5 Cash Flow Based Lending Options to Take Your Business to the Next Level

Cash flow based lending options can be great for fast funding. Both PayPal and Square offer these types of options. Credit Suite has similar options as well, including:

  • Revenue Based Lending
  • Purchase Order Financing
  • And Accounts Receivable Financing.

Using these types of funding allows you to get the funds you need based on income and without good credit. Repayment is typically based on cash flow as well, meaning the more you make, the faster you repay the loan.

Cash Flow Based Lending Options Can Help You Fund Your Business Fast

Cash flow based lending options are those that are extended based on a company’s expected cash flows. This refers to the amount of cash that goes in and out of a business within a specific period of time. The amount of cash flow is what lenders use to make approval decisions.  Repayment comes from this amount as well.

Typically, you will need to have a few years in business to qualify. You may also need to meet a certain minimum credit score requirement. Mostly, you will need to prove historical cash flow, and present your accounts receivables and accounts payables.  This is how the lender will determine how much to loan to your business.

There are a number of cash flow based lending options available. Some service providers offer this type of funding, such as PayPal and Square. There are also funding types through other lenders that are closely related, such as those that rely on your accounts receivable or open invoices.

Here’s a little about each one to help you decide if this type of funding is right for you.

#1: PayPal Working Capital Loan

You can get a loan from PayPal if you already have a PayPal business account. There is no personal guarantee requirement, and loan amounts and eligibility depend on your sales via PayPal. Also, applying will not result in a credit check.

To be eligible, you must:

  • Have a PayPal Premier or Business account for 90 days or more
  • Process at least $20,000 in annual PayPal sales if you have a Premier account, or at least $15,000 in annual PayPal sales if you have a Business PayPal account
  • Pay off any existing PayPal Working Capital loan

Repayment is automatic as a percentage of each PayPal sale.  As a result, the amount you repay each day changes with your sales volume. The more you sell, the more repayment progress you’ll make that day. On days without sales, you’ll make no payments. Yet, there is a minimum repayment requirement every 90 days.

Depending on the loan terms you choose, you have to pay at least 5% or 10% of your total loan amount, that’s the loan plus the fixed fee, every 90 days. The 5% minimum applies to loans estimated to take 12 months or more to be repaid, based on your business’ past PayPal sales and other factors. The 10% minimum applies to loans that should only take 12 months or less to repay.

#2: Square

You can get similar business loans through Square, and they also will not affect your personal credit score. Eligibility is based on a variety of business factors, including its payment processing volume, account history, and payment frequency. Square will send a customized offer to users based on their card sales through Square, up to $250,000.  There is no interest per se. Rather, you’ll pay an ongoing flat fee.

The fixed fee is the difference between the total owed amount and the initial loan amount. The fixed fee will never change, regardless of how quickly or slowly you pay off the loan. Just like PayPal, if sales are up one day, you pay more. Consequently, if you have a slow day, you pay less. A minimum of 1/18 of the initial balance must be repaid every 60 days.

They don’t require collateral for business loans of $75,000 or less. In contrast, for loans over $75,000, they take a security interest in your business assets. Then they will file a UCC statement with the Secretary of State where your business is organized. There is no personal guarantee requirement.

#3: Business Revenue Lending

With a similar basis for getting funding, business revenue lending is another of the cash flow based lending options.

It involves raising capital from investors, who then get a percentage of the enterprise’s ongoing gross revenues in exchange for money invested. Investors get a regular share of business income until the agreed upon amount is paid. Often, this amount is a multiple of the principal investment. It is usually between 3 – 5 times the original amount.

Since repayment of the loan is based on revenues, the time it takes to repay the loan will fluctuate. The faster revenue grows, the quicker you’ll repay the loan, and vice versa. The percentage of monthly revenues committed to repayment can be as high as 10%. Monthly payments will fluctuate with revenue highs and lows and will continue until you pay the loan in full.

