A survey conducted by R3, the Insolvency Trade Body, paints a grim picture of dramatic rises in both personal and corporate insolvencies over the next year and a half. The survey also shows some worrying trends in practices of securitisation of debt which places people’s homes in jeopardy. For the first time ever, the UK’s Insolvency Practitioners were asked to predict a figure for the number of personal and corporate insolvencies for 2008 and 2009, based on the last known official figures for 2007. The survey was carried out in conjunction with polling agency Com Res.

Company Liquidation

R3’s President Nick O’Reilly said: “The predicted 41% increase in business insolvencies from 2007 to 2009 is catastrophic and unfortunately will mean we will start to approach the numbers we saw at the peak of the last recession in 1992. For the last three or four years a number of businesses that perhaps were not performing well have been kept alive artificially by the easy availability of credit, which has now dried up.”

Respondents anticipated a rise from the official figure of 13,091 in 2007 to 15,693 for 2008 and 18,440 for 2009, a 41% increase on 2007. This is a conservative estimate as 18% of respondents choose a figure over ‘over 20,000’ as their prediction for 2009.

Some of the biggest reasons for business failures is lack the lack of demand for their product or service or the Company’s ability to have sufficient working capital and when working capital is in jeopardy its imperative that the business moves quickly to raise and cash flow funding. That said in this current environment the difficulty to raise finance can be immensely challenging. One very quick way to raise working capital can be to use Invoice Factoring which can offer business a direct injection of cash from their debtor book.

Some of the other alternative sources of funding a business may wish to consider when facing a challenge to raise finance may be the Sale and Leaseback of their unencumbered plant and machinery or business equipment. Used effectively this tool can be a great way of putting your Company assets back into work capital.

For a more robust appraisal or a complete financial review to see how we could help your business through these tough economic times please contact Enable Finance Ltd. where one of our qualified business and corporate finance advisor’s will be happy to help. Remember you do not have to be a victim of the Credit Crunch but you are going to need to make decisive decision FAST.

With traditional lenders like high street banks and Building Societies clamping down on loaning money during this current recessionary time, how is a business going to solve a possible cash flow problem? The practice of Invoice factoring is becoming a growing option as a way to keep companies growing during these rough economic times. Factoring is often miss understood, and no we are not discussing mathematics, but invoice factoring is an answer to a serious financial problem called cash flow.

Many Companies throughout the world use invoice factoring. Factoring is a financing option whereby a business sells its Business-to-Business accounts receivable or customer invoices at a discount to receive immediate cash.

If you imagine the scenario; Company A owes Company B £100 for widgets it has taken delivery of. Company A is happy with the widgets and will of course pay, however, as an enticement to win the order Company B offered Company A, 45 days credit (good commercial practice to win business). So Company B has sold the widget to Company A, but as yet has not been paid for them. However, if Company B pays, he’s trade suppliers early he receives a big discount. So the answer resolve this could be to use the invoice raised as an instrument to leverage money against in the short term, thus speeding up the cash flow and working capital to the business.

There is no doubt that with a factoring company, a business can get money faster - usually within days of raising the invoice and with more flexibility than traditional financing especially as invoice factoring tracks your sales growth.

Debt Factoring is a well established form of financing that has helped businesses grow rapidly and sometimes avoid bankruptcy because of cash flow problems or slow paying customers. Debt Factoring can also be used in helping a business turnaround its fortunes and clear debts. It can used to free up capital to help repay VAT, PAYE or TAX arrears with Her Majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC) so if a winding up petition has landed on your desk factoring could be used to clear the debt.

The factoring company can also provide credit insurance, full credit control, collections and other administrative services to help small businesses grow without having to hire additional personnel. To see if invoice factoring is right for your business please contact Enable Finance the factoring company on the links provided.

The F.F.L is needed to sell or buy firearms in the United States of America. This has been brought about since the Gun Control Act in 1968. Obtaining a license is a must if you wish to do firearm related business.

To obtain a firearms lincese, you must understand that there are a few types of licenses available which ranges from importing to manufacturing of the firearms. This FFLKit will help and guide you all you need to know to get this license in a professional way. If you are serious about your business, read on.

This FFL Kit largely concentrate on guiding the beginner the essence of the firearms trade. It helps in the application of the rights, for the very first time, to gain profits. The kit also includes the guides for setting up a business in firearms and also gives tips for making profits.

The federal firearms license is licensed for dealing Firearms and hence is much experienced compared to the other guides available over the internet. The FFL Kit is published and maintained by us. Read on for more information on how to obtain federal firearms license.

The help and support is given even after the selling of the kit. It also includes a Gun Collection software and a Special Bonus.

It also holds several licenses and guides which are not available elsewhere. These are meant exclusively for the buyer. The best part is that all of the above are available in an electronic format which makes it entirely portable.

The ultimate kit, on the other hand includes all the features of the basic kit like the required forms, instructions for proper FFL Application, access to members only FFL site and help & support as well. However it includes an exclusive Ez A&D Records software and a Special Bonus.

A book for logging the sales which has been approved by the BATF is also included. It also holds a list of firearms available and the wholesalers. The software enables purchases over fax or credit card. It makes the entire business online along with an authenticated server.

