At Ignite, we specialise in invoice finance for small businesses. So, if you are an SME considering invoice financing, discounting or factoring we can help. We work with clients in recruitment, construction, freight and logistics, manufacturing, transport, wholesale and professional services to help them find the best invoice finance solution.
Common questions about SME Invoice Finance
Small businesses are vulnerable when payments are slow in coming. Especially now that the government is winding down the popular COVID-19 related assistance loans. A sluggish cash flow can really hinder business growth, especially in a stumbling economy brought on by a pandemic. The faster a company can rectify its cash flow challenges, the quicker it can return to running at full capacity.
We have pulled together some commonly asked questions into a Guide about Small Business Invoice Finance, to help you decide if it is right for you.
Alternatively please don’t hesitate to get in touch, to find out more about Small Business Invoice Finance.
Invoice discounting for small businesses
With this facility, you the business owner, continue to contact your clients to obtain payments of invoices.
Invoice factoring option for small businesses
Here you sell your invoices to the factoring company, and they then manage your credit control and contact your clients on your behalf.
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- What is Invoice Finance?
- What types of Small Business Invoice Finance are there?
- Why do businesses use Invoice Finance?
- How does Invoice Finance work?
- How much can I borrow with Invoice Finance?
- What are the costs involved with Invoice Finance?
- What is the main advantage of Invoice Finance?
- What is the main disadvantage of Invoice Finance?
- Invoice Finance for Recruitment Companies
- Construction Invoice Finance
- Transport & Logistics Invoice Finance
- Logistics and transport Invoice Finance
- Invoice Finance for Manufacturers
- Wholesale Invoice Finance
- Professional Services Invoice Finance
- Engineering Invoice Finance
- Invoice Finance to Fund a Growing Company
- Local Authority Contracts
- Bid on Contracts with Confidence
- Printing Invoice Finance
- Apparel Invoice Finance
- Invoice Finance for ALL Sectors
Why do businesses use Invoice Finance?
Businesses that are selling goods or services to other businesses can use invoice finance to gain necessary working capital. Invoice Finance companies can help businesses of all sizes in almost any industry. Typical industries that might have a requirement are: recruitment, construction, freight and logistics, manufacturing, wholesale, professional services and many others.
How does Invoice Finance work?
The finance provider takes security over the debtor book using a debenture and advances up to 95% of the outstanding invoices, providing the business with cash flow to trade. Funding can be available as quickly as within 24 hours of raising the invoice, allowing you to receive funds in advance of your client making payment.
What are the costs involved with Invoice Finance?
Invoice Finance costs vary from business to business but are broadly split into the following categories:
- Arrangement Fee / Survey Cost
- Service Fee
- Discount Fee
- Ancillary costs
See our page on invoice costs for further information
What is the main advantage of Invoice Finance?
Most companies operate on a 30 or 60-day credit system, which can sometimes produce cash flow challenges. Invoice financing can help shorten the gap between when you make a sale, and the time you receive payment. Instead of waiting 30 or 60 days for payment, invoice financing delivers immediate access to working capital without a typical loan’s long-term commitment.
While a typical bank loan can take weeks before giving you access to the funds, invoice financing companies can provide it in less than a day.
What is the main disadvantage of Invoice Finance?
The main disadvantage of invoice finance is that you do not get access to the full value of the invoice because of invoice factoring costs. However, greater control over your cash flow and freeing yourself to do more productive tasks are often worth the offset.
We provide specialist advice for many sectors
Invoice Finance for Recruitment Companies
Everything you need to know about Recruitment Invoice Financing.
Why might you need recruitment invoice financing?
Typically, any type of recruitment, means looking for a specific person to fill a role or encouraging people to sign up and use a certain industry or service. It is specifically these types of businesses whose success is 100% fully dependent on consumers and clients signing up, using or taking part in these activities. Thus, having cash flow that is solely from the consumers’ pockets. This could make any type of expansion or longevity difficult.
What is recruitment invoice finance?
Liquid cash flow is the lifeline to any successful business and there needs to be enough left over to pay employees. But starting a new recruitment business might have you strapped for cash. Or if you are a more established business, do you have suitable finances to expand and keep growing? Recruitment invoice financing is a short-term way to pay your employees and contractors whilst your business grows and changes. Making sure your employees never have to go unpaid.
What is recruitment invoice finance good for?
Recruitment invoice financing is a great short-term way of borrowing money to pay your staff and individuals associated with your business. It allows you time to work out finances. If you are expanding your business to reach even more clients, or even if you are just starting up. It means that your work environment stays a positive one and no one has to miss or postpone a pay check. If you do not currently have a substantial cash flow, recruitment invoice financing is a fantastic short-term solution to help you out.
What should I look for when applying for recruitment invoice finance?
Here’s our top 3 things to look for when looking for a recruitment invoice financing company
Dedicated Payroll Manager
Payroll is the central cog that keeps a business running smoothly. Without this not only does it affect your temps and contractors – it can destroy your reputation. Don’t leave it to chance. When applying for recruitment invoice financing make sure you have a dedicated payroll manager who can manage and understand the financial workings of your business and offer advice.
One Simple Fee
Transparency is vital – with no hidden fees. When looking for invoice financing, you don’t need any extra hidden costs or charges. Check that you are given one simple fee, all VAT etc included. This will help you manage your money better.
Enhanced client relationships
The best providers don’t just offer recruitment invoice financing –they offer lots of other support too. This will give you more time to focus on growing your business. You want easy, appropriate means of communication and someone that you can trust.
There’s a reason invoice finance is quickly becoming the preferred financing method for the recruitment industry. Invoice Finance for recruitment agencies is affordable, easy & fast.
Ignite Business Group works with recruitment firms of all sizes. Whether your recruitment agency has 5 or 5,000 employees, we’ll help you find the perfect cash flow solution for your business needs. It doesn’t matter if you are a recent recruitment start-up, or if you have been around for a while; you can depend on invoice finance to take your business to the next level. If your recruitment agency is seeing increased demand, invoice finance is a short-term funding solution that can get you through a cash flow crunch.
Same Day Funding for Your Employee Payroll
Paying your temporary staff can be challenging, especially for growing recruitment agencies. Whether your agency needs a cash flow boost to hire new talent, extend payment terms to clients or increase marketing efforts, you can count on invoice finance to provide a steady source of working capital.
Construction Invoice Finance
Construction finance is the solution to your cash flow challenges. Slow-paying clients are typical in the construction industry, but unpaid invoices shouldn’t hold your business back from accepting new, larger construction projects. Invoice finance provides the funds you need to increase construction staffing efforts and cover employee payroll, cover upfront costs and purchase the necessary equipment.
Construction invoice finance helps companies grow and gives you the confidence to compete for larger contracts. We work with all types and sizes of construction companies and sub-contractors. No matter if you’ve been around for years or if you are a recent start-up, an invoice finance company can get you instant cash.
Transport & Logistics Invoice Finance
Invoice Finance companies provide same-day cash for your transport invoices to help you obtain the necessary cash for fuel, insurance, repairs, equipment and all your on-the-road expenses.
Tired of waiting for your transport invoices to be paid? Need money for fuel and wages? Consider invoice finance.
Owner-operators shouldn’t have to bypass high paying loads because they’re short on cash. With invoice finance, transport businesses can haul every load with confidence. If you run a large fleet of trucks or operate a single truck, we’ve got your cash flow needs covered.
Logistics and transport Invoice Finance
Invoice financing allows your business short-term borrowing in which you borrow money against the amount due on invoices you’ve issued to your customers, thus allowing you to claim money for unpaid purchases and client debts.
Rather than waiting for customers to pay up and putting your business on pause, invoice financing allows your business to keep running smoothly when you otherwise could find yourself short of money.
Freight invoice finance definition
With constantly increasing fuel prices, on-the-road-repairs and insurances making sure your business is able to continue paying these expenses could heavily rely on customers and invoices being paid on time. Without this, it can put the brakes on your company. At Ignite we understand the importance of having a liquid cash flow to help get you moving again.
For many businesses freight vehicles are an integral part of a company. Freight vehicles are those carrying goods or cargo between businesses and clients. This can include all means of transports such as ferries, planes, vans and lorries. Additionally, the amount charged to transport said goods, is also used to describe freight. Transporting goods is essential for many businesses and allows for a larger client outreach. However, unexpected, or expected expenses can hold a business back. At Ignite we offer freight invoice finance and transport invoice finance. Allowing businesses to continue their journey smoothly, by offering same day cash.
What are the benefits of transport invoice finance/ freight invoice finance?
Carry on working as normal and grow your business. Client invoices no longer need to be completed to keep your business in motion. Moreover, invoice financing for transport and freight vehicles allows full credit control and creates improved cash flow for your business.
Negotiate better terms with suppliers and allow your business the time and breathing space to grow successfully. Logistics invoice finance is a successful short-term borrowing programme that keeps you in the driver’s seat.
Invoice Finance for Manufacturers
Invoice finance for manufacturing is the process of selling your company’s active invoices to an invoice finance lender for a cash advance. Unlike a loan, invoice finance for manufacturing merely converts your existing debtors into cash that you can use to cover your operating expenses.
When payments take weeks or months to arrive, even the most successful manufacturing company has difficulty meeting their expenses. Rather than settling for cash flow instability and stunted growth, start using invoice finance to secure the working capital you need.
The Benefits of Working with Manufacturing Invoice Finance Companies
Unlike a traditional bank loan, your company can immediately begin enjoying the benefits of manufacturing invoice finance. Don’t wait 60 to 90 days for payments. Instead, receive as much as 95 percent of your invoice value within 24 hours of invoice submission without creating new debt on your balance sheet!
