Commercial Leasing vs. Buying: The Key Considerations

Being a business-owner is all about decision making, from large-scale considerations to the small but often significant details that can drive commercial growth. Your ability to make informed and time-sensitive decisions will therefore have a definitive impact on your success as an entrepreneur, while it will also be the determining factor in minimising costs, optimising efficiency and maximising profits.

Commercial fleet

Commercial Leasing vs. Buying: The Key Considerations for your Fleet

One of the biggest decisions you will make as a business-owner (or at least one who delivers goods and services to the general public) is whether or not to lease your buy your commercial fleet.…

Continue reading

Why Investors Don’t Love Your Hardware Startup and What You Can do About It

Hardware-focused entrepreneurs know that starting and scaling a hardware startup is a monumental task. Between product creation, manufacturing, supply chain, sales and branding, it takes focus and stamina. Not surprisingly, nearly 90% of new startups are software focused.

Hardware startup founder

According to PWC and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), of the companies receiving venture funding for the first time in Q4 2015, software companies received the largest share, accounting for 37% of the dollars and 39% of the deals. Investment in hardware was less than a quarter of the amount invested in software. So why are VC’s hesitant to invest in hardware companies and how can you finance yourself without their funding?…

Continue reading

3 Tips for Assessing Your Financial Needs When Starting a Small Business

Starting a small business requires a great deal of complex planning. Not only do you have to come up with your business plan and method for success but you need to consider financial funding. Many small business owners may take funding for granted and only look for it at the last minute. Unfortunately, this methodology could leave you in an unstable position as you approach opening day.

Assessing small business finance

Funding for small businesses can come from a variety of sources, depending on your business model, ideas, and needs. Failing to adequately assess your needs could leave you with a larger debt than necessary, or not having enough funding to get your business off the ground.…

Continue reading

How Great Online Accounting Can Save Your Business

Every business survives or fails because of whether it is staying in the red or black. It is hard to keep any kind of business afloat if you are spending more then you are taking in, that is an easy statement to make.

Cloud accounting

But what if you aren’t really sure how your business is doing? Sure, you have cash in the bank and happy customers, but are you really making a profit? This is the all important question that can only be answered with a good accounting system.

These days, more and more, that accounting system will be online accounting or cloud accounting.…

Continue reading

Lessons in Car Finance: Key Benefits of Taking Out a Chattel Mortgage Over a Car Loan

For business owners or managers that need to purchase vehicles to operate their business, paying for the asset upfront can have a huge impact on their financial resources. With second hand vehicle prices starting from $3000 and brand new vehicles starting from $14,000, the cost to purchase the vehicle (or several outright) might require the business to part with tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds. For many small to medium sized businesses, this cost is too much for people to manage.

Business cars

When it comes to car finance, personal or car loans are another option, however the repayment costs tend to be high.…

Continue reading

Asset Management Services: What They Are and How Your Business Can Benefit

More and more businesses are outsourcing the management of assets and in the process allowing other companies to take care of and manage investments and resources. This relieves a lot of stress and increases productivity while saving money. A win, win!

Asset management

Are you wondering, what are asset management services? This is a simple yet complex answer. Asset management is the systematic process of operating, positioning, maintaining, improving or disposing of assets in a cost effective manner. Which means, having a professional organisation take care of your tangible and intangible assets for a fee or fixed price.

According to Investopedia, asset management is usually provided by a financial services company like an investment bank.…

Continue reading

Limit Expenses as an SME – 5 Actionable Points

As an SME it’s easy to rack up more expenses than what you are generating in revenue. Spending on suppliers, vendors, employee perks and taxes can get out of hand in the blink of an eye unless carefully planned. But there are several ways to limit expenditures that, by focusing on improving efficiency, can even make a company more profitable.

Cutting bills

Palletise large shipments

If you are shipping goods as part of your basic, regular practice, how you do so is a crucial factor in your business’s operations. It goes without saying that a reliable pallet courier that offers competitive prices and excellent service should be used.…

Continue reading

PPI Refunds: Claiming What Is Rightfully Yours with A Little Assistance

Money matter needs careful consideration whenever it is about any kind of loan or insurance. People who are taking loans for any purpose are bound to repay it later. Unfortunately, the insurance that you take is not really exactly what you need (read: Claiming would be a problem.)

PPI claims

There is always a chance that while securing payment protection insurance (PPI) you have been mis-sold. This is quite a common issue which has been coming to light lately. Not always that you will be able to catch it early, whenever it is known better start to reclaim what is rightfully yours.…

Continue reading

Buying Property Overseas? Why you Should Use a Specialist Money Transfer Company

Are you considering buying a property abroad? Once you’ve found the perfect plot, managed to decipher the multitude of complicated rules that often accompany a foreign purchase and had your offer accepted, it’s time to start thinking about funds.

Sold home sign

Transferring large amounts of money abroad can be very expensive and complicated – especially if you decide to do it through your bank. A number of fees could exist, not just for you as a sender, but for the recipient too. In many cases, the amount of commission you pay might not be clear and fluctuating exchange rates may also affect the final price.…

Continue reading

What Are Merchant Cash Advance “Double Fees”- and How Can You Avoid Them?

If your company does a considerable amount of its business in credit card and debit card sales, the chances are that you’ve already heard about merchant cash advances. If you aren’t familiar with MCAs, though, they are in essence a type of loan available exclusively to businesses (usually merchants or vendors) that accept credit or debit cards.

Merchant cash advance

These types of loans are especially common for restaurants and retail stores. If such a business had a major expense they had to cover—whether for new equipment, inventory, or the like—they could apply for an MCA instead of a traditional bank loan. If approved, the MCA would be delivered in a lump sum amount, same as a traditional loan.…

Continue reading