There has been a steady increase of the amount of people looking into the option of starting a business of their own. One main reason for this is that any type of job security is becoming a thing of the past. On top of this, wages for the average worker is dropping, work hours are being reduced and benefits are being slashed. All this adds up to a lot of financial insecurity and discomfort for a lot of people. As a solution to alleviate this, some people are considering starting a business of their own.If this is a direction you are thinking of taking, you should look into an online business first. An online business fits into most people’s lifestyles since they are not necessarily obligated to spend eight hours or more a day on them. This also makes them a very convenient way to secure one’s future by being able to work around everything else you are already in.Here are a few things that you should consider first.Choosing an Online BusinessThere are thousands of business models that you can choose from, which on one hand, will make it a bit easier for you to find something you would be well suited for. The down side to this is that it can get very confusing looking at so many options, that unless you have a general idea in place first, you could end choosing something that isn’t quite what you wanted. You should start with a list of some important things to ensure you only consider an online business that will work best for you.How Much Time Do You Have To Devote?Each online business can be different…some are more time-intensive than others. You will need to be sure to find one that will fit into the amount of time you have to devote to it. If you can only devote an hour a day, you need to make sure not to choose something that will need you to spend five hours per day responding to shipping a product or answering emails.You might need to find a business that is flexible to how much time you give it daily. While you should devote time every day to your business, if you can find one that won’t fall apart if you have to leave it alone for a day or two, this is your best option.How Much Money Will You Be Able To Invest?While it is possible to make money online without an up front investment, the hard truth is that it will be nearly impossible to make a decent living online without investing into it. You need to figure out how much money you have to put into your business up front, and how much you can put in monthly.You probably won’t have much trouble finding a business model that won’t cost a lot of money, but knowing your financial budget will help you choose the right business to venture into.What Are You Interested In?While you do want to make money, it will help to have an interest in the niche you choose. If you aren’t a little passionate about the subject, you are going to have a harder time building your business.There is almost any niche you can think of that you can make money with, be it health, hobbies, pets or teaching others how to operate their own business, so there is little reason why you have to get into a niche you don’t care about.Work Hard and You Will Be RewardedWhen you decide to start your own business, you are putting yourself in position to reap a lot of rewards. Ultimately, you will have to work hard to grow an online business and make good money, but when the business is yours you will get a lot more benefit and satisfaction from the work you put into it. And when you can focus on this venture full-time, it will never make you feel like you’re “working” again.
Zoom in the Fast Track of E-Financial Business by Choosing the Right Finance Website Templates
We love to have a solid finance back up at the sometimes it turns a headache to manage those finance affairs. I thank people who come forward to help us with online finance management solutions! Are you one of such helpful men? If so, my article is going to tell you how choosing one of the best finance website templates to give your financial business a boom!
There are two major factors when you want to develop a website for your online finance business. One is choosing a template shop and then finding one of the best finance web templates from the templates available in a template shop. There are some matters which help to find a good template shop and select one of the best finance website templates. I am here pointing you some features of finance web templates and how to know a template shop as best template shop.
A cool design in color application is must for finance website templates. Money matters are serious affairs so simple yet elegant color increases soothing effect in the visitors’ mind.
The first sight falls on the header of a site so it has to be attractive. The header portion of the finance website templates needs to keep provision for showing off the purpose of the site. It is like grabbing the opportunity at first sight.
A visitor will come to get your services. In the finance web templates the focus will have to be always on the services. So the service portion has to get maximized notice.
It is found that visitors want some live news. In the finance web templates there should be always a panel about keeping live report about finance markets. It will help to compare and understand your finance solutions against present market.
Anytime or every time a visitor lands on a site, wants to know what is special! Finance website templates need to keep a space to show the special finance services from the service providers.
With the space for other related and valuable finance content keep a block for finance success stories. In the finance web templates the place for successful finance related stories increases the chances for investment.
People like to keep them updated. So a direct like for accepting newsletter services has some importance. In the finance website templates there may be a place for subscribing newsletters. This part will let the service provider chance to remain in touch with the visitors who subscribe to the service.
Last but not the least is quick solution and quick support panel. In the finance web templates there has to be a panel for quick contact as it lets visitors chance to get finance solution fast. People are coming to get solution let them find support fast.
In the above points I have tried to show you what should be the standard features in finance website templates or the finance web templates. Other features like programming support to open source and hard core development, SEO friendliness, affordability are the primary factors for finance web templates. Now to find all these qualities in finance website templates you have to find out a template shop. But you have to search a template shop that emphasizes on all the above qualities in finance web templates. And of course you should look for a template shop that cares to provide affordable templates.
Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?
There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.
In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.
But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.
Different Types of Financing
One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.
Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.
But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.
Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.
Alternative Financing Solutions
But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:
1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.
2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.
3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.
In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:
It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.
A Precious Commodity
Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).
Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.
Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?