Understanding Small Business Loans

Marketing is the first line item owners cut and the last one they should. A business that stays invisible does not grow. A large spend is not the answer either. Owners who win on a tight budget pick a few tactics that pay back quickly. They run them consistently and track the results. Here are five that work, followed by how to fund a larger push when the numbers justify it.

1. Improve your online presence 

Your website and social profiles work like a storefront that never closes. Most of your competitors already have one, and customers expect to find you online before they ever call or visit. Being online is only the baseline. Being easy to find and easy to trust is what earns the sale.

Start with what costs nothing

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. Make sure your website loads quickly on a phone. Put one clear offer on your homepage. Then pick one social platform where your customers actually spend time and post there consistently for ninety days before you judge the result. Spreading yourself across four platforms produces four weak accounts.

2. Sell more to the customers you already have

BDC reports that selling to a new customer can cost about five times as much as selling to an existing one. The cost gap between new and existing customers should shape your marketing budget. Writing personally to your ten best customers only takes an afternoon. Inviting them to preview a new product costs almost nothing. A retail shop can go further with a simple points card that rewards the third and fifth visit. Repeat buyers are also your cheapest source of honest feedback, so ask them what you should change. A loyalty program raises the value of each customer without raising your ad spend.

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3. Ask for referrals

Referrals need no ad spend. The lead also arrives already trusting you.  Most owners skip them because asking feels awkward. Ask at the moment the customer is happiest, right after a job goes well or a compliment lands. A restaurant can slip a card in with the bill that gives both the guest and their friend a free appetizer. A service business can ask at final payment. Make the offer simple enough to explain in one sentence.

4. Own your local market

For most small businesses the customer base sits within a short drive. Reputation inside that radius compounds. Ask every happy customer for a Google review. Sponsor a minor hockey team or a charity drive so your name shows up where your neighbours already look. Contractors can photograph finished jobs and put a sign at every active site. A trucking company can send five local shippers a short weekly note on available capacity, so it is the first call when freight needs to move. Small, repeated visibility beats one expensive campaign.

5. Build an email list you own

A social following depends on someone else's algorithm. An email list does not. Collect addresses at checkout, on invoices and through a sign-up form on your website. Follow Canada's anti-spam rules from the first sign-up. The CRTC guidance says CASL requires consent, sender identification and an unsubscribe mechanism for commercial messages.  Consent can be express or implied, but implied consent expires: two years after a purchase and six months after an inquiry. Ask for express consent at sign-up and record how and when each person opted in.

When a bigger push makes sense

Low-cost tactics have a ceiling, and the hidden cost is your time. At some point a paid campaign, a website rebuild, a seasonal inventory build or a marketing hire is the faster route to revenue. The question is how to pay for it without starving day-to-day operations.

Fund it against a measurable return

Only fund marketing you can measure. Set a target such as cost per lead, then work out how many sales it takes to cover the spend. Give each campaign its own promo code or landing page so you know which dollars produced sales. Cut anything that fails after sixty days and put that money behind what works.

If the math works, the funding structure matters as much as the campaign. A merchant cash advance is not a loan, so there is no interest rate. You pay a one-time cost of capital that you know before you sign. 2M7 Financial Solutions’ advances range from $5,000 to $300,000. Most applications receive a decision within 24 hours, which fits a campaign with a fixed launch date. To qualify, a business must operate in Canada, have run for at least three months and bring in at least $15,000 a month.

Match repayment to revenue

Marketing pays back on a delay. An ad you run in March may not produce full revenue until May. Fixed payments that start immediately can squeeze operations during that gap. Businesses that process daily credit and debit payments can choose flex payments, where repayment rises and falls with sales. Fixed payments are also available.

Bad credit does not end the conversation

Many owners assume a weak credit history rules out funding. With 2M7, bad credit will not automatically sink an application. The team weighs monthly revenue, time in business and industry alongside it.

Put your marketing budget to work

If a marketing push is on your calendar, contact 2M7. More than 5,000 Canadian businesses have partnered with 2M7. Send three months of bank statements, a photo ID and a void cheque, and we will reach out as soon as possible. The team will help you choose between fixed and flex payments during the process. Then spend the money on the campaign instead of waiting on it.

FAQs

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Can I use a merchant cash advance to pay for marketing?

Yes. 2M7 funding can go toward advertising and promotions, and it has no narrow spending restrictions tied to specific categories. Business owners use it for things like a paid ad campaign or the inventory needed for a seasonal push. Funding ranges from $5,000 to $300,000.

How is a merchant cash advance different from a business loan?

A merchant cash advance is not a loan, so there is no interest rate. You pay a one-time cost of capital instead. 2M7 shows you that cost before you sign, and you pay it off over time along with the funds. No collateral is required.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Your business must be located in Canada. It must have operated for at least three months and bring in at least $15,000 a month. You also cannot have an open bankruptcy. Bad credit does not automatically rule you out, because 2M7 also looks at monthly revenue, time in business and industry. You will need three months of bank statements, a photo ID and a void cheque.

Can I choose how I repay the funding?

Yes. 2M7 offers fixed and flex payment options. Fixed payments stay at a scheduled amount, while flex payments are based on a percentage of daily credit and debit sales and are available to businesses that process those payments.

What is the cheapest way to market a small business in Canada?

The cheapest tactics cost time instead of money. Claim your Google Business Profile and ask happy customers for reviews. Ask for referrals and sell more to the customers you already have. Add an email list you own so you are not relying on a social algorithm. No single tactic wins for every business. Pick two or three, run them consistently for ninety days and track what brings in sales before you spend on paid ads. 

