Cash flow challenges are a common issue that many different businesses have to overcome. In fact, a study by the Federal Reserve found that the top two reasons business borrow money is to either to expand or to solve immediate cash flow problems. 

Of course, there are a lot of different ways to borrow money for your business. In this guide we’ll cover a funding method known as purchase order financing. Depending upon your business and its specific borrowing needs, purchase order financing might be an effective way to raise the working capital you need quickly. 

Keep reading below to learn: 

• What Purchase Order Financing Is and How It Works 
• The Pros and Cons of This Funding Method
• The Cost of Purchase Order Financing
• How Purchase Order Financing Is Different from Factoring
• Alternative Borrowing Methods
• Where to Find the Best Purchase Order Finance Companies for Your Business
• The Value of Building Good Credit

What Is Purchase Order Financing? 

Purchase order financing, also called PO financing or purchase order funding, is a financing method that business owners have used to grow their companies and solve cash flow challenges for many years. PO financing can be a good fit for certain types of businesses that have more sales and orders coming in than they have the inventory or cash to fulfill. 

If you don’t have the resources (either in inventory or working capital) to fulfill customer orders, purchase order financing may offer you a potential solution. How? This funding option can cover your upfront costs with your suppliers so that you aren’t forced to turn down lucrative sales and other opportunities due to business cash flow restrictions. It can help you to avoid burning bridges and losing customers in the future because you couldn’t afford to fill their orders now. 

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How Does Purchase Order Financing Work? 

While purchase order financing can help you get the supplies you need to complete your customers’ orders, it doesn’t work the same way as the traditional loans with which you’re probably more familiar. Instead of giving you the funds you need to pay a supplier, the purchase order funding company will pay your supplier directly. 

Here’s a 10-step overview of how the purchase order financing process typically works:

1. A customer (usually another business) sends over a purchase order agreeing to buy a specific quantity of a product that your company sells. 
2. Once both parties (you and your customer) agree to the terms of the purchase order, it becomes a legal contract. 
3. You send a copy of the purchase order, plus the cost estimate from your supplier, to the financing provider to apply for funding. 
4. The PO financing provider reviews the purchase order, the supplier’s estimate, and other factors to determine whether or not to approve your application for financing. 
5. If approved, the PO financing lender pays not you, but rather your supplier directly. 
6. You receive materials from your supplier, finish the goods, and ship them to your customer. (Note: If your business is a reseller, the supplier would likely ship the finished goods directly to your customer.) 
7. You send an invoice to your customer for the order your company fulfilled. 
8. Your customer pays its invoice (usually to the PO financing company directly). 
9. The PO financing lender takes out its fees (see below for more info.) from the funds paid by your customer. 
10. You receive the remaining balance. 

Purchase Order Financing Advantages and Disadvantages

Are you considering a purchase order financing arrangement for your business? Here are a few pros and cons to review during your search for funding. 

Businesses that are usually the best candidates for purchase order financing include:

• Companies with business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-government (B2G) models
• Businesses whose suppliers have good financial track records and a long, reputable histories of delivering products as agreed
• Businesses with large purchase orders (often $50,000+, though this can vary)
• Companies that lack the assets or credit rating needed to qualify for traditional financing options
• Businesses who have well-respected customers with solid credit ratings
• Businesses that don’t include guaranteed sale terms (i.e. your customer can return unsold products to you)

Even if your business seems like a good candidate, it’s important to make sure that a purchase order financing arrangement makes sense from a financial standpoint as well. This is something that your financing providers will also want to confirm before approving your funding application, but it’s smart to do your own homework here too. 

Here’s what to look for. A purchase order needs to be profitable enough to make money for all three parties involved. That will include you, your purchase order financing company, and your supplier. If your business’ profit margin on a deal is less than 15% to 20%, you may not qualify for this type of funding. 

What Is the Cost of Purchase Order Financing? 

First, it’s important to understand that purchase order funding isn’t a loan. So, this type of financing doesn’t actually come with an interest rate. Instead, a PO financing company will charge you fees for the funding you receive. 

The fee you pay is usually a percentage of the money the financing provider advances to your supplier. Fees can vary considerably from one PO financing company to the next. However, they are commonly in the range of 2% to 6% per month. 

