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If you own a small business, you can expect a couple of debts to haunt you. This is a normal occurrence. From the moment you get a start up loan for the business, you are already in debt. The only difference with consumer debt is that any loan that you take for you business should help pay for itself. Your business generates revenues and any loan you take should be to improve that money making quality.

However, there are instances wherein the debt payments can no longer be supported by the revenues. That means you have to start considering debt relief options.

There are government programs that you can look into. The great thing about these programs is the fact that you can get lower than the usual interest rates. You can search through Grants.gov to provide you with options on what grants you can avail from the Federal government. These include mostly small business startup loans but they can also provide guarantees for debt assistance loans.

Part of the ARRA or American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 states that tax relief are available for companies who are trying to cut back losses in order to cope with mounting debt. This is something that small business owners may want to look into. Apart from that, it provided over $700 million in funds for SBA loans.

You should also know that whatever you can use in consumer debt can be applied in small business too. You can opt for debt consolidation loans or debt settlement. Of course, bankruptcy is also an option but this should be your last resort. All of these small business debt relief options can be effective for certain financial situations.

In debt consolidation loans, the idea remains the same - you take out a big loan to cover for your other credit obligations. The idea is to stretch your loan longer so you get to pay smaller monthly payments. As your debt payment becomes smaller, you free up more funds to invest them in campaigns and strategies that will help increase the revenues of your business.

Debt settlement is also an option that you can look into. Since a lot of small business entrepreneurs function as sole proprietors, they can qualify either as individual consumers or as a business owner. They get to enroll in a program wherein the debt settlement expert will review the financial capabilities of the business to consider how much it can pay their debts while having enough to cover for the overhead expenses. They will negotiate with the creditors on their behalf so the debt is reduced and the penalty charges are waived off.

The last option that small business owners face is bankruptcy. There is a specific chapter known as the Chapter 11 bankruptcy that entrepreneurs can file. It is also known as the Reorganization bankruptcy and it will allow small businesses in debt to get loans with favorable interest rates. These loans will help them stay afloat. It is no longer true that filing for bankruptcy will result in the closure of the company. It is important that you approach bankruptcy carefully as it does pose a significant impact on one’s credit score - specially for sole proprietorship businesses. Consult a bankruptcy lawyer before you proceed so you can identify if this is the best course for you to take.

Ultimately, you should know that debt relief is not enough to solve your problem. You need to check your business processes, audit financial books and see through your products and services to determine why your revenues cannot cover both overhead expenses and debt payments. You may have to consider revising some areas in your company to avoid being in the same situation again.


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