Tag Archives: collateral

Letting Go Financially

Business Success, Debt, Goals, Investing, , , , , , ,

Last week we looked at the value of exhibiting patience when making important financial decisions. You need to be prudent with your spending and debt choices, and you should give yourself enough time to get the best results from your efforts in saving, investing and creating wealth.

While it’s advisable to stay on course with your financial goals and allow time to work in your favour, there are instances when you actually need to move quickly to get rid of unhealthy money habits or reverse unwise decisions you may have made.

When you commit to a specific financial route, you may not be certain if you should hold on because you made the right choice, or if your results indicate that you should change direction. Let’s look at some situations in which it’s time to cut loose and ‘wheel and come again,’ as we say in Jamaica. Continue reading Letting Go Financially →

New Options for Small Business Financing

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“I need to get a loan to expand my small restaurant. However, many of the micro financing options charge interest rates that would kill my business. Regular banks ask for collateral that I don’t have. No one wants to sign as a guarantor for my loan. I’m getting very frustrated, because I know that if I got financing, my business would really take off. What can I do?”

The universal answer facing small business owners in search of financing is “No Collateral, No Deal.” If you’re an entrepreneur with a viable business idea or an expansion plan, at some point you’ve probably faced the challenges of raising capital without collateral.

There is an increased business-friendly focus in most of the commercial banks. With more people going the route of self-employment, it makes sense for financial institutions to pay closer attention to the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.

Small business can eventually bring big business in the long run.

Continue reading New Options for Small Business Financing →

Small Business Financing: Is it impossible to get it without collateral?

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“After reading your column last week, I must agree with a lot of things you said. I am a small business operator for the past ten years and I have found that a loan is one of the hardest things to access. A small business like mine aspires to become a big business one day but when no one wants to lend you the amount of money that you want, you will never reach that goal.

“If every time I need a loan I can only get J$30,000 then I will remain a small business owner for life. Are the banks really interested in helping small business or are they just interested in making their interest? Let’s face it- a lot of small business operators don’t own land or houses so telling us we need a registered title or car title to access funds only drives us up the wall and give us no hope.

“As the saying goes BANKS ONLY LEND MONEY TO PEOPLE WHO DONT NEED IT.”

These are the words of a clearly frustrated business owner who emailed me last week. I have reprinted this passionate plea almost in its entirety because his views seem to reflect many of the concerns and complaints I receive constantly from entrepreneurs. Finding money to turn a business dream into a reality can sometimes be a nightmare. Continue reading Small Business Financing: Is it impossible to get it without collateral? →