julio 2022 - Liquid Capital

Supercharge growth by leading with innovation

julio 26, 2022/en Sin categorizar, Invoice Factoring/por Sarah Schoepfer

Only 18% of execs have the skills needed to lead. As markets, technology and workplaces evolve, leaders will meet significant challenges and will need to brush up on their foundational skills. Get ahead by leading with innovation in all areas of the business.

As a business leader, it can be hard to know exactly where to focus when everyone and everything demands your attention. For those in charge, schedules are very tight, multiple problems can arise simultaneously and unforeseen challenges can derail even the most rock-solid plans.

The most successful leaders rely on their foundational business skills to tackle these challenges—but the problem is that many leaders are missing these skills. In fact, 82% of leaders lack all the abilities to effectively steer their organization.

What skills do strong leaders need?

Today’s leaders must be able to build trust, be transparent and communicate clearly with their teams. Motivating and engaging employees is also important for driving outcomes and overcoming challenges or adversity. And they must be able to make productivity-based decisions.

Ultimately, the most successful executives have a strong mix of communication, interpersonal and executive-functioning skills.

To gain clarity and provide direction to your teams, start with the foundational basics. Successful business leaders should focus on three areas as their baseline:

Create a shared vision
Set strategic objectives to achieve specific performance outcomes
Offer strategic direction to create value in innovative ways

As challenges arise, these three areas can be your North Star, guiding you and your teams forward. If you start to feel lost or if new challenges arise that can sway you in a different direction, revisit your intended visions, objectives and strategic direction to recenter on the original priorities.

Ushering in a new era of leadership styles

“Traditional” leadership styles are becoming outdated and massive transformations are happening at breakneck speed. Consequently, leaders must pursue new management methods to better facilitate:

Employee engagement
Resolving internal disputes
Improving productivity and efficiency
Change management
Making better choices
Encouragement of ethics, inclusivity and respect
Promoting a goal-oriented culture

As industries evolve, business leaders can innovate in all areas of the business. It’s not just about technology alone, but as a leader, you can push forward new products and services, define innovative workflows to improve operational efficiency, revise and refine internal processes or completely evolve the business model.

For two well-known examples in the modern era, innovative leaders at Uber and Amazon modified processes at the very core of their operations. By doing so, they not only rose above their competition, but they redefined their industry and innovated completely new ways of doing business.

By considering how to innovate across all departments and in every process, companies like this are shifting business—and the world at large.

Did you know?

Organizations with skillful leaders and higher employee engagement have a higher bottom line (as much as 147% higher earnings per share) than competitors.

You must be compelled to innovate

Naturally, leaders have an innate desire for growth, and many already see “innovation” as the way. To truly succeed, they must not only recognize it, but then implement it.

According to The Boston Consulting Group, 79% of executives rank innovation in their top three business initiatives. They also made a critical observation that the highest ranking companies have a shared focus on research, technology and development, which helps them stay one step ahead of competitors and fuel growth.

Tesla is a perfect example of a company whose investment in innovation has led to unprecedented growth, having surpassed $206 billion in 2020. Through a carefully crafted and deliberate innovation strategy, the company has quickly risen to new heights of success and notoriety. In this instance, strong leadership, vision and innovation drove them forward.

Extinction of Fortune 500s? Innovate to stay relevant

Of course, businesses have to adapt to stay relevant and profitable. If they can’t (or won’t) adjust, they’ll eventually perish. This sounds obvious, but it could catch some of today’s “big fish” off guard.

A recent study of C-suite executives in the US and Europe see digital disruption as one of the biggest threats, predicting that 40% of Fortune 500 companies will be “wiped out over the next decade.”

Leaders who embrace technology will make their businesses more agile, able to disrupt industries and compete against top-industry players. Likewise, leaders will need to adapt to social and cultural shifts—and leadership can’t just stay the course and operate the same way for decades on end.

The oil and gas industry, as one example, has increasingly come under fire for the environmental repercussions of its practices. However, despite these criticisms, many of the top producers continue operating the way they always have. While there are many other factors at play, there will always be opportunities to innovate, adapt and improve a company’s social and environmental impact.

For Civitas Resources, Colorado’s first carbon neutral energy producer, leadership saw an opportunity to do things differently, and have done so with their orphaned well project. The company’s Chairman, Ben Dell, announced that Civitas would plug dozens of wells that were abandoned by other operators in and around Colorado. By making a commitment to do the right thing, they are improving their environmental footprint and taking responsibility for mitigating their lasting effects.

