Hermes Capital

Hermes Capital Working capital for Australian SMEs

17/06/2026

đź’° Refinancing can preserve equity, but the wrong structure can quietly strip it away.

In this clip from our “Restructure, Refinance or Run the Auction?” seminar, Max Szarycz and Nick Samios unpack what equity really means in a stressed SME.

There are two sides to it.

First, enterprise value. Is the funding helping the business improve future maintainable earnings? Does it provide the runway to execute a strategy, mobilise for new contracts, downsize a fleet, purchase equipment, or fix the issue that is draining cash?

Second, assets minus liabilities. This is where the “pass the parcel” problem shows up.

A business gets refinanced from one lender to the next. Each time, costs are added. Equity is reduced. And too often, very little of the money actually goes into fixing the business.

Refinancing should create time and preserve value. It should not simply move the problem to the next lender.

This discussion formed part of our Sydney seminar with Max Szarycz (Hermes Capital), Nick Samios (Director, Hermes Capital), Marcus Petrovic (Director & Head of Client Strategy, Mackay Goodwin) and Bruce Connors (Director, Industrial, Pickles).

For more practical discussion on restructuring, refinancing and protecting SME value, watch the full seminar here:
https://youtu.be/fY55x7GH5YM

đź’° How long does your client wait to get paid?30 days?60 days?90 days?Many businesses are effectively funding their custo...
15/06/2026

đź’° How long does your client wait to get paid?

30 days?
60 days?
90 days?

Many businesses are effectively funding their customers while still needing to pay wages, suppliers, rent, tax and operating costs.

That delay can create serious pressure, even when the business is trading well.

For brokers, one of the first questions worth asking is:

What is sitting in the accounts receivable ledger?

If your client invoices other businesses and has a strong debtor ledger, there may be opportunities to improve cash flow without relying on traditional debt.

Sometimes the solution is not a new loan.

Sometimes it is unlocking cash already tied up in the business.

At Hermes Capital, we help brokers look at the assets, receivables and commercial position behind the client’s funding need.

Learn more about Hermes Capital here:
https://hermescapital.com.au/

What payment terms are causing the most pressure for your SME clients right now?

13/06/2026

💰 When a client says, “I need half a million bucks,” the first question should not be how quickly the money can be found.

It should be: what is the money actually meant to achieve?

In this clip from our Brisbane seminar, Structuring Complex Deals in Today’s Market, Nick Samios explains why the purpose of funding matters.

Is the client trying to solve a short-term cash flow gap?
Fund growth?
Deal with pressure from creditors?
Cover a structural problem?
Buy time for a proper restructure?

The type of money needs to match the problem.

Fast money can be useful in the right circumstances, but if it is not structured around the real issue, it can create more pressure later.

This was part of a broader discussion with Max Szarycz from Hermes Capital , Peter Lucas from Kestrel Solutions and Peter Johnson from Get You Mortgage Solutions about how brokers can approach complex deals in today’s market.

Read the seminar recap here:
https://hermescapital.com.au/2026/05/27/structuring-complex-deals-in-todays-market/

What do you think gets overlooked most often when a client asks for funding?

10/06/2026

📉 One of the biggest dangers in stressed businesses is waiting too long to act.

In our “Restructure, Refinance or Run the Auction?” seminar, our director, Nick Samios explains how cash flow pressure doesn’t just affect repayments, it also impacts the value of the underlying assets.

When cash becomes scarce, maintenance gets delayed. Equipment breaks down. Vehicles deteriorate. Assets that may have held strong value a few months earlier can quickly lose significant value.

That’s why timing matters.

Nick also discusses the reality of the “higher-for-longer” environment and why businesses, brokers and advisers need to prepare for sustained pressure from inflation and interest rates.

The key message is: businesses can’t rely on rates falling quickly to solve their problems. They need to structure properly and adapt to the environment in front of them.

This discussion formed part of our Sydney seminar with Max Szarycz (Hermes Capital), Nick Samios (Director, Hermes Capital), Marcus Petrovic (Director & Head of Client Strategy, Mackay Goodwin ) and Bruce Connors (Director, Industrial, Pickles ).

đź“– Read more from the seminar here:
https://hermescapital.com.au/2026/05/01/restructure-refinance-or-run-the-auction/

🎥 See our page Hermes Capital for more clips and insights from the session.

06/06/2026

🧭 A feeling in your gut is not a restructuring plan.

In this clip from our “Restructure, Refinance or Run the Auction?” seminar, Marcus Petrovic from Mackay Goodwin speaks plainly about what makes a restructure credible.

A plan needs to be reasonable, achievable and sustainable.

Winning a new contract can be a good strategy if the business is positioned to deliver it and turn that revenue into margin. But relying on hope, vague optimism or another refinance to cover a business that is still hemorrhaging cash is not a strategy.

Too often, businesses keep refinancing the same underlying problem for years without stopping to identify what is actually broken.

That is where value gets lost.

At some point, the right advice is to draw the line, identify the problem, restructure if possible, and if not, preserve what remains and start again.

This discussion formed part of our Sydney seminar with Max Szarycz ( Hermes Capital ), Nick Samios (Director, Hermes Capital ), Marcus Petrovic (Director & Head of Client Strategy, Mackay Goodwin ) and Bruce Connors (Director, Industrial, Pickles ).

Read the seminar recap for more on protecting SME value in a higher-for-longer economy:
https://hermescapital.com.au/2026/05/01/restructure-refinance-or-run-the-auction/

03/06/2026

🏗️ Progress claims can create a serious funding gap for subcontractors.

