A loan for a business gives it an opportunity to expand, to finance expenses and increase revenue. A business owner must, however, understand that taking a loan comes with the responsibility of repaying it within the stipulated time and in the agreed amounts. A business owner has to understand key aspects surrounding the process of taking a loan, for the purpose of preparation.
The factors are as listed below:
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Credit score
It is a measure of one’s creditworthiness. A traditional lender, who are banking institutions in most cases consider credit score as the main factor in determining whether one qualifies for a loan or not. An individual can get their own credit report prior to making applications for a loan to be able to estimate the amount of loan they qualify for. It also enables one to assess the report for any form of mistakes and unrecorded payments. The higher your credit score, the higher your chances of qualifying for a loan.
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Lending options
There exist varied lenders in the market today, the traditional lenders who include credit unions and banks and the nontraditional lenders who include online lenders.
Traditional lenders have lower interest rates compared to the nontraditional lenders, their process of approving a loan is long and hectic. The repayments are made monthly.
Nontraditional lenders offer higher levels of interest rates, with shorter approval procedures and their loan repayment is done daily in small amounts.
Another form of lending is merchant cash advance which operates on the principle of future sales through credit cards. It has high interest-rates and short approval procedures. -
Owner’s needs.
A business owner should have a clear picture of the amount they are in need of and how it will be spent. Such understanding can be given by a financial advisor. A lender would want to see documents that support what the borrower claims to his application. A lender would also want to know how the loan will be spent to have a level assurance that he will get it back. A detailed and clear breakdown comes in handy, as it shows the owners preparedness to handle the loan accurately
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Borrowing process.
There is no guarantee that the first application foal loan will be successful. It is a learning process and the owner may be required to keep making adjustments in his application, including having to increase their credit score and changing the type of lender they approach.
The business owner may at times be required to make consultations with experts in the field for proper insight. Aggressive borrowers have had to make appeals several times in order to have their loan applications approved.
Getting a small business loan is an important aspect of the business which should be handled keenly and in detail, because such a loan can either make or break the business. A loan hence becomes a pivotal point in between the success and failure of the business.