Factoring is one of the oldest business practices known. We know that it was used at least as long ago as the time of the Ancient Roman Empire, when merchants would enlist the help of collectors in order to settle trade debts. The primary reason for factorings long history is that it addresses a very fundamental problem in business itself: cash flow.
Lets say you run a small company thats developing a unique idea. Everyone works hard in designing the product, and your sales department hits pay dirt: a large manufacturing contract. This is exactly what you wanted, but you now have a problem: you need to hire more people and invest in some machinery to fulfill the contract, but you wont see any money until the goods are delivered.
In this situation, a lot of your options arent too appealing a large loan (assuming your business has the credit,) or convincing your employees to accept a deferred payroll. In many cases the best solution is to strike a deal with an invoice factoring company. What the factoring company will do is effectively buy your invoices at a discount – the factor, which are typically 3 – 4% – and provide you with the up front cash...