The CFO'S Perspective

Funding your Manufacturing Business - CAMPS Event

To grow in the new market environment, manufacturing companies require funding. To help you better understand the options, CAMPS hosted a panel to cover multiple funding options:

CFO Selections is a proud member of CAMPS and our own Kevin Briscoe recently participated in a panel discussion at a CAMPS event: "Funding your Manufacturing Business."

If your manufacturing company is growing, listen to the insights and options shared by the panel of financial specialists.

Topics: Funding Events Financing

Cash Management Strategies: Selling Accounts Receivable

With government assistance waning, business owners are evaluating other ways to improve cash flow.

Since slow-paying clients are one of the biggest killers of cash flow, some companies choose to sell their invoices to recoup some of that missing revenue more quickly. This strategy, known as invoice factoring, is a way for companies to get an infusion of cash from the products they have already sold or services they have already performed from a third-party that is willing to advance them the funds before customers pay.

Alternatively, companies that do not want to sell their invoices, and may not want, or can’t, pursue a line of credit with a traditional business bank, can borrow money against their invoices from a specialty lender. This strategy, known as invoice financing, not only improves cash flow but can also serve as a means of borrowing for businesses that cannot readily obtain other lines of credit.

Each strategy has differences to consider. Find out more about invoice factoring and invoice financing to determine which approach is right for your business.

Topics: Cash Flow Accounts Receivable Budgeting Financing COVID-19

How and When to Communicate with Your Busy Business Bankers

Government-mandated closures. Supply chain disruptions. Customer nervousness. Public-safety protocols. Employee fear. PPP forgiveness. Union pressures. A national coin shortage. Enough already!

It’s all most businesses can do to survive these days, rather than thrive. In the midst of all of these challenges, there are relationships critical to our clients' businesses' short-term and long-term health.

One that keeps coming up, but isn’t addressed very often, is the relationship between business owners and their bankers. But how do you collaborate with your bankers during times of crisis and stress? How do you make this critical relationship work to your benefit over the long term?

Topics: Financing Banking

Financial Projections for Startups – A How-To Guide

Financial projections are a critical component of a sound business plan. These projections (or “financial forecasts”) are used externally to obtain funding as well as internally to create a strategic growth roadmap with key milestones.

At the core of these projections are logical assumptions for revenue, COGS (cost of goods sold), SG&A (sales, general, and administrative) expenses, capital investments, and cash flow that serve as building blocks for the final figures that result. Because your financial projections rely on these pillars, it is crucial to find a balance with these inputs. Being too conservative or too aggressive with your assumptions will skew the resulting projections, damaging their overall credibility. The goal is to inspire confidence externally as well as internally while maintaining high ethical standards, which requires a balanced approach toward creating assumptions for financial projections.

Use existing financial information, even if it is limited by the newness of your business, to justify these assumptions and inform your financial forecasting process. Your resulting financial projections should include a P&L statement, cash flow statement, balance sheet, capitalization table, and strategic investment plan.

Topics: Funding Planning Financial Projections Financial Reports Forecasting Financing

Which Financial Statements are Required to Get Funding?

Lenders and investors will always ask for financial statements as part of the application process. When applying for funding, you will be required to provide both historical financial data and projected financial figures. Banks and investors will then analyze where the company has been and where it appears to be going to determine if its trajectory fits within acceptable risk parameters.

Topics: Funding Financial Reports Financing

How Do I Choose the Right Bank for My Company?

For many owners of growing companies, the choice of a bank is a crucial decision.  A solid relationship with a bank can make or break a company.  Banks provide relatively cheap capital to fund expansion as well as the everyday transactional and payment services that enable everyday operations. 

A poor relationship with your bank can hinder growth plans and even put you out of business.  Still, many business owners simply stumble into doing business with a bank because of convenience or with the mistaken assumption that all banks are all the same.  A wise business owner puts effort into developing and maintaining a relationship with their bank, just like they do with key customers and suppliers, to ensure their long term success. 

Topics: Finance Resources Financing