The Loan Process for Commercial Income Property

With commercial income property being such an important sector of the real estate industry, it is important to have access to high quality loan broker training. In this article we run through the loan process for commercial income property.The loan broker, sometimes referred to as the correspondent lender in the industry, is required to carry out several tasks in their professional role. These tasks involve: finding new clients, building a rapport with them, assisting with their loan application, understanding their financial circumstances and reviewing their business proposals.The first step of the loan process is to find clients. This may involved marketing or advertising in publications that are appropriate for the audience that you can secure them from. For example, business for sale websites and publications are ideal, alternatively investment publications also reach this type of market.Once a potential commercial loan client has been identified, the broker will work together with their client to put together the loan package. This will involve analysis of financial information and completing the application for the loan. The correspondent lender will then liaise between the client and the lender. It is important at this stage for the correspondent lender to understand which lenders and products may suit the circumstances of the client.Gathering of information would now commence with the client providing financial information and history to the correspondent lender. The broker will need to assess the situational and financial circumstances of the client in order to present the best case to the lender of the commercial real estate loan. It is now key not to overwhelm the client with a barrage of financially related questions, as they may feel under pressure, but to be able to find out information for the application.Support and knowledgeable guidance should be interwoven into conversations with the client. This will go a long way with the client feeling as though they have selected a correspondent lender with the expertise and experience to take them through a successful commercial loan transaction.With homework, and by asking the right questions, it is possible to discover and record all information that will enable the client’s application to be completed within one meeting. Meet with the client wherever they keep their financial documents, this may be at home or their place of business. This enables the correspondent to be able to immediately assess and review the information as it will be at hand to the client.Careful guidance of the commercial income property transaction will need to be provided by the correspondent lender. Commission from the lender will not be paid until the transaction has been agreed and closed. Keeping a positive mind during a transaction is essential for there to be a positive ending. It might be that there are several possibilities to explore with the client and / or lender as the process is underway.

