Why Your Business Needs An Online Bank Account

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship ArticleOnline banking has become increasingly popular over the years with many people choosing to manage their finances online. This is because there are many benefits to online banking such as easy access to your finances, online transfers and much more. Surprisingly, many businesses still don’t use online banking, making their lives a lot harder. If you run a business but don’t yet have an online bank account, you should keep reading or go to this site to find out why you should make the change.

It Is Easier To Manage

When you run a business, you often have to take some time to look through your finances. When you have a lot of paper bank statements in front of you, cheques and all sorts of other materials, it is a lot easier for things to get lost. This is why you should think about opening a BB&T online bank account if you want to be able to manage your business finances a lot more easily. BB&T have a range of checking and saving accounts for businesses that come with a lot of account extras which you should take advantage of. These include online banking and customizable checks.

Faster Payment Of Bills

There’s nothing worse than paying a bill and finding out that the cheque never made it to the company in the post. This can often mean that late charges are added on and there are usually other consequences. If you want to be able to pay your bills in a faster and much more efficient way, you should think about opening up an online bank account for your business.

Save Time

How much time do you spend going to the bank each week or sending one of your staff members there? When you have an online bank account, you’ll rarely need to go to your local bank branch and so you’ll save yourself some more time. This will give you a lot more time to focus on the other important parts of your business and you won’t need to make sure that you get to the bank before it closes.

Get Paid Faster

As a business owner, you often need to make sure that all of your clients have paid you within the time frame needed to ensure that your business is profiting. If it takes a lot longer for your clients to pay you, you might find that this can have a negative impact on your figures. Make sure to get yourself an online bank account if you want your clients to be able to pay you a lot faster. You will love seeing the money enter your bank account almost immediately and you’ll be able to ensure that everything is paid on time.

Get Started Now

In this day and age, there really is no reason for you not to be using an online bank account for your business. There are so many advantages of doing this and if you are still visiting your bank branch a few times a week then you are wasting valuable business time. Think about finding the best online bank account for your business and you’ll love the perks.

9 of the Best Online Small Business Loans

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article |Online Small Business Loans|9 of the Best Online Small Business LoansOnly 80% of all small businesses survive the first year after inception. Often, finances are at the center of the untimely collapse of the other 20%. But even when 80 % of the small ventures survive the first year, they still struggle with financing during incubation.

Lack of capital and operational financing is the primary business killer if not well-addressed. However, many online small business loans have emerged to bridge this gap.

There are many suitable online small business loans you should consider getting. Check out our list of the best ones by clicking here.

1. BlueVine

If you have a small business and are looking for quick short-term funding for the venture, then you should consider BlueVine. Most of the traditional loan application methods had an apparent limitation in that they required more than a few working days to complete a loan request. But with BlueVine, your online loan application is easy due to the same day funding assurance.

BlueVine offers small business loans of up to $ 250, 000 repayable in 12 months. With such an amount, a small business can easily thrive and overcome the financing concern that affects most startups. Considering that you have a starting rate of 4.8% spread across 12 months, you can easily thrive past the five years of incubation.

However, for you to qualify for BlueVine small business loans, you must have a minimum credit score of 600. Your business must have also been in operation for more than six months before the application. As a matter of due diligence, your business must also have a minimum annual revenue of $100, 000.

2. SBA 7A Loans Are Also Useful Online Small Business Loans

No one wants to see you lose a startup you have struggled so much to build. This is the primary reason why SBA 7a loans exist. This option offers excellent loan terms for small businesses, which makes the financier the best SBA lender.

The expected turnaround time of SBA 7a loans is 5-10 days, but you could also access these loans in 36 hours, depending on the prevailing circumstances. A critical advantage with these loans is that you can access as much as $5 million with a maximum of 75-85% SBA guarantee.

Most of the time, the interests are within the ranges of 2.25% – 4.75%. With minimal fears about the risk of balloon payments, your business should be on its path to success soon.

A unique yet vital factor associated with these loans relates to the ability to negotiate your preferred terms of engagement. This makes SBA the best place to get a loan.

3. OnDeck

OnDeck provides term loans and lines of credit for your small business. OnDeck lends you up to $500,000 for business, with the option of both short-term and long-term loan application.

Your small business may thrive with this loan option because of the flexibility of repayment it offers. With OnDeck, you can repay your loan in up to 3 years, depending on the size and the monthly payments. This online small business loan option also offers small business substantial loan sizes depending on factors such as business size.

OnDeck offers you the flexibility of easy application and fast funding for up to $100,000. But you must have a credit score of 600, and your business must have been in operation for at least 12 months before the loan application.

4. Kabbage

This loan option is your go-to whenever you need access to quick loans. Kabbage gives you loans of up to $250, 000 within a few hours of a loan application. Kabbage loans fall within the lines of the credit category, with a minimum loan amount of $10, 000.

Kabbage loan has no origination fee. Your small business will also enjoy an interest rate drop, which occurs once in the course of the loan term. Your small business must, however, have been in operation for the past 12 months with an annual revenue requirement of $50,000.

