Business planning and strategy

Understanding Collateral

As a general rule of thumb, banks will require a borrower to put up collateral for a loan. The only exception to this rule is for clients who have a long-term relationship with banks and whose business has proven to be profitable over a multi-year period.

Collateral is important for banks to reduce their risk. If the business is not able to pay back the loan, a bank may decide to take ownership of the collateral that has been pledged to them in the documents you sign when you got the loan. Usually a bank will not take ownership of collateral if you miss an interest payment, or one or two repayment installments, but will if they feel that their loan is at risk.

Is Your Cash Flow Ready for the Holiday Season?

You may not be trimming the tree just yet, but it’s definitely time to make sure your business is ready for the biggest shopping season of the year. From retailers to restaurants, the majority of small businesses will significantly boost their bottom line in Q4. According to a recent survey from Vistaprint, 75% of consumers indicated that they’re likely to do at least some of their holiday shopping with small businesses this year.

Write a Business Plan

Starting a small business is hard work. The list of things you have to do in order to turn your dream into reality may seem overwhelming at first. When faced with such a formidable to-do list, it is easy to think of a formal business plan as something to table for later. After all, organizing a list of responsibilities and checking off items one by one as you accomplish them is itself a form of planning. Why waste time creating and perfecting a business plan at this early stage of the game?

The answer is that even the simplest business plan will help you:

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