An Entrepreneurial Profile: The Digital Media Publisher

The digital publishing landscape is filled with opportunity, across so many different verticals. Publishers can include aspiring Buzzfeeds, in the business of creating “media” like content, or smart phone apps. Both publisher models earn money via advertising, and also drive revenue with advertising.

Digital Media Publishing

Successful publishers know exactly what type of media (i.e. free apps, articles) will be appealing to what audience. They spend dollars promoting certain articles or apps in front of certain audiences that will interact and eventually click on ads, in turn earning them revenue. Publishers use one to many vendors like Facebook, Google, AppNexus and others, that provide content promotion services across desktop and mobile. This digital publishing business model requires multiple skill sets and “whole-brain” thinking. By whole brain thinking, we mean that the publishers must be able to hone in on their intuition, and analyze it to make the right decisions.

Creativity: Required

Here is an example. First, a publisher must be creative in what type of theme they decide to build a business around. As a content publisher, the theme can be articles about lifestyles of the rich and famous, cool history facts, or photo galleries. For apps, it can be a utility such as a PDF scanner, or fun media like a face-filter app. The underlying commonality is that the creative ones will generate interest, eyeballs and ad revenue.

Second, after determining the theme, the publisher must make the interface (website or app) easy and smooth to navigate, and also continuously generate creative media to be consumed by the masses.

Third, for an audience to see an article or an app, publishers have to put it in front of them via advertising. This in turn requires more creativity because the ads must be creative to get people to the website.

Lastly, a publisher must know — or figure out — which audiences to place certain articles or apps in front of, and on what device. This requires a tremendous amount of creativity.

In reality, a publisher can have the most genuine, entertaining and interesting media, but without good ads, it will never be seen by a huge audience. To get the media in front of the masses, digital publishers spends money via platforms Google, Facebook and MobX. Those firms take the publishers ad creative (ads about a publisher’s content or app), and they place those ad creatives in front of very specific audiences chosen by the publishers themselves.

Digital Media Requires Analytics

Promoting content in turn creates data for a publisher to analyze. What articles are working in front of which audience, on what platform and what devices? Are both desktop and mobile generating an ROI? Are winning campaigns from Facebook failing on Outbrain? What’s the download rate if a publisher changes the catch phrase on an ad creative? These questions and more must be analyzed with hard, firm numbers.

The ability to analyze results of ad creative and promotion is the compass for successful publishers.

Publishers must also know what tools to equip their website with to make sure it loads fast, looks nice and creates a residual revenue generating asset.

The n30, n60 and n90 issue

Unfortunately for publishers, they pay media promotion platforms much sooner than being paid advertising revenue. Average time to pay is 15 days, but average time to get paid is 50 days. Without access to cash, publishers often run up balances on credit cards to fill the gap, continuously paying it off as soon as they get paid ad receivables. This allows them to grow, but keeps all their profits tied up in the business — especially if they are hiring staff, content writers, and increasing ad spend on successful campaigns.

Invoice Factoring for Digital Media

Invoice financing is a great solution for digital media publishers for a couple of reasons, mainly because it provides publishers with liquidity to grow, enabling them to plow revenues into content marketing or paid user acquisition campaigns. For app and game developers, this is called “revenue recycling“. By obtaining an advance of outstanding advertising receivables, publishers have the necessary capital to plow into their growth initiatives. Publishers earning ad revenue from DoubleClick for Publishers, OpenX, Matomy, sovrn, MobX, Teads, Google Adsense, Criteo, Sulvo and others may qualify.

Are you a digital or traditional publisher? We’d love to see if we can help you grow by finding a partner to help manage cash flow. Contact us today at 1-833-Buy-My-AR.

How Factoring Invoices Can Help You Grow Your Business

Often times when people hear about A/R factoring, they think that it’s a sign a business is in trouble. The reasoning why is that if a business is trying to get paid sooner, they must be in need of capital, which means they’re running out of money. This is a grave misconception that needs to be put to bed forever. Understand that while there are many distressed companies out there in need of capital to survive, there are far more healthy businesses that simply need working capital in order to grow. Read on to learn how invoice factoring can help you grow your business.