Innovate to differentiate

Innovation is about pushing into new territories—and when done effectively—can support your efforts to differentiate from your competitors. This can help you improve processes and products, which can help you stand out in an oversaturated market.

A great example in the notoriously competitive retail industry, Bombas has been shaking up the athletic apparel industry with its premium-made, cost-conscious socks. Their “sell one-donate one” mission dictates that the company donates one item for every item sold to homeless organizations across North America.

To date, Bombas has made $100 million in profit and has donated 35 million pairs of socks to those in need. This has allowed the online retailer to compete against big industry players while also making a difference in people’s lives.

Working towards a brighter future

For long-term organizational success, leading with innovation is vital. But it takes time, persistence and investment. When done well, it can help build trust and fuel ‘innovation thinking’ that is adopted further down the organization.

Innovation can also require increased working capital to keep up with manufacturing, inventory, payroll, R&D, operational expenses and to launch new strategic initiatives.

If you or your client have an opportunity to take a step towards innovation, but need additional cash flow, alternative funding such as invoice factoring can help. By turning open invoices into positive cash flow, you can continue innovating while being assured you’ll have the funds to meet the demands of the business.

Get in touch if you’d like to learn more about funding options as you take the next steps in your business growth.

UP NEXT: Discover how these companies are leading with innovative business practices.

A business owner’s guide to facility management

julio 20, 2022/en Sin categorizar, Invoice Factoring/por Sarah Schoepfer

Do you have a strong facility management strategy? Is it being overlooked? Do you need to invest in updating your current one? This guide will help you get started.

Facility management, also known as facilities management (or FM) is all about the details regarding buildings, facilities, assets, and even how employees work within a space. However, for many business owners, CFOs, and business advisors, this critical component of operations is often overlooked.

This guide to facility management will help you understand the importance of having a strong facility management strategy, as well as provide tips for creating and updating your company’s.

The fundamentals of facility management

According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), facility management is “a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of the built environment by integrating people, place, process, and technology.”

It encompasses all the systems, tools, and services needed to ensure the proper functionality, safety, and integrity of the built environment, including its infrastructure, surrounding grounds, and allied physical assets.

One of the unique aspects of facility management is just how diverse and complex it is. FM typically encompasses everything from property management-related services, to risk management, cleaning, security and more.

The sheer extent of the FM function can be seen in the diagram below:

Facility management is not only about assets and the physical or built environment. It’s also about the health, safety and productivity of employees and others within a given facility, be it a factory or commercial building.

The management of facilities is as much about the wellness and comfort of employees and occupants, and optimized space usage, as it is about the maintenance of heating and ventilation systems or landscaping of corporate gardens.

The importance of a management system focus in FM

Taking a management systems-based approach to your facility management strategy creates focus and a clear path forward. Since facility management can be multi-disciplinary and extend across an entire organization, it will typically interact with other systems in the company, such as finance, health and safety, logistics, or maintenance.

You may decide to formalize your facility management by aligning it to the international management system standard, ISO 41001, which was first introduced in 2018. It allows a company to benchmark its FM to an internationally-respected standard and, once audited by an external, ISO-accredited audit team, receive a formal certification.

Whether or not a company aligns to ISO 41001, a comprehensive management system will provide the formal structure needed to plan, implement, check and correct, and review facilities-related objectives and targets, action plans, policies, and procedures.

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) should also be included as part of your company’s FM strategy. These management-mandated documents provide maintenance personnel with detailed instructions on how to perform specific (and often highly technical) maintenance tasks. These documents ensure that maintenance work is easily replicated, consistent, safe, and risk-appropriate.

Why invest in a facility management strategy?

So why is having a strong FM strategy important? Aside from strengthening operations, it can also have far reaching financial benefits.

Here are the top reasons you should be investing in yours:

Preserves the functionality and lifespan of physical assets, including buildings, machinery, equipment, and infrastructure
Prevents malfunctions or breakdowns of physical assets and systems
Allows management to attend to building-related and allied issues in a timely manner
Allows for optimal, sustainable energy usage and utility management
Optimizes the space usage and flexibility
Ensures the health and safety of everyone within a facility
Improves the productivity of employees in the workplace
Facilitates the wellness and morale of employees
Encourages smooth operations and processes
Contributes to lower operating costs and can have a positive impact on your financial bottom line

Funding your facility management strategy

For many manufacturing and distribution companies, finding the funds to allocate to their FM strategy and execution can be challenging. When traditional funding options (bank loans and LOCs) are not available, an alternative is needed.

