Showing posts with label Services. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Services. Show all posts

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

Working Capital Loans-Finance to Fuel your Business

If the owner of a small business is constantly searching for new methods for growing his company then working capital loan is something after which he won’t look further. A highly efficient way of growing his business and generating capital is by securing working capital with a line of credit or a loan. Growing your working capital will secure your small business during the sluggish months, making sure that you can cover up your everyday operational costs such as payables, payroll, and receivables. Also, it will help in mitigating your cash reserves for unavoidable circumstances you might face while doing expenditure on your business.


The available financing needed for covering short-term or immediate business requirement is referred as working capital. In order to determine how much working capital is available sum up your bank cash along with the money that customers owe you and your inventory value after that subtract what you owe to employees and suppliers. Small business owners always make sure that they have sufficient cash for not just starting a business but also keep it going. Lastly, you can also cover your business requirement with the help of personal funds by potentially harming your wallet. Often, working capital is quite difficult to find so it’s better to know the options that are easily available.



The Good Part of Working Capital Loans

Often, private equity investors ask for some business percentage in exchange of financing the business. And for getting funding for your business you give few decision making power as well as the piece of your enduring upside. Luckily, working capital loans only need you to execute the payments you agreed-upon. Working capital loans come up with a limited obligation to the person who has lent money that you carry out and then moves independently.

Terms are Shorter

The short term working capital loans help the small businesses. They are planned to secure your cash flow alongside small shocks to its system. Therefore, one can expect a controlled payback time to be a piece of the deal and stay away from getting caught in a finance trap. The last thing what a smaller business needs are the huge monthly payments restricting you in the coming years as often becomes credit card financing case.


Expenditure Stays in Control

Traditionally, a bank loan might have restricted fund usage which can turn into a blessing or a curse. If a small business owner gets a blank check, it may fight back to remain focused and end up exhausting the finances on other things rather on investing for what you have secured that loan. Typically, working capital loans are issued for particular opportunities and operational costs that raise revenue.

Get Cash Fast

Typically, bank loan applications are very time to take and time is something which can’t afford to lose if the business is restricted by the current cash flow. Often, they lead to rejection, and applying working capital loans for small business is a faster way of getting funds in comparison with the traditional bank loan approval process. Usually, one can gain access to his money within a week, in case he qualifies for a working capital loan. Every business requires cash for operating as well as for growth and as it grows certain changes arises then the requirement of additional funds may arise without warning, and traditional banking process might hinder the growth of your business which in turn causes missed opportunities.

                                                About ALCOR Mergers and Acquisitions


But now ALCORMNA is there as an alternative for funding your business to traditional financing methods. Our flexible, fast, as well as easy capital options, proffer the fund you need. And we make it sure that our short-term repayment means that you will grow sooner and faster. The funds can be used for any kind of business you want to do and it doesn’t require any proposal or business plan. Moreover, if you require extra cash in order to help in growing your small business, ALCORMNA is here to help. 

So is your business suffering from Funding problems? ALCOR MNA is experienced in finding the best Investors for companies and small businesses. We provide a broad spectrum of comprehensive fundraising solutions to cater the capital requirements of different companies across industries.

Are you looking for a Financing Options?

For additional information on how we can help you finance your Company, Complete the Enquiry form. One of our representatives will contact you within one business day.


Wednesday, 5 July 2017

How To Get Business Financing :: 9 Easy and Fast Options

A business will flounder without a funding source under its own debt the weight. A business runs on funding fuel. To attain funding, a business can take unusual avenues and more than one option can be used. The selected funding option will depend on business' need to be in debt. At the time when business was founded, how solvent the business owners were and how much money a business will require launching and maintaining itself through the range of events. Eventually, it totally depends on the type and nature of the business when you need funding. Below are several ways to raise funds that might work for growing your business globally:

1      Bootstrapping

Investors like to see founders drag resources and manage that with lean determination. This helps in putting control over company firmly in the hands of the founder. Running the company smoothly Having all the control and as well as lean shows the investor you have sound judgment and worthy of investment.

2      Angel Investors

Angel investors find interest in the next generation ideas and willingly fund startup ideas they find worth. They usually focus on technology startups. Although the process of receiving funds from angel investors might be straightforward,  but they always expect to see complete business plan along with financial projections. This funding option is perfect for technology-focused businesses, but still, need guidance in product creation and marketing. Apart from providing money, angel investors also give guidance to that business owner looking for more experienced partners. They might also anticipate a certain degree of influence on how the company is running.

