What’s the benefit? When a small business lacks the cash to get its feet off the ground, it’s difficult for everything else to fall into place. With the financial odds often stacked against fledgling entrepreneurs, the latest benefit from the Credit Management Association (CMA) could be a lifesaver for small-business owners. CMA and the Interface Financial Group (IFG) have partnered to offer a source of working capital for at-risk businesses that can’t get bank loans. IFG will work with CMA members to provide this money through accounts-receivable financing (also known as factoring). This means that CMA members can sell their companies’ accounts receivable to IFG as collateral. In exchange, the company receives a cash advance.

Why it works for members: Investing in a small business often requires a leap of faith, and depending on their financial standing, small businesses may struggle to obtain traditional sources of funding. The cash advances made available by the CMA-IFG partnership are an opportunity to ease the monetary hardship. And because factoring isn’t a loan process, no debt is accrued, so business owners aren’t saddled with additional financial burdens.

Other benefits: CMA members can also keep their finances in order with 15 free credit reports from the National Association of Credit Management, discounts on CMA events, a free webinar, and automatic membership in NACM, which includes access to the association’s resource library and a subscription to its magazine.

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