Capital Financing: Beginner’s Guide to Importance & Working

Capital Financing is the process of raising funds to support a business’s operations. There are many ways to raise funds – issuing stocks, bonds, taking loans, investments, or capital from founding partners. 

Capital financing is the most important part of starting and running a business – all business operations run on money, and without sufficient capital, will come to a complete standstill.

What is Capital Financing?

There are two main types of capital – fixed and working. Fixed capital is used to purchase fixed assets, like machines, land, and property. Working capital is used for day-to-day expenses, like payroll or rent. 

Both kinds of capital are equally important for businesses, and it is up to the promoter or founders of the business to ensure that there is enough capital for both. 

Capital Financing is the process of acquiring funds for both working and fixed capital. Depending on the mode of business and the risk appetite of the founder, there are many different ways to raise funds and capital. 

Types of Capital Financing

Capital funding or financing can be overall divided into two major types: debt and stock issuance. 

Debt Issuance

Debt issuance refers to the process of borrowing money by issuing bonds, notes, or other debt instruments to investors. 

When an organization issues debt, it is essentially borrowing money from investors who purchase the bonds or notes. In exchange for lending their money, investors receive regular interest payments from the issuer until the bond or note matures, at which point the issuer must repay the principal amount borrowed.

Debt can also be taken on in the form of bank loans or credit lines. These are provided to companies by banks or financial institutions based on the performance of the business, the creditworthiness and more. 

The benefit of debt issuance is that it does not dilute the ownership of the business. The founder of the business can raise money without having to give up control of his business. 

Additionally, interest payments made on debt are typically tax-deductible, which can help reduce tax liability.

Stock Issuance

When a company issues stock, it is essentially selling ownership in the company to investors in exchange for cash. This ownership takes the form of shares, which represent a portion of the company’s equity.

Companies can issue stocks to public, or to private shareholders. When a company issues shares to the public, it becomes a public company and is subject to the rules and regulations of SEBI. 

Raising money by issuing stocks allows companies to raise money without incurring debt or paying interest. It is also less risky than taking on debt since investors take on company risk themselves. 

Of course, there are some limitations to stock issuance – ownership gets diluted, which means the value of existing investments also gets diluted. Further, the regulations that SEBI imposes on public companies are quite stringent – like having to disclose their financial statements every quarter.

Cost of Capital Financing

Before committing to any route of raising capital, companies have to do a thorough analysis of the various risk factors and the cost of raising the capital. 

There are also various mathematical analyses that can be done – like the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) or return on invested capital (ROIC) that can give deeper insight into how much it would cost to raise money.

For example, the major cost associated with raising money through debt is interest payments and collateral. With stock issuance, it would be regulations, compliances, underwriting fees and dividend payments. 

The best ratio of stock to debt capital would be a custom, fine-tuned combination of the two – no business can entirely depend on only one kind of capital financing. 

Managing Capital Financing

Planning and handling capital financing or funding for a business is a complex task – it requires deep knowledge of finances, investments, cost analysis, accounting and more. For small businesses and startups that don’t have access to a financial expert, this can be a daunting task.

For these businesses, it is important to keep these tips in mind:

• Commit with care: No matter how risk-free a certain capital financing opportunity  may seem, it is important to remember that all capital comes with risk associated – even equity stocks, which carry the least risk.

• Assess your needs: Certain kinds of capital financing are better suited for certain financial needs of the company. For example, if a company has plans of expansion, introducing new product lines or other such big projects, debt might not be the way to go due to the high risk levels.
• Seek the right support: It is important to have the right kind of financial support in all steps of the financing process. From the bank to your money management techniques, it is up to the founder to ensure that the business’s money movement is as smooth as possible.

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