why are personal sources are important to start-up?
cheap (compared to bank loan)
entrepreneur keeps more control over business
the more the founder puts in, the more others will invest
focuses the mind
what are retained profits?
Earnings kept by a company for reinvestment.
what are benefits of retained profits?
cheap— the cost of retained profits is the opportunity cost for shareholders of leaving profits in the business
very flexible- management controls how they are re invested
shareholders control the proportion retained
what are drawbacks of retained profits?
danger of hoarding cash
shareholders may prefer dividends if the business is not achieving sufficiently high returns on investments
high profits and cash flows suggest the business could afford debt
what are sale and lease back agreements?
sell of the assets and obtain the funds and then lease it back
what are asset disposals?
potentially another one-off boost to finance
selloff spare land, surplus equipment
what are advantages of internal finance?
capital is available immediately. no time delay between identifying a need for finance and obtaining it. (e.g. retained profits will be in bank account already)
cheap - no interest payments, which means costs will be lower and profit is higher. also no administration costs
the business will not be subject to credit checks
no need to involve third parties
what are disadvantages of internal finances?
can be limited - a business may not be sufficiently profitable to use retained profits or may be unaware of unwanted assets to sell
internal sources of finance are not tax deductable
can be inflexible compared to external sources of finance