Hello, Im gonna get right to the point…
For context, I started my business in 2018. We’re an online supply company for a specific industry.
Revenue by year (Covid affected my industry from 2020-2022):
2018: $48,000
2019: $265,000
2020: $300,000
2021: $300,000
2022: $330,000
2023: $330,000
My total debt is $55,000 on a SBA line of credit. 80% of that is inventory, and roughly $11,000 was used to survive shutdowns during the pandemic. My debt has not increased because the cashflow and profits have been able to sustain the business. Keyword here is Sustain, not grow.
My question:
I recently got a new line of credit through the SBA for $80,000. I could use this to carry more products and brands to grow revenue but I don’t like the idea of taking on more debt. But it seems like a necessary evil. How would you proceed with these current circumstances? Note I have more debt than cash already, which is why I don’t want to take on more debt. But then I see companies like Amazon with $64B cash and $303B liabilities, so I don’t feel too bad 🤷♂️
Am I looking at debt the wrong way?
Thanks in advance!
Depends. What for growth rate can you release with your dollar. For example: your CAC is 10% of the one-time sale. A line of debt with <10% interest is fine and can be used to grow. But if you get debt and don’t translate it into direct business, than it could be a problem.