Invoice factoring can be an excellent way to leverage the power of your outstanding accounts receivables to access funding sooner.

Learn the critical questions you should ask any invoice factoring provider in the Invoice Factoring Guidebook

Access the complete guide.

Facility management teams have a lot on their plates, as theirs is an ever-changing, complicated, and evolving world. Investment in proper FM strategic planning and execution can add significant business value for any business owner or CFO.

Do you (or your client) need access to accelerated cash flow to invest in your facility management strategy and execution?

Liquid Capital works with many manufacturing and distribution companies. Contact one of our Liquid Capital Principals to discuss how to accelerate funding for your business.

Financiamientos recientes – Julio 2022

julio 14, 2022/en Recent Fundings/por Sarah Schoepfer

Need unlimited cash flow funding? Invoice factoring can help

julio 14, 2022/en Factoring/por Mark Glucki

Your business is growing, and that means you need working capital. For high growth companies it’s possible to unlock nearly unlimited cash flow funding with smart financing strategies.

Is your company, or your client’s, managing growth? If so, then you understand the need for working capital, and that traditional funding is sometimes not made available to you when you need it.

If this sounds familiar then you do not want to overlook a fundamental financial tool that could offer you unlimited cash flow — invoice factoring.

Keep reading to learn how invoice factoring could be the ultimate growth tool you or your client have been searching for.

A strategic financing option

Have bank loans or equity investments fallen short of your expectations? Savvy business pros find strategic ways to navigate these challenges.

During periods of development and successful operations, growing companies need to access large amounts of capital – quickly and with assurance. Invoice factoring does exactly that – it accelerates your cash flow and allows you to take on new business — catapulting your growth.

New to factoring? We’ll give you the 411 below. Already in the know? Skip ahead to learn how it can help growing companies.

What is invoice factoring?

Invoice factoring, also simply referred to as factoring, is the process of selling your accounts receivables (customer invoices) to a specialized company (‘factor’) who will give you the majority of that cash up front. You’ll be able to use that capital for whatever purpose you need — instead of waiting the 30, 60 or 90 days you’d usually be stuck with.

Once the factoring company collects payment for the invoice, they’ll release the additional funds to your company minus an agreed upon reserve fee. That’s it – you can continue to factor new accounts receivables to keep your working capital topped up and your growth strategy on target.

Learn the terminology with the Ultimate Factoring Encyclopedia.

Access the complete eBook.

Unlocking cash flow funding for your growing business

These are the six key reasons growing businesses and high growth companies should take advantage of factoring.

1. The application process can be quick

Factoring applications are relatively quick to complete since they focus largely on the accounts receivable in your business. The biggest requirement of factoring is that you must be generating regular and consistent sales from credit-worthy clients. Once your application is approved, you can have working capital delivered within 24 hours.

2. It’s cost efficient

A common misconception is that invoice factoring is an expensive financing option. In reality it can be a cheaper route to financing.

“If a company is offering early payment discounts, factoring is a cheaper option to gain access to money.” — Dave Kip, CEO of Best Broadcast

For businesses with healthy gross profit margins, the benefit from new sales opportunities will outweigh any costs associated with accessing working capital.

Factoring can help you say ‘yes’ to new deals and dramatically increase revenue, which can also set you up for additional growth with expanded client relationships. But if you have to say ‘no’ to deals because the cash flow isn’t there, your bottom line will suffer.

3. It’s a solution tailor made for growing companies

For many growing companies, they hit a point where their financial needs can’t be met. Banks often cap their financing, especially when past results and financial history checks don’t match their criteria.

Many banks will also be re-evaluating their lending criteria and reducing risk on their books, as shifting market conditions dictate a more conservative approach to business financing.

However, since factoring companies are focused on the quality of your accounts receivable, a growing company with legitimate invoices can continue to expand even without that prior history.

Factoring companies look forward and up, so there are no limits to your financing potential. That means unlimited cash flow.

Related: Does my business qualify for invoice factoring?

4. You can remain in control of your business

When growing your company, you likely don’t want to give up your ownership. Where venture capital deals often require that you sacrifice some of that equity, factoring does not. Your growing company stays in your control and ownership – so the more successful you are, the more you’ll fully reap those monetary rewards.

5. You can combine it with traditional financing

Choosing between bank loans and factoring isn’t always necessary, as companies can often work with multiple financing partners at the same time.

