Frustrated entrepreneur

On February 25 I posted an open letter to president Obama explaining the importance of micro-businesses to the economy and how the government and banks virtually neglect this important business sector.

Yesterday I received a passionate e-mail from a reader and small business owner in Alaska thanking me for standing up for small businesses. This frustrated and industrius woman has kindly given me permission to quote from her letter.

“Presently I own and have managed my computer technology shop for nine years, am a single mother who home schools, have built my home with hand tools, been told No upon my request for adding utilities to my home by banks who would let me build a new home as the solution.  I’ve started and run successfully two small businesses and yet now barely hang on due to high interest credit cards, a double mortgage, and high interest lending.

Had I started with, or been granted capital for, low interest loans for my business I would be very successful right now.  I’ve already paid off my first property though $24,000 still remains in debt and the banks had me take on a second mortgage.  I know with adequate funding, I can help many more than I do.  I also have had a 22% return on my service business although others went to products earlier than I.  Now I want to provide products fast.  I can find and have vendor relationships that are better than the nearest competition more than an hour of road travel away!

I’m not writing to sing the blues because I’ve been the one to carry my community, local businesses, and volunteered at the local schools and for my church.  I am writing to let you know within a few weeks I am considering surrendering to the banks the belongings and businesses I’ve built in order to find a shelter and collect welfare and drop the bills.

My preference is to acquire a grant quickly for computers and new parts and peripheral equipment that people in the area buy from me before I can keep it on a shelf.  If I could acquire $10,000 it would equip the entire store and all of it would be sold within 1-3 months to provide a return of more than $1,800 based on conservative estimates.

I am writing to thank you for your representation, what you wrote in February on my and my small son’s behalf.  He’ll have to pay back our national debt.  His lifetime will suffer for it, and I appreciate your attempt to help what I believe America should be built on- the multitudes of small businesses who’ve crossed unnavigable roads, repaired their own vehicle, built their homes from the land up using hand tools, lived in homes without utilities, designed off-grid systems that add to the quality of life, and who’ve started businesses to contribute to their neighbor’s quality of life.

I am also writing to ask you if you know of any immediate grants that are real, for a single Mom with two professional technology and planning businesses.  It really is keep working or collect from my system contributions over the years, and it’s a decision I have to make within a short time.  Will you offer your insight for immediate and real funding assistance?

It appears that I have been doing everything with my life that the President requests of us regarding women in business, technology innovation, single mothers from the only land she could buy to two businesses, and I have no return for it.  All I have- the banks own.  I don’t mind working for them, but when I cannot acquire a few thousand to begin to supply equipment  when the value of repair exceeds new- what are the President’s words for?  Has he actually made any of the billions they’re throwing around available for small businesses who are in touch with the land, real value from resources, and have the knowledge, foresight, and innovation to achieve growth?

Will you tell me if we are still America or if someone else owns us now?” 

There you have it – the real-world frustrations of a single-mom-entrepreneur who is about at the end of her rope.

Do you have a story like this? I’d love to hear about it.

Tight Money

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal talks about a fact known by most small business owners – SBA loans have dried up. Anyone who has tried to get a business loan from a bank recently knows that, even if applying for an SBA backed loan, banks have tightened credit-worthiness standards. Today, more than ever, the old saw holds true – you can only borrow money if you don’t need it.

According to the article, banks are having difficulty in selling SBA-backed loans on the secondary market, and the SBA is doing very little to make SBA lending attractive to banks. It is felt that it will take a long time for the billions of dollars going to banks in the “bail out” to trickle down to small business loans.

So, what can the business owner do? Well, for starters, vote today. Make your voice heard. Tell Washington that you want and need change. Beyond that, reduce waste, and look for alternative funding sources like factoring receivables, or non-bank asset-based lending. There is money available, but it will not be easy to get in the near future.

Will Limkemann

The Constant Entrepreneur: Advice for Running a Productive Business

Your Best Friend – The Banker

I have established wonderful relationships with bankers, mainly business lenders, from many of the banks that serve the Cleveland market. I try to get together with at least one banker a week for breakfast, lunch, or coffee, just to chat.

This morning I had breakfast with a lender from one of the area’s regional banks. We talked at lenght about how businesses use and abuse their banking relationships.

The most valuable advice that came from the discussion is this. Keep communicating with your banker. Talk with the banker when times are good. But, more importantly, talk with your banker when things are not going well. Most banks will work with you if you have temporary trouble paying a loan – providing that you have talked with the lender as soon as you realize a potential problem. In many cases they will help to restructure the loan to reduce monthly payments, if needed. If, however, you just don’t make payments on the loan, and don’t answer phone calls from the bank, the bank will be much quicker to go after you for the money and will not be willing to work with you.

My friend said that the later scenario is all too common.

Make your banker your ally rather than “the enemy” by talking with them. Take your banker to lunch one a quarter and help him/her to really understand you and your business. Send your banker your financial statements each month (you do produce monthly statements, don’t you?).

Will Limkemann
Limkemann Business Advisors
440-871-0976
www.neobizadvisor.com