Thanks to invoice finance, you can use your increased working capital to cover every day operating expenses, as well as more substantial investments, to grow your manufacturing business.
Wholesale Invoice Finance
Wholesale Invoice Finance allows you to release cash tied up in unpaid customer invoices, helping you to manage your cash flow cycle and trade with confidence.
With often large overheads such as stock, warehousing costs, staffing and logistics, balanced against narrow profit margins; funding your business effectively can be a constant challenge.
By unlocking to cash tied up in unpaid invoices, you can free up time spent chasing invoices and managing cash flow and focus on growing your business and remaining competitive.
Professional Services Invoice Finance
If you offer your professional services to businesses that are slow to pay, close your cash flow gap by using invoice finance
Many companies outsource important but infrequent business operations to professional service providers rather than employing an in-house team. While these contracts are attractive, they may not give you sufficient working capital if they are unable to pay you in a timely fashion.
Fortunately for service providers, invoice finance is a viable option for financing your invoices, which uses the invoices themselves as the base for advancing funds. Once you are approved, you can qualify to receive as much as 95 percent of your invoice value immediately receiving the remainder once the invoice has been paid, minus the fee.
Engineering Invoice Finance
Engineering firms are responsible for the products and infrastructure that keep society moving. When a cash crunch threatens to limit that movement, firms can rely on invoice finance services to keep cash flowing.
High operating costs and falling returns can affect even the most successful engineering firm’s profit margins and make taking on new contracts difficult. Fortunately, invoice finance for engineering can help you cover the margins without adding new debt to companies’ balance sheets.
Invoice Finance is the Answer to Funding a Growing Company.
Even if you are just starting up, working to pay down an existing loan, or recovering from a difficult period, you can use invoice finance to put your engineering company on the path to success.
Firms of all sizes can benefit from partnering with an invoice finance company. We can help get your account set up and ready to fund in as little as 3 working days after receiving the required information.
Local Authority Contracts
Landing a local authority contract is an excellent opportunity for any business. Even when problems arise in the economy, local authority contracts always pay their suppliers. However, taking on a local authority project could quickly drain your working capital while you wait 30, 45, 60+ days for them to pay. Invoice finance for local authority contracts closes the cash flow gap contractors face between project completion and payment. By using invoice finance, business owners get paid upfront to ensure they have the funds necessary to cover all operational costs and payroll.
Bid on Contracts with Confidence.
Sometimes businesses with the ability to extend credit terms often win the best contracts. By using invoice finance, you’ll always have a steady source of working capital to accept new local authority contracts, cover payroll and operational costs, and take on additional projects while extending more generous payment terms. Don’t bypass opportunities. Invoice financing for local authority contracts and suppliers is the working capital solution you’ve been waiting for.
The funding given from the invoice finance company is what you’ll be able to use to complete the project, continue running day-to-day operations and cover payroll.
Printing Invoice Finance
Printing Invoice Finance allows you to release cash tied up in unpaid customer invoices, helping you to manage your cash flow cycle and trade with confidence.
In an industry that continues to be competitive, customers can often demand longer payment terms which impact on your working capital
By unlocking to cash tied up in unpaid invoices, you can free up time spent chasing invoices and managing cash flow and focus on growing your business and remaining competitive.
As well as freeing up time, unlocking this cash in your business could allow you to obtain discounts from paper and ink suppliers, by negotiating early payment discounts.
Apparel Invoice Finance
Is your brand the next big thing in apparel? Don’t let slow payments cut the fashion show short – Invoice finance can provide the working capital you need. Invoice finance is a business-friendly alternative to traditional lending. Spend less time jumping through financial hoops and more time executing your vision without worrying about cash flow.
How Does Invoice Finance for Apparel work?
Unlike a traditional loan, invoice finance allows you to receive advances on your unpaid invoices. The process begins when you submit invoices to the invoice finance company, who will verify that the work has been completed. They will then advance your company between 70 and 95 percent of the invoice amount – you receive the remainder when the invoice is paid.
Invoice factoring is a viable funding option for the fashion industry and their supply partners:
- Weavers
- Apparel manufacturers
- Fabric companies
- Textile and apparel acquisition
As long as you are working with corporate clients and issuing a collectible invoice, you can start accessing funds to support your cashflow today.
Invoice Finance for ALL Sectors
If your business works directly with other businesses and provides payment terms, you could benefit from Invoice Finance.
Invoice Finance is the smart alternative to bank loans and overdrafts and is a fast & simple way for business owners to improve cash flow and secure money to grow their business. Even if you’ve had trouble qualifying for other forms of financing, invoice finance could be a viable option.
Do your customers pay on 30, 45, 60+ day terms? Could your business benefit from getting paid faster?
By unlocking to cash tied up in unpaid invoices, you can free up time spent chasing invoices and managing cash flow and focus on growing your business and remaining competitive.
Ignite Business Group works to understand your company’s specific objectives and matches your business with an invoice finance lender that’s best tailored to your funding needs.