Terms for the Credit Suite business revenue lending program are:

  • Collateral Required: Consistent revenue verifiable through bank statements
  • Loan Amounts: $5,000-$500,000
  • Term: 3-36 months
  • Factor: 1.10-1.45%
  • Credit Requirements: 500 credit score or higher
  • No recent bankruptcies
  • Business must earn annual revenue of $120,000 or more per year
  • You must be in business for a year or more
  • The business must do over 5 small transactions each month
  • Or bring in at least $15,000 monthly revenue with 6 months’ time in business
  • Financial services industries are prohibited
  • 6 months business bank statements required with application

#4: Account Receivable Financing

AR financing is another of the cash flow based lending options available. It allows you to use outstanding account receivables as your collateral for business financing. You can get as much as 90% of receivables advanced, and you get the balance after the invoice is paid in full.

Terms for Credit Suite account receivable financing are:

  • Collateral Required: Account receivables
  • Loan Amounts: $10,000- $10 million
  • Term: Up to 95% of receivables can be advanced within a week.
  • Rates: Starting at prime rate 2%
  • Credit Requirements: Minimum 500 FICO score
  • Receivables must come from another business or government agency, not an individual
  • Business must be open for at least 1 year to qualify
  • Medical receivables must have $1 million in annual sales or more
  • Breakdown of existing receivables and a sample invoice required with application

#5: Purchase Order Financing

PO financing is also closely related. This is funding to a business with a large purchase order or contract, but the business is unable to fulfill it. A lender loans the money to complete the order, and charges a percentage for the service. The company can then fulfill its order or contract.

The difference between purchase order and accounts receivable financing is, purchase order financing involves a company lending you money to fulfill purchase orders. Accounts receivable financing involves a company buying outstanding invoices. However, when you get to the center of it all, both are based on cash flow.

Credit Suite purchase order financing requirements:

For approval, lenders will typically review your outstanding purchase orders that need to be filled. They want to be sure the purchase orders are legit and the suppliers you are dealing with are credible.

If so, then you can get approval regardless of personal credit history. Rates tend to range from 1-4%. Furthermore, in some instances, you can get 95% of your purchase order in advance.

Cash Flow Based Lending Options Can Help Take Your Business to the Next Level

The beautiful thing about cash flow based lending is, you can get funds even without a strong credit score. If you are making the sales, you can get the money. That makes it easier to fulfill orders and keep making sales, which in turn allows you to grow your business bigger and stronger than ever.

The post 5 Cash Flow Based Lending Options to Take Your Business to the Next Level appeared first on Credit Suite.

How to Choose Which Top Level Domain to Use

Buying a domain name is exciting. It means you’re taking the first steps to establish yourself and create a professional website. But, it can also be overwhelming.

Not only do you have to find an available domain name, but you have to choose between dozens of top-level domains (TLDs) such as:

  • .com
  • .co
  • .org
  • .io
  • .co.uk
  • .net.
  • .gov

The list goes on!

Picking the right TLD is just as important as choosing the rest of your domain name. You want the best option for your business type to establish trust with your target audience and one that’s memorable.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the different TLD types, which ones you can and can’t buy, and how to know what type is the best fit for your business.

What Is a Top-Level Domain?

A top-level domain (or TLD) is the last segment of a domain name.

For example, the TLD for NeilPatel.com is “.com.”

What Is a Top-level Domain - NeilPatel Example

.com is just one of the many options available, though.

The Different Types of Top-Level Domains

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) officially recognizes three types of TLDs.

1. gTLD: Generic Top-Level Domains

The gTLD contains the most common top-level domains, and anyone can register most of these domain extensions.

Some of the generic top-level domains in this category include:

  • .com
  • .co
  • .org
  • .net
  • .xyz
  • .biz
  • .info

In 2011, ICANN extended gTLDs to companies and organizations. It helps brands register their name as a domain extension.

A few real-life examples are:

  • .barclays
  • .cern
  • .google

Some companies choose to use extended gTLDs as redirects. For instance, if you go to search.bing, it redirects to bing.com. Others, like .cern, strictly use their extended gTLDs.

Businesses can also register generic TLDs around their industry niche.

For example:

  • .realestate
  • .democrat
  • .republican

2. sTLD: Sponsored Top-Level Domains

An sTLD are domains sponsored by a specific entity like a business, government, or other groups.

