Home » UpMarket

Financial Alternatives for Small Businesses

bushaex by bushaex

Financing Choices for Small Business Owners

There is nothing simple or easy about running a small business, but there are some practical options for avoiding problems along the way. This lens provides some key examples of financial alternatives for small businesses to consider. With many of these small business finance choices, suggested actions need to be implemented on a timely basis. Small business owners should be prepared for some difficult decisions along the way.

Images on "Financial Alternatives for Small Businesses" provided by Presenter Media to Stephen Bush under End User License Agreement.
Financial Alternatives for Small Businesses

Choices and More Choices 

Important!

Small Businesses Might Need to Fire Their Banker

This is likely to be an uncomfortable financial alternative for any small business owner to consider. Because there continue to be a high number of troubled banks, the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) could end up firing your bank for you if you don't do it first. The decision process to fire your bank should place particular emphasis on whether the current bank is providing your business with an adequate amount of working capital financing and commercial real estate loans.

Difficult Financial Choices to Find New Business Solutions

New Financial Alternatives to Consider

For at least some small business owners, the financial alternatives shown below might not be the first or even second or third choice to resolve a current business finance problem. But in the current perplexing business environment, these are realistically financing options which could be necessary to ensure the survival of a business. So while some will view these potential business solutions as a "last resort" to pursue only if all else fails, a more prudent perspective is to consider them sooner rather than later because so many banks are failing to provide a "normal" level of commercial funding to small businesses.
  • 1Business finance consulting can be an effective first line of defense. Increasingly it will be helpful for small businesses to have an objective and independent expert consultant to guide them through uncharted waters.
  • 2Small business cash advances and other non-bank strategies such as receivables factoring for obtaining working capital. Banks have dramatically reduced their programs for providing lines of credit and working capital financing to small businesses.
  • 3Be prepared to fire both your bank and your banker. If the current lender is not providing essential business funding, this option assumes an even higher priority.
  • 4Contingency business planning that will evaluate which financial alternative(s) should be pursued if and when a preferred financing option is not available.
  • 5Reduction of operating expenses for a business. This particularly includes supplier and utility costs.
  • 6Commercial lending negotiations to improve financing terms and loan costs.

Contingency Business Plans

However difficult it might be, the preferred path is to use business planning that reviews practical and timely business financing alternatives well before the actual need occurs. While we have referred to this as a "Plan B" mentality, it is prudent to have a Plan C, D and E as well.

Small Business Problem Solving

Small Business Finance Opinion Poll

What Do You Think?

Commercial Financing Questions

Whether you personally need help with small business financing or not, you probably know small business owners who might need more financial alternatives and financing help.


Loading poll. Please Wait...

More Help for Small Businesses

Financial Alternatives for Small Business Owners

Loading

Small Business Finance Choices and Alternatives Are Meaningless When Ignored

Decisions about Commercial Financing Options

Business Financing Choices

To reiterate some earlier points, the current path to success when seeking small business financing is likely to be difficult. Many of the realistic options will be uncomfortable, but the potential cost of not making difficult choices will frequently be unresolved problems for a small business owner.

“Small business owners might need to fire their bank.”

YouTube - Financial Alternatives for Small Businesses

Financing Choices for Small Business Owners

Small business owners are likely to need commercial financing help with several of the key business finance problems and risks described in this business consulting overview.
Solving Small Business Financing Problems
by aexbush | video info

0 ratings | 43 views
curated content from YouTube

More Financial Alternatives Are Discussed Below

The Best Business Books

A cost effective source of small business advice can be found in the best business books. This does require that a specific small business book adequately covers the financial area of most int...

May 30, 2012 @ 11:45 am rss

Business Planning Expert Help

The potential need for expert small business plan help is a prudent question for small business owners to ask. This practical business solution will often be relevant for business finance plan...

