Have you ever gone into a place of business and all the little things were done correctly? You could tell it was a special place, because of the little things. Those little things make the ordinary a little bit extra-ordinary.

We often tend overlook those little items in our own business, which is why an outside observer or industry expert can be so helpful.

If you are a restaurant owner, many of those little secrets I found on this brilliant blog, it is worth a visit…

Have a great July!

Every Little Thing…In One Place is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

In the spring of 2004 Valeri begin her restaurant venture with optimism and dreams of financial success creating a location that would welcome regulars and visitors alike. A modern bistro that would give her professional fulfillment and local notoriety. By the fall of 2006, her optimism had faded to dread as the bank foreclosed on her home, which she used as collateral on her small business loan.

Valeri’s mistake was not in following her passion; in fact many will say her life is richer for the experience. Her financial life, however, is far less rich as she needlessly exposed her personal financial life to destruction by providing a personal guarantee when signing for her business loans. In the end, this was her biggest mistake.

Most business owners rush into their ventures and needlessly expose their personal assets and financial future to potential disaster should their business ever fail. Continually signing for leases, business credit lines, inventory financing or working capital may provide and immediate cash infusion but will causes the following.

1 – Sleepless nights.

Capital is required to grow almost any business, and for owners not content with slow growth funded by company cash flows, outside financing is required. Though personal guarantees may be required on initial business loans, continually financing your business by providing personal guarantees will cause stress beyond which many can recover.

2 – Personal credit squeeze.

Regardless of how quickly your business grows or how strong your cash flow, at some point you will maximize your personal credit capabilities. The result will be a rapid and steep drop of your personal credit scores as you loose the ability to obtain a competitive mortgage or even gets competitive rates when you buy your next car. Eventually, you will be unable to provide additional funding for your company.

3 – Personal exposure.

Most dangerous result of providing a personal guarantee on your business financing – you never escape the personal responsibility to your lenders. This exposure jeopardizes your personal financial future!

There are options. There are steps almost any business owner can take to get additional funding for their business in the name of their company in a way that does not require a personal guarantee. There are even effective strategies that will allow you to transfer existing debts in a way to escape a personal guarantee.

This funding shifts more risk to your lending company and has the potential to raise lending rates, but as Valeri and countless business owners can attest, it is insurance money well spent.

My next 3 blogs will be in fairly rapid succession as we look at the necessary steps to arrange your business affairs in a manner that does not jeopardize your personal financial future.

Protect Your Personal Financial Life From Your Business is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

Do you allow your company to push you around and take advantage of you? I’m not talking about long hours without proper compensation, that is part of the deal when you run your own company. I’m talking about when your company shifts unnecessary financial risks and legal exposure to you simply because the company has not taken the time to protect you personally.

Last week a small retail merchant told me his company would not spend $600 to begin the process of shifting company debt from his name to the company name. Another merchant in Kentucky who has a successful transportation business is not incorporated because his company would not spend the time and money to do so, therefore he is completely exposed personally to a number of legal threats. A small food service chain owner actually signed a personal guarantee for over $350,000 of expansion capital because the company would not pay a slightly higher rate on the borrowed money.

My advice to each of these owners is very simple: Quit!

The irony in each of these situations is that the owner is the decision maker and he/she decided to put themselves in a dangerous personal situation simply because they would not spend some of the company’s money to protect themselves personally.

Would you work for a company that would not pay a couple thousand dollars more in financing costs to keep you from personally guaranteeing a loan to fund company growth? How would you feel if your boss asked you to be personally, legally accountable for the actions of the company and its employees because they would not spend the money properly organize and incorporate the business?

What if one day you were asked to assume the debts of your employer because they wanted to save $600 in legal fees?

While these sound like ridiculous questions, these are the default decisions many business owners are making every day. Take a look in the mirror and see where and how you are personally exposed in an effort to save your company a few bucks. We see it every day.

The most successful owners I deal with have the ability to distinguish between the company and themselves, in other words they see themselves as executives within the company rather than as an extension of the company. If you will make this mental adjustment, I’m convinced you will make better strategic decisions and eliminate much of the risk of business ownership.

I know life is going 100 mph but if you are exposed or if you are not sure, email and request our white paper on the top areas of business exposure. It may save your business life.

“I Quit”… From Your Own Company? is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

My mother always told her children, “To much of anything is not good for you”. My favorite retorts were always, “what about clean oxygen” or “drinking pure water”?

Well, last month a contestant in a radio station promotion died from drinking too much water to quickly. As it turns out, my mom was correct about a lot of things.

I bring this up because having access to unlimited business capital initially seems to fall into the category of “more is better”. However, the way you are probably going about it can be lethal to your business.

Most business owners personally signed for all of the business loans and credit they have for their business. Their personal guarantee causes two significant problems. First, it will eventually squeeze you financially – both personally and professionally. We’ve had clients unable to refinance their home because of their personal guarantees on business debt. Excessive personal debt, even if it is for your business, will drive down your credit score making capital almost impossible to obtain and expensive if you can.

Secondly, and more importantly, with your personal guarantee, you loose the power to walk away from any business failure. You have given your business to potentially devastate your personal financial life on top of everything else.

What ‘s the solution? You need to develop a long-term plan to build, develop and enhance your business standing and borrowing ability. Business credit, just like your relationships and reputation takes a while to build. It is not an overnight process, but the long-term benefit to your company will be well worth the effort.

Where to start? Visit Dunn & Bradstreet, the company that provides business credit reports and a lot more as you will see. After you visit their site, and are frustrated by too much poorly organized information, send me an email and I’ll forward our report on building strong business credit.

It’s not glossy, sexy or exciting stuff, but if you want an easy, turn key, step-by-step guide to positioning your business to have access to working capital, equipment leasing, credit lines or other forms of business capital, it is a must read.

We’re putting finishing touches on our updated version now, and will be happy to forward you a copy as soon as it is complete. Send an email request and we’ll get a new copy to you as soon as it is ready.

Is Mom Right About Business Credit Also??? is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

Every week we help a couple dozen business owners get the working capital they need to grow and expand their business. From the evidence sited in earlier blogs, I’m convinced this is a great business environment and the only limiting factor for many business owners is your access to working capital.

You probably already realize that your access to business capital will be either a significant asset or major liability to you as you grow your company. Your access to capital will have a major impact on your future growth and your business credit (not personal) is your key to unlocking that capital.

There is a record amount of business capital available today, yet many business owners can’t access it because they are handcuffed by poor or non-existent business credit. For many, the only way to fund growth is to provide a personally guarantee for the funds they need. Any prudent businessperson will self impose limits on this type of “business funding” when they recognize it is nothing more that pouring your personal funds into your company.

We use several different funding sources to help clients get the business capital they need to fund future growth, and many of them do not require a personal guarantee or any collateral. With all these options, however, I constantly see business owners handcuffed by poor personal credit, the lack of any real business credit or other mistakes that could have been avoided with some minimal advance planning.

The solutions are relatively simple and yet the problems they cause most business owners are so expensive, we’ve decided to extend our expertise a bit further to provide some real solutions that you’ll see here over the next several months. For now, here is tip #1: Don’t waste $1 with online “credit repair” or “credit building”.

My unscientific study has proved to me that 95% of the credit products found on the Internet are pure crap. Many will charge $2,000, $2,500 or more to do little and then disappear with your money. Recognizing this and needing solutions that will allow us the opportunity to do better work for our clients, we are actively researching for a workable solution that provides real results at a fair price.

Our resolution for 2007 is to be an even more effective financial partner. As we continue to provide effective business funding, we also want to extend our expertise further down the line so the process of obtaining capital is easier, cheaper and quicker for our clients. The key to this will be strong business credit.

Stay tuned…

Expensive Business Handcuffs is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

The next time you go into an independent restaurant with a unique atmosphere, ask to say hello to the owner and ask him/her a couple questions about their business… anything. I think you’ll be amazed at how much the restaurant reflects the personality of its owner.

As business owners our personalities are often intertwined with our business. It is so much a reflection of our habits, our beliefs, and our attitudes. In a very real sence, it is a reflection of us.

With that in mind I ask you, who will you be at the end of this decade? Who were you (as reflected by your business) in 2000? Remember the excitement of a new century? Remember the relief that our world did not grind to a halt because our computers destructed with 00’s. Remember the dreams you harbored for the future?

There is only 30% of this decade remaining. Who will you become at its end? When you look back on the first decade of the 21st century, what will you have to say for yourself and about yourself?

Did you succumb to the fears of war in Iraq, $70 barrels of oil and exploding housing prices? Or did you take advantage of some of the lowest interest rates in 50 years, the expanded availability of working capital, the access to mega computing power, great software, and the opening of new international markets?

Truth is, we are living in the greatest business environment in the history of the world. A time when it is relatively easy for a business owner to find good employees, working capital, business ideas and enjoy relatively low tax rates (I did say relatively).

Every month we help about 20 entrepreneurs get working capital for their business. They are using this capital and this time in American business history to make an impact with their business and with their lives. In their small way, they are making the world a better place for their customers and clients and reaping the economic benefits and personal fulfillment of doing so.

I know how easy it is to get caught up in the daily grind of running your business. It is difficult to look up sometimes and contemplate the future. So, while I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, I encourage you to look up a bit and consider who you will be at the end of this decade. It is only 3 short years away.

Your business can evolve into anything you can imagine. Working capital, good employees, computing power, technologies are no longer impediments but enablers in your pursuit of greatness. Please recognize where we are in business history and the opportunities available to you at this very moment.

With that, take a deep breath and ask yourself: Who will I become by 2010?

The Remaining 30%…? is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

I was watching a Seinfeld rerun the other day and Jerry was talking about how much pressure putting a man on the moon has caused us all. “We can put a man on the moon but you can’t deliver a hot pizza to my home. We can put a man on the moon but it takes 7 guys to repair a pot hole in the street,” that kind of thing.

His point was that now that we can accomplish what was once unimaginable, nothing should stand in our way as we try to accomplish anything we can think of.

The same is happing in American small business. I can buy ten times the computing power at a tenth of the cost of a few years ago and carry it in my briefcase on in my palm. That means a single individual or small group of intelligent, motivated people can compete against the “big guys”.

Google $1.6 Billion purchase of YouTube is a great example of how easy it has become to disrupt business as usual. So question #1 is…will you be the disruptor or the disrupted?

Your answer may depend on your ability, your intelligence or even your connections, but it will not depend on your access to capital. At least not much longer.

For years, one of the advantages the “big guys” had was access to capital. It is a competitive advantage in advertising, client acquisition, site locations, personnel decisions, almost every area of business can be improved or benefited by an abundant access to working capital.

Over the past few years that competitive advantage has slipped away from the “big guys” as creative funding companies have provided hundreds of millions of dollars to small business owners across the country. We helped over 50 clients in the 4th quarter alone.

From $7,500 to a pizza restaurant owner to $280,000 to a restaurant chain client, capital is flowing, helping our clients and leveling the playing field in American business.

Our clients have more good ideas than the capital necessary to implement those ideas. Well, the capital is finally starting to catch up. And, as I look forward into 2007, our funding partners are developing products and funding strategies to help more business owners in different industries, different cash flows and different demographics.

The cost of capital will be less in 2007 for owners with good credit and there will be more funds available for business owners with lesser credit scores.

So, back to Mr. seinfeld and the man on the moon. Whatever you imagine for the future of your business. Whatever heights you aspire to, capital is much less likely to be an obstacle for you. That excuse is no longer valid.

Now that capital is available and easier to access, what will you become? How will you expand? How will you out market your competition? Where are opportunities for growth? In the past, you may not have been forced to answer these questions because capital was limited. Without those limitations…what will you become?

Good luck in 2007!

The Man on The Moon & Easier Capital is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

A full-page ad in Forbes grabbed my attention the other day. A picture of a private plane (Cirrus SR22) flying on a bright day with a gorgeous landscape below. What caught my attention though was the deployed parachute helping the plane land safely, rather than crashing in a fireball.

Should a pilot experience a problem, they can deploy this chute, which will provide the pilot a wonderful story of how they survived a plane crash rather than instant death.

Turns out this chute is sold on almost every new SR22 (why not) yet has saved a total of just 4 lives. Turns out, the odds of a small plane crash are fairly small but the market demographics that buys these planes feels this few thousand bucks extra is a good investment.

Not because the odds are high it will save their life, but because having the chute gives the pilot (and all those who care about them) a great sense of peace and confidence.

As I reflected on this ad, I realized I spend a lot of money on parachutes in my life, some expensive, some not very expensive. I have a lot of life insurance and spend several thousand dollars on premiums each year. A great parachute for my family, but it grants me peace of mind and I do not worry that my sometimes aggressive driving will result in my daughters not going to the college of their choice or cause my wife to move from our home.

I have a battery backup on my alarm clock, leave 10 minutes early for appointments, pay my bills electronically and a few days before required. Why? I do not want to be distracted with worry or thoughts about ‘what if’. I want to have the parachute even if I never use it. I’ve come to realize it makes my life better just having one (or several).

The other day my daughter and I enjoyed sushi at a nice street side place in down town Pasadena. We found a parking spot right in front of our table so I skipped the two quarters needed for the meter. No need, I was only about 20 yards away.

I noticed, however, as I listened to my daughter discuss the important parts of a 6th graders life that I was distracted by the thought a ticket landing on my windshield while I was listening to my daughter and enjoying our meal. A $0.50 parachute would have bought me peace and allowed my focused attention on the drama of 6th grade. Bad choice, good 50-cent parachutes are rare.

This past month I helped two clients get working capital for their business when they had other options that offered less expensive financing for them. They both told me they wanted to establish a track record with a financing company that would be there for them when times were not as good as they are today.

Recognizing a banks’ money is less expensive, they also knew a bank would not be in a position to provide a business loan if times ever got difficult. If you are in business long enough, you’ll go through difficult times. You will have opportunities for expansion that require quickness, or need more growth capital than a bank will provide.

These two are preparing for those times now, when business is good. As one told me, “the few dollars I save in financing costs will not make or break my business. Having access to working capital in the future may. That seems like a good investment to me”.

Sometimes a parachute can save your business life; sometimes it just provides peace of mind and additional confidence. Sounds like a wise “parachute investment” for any business owner who plans to be around for a long time.

The Value of a $0.50 Parachute is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

The holiday season is one rich with tradition. Like you, some I enjoy and several I wonder why I continue to do them. Handles Messiah is off my list now as is the Nut Cracker. I’ve done them once each and that was enough tradition. Christmas Carol, I enjoy and am happy to have that as an every other year tradition.

During a recent flight to LA, I had a few hours and reflected on some other traditions: When I get voicemail, why does the person have to tell me it’s their voice mail? Tradition. Why do they tell me to leave a message after the beep? Tradition. We’re just used to doing it because we always have. It is the same reason we go shopping and tell the person who is eager to help and improve our shopping experience that we are “just shopping”.

It’s funny that we spend so much time, energy and money to differentiate oursevlves from the competition. Yet we are presented with many options every day that give us the opportunity to actually show we’re different. And most of them are free.

How do you answer the phone in your office? Why? How do you express your refund policy? What does that say about you? What about the look of your invoices, design of your email, look of your proposals, wording on your business card? They all say something about you and your business. Make it count.

I’ll bet you overlook the many little ways you can separate yourself from your competition. There are so many choices today. I have several dozen choices for lunch today, eight movies at the theatre, ten choices of bottled water, a dozen types of ice tea, fifty cell phone plans, etc.

Because of all this choice, we often resort to our own decision making traditions. Why? There is nothing remarkably different about the choices I am presented with.

It is to bad, really, because it only takes a little “extra” to become extraordinary.

So this holiday season, examine the traditions you have fallen into in your business. You’ll find changes big and small that will separate you from your competition. If you need any working capital to implement any of these changes, let me know and we’ll be happy to arrange that for you.

How Much Does Tradition Really Cost You – A Holiday Thought is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.

Arranging working capital for clients always seems to be an urgent endeavor. Whether because of emergency or narrow window of opportunity, it always seems like the need for money is immediate.

Because of this, we’ve gotten very good at providing a quick turn around of working capital. Knowing each individual company’s preference, how they work, how they like to see information, etc. really helps us get a very quick turn around for clients. However, you as the business owner also play an important roll in getting funds into your account quickly.

For example, every company in the industry will call your landlord as part of the verification process. Landlords are typically busy people and if they get a phone call they are not expecting from a company they are not familiar with, a return call may be days away while your opportunity fades or your emergency becomes more acute.

Always call your landlord to make them aware you are arranging for some working capital and they can expect a call that you would appreciate an immediate response to.

Once your application is in the underwriting department of a company, there are three areas that seem to unnecessarily slow things down.

1) Not knowing your total sales volumes. Your sales person may not have told you, but your total volume actually determines how much of the Visa/MC can be used for your financing without putting undue strain on your merchant’s cash flow. All funding companies take this into consideration and you should as well.

2) Giving inaccurate information regarding DBA and corporate names. I’m always amazed how often a merchant gets the name of his or her own business wrong on the sales paperwork. When the underwriting department can’t find the business name in Accurint or online yellow pages or wherever, they can’t verify anything. This really slows things down unnecessarily.

3) Failure to provide valid proof of ownership. The financing company needs solid documentation that a guarantor actually does have the right to assign assets of his/her company. Being a contact person, agent or general manager is not meaningful. The guarantor must be an owner or officer. Providing this documentation with your initial paperwork helps speed the process.

Being a small business owner myself, I know how hard it can be to slow down enough to accomplish a task correctly the first time. I’ve had clients get money into their account in 5 business days from our first conversation and others have taken more than 3 weeks.

Every company in the industry is set up for a quick turn around on complete documentation. We often find that sales people are only concerned with getting a deal submitted, regardless of the condition of the paperwork and documentation.

Being aware of these few tips will help you cut your return time in half and put your new working capital in your account in the next few days rather than several weeks.

4 Simple Secrets to Faster Money is a post from: Business Cash Advance provider Instant Capital Solutions.