Why Cutting Costs Won’t Save You
If you're watching the U. S. government right now, you’ll notice one thing: they have absolutely no intention of reducing their debt.
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Practical thinking about cash flow, profit, debt, wealth, and the responsibilities of ownership.
If you're watching the U. S. government right now, you’ll notice one thing: they have absolutely no intention of reducing their debt.
Read essay →This week was chaos—but the good kind. We moved bookkeeping back to Canada, wrangled a credit card disaster that a “banking upgrade” caused, reconciled our accounts, and worked on E-2 visa plans for the U.
Read essay →It’s the end of another week—and a meaningful one.
Read essay →It’s Saturday. Time for my weekly wrap-up on this wild journey: 👉 Trying to start a business in the U. S. 👉 Preparing to spend months in Spain 👉 Untangling what’s left of our Canadian life We leave on September 2.
Read essay →Today was a walk, not a run. Normally Saturdays are for running, but I cashed that in yesterday when the sun came out and reminded me that life can be pretty good.
Read essay →Running a business and generating cash is tough. I am often asked, "what should business owners invest in" once they have made it out of the Struggling Quadrant .
Read essay →[1:15] Cash Flow Quadrant for Business Owners [3:46] Managing personal burn rate [5:26] Planning cash for our busy season [6:56] On demand labour platform update Market News [13:19] Layoffs and more jobs than ever are available [15:54] US…
Read essay →An introduction to the Cash Flow Quadrant For Business Owners What quadrant is your business in?
Read essay →[00:58] Working on measured growth opportunities [4:02] Managing tight cash flow [7:21] Creating versus managing value Market News [9:29] Inflation is real and silent [14:03] Crypto is unraveling [19:24] Labour unionization strategy for…
Read essay →Tune in today as Dylan goes through his recent tweets about: - cash flow management - not getting too far ahead of yourself - telling your competitors everything Twitter: @dylangallagher Connect with dylan on LinkedIn at: https://www.
Read essay →Are you stressed or scared about your business finances? Business finances are a consistent point of stress for entrepreneurs.
Read essay →In their own mind, every entrepreneur thinks that their business is a slam-dunk opportunity for a banker or investor to consider.
Read essay →There are moments when everything is going well. Money is in the bank. Profit is finding its way to the bottom line.
Read essay →I wish it was easy. I wish the things in my head could easily be put into place. Marketing strategies would just work.
Read essay →When faced with difficult situations involving the cash your business needs, it can be easy to think that finding new money to put into your business will solve your problems.
Read essay →The most obvious opportunities can often times be the most overlooked opportunities. Most entrepreneurs know that it costs less money to serve an existing customer than it does to try and find a new customer.
Read essay →There is opportunity in every market. Even the competitive ones. Even the competitive ones where the competitors have more money, time and resources.
Read essay →You always need a hook. You always need an angle. If you want to have a profitable and valuable business, you need to do at least one thing better than your competitors.
Read essay →Do you feel the need to set a goal for your business? Are you are struggling to pick a goal that is meaningful enough to pursue that will get you out of bed in the morning?
Read essay →Investing in your business is a concept many entrepreneurs are familiar with. Take your profit and put it to work in your business.
Read essay →You might know who your competitors are and you might not. You probably show up for work every day looking to do the same thing you did yesterday in hopes of servicing some customers and maybe putting some money on your bottom line.
Read essay →It's easy to come up with an idea. It's easy to start a business. It's hard to be profitable. Profit is a funny thing because it doesn't really show up anywhere and often times don't know you don't have any until its too late.
Read essay →Price. Price. Price. Many entrepreneurs feels they could sell more if they simple lowered their prices.
Read essay →Price. Price. Price. Many entrepreneurs feels they could sell more if they simple lowered their prices.
Read essay →A question that many entrepreneurs have a hard time answering is: "What would your business do with a meaningful investment?"
