On Long Island? You Might See Signs
March 26, 2024
Billboards for Broker Fair 2024 have gone up across several Long Island towns this past week, including locations in Glen Cove, Syosset, Westbury, Bay Shore, and Valley Stream. The conference, built specifically around a broad range of commercial finance brokers, will take place on May 20 in New York City. Long Island is among the largest geographical employers of brokers in the United States.
Broker Fair attendees can expect to learn from industry pro Peter Ribeiro, meet a wide range of funders/lenders & vendors, pitch their deals, and find out what they need to be doing to remain compliant and become successful.
Broker Fair 2024 will take place at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. Brokers pay the lowest price for entry. There is also a pre-show party the night before on May 19th at a Lounge called Somewhere Nowhere NYC (yes that’s really the name!).
If you’re a broker, Broker Fair 2024 is an event you cannot miss!
What Big Publicly Traded Companies Say About Merchant Cash Advances
March 13, 2024deBanked examined the public messaging from some of the largest publicly traded merchant cash advance facilitators in the US and this is what it found:
SHOPIFY
A merchant cash advance is a purchase of your future sales, also known as receivables. If your application for funding is accepted, then Shopify provides you a lump sum of money for a fixed fee. Under the Shopify capital agreement, this lump sum is known as the amount advanced, and the total to remit is the amount advanced plus the fixed fee. In return, you pay Shopify Capital a percentage of your daily sales until Shopify receives the total to remit. The percentage of your daily sales that you must remit to Shopify is known as the remittance rate. The amount advanced and the remittance rate depend on your risk profile.
For example, Shopify Capital might advance you 5,000 USD for 5,650 USD paid from your store’s future sales, with a remittance rate of 10%. The 5,000 USD amount that you receive is transferred to your business bank account specified in your admin, and Shopify Capital receives 10% of your store’s gross daily sales until the full 5,650 USD total to remit has been remitted. You have the option, at any time, to remit any outstanding balance in a single lump sum.
There is no deadline for remitting the total to Shopify Capital. The daily remittance amount in USD is determined by your store’s daily sales, because the remittance rate is a percentage of your store’s daily sales. The remittance amount is automatically debited from your business bank account.
DOORDASH
DoorDash Capital is a cash advance, not a loan. With a cash advance, the offer is based on your sales and account history, and includes a simple, transparent one-time fee that you’ll know before you decide to accept the offer. A loan operates using interest, which can compound over time, and often includes other fees in addition to the stated interest rate.
LIGHTSPEED
AMAZON
A [merchant cash advance is a] non-revolving sum of funding with flexible payment, no personal collateral required and no late fees. With flexible payment, no personal collateral required and no late fees, a merchant cash advance provides sellers funding to help run and grow their business. Unlike interest-bearing loans, the advance ties payment to a portion of a seller’s future sales for a fixed capital fee, there are no additional fees or interest charged.
NERDWALLET
Fixed withdrawals from a bank account
Merchant cash advance companies can also withdraw funds directly from your business bank account. In this case, fixed repayments are made daily or weekly from your account regardless of how much you earn in sales, and the fixed repayment amount is determined based on an estimate of your monthly revenue.
PAYPAL
A merchant cash advance is not a loan, but rather a type of financing that business owners pay back with a percentage of their future sales.
Cash (Basis) is King
March 1, 2024David Roitblat is the founder and CEO of Better Accounting Solutions, an accounting firm based in New York City, and a leading authority in specialized accounting for merchant cash advance companies. To connect with David or schedule a call about working with Better Accounting Solutions, email david@betteraccountingsolutions.com.
Tax season is upon us, and it’s the worst.
Aside from wading through scores of financial documents and dealing with a million questions, it’s a fact that our government is purposely opaque in how it accounts for the tax dollars they take from business owners, and simply don’t know what it’s like to actually have a job that doesn’t involve overegulating others. On top of that, the merchant cash advance space is a difficult one to define and operate in for its different categories of advances and investors. As a result of all this, tax season can be complicated and difficult.
It’s for this reason that Better Accounting Solutions services many cash advance businesses- so let me explain what we do and why to make it easier for our clients, and-hopefully- easier for you as well.
