My View - *Politically Correct* Financing vs.TNNWC's Emerging Enterprise and Specialized Financing Programs.

Note (which is actually a very long preamble):

*Politically Correct* Communications Are Everyone's Business.

I am learning that it is best to keep things as simple as possible. In our politically correct society, no person is unintelligent or narrow-minded...not at all! The wonderful chap or lady who appears "unintelligent" just "learns and processes information differently" than his or her seemingly "brighter" peers. The swell fellow or gal who appears ("presents," symptomatically speaking) narrow-minded is either "misinformed", or has had his or her perspective "challenged" or "unusually shaped" by a "limited experiential environment." His or her respective peers should encourage them to share their simplistic and refreshingly narrow focus on various issues about which they have no knowledge. Besides, knowledge corrupts the pure, unwrinkled mind and makes it prone to opinionation. [collective gasp]

We, as a species are only as good as our weakest link -- being politically correct means that we simply recalibrate our foolishly unrealistic standards and let the lowest common denominator set the pace for all of us. I have been uppity for too long, and I am ashamed.


These people should not be the objects of my criticism, or of yours. We are all of equal worth and quality, but like the beautiful snowflakes that fall in the wintertime, each one of us is fabulously "unique." There is no better and no worse. There is no basis upon which we can differentiate any one of us from any other one. Each of us serves a special and equally meritorious purpose:

The fast-driving litterer who tosses the remains of his fast-food takeout lunch out of his car window provides employment for the roadside sanitation engineer! The burglar provides employment for the police detective! Symbiosis!

There is no difference between a spoonful of poodle excrement and a scoop of chocolate ice cream, except, perhaps, the taste. Both are excellent -- arguably (but why argue?) -- but a person accustomed to one flavor must educate his or her palate to "acquire" a taste for the other. Judgment limits us. Think of the possibilities. What a wide, diversified world. What a panoply of potential we have here. Uncle Fester and Albert Einstein. The princesses and princes of the Jersey (pronounced "Joisey") Shore (pronounced "Shaw), and the crowd at Beverly Hills. Tim Gunn and Peter Luger (irony intended). It's a party...


Further, we are all victims of something or other...in fact this "victimhood" status binds us together -- the child molester and the elderly woman who works in the school cafeteria -- the axe-murderer and the Eagle Scout -- the crack peddler and the Wall Street CEO --- we are truly all the same. To differentiate by using a system of "ranking" or "value" would be an act of bigotry. We should learn to live as one big happy family. Objectivism and other such philosophies are archaic and hopelessly useless: they foster competition, ambition, and divide us. [please pause for a moment while I swallow some Soma, prescribed by my physician at the clinic, Dr. Orwell]

In the musical but slightly sexist (and you'll see why!!!) words of Ray Stevens..."Everybody's beautiful/ in his own way."

Having said this, I hope you will indulge me whilst I express my personal view (no better or worse than anyone else's) regarding some of the "potential outcomes" associated with interactions between small businesses and various types of financial institutions. 
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My View - *Politically Correct* "Financing" vs. TNNWC's Emerging Enterprise and Specialized Financing Programs.

-Douglas Castle

Learn about the TNNWC EMERGING ENTERPRISE VENTURE CAPITAL PROGRAM for financing small and growing businesses by visiting the link below:
http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/vcprogram.shtml

Learn about the TNNWC SPECIALIZED FINANCING AND CREDIT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM for financing small and growing businesses by visiting the link below:
http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/financing.shtml

Dear Colleagues, Readers, Friends and Other Folks:

I apologize for the lengthy preamble (if you read it). Off the record (heh-heh), I believe that there actually are unintelligent and bigoted people. I would just never dare to put it into writing.

Recently, someone in a business networking group (I will not specify whether or not it was Linked In, because there are some terrific and resourceful Human Assets there), a member made several observations (ill-informed assumptions, but his opinion, nonetheless) about one of the two TNNWC financing programs mentioned in the title. Both were highly negative comments if taken out of perspective. I'll paraphrase the criticisms:

1) "Any financing program or organization which charges an application or processing fee is obviously either incapable or a scam." 

2) "I could just go to my bank to get a loan for my business without paying any fees. What would I need you for?"

The third one, which was implied, was that:

3) "I can go to an investment banker or venture capitalist and get my money without using an intermediary or paying any fees."

So there. I'd like to address these bothersome statements with several of my own. My statements will not be *politically correct*, so you might find them disturbing.