That 2% to 6% per month might not seem very high, but when you use a business loan calculator to convert those fees over to APR the true cost can be surprising. Purchase order funding can frequently cost between 20% to 70% APR — a costly borrowing option when compared with many other business loans and funding choices. 

It’s also worth noting that fees for purchase order financing aren’t generally prorated. So, you may be charged on the first day of each new billing period. For example, the fee structure of your agreement might look something like:

• 6% for the first 30 days (charged on day 1)
• 3.5% for every 30 days after (charged on day 31, day 61, day 91, etc.) 

This type of fee structure works in the financing provider’s favor and not yours. Whether the financing provider is paid back on day 61 or day 89, you would pay the same amount in fees. 

Purchase Order Financing vs Factoring

Though similar, purchase order financing isn’t the same as invoice factoring. One of the biggest differences between purchase order financing and factoring has to do with when funding is received. 

With PO financing, your business (or rather your business’ supplier) may receive funding at the front end of the sales cycle, once the purchase order is signed. Factoring, on the other hand, typically occurs a little later in the sales cycle. Invoice factoring companies usually require you to submit an invoice to your customer (for products already delivered) before you become eligible for a cash advance. 

Keep in mind, some businesses use PO financing upfront and switch over to invoice factoring later. The additional financing requires extra legwork, but for some businesses it’s worth the added effort. Using a factoring company to pay off your purchase order financing agreement early might save your business money, if the borrowed amount is large enough and the factoring company charges lower fees. 

Alternative Financing Options

Depending upon your business, its credit rating, why you need to borrow, and a variety of other factors, purchase order financing might not be the best way to go when you have a large order and not enough capital to fulfill it. In fact, because PO financing can be so expensive, there are a number of funding alternatives that might save you money. 

Here are several alternatives to PO financing you might want to review: 

Business Credit Cards

Traditional Bank Loans

Alternative Online Business Loans

Invoice Financing

Accounts Receivable Factoring

Inventory Financing

Best Purchase Order Financing Company

As with most types of financing, you’ll be hard pressed to find the “perfect” purchase order financing company. Business financing (or even personal financing) isn’t that simple. What works best for one business might not work best for the next. 

Purchase order financing, like closely related accounts receivable factoring and financing options, usually isn’t the most affordable way for a business to borrow money. Nonetheless, it may still be a viable option if you can’t qualify for cheaper funding in the time frame you need to fulfill an order. 

If you believe that purchase order funding is a good funding solution for your business, start by taking some time to educate yourself about the process. Next, you should do some homework and research available PO financing options. By completing both of these steps you’ll be better prepared to find a good fit for your business. 

Below are four companies you might want to check out if you’re considering purchase order financing for your business. 

• Bluevine
• OnDeck
• Fundbox
• Newtek
  

You can also research other business financing options through the Nav Marketplace. 

Questions to Ask 

Before you make your final selection, here are a few questions you should ask any potential PO funding company you’re considering:

• How long have you been in business? 
• Have you handled transactions in my industry? How many? 
• What are the typical fees and costs you charge? 
• Do you send funds to my supplier directly? 
• What are your qualification requirements — for my business, my customers, and my suppliers? 
• Will you contact my customers? 
• How do you receive payment directly from my customers? 
• Do you have a dedicated team that handles these payments? 
• What happens if my customers fail to pay as agreed? 

The answers to the questions above will help you to narrow down your choices and understand what to expect before you sign a new financing agreement. 

The Value of Building Good Credit

Regardless of the financing provider you ultimately choose for your business, there’s no question that good credit can be a strong asset when you borrow. It’s true that your personal credit (and your business’ credit) usually matters less with purchase order financing than it does with other funding alternatives. But even though it matters less, the condition of your credit could still be a factor considered when you apply for PO financing. 

Good credit can also make it easier to qualify for a broader range of funding options. A solid credit rating can help you to secure lower rates and better terms — potentially saving you money every time you apply for new financing for your business.

If you’re ready to start building a better business credit profile today, check out the BusinessLauncher tool in your free Nav account. You can also track both your business and personal credit through the same free account. 

Of course, you can’t establish good business credit overnight. It will take hard work, consistent follow through, with a bit of patience thrown in for good measure. But the sooner you get started, the sooner you can reach your goal and start enjoying all the great benefits that a solid credit profile can bring to both you and your business.

Pro tip: What you don’t know can kill your business

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