3       Private Equity

To minimize the jolt that is engulfing the private-equity industry, ALCOR M&A offer counseling to increase earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation. We support fund managers with a percolating approach on industry operations and vigor. We work with experienced experts and turnaround specialists to offer support for our Private Equity client.

4       Seed Capital

Just as an entrepreneur as an individual when investing in an instrument will seek balance on the equation risk—tolerance, reward-demands, size limitations and time- horizon preference, the entrepreneur should be ready to build this equation for the sources of capital with empathy. Those entrepreneurs who show this empathy land funding faster than others. Raising capital at concept stage is difficult because the entrepreneur seeking it and source providing it must fit together like a lock and a key. If they do not then while a lot of talks will happen, funds will not flow. 

5       Venture Capital

At this place, you make the big bets.  Professionally, venture capitals are managed funds invest in companies having huge potential. These companies usually invest in business against equity and exit when there is an acquisition. Venture capital provides mentorship, expertise and operates as a litmus test of where the company is going, evaluating the business from and scalability and sustainability point of view.


The management buyout is a transaction where the executive team obtains the assets of the corporation from the owners. Similar to a leveraged buyout, it is not necessary for financing to buy the company from the holder without third party financing. The rewards are greater as owners so management buyout is more appealing to a team. Mezzanine debt is an effective way to finance a management buyout.



ALCOR M&A provides a broad spectrum of comprehensive fundraising solutions to cater the debt capital requirements of different companies across industries. We have over a decade of experience structuring and delivering customized financial solutions to hyper-growth and distressed small and middle market companies nationwide. We differentiate ourselves with our unique combination of credit skills and high-level relationships with hard to find capital sources.

8       Working Capital

ALCOR M&A leverages its relationships with more than 100-major banks and financial institutions to arrange working capital facilities both fund based as well as non-fund based, for its clients. The facilities are created either through multiple banking routes or the consortium (syndicate) route, depending on the size of the facility.

       Mezzanine Financing

The benefits of funding through mezzanine financing include higher amounts of money with no personal guarantees to the owner or the management teams. Mezzanine debt is a long term loan that allows a company to go through a transitional period – be it an ownership change, an acquisition, a growth spurt, without having to worry about paying off the loan too soon. It is a patient form of capital that allows a company to confidently take a powerful growth step.

Moreover, the most essential characteristic of any successful business is implementing a global way of thinking. If this is the main thought process behind a company’s decisions, the rest of their international marketing strategies can be implemented with ease. If companies support and welcome globalization, it becomes intertwined with their culture. Going global is the key to ensuring your company’s growth and future is indomitable.

So is your business suffering from cash flow problems? ALCOR MNA is experienced in finding the best cash flow solutions for companies and small businesses. We provide a broad spectrum of comprehensive fundraising solutions to cater the debt capital requirements of different companies across industries.



For additional information on how we can help you finance your Company, Complete the Enquiry form. One of our representatives will contact you within one business day.


                                            http://www.alcormna.com


Friday, 23 June 2017

Mergers and Acquisitions :: Door to Global Opportunities


Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can accelerate a company's growth probably more than most other means within its arsenal. This is particularly true of larger deals. Mergers and Acquisitions have one common goal that they are all meant to create a synergy that makes the value of the combined companies greater than the sum of the two parts. The success of a merger or acquisition depends on whether this synergy is achieved. To effectively identify, value and integrate smaller strategic targets, companies need to:

1) Develop an M&A vision that aligns with the dynamics of their industry in the face of disruption and convergence.

2) Adapt the criteria and decision frameworks for evaluating their portfolio and acquisition targets to fully understand a deal’s impact on their portfolio - and how it will enable them to redefine their business model.

3) Accelerate their overall M&A decision making to move at the speed of the market and avoid missing out on key opportunities to acquire vital capabilities.

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are a great way to grow your business without having to wait years for your marketing and sales strategy to pay off. When you need immediate growth for your business, this can be the best option for you that provides the instant result. The primary goal of a company interested in a merger or acquisition is to secure an opportunity that will either achieve the objective of growth or provide an area of expansion that will add to the product/service line in a market that is currently not served by the company. The motivation behind this pursuit is that the resulting combination of products, key people, and existing pipeline will allow the business to operate in new markets and offer new options to their existing market.

Pursuing mergers and acquisitions does not come without challenges. Combining two business results in many new issues that did not actually exist before, this includes: operating a company with a presence in multiple markets, a larger and more diverse customer base, a more complex product and services portfolio, and a high level of people and operational complexity. Another issue is the cost reduction goals can conflict with revenue growth opportunities.

