Small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) make up 99.9% of enterprises in the U.S., according to a report by ForwardAI, and the majority (a reported 60%) of those businesses fail due to poorly managed cash flow. It’s a challenge businesses face on a global scale, and providing SMB owners with more sustainable funding solutions begins with educating partners and local businesses on effective cash flow management and available alternatives.

A startup company needs more than just a great idea and a market of customers willing to pay for the products or services. The cold hard truth is it needs cash. Without collateral, bank loans are hard to come by. Initially, what can keep the doors open and the equipment humming is selling invoices that have been sent to their customers, known as factoring or invoice funding.

In the past, the term “factoring” has been associated with a negative connotation, a taboo word in the business funding world. The misconception developed from the idea that factoring is only leveraged when a business is in desperate need of cash or in a poor financial state – but that’s not always true. In fact, factoring is an impactful solution for companies to rely on to support a period of rapid growth.