In fact, many businesses will have a traditional bank loan for their base financing and then use a factoring partner as the business grows. Other companies will work with their factoring partner first to grow their business at a faster rate, and eventually, graduate on to add traditional bank financing.

6. You gain more than just cash

Factoring experts have great connections to other finance and business pros. They are business professionals who know that their success is also tied to your company’s success. This mutually beneficial partnership means you’ve gained a valuable advisor as part of the deal. Your Liquid Capital Principal can provide your growing business with additional advice on improving payment terms, collections, areas for expansion and new sales opportunities.

Ready to fuel your (or your client’s) growing company? Contact one of our Principals today to learn more about how invoice factoring can help.

Inspirational quotes for entrepreneurs from unlikely sources

julio 12, 2022/en Sin categorizar, Invoice Factoring/por Sarah Schoepfer

Everyone has moments of doubt and uncertainty in their professional lives. These inspirational quotes for entrepreneurs will give the boost you (or your client) need to achieve great things.

Whether you’re going at it solo or have a team behind you, it’s common to hit motivational slumps when trying to keep up with the demands of running a business. Turning to other successful business professionals can give a much-needed dose of inspiration that you and your team need to achieve great things, make big moves and outlast the competition.

However, sometimes the wisdom that resonates with us the most comes from the most unlikely of places.

Keep reading to discover some nuggets of inspiration to give you (or your client) a boost of motivation.

“Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward…That’s how winning is done.”

— Rocky Balboa, Rocky Balboa

Can you hear Eye of the Tiger playing? The iconic boxing franchise Rocky gives us many moments of inspiration to carry with us throughout our professional and personal lives.

In business, and life in general, things don’t always go according to plan. In fact, it rarely ever does. But hitting an obstacle (or getting hit by an obstacle) doesn’t define you. It’s how you respond to it and move forward that does. Having the agility to pivot when needed, the strength to endure adversity, and the confidence to believe in yourself will lead to success.

«You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.»

— Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh

This may seem like an unlikely source of inspiration for business professionals. Still, in Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin reminds us of three important characteristics that lead to success: bravery, strength, and intellect.

Often, we can get caught up in the routines of our daily work lives, making it harder to recognize the extraordinary things we do every day, and what we’re truly capable of. Yet, you can overcome internal struggles and achieve greatness — and it starts with celebrating your bravery, strength and wisdom.

“Take a step back… and say, ‘What can I do today that will make a difference?”

— Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden

Who would think that a heavy metal musician could shine a light on the importance of making a difference in the world? However, in his TED Talk, Bruce Dickinson reminds us to do something worthwhile, every day.

Whether within your office, for a client, or in the community, taking the initiative to make the world a better place has wide-reaching benefits. Finding unique ways to show appreciation for employees and clients or providing support during challenging times can leave a lasting impression and set you apart from others.

Some of today’s most innovative businesses are using their companies to do more. They are using their products to help others and are investing in the environment, all while gaining a competitive edge and increasing sales.

«When life gets overwhelming, remember to just keep on swimming»

— Dory, Finding Nemo

What could an animated blue tang fish teach us about perseverance? Well, if it’s Dory from Finding Nemo, quite a lot!

No matter what happened to her (or what she forgot along her journey), being thrown off course didn’t deter Dory from pushing through and forward on her mission.

Having the perseverance to keep moving forward, even when things seem overwhelming or stressful, is an important trait for overcoming obstacles. So if tasks, obstacles or challenges are piling up, just remember — keep on swimming!

«You’ve got to try and take things to the next level, or you’ll just get stuck in a rut.»

— Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath

At this point in rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s career, chances are you can think of a situation or two where he definitely took things to the next level. And despite his wild antics, Ozzy has been able to remain relevant and create enduring music.

You don’t need to resort to some of the dangerous, bizarre or ridiculous acts that Ozzy has but you still have the opportunity to go outside of your comfort zone and break free from your operational ruts. Trying new things to help evolve your business can be scary, but if you don’t allow fear to take hold, you have the potential to achieve great things.

“Do, or do not. There is no try.”

— Yoda

When training the next generation of Jedi, Yoda imparts that “trying” implies a chance of failure and leads to doubting one’s power.

While you may not have Jedi powers, it’s important to remember this when faced with a challenge. Success is a mindset, among other things. Therefore, putting yourself in the frame of mind to succeed from the onset is the most important first step you can take on the path to greatness.

Up next: Looking to set your business apart from the crowd? Read how these innovative businesses are making a difference.

