Smart Tips for Financing your Inventory
As the owner of a company, you need to know how to finance your inventory. This can sometimes be difficult to do because you need to come up with so much money when a new model of a particular item comes out. At the same time, you cannot just ignore these things, because the new models are what all of your customers are going to be looking for. If you sell computers, for example, you will not find many people looking to buy last year’s models when there are better ones available. Computers become outdated too quickly as it is. No matter what you have to buy, there are a few different options that you can choose from.
Obtain an Inventory-Based Credit Line
Some lenders will give you a certain amount of money based on the inventory that you have. You just have to have projections of your sales that you can show them to prove that you will be able to pay the money back. You can show how you will make much more money this month because of the new items than you have made in the past three months, and you can get a large credit line that will then allow you to purchase the items. You just have to be sure that your projections will not fall short so that you can actually give the money back when it is required.
Utilize Cash Advances
Other lenders will give you cash advances that are not based on anything but what you make. These may be low if you have not been making much, even if you anticipate an influx of money with the new inventory. However, you can get a number of different cash advances from different companies. The combined money will allow you to buy the items that you need to restock your inventory.
Do Not Buy More Than You Can Move
It is important that you do not buy more items that you are able to move off of your shelves. Each time that you take out a cash advance that is based on your inventory, you need to pay it back on time. This shows the lender that he or she can trust you. The next year, you can get a larger advance. Each time that you prove that you are reliable, your credit line will go up, allowing you to have more items in your inventory.
Save Money Expressly For Purchasing
When your company is doing well, it is important that you save money and put it aside toward future purchasing. You might be able to save up enough that you will not have to take out a loan the next year. This means that everything that you make will be profit. You will not have to pay money in interest. This can in turn increase what you are able to save, giving you the ability to buy more the following year. If you are wise with your savings, you may be able to start a perpetual cycle that can help your company grow dramatically.
Cut What You Do Not Need
You can also increase your savings by cutting things that you do not need. These savings can then be used to finance your inventory with internal money, as discussed above. The following are a few things that you may want to cut.
- Company business trips. You can use telecommunication devices instead.
- Company cars. You can instruct employees to use their own cars.
- Extra jobs. You may be able to condense a few positions into one position, allowing you to let employees go.
- Pension plans. These used to be available from most employers, but they are very costly since you are not getting any work in return. You can cut them, as most other companies are doing, to save money in the long run.
Using Multiple Financing Options
You should use a credit line from your bank to finance your inventory, but you should also use other options as well. One such option is the use of . If you use multiple tactics, you will have more money available.
Financing is not as complicated as it may seem at first-blush. You simply need to make sure that you do your due diligence and be as thorough as possible. The smart, shrewd businessperson is the one that can thrive in even the toughest economic climate.
Steve McCormack is a financial consultant and content contributor for Purchase Order Financing, an Illinois PO financing blog for those businesses needing help funding their large orders.
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