1. If you can go to your bank and get a loan to facilitate your needs, you certainly do not need our services. If you aren't charged any processing fees, appraisal fees, highly-conditional commitment fees and a host of other charges (before you receive a dollar of proceeds, which you may not receive), you are indeed a shrewd negotiator. Good luck.

2. If you can go to a venture capitalist to invest directly in your business, or if you can get an investment banking firm to underwrite shares, bonds or other securities in your company, you certainly do not need TNNWC's services. If you can do so without a due diligence fee, underwriting fee, consultative fee (again, before you've received a dollar of proceeds, which you may not receive), you a quite an operator. Good luck.

3. TNNWC is certainly not a substitute for either of the above if you can simply pick up the telephone, or get on a plane and just get your money. All we do at TNNWC for your company is some data collecting, due diligence, evaluation and analysis, packaging, presenting (to actual, pre-qualified and suitable providers of funds), help with negotiations and act as your consultant and advocate. And there are fees. They are justified because performs serious work and adds serious value -- and we save you the thousands of dollars and person-hours you would have to expend if you were to go DIY money-shopping. What's more, you'd be doing the process by trial and error, and dropping your limited funds all of the way.

4. Sadly, most banks don't want to make any loans at all, least of all to new. small or growing businesses. Ditto for investments by most VCs and investment bankers.

5. Your company must be presented in the proper way to the proper sources -- sometimes we must find your hidden "gold nugget" and polish it up for you; sometimes, if your industry is good and your prospects for growth are a good bet, you may lack appeal because you seem "ordinary." In cases like this, we have to "put lipstick on the pig" (no insult intended to non-high-tech companies or pigs).

6. If your attorney, CPA or other financial professional (who should, of course, work for your company on a contingency fee basis -ahem-) can find you the financing that you need, don't waste any time with TNNWC's Programs. In fact, try to get any person or firm you regard as "professional" (excluding personal injury law firms that advertise on television and promise no fee, but actually charge you "expenses") to work on a strict contingency basis...if you can, then you've certainly taught me a lesson.

7. If you can find a "money broker" or other "finder" who will offer to take your company directly to the land of money, absorb all of the incident expenses himself or herself, and ask that you pay a "commission" only upon a successful closing, you are either not dealing with a professional (odds are that he or she is in the mass-mailing business, and your financing request will be shown around like the orphaned child that no relative will take), or you are dealing with someone who will not invest any time trying to get your financing at all.

8. In the current economy, financing for companies which are new or which earn $1.0 million to $100.0 million per year is extremely tough, and turns out to be very, very expensive and discouraging -- usually leaving you poorer and with less time to focus on operating your business itself. Obtaining financing is a challenging, daunting task, and is greatly expedited by the use of the right strategic, value-added intermediary to present your company to only the proper sources in the proper light with the best possible financing structure.

9. TNNWC does not solicit companies. They will come to us if they either know the economic environment (and its pitfalls), or have made some false starts with some banks, VC's and investment bankers, none of whom is likely going to wine and dine you for the opportunity to acquire you company's business. In this economy, and in the one to come, bankers will be looking for deposits and fee income (taking no credit risk), VCs will be looking for a company that will be the next Google (with a multibillion-dollar exit strategy), and the large Wall Street Firms will be involved in multi-billion dollar deals, and in collecting giant advisory fees.

Bottom Line:

*Politically Incorrect* though it is to say this, entrepreneurial start-ups, emerging enterprises, small and growing businesses and other very legitimate powerhouses of productivity have become either invisible or irrelevant to the ever-distant institutional financial community. They are "too big to fail." You are not.

If you need us, we'll make ourselves available. We demand full disclosure. We will evaluate you, and give you the real story. If we can't help you, your risk is temporally and financially small, and we'll let you know about the alternatives -- or we'll just refer you out.

We have a unique and and intelligent approach to getting your financing together. If anybody says that you don't need us, please ask him or her (be insistent!) to assist you in getting the capital that you require.

The fact is that getting financing requires expert, highly-specialized targeted marketing. Capitalizing businesses for operations and growth is only getting more difficult. It takes professional skills and sincere effort to get money. You probably need someone on your side.


Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

Douglas Castle

Linked In Profile: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle  

Become a Member Of TNNWC Group: http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC

BLOGS: http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com, http://TheInternationalistPage.blogspot.com, http://Braintenance.blogspot.com, http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

Tags, Labels and Terms: small business plans, small business financing, small business capital, small business investment, small business funding, small business loans, venture capital, SBA, TNNWC

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