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Banks Lending?

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Are Banks Lending? If not who? and How? Would welcome your comments as well. Recently in CFO magazine this topic was discussed. The banks acknowledged that much of their loan growth often comes from taking market share from other local institutions, meaning that the total pool isn’t necessarily growing.

There are other programs, State Small-Business Credit Initiative, some SBA funding, private capital, conventional loans through sources, creative financing-bridge to fixed and other programs.

Multiple sources still state that credit is tight for smaller companies. Isn’t that an issue? It’s small business that really drives the economy and those earnings ultimately roll up to the larger companies and the wealthy 1% or 2%. Trickle down, ie tax cuts help, but in today’s ecoonomic state it is a combination of spending cuts across the board and some increase in revenue.

Credit and loans to small business should be easier to complete, less paperwork, and more focus to what the business is about and overall cash flow. To a small business a tax cut is helpful, but is not a true driver of continuous cash flow and expansion.

That being said, Southeastern Business Intermediaries provides: Financing, Refinancing, including SBA, Equipment Leasing (quick turn around on approval) and also available sale/leaseback programs on FF&E. We can lease existing equipment to provide working capital, Lines of Credit on A/R- $1M to $40M. Variable interest rates. Commercial property (including hotels-refinance and development, medical facilities, multi family, assisted living, self storage), and purchase Business Notes. 678-264-8414. Visit www.sebusiness.org

Thanks again for the time.

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, multi family, refinancing, self storage

Chiropractor Practice Business Loan

Sunday, Mar 4, 2012

Chiropractor Practice Business Loan

Southeastern Business Intermediaries provides: Financing, Refinancing, Equipment Leasing, LOC on A/R- when the banks are not able to. $1M to $40M. Interest rates at 6% plus. Commercial property (including hotels, medical facilities, multi family, assisted living, self storage), and Business Notes. Business Valuations completed as well. 678-264-8414. Visit www.sebusiness.org

For a Chiropractor practice Business Loan the funding is based on business equipment, and often in a Chiropractor practice business loan, equipment is a significant part of the transaction.

In a Chiropractor Practice Business Loan, Chiropractors simply take advantage of existing assets they already have, such as Patient tables, patient stools, X-Ray machines, X-Ray processors, as well as any computer electronic equipment the practice may have, such as Servers, desktops and practice software.
■A Chiropractor Practice Business Loan will procure $7,500 to $125,000 in working capital that has no restrictions on it’s use. Use the funding for any purpose! Increase revenues of the practice via adding additional services, advertising, expanding within the local market, adding staff, increasing office space, any reason.
■A professional representative who specializes in working specifically with Chiropractor relationships will work with you during the entire process.
■No upfront processing fees or application fees.
■Whatever your practice’s profile qualifies for, we’ll get it done. Your practice will receive the limit it can qualify for on a Chiropractor practice business loan and not be limited based on the program.

Additional features include significant tax advantages in this unique Chiropractor practice Business loan. With the transaction having major lease write off benefits, the entire payment may be written off, equaling the most powerful tax savings programs available, such as the revered home mortgage write off. As such, the entire payment may be written off, rather than just the interest portion.

Use the cash stored from built in equity in the equipment, rather than owning the equipment.

Does your practice need $50,000, but you know from past experiences your request may “tap out” at $20K?

With our Chiropractor Practice Business Loan, we can provide funding in multiple “segments” or “stages”. This allows us to take a Chiropractic practice that qualifies for $25,000, close the 1st transaction, then look to qualify the practice for a 2nd part of $25,000 for a total of $50,ooo.

With constant advances in the medical field, medical equipment, including Chiropractic equipment depreciates quickly.

With Small Business Loans Depot’s cash against equipment program, we will recover up to 80% of the equipment’s original or current value. This significantly reduces or eliminates difficult depreciation issues.

Sample Chiropractor Practice Business Loan Transaction:

Dr. Johnson of Lake Tahoe Wellness Center desires $25,000 in working capital in order to add a room for their expanded weight loss program.

Of the $25,000, $15,000 is for construction and $10,000 is for equipment and training staff. Lake Tahoe Wellness center completes an application and provides a list of existing equipment which include an X-Ray machine, X-Ray processor, patient tables and stools.

Upon approval for $25,000 solely the X-Ray machine is required as security for the transaction, not the practice’s entire equipment. Documents are drawn up and E-Mailed to the client. Client completes docs and either E-Mails or overnight returns the original documents.

