Security

How does a start-up business raise money against used trucks in a post Royal Commission environment?

The owner of a transport business passed away and the deceased estate could find no more a suitable buyer than the business’ general manager (GM).

The GM set up a new entity for the purpose of completing the acquisition. As such, it was deemed a “new business” and was the first deterrent for traditional lenders, despite the fact that cash flow forecasts demonstrated a capacity to service.

This month’s case study highlights a special situations case where a transport company was depleted of its cash resources after the directors invested in a pub.

The cash burn on the pub venture led to ATO arrears in the transport business, ultimately making it impossible to fund the business through traditional means.

Recently, a mining services business dealing with the wet & dry hire of equipment encountered setbacks in the mobilisation of large contracts, after the fleet had been largely either mothballed or retrenched. Despite the long-standing business being historically successful, recent financial data indicated a lack of serviceability – bringing the business to a standstill. The need for funding new equipment, re-certification of mothballed equipment and further working capital was apparent, with a total funding requirement estimated for $1M.

In December, Hermes was asked to fund a mining services business with a funding requirement of $6 million, comprising $4 million in term debt and $2 million in debtor finance, for a 12-month period over which time the business would be “turned around”. Hermes applies three key criteria when assessing a funding opportunity, as this month’s case study illustrates. The three criteria can be summed up in three words: wheelhouse, security and runway.