FAQ. Thinking Capital. Applying

Transcription

1 Applying Q. How do I know if I qualify for financing? A. We fund small- to medium-sized businesses that meet the following criteria: Canadian-based. In business for a minimum of six months. Minimum average sales of $7,000 per month. Q. How much financing can I apply for? A. You can apply for up to $300,000 for your business. Q. What is a business loan? A. With a loan, you agree to an interest rate and a fi xed daily amount payment based on that rate and the loan size. You can choose to repay in 9 or 12 months (186 or 248 equal payments). There is no collateral requirement for our loans. Q. How do you charge for a loan? A. We charge an interest rate for loans paid through fi xed daily payments. You have the option to repay in 9 or 12 months (186 or 248 equal payments). Q. Is collateral required for your loan? A. No, we do not request any collateral. Q. What is your interest rate? A. Our interest rate varies by customer and situation. Please apply online to see how much you qualify for and at what rates. Q. How do you determine how much financing I am eligible to receive? A. We determine the amount you qualify for based on information from the data sources you connect. For example, we can take your processor s deposits, Paypal and Square transactions, or your cheque deposits and cash deposits into consideration. Q. If I don t process debit and credit card sales can I still apply for financing? A. Yes. We will determine the amount you qualify for based on your bank statements and any other data sources like Paypal and Square transactions that you are able to provide from the last 12 months. Q. If I don t have an address can I still apply online? A. An address is required. Q. I just opened my business; am I still eligible to receive financing? A. If your business is at least six months old, you can apply for funding. Q. I am planning to move my business to a new location; can I still apply for financing? A. Yes, but please inform us of your planned move when you apply. Q. I just moved locations; am I still eligible to receive funding? A. Yes. As long as your business has been operational for the past six months, you can apply for fi nancing. Q. Can I still apply for funding if my business is up for sale? A. Unfortunately, we cannot move forward with your application if your business is currently for sale. However, this does not mean that you can t receive fi nancing from us in the future, once your business is no longer for sale.

2 Q. Do you finance all types of businesses? A. We fund businesses in nearly every industry, including restaurants, retail, auto repair, and beauty salons. We do not fund start-ups that have no revenue. Q. What types of businesses do you work with? A. We work with existing small- to medium-sized businesses across Canada in a variety of industries, including restaurants, retail, auto repair, and health and beauty. Q. I don t own 100% of my business; can I still apply for financing? A. If you own at least 75%, you can apply alone. If you own less than 75%, your co-owner(s) information is also required. Q. How much of the business do I need to own in order to apply? A. We require a minimum of 75% ownership on fi le. Q. Do I have to submit my SIN during the online application? A. No, you do not have to submit your SIN in order to apply online. Q. Who can I submit as an emergency contact on my application? A. Anyone that is not an owner of the business can be listed as an emergency contact. Q. How does having more than one credit/debit card terminal affect my application? A. This will not affect your application; simply indicate how many terminals you have at your business location on your application. Q. What qualifies as a government ID? A. Any valid ID issued by a Canadian government agency is considered government ID (e.g., driver s license, passport, or permanent resident card). Q. What happens after I apply for financing? A. Once we ve received your application, we will send you an confi rmation with instructions or someone will contact you within 24 hours. If you have any questions, you can also contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular Q. How long is the application process? A. It takes approximately 10 minutes to complete your online application. Q. How can I speed up the application process? A. To help make the application process as smooth as possible you can: 1. Make sure all contract pages are signed and dated where necessary. 2. Send clear documentation; submit a photo via text if that is easier. 3. Submit all requested documentation with the initial contract. Q. How will I know that I have been approved for financing? A. You will receive an confi rmation outlining your approval from Thinking Capital. Q. How quickly can I expect to receive financing? A. Upon approval, you can expect to receive your funds in as little as 24 hours.

