nations largest provider of financial or monetary assistance for small businesses. Since 1953, the Small Business Administration (SBA) branch of the Federal government has helped many small ventures that have become household names today. The government considers small businesses very seriously. They realize their obligation to promote and develop these firms for the integrated development of the whole nation.

Small Business Administration:

The SBA does not directly offer grants to individuals for business expansion or start-up. For individual set-ups, it provides a wide variety of loan programs on easy pay back terms. However, the SBA does offer many types of grants programs indirectly to benefit small business entrepreneurs. SBA grants programs are specifically designed to expand and enhance those organizations that provide small businesses with technical or financial assistance. These monetary grants generally support state and local governments, non-profit organizations and intermediary lending institutions.

Small businesses can in turn avail the grants from these institutions. The entrepreneurs need to have a workable business plan and meet the required basic criteria to avail the loan or grant from SBA supported institutions. These funds can be then utilized to either set-up or expand the existing businesses. SBA has very special and easy terms to offer business grants to women entrepreneurs and members of the ethnic minority groups to help them become economically independent. This leads to numerous co-related activities and finally development of underdeveloped regions of the vast country. It brings about a social change and societal uplift.

Benefits of Grants from SBA:

A grant is a direct financial contribution made without any expectation of a repayment but with very specific expectations of the required outcome. These programs are designed to encourage and assist entrepreneurs in starting their own ventures. This promotes an economic development and integrates the individuals into the mainstream of American economic society. Organizations that give grants exclude for-profit businesses, but encourage small businesses to take their grants. The grants are readily provided after meeting certain basic criteria.

Women entrepreneurs are the largest beneficiarys of governments generosity for special encouragement. Federal grants are extended to those non-profit organizations that provide counseling, training and other technical support to women groups. The SBA runs special help centers and womens business centers to train the women technically. They give access to credit and capital, provide with government contracts etc as well.

Ethnic minority groups too are special beneficiaries of federal governments financial grants on easy terms. SBA runs a Minority Enterprise Development Program known as the 8(a) program. This helps the minority entrepreneurs to bag the government contracts for the utilization of their products.

Small business people or groups are very hard working and enthusiastic about their business. They spend quality time to develop it and stay in touch with their work, as they do not have too many people to help. Their businesses take precedence over their family, friends or even vacation plans. They stay in constant touch to avoid failure or any unprecedented disaster. This helps in successful maturation of their businesses after an initial set-up time.

Author: Alexander Gordon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Information

Do You Know that Small Business Grants Can be Waiting for You Almost ‘Round the Corner’?

We are living in the times when governments understand the value of small businesses for the global economy. Small businesses are the pushers and testing grounds for new trends, they provide lots of jobs for the masses, they make any society more stable and happy. So governments have created special funds, programs, associations to provide government grants for small business.

You can be surprised to find out that there are so many types of grants that you can be missing and that can help you out almost instantly – minority small business grants, small business grants for woman, federal grants for small business, business start up grants and even free small business grants. All these types of grants act as a real proof that they really help many small businesses to succeed.

There are two typical issues about getting small business grants.

(1) WHERE to Get Small Business Grants.

Start with doing local search for ’small business grants’, ’small business bank loans’, ‘venture funds’ and ‘angel investors’. This will give you a pretty big list of places to apply for help.

If you are in the USA – there are some majors that provide this type of financial assistance – for example, Small Business Administration (SBA) that has many departments that fit all possible types of businesses or help. It can also be wise to check the catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance – there you can find many good places to apply for the grants.

For businesses outside US there is also a way to succeed. Government, public or private organizations in your country must be giving some help to new small businesses within the framework of these institutions:

- economic development programs, funds, departments, opportunities, initiatives;
- banks (usually they have special small business loans and programs);
- venture funds, companies, firms;
- credit partnerships;
- angel investors (this type of business got very popular recently).

The list is big, but it means that you do not need to trust one business grant opportunity. The more opportunities, the better for you!

(2) HOW to Get Small Business Grants.

There is no magic formula to safe getting of grants.

But you can increase your chances using these simple tips.

Build a good business plan. Surely you are starting your business with some plan, but here you need to be very convincing, well-prepared to any questions. People who read this plan must understand and feel that the only element necessary for your success is the money, the grant.

Keep in good contact with your grant agent (manager, officer, anyone who is in charge of all details). Don’t be a pusher, but make sure that you are in control of the situation. A lot will depend upon this person, maybe not the final decision, but a lot. Make sure he/she can reach you at any moment. And would be great if you have his/her contact details, the more, the better.

Try to find someone who already got a grant from the institution or organization you apply to. If it is possible, find out all details before applying there: what problems this person had, what questions asked, what impressed the grant givers, etc.

And the last advice, if in one place it did not work, don’t give up. You can either appeal or try another place.

Only those who knock at the door can see it open.

Author: Nickolay Bokhonok
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

photo credit: lumaxart

Bad credit need not always be a hurdle for achieving one’s dreams. You can obtain a business loan even when you have a bad credit score. There are several independent finance agencies offering business loans to customers with bad credit. You need to just explore different possibilities for obtaining a business loan with bad credit.