Read essay →Making a decision to borrow money or accept investment capital while under pressure or without a credible business plan, can be a decision you regret for a very long time.
Read essay →It's hard to believe if you haven't had any first hand experience with the concept of perceived value but it is very real.
Read essay →Business challenges are real. At some point the failures made in your business will surface if you haven’t gotten ahead of them.
Read essay →Business is people. No matter what business you are in - people matter. In order to improve the experience your customers or clients have when they interact with your business, you need good people.
Read essay →When your business is in trouble it can be easy to think that borrowing money is the easiest fix you can make, but money comes at a price.
Read essay →What got your business here may not get it there. Whatever advantage your business used to gain customers and market share may not continue to work as your competitors adopt and improve what was once unique to your business.
Read essay →When your business is on fire and doing well, you want to capitalize on growth as quickly as you can so you don't miss your window of opportunity.
Read essay →One of the greatest aspects of business is that nothing stays the same. Entrepreneurs need to stay on their toes to win market share and ultimately profits.
Read essay →There are no shortage of opportunities in the marketplace. There are no shortage of opportunities your business can take advantage of.
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here: If you are having a hard time increasing your sales but still want to increase your profits, how do you do it?
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here: Does the money you take out of your business equal the value you are putting in? When should you be on payroll and when should you take some profit?
Read essay →Managing your finances is probably one of the hardest things to do as an entrepreneur running a business.
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here: "If you don't know where you are going you'll end up some place else" as said by Yogi Berra and used in different variations in almost every business book or self help book.
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here: They say interest is a silent killer in any business.
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here This is a question I encounter many times when reviewing the cash flow and profitability of a business with either the entrepreneur or person running the business.
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here What is your balance sheet going to look like next year? The year after? What about three years from now?
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here It's going to cost how much!!! You must be crazy!!! That comment is made by entrepreneurs and business owners after hearing how much it costs to borrow money from either a mid market or private lender.
Read essay →Listen to the podcast here: Answers are easy. Asking the right question is hard. Over twenty years I have developed a skill for asking questions (to the dismay of my wife and family but that's for another post).
Read essay →We all know that money doesn't disappear it moves. Right now the price of oil is sinking which means that money is moving from one side of the market to the other.
Read essay →That would be Marc Andreessen, Fred Wilson and Bill Gurley (if you don't know who they are Google them).
Read essay →Admit it. Either you or somebody you know has had that experience of getting excited to go on a date only to be more than disappointed.
Read essay →Let's face it - $1-billion dollars is a lot of money. Reaching a value of $1-billion dollars is a lot of success.
Read essay →As a mortgage broker it seems over the past few years that more people come to us at the 11 th hour needing money at the last possible moment.
Read essay →We recently completed a mortgage for client that was refinancing his property to get a larger mortgage and use the additional funds for investment purposes.
Read essay →In continuing with the theme from yesterday's blog (click here ) here are some ideas on how to prepare for the cash your business may need.
Read essay →What do you think? Generally speaking, is Canada risk adverse?
Read essay →Who in their right mind would want to work 24 hours a day 7 days a week and worry about money? Entrepreneurs that's who!
Read essay →If you own a home or have ever purchased a home but did not have more than 20% to use as a down payment chances are that your mortgage needed to be insured by CMHC or another company.
Read essay →Talk to any banker, lender, mortgage specialist or broker about paperwork and one of their biggest frustrations would be "when clients send me their information in bits and pieces over dozens of emails and faxes".
Read essay →I was sitting with an RBC mortgage specialist today who is also a good friend of mine. We were discussing the woes of life and catching up on industry news and market changes.
Read essay →I was reading the results of a survey conducted by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) that highlighted three main reasons why companies seeking financing were not able to obtain the loan they wanted.
Read essay →I was reminded today that in our business days turn into months without even noticing it. I have a client that is seeking a refinance of a private mortgage and had expected to have everything completed at the beginning of September.