Upon return, documents are reviewed for accuracy. If a site inspection is required, the inspection occurs within one or two business days. If a site inspection is not required, a simple verbal confirmation with Dr. Johnson of Lake Tahoe Wellness Center takes place. Upon confirmation the transaction is funded and funds are wired to Lake Tahoe Wellness Center within approximately 2-4 business days.

If the customer wants additional funds, a second transaction or segment is processed. An additional segment can be procured with equipment not used in the first transaction. If the customer does not have any additional equipment for another Chiropractor Practice Business Loan, another financing type will be used.

Call us for details.

5 Steps to Starting a New Project

Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012

5 Steps to Starting a New Project

If you’re starting a new project, then there are 5 steps that every Project Manager must take, to ensure it’s successful delivery.

Step 1: Get the Vision

The first thing you need to do is to sit down with your Project Sponsor and agree on what needs to be delivered and by when. You need a hard and fast project end date. You need to understand why this end date is important to the business and the impact if you go past it. Only then, will you have a solid stake in the ground, against which you can measure progress.

Step 2: Hire the Best

Great teams deliver great projects. So it’s critical that you hire the best people you can afford to bring on board. Try and “borrow” experts from within the business, and “beg” your Sponsor for more cash to recruit the best in the market. Don’t fall for lesser skilled people that you can find more easily. It always takes time to find top people, but they will deliver better results in a faster period of time. And they will be easy to manage!
To hire the best, make sure you’ve clearly specified the roles first. Then advertise the roles widely within and outside the organization. Keep the initial interviews short (30 minutes) and interview as many people as possible. Put less than 5 people through to a second interview and only 2 on your shortlist, before selecting your final candidate.

Step 3: Set the Scope

With a great team and a clear delivery date, the next step is to define what it is that the project has to deliver. This is called the “project scope” and it needs to be documented in depth!
List every project deliverable and describe it in as much detail as possible. You need to work closely with your customer (or the business) with this, because the deliverables need to meet their requirements and deliver the stated business benefits.

Step 4: Determine if it’s Feasible

Now you need to know if you can produce the deliverables with the timeframe and resource available. In short, you need to know if the project is “feasible” or not.
To determine this, you need to work out how long each deliverable will take to produce and how much resource is required to produce it. You then need to add up all of the timeframes and all of the resource hours and check that they fit in with your resource budget and project delivery date. If they don’t, then you have 3 options: Get more time, find more resource or reduce the scope of the project. It’s that simple!

Step 5: Take Control and run with it

If your project passes the feasibility test, then you’re ready to go! You need to plan your project and manage it day-to-day.
Use the right to save you time. Check progress daily and manage risks, issues and changes carefully. Control expenses and report on progress weekly.
You can do all this, using ProjectTemplates.co.uk
It’s the complete set of Project Documentation that will help you to plan and manage projects. Take a look today.

As provided by James Leal

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, money, multi family, refinancing, self storage

Assembling an Attractive Loan Package That Will Entice Lenders

Monday, Feb 27, 2012

Assembling an Attractive Loan Package That Will Entice Lenders

Banks are liquidating commercial loans based on pressure from the federal government to empty their books heavy with mortgage debt in favor of stronger depository relationships. This leaves most borrowers out in the cold, not knowing where to go, since the vast majority of banks are following suit.

What makes an underwriter approve a loan package? Some owners and investors have spent years, sometimes decades, creating the ability to walk into their local bank and sign on the dotted line for millions of dollars based on the relationship they’ve built. Since you may not be familiar with all of the nuts and bolts that make up an appealing loan package, now’s the perfect time to learn about the loan process and how prepare all the necessary documentation.

A loan package must fit a lending institution’s present appetite, meaning it must appeal to the initial underwriter and those beyond. It must also pass a board’s approval for final lending authorization.

A lender is looking for a few key things: good credit, debt-service coverage ratio, strong net operating income, and a seasoned borrower with a resume that speaks volumes about his experience. Translated, this means they’re looking for someone who will consistently make that monthly payment. Ask yourself, would you loan money to you?

Make a Good Impression

The first thing an underwriter looks for is a clean, well-kept property. The borrower must provide clear photos of the entry, alleys, lots, cell towers (if any), interior doors, long shots of the alley, and two-way street views leading up to the entry. If the photos aren’t appealing to you, they won’t appeal to the underwriter. First impressions are lasting, so make it count.

Make sure the photos do not show litter from the parking lot from the retailer next door, unkempt flower beds, or overflowing trash cans. Clean it up. All of those things are easily remedied with little, if any, cost or time. The lender understands that if you need a rehab loan, things aren’t going to look like a five-star park; but try to make a good first impression.