5 Secrets That Will Thrust Your Small Business Into the Big League

There are 28 million small businesses in the US. The sad reality is that most of them fail within the first few years of operation. The small percentage that survive stay small forever. A select few manage to grow into huge businesses. But why them and not the others? What are the factors that enable unknowns to become household brands? One thing for sure that it takes much more than hard work, luck, and timing. Read on to see if your small business has what it takes to make the leap into the big league?SystemsMany small business owners’ lives are chaotic due to lack of systems. Systems are hard, but they enable small businesses to scale. Systems are not glorious like sales, marketing, or research and development. Some say that systems are boring, after all, it is a back office function. Systems separate struggling small businesses from those that grow by leaps and bounds. Creating systems can be a daunting task, and for many, the prospect of taking on yet another project is out of the question. For some, it is a catch-22 situation. You may say “How do I carve out extra time from my already hectic schedule.” The correct way to think of systems is that creating them is an investment in your business.One of the greatest challenges that small business owners face is that the they are perpetual decision makers. The owner is involved in everything from sales, customer service, research and development, bookkeeping, so an and so forth. Creating systems is the first step toward a business where not every decision is dependent on the entrepreneur. Systems allow people to plug in and go. Systems include operating procedures and manuals that can bring a new team member up to speed in no time. It is what takes small out of small business.Franchise businesses are often more successful than independently operated ones simply because they are built on systems. The franchisee may be paying a premium in upstart costs compared to an independent business, but it makes sense for many because they don’t have to worry about developing systems. Someone already went ahead and created the necessary systems for success. When you buy a franchise you are taking a system that has been proved to work. Does it mean that you have to buy a franchise to succeed? Absolutely not, but you have to think of your own independent business as a franchise. Create procedures for everything. Don’t leave anything to guesswork.Most small businesses do without systems, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea. While you might get away with it in the beginning the lack of systems will create huge bottle necks down the road. The lack of systems will reduce your profits. Why? Because you and your employees will have to reinvent the wheel day in and day out. systems minimize the element of surprise. With systems in place your team is able to deliver consistent service. Businesses with consistently good service will outperform those with fluctuating quality service.In addition to making your life easier, systems also increase the value of your business. Buyers want to buy businesses that are built on systems. The presence of systems tell buyers that the business doesn’t entirely rely on you. Creating systems help you create a turnkey operation, appealing to buyers. Business systems are assets that enable your company to run without you.ScalabilityInvestors love highly scalable companies because they have the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. You simply can’t substantially grow a business without cracking the scaling code. Some business are built to scale while others are forever destined for small business status. Unfortunately, many professional service providers are not scalable because they rely on personal output. So, if your goal is to build a big company avoid consulting types of businesses. A software company, on the other hand, is a highly scalable business model. Once the software product has been completed it can be sold millions of times with minimal costs. In other words, their increased revenues cost less to deliver than current revenues. What this means is that a scalable business will be able to increase the operating margin as revenue grows.A highly scalable business requires small variable costs that the company can control. Variable cost changes with the volume of business. Fixed costs do not vary with sales. For example, for a software company fixed costs include the cost of the office location, computers, and furniture. These cannot be quickly added or liquidated. Salaries on the other hand are a variable cost since workers can be hired and fired relatively fast.Most consulting businesses like marketing agencies are not scalable because they are unable to substantially increase their revenue without greatly increasing their variable costs. Such businesses are considered poor investments.To build a scalable business you should start with a scalable idea. Scalable businesses have high margins. They require low support and staff expenses. Scalable businesses allow you to work on your business as opposed to working in your business. If you find yourself constantly working in your business your business is either not scalable or not yet ready to scale.Truly scalable businesses are highly automated. Automation helps you reduce variable costs such as labor. It is at this point when scaling and systems begin to work together. If you truly want to become a market leader or dominate your industry, scalability is the only way to do it without a miracle.Board of advisorsIf your goal is rapid growth, you must have a board that you can rely on for your big audacious goals. The life of an entrepreneur can be a lonely one. Often you feel like you are all alone with all the decisions you have to make. Your board will share some of the burdens of making key decisions and it will tell the outside world that you are systematic about your business, and that you understand that you need to surround yourself with people that are smarter than you. Your board will help you with large strategic goals. It can help with your overall business plan, policy issues, financial questions, strategic partnerships, and more.Your board shouldn’t be utilized to deal with routine tactical challenges. Don’t waste the boards time on daily employee issues or what color the chose for your new office. Rather, let your board help you with strategic advice, or by helping you with making introductions to strategic partners and recruiting talent.Fellow entrepreneurs and business leaders make excellent board members. Before you build your board you should have a clear understanding of what areas you need help with. Ask yourself what skills do you currently lack that you need to take your business to the next level? Is it marketing, intellectual property, or finance? Whatever it is you need help with should influence the ultimate makeup of your board. You could hire a recruiter, but they are expensive. It is best if you perform the search yourself.Your board is not a group of your closest friends. It is a group of professionals, each with a respective specialty. One might be an IP attorney while another a retired CEO. You are not looking for a group of yes men. If you build a great board, each member will have more experience than you and each will know much more than you. If you feel like the dumbest person in the room, you are on the right track.Your board of advisors will not join you for the money, but there are costs involved. It is a good idea to compensate your advisors. At least, you should cover their expenses. Do they need to travel to your board meetings? Are there hotel and other expenses? It is also advisable to pay a per meeting fee that might be a few hundreds or a few thousand dollars. In addition to monetary compensation, you could chose to offer stock as payment.IP (Intellectual Property)Most small business owners care most about time and money. Some understand that IP is as good as money in the bank. It is considered one of the most important assets of some of the most valuable companies in the world. Even though IP is an intangible asset, it’s almost impossible to build a hugely successful business without it. If you are going to dominate your industry or at least be one of its key players, IP is a must. You can often read about huge business acquisition deals structured around IP. Often, IP is the reason companies are bought and sold for huge multiples.Simply put, IP makes your company more competitive. Without IP you end up competing on price and efficiency, a tough way to build your business. When you compete through IP you often set your own price, a luxury most businesses never experience. Since innovation is the main driver in business, developing IP should be a key objective for all companies that want to enter the big league.If you are an early stage company wanting to attract investors, your IP might be what closes the deal for you. Investors look at IP with regard to the level of income it may generate through its life. Some companies bet their futures on IP. Richard Thoman, the CEO of Xerox, declared that the “management of IP is how value added is going to be created at Xerox.” An excellent example of IP management is IBM; it managed to generate about $1 billion from IP by 1990. IP is the intangible asset that can become your free cash flow.When IP is properly managed it can prevent your competitors from copying your products or services. You can avoid wasteful investment in R&D. IP is a revenue generating profit machine that makes your company more valuable and competitive, getting you ever so closer to market domination.BrandMany small business owners, wrongly believe, that brand building is reserved for giant corporations. But, building your brand should be a key focus from the very early stages of your company’s life. Your brand is another intangible asset you can’t build a market leading company without. It is your brand that may enable your business one day to avoid competing on price only. It is your brand that may one day help you dominate your market. It is through the power of your brand that you will be able to minimize your new customer acquisition costs.Successful brands are easily recognizable. Virtually all fortune 500 companies have managed to build a strong brand image. Powerful brands instill certain images in consumers from tradition, to quality, to innovation, to any number of thoughts and feelings. As competition increases, so does the importance of building credible brands.Brands are not born out of thin air, they are strategically developed. Building your brand is no less important than developing your sales strategy or R&D. The process of building your brand is a never ending job. There is no such thing as a finished brand. Finished brands are for businesses that are finished. You can never think of brand building as a project with a beginning and an end.While advertising is important it is not advertising that creates your brand. Your brand is a reflection on everything that your company does. Your brand is the quality of your product or service. It is also the way you treat your customers, and even your employees. Your brand is shaped by how the world perceives you.The value of each brand fluctuates. Your company scores big on your latest product and the value of your brand rises. One of your employees publicly ridicules one of your upset customers and your brand suffers. The good news is that for the most part, you are in charge of your brand’s destiny.Even the worlds greatest brands are not always on an upward trajectory. Strong brands can help your company survive disasters. Recently, the Toyota brand had been plagued by millions of recalls, yet the company managed to come out of it all with an even stronger brand.It is true that not each small business wants to become an industry leader. But, it’s also true that there are no accidental market leaders. Most small businesses are family owned and operated, and there is nothing wrong with that. You can be happy, fulfilled, and wealthy running a small business. But, if your choice is to grow your business into a true market leader you have to build your business on systems. You have to be able to crack the scaling code, so you can dramatically increase your revenue with minimal expenses. You will need trusted advisors that are smarter and more experienced than you. It will be an uphill battle, or perhaps even impossible without proper IP management. Your brand will soften the blow when you are hit with disasters. Of course, there are other factors such as luck and timing that transform small businesses into huge success stories, but the above five make for a good start.

