Every business decision has costs and expenses associated with it to function. The most straightforward way to cover these costs is to pay for them using your business’s revenue. However, you also have the choice to secure funding against it with revenue-based funding. It is a newer financing model gaining popularity among entrepreneurs who need capital but aren't yet willing to consider inflexible bank loans or giving up ownership in equity funding. In this guide, we'll break down what revenue-based funding is, how it works, and its advantages.
What is Revenue-based Financing?
Revenue-based financing is a funding model where a business receives capital in exchange for a fixed percentage of its future revenues until the agreed repayment amount is met. It is conceptually like other forms of debt because it involves borrowing money up front and repaying by making smaller payments over time.
Unlike normal loans, you pay a proportion of your monthly income instead of a fixed EMI. So, if you make more sales, you pay more that month. If you make fewer sales, you pay less that month. Here are the main elements of revenue-based financing:
● Funding Amount: Initial amount sanctioned to the borrower.
● Payment: Proportion of monthly income.
● Tenure: Varies depending on your revenue performance, not a predetermined target date.
Revenue-based financing funds are a mutually beneficial capital arrangement where your payment corresponds with your revenue, which is less difficult to manage in months where revenue is short.
How Does Revenue-based Financing Work?
Here's how revenue-based business funding works in India:
1. Funding Agreement
You and the RBF (Revenue-based financing) provider agree on:
● The amount of funding.
● The percentage of your month-over-month revenue to repay (typically 3%–15%).
● The "cap" or total amount you repay (typically 1.3x to 2x the initial funding).
2. Disbursal
When a lender approves revenue-based business funding, the capital is directly deposited into your business bank account. This is often quicker than traditional lending, and you get the money within days.
3. Revenue-linked Repayments
Following that, businesses either make set payments over a predetermined period or divert 3-15% of their earnings over terms of 6-24 months until the principal is reconciled. You repay a certain percentage of your actual revenue every month till you pay the amount agreed by the lender.
● High-revenue months = more repayments.
● Low-revenue months = fewer repayments.
4. End of Contract
As soon as you've repaid the agreed sum (principal + agreed multiple), the agreement comes to an end, and there's no further commitment remaining from your end.
Example of Revenue-based Financing Funds
You borrow ₹50 lakh of revenue-based business funding with a limit of repayment of 1.5 times and 5% monthly share of revenue.
● Total repayment = ₹75 lakh.
● If you make ₹50 lakh in a month, you repay ₹2.5 lakh.
● If you make ₹20 lakh, you repay ₹1 lakh.
The model will automatically have a shorter repayment term if your revenues increase at a higher rate.
Benefits of Revenue-based Financing
Revenue-based funding is not all about getting urgent cash. It's about flexibility and synchronisation of growth. Here are some reasons why businesses opt for this type of financing:
- No Equity Dilution: You don't give up a piece of your business like you would with venture capital. You retain complete control and ownership of your business.
- Flexible Repayments: Your repayments are flexible, along with your sales. If business is slow, your repayment load lightens automatically.
- Faster Approval: Traditional loans may take months or weeks to approve, and are generally tedious in documentation. Revenue-based business funding applications are quicker, with approvals in some instances within a few days.
- No Fixed Collateral: The majority of revenue-based funding providers do not require personal guarantees or fixed assets as collateral. Approval is more dependent on your potential revenues than on your asset base.
- Alignment of Interests: The lender only profits when you succeed. Plus, this type of financing arrangement is a great partnership and way to build professional networks.
- Cash Flow-friendly: As payments are a percentage of revenue, they never exceed your budget and save you from cash flow shocks during slow months.
- Faster Growth: You can put money directly into marketing, hiring, inventory, or product development without having to go through the frustration of lengthy loan approvals.
- Better Than Short-term Debt: Compared to merchant cash advances or high-interest short-term loans, revenue-based funding is often more affordable and less risky.
- Encourages Sustainable Scaling: As repayments grow with your revenue, you're incentivised to scale steadily without overstretching your business finances.
Who Can Benefit from Revenue-based Funding?
Revenue-based financing is best suited for businesses with steady, recurring revenue streams or businesses that have high seasonal highs.
● SaaS companies with subscription-based revenues.
● E-commerce businesses with consistent monthly sales.
● Digital service firms with multi-year client contracts.
● Consumer product firms are expanding market demand.
If your income is stable or increasing, revenue-based funding can be a great tool.
Revenue-Based Financing vs. Other Financing Modes
Before choosing revenue-based financing funds, it's vital to compare how it is placed against other financing modes:
|
This table shows that RBFs have the non-dilutive character of loans and the flexibility of revenue-linked payments, but without the burdensome collateral requirements.
Limitations of Revenue-based Business Funding
Even though there are a lot of benefits of an RBF, there are also some drawbacks that you should consider.
● Higher Total Repayment: You may end up paying more than a standard bank loan, especially if your revenues grow quickly.
● Not Suitable for Unstable Revenues: If your revenues are extremely unstable, it may take too long to repay or deter lenders from granting your request.
● Revenue Tracking: Since the repayments are attached to your revenues, the lenders typically ask to view your records of sales or your bank statements, which can be intrusive to some business owners.
How to Prepare for Revenue-based Financing?
If you believe that revenue-based financing funds are the right choice for you, then here's what you should do to strengthen your application:
- Show Stable Revenue: Lenders need evidence of stable or increasing revenue over multiple months.
- Show a Clear Strategy for Growth: Describe how you will use the funds to develop sales, marketing, product development, or establish operations.
- Keep Transparent Records: Have clear and transparent accounting statements, sales history, and bank records available for inspection.
- Estimate the Impact: Use projections to understand how the repayment percentage will impact your monthly cash flow at various levels of revenue.
To Conclude
Revenue-based financing is an excellent source of securing funds for your business without having to give up equity or ownership of the company. It's especially good for companies with stable or growing revenue who want capital without relinquishing control or taking on inflexible debt burdens.
However, you must know your repayment capacity, forecast various revenue models, and determine if the model is a good fit for your cash flow. It may not work for every business, but it may be the flexible solution that closes the gap between vision and achievement for many businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I repay a revenue-based financing loan early if my revenues grow faster than expected?
Yes, most RBF providers allow early repayment, but some may still require the full agreed repayment cap.
Will I still need to share revenue data if my repayment is fixed?
Yes, lenders usually need monthly revenue reports to calculate repayments accurately.
Is revenue-based business financing suitable if I have seasonal sales spikes?
Yes, it can be. If your payments will be higher in peak months and lower in slow months, this works well for seasonal businesses.
What happens if my revenue drops significantly for a few months?
Your repayments will reduce proportionally, but it will extend the repayment period.
Do RBF providers also offer guidance or just funding?
Some offer only capital, while others provide growth support, marketing advice, or business connections as part of the partnership.
We take utmost care to provide information based on internal data and reliable sources. However, this article and associated web pages provide generic information for reference purposes only. Readers must make an informed decision by reviewing the products offered and the terms and conditions. Loan disbursal is at the sole discretion of Poonawalla Fincorp.
*Terms and Conditions apply