Knowsley Chamber member, Paul Trickett, Bathgate Business Finance, talks to us about MCA…
“In the wake of the pandemic, the green shoots of recovery are visible in the hospitality and retail sectors, however there are still challenges to be overcome. One frequent issue is securing business finance to support the recovery we are seeing.
“Customers have returned and sales may be improving, but funders in this sector usually make lending decisions based on traditional underwriting of accounting information. For many retail and hospitality businesses, the last couple of years’ books don’t look attractive or even viable to many banks and traditional lenders, based on traditional metrics.
“In discussion, we have seen that many business owners feel their options are limited and almost all are unaware of one alternative option that could be an accessible and flexible solution for businesses that take payments via card terminals and online – Merchant Cash Advance (MCA).
“Unlike traditional lenders, MCA funders base their lending on card receipts. By connecting their technology to bank and card acquiring data, they have a real-time view of a businesses’ monthly income, meaning that lending can be based on what you sell each month.
“As a result of this approach, repayments fluctuate as a percentage of ongoing card receipts, rather than being a fixed amount each month like a bank, which suits not only businesses in recovery mode, but also seasonal businesses in their normal cycle as well.
“Since September last year Bathgate Business Finance has supported more than 20 businesses to secure more than half a million pounds finance using MCA funders. One of these businesses was a Knowsley Chamber member.
“The retail business was looking to raise funding to support the opening of a second store. Delays in the process to secure a commercial mortgage, meant that additional funds were needed to make payment to builders and contractors on the new store ahead of its opening.
“Based on information that between £20-25k was being taken per month in card sales (both in-store and online) and the delivery of supporting information, we were able to secure an offer of £26k within a week. The funds were with the business a week later.
“The facility also has the ability to grow with the business. Once the new store has been trading for 6 months, there is an opportunity for the business to seek additional funding from their merchant terminal if required, as well as the flexibility to top up the existing facility after 75 per cent has been repaid.
“MCA really is a really quick and easy solution for a broad range of businesses and our team’s knowledge of the product and its relationships with MCA funders means we are perfectly positioned to help hospitality and retail businesses find the right solution to meet their needs.”
MCA KEY BENEFITS
- Simple and quick application
- 95% industry acceptance rate
- Amount approved based on the value of payments through a card machine or online
- Flexible repayments which are linked to future credit and debit card receipts
- Fixed fee structure and ability to redraw loans
Bathgate Business Finance can advise if your business could benefit from MCA and provide an initial indication of funding simply from reviewing your businesses’ average monthly merchant card payments.
To find out more, contact Paul Trickett on Paul@bathgatebf.co.uk or call 0151 625 7323 to speak to one of the team.