Financial planning clock management is vital to small business funding and strategy.
January can be a lost month for small businesses seeking capital – they are not ready to go to market
Here’s why:
- Banks require complete year end financials in order to determine their interest in providing both working capital and term loans.
- Financial managers know that the terms and rates based on historic profits are more favorable than funding requests based on projections.
- Funding resources are ready to make investments for the upcoming year, but the prospective borrowers are not prepared to schedule appointments because they have not finalized their year- end financials.
- Company management must first reconcile the financial records, meet with their accountants and make some strategic decisions before they can set up an appointment with a funding resource.
Why did they wait until January to start this process?
Hopefully it has been a good year for the business and perhaps distributions can be made to partners and shareholders.
Adjustments must be made for:
- Depreciation
- Reserves set aside for taxes
- And most importantly, consideration given to cash requirements for inventory and business expansion.
To secure the best guidance and advice most small business owners seek counsel from a third party accountant.
Due to appointment availability and even overbooking it inevitably creates a log jam waiting for appointments. Their overbooked, overworked financial advisers in order to close out the year and prepare their tax returns.
No forward strategy without financials
I have been a financial advisor to companies, both large and small for many years. January has always been a very slow month for new loan originations for small businesses.
Corporate decisions cannot be made and certainly cannot be supported until year-end financials have been reconciled and evaluated.
If owners do not know what you have done financially for the past year, they cannot project what their strategy will be for the upcoming year.
Next- What to do:
