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There is a tendency for people to think when bad news about the economy strikes the worst thing they could do is attempt to start a small business. This could not be farther from the truth. There is no such thing as a bad time to start a business, provided you go about it the right way. Check the news again. When large corporations are failing and looking for bailouts, small businesses keep on ticking. A small business owner that keeps a tight rein on operations and serves the public with products or services valuable enough to be taken in exchange for money will survive a bumpy ride.

Start Looking for a Lender Right Away

Any “grey beard” entrepreneur that has made it through the economic swings that seem to part of a natural cycle will tell you not to invest every personal cent you have in your business when starting out. You need to protect your personal assets and savings to take care of yourself and your family while you are building your business income. Nobody will stop you from investing some of your own money, but include acquiring a business loan as part of your start up strategy. There are some steps you will need to take to prepare for applying for a loan, and if you have already been rejected by the bank for a loan you have no choice but to pursuit another avenue.

Do your market research and be certain the product/service you are about to put on the market is viable. Survey everything you are planning to do and make the adjustments as necessary. Give the market what it is willing to pay to have. Make a very detailed business plan.

Choose the correct corporate structure for you business and register with the state. Get all your paper work in order and establish a proper bookkeeping system right off the bat. Find out exactly what your responsibilities are for paying taxes and retaining employees. Get your Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Register with Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) for the purpose of getting a Paydex score. Look for all the ways you can get accounts under your business name and out of your personal name. Set up vendor reporting with D&B. Eventually you will need to get your hands on a list of businesses that extend lines of credit to small business owners and use those to start building your business credit score. You can get as much as $35k through business credit. Get a credit card in your business name and use it wisely.

Money Available Regardless of the Economic Times

If you were expecting a magic formula to get an instant business loan, this is it. But it will take a little time. Depending on your diligence it could be a few weeks to a few months. No traditional banker or alternative lender will give you a loan with a decent interest rate without you doing these steps. You must build up your credit profile and business credit score first. It is the only way you can get money for your business that is not based on your personal credit and will not put your personal assets at risk. In the meantime you can use your business lines of credit from the list mentioned earlier to help get your business started.

Don’t wait. Start your business now. Get free information at Strong Business Credit for starting a business. Go to Inital Underwriting Group to get business credit & business loans.

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Already we are seeing the results of the demise of the mortgage market due to the sub prime debacle. Lending banks have severely tightened lending criteria as their asset bases erode and the financial sector comes under huge pressure. Wall street does not like to see 2.5 billion dollar write offs from Morgan Stanley and the like. John Maudlin said in his November 9th Newsletter “Data released in the past few months, and again this week, have shown that banks and other lenders are tightening their standards for all sorts of loans. And it is not just that they are becoming more like an old-fashioned banker who actually wanted to know that he could get his money back”. (John Maudlin, Frontline Thoughts)

Start up companies and smaller operations with limited assets are the ones who have benefited over the last five years of easy money. Some company’s were even funded through second mortgages because they were cheaper and easier to get than an SBA LOC. For all but a lucky few that option is now gone.

I recently completed a very solid business plan for a client that was denied funding. At first I was surprised. But given the external factors that now affect the lending market the response from the bank will be a common one. No more easy money.

So now everyone will have to get creative to get financed. Here are my top two creative ways of finding the money when you are a small business in need:

Friends and Family -

Sometimes people look at me and say “but my friends and family don’t have any money.” Well, neither did mine when I wanted any for my business. But a funny thing about friends and family – when I approached them with a solid plan and a sample product they could see, feel, and admire, suddenly they were open to the idea. But here’s the trick: I didn’t ask any ONE person for the whole amount. I took seven different loans to get $25,000 and paid them back according to need.

So my friend who lent me her last $5000 got hers paid back first, and my grandfather, who was retired and didn’t need his $5000 right away was willing to wait. Everyone knew the payment schedule and signed their acceptance of it. When I needed the last $5000 and no ONE person had it, I had two friends who even lent me $2500 each. That’s how you can put money together creatively.

Merchant Account Advance -

Almost every business now accepts credit cards. Not only have they proven in studies to raise individual ticket sales (people will charge more than they will pay with cash), merchant accounts allow for greater flexibility for the small merchant. You don’t have to be open at 2 am to make a sale-your website can do it for you.

So now you can get money in advance of future sales. Merchant account advances are a relatively new way for merchants to access cash. Business owners get the cash they need quickly. Instead of having to worry about large monthly payments, the loan is repaid from a small percentage of each credit card sale the business makes.

There are qualifications. But if you are open for business and have consistent credit card sales this is a great avenue to explore.

