Having a beautiful garden filled with flowers or even some plants, shrubs and trees, there would still be something missing. Garden fountains are what you must be missing. There are many designs for these fountains, ranging from ornamental statues, platform and wall-types. Fountains are beautiful accents for your garden plus they make a soothing water sound that freshens up your tired mind. For a huge garden you may want to go for bug garden fountains as well to complement its size. For the small gardens you can go for free-standing one or a statue fountain. Fountains can have waterfall that look really classy in the garden. You may also install a fountain with a small pond in your garden, with fishes in it. The water pond kind of fountain you can have a statue that may be used as the centerpiece in the garden. The exterior of the house will add an aesthetic sense to the outdoors and the fountains can be the central focus of the garden.When choosing a garden fountain for your garden or yard, be sure to pick one that is alright with your environment. If you’re in a place wherein the weather changes drastically then a heavy, stone-carved fountain can be the best for you. These fountains are difficult or impossible to store for the winter months. Different weather temperature can cause your fountain to crack and spill the water left inside. Another thing to consider whenever planning on putting up a garden fountain is its water capacity and its pump. To get the best results you can choose the fountains that pump five gallons every minute.There are several different themes available for your garden fountain. You can make garden fountains as basis for your garden theme. There are fountains that have themes such as animals, flowers, birds and/or plants. There are fountains with statues of people, fairy and/or angels. You can make garden themes based on such statues. If you want to decide on a theme for your garden, you may sprinkle different accessories in the garden such as glowing stars, wind-chimes, and many others. An angel fountain in the garden that has a bit of accessories and beautiful flowers will truly make your garden.There is nothing more refreshing compared to the sound of soothing water in a beautiful atmosphere. Life can get too tiring, and it is wonderful to simply get away from it within a beautiful environment. The fountain history goes back to the Babylonians. Originally, they were symbol of property. A fountain was used as the main piece in their hanging gardens.Garden fountains are beautiful and great additions that may add serenity to just about every garden or an outdoor patio. When picking a fountain, you may want it to last a long time in addition to being the centerpiece in your garden. With so many different kinds of fountains available, it could be very difficult to decide which one that’s ideal for your garden.
Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?
There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.
In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.
But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.
Different Types of Financing
One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.
Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.
But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.
Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.
Alternative Financing Solutions
But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:
1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.
2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.
3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.
In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:
It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.
A Precious Commodity
Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).
Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.
Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?
Finance Debt Consolidation – Evoke – Invoke – and Revoke the Debt
EvokeFixing in the marsh of financial debts is more or less an open secret. It is not the folly of individuals that they come under the subjugation of loan plans. Nevertheless, scarcity of finance makes individuals to leap out for loan assistance. And, by and by, unstopping availing loans inadequately, shows a person under the debt grave. For, lending authority of the UK has emerged with a solution of finance debt consolidation. Hereby, an individual has to deal in with a single lender for all of his pending dues.InvokeMany options of availing the facility of the finance debt consolidation are thrown open ways for the borrowers. In some of these lending option collateral pledging keep centre stage, whereas some of these, contain no such placing pledging. Both of these lending programs are planned at to solve the debt crux. Need is only of the right approach to the program and rest of the works is of financial experts. Yes, these experts give their best first hand knowledge about the finance debt consolidation plan to the aspirants.RevokeApplying for a finance debt consolidation online gives an individual the convenience to get instant and cheap rate dealing. A candidate accesses through internet from his office, home, or from any cyber café, and browse number of online financing websites at a time. These sites work round the clock. There are a number of loan professionals staff available, who screen borrowers’ application form and work out to find the most apt and suitable loan deal to them.Apart from this, individuals under the adversity of bad credit history too, can avail the facility of finance debt consolidation. The financing effectively merge ones various outstanding debts to make them in a single debt unit and lowers down the overall interest rate in most of the cases.As the repayment term is extended since one procures a new loan, individuals end up paying low monthly instalments. If a person can take the risk on ones property, if the person has to obtain secured finance debt consolidation, the person will get even lesser interest rate and a comparatively longer repayment terms.