Read essay →Many small businesses have a hard time with technology.
Read essay →"I own a business and we need some money, can you help?" "What do you need the money for?" "Oh lots of things..."
Read essay →As much as I enjoy working with small businesses, one of the points of friction when discussing business loans (or commercial mortgages in some cases) is the matter of pro forma financial statements.
Read essay →DISCLAIMER: I am not an economist nor to I pretend to be. What I am is an entrepreneur who has owned and operated a business for more than a decade.
Read essay →The year was 1996 and I was sitting across the desk from the man that would not only teach me about private lending but would become a mentor, investor and friend.
Read essay →I feel stirred having read this article in the National Post yesterday ( Scotiabank’s outgoing CEO Rick Waugh: Customers may not like us but they feel comfortable and safe ) for several reasons.
Read essay →As a pick-up from yesterday (click here ) regarding why credit scores are so important I thought I would offer another side of credit scores: What if credit scores did not exist?
Read essay →It's amazing to me that many of the clients that come to us seeking a mortgage or loan do not know their credit score.
Read essay →Given the numerous construction deals that our office has seen over the past half year, I thought I would provide some details on how construction mortgages work with particular focus on the concept of "cost to complete".
Read essay →This is a great question that we often get asked and often consider when someone really needs cash but may not qualify to refinance their existing mortgage OR they do not want to pay the penalties associated with paying out an existing…
Read essay →CNN Money posted an article today titled " BofA considers account that puts an end to overdrafts " which I think is a brilliant idea.
Read essay →Here is an excerpt from a major bank in Canada that sent a message to brokers today (keep in mind that today is October 18) "we...
Read essay →Tomorrow (Thursday, October 17, 2013) at 10 AM I will be chatting with Bob Dubask in a Google Hangout and among other things we will be discussing reverse mortgages, HomeEquity Bank and some general conversation around seniors and their…
Read essay →Seems like a strange question but if you could borrow more - would you? Watching the news regarding the debt ceiling events unfolding in the US has me thinking about this question as it relates to individuals and businesses.
Read essay →I was standing in line at one of many local Starbucks I frequent with a good friend of mine who was watching me use my Starbucks app and said "how much money did you give Starbucks?"
Read essay →This morning I had breakfast at a new restaurant in Calgary called Red's in Ramsay ( Facebook page ) who also happens to be a client.
Read essay →It's going to cost a lot. By a lot I mean more than usual. Your expectation will be that it will not cost a lot only to realize that the interest rate is high and the fees are ridiculous.
Read essay →What do turkeys have in common with mortgages and loans? Nothing. Well not really other than the fact that this week BridgeMyCommunity.
Read essay →In working with a client recently, we were discussing their projections for the current year because they are looking to payout some higher interest debt on their balance sheet with less expensive debt that they thought might be available…
Read essay →So the headlines and some Twitter feeds are making mention of a story that seems to be getting tired (and I am not even an American).
Read essay →I heard this questions twice in one hour today from individuals looking for money and thought I would take a moment to speak about it for everyone who is not in our business as a way of letting you into our world.
Read essay →It doesn't happen often but sometimes we get to the last days of a deal when all of the pieces can be broken a part by one small unforeseen change.
Read essay →It's not every day that a company will share the complaints it receives from its customers but I thought it would be a great opportunity to address some of the things we deal with that people may not know or care to know.
Read essay →If someone were to ask me "what is the one topic you have to answer or address most often" I would without hesitation say interest rates.
Read essay →I sat with an investor last week that was looking for some input on a deal that was presented to him through a friend who was seeking short term financing for his company.
Read essay →I attended a panel discussion breakfast earlier this week that including a senior banker, an ABL specialist and an individual who is the President and CEO of Calgary based Alaris Royalty Corp.
Read essay →This weekend both of my boys, who are 8 and 7 years old, had soccer games and are almost finished their season.