Why Businesses Need Invoice Factoring

Many businesses need factoring for one of two main reasons, and sometimes both. The first is that there is a mismatch between the timing of income and expenses, and the second is that businesses need access to cash as they grow. If you have invoices and plan to hit new revenue levels, you should consider factoring to grow your business.

Mismatch Between Income and Expenses

Take a print shop as a classic example. A print shop spends money on ink, paper, boxes and shipping. They make money by selling a final product of printed goods to a company. In order to begin the job, the print shop needs to have the ink and paper handy, meaning they must buy it up front. However, they do not get paid until delivery of the final product or sometimes 30-60 days after that. Therefore, in order to take on print job, a print shop must have cash readily available.

Rapidly Growing Businesses Need Liquidity

The second reason is that a business that is growing rapidly may need to access cash in order to pay vendors, suppliers, employees and to start a new job. Take the print shop for example. If in the above example the print shop spends all their funds to deliver printed goods to ABC, Inc., they must wait until delivery or longer to collect the money from that job. At which point the print shop will be made whole on their costs, and they’ll realize the gross margins on the job. However, say for example that the print shop gets 3 new jobs they must take on. This requires additional capital to purchase more ink and paper.

How Factoring Invoices Can Grow Your Business

Upon delivery of the final product to ABC, Inc., the print shop will usually issue an invoice for payment to be received in 30-60 days. Once that invoice is in hand, the print shop can “sell” that invoice to a factoring company for 80-90% of capital up front. This allows the print shop to use those funds to take on the new orders that just came in. Invoice factoring allows entrepreneurs to grow their business by freeing up future cash flow to be reinvested today.

Note however, that if the print shop has favorable terms with ABC, Inc. and receives cash upon delivery, the print shop can secure PO financing. The moment ABC, Inc. orders and issues a purchase order to the print shop, the print shop and obtain funding based on the PO value. PO financing is similar to invoice factoring except that PO financing is used to start a job backed by someone’s intent to purchase the product upon completion. Invoice factoring is funding used to accelerate payment after the job is complete. While you’re looking for A/R factoring companies, you should ask if they offer both PO and A/R factoring. You want a full capital stack to grow your business.

As always, if you’re in need of factoring quotes or would like us to review existing offers, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

12 Things You Can Do in 24 Hours (Getting Funded Is One)

It often seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day, but 24 hours is a LONG time. What can you do in 24 hours? Well, we scoured the internet for some ideas, compiled a list, and here’s what we came up with.

24 Hours: Ready, Aim, Fire

12. Walk Around Manhattan

11. Read one of Shakespeare’s plays

10. Parachute out of a plane 639 times

9. Make 7,539 pizzas.

8. Play 1,440 holes of mini-golf

7. Do 5,045 chin-ups (if that’s even possible?)

6. Bike from Miami to Key West

5. Listen to the 300 greatest songs of all time list

4. Climb from the lowest to the highest place in America

3. Watch 5 of the AFI’s greatest films of all time

2. Watch 2 whole seasons of House of Cards

1. Get funded with an invoice factoring facility or cash flow loan.

You could have been funded by now, so what are you waiting for?

Author disclaimer: if you do any of the above, make sure you get lots of sleep and drink plenty of fluids. 

What is invoice factoring?

Generally when people hear the word factoring, they think of 8th grade math class. But if you’re in business for yourself and bill your customers, you’ve probably heard of factoring. If not, it’s very important to understand what invoice factoring is. Whenever you bill your customers for payment at a later date, you create an invoice. As your customers pay, you close out each invoice and mark it as “paid”. However should the need arise for quicker payments, you can factor your invoice for cash up front.

What is Invoice Factoring?

Invoice factoring is the process of selling your unpaid invoices to a 3rd party finance company. The finance company is usually called a factor or factoring company. In exchange, you receive payment of the invoice up front. The factor will provide 80-90% of the invoice total up front, and collect from your customer. Upon the factor’s receipt of payment from your customer, they rebate the remaining 10-20% (known as the “reserve”), minus their factoring fee. Factoring fees are generally 1-3% of the invoice value itself.

