Since the recession small businesses in America have been hit hard, especially in terms of finding financing. Although the current lending market for 2012 is more hopeful and expected to slacken to a certain degree, business owners are still going to have to use some creativity in finding the cash to finance their dreams.

The problem might not be attaining the money, but more so finding the capital at a fair rate. Small businesses are the backbone of America, they provide employment as well as promote a dream of freedom for the American people, without them our economy suffers, and in a rough economy small businesses suffer the most.

Although it may still take some time for things to get back on track and for banks to loosen up their nooses, there are certainly other ways for alternative financing. It simply requires a little bit of time for research and resourcing. 2012 marks a new year and with it new popularity in alternative sources for funding.

Many business owners have had increasing difficulty trying to attain a business loan from banks, which has left many to take untraditional routes which have proven just as worthy. These routes have also proven to be even less stressful than the lengthy bank process.

Since the large banks drastically cut their lending to small businesses, smaller local banks have actually done just the opposite. Opening their doors to small business owners and allowing them a bit more flexibility has proven to be quite successful. At these smaller venues lenders are actually working with the business owners to help them along with the process.

Merchant cash advances are also on the rise in popularity. Offering upwards of $2,000 to $500,000 in some cases with decent and fair rates. This route also proves helpful to those who may not be as credit worthy. Thought the rates charges may be a little but higher credit, bankruptcies and tax liens are not an issue.

When the economy is on turbulent grounds, people find other resources available to them. Don't give up, there are other options other than banks, so shop around and decide on what is best for you and your business.

According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2011 Restaurant Industry Forecast that was released on February 1, 2011, “Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record $604 billion and post positive growth in 2011 after a three-year period of negative real sales growth.” The Forecast projects an increase in industry sales in the amount of three point six percent (3.6%) over 2010. This is long awaited news for many restaurants.
 
Despite this good news, many restaurants and businesses are still currently struggling and experiencing low cash flow as they wait for increased sales to materialize. Compounding the problem, merchants are experiencing difficulty acquiring financing in this tight market as banks are enforcing stricter lending policies. Today, despite how exceptional your credit might be, the majority of businesses are experiencing difficulty acquiring financing.
 
Many merchant owners with perfect credit just a few years ago, as a result of the decline in revenue and economic hardship experienced by businesses over the past several years, now have blemishes on their credit report(s) and are no longer eligible for a bank loan for their business or even a personal loan.
 
Merchant Cash Group was formed specifically to address this problem.  Merchant Cash Group provides merchant cash advances to businesses that otherwise would not be able to acquire a restaurant loans through a bank or other lender.  Merchant Cash Group is a cash advance provider that provides funding to merchants that might not otherwise qualify for a traditional business loan from a bank, through its exclusive Fast Funding™ program.  Through Fast Funding, business owners can get the funds they seek by selling a percentage of their business’ future credit card receivables. Through its Fast Funding program, also referred to as credit and receivable financing, Merchant Cash Group provides small- to medium-sized businesses a place to turn for quick access to capital in a tight market in which the access to credit is limited.
 
Merchant Cash Group purchases at a discounted rate future credit card receivables from merchants.  By selling a percentage of their future credit card sales, Merchants are able to obtain the immediate financing they need to sustain themselves through periods of low cash flow.  Payment of receivables by the merchant to Merchant Cash Group is simple and easy, and is done automatically through what is called split processing.  A small percentage of each Visa and MasterCard sale transaction is utilized to pay Merchant Cash Group over time.
 
Basically, Merchant Cash Group pays merchants today, at a discounted purchase price, in the form of a merchant cash advance, for a percentage of a merchant’s sales that will be conducted over a period of time.
 
Applying for a cash advance is a quick and simple process.  Upon submitting an application to Merchant Cash Group, a merchant can receive the money they need within as little as 48 hours.  Complete the submission form located at http://www.merchantcashgroup.com to obtain an instant quote.

Many restaurant owners are worried that their negative credit history could be a problem. Not so with a merchant cash advance. Merchant Cash Group considers every merchant for potential funding, even those with bad credit, or those with liens, judgments or bankruptcies. Of those merchants that submit the simple application as requested, approximately 80% are approved for immediate funding.
 
In the April 14, 2010 New York Times article, titled The Tables Turn, William Neuman contends that restaurants all over the country are beginning to see signs of a potential recovery. Again, this is good news for restaurant owners.  Merchant Cash Group will provide businesses with the funding they require to bridge the gap between the tight market of today and the improved market of tomorrow.

Merchant Cash Group is committed to not only pleasing its merchants but also pleasing its ISOs and sales agents through proven pay-for-performance incentives.  We pay what we say with no caveats.  Our funding programs and commissions are attractive for agents who understand and who are committed to selling our product.  With two funding programs, Fast Funding and Traditional, MCG boasts excellent merchant appeal as well.