If you need to raise money for your business and you can’t get a conventional loan, just take the time to think outside the box. There are several other options open to you.

My special report “15 ways to get money for your small business” can be found at my website http://www.soaring-phoenix.com In it I list several creative financing options that you can explore for your small business. Leili McKinley specializes in helping small business owners overcome financial difficulty. If you are a small business owner seeking funding or a cash flow management system, I can help. “If you have reached a plateau, we can help you grow.”

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Does your current business need a facelift? You may need to purchase new, updated equipment, do remodeling, add an addition, purchasing new fixtures for your business. Maybe you wish to start offering new services that will require you to hire additional employees. Perhaps you need to retrain your current staff to offer new services. The time has come for you to take out a business loan to cover these expenses, but where do you turn now?

Online Business Loans

The answer may be only a mouse click away. There are quality, reputable lenders who do business exclusively online who are willing to invest in your business by loaning you money to help improve it. These lenders have established websites to make the application process possible in a convenient, hassle free environment.

To apply for your business loan, you will visit the lender’s website. You will be able to fill out a secure online application on the lender’s website that will ask for general information about your business, including revenue generated, projected sales, etc.

Securing Your Business Loan

You will most likely be asked to secure your business loan with something of value, such as your own home, real estate, business property, etc. If you were to forfeit on the loan for any reason, the lender can foreclose upon the security just as they could with any other type of loan. That means that regardless of the success (or lack of) that your business experiences, you will still be responsible for repaying your business loan.

Flexible Repayment Options

You can borrow any amount that you need for business purposes. Remember, you have different options for repayment. Some lenders may offer you regular monthly payments that range from one year to twenty years or longer.

When shopping for a business loan with monthly repayments, look for one that offers a fixed rate. That means that you will always pay the same amount of interest, regardless of the fluctuations of market rates that accompany the variable rate business loan. This is especially important if your business loan is for the long term (ten years or longer). This can save you tons of money over the life of the loan.

Other payment options that you may have offered to you at the time you take out your business loan may be a payment of interest only for so many years (example: ten years of interest only payments each month) followed by a final year of a balloon payment that will be the entire principle of the loan. That means that if you borrow $10,000 you would pay interest only on the money for ten years, with the final balloon payment of $10,000 due at the end of the term of the loan.

This option works well for businesses that will need more time to realize profit on their initial investment of $10,000 – which means that the interest only option doesn’t take away from the profit during the loan’s term. The balloon payment of the entire principle, however, is something that you should consider being able to afford at the end of the term.

Jessica Peterson is a Unsecured Personal Loan Consultant with more than twenty years of experience. For more information about Guaranteed Bad Credit Personal Loans, Guaranteed Credit Cards, Unsecured Loans, Fresh Start Loans, Debt Consolidation, Student Loans and others please visit http://www.yourloanservices.com

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How many times have you wished there were some sort of magic trick that would grant you instant approval on that loan you so badly need? Being denied over and over again is extremely frustrating and can really bring a person’s confidence down. And what is more, putting your credit through inquiry after inquiry only makes your score sink lower. But what is it that you are doing wrong? There must be something, otherwise, you would have been granted a loan by now.

Obtaining finance when you are a bad credit applicant is never easy, but it is not impossible either. Having a clear idea of your possibilities and a high self-confidence is key. Learn what you are doing wrong and what steps you can take towards a successful bad credit loan application. Here you will find some ideas on how to proceed prior to applying for a loan.

Sort Out Your Credit Report

There are many sites online which offer free credit report copies. It will be a good idea for you to get one of these and spend some time checking it out, making sure that everything which appears there is absolutely accurate. It is very easy to oversee mistakes as we always assume the inputs are 100% correct. Well, they do not always are. So make sure there are no errors which might be unfairly bringing your credit down.

Make A Budget

Knowing exactly what you earn monthly and what your usual expenditures are will give you a better idea of what you can afford to pay when it comes to loan installments. This will aid you in deciding which loan offers are better for you and which are just bad deals. It is very common for people to take out a loan which ends up being more than they can handle. If you know what you can pay for and what is simply out of your league, this will definitely not happen to you.

Improve Your Credit

Often, people wait until the last second to request a loan. This is just wrong. Making rushed decisions is exactly what you do not need. If you realize your financial situation is somewhat rocky, plan ahead. Provided that you see you will need the helping hand of a lender is the months to come, try to slowly improve your FICO score before submitting an application. Even if you only enhance it a bit, it is better than nothing. There are measures you can take: pay off any due bills, close unnecessary account, pay off credit card balances, etc. It will mean a sacrifice, but it will surely boost your chances of approval in the upcoming months.