Especially once working capital requirements move past $1 million or $2 million.

Banks can hesitate.
Traditional invoice financiers often won’t fund progress claims.
FinTech facilities may not have the scale required.
But for project-based operators, the costs arrive early.

Wages. Equipment. Fuel. Subcontractors. Mobilisation. For a mining services contractor, civil subcontractor or construction business taking on a larger contract, that gap can quickly become $2 million, $4 million or more.

That’s where Hermes Capital can help. Our Progress Claim Funding is built for businesses that bill via certified progress claims and need a facility structured properly for the scale of the work.

Facilities from $1 million to $10 million
Unlock up to 70% of certified progress claims
Designed for project-based operators with larger working capital needs

If your client has secured a larger contract but needs working capital to mobilise and deliver it, get in touch. We’ll look at the position and see what can be structured.

Learn more here:
https://hermescapital.com.au/our-products/invoice-finance-progress-claims

⚠️ When a business is under pressure, the wrong funding decision can do more damage than the original problem.At our sem...
01/06/2026

⚠️ When a business is under pressure, the wrong funding decision can do more damage than the original problem.

At our seminar, Restructure, Refinance or Run the Auction?, Nick Samios, Bruce Connors and Marcus Petrovic joined Max Szarycz to discuss one of the biggest questions brokers face:

When a client is under pressure, what is the right move?

Refinance?
Restructure?
Sell down assets?

The answer depends on timing, structure and whether the business has a realistic path forward.

One of the strongest themes from the discussion was the difference between easy money and effective money.

Fast funding can provide temporary relief, but if it is being used to cover ongoing losses, fund cash leakage or delay difficult decisions, it can quickly erode equity.

This is especially true when businesses start stacking multiple short-term facilities on top of each other.

What begins as a quick working capital fix can become:

• daily repayments draining cash flow
• rising cost of capital
• shrinking equity
• fewer restructuring options
• weaker asset recoverability

That is why early intervention matters.

The earlier brokers and advisers step in, the more options a business usually has.

Read the full article here:
https://hermescapital.com.au/2026/05/01/restructure-refinance-or-run-the-auction/

When a business is under pressure, what do you think gets overlooked most often: timing, structure or asset value?

30/05/2026

🔍 Everyone wants funding done quickly, but valuation is one part of the process that can’t always be rushed.

In our “Restructure, Refinance or Run the Auction?” seminar, Marcus Petrovic and Bruce Connors discussed what often gets missed when brokers and funders talk about turnaround times. A funder might say a deal can move in 24 hours, but if the assets need to be inspected, the timing depends on access, asset location, condition and availability.

For transport, hire and construction businesses, assets are often moving, out on hire, spread across worksites or unavailable for inspection.

Seeing enough of the fleet to support a reliable valuation can take time. That doesn’t mean the process is slow for the sake of it. It means the valuation needs to stand up.

This discussion formed part of our Sydney seminar with Max Szarycz ( Hermes Capital ), Nick Samios (Director, Hermes Capital ), Marcus Petrovic (Director & Head of Client Strategy, Mackay Goodwin ) and Bruce Connors (Director, Industrial, Pickles ).

Want the bigger picture on restructure, refinance and asset recovery strategy?
Read the seminar recap here:
https://hermescapital.com.au/2026/05/01/restructure-refinance-or-run-the-auction/

27/05/2026

⚠️ “They’ve never missed a payment. Why have they been moved to bad bank?”

It is a question brokers hear often. Here's the difference between monetary default and non-monetary default, and why a client can be transferred into loans management, asset management or strategic account management even when repayments are up to date.

A monetary default is usually obvious:

• missed repayment • overdrawn accounts
• repayment arrears

But non-monetary default can be harder to spot. That may include:

• ATO arrears
• statutory demands or court action
• weakened liquidity or working capital ratios
• declining profitability
• reduced sales
• warning signs in the financials

Once a client is moved into “bad bank,” the conversation can change quickly.

Access to funds may tighten. Overdrafts may be frozen. The bank may start managing the client more closely, or preparing to exit the relationship altogether. For brokers, this is the point where early action matters.

If you have a client in this situation, get in touch with Hermes Capital. We can review the position, talk through the options, and see what structured funding solutions may be available before the pathway narrows further.

https://hermescapital.com.au/

đź“Š Capital is still available in the SME credit market.That does not mean every deal is getting through.At our seminar, R...
25/05/2026

đź“Š Capital is still available in the SME credit market.

That does not mean every deal is getting through.

At our seminar, Risk, Assets and Capital: SME Credit Markets in 2026, Nick Samios was joined by Ian Hyman, Patrick Schweizer and Mark Rainbird to unpack what is really changing in SME credit.

The discussion kept coming back to three core areas: Risk. Assets. Capital.

In the current market, deals are not necessarily falling over due to a lack of funding. They are falling over because the structure does not hold up under scrutiny.

Credit teams are looking more closely at:
• asset quality
• recoverability
• secondary market value
• cash flow assumptions
• downside scenarios
• the realism of the exit strategy

For brokers, that means the role is shifting.

It is no longer just about sourcing capital. It is about understanding how the deal behaves if things do not go to plan.

What happens if the asset takes longer to realise?
What happens if cash flow softens?
What happens if the exit pathway is not as clean as expected?

These are the questions that matter in a higher-for-longer environment.

Read the full piece here:
https://hermescapital.com.au/2026/04/01/risk-assets-and-capital-whats-changing-in-sme-credit-markets/

What part of the credit process do you think brokers need to spend more time on right now?

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