Read essay →In pondering some of the challenges that Canadian banks are facing with respect to their margins and product offering, I read an article today in the Financial Post ( Canadian plants putting Detroit’s oil sands waste pile to use ) that…
Read essay →Imagine for a moment that someone approaches you and asks if you would be willing to lend them money.
Read essay →If you believe like I do that the world economy (and to a lesser extent the Canadian economy) will continue to be mediocre at best then small businesses have an additional challenge in front of them in the form of being profitable or…
Read essay →The following article has some interesting points in it about the Canadian real estate market and banks (see http://www.
Read essay →I am once again reminded this week of how procrastination has a real dollar cost to a business.
Read essay →Another big file off our desk this week. We completed our third transaction for a group that purchases land and then works to increase the value for eventual sale or development.
Read essay →I am just wrapping up a construction mortgage for a group of folks that are opening a second restaurant in Calgary, Alberta.
Read essay →We have come to the last posting that has covered the 5 financial ratios contained in our FREE Business Health Check designed to give SME businesses and starting point for understanding how their business can do more.
Read essay →In this fourth posting about the financial ratios that help businesses understand how they can do more, we cover a Debt Service Ratio and what it means.
Read essay →We are in the middle of reviewing 5 financial measurements covered in our FREE Business Health Check that can provide your business with an understanding of what it can be working on to help it do more.
Read essay →In this second of five postings we pick up where we left off and cover what a Current Ratio is.
Read essay →Over the next several blog entries we will be reviewing 5 financial ratios that can provide you insight into your business and how healthy it is.
Read essay →If your business generates less than $10,000,000 in annual revenue and don't have a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) or senior Controller you may want to consider getting a FREE Business Health Check .
Read essay →In conclusion to this three part series of posts on commercial mortgages, this post will provide information on a very sensitive issue - guarantees.
Read essay →As a follow-up to the first part, Commercial Mortgages Part 1 - Equity , this post deals with debt service or the ability of a borrower to make the mortgage payments.
Read essay →One of the easiest places to start with a commercial mortgage is the equity that will be involved.
Read essay →Often the question is asked of us from people and businesses looking for a mortgage: "What is the difference between a bank and lender".
Read essay →I once heard it said that any type of brokerage business is a result of an inefficiency in a marketplace. Customers will use brokers to get a job done that they either do not want to do themselves or don't know how to do.
Read essay →Every year when you and your accountant meet to discuss your financial statements (i. e. Notice to Reader, Review Engagement or Audited) ask your accountant -what do you think?"
Read essay →Sometimes it is helpful to know some basic pieces of information before you contact a bank, lender or broker seeking a commercial mortgage.
Read essay →If you are looking for a mortgage, shopping your mortgage request to banks and brokers can lower your credit score and may impact your ability to be approved.
Read essay →Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap (Ecclesiastes 11:4).
Read essay →"I need financing because we don't seem to have enough money in our business". If we had a penny for every time we heard this...
Read essay →"Good work ain't cheap and cheap work ain't good" Isn't the only saying true - you get what you pay for. This is especially true when using a broker.
Read essay →I visited with a client this past week that has managed to keep his business afloat and is now seeing the fruits of hard decisions that he had to make such as refocusing, cutting expenses and micro managing costs.
Read essay →"I have made an offer on a property and have removed conditions. Can you tell me what my financing options are?"
Read essay →It's an obvious question but most people don't spend a lot of time talking about it - "how will I pay my mortgage or loan back?"
Read essay →Land banking, land development, land servicing all continue to be tough deals to get financing for. Banks and lenders are happy to lend you the money if you have enough pre-sales (of completed lots) to cover up to 100% of their loan.
Read essay →In talking with a potential client yesterday I heard the comment "What comes first - the plan or the money?" The answer is - the plan.
Read essay →It's always difficult to explain to a first time commercial borrower why banks and lenders don't get excited about hotels, motels and inns.