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The great majority of small businesses go under because of cash flow issues. You know the importance of cash flow for that reason. That doesn’t mean you don’t face seasonal cash crunches.Seasonal cash flow struggles are quite common, even among established businesses. You can take the strain off by employing these five effective methods of solving cash flow challenges.

Know Your Problem Seasons

The first step in combating cash flow challenges is know your problem seasons. For seasonal businesses, this may be obvious. If you run a golf course, you might find cash flow tightens up during the winter. If, by contrast, you have a ski club, then winter could be boom season for you.Knowing when you’re most likely to run into trouble can help you plan for those dry spells more effectively.

Shift the Timing of Financial Commitments

Once you know when your cash crunches are most likely to happen, you can work on scheduling around them. Try to shift any major financial commitments to other times of the year.This might include adjusting when you order stock or how you organize your tax year. A golf course may not want to make a major tax payment at the end of April, because funds are already tight.You may not be able to move every financial commitment, and that’s fine. By shifting some earlier or later in the year, though, you can make all your obligations easier to manage.

Offer Incentives for Customers to Pay Early

Another tip for meeting seasonal cash flow challenges is to entice customers to pay early. If you invoice your customers, you could offer them a discount if they pay before the indicated due date.You may encourage prepayment or even down payments. For example, if you run a mattress shop, then you could ask people to put a down payment on their purchase.You can make this a seasonal offer and encourage customers to “buy ahead.” With more money flowing in, you’ll have an easier time managing your cash flow.

Get a Merchant Cash Advance

Sometimes, the answer to cash flow challenges is credit. That’s particularly true of seasonal cash crunches since they’re usually temporary in nature.A merchant cash advance is one of the better choices you have to manage seasonal cash flow. With one, you get the cash you need against expected future sales. As sales take place, you’ll pay back the advance.

Diversify Your Business

One of the best ways to solve seasonal cash flow issues is to diversify the business. If you run a golf course, you might also operate a banquet hall. Acting as a wedding venue can keep cash flowing, even during the winter season.If you face seasonal challenges, think about the ways in which you can diversify and offer more to your clients all year long.

Get a Helping Hand with an MCA

If you’re feeling pinched, it might be time to get a merchant cash advance. Get in touch with the experts and discover what the right financing option can do for your business.

Managing a small business is challenging. One of the common challenges for business owners is financing. Your company might not have a lengthy credit history or collateral to apply for a bank loan. Whether you want to grow your business or cover unforeseen expenses, you have come across other financing options. Merchant cash advance and cheques factoring are some of the available options for small businesses.

What Is Merchant Cash Advance?

A merchant cash advance is an alternative financing option for small businesses. You can take the funds upfront and pay them off with a percentage of future sales. The MCA is an ideal solution for businesses that need fast funding and might not be eligible to take a bank loan. The availability of funds is another excellent advantage. If your business needs the funds fast to proceed with the operations, the cash advance will be approved within a day or two.

PROS

Fast access to funds

When timing is crucial and you can't go through the lengthy bank approval process, the MCA is your solution. Small businesses can get funds within a day or two from submission. Unlike the traditional bank process, the financial institutions that issue MCAs don't do rigorous checks. They will check the business's past sales to determine whether they qualify for a cash advance.

Ideal for businesses that work with cash and credit cards

Retail and restaurant businesses rely on a high volume of credit card sales, making them ideal for obtaining MCA. If your business depends on cash or credit cards, a cash advance is the ideal financing method. This opportunity is perfect for the ones that don't rely on invoices. Instead, they take a percentage of the credit card sales to repay the loan.

CONS

High-interest rates

Merchant cash advance comes with higher interest rates than traditional bank loans. The convenience of having the funds fast will cost more. However, the price is worth paying when you need urgent funds to proceed with the business operations.

What Is Cheques Factoring?

A post-dated cheque is a cheque that can be cashed on the indicated date on the document's face. It is a form of advance payment and can be cashed on a specific date. According to Canadian laws, a cheque can't be cleared before this date. If you still need cash to keep your business's liquidity, you can sell the cheque to a factoring company.

PROS

Fast approval

Depending on the date indicated on the check face, you might have to wait long to receive the payment. If you need to meet your business needs urgently, factoring your cheques will provide you with funds quickly. They will pay off a particular value of the face value while keeping a specific percentage as a fee.

No credit score checks

When applying for a traditional bank loan, they will do a rigorous check on your financial history. When your small business is relatively new and doesn't have a credit history, you might be restricted from obtaining such loans. Your ability for cheque factoring isn't assessed with credit history, and you aren't required to disclose collateral. This is very important, as you don't need to put your property or equipment at risk. The factoring company will check the check for authenticity.

Not deal with cheques

Having to deal with cheques is a tedious job. Passing this responsibility to a third party means less time spent sorting out cheques so that you can focus on the more important aspects of your business.

CONS

Higher cost

The factoring company will charge fees to provide you with the cash in advance. They will usually pay 80% of the amount indicated on the face. However, the high cost might pay off if you need money urgently.  

Requirements

Cheques factoring companies might have specific requirements for cashing out your document. For example, the check drawer should be a reputable entity. Also, the factoring company might have particular requirements on the cheque's active time.

Merchant Cash Advance vs. Cheques Factoring

For cheques factoring, you will pay a fee to the factoring company expressed as a percentage of the total amount. On the other hand, you will pay off your MCA as a percentage of your future sales. When choosing the suitable financing method for your company, select the one that is a better fit for your needs. We at 2M7 are dedicated to providing the needed funds to enhance your business's liquidity without restrictions on how to use them. Get in touch with us, and we will answer your specific needs! For a broader look at how merchant cash advances can support business growth, read merchant cash advance benefits for business growth.