Economía 3 magazine has interviewed José Roca, managing partner of Kaizen Consulting, highlighting one of his statements in the headline: “To secure financing, you need to know whom and how to approach.” In the article, it is explained that in its three years of existence, “the consulting firm founded by José Roca Barrachina has become a benchmark for companies seeking financing and liquidity solutions.” Our work is based on “maximizing companies’ financing options, knowing that, for example, in our country, the financing ecosystem has drastically reduced over the last twelve years, from more than 60 entities to just a dozen.” According to José Roca, this particularly harms SMEs because it has reduced their financing options, and “Kaizen Consulting aims to provide companies with all the financiers available in the market, both in Spain and abroad, to offer many more financing options to develop their business plans.”
In the interview, José Roca explains that “we are facilitators of financing. We seek tailored solutions for any company to obtain the liquidity it needs to carry out its projects. And we open a range of financial possibilities so that entrepreneurs have access to all types of options… we talk about ensuring that the company accesses all those financiers willing to fund that project under the best conditions. To do this, we work regularly with more than 180 financiers and have secured financing for more than 70 companies in our three years of existence.”
The article highlights Kaizen Consulting’s specialization, working with all traditional banks, as well as “more than thirty local banks with very peculiar characteristics that we know well; that is, we have identified them and maximize the possibilities they offer. For example, banks that only finance ESG projects, others closely linked to agriculture, others to renewable energy… The important thing is that we know the traditional financier very well; and also the alternative banking,” says José Roca, who identifies “hundreds of financiers. What we have done is to understand very well what each of them wants; the type of company they are looking to finance, the sector, the company’s situation to attract them, the size… and based on these characteristics and the client’s needs, we go to one financier or another.”
In this interview with the managing partner of Kaizen Consulting, the support provided to clients and the use of novel and peculiar formulas are highlighted. Examples are cited: “financing operations where inventory is used as collateral; operations where I can buy an asset from you and then lease it back to you (rent back); or a lease-back, where the owner of an asset, movable or immovable, sells it and subsequently enters into a lease agreement… These are formulas to monetize the balance sheet. We also consider debt and equity funds; the main difference is that in equity financing, the investor receives a percentage of participation in the company; whereas in debt financing, within a specified period, the amount owed plus interest must be repaid; that is, with the business’s earnings, they know they will have to repay the debt in X years. Other formulas to secure financing include listing the company on the market, BME Growth; issuing bonds, promissory notes, etc.”
José Roca also highlights in Economía 3 Kaizen Consulting’s support for companies’ financial strategy: “We help them create a three-year business plan; to provide visibility not only for the short term but also for the long term. And we ensure that on a day-to-day basis, they check what is going well and aligns with the set objectives and what is not. In such cases, we help them correct deviations. Our essence is that four eyes always see more than two.”