Use alternative funding for business growth and reach new heights

julio 6, 2022/en Sin categorizar, Invoice Factoring/por Helen Burnett-Nichols

Finding funding for business growth isn’t always easy. With invoice factoring, you can use your outstanding A/R to accelerate your cash flow.

For every business, the path to achieving growth and success looks a little different. Whether you’re reaching new heights because you’ve branched out into a new market, increased sales, added a new service or you’ve acquired a new partner, odds are you have a common thread in your journey: the need for working capital.

At some point, you may need to secure funding for your business growth. Traditional funding options are one route, but you may not want to commit to the long terms — or may not meet the bank’s lending criteria.

Using invoice factoring can help accelerate your growth plans no matter how and why you’re expanding your business. Instead of a last resort funding option, it is an important tool for businesses that allows you to benefit from the strength of your customer credit and your accounts receivable.

Here’s a look at how invoice factoring can help you or your client achieve success at any stage of growth:

Organic growth

Many businesses choose to evolve in reaction to organic demand or as new opportunities arise. Perhaps you’re ramping up production or expanding your physical footprint. Maybe you’re improving your internal capacity or processes. While organic growth is often a manageable way for businesses to expand, it often requires capital commitments.

If this is happening while customers aren’t paying their invoices on time (maybe even as late as 90 days), you may be feeling a cash crunch. Invoice factoring is one way to alleviate the strain, turning your near current assets (your invoices) into cash — allowing you to access capital quickly.

When you work with Liquid Capital, you gain more than cash, you gain a strategic partner. Your Liquid Capital Principal acts as a trusted business advisor, providing valuable support, information and advice as you navigate the opportunities and challenges of growing your business.

Strategic growth

Strategic business growth happens when you’re targeting new opportunities for your business, often with your eye on the long-term — whether you’re launching a new product or moving into another market.

For broadcast systems engineering and consulting firm Best Broadcast, a successful launch set the stage for tremendous growth with new business opportunities to work with major companies.

Best Broadcast was suffering a cash crunch and needed funding for its business growth after purchasing an integration company and pivoting into the audiovisual industry.

But this venture came with a number of cash flow challenges. The company struggled with hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in accounts receivable — as clients often paid invoices at net 60 days. This delay significantly disrupted the cash flow cycle.

Liquid Capital’s invoice factoring services allowed Best Broadcast to alleviate day-to-day working capital concerns. The solution proved to be a more economical option during this growth phase than offering early payment discounts to clients, and helped facilitate Best Broadcast’s strategic evolution.

Growth via merger

Your company might be considering acquiring or partnering with another firm in order to grow. But funding the acquisition may mean seeking a loan from a traditional financial institution or lender, which can be a challenge for some newer businesses.

That’s where invoice factoring shines. Unlike loans, the factoring process doesn’t need to consider how long you’ve been in business, and firms are not required to have detailed financial statements or financial projections in place. Rather, your eligibility for funding depends on the credit-worthiness of your customers and current outstanding accounts receivables.

Accessing working capital via the invoice factoring process also means that as your company grows, your calculation around giving up equity to additional shareholders, looking for new investors or taking on loans from your personal network will change for the better.

Accelerated growth

In some sectors, the timing is right for quick growth to occur because of favorable economic factors, unforeseen market conditions or sudden opportunities. However, you or your client may need to access additional working capital quickly to fund those opportunities.

Perhaps you operate a staffing company and suddenly are presented with the opportunity to take on a new contract, but need to hire new employees to service it. In this case, you may be paying subcontractors or staff biweekly, while waiting 30, 60 or 90 days for your invoices to be paid by your end customer.

Working with an invoice factoring company can give you access to the funds you need now to take on new contracts and increase your payroll.

New opportunities. New heights.

Invoice factoring and alternative funding solutions can help companies that are on a growth trajectory to quickly secure a reliable source of working capital. When you accelerate your cash flow, you’re able to meet your financial obligations, take advantage of new business opportunities and alleviate the stress of ensuring access to working capital.

“Our clients value how we strive to be at the top of our game, giving them the opportunity to grow and prosper. We don’t lock our customers into long-term contracts or exit fees. When they no longer need our services, we simply ask for 30 days notice. We believe in helping our clients grow, wherever that takes them.”

We’re here to help you grow. Liquid Capital Principals provide funding when you need it, for as long as you need it. Best of all, you won’t be locked into a long-term commitment to factor your invoices, and you’ll have someone to talk to – and rely on – who understands your business.

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