Apple Capital Group Blog

Tag Archive: cash_management

The Importance and Benefits of Small Business Certifications

The Importance and Benefits of Small Business Certifications

There are many important benefits and advantages available to businesses owned by women and/or minorities, but in order to qualify for them a business must become certified as a minority- or woman-owned enterprise. Connections, marketing assistance, and technical training are just some of the benefits that come with certification, says Susan Rittscher, president and CEO of the Center for Women & Enterprise, the New England affiliate of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a leading certifier of women-owned businesses. (Others include the National Women Business Owners Corporation and the National Association of Women Business Owners.)

“First and foremost, if the diverse-owned business is interested in pursuing bids or contracts with a large corporation with a supplier diversity program, a state agency, or a federal agency, they must be certified in order to count toward supplier diversity goals,” Rittscher says. Another benefit of certification is connections to other certified businesses, which can be a powerful network of potential partners, clients, and advisors and mentors. “Certification is a strong marketing and selling tool for business owners when leveraged effectively,” she adds. Certified businesses may also have access to exclusive programs and services such as professional development workshops and networking and matchmaking events.

Tom Greco, vice president of ThomasNet.com, a free platform with a database of more than 610,000 companies, notes that there are many different ownership/diversity certifications that provide a competitive advantage to qualifying companies, and many businesses and government agencies are anxious to do business with them. “Indeed, 72 percent of buyers recently surveyed by CAPS, a research arm of the Institute for Supply Management, said they would be increasing their spending with diverse suppliers. Diverse businesses include Women-Owned Businesses and Minority-Owned Businesses as well as Veteran-Owned Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, HUBZone Businesses, and Service-Disabled Veteran Businesses,” he says.

While the process for obtaining various kinds of certification varies, Greco suggests that a business seeking any of the certifications mentioned above start by self-registering with the federal government’s System for Awards Management (SAM), since that is a requirement for most types of certification. Next, seek out one of the major certification organizations for your diversity group—such as WBENC for a women-owned business or the National Minority Supplier Development Council for a minority-owned firm. In most cases, minority-owned business certification falls under the purview of the individual states. Check out this useful list of certifying agencies by state to learn more.

It is important to note that in order to qualify for minority- or women-owned certification, the business must not only be owned by minorities or women but also controlled by them, says Dean dt ogilvie [ed. note: lack of capitalization is intentional and should be retained], the dean and a professor of business strategy at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Saunders College of Business. “They have to be the ones making the decisions about strategy, business, and structure. They can’t just be figureheads to get the certification,” she warns. Owners must provide required documentation to prove ownership and control; they must have contributed capital and/or expertise to the business; they must be U.S. citizens (or, for some programs, resident aliens); and they must be independent in decision-making, Rittscher says.

Lisa Firestone is president and owner of Managed Care Advisors (MCA), a woman-owned employee benefits and disability management consulting and workers’ compensation case management firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, and she believes certifications and the set-asides to which they provide access play an important role in leveling the playing field for companies like hers. MCA is a certified minority business enterprise in Maryland and several other states and a WBENC-certified woman-owned business. In 2012 it also became certified as an Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business. “Honestly, before my business entered into government contracting, certifications and set-asides were unfamiliar concepts, and ones that made me a bit uncomfortable,” she says. “But what I have learned is that there really is no ‘special consideration,’ but just an opportunity to level the playing field and compete effectively. Certifications can get your business noticed, but they are not a direct conduit to a contract. You still have to get out there, compete for that business, and win it.”

May 15, 2014 Today's Business, , , , , , , , , , 0 Read more >

Using Your Benefits of Certification To Advance Your Business

Using Your Benefits of Certification To Advance Your Business

There are many important benefits and advantages available to businesses owned by women and/or minorities, but in order to qualify for them a business must become certified as a minority- or woman-owned enterprise. Connections, marketing assistance, and technical training are just some of the benefits that come with certification, says Susan Rittscher, president and CEO of the Center for Women & Enterprise, the New England affiliate of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a leading certifier of women-owned businesses. (Others include the National Women Business Owners Corporation and the National Association of Women Business Owners.)

“First and foremost, if the diverse-owned business is interested in pursuing bids or contracts with a large corporation with a supplier diversity program, a state agency, or a federal agency, they must be certified in order to count toward supplier diversity goals,” Rittscher says. Another benefit of certification is connections to other certified businesses, which can be a powerful network of potential partners, clients, and advisors and mentors. “Certification is a strong marketing and selling tool for business owners when leveraged effectively,” she adds. Certified businesses may also have access to exclusive programs and services such as professional development workshops and networking and matchmaking events.

Tom Greco, vice president of ThomasNet.com, a free platform with a database of more than 610,000 companies, notes that there are many different ownership/diversity certifications that provide a competitive advantage to qualifying companies, and many businesses and government agencies are anxious to do business with them. “Indeed, 72 percent of buyers recently surveyed by CAPS, a research arm of the Institute for Supply Management, said they would be increasing their spending with diverse suppliers. Diverse businesses include Women-Owned Businesses and Minority-Owned Businesses as well as Veteran-Owned Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, HUBZone Businesses, and Service-Disabled Veteran Businesses,” he says.