In this category, you’ll find domain extensions for:

  • .gov
  • .edu
  • .mil
  • .int
  • .coop
  • .museum
  • .jobs
  • .post
  • .travel
Different Types of Top-level domains - .gov domain example

3. ccTLD: Country Code Top-Level Domains

The last type of top-level domain is ccTLD. These domain extensions are reserved for countries, sovereign states, and territories.

These codes are two letters long and represent the country or territories’ abbreviated name.

For example:

  • .us – USA
  • .uk – United Kingdom
  • .eu – European Union
  • .ru – Russia
  • .ca – Canada

However, ccTLDs are not only for countries. Businesses use ccTLDs to geotarget users in different markets.

For example:

  • hm.com – USA
  • hm.co.uk – United Kingdom
  • hm.co.za – South Africa
Country Code Top-Level Domains - Starbucks Example

How to Choose the Perfect Top-Level Domain

Think of your domain name as your brand’s search representative.

Some TLDs may hinder your branding because of spam associations, while others could improve your search result rankings.

Below, we’ll unpack some of the most common TLDs to help you select the perfect domain name for your business.

Some Top-Level Domains Aren’t Available to Everyone

Not all domain names are available for anyone to buy. These are restricted top-level domains known as rTLDs.

To obtain an rTLD, you need to meet specific criteria laid out by the TLD’s registry.

For example:

  • .gov and .mil are reserved for official government and military uses and are controlled by the US government.
  • .edu is an extension only available to eligible postsecondary constitutions in the U.S., some governing boards, and nonprofits where 75 percent of their members are eligible educational groups.
  • .name is reserved for individuals.

Trademarked rTLDs aren’t available unless you can prove you are the trademark owner. For example, you can’t buy a .nescafe or .walmart domain name unless you own the company in question.

rTLDs can also be geo-location domain names. You can’t buy a .nyc domain name unless you have a valid New York City address.

These controls help prevent fraud and forgery and give users a sense of security when using these sites.

How to Buy an rTLD

If you meet the requirements for some of the most common rTLDs, here are the steps to take to purchase them:

  • .mil: Go to the Department of Defense‘s official website. You need to fill out the official form for website registration and submit additional information such as government point of contact and select the correct government component.
  • .gov: Go to the official DotGov registration site. You can check if the domain you want is available, review the requirements, and download the authorization letter template.
  • .edu: Go to the Educause website. The site details the eligibility of domain names, provides domain name prices, and offers a tool to check domain availability.

When to Use .com Domain Extension

If you run a business, blog, or another professional website, a .com TLD is probably the way to go.

The .com stands for commercial. It’s one of the best TLD domains to use because people view it as credible, trustworthy, and more memorable than other obscure domain extensions.

A study from GrowthBadger found .com is the most trusted TLD. Plus, people are 3.8 times more likely to simply assume a domain ends in a .com than anything else, meaning if they try to go directly to your website, they’ll probably end with a .com by default.

However, there’s a catch.

Anyone can register a .com domain extension, and because it suits a range of business types from business coaches to online stores, it’s not easy to find a .com no one has snatched up already.

If your perfect domain name is unavailable, not all hope is lost. There are strategies you can use before settling on a complete rebrand. For instance, you could try to buy the domain from its current owner or use a reasonable variation on your company’s name.

You can try an alternative domain extension like .net (more on this below) or add a country code if it makes sense to do so.

When to Use .org Domain Extension

The .org stands for “organization” and is commonly used by nonprofits, social causes, groups, and clubs.

Examples include:

  • charitynavigator.org
  • kidneyfund.org
  • doctorswithoutborders.org

Using the .org extension can give your brand more credibility than other extension options.

That said, anyone can register a .org—there isn’t a regulating body. However, it’s best to buy another domain extension if your site doesn’t fit into one of those three categories.

Why?

Users already associate the domain with nonprofits and groups, and it could be confusing if you’re a SaaS business with a .org. Worse, if you don’t run a nonprofit, consumers could feel like you’re trying to trick them by having a .org.