Loans are easy to account for: there is simply the principal amount and interest. By contrast, cash advances involve the purchase of future receivables with different metrics, durations and structures for how it is paid.
Because of this, Better Accounting Solutions are big proponents of the cash basis accounting method (if a business makes less than $10 million in actual annual revenue): only recognizing the income when it is received, instead of when the transactions are made but before any money is actually seen.
To explain the concept, consider this example we’ve used before:
A merchant cash advance provider funds a merchant with $100,000 at a commission expense of 12% and a Closing Fee income of 10%. The bank fee income and RTR/Factor Rate is .5, while the merchant will pay back $150,000, $1,500 daily assuming a 100 day duration.
In terms of handling the books, we’d recommend recognizing the commission expense and closing fee income immediately (in most scenarios) on the day the advance is given, deducted from the funded amount.
But with the factor income, no additional income would be recognized until the full contract funded amount of $100,000 is received in the funder’s bank account (not just the amount wired). Once the contract amount is fully received on a cash basis, any payments received after that point constitute factor income or RTR income.
We recommend recognizing income and filing this way because, simply by reporting on a cash basis, you are deferring the recognized tax income.
This means that for all the deals in the process of being paid by the time the financial year is over do not need to be recognized for tax purposes until the next year when the full amount is back in your account, thereby deferring your tax liabilities.This means you have more time to spend that money and grow your actual business, which is obviously the reason we all do what we do.
When done simply, without over bureaucratic machinations, and with professional assistance, taxes don’t have to be a painful and difficult experience, and can even be a boon to your cash flow when done right. Make 2024 the year you show Uncle Sam you know your way around the tax system, no matter what they throw at you.
It’s essential to emphasize that this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as personal accounting or financial advice. It’s strongly recommended for funders and companies to seek guidance from qualified accountants or financial professionals to ensure compliance with accounting standards and tax regulations tailored to their specific circumstances.
Shopify Capital Renewal Rate Greater than 70%
February 13, 2024Shopify Capital’s funding business is continuing to gain momentum, according to the company’s latest quarterly earnings. Shopify stopped specifying precisely how much it is originating (perhaps because deBanked kept turning those numbers into posts every quarter for years) but still lists the receivables from its loans and merchant cash advances as a line item on its balance sheet. There the balance increased from $580M to $816 year-over-year.
“We know the capital product has been effective because we’re seeing a repeat renewal rate of over 70%, a testament to our ability to help merchants access the funding they need for growth, particularly ahead of key sale times, including the crucial Q4 holiday shopping season,” said Shopify President Harley Finkelstein during the call.
Amazon’s On-Balance-Sheet Business Loan Program Steady
February 11, 2024
Amazon’s business loan program was relatively steady in Q4 if its seller lending receivables are any indication. Those receivables totaled $1.3B, which was in line with where it has been throughout 2023. Compared to Amazon’s overall business, which generated $170 billion in sales in Q4 alone, its in-house lending business is rarely if at all mentioned.
Part of this is because Amazon has forged ties with third parties to service large swaths of its sellers. These parties include Parafin, Lendistry, and more recently SellersFi.
“Amazon is committed to providing our sellers with flexible and convenient access to capital, regardless of their size,” said Tai Koottatep, director and general manager, Amazon WW B2B Payments & Lending as part of the SellersFi announcement last month. “Through this lending option with SellersFi, we’re able to strengthen that commitment and offer sellers even more opportunities to grow their business.”
“Working with the Amazon Lending team has been an exceptional experience for SellersFi,” said Leonardo Felisberto, Head of Global Business Development and Partnerships at SellersFi during that same announcement. “Their dedication to empowering sellers aligns perfectly with our mission, and together, we’ve unlocked more possibilities for e-commerce entrepreneurs. We’re hopeful this can be another step toward supporting the growth aspirations of online sellers in the US and beyond.”
Lightspeed’s Merchant Cash Advance Business is Accelerating
February 8, 2024
“Our capital business has grown—it’s doubled from over a year ago and we expect that trajectory to continue. And capital revenue comes in at a 95% gross margin,” said Lightspeed CFO Asha Bakshani in the company’s most recent quarterly earnings call.