Understanding the Different Method of Hydroponics Systems

With so many different types of hydroponics systems available, indoor growing can become somewhat confusing. But when you get down to the basics, you’ll find there are only six different types of hydroponic systems.These basic systems come in different configurations, sizes and even materials. You might also see several basic systems combined into one system. All this can make the various basic systems look different.Wick SystemThis is the simplest hydroponic system. It has no moving parts and works the same way as an oil lamp. In other words, the nutrient solutions are wicked up to the plant as it is being used.Your plants are placed in a growing medium which is kept moist by wicks. These wicks are made from a strip of highly absorbent material such as felt or cotton. The wick runs through the growing medium and out the bottom into a container of nutrient solutions. These wicks constantly replenish the moisture in the growing medium.Water Culture SystemYou may hear it called ‘bubbleponics’ but the real name is, ‘Water Culture.’With this system, the roots of your plants are suspended directly into the nutrient solutions. It is usually constructed of Styrofoam which floats like a raft on top of the solution. Then you cut holes in the Styrofoam for the plants.The most important part of the system is an air pump attached to an air stone. This generates a continuous flow of tiny air bubbles so the roots can breathe. Otherwise, the totally submerged roots will tend to suffocate.Ebb & Flow (Flood & Drain)As we look at each of the basic systems, you’ll notice that each becomes a little more difficult than the previous system. For example, this system requires a submersible water pump and a timer set to run in cycles.There are many ways to build this system but the basic principal is always the same. A reservoir filled with your nutrient solution is placed below the plants. This creates a siphoning action which drains the solution back into the reservoir when the pump shuts off. The timer cycles the pump on and off to flood the system and keep the roots moist.In the grow tray an overflow tube is placed which usually rests about two inches below the top of the growing medium. This allows the water level to rise high enough to saturate the root system but not so high as to cause root rot problems. The overflow tube also prevents the solution from overflowing out of the grow tray. The excess solution flows directly back into the reservoir for reuse.Nutrient Film Technique (NFT System)First of all you don’t need a timer because the solution flows 24/7. But like the Ebb & Flow, there’s a reservoir that sits below the level of the plants.The solution flows along the bottom of the containers that hold the plant roots. The bottom roots are then able to reach into the solution and wick up moisture to the upper roots. This enables the upper roots to still get the air and oxygen they need to grow. The solution then flows back into the reservoir and is recycled past the plants again and again.There are many ways to build a NFT System. Generally they are laid out as a series of tubes in rows that hold the plants. These tubes are tilted downward to facilitate the flow of nutrients.A pump delivers the solution to the top of the tube and gravity takes care of the rest. Because the system is easily expanded, you can have hundreds of rows operating within just one set-up.Drip SystemsIf you’re familiar with drip irrigation system used in outdoor gardening, you are also familiar with a hydroponic drip system. The difference is that instead of plain water, you use a nutrient solution.There are two ways to run a drip system. Both are set up essentially the same way. The nutrient solution is pumped through the lines to the plants where it drips down through the growing medium, and when it reaches the bottom, one of two things happen.Either the nutrient solutions is captured and sent back to the reservoir through return lines. This is most popular and economical system. However, in using this system, keep a close check on your solution.Each time the solution passes through the medium, some of the nutrients are used up and the pH will gradually change. Frequent readings will tell you when to add more nutrients or completely drain the reservoir and refill it with new.A non-recovery system avoids this problem by allowing the nutrient to either drip on the ground or be directed to a waste drain.Aeroponic SystemThis system is very much like the Ebb & Flow system. The big difference is that the roots are completely suspended in the air. To keep them moist with solution, they are frequently sprayed with misters.The nutrient solution then drips down off the roots and is collected in a reservoir to be sprayed again. It’s important to use a timer with this system which can be set to cycle on and off many times a day. Otherwise, the roots will tend to dry out.It’s also important to frequently measure the pH and PPM of your solution. Over a period of time the pH will change and nutrients within the system will be used up.