What is Working Capital Line of Credit?

When you say working capital, it means the money required to support the day-to-day functioning of your business. There may be tough times where you may not be able to get the expected profits out of your business to keep it running smoothly.

Business credit can come to your rescue and help you keep the business running. It is required for funding everyday expenses such as purchasing inventory, salaries, power, water, raw materials, and transportation.

Due to a variety of factors, especially the market conditions, which may prevail at that time and difference in prices, a business may go through a phase where expenses exceed expectations and there may be a need to spend more than budgeted. At such times, you would need more funds so as to meet urgent expenses. This is where this line of credit comes into play.

It is different from a business loan where you borrow a fixed amount of money and repay it in installments which are pre-decided. This is the way to go if you are looking for a lump sum amount all at once. On the other hand, in a line of credit you don't have to repay a fixed amount each month.

You have the flexibility wherein you can opt to pay the interest only, and leave the principal amount to be paid back when you gain a handsome profit out of your business.

Working capital funding is much faster and easier compared to traditional loans provided by financial institutions and banks. For small businesses, it's an ideal option as it provides an opportunity to gain more revenue besides supporting them in their attempt to keep the operations running.

Usually, while applying for a loan you need a collateral, but for this type of credit, you may or may not need to use any of your properties as a collateral. This varies from one lender to another. Even though you may not be needed to provide a collateral, there are still several stringent conditions which you must meet for being eligible.

These include your invested interest, capacity of your business or enterprise to generate revenue so that you have enough money to repay, tenure, and business credit history.

Moreover, you may also be required to pay an upfront fee based on the amount drawn. If the profits you intend to gain are adequate, you would easily be eligible for this type of funding. Once you have met all the conditions, the agreement would be drafted and you would get the much-needed cash.

No doubt, you have to return the money that you borrow, but this is one of the best ways to maintain cash flow. Whenever you apply for such funding, you should make sure that you build up your assets in cash up to such a point, wherein they are equal to or more than the line of credit. There are several instances where you may be tempted to rely on credit, but if they dry up, you may not have any working capital to fall back on.

So you should be wary of such a scenario. Make sure that you have a strong cash position. Secondly, always use only as much funds as are required to run the business optimally. The more money that you borrow, the interest costs will add up over time and reduce your profits.

Working capital line of credit is an excellent option if you face tough times funding the daily expenses of your business. However, make sure that you generate enough revenue over time, rather than depending on these type of funds.

Disclaimer: This story is for reference purposes only and does not directly recommend any specific financial course of action.