Business expansion loans are a type of small business loan that helps small businesses finance growth and expansion initiatives. These loans can help companies that need to purchase new equipment, open a new location, hire additional staff or launch a new marketing campaign.
Some of the most common ways to use business expansion loans include:
Many businesses don’t think about expansion financing until their backs are against the wall, but we think it should be on your radar before things get to that point.
Starting a business takes a lot of skill, dedication, and capital. But more often than not, maintaining a successful business can be even trickier.
According to the Small Business Administration, nearly half of small businesses fail after five years.
The other 50% do well for various reasons. Smart budgeting, market demands and customer satisfaction are just some of them. But one of the biggest indicators of success is your willingness to grow. For brick-and-mortar stores, this could mean opening new locations.
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies may need to hire additional staff. For a medical company, it can be a matter of purchasing new equipment for the production of medical devices.
Growth isn't just important in the business world. That's very important. If a company does not expand its capabilities, workforce or customer base, it is likely to lose revenue as labor, material and property costs continue to rise. Research shows that growth also affects employee morale and customer loyalty.
If you stay still, you can become stagnant or worse.
Expansion, of course, requires funding. While traditional lenders such as banks have been reluctant to lend to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) since the 2008 financial crisis, alternative lenders are much more willing to expand their funds.
In simple terms, expansion finance is capital used to increase a company's assets through internal or external funding. Expansion can mean adding new products or expanding your customer base.
It can also refer to major movements such as mergers and acquisitions.
There are many ways to finance an expansion, including government grants, crowdfunding websites, and small business loans. The two most common methods are debt financing and equity financing.
A loan that promises to be repaid in the future with interest. Business owners must not relinquish control over their operations.
This method requires a company to issue shares to receive money in return. Selling stock may mean giving away some of the control of the company, but it means the business owner won't have to pay off any debt.
Before taking the plunge, every business owner should ask himself a few questions.
Adding a second office or introducing advanced technology can be tempting, but conducting a cost-benefit analysis before applying for an expansion loan is an important step. The same goes for rethinking your current business model. You may have to wait for expansion if bad credit or overstaffing hinders existing operations.