Banks issue business loans only on the basis of personal credit scores of the applicant. Hence, banks are not an appropriate funding source to approach in situations where the applicant has a bad credit record. Other alternatives include approaching community lenders, private lenders specializing in bad credit business loans, using home equity as collateral for obtaining a business loan, considering friends and relatives as investors, and SBA. Read more of this >>

photo credit: markhillary

If you are a small business owner that has toyed with the idea of a SBA loan, is there anything beneficial in the new economic recovery act (“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″) that will help me? It may surprise you to learn there is. No, I am not a paid spokesman for the U.S. government. Let me go one step further. What if there was a program paid by taxpayer dollars that actually reduced your cost of doing business in procuring a loan? You would probably think it was another chimerical attempt by Congress to bluff the American public. But it’s actually true.

Here is how it works. When you get a SBA loan from your local banker (come on now–it is possible in this economy), you have to pay at closing what is called a “SBA guarantee fee”. These fees are dutifully collected and sent off to Washington to create a war chest. If you have the misfortune of defaulting on your loan, the lender can tender this default to the U.S. government and receive between 50% and 85% (possibly 90% under new laws) of the loss as reimbursement. In fact, that is one the purposes of the SBA: to cover defaults through the SBA guarantee loan program. But as the applicant, you have always had to pay this out of pocket. And it wasn’t cheap. For a loan up to $150,000, the fee was 2% of 50% of the loan value (the 50% in this example is the guarantee amount). It was 3% for loans above that amount. For example, with a $150,000 loan, you would be paying approximately $1,500 ($150,000 X .02 X .50) just for the guarantee fee, in addition to additional costs such as the processing fee, appraisal, etc. This is money that would ordinarily have gone into your pockets for business use. For the hearty among us who like to read the actual provisions of the statute, here you go (15 U.S.C. 636(a)): Read more of this >>

photo credit: megananne

If you have come up with a new idea or just want to finally start that business of your own, finding the capital you need to get started may be the thing getting in your way. It is no secret that many new business ventures fail because of insufficient starting capital. Well, you will be pleased to know that there is help available for startup businesses. In order to support the development of new business, the government and various organizations offer grants to new or expanding businesses. While this may sound very generous, it only makes sense since it is in the best interest of the country, and other businesses as well, to encourage new enterprises by investing new venture capital; thus giving life to the dreams of entrepreneurs and continuing to promote advancement in business and technology.

Finding the right grant for your new business is an important first step and may be the only way to get your business operational. You will be surprised once you start down his road that it is not as painful as you may have imagined. There many resources along the way to guide you through the process. Read more of this >>

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Franchise financing for first-time franchisees

Some potential franchise financing sources include the following:

- Personal savings and investments
- Borrowing from friends and family members
- Taking out a small business loan from a local bank or credit union
- Obtaining a second mortgage on your home
- Working with outside investors or investment capital firms
- Obtaining a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Obtaining a loan from Canada Small Business Financing (CSBF

You must come up with the money to be in business!

The statistical truth is that the single most common reason new franchisees (and for that matter, all other types of new businesses) fail is that they did not have enough money going into the investment. Read more of this >>

photo credit: Yester Prints

The business world is often considered a dog eat dog world. In today’s weak economy, it can be difficult to secure financing for any business endeavor. Women often have a more difficult time securing the needed funds than men for the same type of business. Programs are in place, however, that are designed to provide assistance for women seeking to start a business or expand an existing business they own.

The government Small Business Administration (SBA) has programs that allow it to act as a guarantee agency to assist women business owners in securing loans from financial institutions. The SBA does not make the loans directly, but having its backing can make getting a loan much for a woman in business. The SBA can be contacted at sba.gov to ask questions or apply for one of their programs.

Some banks have affirmative action programs that are designed to help women and other minorities in securing financing for businesses. The requirements to qualify for special financing under these programs are typically not difficult. Read more of this >>

photo credit: leojmelsrubInvestors

Inviting investors to invest in your business is something you will want to prepare for in advance. Have a proposal ready with your business plans, goals, financial needs, and record of your achievements and past business ventures. If your franchise has a well-known brand, then make sure to note that the business is likely to succeed. Finding investors will not seem easy at first, but the more you get into it the more confident you will be and more likely to find interested patrons.

Retirement Money

A lot of new business owners run the risk of taking money from their 401k or other retirement funds to finance their business. While this is a risky step for a new entrepreneur, it is much less risky when you are opening a franchise, as the success rates are significantly higher. As long as you keep a tight budget, and remember to put money back into your retirement, it can be a very smart and fairly simple way to finance a franchise. Read more of this >>

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This article provides an overview of several business finance factors that commercial borrowers should understand before attempting to obtain a Small Business Administration loan (SBA loan) to buy either commercial real estate or a business opportunity investment. There are many commercial mortgage and business loan misunderstandings involving the use of an SBA loan due to the complex nature of this approach to business financing.

Two of the most difficult business loan and commercial mortgage situations for a business owner involve obtaining a Small Business Administration loan and refinancing an SBA loan. There are practical business finance solutions for both of these common business investment problems.

Are SBA Loan and Business Finance Programs Difficult?

There are usually two schools of thought about getting a Small Business Administration loan to buy a business:

(1) Avoid this kind of commercial loan at all costs.

(2) Use such a business finance loan whenever possible.

These conflicting investment financing viewpoints are due to a commercial mortgage business loan process that is perceived as complex and difficult by many commercial borrowers. Read more of this >>