I have a family member who believed a common misconception that I have always been involved in a sub-prime, “loan shark” type of business: factoring. No matter how many times I attempted to discuss how factoring works and how it benefited a small business, they just would not listen. Their theory focused on, “Why can’t the company just go to a bank?” and “That is just too expensive.”

Have they looked around at the banking environment lately?

Well, recently I was discussing a transaction that was funded by a factoring company I know. It was a small business that works with government entities (i.e., state and city municipalities) that recently experienced a massive increase in growth, or had the potential too… they just needed working capital. The company did have a line of credit; however, the bank was unable to raise their current facility to the level the company needed, as the company’s historical sales and cash flow would not justify this increase. However, by factoring their receivables, the company could accept these new orders and grow their business. The perceived ‘strain’ and ‘expense’ of factoring was immediately offset by the ability to expand the business and ultimately create more profitability.

This ‘family member’ overheard the conversation and began asking questions about how it worked, the structure, the credit guidelines, and how the factoring company would be repaid if the customers of the client did not pay.

Yes, the fees are more than a traditional bank source; however, we walked through an example of the overall impact to a business that would now be able to grow from factoring its receivables. It was then, that light bulb moment, that they realized the potential gain in income and profitability by using factoring versus continuing with the business without this working capital arrangement.

Using only generalities, they finally said (in amazement), “I didn’t know that factoring could help a company like this?” Yes, I too was shocked and amazed as they say.

Hadn’t we already talked about this? Sometimes, though, real examples help explain a transaction better. Moreover, showing the value added from factoring receivables and the potential financial gain and impact on a company’s bottom line can be a revelation.

So, once again, I had to sit back and evaluate what had just transpired. Perception in this case was not the reality. It was just a distortion of what people had ‘heard’ and a misperception of factoring itself. Sometimes, factoring accounts receivable can be the answer to the growth of a small business.

Wishing you continued success. The Factor Guru.