The goals of businesses have undergone much evolution from the times when entrepreneurs were content with anything that they received above the capital invested. Businesses now want to expand their reach globally, riding on the wave of technology.
Nevertheless, technology does not come cheap. A huge amount of capital is required to buy the latest in technology. Businesses generally have two options. The first will be to purchase the latest technology. This however suffers from the disadvantage that it creates a fixed charge on the balance sheet. If the case is of a new start up, this can mar its performance from the very beginning.
The next option is a secured business loan. A secured business loan is a loan where the businessperson can have funds to finance any project. It is more beneficial than the former because it does not eat into the resources base. Moreover, the loan is taken for a larger period. Thus, the businessperson can continue his operations without thinking of the repayment.
Secured business loans are advanced against collateral. Larger loans require larger collateral. Lenders get the rights to plants or machinery or any tangible asset of value. This will act as guarantee for the loan. The collateral is safe and the borrower can get the rights back after the loan has been paid in full. However, the opposite is also true. The loan company will seize the asset on which the loan had been secured to retrieve the payment.
It is generally difficult to get secured business loans. Most online lenders offering personal loans may not be offering good deals on business loans. The first step should obviously be to contact the bank through which the regular business dealings take place. Since they know the business and its credit well, they offer the loans in a lesser time.
Capital is a very important part of the business. Many businesses have failed because of inadequate funds. Businesses have to make hasty decisions. Even small delays can result in losses of millions pounds. Making a survey of the time loan companies take to approve the loan application will be beneficial in deciding when to start the loan process.
Loans are available for all kinds of businesses, whether small, medium, or large. The repayment period may differ according to the loan taken. Long-term loans are available for a period of about 25 years. Short-term loans are repayable within a year.
If you are a small organization, it will be better to look for a lending organization that caters to your kind of business. Bigger lenders too, may be contacted, but may not service small business with the same zeal as they would to a bigger enterprise.
The secured business loan makes the business liable for its repayment. The principal amount of loan grows with interest. This makes a serious planning for the loan very necessary. The first thing to do would be to question the actual need for the loan. There are certain needs that can be postponed or make the need redundant. This would save the organization the extra liability of the secured business loan.
Deciding well in advance the use to which the capital will be put to, will be the next priority. Businesses must resort to loans finance only for projects that aim to bolster the vision of the business. Taking loans for frivolous reasons will affect its performance. Taking too many loans will also affect the debt to equity ratio. This means that the extent of loans and other sources of finance is greater in the capital.
Apart from the traditional monthly payment type, borrowers can repay the secured business loan through a variety of methods. Borrowers can pay equal monthly installments and pay the remaining amount through a final balloon payment. Interest only payment will require a monthly payment of interest and a final balloon payment to pay off the remaining amount. There are many more features available on the secured business loan to help businesses grow.
Andrew baker has done his masters in finance from CPIT. He is engaged in providing free, professional, and independent advice to the residents of the UK.He works for the personal loan web site http://www.ukfinanceworld.co.uk for any type of uk secured loans and unsecured loan please visit http://www.ukfinanceworld.co.uk