Pay Lenders A Visit

Applying for loans online is an excellent idea and can save you loads of time. But sometimes taking the time to personally visit each lender, can increase your chances of approval. It will give the lender time to get to know the person behind the credit score and the credit report. You will have a chance to explain some of your negative report inputs face-to-face, and this is invaluable. I believe it can be really hard to swallow ones pride and admit that you made a mistake and that you need a second chance, but it will earn you the trust of the people around you. It is definitely worth the effort.

Hilary Bowman is the author of this article. She works successfully as a financial advisor with years of expertise on Bad Credit Loans. Hilary publishes informative articles about bad credit personal loans, home loans, credit cards, auto loans, business loans and others at http://www.fastguaranteedloans.com

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Peer to peer lending is often considered riskier than other forms of investment. Looking at peer to peer lending sites like Lending Club, they state the risk of investment is at your own risk and if you are not able to loss your money don’t invest. This is stated on their prospectus with the SEC and this represents the worse case scenario for investors. This admission is often enough to scare the majority of people away. So why is peer to peer lending so risky and if it so risky why are people still lending?

The overall risk is based in the nature of the loan issued. It is unsecured. Meaning, it has no real collateral backing the loan as in an auto loan or mortgage. There is only a promise to pay the loan by the borrower. This is not the only type unsecured loan today. Every credit card and store credit is an unsecured loan. These loans or lines of credit carry a high rate of interest due to the fact they are unsecured. The same is in true of peer to peer lending.

How is peer to peer lending different than a credit card? There time period to pay off the loan or maturity. Loans are usually over a three year period. The borrower pays installments and not minimums. The goal is to completely pay off the loan by the term.

So how risky are the loans? They often carry the same risk that credit cards and other types of unsecured debt. The risk is always present of non payment or late payment, but many steps are taken by lending institutions to reduce this risk.

First, the qualifications for borrowers are clearly stated and include a credit check. The institution reviews the credit history, utilization, credit score and several other factors as well as employment to assign the borrower’s loan a grade. If a person does not meet loan standards they are rejected. These are often posted for investors to review. This provides reassurance that the institution is doing its job. Second, the pertinent information from the background and credit check is posted with the loan request. Lenders are allowed to review this information and make their own decision as to whether to invest or not. Third, lenders are not required to invest in just one loan. Lenders can take their capital and spread it out among several loans. This has the effect of diversification and helps to further reduce risk to the lender.

So why are people investing in peer to peer loans? The returns are high. A site like lending club list a return in the range of 6% to 19% depending on the loan funded. This is an extremely high rate of return and is far better than other investments. Secondly, the default rate is low. Lending club is currently listing defaults of 120 plus around 2%.

The risk is always present, but the right steps need to be taken to avoid them. Find a reputable site for peer to peer lending. They make sure the proper background checks are performed and reject the borrowers that are too high of a risk. A lender should diversify their holdings of loans to further reduce their exposure to risk. For most lenders, the returns out weigh the risk and make it a feasible investment.

If you want to learn more about investing in peer to peer loans visit Kyle’s website. There you will find excellent information about peer to peer lending

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In the last few years, consumer debt in Britain has been spiralling: from credit card debt to large mortgage burdens, it seems that UK spenders have become a nation of borrowers. A recent article in the Guardian newspaper claimed that consumer debt is estimated to be rising by around 10 per cent per year – presently averaging nearly £27,000 for property-secured loans, with another £4400 on average for every person in the UK over 16.

This continuing love affair with credit has meant that a large number of people have suffered financial problems, from simple payment arrears to bankruptcy – and as a result, the number of people with bad credit histories has been rising rapidly. This means that should these consumers ever be in need of financial assistance in the future, they will find it much harder to gain assistance from conventional sources like banks and building societies.

As a result, recent years have seen an increasing number of people in Britain turning to social lending. According to Michael Hulme, author of a recent report on social lending by the Social Future observatory, “For most people banking does not provide any form of rewarding or valued experience – it is simply a necessity.”

However, if you find yourself in a situation where you have bad credit as a result of past CCJs or defaults, but are in need of financial assistance, there are a variety of financial institutions that can help you secure products, such as re-mortgages and secured loans. A secured loan is where the borrower offers their property as security; if the particular property offered as security is already mortgaged, the secured loan becomes known as the ’second charge’. Secured loans provide an excellent way for those with bad credit to borrow money. Because the property offers greater security for a lender, it often means lower or flexible interest rates can be offered in return. So, provided your repayments are managed effectively, you may end up paying less on your loan and getting ahead with your finances in the long run.

