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Why Businesses Need Finance

Beginner Investing • 8 min

What this lesson is about

Capital expenditure versus revenue expenditure, and the three quite different reasons a business asks for money.

Key termsCapital, expenditureRevenue, expenditurestart-up, capitalworking, capitalgrowth, or, expansion, capital

3 parts · a quick check after each · then the quiz

Part 1 of 3

Before, choosing, a, source, of, finance,, a, business, needs, to, know, what, the, money, is, for., The, purpose, of, the, funds, determines, which, source, is, right., Topic, 3.1, sets, up, that, distinction.

Capital, expenditure, is, spending, on, non-current, assets, used, for, over, a, year., Think, premises,, machinery,, vehicles,, and, equipment., It, shows, up, on, the, balance, sheet, and, gets, depreciated, over, its, useful, life., You, don’t, charge, it, all, in, the, year, it, was, bought.

Revenue, expenditure, covers, day-to-day, operating, costs, consumed, within, the, year., This, includes, wages,, raw, materials,, rent,, utilities,, and, insurance., It, gets, charged, fully, against, the, current, year's, profit, and, appears, on, the, income, statement.

The funding ladderEach rung raises more and costs more control.

Quick check

Purchasing a delivery van is classified as

Part 2 of 3

Getting, this, classification, wrong, messes, up, both, statements., If, you, treat, a, capital, item, as, revenue, expenditure,, it, understates, this, year's, profit, and, the, assets, held., On, the, flip, side,, treating, revenue, expenditure, as, capital, does, the, opposite,, flattering, profit., This, is, a, favorite, for, examiners, because, it, affects, both, statements.

A, business, needs, finance, for, three, main, reasons., First, start-up, capital, helps, establish, the, business, before, any, revenue, comes, in., This, includes, premises,, equipment,, initial, stock,, and, registration., Next, working, capital, funds, the, normal, operating, cycle—paying, suppliers, and, wages, while, waiting, for, customers, to, pay., Finally, growth, or, expansion, capital, is, for, new, premises,, new, markets,, acquisitions,, or, product, development.

Quick check

Fuel purchased for that same van is

Part 3 of 3

Working, capital, is, where, profitable, businesses, often, stumble., A, firm, can, be, genuinely, profitable, and, still, run, out, of, cash., Why?, Profit, is, recorded, when, a, sale, happens,, but, cash, arrives, only, when, the, customer, pays., The, faster, a, business, grows,, the, wider, that, gap, can, become., That’s, why, overtrading—growing, faster, than, working, capital, can, support—is, a, recognized, cause, of, failure, among, successful, firms.

Insider, Angle:, The, distinction, that, earns, marks, is, between, profitability, and, liquidity., They, are, not, the, same, thing., Profitability, asks, if, revenue, exceeds, costs, over, time;, liquidity, checks, if, cash, is, available, when, a, payment, is, due., A, business, can, be, profitable, and, illiquid,, which, can, lead, to, closure., It, can, also, be, liquid, and, unprofitable,, which, just, means, it, has, time, to, fix, issues., Any, answer, about, financial, trouble, should, clarify, which, of, the, two, the, firm, is, facing.
Try, This:, Classify, each, item, as, capital, or, revenue, expenditure:, a, delivery, van,, fuel, for, that, van,, a, three-year, software, license,, the, electricity, bill,, and, a, new, roof, on, the, warehouse., Then,, identify, which, one, you, found, genuinely, debatable, and, why.

Quick check

Recording a capital item as revenue expenditure will

Quiz

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