Around 30 million euros in corona loans have so far flowed into the district.
However, not all entrepreneurs are eligible for state aid.
Just like Carmen Ehrsam from Sachsenkam and her “Cocktail House Manufaktur”.
An example that should not be an isolated case.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen
- Her customers included well-known companies such as Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa.
“It went really well up to 2015”, says Carmen Ehrsam, managing director of the “Cocktail House Manufaktur”.
The now 55-year-old also supplied the Oktoberfest and the "Night of the Proms" with her ready-made cocktails and special own creations made in Sachsenkam.
Then there was a need for care in the family.
Ehrsam put the work on hold - and paid with three bad financial years in a row.
When things went up again, Corona came.
Now the entrepreneur is about to end.
It does not meet the criteria for the Corona aid loans.
Honestly: "Every company has a few bad years."
As a customer of another bank, the Carmen Ehrsam case has nothing to do with the Bad-Tölz-Wolfratshausen Sparkasse.
But also in your business area - as everywhere - there are isolated cases in which loan applications have to be rejected.
Politicians reacted quickly and prudently, says CEO Renate Waßmer, referring to the state aid programs.
"But there are some tough knockout criteria." In general, according to Waßmer, the loans are applied for at the respective house bank.
However, the lenders are KfW and LfA.
Nevertheless, the financial institutions are obliged to ensure compliance with state conditions.
This was the only way to get the very extensive aid programs off the ground quickly, says Waßmer.
One of these state requirements is, for example, that the company must have made a profit for the years 2017 to 2019.
According to the financial expert, if the company has not been on the market that long, it should have been in the black at least in 2019.
"If this criterion is not met, the promotional credit may not be sufficient."
From the point of view of Carmen Ehrsam, this state requirement is the wrong approach.
“Every company has a few bad years.” After a dry spell, she herself had “actually got the cow off the ice”.
In mid-2019, the entrepreneur from Sachsenkam said she landed two major customers: a well-known retail company with over 300 stores and a cinema chain wanted to add their cocktails to their range.
The first order alone would have brought 120,000 euros into the coffers of the “Cocktail House Manufaktur” in March of this year.
"But then the lockdown came."
Entrepreneur doesn't want to bury her head in the sand
This not only plunged the company from Sachsenkam into financial difficulties.
According to statistics from the KfW development bank, 161 loans with a volume of EUR 27.9 million were approved in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district.
"The share of the Sparkasse Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen are 127 loans with a volume of 22.8 million euros," says Waßmer.
For comparison: Not ten loan applications had to be rejected.
However, this number is misleading, stresses Waßmer.
Often the applications are no longer made if it is clear that the criteria are not met.
In part, it is about the existence of the company.
"However, the financial institutions are obliged to ensure compliance with the conditions."
On the other hand, according to Waßmer, there are certain reliefs with the Corona aid loans.
"In some cases, the applicant only has to confirm certain details," says the chairwoman of the Sparkasse Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen board.
In other words, a kind of self-disclosure.
Such government relief is of no use to Carmen Ehrsam.
“But I don't bury my head in the sand,” Ehrsam emphasizes.
"For many years I have put a lot of heart and soul into my manufacture, I have taken responsibility for my employees, my suppliers and customers, that's why I will fight."
"Giving up is not an option for me," says the entrepreneur
Carmen Ehrsam is currently redesigning her online shop, among other things.
She has not given up hope of finding a private financier either.
She also wants to build up a second mainstay: Under the motto "Back to nature", the entrepreneur plans to open a farm that promises a break from everyday life for body, mind and soul.
The project should become a figurehead for social and ecological work and a respectful coexistence for people, animals and nature, says Carmen Ehrsam, who originally comes from the medical industry.
"Giving up is not an option for me."
New limits for the KfW quick loan
According to the Sparkasse Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen there are different programs with different limits and conditions for small and medium-sized companies as well as for large companies.
As an example, there have been new limits for the “KfW Schnellkredit” since November 9th.
Since then, commercial companies, sole proprietorships and freelancers have been eligible to apply regardless of the number of their employees.
As before, a maximum of 25 percent of 2019 annual sales can be funded per corporate group.
However, depending on the number of employees, the following maximum credit amounts apply:
• A maximum of 300,000 euros per group of companies (in the sense of affiliated companies) with up to and including 10 employees of the applicant company
• A maximum of 500,000 euros per group of companies (in the sense of affiliated companies) with more than 10 employees up to and including 50 employees of the applying company
• A maximum of 800,000 euros per group of companies (in the sense of affiliated companies) with more than 50 employees of the applicant company.
In addition, the upper limit of aid of EUR 800,000 per group of companies must also be observed, which could possibly already be covered by immediate aid, bridging aid or other corona aid programs.
The current developments regarding Corona in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district can be found here.
Read more news from Sachsenkam & the surrounding area here.
