Understanding Canadian Working Capital Finance '" Cash Flow and Institutional Loans & Private Lenders

Having the right information simply becomes a small investment of your time and can turn into tremendous benefits... that are why your ability to understand working capital finance loans from both private lenders and other institutions is noteworthy.

When Canadian business owners and financial managers think in terms of capital typically Canadian chartered banks come to mind. That's what business people tend to call traditional financing in Canada. But is it always readily available and possible to obtain? Many businesses find themselves in the position of needing to grow, or in some cases simply survive around the need for extra cash flow and liquidity.

The optimal solution is of course simple - have some sort of facility in place to access cash... when you need it! Two choices come to mind - a traditional working capital term loan from a bank - its essentially long term working capital with fixed monthly payments. Alternatively, and in many cases the better option, a non bank facility from private lenders is a better, if not more accessible solution.

And to be clear, let's define ' private lenders' as that term is often mis understood in the context of a Canadian working capital loan. It may mean other things to you, but in our discussion today we are simply referring to a non bank entity, quite often a commercial finance firm that has a specialized niche in business lending and working capital.

What facilities are offered by these ' private lenders' if we can call them that? They include offerings such as receivables purchasing, working capital facilities that combine the borrowing ability of your inventory and receivables into one facility. Essentially a business line of credit from a non bank entity. Other offerings, somewhat more specialized include purchase order and contract financing, tax credit financing, and what we call the ' big kahuna ' of working capital cash flow financing in Canada - ABL (Asset based lending).

When we think of the facilities as describe above we're talking about the ' current assets ' part of your balance sheet - that's where the liquidity lies.

Working capital outflows though can also be stemmed by utilizing lease financing or a sale leaseback strategy... that's for your fixed assets of course.

Thousands of retail businesses in Canada often find themselves in the working capital finance conundrum. In recent years merchant cash advances, or loans against future sales have become a solution for the smaller retail business.

Advantages of a bank loan for working capital purposes are pretty clear - it enhances your commercial credit history, rates are the lowest and most desirable.

So the essence of your subject today is that you're in effect surrounded by working capital finance and loan options from both private lenders and Canadian chartered banks. It's a question of knowing what those sources are, and, most importantly... which one works best for your firm, whether you're a small retail business or a small to medium sized established corporations. (The big boys do quite well on their own, thank you).

Permanent or temporary solutions are available in many forms, as we have noted.Speak to an experienced, trusted, and credible Canadian business financing advisor who can ensure your working capital sources are just steps away.