The challenges of making a merger and acquisition work illustrate why deals intended specifically to enable growth fail to yield the desired growth objective. Although mergers and acquisitions can be a real path to growth, the decision to make the deal is only the first of many decisions that will affect its ability to be successful. This makes you wonder if a merger and acquisition will work for your business. Therefore, you want to understand your odds of succeeding and if the challenges are worth the effort.

The goal driving many business acquisitions involve synergies. When companies are choosing to merge together, the desire is for the whole to be greater than its individual parts.  The synergies involving marketing and economies of scale are clear benefits for why a merger and acquisition should be an option for growth. Also, there are typically opportunities involving production, volume discounts in purchasing, and reduced overhead expenses.

If you are in the position to acquire a business, you may want to pursue this growth strategy. You know that the business environment presents challenging factors, such as competition and acquiring market share. Therefore, acquiring your competition and gaining their markets and customers will put your business in the position to reap significant rewards. You will find that they will start investing more when you are able to show how this acquisition will immediately pay off, instead of taking a time to produce results. This is why you should seriously consider acquiring a business if you want your business to experience growth.

Thursday, 22 June 2017

How to Raise Seed Capital and Grow Your Business

An entrepreneur’s need for capital at the concept stage is predominantly to develop the product, to fund marketing and advertising and to develop a sales force. The entrepreneur must understand deeply “why the capital is needed” and “how much is needed”. If the entrepreneur does not have a well-thought plan for what the capital will be used for and demonstrate how it will create new wealth, capital will not flow. The estimation on how much is needed is equally important as a source would want to know the maximum amount he is going to risk and entrepreneur will not come back asking for more infusion to rescue initial investment before a significant value is added to the investment.
Just as an entrepreneur as an individual when investing in an instrument will seek balance on the equation risk—tolerance, reward-demands, size limitations and time- horizon preference, an entrepreneur should be ready to build this equation for the sources of capital with empathy. Those entrepreneurs who show this empathy land funding faster than others.
Raising capital at concept stage is difficult because the entrepreneur seeking it and source providing it must fit together like a lock and a key. If they do not then while a lot of talks will happen, funds will not flow.  The four key parameters for lock and a key to fit together are Risk-Reward-Size-Time.

Risk

It does not matter how nice the entrepreneur appears, presents, and provides reasons for her deep passion or feelings for a product, investors need to feel confident about the person they are entrusting money with through factual data points such as (a) previous entrepreneurial success stories if any. (b) Prior, significant and relevant work experience in similar product or market. (c) Experiential things done to identify understandable product/service need, reading reports do not count. (d) Commensurate and tested business and marketing plan and (e) clarity of positioning in the marketplace. Even when it is said that friends and angels invest on a person for honesty, drive and straightforwardness they rarely will be able to overcome risk perception without data points above.

Rewards

 Investors need a clear mechanism to estimate rewards and entrepreneur must provide these estimates by way of the total size of market, growth rate post product development stage, projected income and cash flow, likely multiplier which can be used to value the company and companies which might be interested in acquiring the company. All this must be thought by the entrepreneur prior to having a meeting with an investor as no investor wishes to be invested with the company perpetually, as least at the time of making the investment.  Post this investor should be suggested the mechanism harvest the reward through interest or dividends on convertible bonds or preferred stocks as the case may be.

Size

The size of the investment (interlinked with a number of investors) is another factor to find a fit between entrepreneur and the source.  Most sources such as friends and family, angels etc. are limited by capacity or willingness on the size of investment they can take on. Awareness of capacity helps knowing the number of investors entrepreneur needs to approach.

Time

As the entrepreneur is busy convincing prospective sources on more fundamental aspects of attracting money; she should never forget and proactively answer the dimension of Time.  The time to exit or make a harvest out of the company is an important dimension for every source including entrepreneur herself.  For sources, the time to exit should be treated as the duration for which money is at risk. The entrepreneur should be able to demonstrate the major milestones when such exists can be made possible to all sources including friends and family and angels while many times they may not ask for it.
Moreover, the surest way to raise capital is to make a risk-reward- size profile of sources (and their interest areas for investment) and match with what you can deliver.