Is Invoice Factoring a Loan?

Establishing an invoice factoring facility with a factor usually is not a loan. However it’s important to understand the differences between invoice financing vs factoring. In short invoice financing is obtaining a loan that is collateralized by your invoices, and invoice factoring is where your business outright sells any and all claims on the invoice payment to the factoring company. Not only is it important to understand the different types of financing mechanisms, but you should also learn to identify loan products disguised as factoring. If you’re not looking for a product that acts like a loan, make sure you obtain a non recourse factoring agreement with a factor.

Why or When Should I use Invoice Factoring?

Invoice factoring is a great cash flow solution for business owners in need of short term working capital who are experiencing a rapid growth in sales, need to buy new inventory, or simply want to match the timing of their income and expenses. Additionally, as you’re diversifying your capital stack, it’s important that you find funding for your business that fits your needs. For example, if you have a short-term capital need, there is no reason to take on long-term debt or sell equity. You can easily monetize your unpaid invoices for immediate working capital.

Are you new to invoicing? Download our simple invoice template today!

What is an Invoice?

Editor’s note: this article is for new business owners and tailored to those who are starting to earn revenue from clients. This article is very elementary and does not apply to many business owners! But if you’re just ramping up your business and a client says to you, “invoice me”, it’s probably best to act like you know what you’re talking about and agree that you will. But it begs to question if you’re unfamiliar, what is an invoice?

What is an Invoice?

An invoice is basically a “bill” you send a customer after you’ve provided them with goods or services. Quickbooks defines it as “a bill for an account between a buyer and a seller indicating what was sold, and how much is owed”, and claims the invoice system is 5,000 years old. Investopedia defines an invoice as “a commercial document that itemizes a transaction between a buyer and a seller. If goods or services were purchased on credit, the invoice usually specifies the terms of the deal, and provide information on the available methods of payment.”

Put more simply, an invoice is the bill you send your customers, requesting that they pay you within a fixed time period, who don’t pay you cash upon the delivery or when you finish your work. An invoice includes information about the service or product delivered, with the due date, preferred or accepted methods of payment, and any special terms regarding payment or discounts.

How do I invoice a client?

There are many free services online that allow you to invoice a client with a basic invoice template. Ideally, you should keep invoices very simple so they are easy to understand and identify how much is owed and for what. Having an invoice system in place too is very important. This will require that you label invoices consecutively, i.e. Invoice 001, 002, 003, 004. Invoice numbers should be independent of the customer – meaning you can send multiple invoices to a single customer. Keeping track of invoice is extremely important for a few reasons. First is that it will keep you organized. Secondly, you want to have the ability to track invoices and to whom they were sent in the future (especially when closing out the books at year end).

Other Words for “Invoice”

Invoices are also known as “accounts receivable”, “A/R”, or simply a “bill”. Once an invoice is issued to your client, you need to increase the Accounts Receivable account in your accounting system with a simple accounts receivable journal entry. And whatever you do… don’t forget to invoice your clients!

Factoring Invoices: Pros and Cons of A/R Based Funding

Many people who start a business generally are aware of the fact that there are three main ways to raise capital. The first is so obtain money from an investor. The second is to obtain money from a bank (i.e. a loan), and the third is to do it themselves by investing their own money. However depending on the type of business you have, particularly what kind of customers you have and how you bill them, factoring invoices may be the best suited option.

What is Invoice Funding?

Invoices, also known as accounts receivable, are created when a business bills its customer and says “pay me later”. Invoice factoring is when a business sells those unpaid invoices to a factoring company in exchange for up front capital. Invoices are sold at a discount and usually the business obtains 80% of the value. After the business’s customer pays the factoring company the value of the invoice, the 20% rebate is given to the client, less the factor fee.

The Benefits of Factoring Invoices

The benefits of factoring invoices are many, and usually far outweigh the costs. Here are the main benefits:

1. Match the timing of income and expenses.

Despite a common misperception that invoice factoring signals a company is in trouble, in most cases it’s actually quite the opposite. Rapidly growing businesses need capital to continue to take on new business. Therefore financing invoices is a great way to match income and expenses, so a business has the readily available capital it needs to take on a new job.

