Small business owners are some of the hardest working people in any given industry. These are the men and women that keep the lights on for much larger businesses, operating their companies with a razor-thin profit margin in most cases. In today’s modern world, there are seemingly more challenges than ever before for these operators to thrive and continue growing. To help understand how these operators can continue to thrive and grow in this new regulatory landscape, we’ve compiled a list of the most important things small business owners should know about the upcoming changes. Here is everything you need to know about The Impact of Covid-19 on Small Businesses.
What is the Covid-19?
The Covid-19 is a standardized form that will be used by all credit providers across the United States. The form is designed to outline a buyer’s financial and business information to sellers, enabling them to make more informed decisions about whether or not to accept an order from a particular customer. The form is intended to replace the current blanket form, the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) 45-19, that’s currently in use. The UCC 45-19 is only used for unsecured credit sales, making it completely useless for secured transactions, like loans secured by real estate. The Covid-19, on the other hand, can be used for both secured and unsecured credit sales, which is the main reason it’s seen as more effective in both preventing and resolving disputes.
How will the Covid-19 Impact Small Businesses?
The Covid-19 form is only valid for businesses that have a credit line. In most cases, only larger companies will have a credit line, while smaller companies will conduct business on an “open account” basis. This means that smaller companies must accept terms on an unsecured basis, meaning they don’t have collateral to secure the transaction in case of default. The most significant impact of the new form will be on the small companies that conduct business on an unsecured basis. While the open account system has worked well for decades, it can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications between buyers and sellers. The Covid-19 aims to remedy this by requiring all parties to provide more information about themselves and the transaction, such as the name of the company and the contact information for an authorized signer.
Wholesale price increases on unsecured credit goods
In addition to the information requirements listed above, the Covid-19 form will also require wholesale buyers to provide information about the credit line they have available. The information required includes the credit line amount and the interest rate, as well as the collateral securing the credit line. While this may seem like a strange requirement for an unsecured transaction, the information is necessary for sellers to make accurate pricing decisions. On an unsecured basis, wholesale buyers are typically given terms of 90 days or more to pay their bills.
On a secured basis, though, the same customers can typically pay their bills in as little as 30 or 60 days. Since wholesale sellers typically don’t know which customers have a credit line and which don’t, they have no way of knowing that the longer payment terms are a reflection of a higher risk customer.
More transparency for wholesale customers
While wholesale sellers will likely see price increases on unsecured credit goods, suppliers that have a credit line should benefit from the change in form. Because wholesale customers will now have to list their credit lines, though, credit providers will be less likely to extend credit to companies that don’t currently have a credit line. The form also requires suppliers to list their owners and responsible parties, along with their business address. Because credit providers will now have access to more information, they’ll also be able to see which customers are more risky than others. This will allow providers to make more informed decisions when extending credit to businesses.
Consumers will also benefit from this change
Many people believe that the Covid-19 is designed purely to benefit the credit providers, but that isn’t true at all. The form was designed to make the transaction more transparent for all parties involved, including the end-consumers. For example, if a business sells its product on an unsecured basis, it could sell the product for $1,000. If the business doesn’t have the cash to pay for the product, though, it could ask for a credit card. In this situation, the buyer would likely have to pay a much higher price for the product, such as $1,500. While this is standard practice, it isn’t transparent, which is why the new form was created.
Conclusion
The Covid-19 form, while it may seem like a pain at first, is actually a very good thing for small business owners. The form will require companies to provide more information about themselves and their transactions, which will help prevent misunderstandings that lead to disputes. And while the form will likely lead to wholesale price increases on unsecured credit goods, it will also allow wholesale buyers and sellers to be more transparent with each other, which will benefit all parties involved. There are some significant changes on the horizon that every small business owner should be aware of and prepared for.
Fortunately, the Covid-19 form is designed to help businesses and consumers by making transactions more transparent.
