The keys to building a successful business is varied and detailed. You must have a well thought-out plan that guides you towards a successful end goal. The plan must include contingencies that take into account the fact that every new business runs into unforeseeable issues. You need a marketing and sales plan that fully understands your target market and how to attract and sell your products and services to this group.
To be successful in business you also need a dedicated group of employees who are willing to go the extra mile to make sure that your business prospers. Employees must be skilled and passionate and willing to put aside their own personal issues for the sake of the health of the business.
Finally, a business must be capitalized to the point that he can execute its business plan and fun the necessary contingencies that will come up. For trucking companies these elements are also critical. And the final element, necessary capital for the business, has extra importance because of the sometimes unpredictable nature of the business. So how can trucking companies ensure that they always have adequate working capital to run their business? Here are some smart ideas for every trucking company.
Invoice Factoring
Trucking companies work with a large number of clients and receive payment from these clients through a billing process. This process might mean that an invoice is sent from the company to the client, and the client then has a. Of time, typically 30 to 90 days, to pay that invoice. When the invoice is sent, the trucking company Mark sit down as a revenue to the company in spite of the fact that the money is not actually received. In many instances clients will not pay on time and in some instances clients will not pay it all. If the trucking company is depending on the revenue from these invoices, and it is delayed or does not get paid, the trucking company can find itself short of working capital.
For this reason it is very important for the trucking company to have a sophisticated invoice collection strategy. In many cases, it can save the business. Too often however, trucking companies do not have an in-house department dedicated to getting their money.
Because every trucking company needs working capital, it is imperative that they work with a firm that is skill at providing factoring against those invoices. Freight factoring companies provide advances against the company’s invoices that it has received from reputable clients. These advances will be a percentage of the total invoice and the money will be paid to the company immediately, eliminating the need for them to wait the 30 to 90 days to receive the capital.
Bank Loans
Many trucking companies develop good relationships with banks and can approach these Banks about a loan or line of credit regarding shortfalls and working capital. Banks are always ready to listen to a reputable company that is having cash flow issues and where a loan or line of credit can solve those issues. So the trucking company can approach the bank and provide information about its business and why is having cash flow issues.
However banks are strict about the loan practices. They demand a long history of profitable performance, strong relationships with reputable clients, and they may even require collateral against any loans or lines of credit. In the end this process can be slow, extremely detailed, and only provide a small amount of working capital to the trucking company. With this being said, the trucking company that is having working capital issues should go down this road and see if there is a lending relationship possible.
Solving issues with working capital is a primary importance to the trucking company because it allows the company to keep its business running smoothly. Having options like the two mentioned above can be the real difference maker in the success of a trucking company.