Finance Guide

Helen Cox asked:




It has been said that nearly 61% of businesses are launched with either private capital or capital that is invested into their business by family and friends but investment doesn’t have to stop with merely just your family and friends, which is why equity finance exists.

Equity finance is cash that is invested into your business in return for a share of your business. These investments of cash never have to be repaid and don’t have interest attached to them. Equity finance is true risk capital as there is no guarantee that the investor will get their money back at all and these investments are not tied to assets that can be removed from your business should it fail.

The way in which investors get a profit from their investment is the fact they have a share in your business. This share means that investors either get money that is generated either through a sale of the shares once the company has grown or through dividends, a discretionary payout to shareholders if the business does well.

There are several types of equity finance such as business angels and venture capitalists. Each type of equity finance varies in the amount of money that is available for investment and the process of completing the deal.

If your business can support a growth rate of a least 20% you are more likely to be able to get equity finance. If you can’t generate a growth rate of at least 20% in your business then you are unlikely to be able to gain equity finance. It is the idea of control and the prospect of higher returns if your business is successful that attracts people to invest in your business

Sadly however many people are still highly reluctant to seek the help of equity finance as they see the idea of it as ‘relinquishing control’ of their business. Many small businesses are especially reluctant if their business is growing fast. As a business owner you should ask yourself the following questions below making any decisions about choosing to use equity finance:

o Are you prepared to give up a share of your business as well as some of its control?

o Are you and your management team confident in the business and the products and services that are on offer?

o Does your business have a unique selling point?

o Do you have drive to grow your business?

o What industry experience and knowledge does your management team have?

You should also consider the following when it comes to obtaining equity finance:

o How much funding do you need?

o How much control are you hoping to retain?

o How long do you need your funds for?

Each business should investigate the options that are open to them when it comes to finance. Equity finance is medium to long term finance and is the perfect type of finance that is open to small businesses, especially if you are an entrepreneurial business. Entrepreneurial businesses are what private equity investors are mainly interested in. This is because they have aspirations and a high potential for growth.

If you are interested in the use of equity finance it is important that you speak to a financial team who can put you in touch with people who will be able to put you in touch with the right investors.

Kansieo.com

Sam Miller asked:




In every business, managing finances is a great factor that can contribute to success. One of the ways to handle finance well is through making use of KPI for finance. Experts say when you cannot measure the effectives of a certain program or plan, then that cannot be considered useful to the business operation. Hence, it is important that results of financial plans can be measured. In this way, the company can see whether the said plan is in line with the aim of organizing the business finances.

Key Performance Indicators or commonly known as KPI are now the strategy used by many businessmen to manage their companies. KPIs are tools that the company or organization utilizes to quantify achievements. These are effective means to track progress in accomplishing tasks that are towards the goal of the company.

KPIs would differ according to the aspect of the company being assessed. Therefore, the finance KPIs is not the same as that of the KPIs for marketing, recruitment, or advertising. This is the case since every area serves different purposes and has different goals.

In general, KPIs can come in two ways – directional or quantifiable. The so-called directional KPIs give a simple assessment of a certain area of your operation. It only rates whether an implemented program is successful or a failure. Quantifiable KPIs, on the other hand, are the in depth analysis of a program. Companies, in most instances, prefer quantifiable KPIs as this will provide a better assessment of a specific program or area of the business. Literally speaking, data for quantifiable KPIs come in numbers. But these are interpreted and used as basis for further enhancement of the assessed program.

In the past, the concept of KPI is only applied to the finance aspect of the business. This is because management, as mentioned earlier, put utmost concern to the financial side of the operation. Finances dictate whether the company is successful or not through data of revenue or sales. Aside from profit, other financial indicators include cost, market share, and other money matters. But seen as an effective means of measuring performance, KPIs are currently not limited to financial aspect but also used in other aspects of the business, such as marketing, recruitment, administration, and advertising, to mention but a few.

There are some important matters to consider when coming up with KPIs regardless of what aspect it is intended to measure. Goal and analysis are among these considerations. Goals are used as basis to determine what KPIs are appropriate for a certain area. Analysis, on the other hand, should be noted to improve the productivity of the assessed area of the company.

For the part of the company, what is important is how they are going to use the derived results of the KPIs to their advantage. Improvement should be their target. In fact, they must work to address lapses in their financial operation. KPI for finance is only one of the many areas where companies can improve. Oftentimes though, finance is the first thing that business owners want to deal with because of its effect to the company. Remember that a well-organized set of finances is a good step towards profitability.

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