5. LoanBuilder

LoanBuilder is among the most accessible loans that you can customize to fit your needs. If you are looking for the best places to get credits, then this option may work for you. You can access up to $500,000 with interest rates that range between 2.9% and 18.72% depending on the loan size.

The starting interest rates range from 2.9% with an expected APR of up to 136%. Your repayment terms for this loan option is 13 to 52 weeks with a required personal guarantee. You will enjoy the flexibility of a turnaround time of just 24 hours after application.

6. Fundation

One of the common concerns when taking a loan online may be the risk of accumulated penalties due to prepayment related concerns. But with fundation loans, these fears rarely emerge. You’ll have the option of taking up to $500, 000 for term loans.

The loan term goes up to four years, but you may also have the option of accessing lines of credit for up to $150 000. Fundation approves your loan request within one business day. With an APR from about 8.99% to 29.99%, fundation stands out as among the best options.

7. National Funding

National funding is the other suitable small business lending option that would be applicable for your venture. The loans are appropriate for both small business operations and equipment financing.

You can access $5000 to $500,000 on small business financing for your business at an interest rate of 8%. The estimated APR goes up to 136%, with a 2% original fee. Your repayment period ranges between three months to one year, with a loan processing turnaround time of three days on the maximum.

8. LendingClub

If your business is looking for peer-to-peer lenders who can guarantee funding for such ventures, then the LendingClub would be the best place to get a small loan for your undertaking. Your business only needs $50,000 in annual sales to qualify for loans that are up to $300,000.

The option charges fixed rates of 5.99% to 29.99%. But you must have a credit score of 640 or better. Further, your business must have been in operation for more than one year before the application.

9. Funding Circle

If you’re looking for the best place to get a small loan, then you may consider the funding circle. This peer-to-peer lending entity offers businesses up to $500,000 with a maximum APR range of 22.9%. With a notably fast online application process, this option allows you quick access to funding when you need it the most.

Your business must have been operating for at least two years before the loan application. This repayment period is business-friendly, especially for ventures struggling to survive the incubation period. Your annual revenue must also be more than $150,000. The funding circle also requires a minimum credit score of 640 and above to qualify.

Do Not Let Your Business Collapse Due to Lack of Financing When Most of These Loans Are a Click Away
Gone are the days when investors waited with bated breath for banks to approve loans. Online small business loans now offer you quick and reliable financing options for all your business needs.

Can You Invest in Property Without Much Cash?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article |Property Investment|Can You Invest in Property Without Much Cash?As is suggested by the word property ‘investment’, you do need some money in order to be able to get into property. There are options like rent-to-rent to consider, but as that is something that requires very little money and you’re controlling cash flow, it can’t really be considered investing in property. But how do you make sure that you are able to have enough and generate enough cash in order to truly invest and have it make a difference in your life? It is a pretty steady way to invest, as there is always demand for property, whether that be commercial or residential. So if this is something that you want to get into, then you should make sure that you’re able to have the cash to be able to invest in the first place.

Save, Save, Save

As radical as it might sound, one thing that you could look to do is to save money and not make a start until you are ready. After all, if you look at property as an investment and for any investment, even a small one, you do need to have capital to back it up. Tracking your spending is one of the things to do. Plus, if you are going for something like a 75% mortgage, then it means that for what you save it can be quadrupled to be money for a property.

Borrow Money Against Your Home

You might have very little in the way of cash, but you might have a home of your own with equity in it that you can take advantage of. If this sounds like you, then you could choose to extend out your mortgage to release some cash that you can then invest in elsewhere. It is up to you to decide if this is something that is going to work for you. You have to weigh up if it is going to be better to be able to invest sooner rather than later, or have the security that comes with paying down your own mortgage.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is something that is pretty recent, but it is making waves and helping people to invest and get a business started. You could use a straightforward site to help raise the money, asking people for donations. You can also use crowdfunding sites that offer something to the people that invest, so that could be something to think about as well. You could even look up a review of the Fundrise site to see if that could work for you. It is one of the first companies to crowdfund investment into the real estate market, so it is specific to the niche that you are looking at.

Use Family and Friends

If you have family and friends with some money that you could borrow from them, then it could be an avenue to look at. If you need to make it a more formal agreement, then it is a good idea to look into using their money as an investment, and treating it like a formal investment like you would from a bank. It can give everyone peace of mind.

Why You Should Improve Your Business Credit Score

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article | Entrepreneurship | Why You Should Improve Your Business Credit ScoreWhen did you last check your business credit score? Most business owners know that a personal credit score is important but many have never given their business score a thought. According to Experian, 59% of small business owners have never checked their commercial credit score. And of those that had, 56% had not checked their score within the past six months. Why? Most people do not know what a credit score is or how it works. And with so many ways to improve your credit score (check out this article by Business Credit Workshop to see one way) it’s worth knowing about.

But why is your business credit score important? Read on to find out what your business credit score can mean for your business and why you should improve it.