2. Bridge to your busy season.

Many businesses are cyclical and have higher revenue during their busy season. To ramp up for busy season, a business will need capital on hand. Invoice factoring is a a viable solution to closing short-term cash flow gaps.

3. Cheaper than selling equity.

Factoring invoices is a cheaper way to raise money than selling shares of your company to an investor. If you sell shares, you forever give up a percentage of future profits to the investor. If you plan to be in business for a while, that could become very costly as you grow to higher revenue levels. At 1-3% per month, factoring is way cheaper.

4. Safer than a loan.

A true factoring product is what’s known as “non-recourse factoring“, meaning the factoring company takes the risk that your customer’s don’t pay. These deals should never have a personal guarantee involved. This differs from a bank loan, that has liability attached to it if your client’s don’t pay, often times with a personal guarantee.

5. Fast time to funding.

The typical turn around time from your first conversation with a factor until you receive funds is 3-5 days, far faster than a bank.

The Cons of Factoring Invoices

Despite the many benefits of invoice financing, there are some negative aspects associated with it.

1. More expensive than a loan.

Factoring companies assume the risk that your customer don’t pay. Because of this increased risk, the price of factoring invoices is higher. You have to ask yourself how much risk you want to take. If you really want the cheapest financing deal out there, you need to be very confident in your customers paying and ok with taking that risk that you will be held liable if they don’t. In that case, look into invoice financing. However, if you absolutely do not want to take that risk, invoice factoring is for you.

2. It could impair your ability to obtain a bank loan.

Factoring companies will take a “security interest” in the assets of your business. At the very least, they’ll take a security interest in the current and future receivables of your business. Therefore it’s important to have the discussion with your factor, to ask if they will “subordinate” if they obtain a pre-approval for bank debt. Most factors will, however you don’t want to get set-up with a factoring facility to satisfy a short term capital need, at the cost of a better long-term solution.

We’re Here To Help You

In order to make the best decision for your business, you must thoroughly weigh the pros and cons before proceeding with such an important decision. Contact us today for a free assessment of your financing needs and business strategies to see if factoring invoices is a good fit for you and your business.

A Non-Recourse Factoring Agreement Sample: Explained

If you’re looking to sell your invoices as a way of raising capital, it’s important to understand the differences between recourse and non-recourse deals. Essentially, recourse factoring means you (or your business) is on the hook if your customers don’t pay the invoices you sold to the factoring company, and non-recourse factoring means you’re not on the hook. Think of non-recourse deals as “no strings attached” financing – the factoring company completely assumes the risk that the invoice won’t be paid by your customer.

Obviously, there are many benefits to obtaining non-recourse accounts receivable financing. The credit/collection risk being assumed by the factoring company is the greatest benefit. So while you’re out looking for the best deal, be sure to reference this article. Despite the title, instead of providing you with a non-recourse factoring agreement sample, we thought we’d provide you with language that raises red flags – language that signals a deal is recourse. Since recourse deals have increased potential liability associated with them, it’s important you know how to identify the differences. But please don’t get us wrong here, recourse deals aren’t necessarily bad. Because the factoring company doesn’t assume as much risk, the fees are usually lower. But if you’re not willing to assume the risk of a recourse deal, you need to know how to identify one.

#1. Look for Specific Liability Language

When you read recourse language, you’ll know it. Typically a deal that doesn’t have recourse language is non-recourse, therefore you should look for recourse language. The factoring agreement (also known as a “Purchase & Sale Agreement”) will have something like this:

“Seller shall offer for sale to Purchaser as absolute owner, with recourse, Seller’s Accounts as listed periodically on the Seller’s accounts receivable schedule…”

Whereas a non-recourse deal will have language like this:

“Seller hereby agrees to sell and assign to Buyer, and Buyer hereby agrees to purchase from Seller, certain accounts arising from Seller’s ordinary course of business…”

Notice how there is zero language about “with recourse” in the second quotation. Also, for purposes of a factoring contract, “buyer” and “purchaser” mean the same thing. The word and specific language of each clause depend on the factoring company’s attorney.