May 11, 2012 @ 12:59 pm rss

The Best Business Books about Small Businesses

When people ask me about business books that I would recommend for helping someone running a small business, I usually provide one or two recommendations. But I have been working on a more comprehensi...

May 10, 2012 @ 1:35 pm rss

Small Business Planning Help

The growing need for small business planning help is related to rapid changes in banking and the economy. Contingency business finance plans are a specialized business planning strategy for de...

May 2, 2012 @ 2:14 pm rss

Business Financing Problems and Risks

Business financing is increasingly impacted by a series of problems and risks. In some cases these are the same old problems, but the most difficult obstacles are due to changing factors that are prev...

Apr 29, 2012 @ 11:00 am rss

Small Business Solutions

Comments and advice about small business solutions for risk management, commercial financing and business planning. Small business financing help for common business finance problems....

Apr 27, 2012 @ 11:03 am rss

Small Business Finance Help

Solving small business financing problems is the practical and timely topic covered in this presentation. Key recurring commercial finance problems and primary areas to use business negotiatio...

Apr 19, 2012 @ 11:29 am rss

How to Solve Real Estate Problems

Residential and commercial real estate have both suffered from their share of problems. Here is a candid and practical overview of how to evaluate prospects for solving real estate problems....

Apr 16, 2012 @ 10:05 am rss

Avoiding Zombie Banks and Problem Banks

Small businesses seeking commercial loans should attempt to avoid Problem Banks and Zombie Banks whenever possible. This summary demonstrates that the number of troubled banks and bank failure...

Apr 12, 2012 @ 10:07 am rss
Business Finance Choices

Thank You Very Much for Visiting

Small Business Alternatives

Please remember to give us a "thumbs up" in addition to any comments you have below. Thanks!

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

Small Business Alternatives Guestbook Comments

  • BuddyBink Mar 18, 2012 @ 2:29 pm | delete
    Having alternative plans prepared whether for finance, marketing or product/service development just makes good sense. A change of financial institutions makes sense if the current one is not meeting the need. Thanks
Show All

About bushaex

Stephen Bush

Stephen Bush is the CEO and Founder of AEX Commercial Financing Group. He provides practical solutions for business financing problems throughout the United States. Steve is a business consultant and business finance communications expert with more than 30 years experience working with small business owners. He provides candid and individualized advice about realistic financial alternatives for small businesses.
Loading
Loading
Financial Alternatives for Small Business Owners

Three Possible Decision Choices for Small Business Financing Options 

One More Thing About Small Business Alternatives

The Right Kind of Planning

Contingency plans and Plan B are often forgotten in the rush to get other important tasks accomplished. In today's chaotic business finance environment, contingency planning is more important than ever. This kind of planning devotes special attention to evaluating what to do when or if something goes wrong. Doesn't that sound like a prudent perspective to take in the current banking and financial climate?
  • 1"Always have a Plan B."

    While business planning is widely accepted as a building block for small business growth, contingency planning is a more specialized variation that seems to be overlooked more often than not.
Important!

Thanks!

"Financial Alternatives for Small Businesses" images provided by Presenter Media under End User License Agreement to Stephen Bush.

Thanks for finding us and spending some time here. Please let us know if you need additional information or help.

This UpMarket page written by

bushaex

Steve Bush is a small business finance expert, and his commercial financing consulting emphasizes commercial lending negotiations and business communi... more »

Deluxe. Remarkable. Creative. Unusual. Successful. Upmarket businesses push the envelope -- does yours?

Connect with UpMarket

This author recommends...

Small Business Consulting Alternatives 

Loading

Small Business Finance Lenses 

More Financing Choices

Loading

Spotlight Review by Steve Bush 

"Smart Choices" by Hammond, Keeney & Raiffa

Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions

Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions

by: John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, Howard Raiffa

Amazon Price: $5.74 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

This continues to be one of the single best books about making choices at any level. Practical decision-making is truly a "must have" skill for any individual.