An overview of equity vs debt financing
Companies typically have two forms of financing as options for raising capital for business needs: equity financing and debt financing. Although most businesses combine debt and equity financing, each have some clear benefits. The most important of them is that equity financing has no payback requirements and offers additional operating capital that may be utilized to expand a business. On the other side, debt financing doesn’t call for relinquishing any ownership.
Typically, businesses may choose between equity and debt financing. The decision often comes down to the company’s ability to acquire the capital, its cash flow, and how vital it is to the company’s major shareholders to preserve control of the business. The debt-to-equity ratio demonstrates how equally debt and equity contribute to a company’s financing.
KEY LESSONS
When a business wants to obtain capital, it has two financing options: equity financing and debt financing.
Equity financing entails selling a piece of the company’s equity, while debt financing entails borrowing money.
The fact that there is no need to return the money obtained via equity financing is its major benefit.
The negative of equity financing might be extremely significant, but it does not add to the company’s financial burden.
The fundamental benefit of debt financing is that, unlike equity financing, a business owner does not cede any control of the business.
Financing via Equity
Selling a part of a company’s equity to raise capital is known as equity financing. For instance, Company ABC’s owner could need to raise business to finance company capital. The capital’s owner chooses to sell a 10% stake in the firm to an investor in exchange for funding. With a 10% stake in the firm currently, the investor will have a say in future business choices.
The fact that there is no need to return the money obtained via equity financing is its major benefit. Naturally, a business’s owners want it to succeed and provide equity investors a favorable return on their investment, but without having to make payments or pay interest, as with debt financing.
The corporation incurs no extra costs as a result of equity financing. With equity financing, there are no obligatory monthly payments, giving the corporation additional capital to go toward expanding the business. However, this does not imply that equity financing is without drawbacks.
In actuality, the drawback is considerable. You will need to provide the investor a portion of your business in exchange for money. Every time you make choices that will have an impact on the firm, you will have to confer with your new partners and split the earnings. The only option to get rid of investors is to buy them out, which will probably cost more than the money they provided you initially.
Debt financing
In debt financing, money is borrowed and then repaid with interest. A loan is the most typical kind of debt financing. Debt financing sometimes entails limitations on the company’s operations, which may prohibit it from seizing possibilities outside of its primary business. A relatively low debt-to-equity ratio is seen positively by creditors, which is advantageous to the business should it ever need to secure further debt financing.
There are several benefits to debt financing. First off, the lender has no influence on your business. Your connection with the financier is terminated after you have repaid the debt. The interest you pay is furthermore tax deductible.
Finally, since loan payments are constant, expenditures are simple to predict.
Anyone who has debt understands the drawbacks of borrowing financing with debt. Debt is a wager on your capacity to repay loans in the future.
What if your business faces challenges if the economy collapses once more? What if business growth is slower or less successful than anticipated? Debt is an expenditure, and expenses must be paid on time every time. This can hinder the expansion of your business.
Finally, the lender may still need you to guarantee the loan with the financial resources of your family, even if you are a limited liability company (LLC) or other business organization that offers some degree of separation between the company and personal cash. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) collaborates with a few banks to provide a guaranteed loan program that makes it simpler for small enterprises to get capital if you believe debt financing is the best option for you.
Example of Debt vs. Equity Financing
Company Building additional plants and investing in new equipment are two ways ABC plans to grow its business. It concludes that $50 million in capital must be raised in order to finance its expansion.
Company ABC determines it will use a mix of equity financing and debt financing to attain this capital. In exchange for $20 million in capital, it offers a private investor a 15% equity share in its business as part of the equity financing component. It secures a $30 million business loan with a 3% interest rate from a bank for the debt financing portion. Three years are given to repay the debt.
The aforementioned example might be combined in a variety of ways to get a variety of results. For instance, if Company ABC opted to only use equity financing to obtain capital, the owners would have to give up greater ownership, which would lower their share of future earnings and decision-making authority.
On the other hand, if they were to just utilize debt financing, their monthly expenditures would be greater, leaving them with less money on hand to spend for other things. Additionally, they would have a heavier debt load that they would have to pay back with interest. The optimal choice or combination for a business must be determined.
Particular Considerations
Several variables, including your existing and projected profitability, dependency on ownership and control, and your eligibility for either one, will determine which one is best for you. Below is a more thorough explanation of each sort of financing’s many forms and funding sources.
Debt financing
These are some sources of debt financing:
A term loan
Business credit lines
Billing factoring
Business credit cards
Loans for personal use, often from family or friends
Services for peer-to-peer lending
A SBA loan
Your current financial situation and creditworthiness have a big role in your capacity to get debt financing.
Financing via Equity
Examples of equity financing sources include:
Angel backers
Crowdfunding
Venture capital companies
corporate shareholders
Incorporating an initial public offering and listing on a market (IPO)
Although obtaining equity financing might be easier than obtaining debt financing, you still need to have a highly desirable product or strong financial prospects, be willing to give up some ownership of your business, and often a significant amount of control.
Why Would a Business Opt for Debt Over Equity Financing?
If a corporation doesn’t want to give up any ownership of the business, debt financing would be preferred over equity financing. If a business has confidence in its finances, it would not wish to pass on the earnings to shareholders by giving someone else equity.
Is Equity Cheaper Than Debt?
Debt may be less expensive than equity depending on your business and how well it operates, but the contrary is also true. Your equity financing essentially comes at no cost to you if your business fails and closes. You must still repay the loan plus interest even if you use debt financing to get a small business loan but make no money. In this case, debt financing is more expensive. However, the amount you pay shareholders may be far more than it would be if you had retained ownership and only made a loan if your firm sold for millions of dollars. Every situation is unique.
Which is riskier, equity financing or debt financing?
It varies. If you are not making money, debt financing may be riskier since your lenders may put more pressure on you to make payments. Equity financing might be problematic, however, if your investors anticipate that you will make a substantial profit, as they often do. If they are not satisfied, they may attempt to bargain for lower equity prices or completely sell.
Businesses may get the capital they want via equity and debt financing. Depending on your business objectives, risk tolerance, and control requirements, you’ll need one over the other. While many companies in the initial stage may seek equity financing, established companies, those who don’t mind taking on debt, and those with good credit scores may choose for typical debt financing options like small business loans.