Looking for Investors: Angels & Venture Capitalists


If you are a concept stage entrepreneur, who has evaluated and acted upon all self-financing options as advised above, the only investor with a high tolerance for risk and willingness to consider funding you are an Angel.  Angels are either professional who have built and sold companies or they have inherited wealth. Typically the first kind of Angels, provide time, advice and talent along with Money to the entrepreneur however without diluting their expectation of return over a fixed time period. (An emerging sect of angels is well-paid and ESOP awarded executives in top corporations who could also be former professional colleagues/ friends. You may have to decide whether to approach them as friends & family or as angel depending on distance).
Angels are hard to find. An entrepreneur should always look at friends, business acquaintances, community leaders and successful entrepreneurs in the immediate business area. Other places to look for are certain industry bodies (as per your area of startup), venture fairs,  technology showcases, incubation centers, investor- entrepreneur matching services, angel funds and networks. Be convinced that to land right Angel requires iterative legwork and you are always ready to provide elevator pitch, short pitch, and long-format formal pitch anytime anywhere with or without presentation aids.

Tuesday, 20 June 2017

Things Investors would like to see before Investing In Startups

It is no surprise that in the current business climate of low or even sub-zero interest rates and arguably overpriced equity markets, investors are on the hunt for alternative avenues of investment. Injecting seed funding into promising young startups is one such investment that has recently grown to be very popular. This form of investment is extremely rewarding but naturally, comes with significant risks.

With that in mind, it is necessary to analyze startups when considering whether or not to invest. The importance of standard analysis using financial ratios and metrics (which are reviewed here and here) is widely acknowledged. However, since these businesses are either unlikely to have much historical financial data available or might possess highly skewed financials (due to them still being in the early stage), this article will instead explore five essential non-financial aspects of a young startup that are equally as, if not more, important to your investment decision.

If you are a potential angel investor, there are many opportunities worth exploring in order to fulfill some of this capital demand, as long as you take some considerations and precautions before embarking on your journey. Before you invest in a startup, make sure you prepare to cope with these perks – and quirks of an entrepreneurial ecosystem:


It seems obvious, but founders come to me with ideas that seem so farfetched it’s hard to believe that they thought the product or service would work in the first place. You must know the issues, the problems being addressed, the players and the customer base. Going into a sector and niche that is oversaturated just makes it harder for your company to stand out. Finding a niche that no one cares about is equally fraught with an uncertainty of success.


If your business doesn’t change the way people do things or see the world, you are not going to make waves and get noticed by customers or the media. You want media attention! Sure, you can make widgets until the cows come home, but having a real impact on the world is what dreams are made of.


If you think running a startup with you, a co-founder and a couple of staff is easy, see what happens after your first seed round. If you are not comfortable managing the business, things will begin to fall apart. It won’t hurt to take on a couple of online courses to tune-up your general management skills. As you get more capital, consider replacing parts of your jack-of-all-trades CEO role with professionals. Investors want to know you can take care of their investment and have general business skills.


In some respects, this should be the first consideration when we are looking to invest in a company - the quality of the person behind the company. Reputations are built on trust and easily taken away. Investors want to know that as the company grows the sincerity, common sense, trustfulness of the founder will come across to both future investors and customers. I worked with a company whose founder had a bit of a ‘shady’ past. There is nothing serious, but enough to have people whisper at investor events. Needless to say, his company didn’t remain a client for long.


If you haven’t figured it out yet, the product is just a piece of the puzzle, Of course, it has to be great, but the three most important reasons to invest in your startup and not the other guy is the differentiation of your business through the quality of its people, the global market reach or distribution you can attain and the product. Without all three, finding investment is difficult.


I’ve been in presentations where the founder was so sincere and passionate that she came across like Mother Teresa. The reverse, of course, has been true as well. Investors want to know you have some special skill that they can be reassured that your startup can make it past the first year.


Seems like an easy request, but when you’re trying to do press releases, managing programmers and finding capital, it’s not that easy to focus on building a company. How you deal with the distractions and keep yourself focused on getting to the top will be a clear message to any investor. This also goes back to management. If you are working above your skill grade, find someone to help, be it a new employee or a mentor. I ‘shadowed’ a CEO for months because he constantly lost his focus and needed not to show it in front of his co-founders and investors. To keep him on track, two heads were a lot better than one, and he managed to get to the liquidity event successfully.


Investors love to see founders pull resources out of thin air and manage what they have with lean determination. This puts the control of the company firmly in the hands of the founder. Having all the control and running the company smoothly as well as lean shows the investor you have sound judgment and worthy of investment.



There’s nothing worse to have two behind the scene nerds try to convince an investor to put money into your venture. You can’t afford to have poor communication cause a stumble on the story to an investor. 