Our starter program, Fast Funding, has been established to service the funding needs of merchants who do not qualify for traditional merchant cash programs, and to provide an outlet for agents’ declined paper.  Almost every merchant who is processing at least $4,000 qualifies for Fast Funding since we allow liens and judgments, and FICO scores sub 550.  Funding amounts range from $2,000 to $10,000 and the merchant receives the funds in as little as 48 hours from submission.  Our agents love this product because everything really does happen fast.  Fast approvals, fast funding, and fast renewals.  All of this means that you also earn commissions fast and frequently.  A typical starter advance gets funded 6 to 8 times a year and that equals more renewal commissions for our agents.  Commissions are paid the same day the merchant is funded and agents keep 100% of the processing residuals.

Now on to the best part of this post.  To boost commissions even further, for the month of July only, Merchant Cash Group is offering a special commission structure for all deals submitted during this month and deal incentives to our top-performing ISOs.  Here are the details:

1.       For all Fast Funding deals that are submitted and funded in the month of July, you will receive an upfront commission of 10%.  Normally, commissions are split between the front-end and the back-end of the advance, but for a limited time you can receive your entire 10% upon funding. 

2.       For the top-performing ISOs, we are giving three different bonuses.  For the ISO who gets the most deals funded (25 deal minimum), we will pay $10,000; the second best performer (15 deal minimum) will receive $5,000; and the third best performer (10 deal minimum) will receive $2,500.

If you have not yet signed up to be a sales partner for MCG and would like to, you can be set up within 24 hours by sending an email to andrewr@merchantcashgroup.com or by calling Andy Roberts at 1-866-610-6569 ext 45 to request an agent packet.  Andy is our Business Partnership Developer and he is more than willing to provide agents with all of the tools they need, including sales training in a variety of forms, to be a successful extension of MCG.

In today’s tough economical times small business owners have had to really make hard decisions to stay ahead of the game.  One valuable practice for small business owners is to be able to have cash freed up for various reasons.  The reason could be inventory, expansion, repairs, advertisement and payroll.  This is why the MCA has become such a great and valuable tool for the small business owner.  This is done when the merchant cash advance provider purchases the business owner’s future credit card sales.  The provider will “advance” the merchant up to $500,000, upfront and then, instead of requiring that the merchant make fixed monthly payments, the provider will automatically deduct a small percentage of the business’s daily credit card sales.  With this method, the borrower only pays down his/her business cash advances when his/her business makes sales.

Small business owners who’ve exhausted all other routes or who simply want to take advantage of a simple and easy business funding method are encouraged to take advantage of the benefits that business cash advance provides, such as:

• Can use funds anyway they choose
• Approved in 48 hours or less
• Can be funded in 5-7 days
• Eligible to renew advance in 3-4 months

It’s been my experience that if the business owner is discipline in how he spends the advance and it’s used to enhance the business model than that is where a business owner is able to really leverage the funds they receive. 

Cash flow is:

• The movement of cash into or out of a business
• The excess of cash revenues over cash outlays in a given period of time
• The cash, as opposed to the profit, generated by a business

However you put it, cash flow is an important part of any small business and is therefore, much-needed by small business owners especially when the banking institutions aren’t lending to solid small business owners.

So how does one go about increasing cash flow?  First, the business owner must find a business funding method that is suitable, preferably one that offers various benefits, such as the Merchant Cash Advance.  The credit card advance allows small business owners to optimize their business’s daily credit card sales, turning them into up to $500,000 in business funds.

Based on monthly credit card sales, is how a merchant is advanced a business owner. Then, instead of requiring the merchant to make fixed monthly payments on the advance, a small percentage of the business’s daily credit card sales are automatically deducted, until the entire advance is repaid.  This usually takes about six to eight months. 

As mentioned in our previous blog the advantages of a MCA are noted below.

• Unsecured
• 48-hour approval
• Funding in as little as seven business days
• Minimal requirements
• Flexible repayments
• Renewal opportunities every three to four months

With the economy taken a dive the past 24 months no business types have taken a beating more than the mom and pop small business.  The mom and pop business has been for years the back bone of this great capitalistic society and today 99% of all financial institutions will not even look at small business who's applying for a business loans.  That is where the MCA or Merchant Cash Advance has stepped up and creative a means for small business owners to get their hands on some financial help based on how much their business is processing in Visa, MC and discover card.  Below you will find 8 key points as to why the MCA is such a great offering to the small business owner and also why so many merchants are applying for this product.

1. It’s unsecured: No collateral to qualify.

2. It can be renewed: After 80% pay back of the advance the merchant can renew for a new amount and advance.

3. Merchants are can be funded in as little as 5 business days: Please note that Merchant must turn in a complete application packet to be funded in 5 days.

4. There are no restrictions on how the funds can be used: Merchants can use their advance for payroll, inventory, a line of credit and cash flow.

5. Easy requirements: A merchant must have owed his/her business for at least six months, have no unresolved bankruptcies, have at least one year remaining on the business lease and process a minimum of $4000 in monthly credit card sales.

6. Applicants can be approved in 48 hours: Most providers will update an applicant on the status of his/her application only 48 hours after the application is submitted.

7. Merchants can get up to $200,000: Funding is dependent upon a merchant’s monthly credit card sales. However, merchants can potentially receive up to $200,000 for their businesses at a time.

8. Repayments are flexible: We deduct a small percentage from daily credit card sales to repay the advance. With this method, the payments go with the flow of the business.