O.k., here is another neat opportunity and for Germany is actually quite new:

loads of medium sized companies in trade or production of goods are kept on a very short leash with German banks when it comes to getting a decent "Dispo-Linie", i.e. the right to overdraw current accounts within given limits.

Now if your company or the company you work at has a yearly turnover in excess of 750k EUR per year and purchases tangible goods for trade or for production of new goods in excess of 150k EUR per year, here is the new external financing:

you sign up with a financing company who will act as an inbetween trade (and not as a lender for legal reasons), i.e. you will place your order through them. They will pay the goods at your supplier within 7 days of receipt, thus cashing in the usual 3% cash discount. Then they deliver the goods to you and give you 120 days to repay the goods to them. For the time after the first 30 days which are covered with the yield from the cash discount there is a small daily fee/interest on top of it.

Now if you do the math and if you can either pay cash for the goods you order or if you still enjoy enough overdraft limit with your bank, the costs will be high in comparison - or in other words it is a good business to be the go-between. However, in my daily consulting of entrepreneurs in all financial matters my experience is that as well struggling as expanding companies only pay a very small percentage of the their purchases still with cash account, mostly they can only pay after 30 days or even later (and paying then overdrat fees to the delivering supplier). For all these companies it is a good vent to get additional cash for their business without having to beg at their bank.

If anyone is interested, contact me

Cheerio