Monday, 19 June 2017

Best Marketing Practices in Post-Merger Integrations

There is considerable evidence that many M&As fail. Estimated failure rates go usually from 60 to 80 per cent. Despite the increased attention on post-merger integration (PMI), dynamics of how two firms' marketing strategies are integrated have been largely neglected. Considering that M&A activity is predicted to increase as more CEOs use M&A strategies to grow/exit their business, also marketing and communications for post-acquisitions are expected to gain proper focus and attention.
Nevertheless, the lack of attention given today to marketing issues is interestingly in contrast with the findings of merger failures’ analysis, which indicate a lack of proper communication and customer retention activities among the major reasons for such failures. Customers, in fact, tend to stop investments and put their relationships on hold, until a clear message is delivered by the firms.
Competitors often take advantage of the situation reinforcing the negative perception that clients have about the two merging firms; sometimes they take it as an opportunity to steal customers in whichever way they can. To make the situation even more challenging, managerial energy during post acquisitions is often used in internal tasks neglecting customer and marketing-related issues; PMIs are in fact often internally oriented. A possible consequence is that decisions are made predominantly on the basis of internal criteria such as organization, processes, structure. Hopefully, integration will be driven soon by customer-related considerations creating additional customer value rather than reducing the cost of serving them. While marketing will gain the right attention, here is a series of points which I would suggest companies look at before planning any kind of post-mergers integrations.
Communication with All Stakeholders
Mergers involve uncertainty and risk. Communication is essential to focus the organization and to help mitigate these risks. Customers are the first target: they often take their business elsewhere just because they receive inadequate information. A proper customer communication plan should be in place at least a couple of months before the formal acquisition.
But they shouldn't be the only communication target. There is a list of other stakeholders to think about. It’s important to consider which of these are important to the business and to make sure they are communicated with appropriately. Once key issues for each stakeholder group have been identified, the company will be ready to communicate using proper channels.
Internal Communications
Internal communication is the second area of focus. A message sent is not necessarily a message received. People should be sent the integration communication and messages time and time again. Employees need to understand what the firms are trying to do, what the vision is and what they are required to do. Telling people what is going on, what will happen and what we want and expect from them is crucial. With more informal, face-to-face communication in and around the merger the formal material becomes more credible and useful to employees. Even at the risk of over-communicating, it's crucial to create emotional connections between the company and its constituents.
Day-1 and Day-100 Plans
Planning, planning, planning - full integrated plans of intended Marcom activity, at different stages of the acquisition (e.g. 'day-1' and 'day-100') with costs and benefits, together with deadlines, associated actions, dependencies, and risks are a must-do for all integration teams.
Centralized Communication Process
Centralizing the communication process is the key to guarantee consistency around the globe. The central marketing team should release messaging and assets to the countries time before the launch dates, to make sure proper translation and localization of all assets were done in time
Branding Strategy

Individual branding strategy should be released for each of the acquired brands. A 'one size fits all' approach is not going to work and might create dangerous situations with clients and employees of the acquired firm. 

Friday, 16 June 2017

Importance of a Funding for A Business : Ways to Raise it

A business without a funding source will flounder under the weight of its own debt. Funding is the fuel on which a business runs. A business can take different avenues to attain funding, and more than one option can be used. The chosen funding will depend on the business' desire to be in debt, how solvent the business owners are at the time the business is founded and the amount of money a business will need to launch and maintain itself through a variety of events.

Materials, office supplies, equipment, a website and business cards all cost money and it has to come from somewhere. Seed money, from an investor, a small business loan or the owner's savings account, must be raised to get the business started.

A business owner needs to draw a salary to survive. If the business has employees, they must be paid. There are utilities to pay, insurance to buy and a laundry list of other expenses that must be paid for the business to survive. When a business first starts, profits are going to be low so business funding is needed to allow for the cash flow to meet expenses until profits pick up.

When a business outgrows its current location, or there is a demand for new goods or services, expansion becomes an option. A new location, product, and marketing research, new services and additional staff if needed can be financed with business funding.

Accidents happen. Fires, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes can wreak havoc on a business and its bottom line. Although insurance will cover most catastrophic events, premiums and deductibles have to be paid and there needs to be money in the coffers to pay salaries while the business is repaired. Even less disastrous events can call for a rather large cash outlay.

A company can explore several options where financing is concerned. Traditional bank loans can still be attained by a small business. Lines of credit or corporate credit cards with special rates can also be an option. Keep in mind that attaining funding will mean presenting your business idea to potential investors, so you will need to be confident and know the business model inside and out. But if a business owner wants to bootstrap the business himself, a loan from a 401K, dipping into a savings account or investments from family or friends are options as well.



Private Equity



Debt Capital