In the second part of my interview with Aaron, among other topics, we cover how invoice factoring can help small start-ups with many aspects of their business.
Aaron assured me that Bay View Funding absolutely can help small start-up businesses. He said they do not have a ‘small box’ when it comes to which businesses they can factor. “We can factor for almost any company size or shape, tenured or start-up.” Many of their clients have just begun operations and they may only have one or two customers. We can help that start up business in a variety of ways:
- Suggest which customers are best to work with and which to avoid.
- Offer guidance on contracts and payment terms.
- Take care of accounts receivable management to allow focus on marketing.
- Help build businesses by providing working capital with deep advance rates.
I was interested to know how Bay View Funding works with accounts who have customers who are late or simply don’t pay their invoices. In a start-up situation it can be a major concern. I learned that Bay View Funding can sometimes encounter customers who have accounts that were once creditworthy but may no longer be as reliable. We touched on this subject in our first interview, but Aaron took me through the process in a little more detail.
The first step in debt collection is to follow up regularly with that customer and be on the ready to provide updates from your customers to make sure they have all the information they need to pay their invoices. As these unpaid invoices continue to age, the team communicates with their clients to make sure they understand what is going on. He said that above all, they don’t want to distract clients from doing what they need to do to keep growing their business.
That lead to a question about customers who apply for invoice factoring with bad credit history, and whether they can still qualify for invoice factoring.
Aaron explained that the important distinction is that they are providing financing for the company, not for individuals. “We understand that the economy has not always been kind. We focus on a company’s new enterprise and how that business can achieve success. If your personal credit history is not great, our focus is on what your new business can offer and we will talk it through but your personal credit is not going to prohibit you from qualifying.” The main questions would be:
- Do you have a strong company?
- Do you have good sales to customers that are creditworthy?
- Do you have a chance to succeed and grow with your new enterprise?
It is not about focusing on the past. It is about whether Bay View Funding feels confident about extending credit to your customers. If we pay you for your invoice due from your customer on day one, when that bill becomes due on day 30, do we think they will pay their invoice? If we do then we are interested in working with you.
Lastly I wanted to know if Aaron and his team would encourage companies to eventually move to a more traditional form of financing.
Aaron defined the differences and why sometimes moving to bank financing can be the right choice. A bank facility gives you a different set of criteria and rules. A bank line of credit can be very attractive to a company that has established its working capital base and wishes to transition its debt structure to a traditional form of financing.
Watch for more audio blogs/interviews with the management team at Bay View Funding.