Although Lightspeed is more widely known as a global e-commerce platform, analysts have been encouraging the company to ramp up its merchant cash advance business because of the considerable margins it produces. As such Lightspeed through Lightspeed Capital has been doing just that. And not just in the US. “We launched Lightspeed Capital in France, the Netherlands and Belgium this quarter, and Germany shortly after the quarter, expanding our global footprint for this high-margin offering,” said company CEO Jean Paul Chauvet.
Origination growth has been slow, however, because the company has been concerned with the potential impact it will have on its own available operating cash. This fear seems slightly overblown as Lightspeed reported having $750M in cash as of the close of the most recent quarter and said that merchant cash advance originations were responsible for using up only $8.3M in cash during the quarter.
Broker Battle Finds a Champion
January 14, 2024At the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, thousands of viewers packed a hall to witness the first ever Broker Battle™ at deBanked CONNECT. After the rules of the competition were explained, six broker contestants waited eagerly for their turn to face four judges and with that a chance to win a grand prize of $5,000. Their goal? Choose from one of three pre-defined sales scenarios and show off their knowledge and abilities to the judges. Here’s what happened:
The Broker Battle was introduced
Broker Battle judge Daniel Dames (Bitty Advance) held up a Title belt
Irving Betesh (Advance Funds Network) had the distinction of going first. He came prepared!
The contestants continued one by one alphabetically by last name
The conversational role playing on the stage covered the gamut, ranging from explaining APRs and contract terminology to diagnosing customer needs or trying to earn a customer’s business. Below, judges Jared Weitz (United Capital Source) and Cheryl Tibbs (Equipment LeaseCo Inc) listen in to a contestant’s pitch.
Mike Brooks (Best Connect Capital) came in with his own style
Corey Digi (Lexington Capital Group) put up a strong showing
Stanley Mitchell (CLM Financial) goes to work
Danielle Rivelli (United Capital Source) showed off her experience
Anthony Truglia (CapFront) made it known the competition wasn’t over yet
The judges had to add up their scores for each contestant to find out which TWO would make it into the final championship battle
Second from the right is judge Leo Vargas (Triton Recovery Group).
Anthony Truglia and Danielle Rivelli are declared the two finalists after racking up the highest scores
The final sales scenario is revealed!
Both contestants have to compete on stage at the same time! Oh my!
The contestants are sent offstage so the judges can deliberate
And the winner is…
Anthony Truglia!
All photos from the Broker Battle here
All photos from the rest of deBanked CONNECT MIAMI here
deBanked would like to thank all of the amazing broker contestants for participating in something bold and brand new. Thank you to Anthony Truglia, Danielle Rivelli, Corey Digi, Irving Betesh, Stanley Mitchell, and Mike Brooks. Gratitude is also directed towards the judges for their efforts, Cheryl Tibbs, Daniel Dames, Jared Weitz, and Leo Vargas.
deBanked hopes that this competition inspires all brokers to become better, to further master their knowledge of available products, legal compliance, style, and confidence. A video highlight reel of the competition is in post-production.
Interested in more from deBanked? Contact us at info@debanked.com or call 212-220-9084.
The Top Small Business Funders Now Vs. Then
January 11, 2024Top Small Business Funders By Year
| 2008 | 2014 | 2023 |
| AdvanceMe (CAN Capital) | OnDeck | Square |
| First Funds | CAN Capital | Enova (OnDeck / Headway) |
| Merchant Cash and Capital (BizFi) | Kabbage | Shopify |
| BFS | Kapitus | PayPal |
| AmeriMerchant | Rapid Finance | Amazon |
| GBR Funding | National Funding | Intuit |
Many people look at 2023 vs 2008 and arrive at the conclusion that the fintechs rose to the top, but if one were to narrow down the definition of those players a little further, they’d notice that PayPal and Square are payment companies, Shopify and Amazon are e-commerce companies, and Intuit owns the Quickbooks accounting software. These are actually older companies that took an old idea (split-funding) and made it new again with some key changes. Although in the present moment it may feel like some of them cannot be beat (which is how the industry felt about the top funders in 2008), much can change over the course of this decade.
Keep your eye on:
- AI
- Blockchain (as payment rails, record-keeping)
- Regulation