If your business, like many others, relies or may become reliant on loans or credit cards to grow or maintain cash flow, a good credit score is essential. Your credit score gives potential lenders an idea of your reliability using past loans/credit, they look at how you have been with previous repayments and how probable it is that you might pay late or if at all.

Using this data credit referencing agencies then generate your score using a number (usually between 0 and 999 but this can vary) which generally falls under different parameters of Poor, Fair and Good. Instead of flat out rejecting your application for credit, Lenders can also set rates and terms based on this information, in these circumstances this will done to mitigate risk factors such as late repayment, however, this is not always ideal as these rates (interest) are most likely to be higher. For this reason, maintaining a good credit score will increase your chances of gaining credit in the future with better rates. But that isn’t the only reason to make sure your business credit score is in good shape. If your business garners work through tenders, a good credit score can give you an edge over competitors.

There are many things that can affect your credit score from previous late repayments to having no credit lines at all. But whatever your rating you need to know how to maintain and improve your score, nothing can boost your score overnight but getting started:

  1. First thing’s first, if you haven’t already, check your business credit score. There are plenty of services that you can sign up to that will give you an overview of your credit score.
  2. Keep up to date! Depending on the credit checker you sign up to, you may receive monthly reports straight to your email inbox but it’s worth setting a monthly reminder to check your credit score. Take some time to go through any changes in your score, often finding out the issue means you can take the correct action to improve your score.
  3. Keep your information up to date. You might be surprised to learn that changes in location or business status can affect your reliability if your information is inconsistent. So keep up to date with customers, suppliers and any business registration companies and any credit rating agencies.
  4. Not already sharing information with any credit rating agencies? Your company data is important for validating any information on your records.
  5. If your business is in its early days, it is advised that business owners take a look at their own personal data. When little information is available about start-up businesses, CRA may look to the owner to judge whether they are credit-worthy or not.
  6. Avoid late invoice payments. Because late payment terms set on invoices are a form of credit, late payments will impact your credit score.
  7. Collaborate with your suppliers: Suppliers can provide feedback on payment records and share data with CRAs which support your credit score.
  8. On that note, the financial situation of your customers and suppliers can affect your business, keeping up to date with the circumstances of their credit is important for damage limitation to your business in the event that one of those partners go into administration.
  9. Ensure your accounts and tax returns are updated on time.
  10. Limit credit applications or ask for a quote. Whenever you submit an application for credit, that lender does a search on your credit background, each search is then added to your record. Credit lenders usually check to see how many credit searches has been recorded on your record in a certain period of time. Too many searches may indicate that a business is unable to obtain funding which will deter lenders from making a decision in your favour.

So whether you want to secure funding for your business soon or further down the road, getting your credit score in line is the most important step. Even if you don’t plan on seeking loans for your business, keeping your credit score strong is a good idea; if not to secure tenders and contracts for your company, you never know whether you might need a little bit of help in the future.

Types of Chargebacks You Should Know About

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article | Entrepreneurship | Risk Management | Types of Chargebacks You Should Know AboutChargebacks have become a menace for online businesses. You risk losing a lot of money and valuable resources when you don’t pay attention to fighting chargebacks. They are transaction reversals that a buyer issues after purchasing products that did not meet the description or for other reasons. It’s important to know how to fight chargebacks, and if you start with understanding how they occur, you can then put into place preventative measures. Here are some common chargeback types that your business might experience.

Chargeback Fraud

A fraud chargeback is a fraudulent request for a refund in the form of a chargeback. The cardholder disputes a transaction to regain the transactional amount and retain the services or products offered.  A chargeback fraud accounts for a significant percentage of all fraud losses. Chargeback fraud occurs when buyers try to take advantage of the chargeback process. They buy the product and try to get their money back by making false claims for the chargeback dispute. While it could be challenging to prevent chargeback frauds, winning such disputes can be equally hard. You can win the conflict by submitting a response with compelling evidence indicating that the buyer is trying to take advantage of you. Also, make sure that you collect all the necessary information from a buyer.

Merchant Error

Merchant error is among the most common chargeback types. While your employees may not intentionally commit a merchant error, its consequences can be dire. Merchant errors are caused by an array of things, including clerical mistakes and system errors. It could also be anything else that doesn’t satisfy your customer. For instance, goods not received or received in an unsatisfactory way and technical issues with your payment process, causing unauthorized errors or duplicate transactions.

Friendly Fraud

It’s an innocent act that could be costly to your business. Friendly fraud doesn’t involve malicious intentions by the cardholder. Professionals, such as Ethoca can help with the measures needed to fight friendly fraud. Some primary causes of friendly fraud include some friends or family members making unknown transactions or forgetfulness. Sometimes a simple action like an unclear product description can trigger a buyer to issue a chargeback for transactions made. An effective way of preventing friendly fraud or generally any chargeback is to tighten measures on your end.

These are some of the common causes of chargebacks. The bottom line is that you need measures to protect your business from any chargeback. Liaise with the professionals to save your reputation and money.