#2. Look for a Skewed “Repurchase” Clause

Sometimes, not but always, factoring companies will include a “repurchase” clause in a factoring contract. These clauses govern a repurchase of the invoice by your company, from the factoring company. Because factoring involves the “purchase and sale” of invoices, where your business sells invoices to the factoring company, a repurchase means you buy them back. This could happen for any number of reasons, like the invoice being outstanding for more than 90 days. Again however, it’s important to understand the language.

Purchaser may require that Seller repurchase, on demand, or, at Purchaser’s option, by Purchaser’s charge to the Reserve Account: Any Purchased Account, the payment of which has been disputed by the Payor; Any Purchased Account owing from an Account Debtor or Payor which (a) in Purchaser’s reasonable credit judgment has become insolvent or (b) has indicated an inability or unwillingness to pay the Purchased Account when due; Any Purchased Account that remains unpaid beyond the Late Payment Date.

Notice that in the above clause, the factoring company (the Purchaser) can force you buy back the invoice (the “Purchased Account”) on demand – even if your client has become insolvent, refuses to pay, or pays late.

We can’t say it loud enough – that is NOT a non-recourse deal!

Insolvency by your customer, late payment and refusal to pay are exactly the types of risks assumed by the factoring company in a true non-recourse deal. Also note that in the above clause, the factoring company might not make you cough up the cash; rather, they will “charge” or debit your reserve account. Meaning, any money of yours the factoring company is holding in reserve, they will take for themselves. Effectively, you still have to pay them.

Now compare that with language from a non-recourse contract. See if you can note the difference(s):

Upon written notice to Purchaser at any time that any Approved Receivable remains unpaid for more than ninety (90) days, Seller may repurchase such Approved Receivable for an amount equal to the sum of…

The language here indicates that the option remains with the you, the original seller. With this language, the factoring company cannot simply “put” the receivable back to you if the invoice doesn’t get paid. The language of the clause is silent on instances where you would have to repay. Basically the risks discussed above – refusal to pay, late payment or insolvency of your clients – are being assumed by the factoring company.

#3. Summary and Tips

• Look for the recourse language and the repurchase language – that’s it. Arguably these are the two most important that distinguish non-recourse from recourse.
• The recourse language will almost always appear in the first or second clause of the contract.
• The repurchase clause, whether recourse or non-recourse, will almost always have a calculation of the repurchase amount associated with it. Read this carefully.
• IMPORTANT – Some contracts might not have recourse language in the very beginning, making it appear to be a non recourse deal. However, the repurchase clause might give the factoring company the ability to force you to repurchase the account if the invoice doesn’t pay.

This is a nifty way for factoring companies to “disguise” a recourse deal as non recourse.

And lastly, contact your attorney to thoroughly comb through any contract before signing away.

We hope you found this non recourse factoring agreement sample helpful. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance securing you, or reviewing, factoring deals on your behalf.

DISCLAIMER: this article is not intended as legal advice. This article is is merely an informative, hypothetical article with examples about recourse language versus a non recourse factoring agreement sample. We advise that before you sign any deal, you take this article with a grain of salt, reference your attorney, and make sure you understand the language even after your attorney has explained it to you.

Accounts Receivable Journal Entry: Explained

I’ll never forget in college when I took my first accounting course. The professor told us that he couldn’t tell us how many times people mixed up “Cash” and “Accounts Receivable” when doing an accounts receivable journal entry. So he stood there in front of the class room with his arms spread wide and said “here is the difference between cash and accounts receivable”. Then he moved his left hand up and said “cash – you pay me now” and then moved his right hand up and left hand down and said “accounts receivable – you pay  me later”. And he just kept repeating it and bouncing his arms:

“Cash you pay me now, accounts receivable you pay me later. Cash you pay me now. Accounts receivable you pay me later.”

He definitely beat this like a dead horse but it was a good lesson because I never forgot. And given that the two are different, so is the accounting and reporting.

