What is Working Capital?

Published on
July 14, 2020
Written by
Zachary Pestana
Writers@Aspire
Reviewed by
Episode #
What is Working Capital?
In Part 1 of Aspire's SME Guide to working capital loans, we define working capital and liquidity. Here's why they're important.
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Welcome to our SME guide on working capital loansā€” tailored for the savvy entrepreneur. If you're a small business owner, you've come to the right place! This definitive guide explains all you need to know about working capital loans, and why you need to know it.

First, letā€™s cover the basics.

Contents

  1. What is working capital?
  2. When to get a working capital loan
  3. Types of working capital loans
  4. Choosing a working capital loan

Working capital

Working capital refers to the money that a company uses to manage its everyday expenses. Quite simply,

Working capital = Current assets - Current liabilities

  • Current assets are what the company currently ownsā€” both cash and the intangible assets that can be converted to cash.
  • Current liabilities are debts the company will repay within the year. This includes business expenses like rent, utilities, materials, and accounts payable.

Cash flow is often called the lifeblood of a businessā€” and for good reason, as even profitable ventures can run into trouble if they arenā€™t able to meet their short term financial obligations.

It can be tricky for SME and small business owners to strike the right working capital balance. Having enough such that their daily operations run smoothly, while avoiding excess cash lying around.

Working capital liquidity

Here's another key concept: liquidity. Itā€™s important to keep your working capital liquidity in mind, so that youā€™re aware of how much of your tangible and intangible assets are available for use. Thatā€™s because your current assets may not all be in the form of cash.

For example, a portion of your current assets may be tied up in inventory or accounts receivable. As such, itā€™s important that small business owners get a sense of their weekly cash flow, to avoid running into payment issues or missing out on business opportunities.

Hence, working capital loans are to fund a companyā€™s day-to-day operational expenses. To find out the uses they're good for , let's head on to Part 2.

ā‡Ø 2. When to Get a Working Capital Loan

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zachary Pestana is a seasoned writer in market trends and business thought leadership. With a writing history at Incorp Global, MOQdigital, and AIESEC Australia, Zachary leverages his broad range of experiences to stimulate industry conversations and engage audiences.
Zachary Pestana
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Aspire is the all-in-one finance operating system for businesses. Our mission is to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs with the financial tools they need to realise their companyā€™s full potential.
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