While the process for obtaining various kinds of certification varies, Greco suggests that a business seeking any of the certifications mentioned above start by self-registering with the federal government’s System for Awards Management (SAM), since that is a requirement for most types of certification. Next, seek out one of the major certification organizations for your diversity group—such as WBENC for a women-owned business or the National Minority Supplier Development Council for a minority-owned firm. In most cases, minority-owned business certification falls under the purview of the individual states. Check out this useful list of certifying agencies by state to learn more.

It is important to note that in order to qualify for minority- or women-owned certification, the business must not only be owned by minorities or women but also controlled by them, says Dean dt ogilvie [ed. note: lack of capitalization is intentional and should be retained], the dean and a professor of business strategy at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Saunders College of Business. “They have to be the ones making the decisions about strategy, business, and structure. They can’t just be figureheads to get the certification,” she warns. Owners must provide required documentation to prove ownership and control; they must have contributed capital and/or expertise to the business; they must be U.S. citizens (or, for some programs, resident aliens); and they must be independent in decision-making, Rittscher says.

Lisa Firestone is president and owner of Managed Care Advisors (MCA), a woman-owned employee benefits and disability management consulting and workers’ compensation case management firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, and she believes certifications and the set-asides to which they provide access play an important role in leveling the playing field for companies like hers. MCA is a certified minority business enterprise in Maryland and several other states and a WBENC-certified woman-owned business. In 2012 it also became certified as an Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business. “Honestly, before my business entered into government contracting, certifications and set-asides were unfamiliar concepts, and ones that made me a bit uncomfortable,” she says. “But what I have learned is that there really is no ‘special consideration,’ but just an opportunity to level the playing field and compete effectively. Certifications can get your business noticed, but they are not a direct conduit to a contract. You still have to get out there, compete for that business, and win it.”

 

April 30, 2014 Today's Business, , , , , , , , , , 0 Read more >

Short-term Financing

Short-term Financing. Short-term Financing.

Short-term Financing. When businesses need a short-term cash infusion, the first option to come to mind is often a traditional bank loan with repayment terms ranging several years or more. However, short-term financing, with repayment terms of less than a year—often as little as 90 or 120 days—can be a smart tool to help build your business and fill cash flow gaps without committing to several years of repayment. Short-term Financing.

Short-term financing has a wide range of applications, says business consultant Dave Lavinsky, co-founder of Growthink in Los Angeles, California. Seasonal businesses may need short-term funds to sustain them during slow periods. Other companies might need to purchase inventory or materials for sales or orders that won’t be paid for months. In some cases, the business investment necessary to sustain growth may leave a business temporarily cash-strapped, says Lavinsky. Short-term financing can also provide the immediate funds necessary for an acquisition or expansion that will lead to additional sales, revenue, or access to capital to meet the repayment terms.Short-term Financing.

There are several types of short-term financing options. Businesses may use credit cards to finance smaller expenses over a short period of time, says Lavinsky. That can be effective, but it’s important to track the cost of interest on this type of financing, which can be high. Small business credit cards in particular are not subject to the regulations passed in the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, which restricted arbitrary interest rate increases and standardized payment dates and also provided other protections. However, some issuers have opted to extend these policies on their small business cards regardless of the requirement, so it’s important to read the fine print. These cards are also often issued based on the business owner’s personal credit, so late payments or high balances could damage the individual’s credit profile. Short-term Financing.

Traditional bank loans with shorter repayment terms and lines of credit are usually the most attractive option for many businesses seeking short-term financing. They may have slightly higher interest rates than longer-term loans, but cost less in the long run because the interest isn’t being paid over a longer period of time. In addition, they’re much less expensive than options like factoring, where businesses are paid a portion of their accounts receivable and hand over collection activities to the factoring firm at rates that are often “just short of loan sharks,” says Lavinsky. However, they do offer a way to get revenue in-house quickly, he says. Short-term Financing.

Qualifying for bank loans requires a track record in business of at least a couple of years, as well as demonstrated ability to repay, says Lavinsky. Be prepared to provide financial documents like profit and loss statements for the past two or more years, cash flow analyses, and others, as well as documentation of assets, inventory, cash on hand, or other assets the business owns that might be used as collateral. If you have contracts with or orders from large clients that show an ongoing relationship, that might be useful, as well. Depending on the amount of the loan and your business track record, you might be asked for a personal guarantee, where you pledge your personal assets as collateral to satisfy the loan. Short-term Financing.

To avoid needless delays in the decision-making process, discuss your loan package with your bank representative to ensure it’s complete before submitting it. And while credit markets have been tighter in recent years, the 2012 Federal Reserve Bank of New York Small Business Borrowers Poll found that 63 percent of loan applicants in 2011 were able to get at least part of the credit they sought, although only 13 percent were approved for the full amount of the loan or line of credit they sought. Short-term Financing.

“I’ve always been of the mindset that a company that commits itself to raising capital will raise the capital,” Lavinsky says. “Don’t give up.” Short-term Financing.

April 1, 2013 Today's Business, , , , , , 0 Read more >