Cash vs. Accounts Receivable

If you’re new to being in business for yourself, or just starting to extend favorable payment terms to clients, you may find this article helpful. After you complete a job and have been paid for it, you have to account for that transactions by booking the sale. This is simple enough – you simply will recognize an increase in cash for a corresponding increase in sales. You saw the cash come in, and if you have an increase in cash the only other possible increase is that of sales. But how do you account for the transactions or jobs you’ve completed, but have yet to be paid on? How do you account for those transactions in your Quickbooks, Xero or other accounting software?  Below are some basic accounts receivable journal entry examples and the rationale behind them. But first, let’s cover the basics.

Cash Sale Journal Entry

When you sell a product or service for cash, credit card or check (i.e. payment now), you’ll generally book it as a cash account. This journal entry is simple, debit “cash” and credit “sales” or revenue.

Rationale: a Debit (Dr.) to an asset account like “Cash” means an increase, and a credit to an income statement account like “Sales” is an increase. In order to recognize the cash received for the new sale, you would debit cash (increase) and credit Sales (another increase). This keeps debits and credits equal in size. Remember, for debits must always equal credits!

This is the first and last journal entry you must do for a cash sale. But that’s not the case with accounts receivable journal entries (note, it’s not just an entry but more than one).

Accounts Receivable Journal Entry

When you sell a product or service in exchange for a future cash payment, you effectively have “invoiced” the client. Issuing an “invoice” creates an “accounts receivable”, meaning an account that you collect on later. Because you’re not receiving cash at the time of the sale or when the service is provided, you must account for it as such:

You must book the sale when it occurs, even if you haven’t collected cash for it. Then, when you get paid on the invoice you issued, you do a second journal entry to close out the account and reflect the increase in cash:

Simple enough. Notice how the second A/R journal entry closes out the Accounts Receivable – Client 1 account. In the first entry, there was a $10,000 increase, however when the cash was collected, we increased cash $10,000 and closed out the corresponding A/R account.

If you’re current using invoice factoring, the journal entries will be slightly different. Please contact us at info [at] invoicefinancing [dot] net for assistance with how to account for those transactions.

Invoice Financing vs. Factoring: Which Is Best For My Business?

If you’ve done enough research, you’ve probably come by many articles that say “invoice factoring” and “invoice financing”. On the surface they may appear to be the same product but they’re quite different. However, before we get into the differences it should be noted that they do serve the same purpose. Both invoice factoring and invoice financing offer a “liquidity” source for businesses. Meaning, they can us their unpaid invoices as source of immediate cash.

Unpaid Invoices as a Liquidity Source

Invoices (a.k.a. “accounts receivable”, A/R, or simply “receivables”) have a future value in that they represent a future cash receipt from a customer or client. Your business provides services or product, and then “invoices” the client for their payment at a later date. Invoice financing and factoring allow businesses to tap into that future payment today. In this regard, they are the same. As you will learn below however, they are two different products and it’s important that you understand how.

Invoice Financing vs Factoring: Differences

The 30,000 foot view here is that invoice financing is a loan product, whereas invoice factoring is the sale of an asset (receivables) off of your balance sheet. With invoice financing, the invoices are used as “collateral” for a revolving line of credit. The receivables belong to the business owner. However with factoring, the invoices are “sold” to the factoring company; the receivables belong to the factoring company. Here is a high level comparison how both products differ, with a summary of more similarities at the very end.

Invoice Financing – “strings attached”…

• Product: Revolving Line of Credit
• Security: Receivables act as collateral
• Credit Limit: Borrowing base established
• Personal Guarantee: Very likely
• Recourse: To the business and owner
• Rates: APR as low as 5-10%

With invoice financing, the business has access to a revolving line of credit, meaning the money can be drawn and paid back on an as needed basis. A borrowing base is established, and the receivables act as collateral. The borrowing base is essentially the assets available to be leveraged for a business, and then the credit limit is a % of the borrowing base. For example, if the only non-cash assets a company has are $100,000 in receivables, the borrowing base will take into consideration this $100,000, plus other factors, to determine the credit limit the business qualifies for.

Typically, the end number is something less than $100,000 and in rare instances, may be more. Because the line of credit is actually a loan, there is a personal guarantee and interest that amounts to 5-10% per year. Additionally, if things were to go bad, the business would be liable as well so therefore the deal would be “recourse”. Requiring a personal guarantee and recourse to the business is safer for a financing company, because they have more assets to procure in the event something goes wrong (i.e. “strings attached”). Therefore, the APR is much better than with invoice factoring.

