Financing source

Where and how you finance an operation can be the difference between dominance and failure. All money may sound like good money in this environment. It isn't.

Often it makes the most sense to tap a few different sources of capital. One deal I arranged involved seven funding sources. That sounds like a hassle, but it ended up greatly reducing the company's cost of capital and saving it from bankruptcy.

There are myriad financing sources available for American entrepreneurs . Here are the 12 best, from least attractive to most. Two glaring omissions: venture capital--VCs fund just 3,500 of the 22 million small outfits in the U.S., and they only tend to hunt for companies with the potential for torrential growth--and a founder's own savings. If you don't know by now that financiers want to see some of your own skin in the game, you may already be in over your head.

12. Angelequity. If you must sell an ownership stake to get your company off the ground, start by finding a respected industry executive who is willing to invest a reasonable amount and give your venture credibility with other investors. The advice and networking--without all the heavy-handed demands of a VC--come in handy, too.

11. Smart leases. Leasing fixed assets conserves cash for working capital (to cover inventory), which is generally tougher to finance, especially for an unproven business. Warning: Don't put so much money down that you end up spending the same amount of cash as you would have had you bought the asset with a down payment. The cost of a lease may be slightly higher than bank financing (see source No. 10), but the cost of the down payment you did not have to make is likely to be less painful than the dilution you suffer from giving away equity.

10. Bank loans. Banks are like the supermarket of debt financing. They provide short-, mid- or long-term financing, and they finance all asset needs, including working capital, equipment and real estate. This assumes, of course, that you can generate enough cash flow to cover the interest payments (which are tax deductible) and return the principal.Banks want assurance of repayment by requiring personal guarantees and even a secured interest (such as a mortgage) on personal assets. Unlike other financing relationships, banks offer some flexibility: You can pay off your loan early and terminate the agreement. VCs and other institutional investors may not be so amenable.

9. SBA 7(a) loans. Of all the federally sponsored debt-financing programs, this is the most popular, and perhaps the best. It loosens the flow of credit by guaranteeing the lender against a portion of any loss incurred on the loan. Not to say that banks aren't careful when making 7(a) loans: They are required to keep the non-guaranteed portion on their books.

The interest rate can vary based on the size of the loan, with smaller amounts costing a little more. Shop around. Some banks reap servicing fees and nice profits by selling the guaranteed portion of the loan to insurance companies and pension funds; in those cases, a lender may be willing to offer you a better rate.

8. Local and state economic development organizations.Economic-development organizations can charge tantalizingly low interest rates when lending alongside a bank. Say you need to raise $200,000 for a building. A bank may offer $150,000 on a first mortgage at a variable interest rate of prime, now 3.25%, plus 200 basis points, for a total of 5.25%. The local development entity might lend you another $30,000 on a second mortgage at a fixed-interest rate of 4%, without seeking equity shares or warrants. (Without the development corporation's contributions, you would have to scare up $50,000 in equity--expensive.) If you don't have the cash flow to cover the interest, the development organization may offer extended terms. Some loans are interest-only for the first year or two, and even the interest payments can be accrued for a certain time period.

Development groups may not agree to finance an entire operation, but they make snagging the remainder from other private sources a lot easier. Talk to your local chamber of commerce to find these programs.).

7. Customers. Advance payments from customers--assuming the terms aren't too onerous--can give you the cash you need, at a relatively low cost, to keep your business growing. Advances also demonstrate a level of commitment by that customer to your operation. This strategy allowed them to grow faster and with limited resources, and to operate with relative impunity with respect to their investors.

6. Vendors: with financing from large consumer electronics firms--in other words, his suppliers. This way, your financiers do not control your growth; you do. Just be sure not to enslave yourself to a handful of powerful suppliers in the process.

5. Friends and family members. If you're lucky, friends and family members might be the most lenient investors of the bunch. They don't tend to make you pledge your house, and they might even agree to sell their interest in your company back to you for a nominal return.

4. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants. Getting past the paper-intensive application process and SBIR grants can be a great way to turn your intellectual property into mailbox money. For more on these grants, check out How To Get Uncle Sam To Fund Your Start-Up 3. Tax Increment Financing. TIF subsidies are geared toward real estate development in targeted areas. Depending on the state, the subsidies can be as large as 20% to 30% of the cost of the project. Better yet, you may even be able to borrow against this subsidized value. If your own community does not offer a TIF program, look at communities that do. You may end up a little farther from your home or office, but it could be worth your while.