If you run a nonprofit and want to use .org, keep in mind that 44 percent of people remember .com TLDs, while only 32 percent recall .org extensions.

How to Choose the Perfect Top-level Domain - Memorability of domains

The lower memorability score could end sending people to the wrong site. But, you can avoid this by buying the .com version in addition to the.org. It will protect your brand because no one else can buy the .com, and you can set up a redirect to your .org site.

When to Use .net Domain Extension

The .net domain extension is another option for businesses, but it’s not a great fit for everyone.

The .net stands for network, and the extension is for:

  • internet service providers
  • network services
  • online technology companies
  • database providers

If your business has nothing to do with tech, it usually won’t be the best option. An excellent example of an exception to the rule is behance.net. The website is an online design community and has nothing to do with providing internet or database services.

However, it works for their brand because it is a network for designers and clients to find each other.

How to Choose the Perfect Top-level Domain - .net TLD example

From an SEO point of view, the .net is better than most other lesser-known extensions if you’re in the tech industry or work for another brand .net fits with. It’s been around long enough for people to remember it, and it’s considered trustworthy and authoritative.

How to Buy a .com, .org. ,or .net TLD

Ready to buy a domain name? Fortunately, it’s usually a straightforward process.

Two of my favorite domain registrars are Bluehost and Namecheap.

Both sites are easy and straightforward to use, though they serve different purposes. Bluehost provides hosting and other services, while Namecheap is strictly for buying domains.

You can buy common TLDs such as .com, .net and .org as well as alternative domain extensions like .io, .so, .new, etc.

buy a top level domain with namecheap suggested TLDs

How Does Your Top-Level Domain Affect SEO?

Besides branding, choosing a TLD has an impact on your SEO. Here are the main things you need to consider when deciding on a TLD domain.

Public Perception and Spam

Unfortunately, some TLDs are associated with nefarious online behavior. If you use them, Google might assume your site isn’t safe, and you’ll never make it to the top of search results.

According to Spamhaus, these are the TLDs with the spam worst reputations:

  • .date
  • .surf
  • .cam
  • .bar
  • .icu

Besides search engine rankings, using an alternative domain extension can affect your click-through rate (CTR). For example, if your target audience is unfamiliar with the TLD, they might not view your site as safe, and you won’t get traffic.

In the same study from GrowthBadger, these were the TLDs that have the lowest trustworthiness, factoring in things other than spam:

  • .blog
  • .io
  • .biz
How Does Your Top-Level Domain Affect SEO

Using an Industry-Specific TLD

Depending on your industry, using an industry-specific TLD could boost your SEO.

For example, several start-ups use the TLD of .tech or .io. Other options include using .food for a food blog or .travel for a tour operator.

Using an industry-specific TLD tells Google and people what your site is all about, which can help improve your rankings and CTR.

Examples of sites using industry TLDs:

  • visitdurban.travel
  • voodoo.io
  • nothing.tech

Yes, we know we just said .io had a low trustworthiness rating. This is because many folks simply don’t know what it refers to, which is understandable. This TLD is a play on I/O, meaning input/output in computer science terms, so it follows that tech (particularly gaming) companies would use it.

Geotargeting

Is your business tied to a specific location?

You might get an SEO boost by using geotargeting in your TLD.

It signals to Google that your site serves a particular country or city, and it could make your pages visible to people searching from those locations.

You can also use TLD geotargeting if you have a business that operates in multiple countries worldwide.

For example, Amazon has:

  • amazon.com (USA)
  • amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom)
  • amazon.nl (Netherlands)
  • amazon.de (Germany)
  • amazon.fr (France)

Conclusion

A top-level domain is an integral part of your website’s structure. Before you buy one, take the time to look at the different TLD options and select the best one to represent your business online.

If you need to change your TLD or domain name later, you can. But, you’ll need to 301 redirect the old domain and every page to the new one, and it can take up to six months for your traffic to recover.

It’s much easier to start your website on the right foot than have to go through a site migration process, hindering your bottom line and SEO content marketing efforts.

Which top-level domain will you choose for your business?