Read essay →I spent some time on the phone yesterday with an individual that has put together a transaction involving a parcel of land that he thinks would be a good spot for a mini storage.
Read essay →Getting a mortgage broker, banker or mortgage specialist to check your credit score can lower it. Get any of them to check it within days of each other and watch your score drop like a rock.
Read essay →I had a chance to visit with a new client today (courtesy of the Royal Bank) who was looking to purchase a mixed use property in rural Alberta.
Read essay →After 1,138 calls this year I can confirm that if you need less than $2,000,000 for a commercial mortgage or a business loan don't call a bank and don't bother calling a broker - unless you know what you are looking for.
Read essay →Client says "I think I need about $750,000 in working capital to keep up with my business growth". Our response "how do you know that's how much you need?"
Read essay →If you have never had a commercial mortgage or business loan or have had very few, providing a personal guarantee may be something that you are naturally uncomfortable to do.
Read essay →"How much is the minimum for a downpayment on a commercial purchase? 20% down?" We get this question a lot. There are many different ways to answer this question.
Read essay →Being in the mortgage and loan business, we get the opportunity to work with many interesting people, deals and opportunities.
Read essay →Land transactions - specifically refinances - have been tough to find financing for since at least mid 2008 and continue to be a struggle.
Read essay →We see a trend with small business owners and their need for capital. For most small businesses cash flow is critical and most cash flow challenges come from the difference between their accounts receivable and their accounts payable.
Read essay →Recently the Government of Canada announced changes to the mortgage lending rules including: - Maximum amortization for a mortgage is 30 years (down from 40 and 35) - Refinancing a mortgage is limited to 85% of the property value (down…
Read essay →If the past 6 months are any indication of the coming year it could be a good 2011. In our daily work we are busy helping people and businesses get the financing they want so they can do more.
Read essay →When considering their financing options our client tends to try their bank first only to end up frustrated and no further along.
Read essay →It is not unusual for someone to contact us with the question: "Where do I start?" or "I need to know a few things about commercial mortgages".
Read essay →Often borrowers will purchase a property and not have enough down payment or may not be able to qualify for a mortgage at the time of purchase.
Read essay →A small home builder approached us to replace the financing that he used to construct two infill properties that are now listed for sale.
Read essay →It would appear that with the limited amount of lending opportunities available in the marketplace that private lenders have been prepared to reconsider their policies for providing mortgages on parcels of land and future development sites.
Read essay →Quite often we will have a client ask us to help them finance a property that they have been able to purchase for an amount that is less than what the property is worth based on an appraisal.
Read essay →Need: mortgage to purchase a commercial property Challenge: no financial statements to show business history To obtain financing for the purchase of a real estate property, most banks want to see that the company can make the monthly…
Read essay →For a second time this month we provided some guidance for construction projects that are multi-phased and require creativity.
Read essay →We get asked this question a lot so I thought it would be a good idea to share the answer with everyone. For residential mortgages typically brokers are paid by banks and lenders.
Read essay →A business approached us that has just come out of two years of very difficult times but seems to have turned a corner for the better.
Read essay →Whether you are looking to borrow money for a residential mortgage, a commercial mortgage or business loan you should be aware of the 5 most important points a bank or lender will look for in determining your approval.
Read essay →There is a lot of advertising and information available about your personal credit score but most people are not aware of the impact their credit score can have on their borrowing.
Read essay →Often times our clients will ask about the kinds of transactions that banks are interested in funding.
Read essay →We were approached recently by two businesses that were looking to restructure their existing financing to save interest and improve cash flow.
Read essay →It appears that more and more people are looking to have someone work for them to help them understand their options.
Read essay →We had the opportunity to work with a business owner that was looking to make better use of the money they spend on rent by purchasing a small industrial bay.
Read essay →We had the opportunity to work with a business owner that was looking to make better use of the money they spend on rent by purchasing a small industrial bay.
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