2. Internal Revenue Service. No, the IRS does not lend money. But it does allow you to deduct expenses. If you are paying a heap in taxes, evaluate whether you can use your profits to expand your business--and reduce your tax bill.

1. Bootstrapping: Many billion-dollar entrepreneurs find a way to grow without external financing so that financiers don't control their destinies or grab a disproportionate slice of the wealth pie. For more on the sound strategic thinking you'll need in order to live on your own cash flow.

Structure ?

Capital structure is the proportion of all types of capital viz. equity, debt, preference etc. It is synonymously used as financial leverage or financing mix. Capital structure is also referred as the degree of debts in the financing or capital of a business firm. It is believed that with the change in capital structure, the value of a firm can be influenced. There are four approaches to this, viz. net income, net operating income, traditional and M&M approach. Financial leverage is the extent to which a business firm employs borrowed money or debts. In financial management, it is a significant term and an important decision in a business. In the capital structure of a company, broadly, there are mainly two types of capital i.e. Equity and Debt. Out of the two, debt is considered a cheaper source of finance because the interest payments are a tax deductible expense.

Capital structure or financial leverage deals with a very important financial management question. The question is - ‘what should be the ratio of debt and equity?’ Before scratching our minds to find the answer to this question, we should know the objective of doing all this. In the financial management context, the objective of any financial decision is to maximize the shareholder’s wealth or increase the value of the firm. The other question which hits the mind at the first place is whether change in the financing mix would have any impact on the value of the firm or not. The question is a valid question as there are some theories which believe that financial mix has an impact on the value and others believe it to be not connected.

How can financial leverage affect the value? 

One thing is sure that wherever and whatever way one sources the finance from, it cannot change the operating income levels. Financial leverage can, at the max, have impact on the net income or the EPS (Earning per Share). The reason is explained further. Changing the financing mix means changing the level of debts and change in levels of debt can impact the interest payable by that firm. Decrease in interest would increase the net income and thereby the EPS and it is a general belief that the increase in EPS leads to increase in value of the firm.

Apparently, under this view, financial leverage is a useful tool to increase value but, at the same time, nothing comes without a cost. Financial leverage increases the risk of bankruptcy. It is because higher the level of debt, higher would be the fixed obligation to honour the interest payments to the debts providers. Discussion of financial leverage has an obvious objective of finding an optimum capital structure leading to maximization of value of firm. If cost of capital is high

Important theories or approaches to financial leverage or capital structure or financing mix are as follows: Net Income Approach: This approach was suggested by Durand and he was in the favour of financial leverage decision. According to him, change in financial leverage would lead to change in cost of capital. In short, if the ratio of debt in the capital structure increases, the weighted average cost of capital decreases and hence the value of the firm.

Net Operating Income Approach: This approach is also provided by Durand but it is totally opposite to the Net Income Approach. It says that the weighted average cost of capital remains constant. It believes in the fact that the market analyses firm as a whole which discounts at a particular rate which is not related to debt-equity ratio.

Traditional Approach: This approach is not defined hard and fast facts but it says that cost of capital is a function of the capital structure. The special thing about this approach is that it believes an optimal capital structure. Optimal capital structure implies that at a particular ratio of debt and equity, the cost of capital is minimum and value of firm is maximum.

Modigliani and Miller Approach (MM Approach): It is a capital structure theory named after Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller. MM theory proposed two propositions.

Proposition I: It says that the capital structure is irrelevant to the value of a firm. Value of two identical firms would be same and it would not be affected by the mode of finance adopted to finance the assets. Value of a firm is dependent on the expected future earnings.

Proposition II: It says that the financial leverage boosts the expected earnings but it does not increase the value of the firm because the increase in earnings is compensated by the change in the required rate of return.

To summarize, it is very essential for finance professionals to know about the nitty-gritty of capital structure they have suggested to the management. Accurate analysis of capital structure can help a company save on the part of their cost of capital and hence improve profitability for the shareholders.