Typically, a lender will further require the property financials, including three years of tax returns; a current, year-to-date profit-and-loss statement; and a current rent roll. Lenders understand there are certain one-time deductions like painting all of the buildings one year or replacing security gates, and they will allow for that. They also allow for certain “add backs” on an annual basis to offset the net operating income. So even if the tax returns don’t show what you’ve netted previously, let a professional loan officer worry about deciphering the financial details and working out the specifics.

Another key piece of information is the rent roll/occupancy, etc. on the subject property. No hand-written, yellow-pad published scribbles, please.

Although the borrower is required to use his credit score to show he’s credit-worthy, the facility income will dictate the rate and term. A well-crafted industry resume goes a long way toward getting that approval stamp on your paperwork, so spend a few minutes illustrating your expertise in the business. Remember, the lender has never met you. He still wants to know who you are and what you’ve done in the industry. The lender is trusting you with its funds and wants to ensure the handshake on the deal is a solid one.

Getting financing today takes more time and patience, but it is doable. Become familiar with the loan process, and then build an appealing loan package or work with an intermediary that meets your needs as well as those of your lender.

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, money, multi family, refinancing, self storage

Financial Modeling and Forecasting

Thursday, Jan 12, 2012

Financial Modeling and Forecasting
Developing sophisticated financial models is crucial for determining the viability of new business initiatives, raising capital, measuring the performance of your management team, and for competitive intelligence.

* Predict market size and growth rates
* Calculate breakeven thresholds
* Forecast profitability of your business unit under a variety of scenarios

Specific Ratios That Should be Reviewed:

* Market share
* Customer retention rate
* Average acquisition cost
* Customer lifetime value

Specific Methodologies That Should be Reviewed:

* Sensitivity/scenario analysis
* Monte Carlo analysis
* Correlation analysis
* Goal Seek
* Solver functions

Fundamentals of Business Valuation:

Do you know what your company is worth? We can assist you with the basic tools to assess the value of your business.

Factors such as buy-sell agreements and key man provisions impact a company’s value. Each $1 saved can increase the value of your business. Economic trends and customer concentration will affect your enterprise’s value. Different valuation aspects depending on your business include:
*The Cost Method
*The Market Method
• Selecting and adjusting comparable companies
• Discounting comparables to reflect lack of control and lack of marketability
*Income Method
• The basics of financial forecasting
• Determining discount rates
*Applying Discounts (lack of marketability, lack of control)
*Strategic Valuation Considerations
*Valuing Intellectual Property

Southeastern Business Intermediaries provides: Financing, Refinancing, Equipment Leasing, LOC on A/R- when the banks are not able to. $1M to $40M. Interest rates at 6% plus. Commercial property (including hotels, medical facilities, multi family, assisted living, self storage), and Business Notes. Business Valuations, complete Merchant Service/Credit Card Services, Equipment Leasing completed as well. 678-264-8414. Visit

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, money, multi family, refinancing, self storage

Improve Your Chance of a Bank Loan for a Small Business

Thursday, Dec 8, 2011

Improve Your Chance of a Bank Loan for a Small Business
Interesting article that I thought would be of interest to many. Look for better capitalized banks.

Avoid ones being pressured by regulators to improve their assets. You can go to the Web site of the US Small Business Administration (www.SBA.gov) and search for local lenders with high loan volume. Search online for articles on banks that recently funded small firms. Get someone to vouch for you– a recommendation from a lawyer, accountant or business owner who has received a bank loan can help you with a lender. If banks turn you down: Ask for a referral to a microlender– a firm that makes small loans (with limits up to $100,000 or much less, depending on the lender) and oten coaches entrepreneurs so they will be able to get larger loans later. The largest microlender in the US is Accion Network (www.AccionNetwork.org) but a local banker may know of others that are better choices in your community.

The comments are as provided in Money Magazine.