3 Q. Are there restrictions on what I can use the financing for? A. You can use the funds for anything related to your business, such as driving growth through renovations, inventory, expansion, equipment, marketing and advertising. Q. What documents do I need to submit? A. For all applications we require: 1. Signed and dated contract pages. 2. Government-issued photo ID. 3. A void cheque. 4. DRF or Data Release Form (if a payment processor is connected). To qualify for fi nancing, a number of factors are considered. Additional documentation may be required, depending on how much fi nancing you need. Q. Will my credit score be affected? A. Applying for fi nancing will not affect your credit score. Q. Can I apply for financing for multiple businesses and locations? A. Yes. We will work with you to minimize the documentation required and to make the application process as simple as possible. Q. My business is experiencing a slow season. Can I still apply for financing? A. Yes. We understand that your business may have a high and low season. We consider the last 12 months of your history in making our decision. Q. What is a DRF or Data Release Form? A. A data release form provides us with permission to receive your monthly and daily batch outs from your processor. We have developed a safe and secure way to obtain this data from your processor. Q. What is a Merchant Identification Number (MID)? A. A merchant identifi cation number is provided to you by your processor. It is unique to your company and is linked to your terminal. Q. How do I know if I have the correct Merchant Identification Number (MID)? A. Here is a list of the most common processors and their MID characteristics: Moneris: Begins with a 1, 2, or 4 (may also begin with a 30 followed by a 1, 2 or 4) Nine digits long Paymentech: Begins with a 5 and is seven digits long Global/EVO: Minimum of 10 digits and a maximum of 16 Ends in 5703, 5704, 5705 or 5727 Collective POS: Follows the following format: CLI-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx TD: Begins with a 2 and is eight digits long POS West: Two numbers followed by one letter and ends with fi ve numbers

4 Q. Do I need to change my current processor if I accept financing from Staples Business Loans powered by Thinking Capital program? A. We have developed relationships with many processors, reducing the need for our customers to change processors once approved for fi nancing. However, there are cases where a customer may need to change their current processor to one that we work with. If this is the case, we will help facilitate the transition during your application. If you have any questions, you can contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular Receiving Funds and Additional Funds Q. How will I receive my financing? A. During the application process, you will be requested to provide your business bank account information (a void cheque). Once your application has been approved, we will send your funds via wire transfer to the bank account obtained from your void cheque. Q. How long will it take for the funds to appear in my bank account, once you send the wire transfer? A. Depending on the bank you work with, you may see your funds as early as the same day. Q. How do I repay the financing I have received? A. Payments are automatically deducted from the business bank account that you provided during your application. Q. I no longer have an outstanding balance; can I apply for more financing? A. Yes. You can re-apply online or contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular business hours: 9:00 am-6:30 pm EST, Monday to Friday. Q. Can I make additional payments to my account? A. Yes. If you have any questions, you can contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular Customer Service Q. Who can I contact if I have questions regarding my account? A. If you have any questions, you can contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular Q. Who can I contact for more information regarding Staples Business Loans powered by Thinking Capital? A. If you have any questions, you can contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular

5 Q. What if my Merchant Identification Number (MID) changes while I have an outstanding balance? A. You can contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular business hours: 9:00 am-6:30 pm EST, Monday to Friday. Q. Where can I locate information about my account? A. As an approved customer, your account information may be accessed by logging into your Thinking Capital Customer Account located on our website. Use the log in you created when you applied for funding. You can contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular business hours: 9:00 am-6:30 pm EST, Monday to Friday. Q. How can I access my Customer Account? A. Click on the Log in button at the top of our website and enter your customer log in credentials. If you do not remember your customer portal password, click on the Forgot Password? link. Q. How can I obtain a copy of my contract? A. You and every additional owner who has signed the contract will receive a copy by . Alternatively, please call our Customer Success agents at during regular business hours: 9:00 am-6:30 pm EST, Monday to Friday to arrange for a copy to be resent to you. Q. How can I find out the current outstanding balance is on my account? A. Your balance can be accessed simply by logging into your Customer Portal or you may contact one of our Customer Success Agents at during regular Q. How do I access my account statement? A. Your statements can be located under Statements in the My Account section when you log into your Customer Account. Q. What information is available on my statement? A. When you log into your account statement, you will see the following information: 1. Funds repaid 2. Balance 3. Transactions (payments, invoices, etc.) Q. Can I print my statement? A. Yes. Log into your Customer Account and print the statement you need. Q. How do I connect my PayPal account? A. Essentially you will need to create an API signature to connect your PayPal account. To do so, please follow the six steps outlined below: 1. Log into your PayPal business account at Click the profi le icon ( ) at the top right side of the page. 2. From the Business Profile menu, select Profile and Settings. 3. Proceed to the left side of the menu; click My Selling Tools. 4. Go to the Selling Online section; click the Update link for the API Access item. 5. To generate the API Signature, click Request API Credentials on the API Access page. 6. Select Request API signature and click Agree and Submit to generate the API signature.