Working Capital Loan is a loan that is taken to finance a company’s everyday operations. These loans are not used to buy long-term assets or investments and are, instead, used to provide the working capital that covers a company’s short-term operational needs such as payroll, rent, Staff hire, expansion and debt payments. In this way, working capital loans are simply corporate debt borrowings that are used by a company to finance its daily operations.
Sometimes a company does not have adequate cash on hand or asset liquidity to cover day-to-day operational expenses and, thus, will secure a loan for this purpose. Companies with high seasonality or cyclical sales may rely on working capital loans to help with periods of reduced business activity.
Capify provides small business Working capital loans from $500 to $500K. We have easy repayment plans from daily, weekly or monthly options depending on your turnover.
Generally, a business will want a positive Working Capital ratio (Current Assets/Current Liabilities). While, in theory, a business with a working capital ratio of 1.0 should be able to adequately meet all of its short-term expenses, most businesses will like to see that number slightly higher. Excess WC will give a business a kind of ‘cash cushion’ against unexpected expenses and can be reinvested back into the business to help fuel growth. However, a ratio below 1.0 indicates current assets aren’t enough to cover short-term debt and could potentially mean a business needs additional business capital.
Working Capital loans are easy to obtain and let business owners efficiently cover any gaps in working capital expenditures. Strong cash flow is essential to any successful business, but cash flow has to be managed like the tides. It ebbs and flows, and your business may not be able to meet certain obligations during downtimes or when your business is expanding. This is why working capital loans exist. They provide small business owners with the opportunity to cover their expenses while still operating their businesses.
Capify’s Working Capital loans are unsecured. In that case, a company is not required to put down any collateral to secure the loan. Check if you are eligible to get a tailored solution for your business.
If you are running a business and have exhausted all your options to your working capital, it may be time to consider a working capital loan.
A survey by Digital Finance Analytics found that around 60% of SMEs are looking to borrow and that most are looking for Working Capital support.
The amount of positive working capital a business needs to run smoothly will vary depending on a range of factors such as business type, operating cycle as well as current and future growth goals.
While large businesses can get away with a negative working capital ratio for a short term (because of their ability to raise funds quickly), small to medium businesses need to actively maintain a healthy level of WC.
While the goal of many small businesses is to build a better community and provide a good service or product to a loyal customer base, making money is still crucial. Some options for increasing working capital include:
- Borrowing money.
- Selling long-term assets for cash.
- Replacing short-term debt with long-term debt.
- Choosing vendors with discounts.
- Analysing fixed and variable costs.
- Managing inventory.
- Taking advantage of tax incentives.
- Keeping all financial records current.
Understanding all the different factors that can affect your Working Capital needs is the first step to managing healthy finances.