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, money, multi family, refinancing, self storage

What Banks Look For

Friday, Dec 2, 2011

What Banks Look For

“Remember, the guy who writes the bank’s advertisements is not the same guy who approves your loan.” — Anonymous
Whether you are applying to a bank for a line of home equity credit, a line of credit for business working capital, a commercial short-term loan, an equipment loan, real estate financing, or some other type of commercial or consumer loan, many of the same basic lending principles apply. The most fundamental characteristics a prospective lender will want to examine are:
• credit history of the borrower
• cash flow history and projections for the business
• collateral that is available to secure the loan
• character of the borrower
• loan documentation that includes business and personal financial statements, income tax returns, and frequently a business plan, and that essentially sums up and provides evidence for the first four items listed

The first three of these criteria are largely objective data (although interpretation of the numbers can be subjective). The fourth item, the borrower’s character, allows the lender to make a more subjective assessment of the business’s market appeal and the business savvy of its operators. In assessing whether to finance a small business, lenders are often willing to consider individual factors that represent strengths or weaknesses for a loan. Also consider our discussion of how banks judge your application.

Quick Ratio

The quick ratio, also known as the acid test, serves a function that is quite similar to that of the current ratio. The difference between the two is that the quick ratio subtracts inventory from current assets and compares the resulting figure (also called the quick current assets) to current liabilities.
Why? Inventory can be turned to cash only through sales, so the quick ratio gives you a better picture of your ability to meet your short-term obligations, regardless of your sales levels. Over time, a stable current ratio with a declining quick ratio may indicate that you’ve built up too much inventory.

If your quick current assets are $90,000 and your current liabilities are $30,000, your acid test ratio would be 3:1 (90,000:30,000).

How to improve your quick ratio. Since this ratio is quite similar to the current ratio, but excludes inventory from current assets, it can be improved through many of the same actions that would improve the current ratio. Converting inventory to cash or accounts receivable also improves this ratio.
In evaluating the current ratio and the quick ratio, you should keep in mind that they give only a general picture of your business’s ability to meet short-term obligations. They are not an indication of whether each specific obligation can be paid when due. To determine payment probability, you may want to construct a cash flow budget.

In general, a quick or acid-test ratio of at least 1:1 is good. That signals that your quick current assets can cover your current liabilities.

We can help walk you through the process

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, money, multi family, refinancing, self storage

Networking: The Value

Monday, Nov 28, 2011

Networking: The Value

I’m Not Job Hunting, Why Would I Care About Networking?
Perhaps you, or someone you know don’t see any value in networking. After all, what’s the point if you aren’t looking for a new job? Networking is just the latest meaningless industry catch-phrase and who cares if you are LinkedIn? You’re far too busy to be “Twittering” or whatever its called all day long. Next thing you know you’ll be told you should be participating in flash mobs in the streets downtown or some other silly thing, right?
Wait! Stop and consider what the definition of networking according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is: The exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically : the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.
Networking is much more than a buzzword, it is considered by industry experts to be a highly important tool in growing a business or career.
The first and most obvious benefit that comes to mind is how beneficial networking can be for those conducting a job search. However, networking goes way beyond that. How? Think about your resources… people you know in other industries that could be of help to you or others you know in some way, at some point. Your resources can offer you advice, suggestions, referrals and even provide solutions to problems. Furthermore, networking can help someone become better known in the marketplace, which can open the door to new opportunities.
Networking also applies to the potential to gain new business or clients, which could be obtained through introductions from others in your network. If one has a strong, solid network, they can be seen as a hero to others, thus making them more of an asset when the time comes to use those resources.
Here are good examples of the benefits of networking:
1. Advance your professional development
2. Cultivate knowledge resources
3. Establish new business contacts
4. Learn about the dynamics within your industry
5. Find new career opportunities
6. Get involved in your community
7. Facilitate good relationships which are beneficial for both parties
8. Create referral networks
Regardless of the manner in which one builds their network, they should learn ways in which to take advantage of it in order to realize the benefits of having that network. One way to do this is to identify ways to improve your network – always view it as a continuous process. Whether it’s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook (or even all three), community networking events, business mixers, or seminars, building a network will prove useful for everyone in one way or many.

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, medical tourism financing, money, refinancing, self storage

What Are Questions

Tuesday, Nov 1, 2011

What Are Questions

Questions are to sales as breath is to life. If you fail to ask them, you will die. If you ask them incorrectly, your death won’t be immediate, but it’s inevitable. If you ask them correctly, the answer will be … a sale!!

Jeffrey Gitomer, The Sales Bible

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, money, multi family, refinancing, self storage

TRUST

Monday, Oct 31, 2011

TRUST

I am also convinced that in every situation, nothing is as fast as the speed of trust. And, contrary to popular belief, trust is something you can do something about. In fact, you can get good at creating it!!

Stephen M.R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

Tagged commercial properties, equipment leasing, financial, financing, hotel financing, lending, lines of credit, medical tourism financing, money, multi family, refinancing