Providers of bad credit secured loans will consider your financial situation as well as your ability to repay the loan. Low APR secured loans can start with rates as low as 6.7 per cent APR, with the option to pay nothing at all for a deferred period. Furthermore, sources of bad credit loans might arrange convenient repayment terms that can last anytime from three to 25 years. So if your credit has been affected by rising levels of consumer debt or past financial mishaps, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to find sources of financial assistance when you really need it.

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As the credit crunch continues, more and more business owners and entrepreneurs are turning to less traditional methods of business financing. Usually, the requirements for receiving these non-traditional business loans are not as strict as bank requirements, even during times of a booming economy. Now, as people who would normally qualify for bank loans are facing bank denials, the various non-traditional business financing sources are experiencing an influx of qualified applicants.

Peer-to-Peer Lending

Wikipedia describes peer-to-peer, or P2P lending, as a lending system that “…occurs directly between individuals (“peers”) without the intermediation/participation of a traditional financial institution.” According to a recent article, many peer-to-peer lending sites, say users are frequently listing “credit crunch” or “banks tightening their credit policy” as reasons for turning to social lending networks.

This type of lending often works out for the benefit of the borrower because lenders auction of loans online, competing for the borrower by offering lower interest rates. Usually the lender offering the lowest interest rate wins.

Angel Investor

An angel investor is an affluent individual who invests in start-up small businesses, providing funds for new entrepreneurs. Many angel investors participate in such investments because they feel they can get “…a higher return than they would see in traditional investments” (smallbusinessnotes.com). Some angel investors even join together forming angel groups and/or angel networks. Usually angel investors are also seasoned business owners and have already experienced the difficulties of business start-up. Therefore, they can offer advice, expertise and experience in addition to funds.

Merchant Cash Advance

A merchant cash advance is a form of credit card factoring. Borrowers sell their businesses’ future credit card receivables at a discount. Meaning they pay a flat rate for upfront money. Then the amount of the merchant cash advance and the flat rate are paid via the deduction of a small percentage of the businesses’ daily credit card sales. This small percentage is taken until the entire payback amount is repaid. Merchant cash advance borrowers can usually have their money in a matter of days after approval.

Gaston C. writes articles about Business Loans and Small Business Loans for Merchant Resources International.

photo credit: The Digital Movement

For individuals seeking a loan for the reasons of debt consolidation, auto loan, student loan, small business loan or any other personal loan, there is a new option of funding through peer to peer lending. This option is relativity new and has become a completely separate industry. It is growing at a fast pace and for many people find it services a need not easy filled by other options.

The idea is based in person to person lending and is much like lending family members or a friend money. The bank involved acts to connect individuals who want to engage in lending or borrowing. For the borrowers, the bank helps find lenders. For the lenders, it does all the due diligence on borrowers such as a credit check and handles collection of payment. The credit checks have the purpose to reduce risk to the individual lenders and assign a max amount the borrower can get and sometimes the interest rate on a loan.

Why do borrowers love peer to peer lending? There are several benefits. The first reason why, it is most commonly used is debt consolidation. It often gets a lower rate than other forms of consolidation and at the term of the loan the debt is completely paid off. The second reason is it is easy to seek funding. If trying to start a business, a business loan is very difficult to get from your local bank and if denied the person has to go bank to bank. With peer to peer loans, lenders often find you. There is a bit of selling your loan in the market place, but it is available for funding to thousands of potential lenders. Third, the interest rate is often lower than other forms of personal loans. Peer to peer loans reported by Lending Club, a peer to peer lending site, have an interest rate starting at 6%. This depends on your credit standing. In comparison, a credit card is usually around 10% to 20% interest and can go as high as 30%. Furthermore, the rate is set and not subject to change like a credit card.

Why do lenders love peer to peer lending? The biggest reason is return. The rate of return, reported by Lending Club, ranges from 6% to 19%. This is extremely high rate of return in any investment. The second reason is actions taken to reduce default by peer to peer websites like Lending Club such as the initial credit screening. They list the default rate at just above 2%. This is low considering these loans are unsecure, meaning there is no collateral backing the loan. To further curb the risk, lenders are not allowed to fund just one loan with their capital. They must spread it out among several loans as to diversify their risk.

There are several other reasons and many could be personal to the individual lender or borrower as to why people love peer to peer lending. Its history is relatively short and for the most part unknown. The trend of growth in peer to peer lending will not slow for sometime as more people discover this alternative method of investment and credit.

To read more about peer to peer loans visit Kyle’s website. There you will find more great information about peer to peer lending