There are mainly two packages available for the individual or the company: the basic kit and an ultimate kit. The basic kit comprises of all the required forms and a comprehensive instruction set for Proper FFL application. It also provides access to a special Members Only FFL site.

There are 2 free software available depending on the kit. The personal firearms collection software holds the pictures and details of all new firearms.

The kit actually contains a comprehensive file for BATF field offices and a direct link to the website’s firearms section. It also contains details of the laws which are meant for the dealers and includes all regulations associated to it.

It maintains a database of all the sales. The A&D firearms records software contains all the BATF necessities.

As small business owners, the question of healthcare can often seem like one that doesn’t matter. When you start your company off and it’s just you and your spouse, and every dollar counts twice over, the idea seems nice but impossible (granted, if you plan to stay that small, it becomes doable over time). Slowly, you start adding employees, trying to grow without exceeding your means. In time, you find yourself larger than you thought you would be, and the question comes up by more applicants in job interviews. So what do you do?

As a long time employee’s wife, my first thought has always been, give us the benefits! We want medical insurance! However, once we started our own company, I came to realize the financial challenges more and more small business owners face. Furthermore, after the Walmart insurance lawsuit, radio commentator Dave Ramsey made the point when he noted that it was his business, he started it, and nothing was owed. He went on to explain that he does offer his employees some form of health insurance but he does not pay for all of it.

I’ve put a great deal of thought into medical insurance lately, and I’ve come to a few conclusions. One of the biggest struggles I am having is over the fact that I am pregnant - and pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition. This means that, since we didn’t have insurance before we were pregnant, we are not covered. On top of that, as we re-enter the world of the employee, we have had two very lucrative job offers. One of them comes with full benefits, and one of them comes with a reimbursement plan. Guess which one I’m leaning towards as I look down the road six months?

After all of this agonizing, I have come to believe that some benefits are better than none. I told my husband last week that if the job we really wanted paid only 5% of our benefits - just enough to get me in the doctor’s office - there would be no debate. Obviously, there are other factors involved, but the benefits are a huge one. Furthermore, we have other children, and any good parent knows that children automatically come with medical bills; the two are more compatible than peanut butter and jelly.

My husband and I spoke with the company owners regarding our debate (this is a small company of less than forty employees, obviously), and they indicated that they were already considering the problem. In a high-turnover industry, they were trying to figure out ways to keep their employees happy. This is obviously an intelligent company; they realize that happy employees not only stick around longer, but also are more productive. They also wanted to talk to me, although they were hiring my husband, because they realized the necessity of support at home. Those two qualities say a lot about the workings of the company, tipping the scale back in their favor. But I am still hoping for a tiny smidgen of insurance to smooth the way.

Medical insurance costs have become quite obscene, especially as you get older or less healthy. The restrictions companies put on who they cover have also become difficult to stumble through. Offering even a portion of benefits will go a long way to creating happy employees who want to stick around, which will, in turn, help raise your bottom line. The odds are that these relationships will more than cover the cost of benefits over the course of your company’s lifetime.

Do you run a small business? Is your business insured? If not you could be risking your and your business’ future.

Learn about business insurance, and see why its today’s business lifeboat.

Expensive if You Don’t Use It - Cheap if You Do

The cost of doing business today is rising all the time, its true. Salaries and worker’s benefits are taking a bigger chunk of your profits.

Taxes are always a key consideration, and material costs are rising as well. Add to this insurance, and you have a real significant number on your cost of doing business column (on your profit and loss statement).

When looking at insurance you will be amazed as the amount of risks you are obliged to cover.

There are the obvious accidents or acts of nature risks, worker’s compensation, health and retirement plans, but then there are a host of other risks that can, and many should be insured.

It’s a maximum that all insurance is expensive if you don’t use it, but very cheap if you do.

The “Got To Have” Business Insurance Risks

Here is a list of basic insurance risks that every business should cover;

• Fire, Theft, Water Damage, and Malicious Damage to your business location

• All required worker insurance obligations, and for good worker relations, some perk insurance for employees, like some group private health plan, and retirement fund.

• Product liability if you are producing a product

• Transportation insurance for all your vehicles (full Casco advised)

• Fidelity insurance if your employees handle money. This may be a really indispensable pre-paid asset to your business.

The “Nice to Have” Business Insurance Risks

• Business interruption insurance

• 3rd Party Liability if you are producing a product for wide distribution

• Litigation insurance

• Damage due to civil disobedience and terrorist activity

• Business specific items

Buying Insurance

The choice of buying insurance is becoming a tiresome activity with so many options and prices (and insurance terms), that finding and using a good broker may be your best bet

The insurance broker has some advantages over using one company exclusively.

The broker can shop around, negotiate directly with underwriters (which you cannot do), and tailor make some policies for you.

The cost of using a broker may be easily absorbed by the lower cost of the insurance he provides you and your business.

You must make very sure of the broker’s qualifications, and demand a list of companies and underwriters he deals with.

Ask for a client list, and his inclusion in professional insurance societies. A search on the internet is also helpful. When you are satisfied, start using the broker to plan your business insurance risk profile and coverage plan.