Invoice Factoring – “no strings attached”…

• Product: Sale of Receivables
• Security: Receivables act as collateral
• Credit Limit: 80% of receivables balance
• Personal Guarantee: Sometimes
• Recourse: Sometimes to business only
• Rates: Factoring fees 1-3% per month

With invoice factoring, the business receives advances against their unpaid ad revenues of up to 80%. So for example, if a company has $100,000 in receivables, they can get up to $80,000 advanced up to the time the receivables pay. These advances are considered part of the purchase price. The remainder of the purchase price is paid when the receivables are paid. True invoice factoring deals rarely have a personal guarantee associated with them. If you come across an A/R factoring deal with a personal guarantee (or a “confession of judgment” / “cognovit note”) attached to it, be very, very suspicious!

Lastly, most pure receivables factoring deals are non-recourse, meaning the factoring company assumes all of the risk that the receivables won’t pay. However some deals are recourse to the business only, which means the business is liable to make up for any non-payments (but usually, not the owner). Because of the increased risk assumed by the factoring companies with a pure factoring deal, the rates are higher. Many business owners who don’t want to assume the risk of non-payment find that a pure accounts receivable factoring facility is a better fit for them.

In sum, a “pure” A/R factoring facility is 80% advance, non-recourse to the business and no personal guarantee. The mechanics of how it works may be slightly different, but the essence of a factoring facility include (or don’t include) those three items.

Invoice Financing vs Factoring: Other Similarities

Almost all invoice funding deals require a lockbox, UCC acknowledgment/assignment (notification), and release of a reserve.

A/R Factoring Lockbox

You will often hear this term if you are shopping around for liquidity against your invoices. A lockbox is a bank account owned by the financing company that is used to collect receipt of the invoices. Sometimes it is in the name of your business, i.e. if your business and bank account names are “Joe’s Roofing” the lockbox might be “Joe’s Roofing Collections”. Most times however the lockbox remains in the name of the funding company. This method is much safer for financing company because they collect directly from your clients and don’t have to chase you down for the money. Because lockbox deals require your customers to pay a new bank account, they require “notification”.

UCC-9 Notification

Before any type of factoring deal can go through, the factor or bank will require that you send a signed letter of acknowledgment and assignment to each of your customers, with directions on how to pay the factoring company. The acknowledgment / assignment letters are written pursuant to the United Commercial Code, the law in America governing secured transactions of this sort.

The letter basically says, “I sold (or borrowed against) my unpaid invoices that I’ve issued to you, and they now belong to (or are being held as collateral by) someone else, therefore please pay them to the following bank account.” UCC notification may be an issue for some companies who don’t want their clients to know about their financing devices. If that’s a problem you face, you should look for a “non-notification” product when shopping around.

Receivables Reserve Release

When the invoices get paid by your customers into the lockbox, the financing company will be holding some of your money. Think about it – you never received the $100,000 of unpaid invoices with your line of credit or factoring facility. You only received 50-80% of it, or something less than $100,000. So when the invoices get paid, the financing company receives the balance of the purchase price, and releases that to you minus their fee.

On a factoring facility with an 80% advance, here is a quick math breakdown. You receive 80% of $100,000 up front right now ($80,000), and in 30 days when the invoice gets paid, you receive the remaining 20% ($20,000) minus the factoring fee (1-3% per month). So on a deal with a 1% factoring fee, you would pay 1% of $100,000. The factoring company is paying $99,000 for it ($80,000 up front, then $20,000 minus $1,000 = $19,000 later).

Which Is Better For My Business?

It depends on the quality of your deal. If you personally have bad credit, factoring may be your only option. If you can afford to pay 1-3% per month and don’t want to personally guarantee the deal, go with factoring. If you have solid credit / business history, and want a cheap deal, go with an invoice financing. Again, it depends on the quality of your deal and your overall risk tolerance. Do you want strings attached for a cheaper price, or not?