I'm Swamped

I haven't been able to write for this blog in about a week. My phone has been ringing off the hook from small businesses seeking my help with obtaining business loans for expansion and working capital. I'm not complaining.

How to explain it? As you can see from my picture on the upper right, it's not my good looks. No, the upper right.

I can think of three possible factors in the increase in my deal flow.

• Better marketing - This past summer, I re-branded my company to Funding 911. It quickly and more accurately defines what I do - I find business loans for companies with urgent funding needs, typically when the bank has said no. I don't just collect financial statements - my value is that I know which characteristics specific lenders are looking for in new loan opportunities, I develop creative solutions for my clients and I know how to tell the borrower's story the right way. As you can tell from some of my posts, I spend a lot of time meeting other professionals and getting the word out. I'm even getting calls from readers of this blog.


• Fourth quarter activity - often business loan requests accelerate in the fourth quarter as companies are finalizing their budgets and forecasts for the new year. This year is no different.


• Credit crunch - I'm hearing from both lenders and borrowers. It's tougher to get a business loan. Lenders are tightening their credit criterion and businesses are starting to experience reduced sales, margins and cash flow. The time has passed where a business owner can use their home equity as an ATM machine. I believe the credit crunch for small business is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

So, what is keeping me so busy?

Factoring deals, vendor assurance agreements, purchase order financing, SBA loans and an equipment financing restructuring.

But, I'm not out of bandwidth yet. So if your small business needs help finding the right lender or telling your story the right way, read "Matchmaking for Business Loans" and give me a call!

Tags : SBA , small business , business loan , factoring , credit crunch , equipment financing , purchase order financing