Fueling Your Growth: Key Insights from the Business Funding Workshop in Richmond

For small business owners and entrepreneurs in the Richmond area looking to take their ventures to the next level, securing the right funding is often a critical step. A recent workshop held at M&T Bank in Richmond provided valuable information and guidance on navigating the business financing landscape. Sponsored by SCORE Richmond, M&T Bank, Bridging Virginia, and the Henrico Economic Development Authority (EDA), the event offered practical insights into SBA loan programs and other crucial funding avenues. Here’s a recap of the key takeaways:

Bridging the Capital Gap with Bridging Virginia

One of the workshop's highlights was an introduction to Bridging Virginia, a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with a powerful mission: to close the capital access gap for historically marginalized small businesses. Attendees learned about their commitment to providing affordable capital and vital technical assistance. Bridging Virginia stands out by offering flexible loan solutions under $100,000, employing character-based lending approaches, and providing below-market interest rates with flexible payment plans – a significant resource for many early-stage or underserved businesses.

Navigating the World of SBA Lending

A significant portion of the workshop was dedicated to demystifying SBA Lending. The presenters provided a comprehensive overview of the core SBA programs, including:

• 7(a) Loan Program: This versatile program can be used for a wide range of purposes, from working capital and equipment purchases to real estate and debt refinancing.

• SBA Express Loan Program: This program streamlines the application process and is designed to facilitate quicker access to smaller loan amounts.

• SBA 504 Loan Program: Ideal for acquiring major fixed assets like real estate or equipment, this program offers long-term, fixed-rate financing.

The session delved into each program's advantages, outlined the specific requirements, and walked attendees through the often-perceived complex application process, offering clarity and actionable steps.

The Undeniable Power of Partnerships

The workshop underscored the importance of building a strong network. This includes cultivating relationships with mentors who can offer invaluable guidance, partnering with financial institutions that understand your business needs, and engaging with community organizations that can provide resources and support. M&T Bank reiterated its commitment to fostering such partnerships and offering financial solutions tailored to small businesses.

Henrico EDA: Fueling Local Economic Growth

The Henrico Economic Development Authority (EDA) highlighted its dedicated efforts to grow the local economy. Their support extends beyond just attracting new businesses; they focus on business retention strategies, workforce development initiatives, real estate options, and crucially, providing access to capital through workshops, networking events, and direct support. The Henrico EDA also champions entrepreneurship through mentoring programs and no-cost workshops, making them a vital resource for businesses in the region.

Getting Ready: Achieving Capital Readiness

Securing funding isn't just about filling out applications and capital readiness. The workshop emphasized several essential steps businesses need to take to prepare themselves for seeking investment:

• Developing a Clear Vision: Lenders and investors want to understand your business goals and how the funding will contribute to achieving them.

• Building Good Credit: Both personal and business credit histories play a significant role in loan approvals.

• Understanding Financial Documents and Funding Needs: It is crucial to know your current financial standing and precisely how much capital you need (and for what purpose).

  
  

"Hard Truths" and Key Takeaways for Success

Beyond the specific funding programs, the workshop also addressed some of the "hard truths" of entrepreneurship that directly impact access to capital:

• Owner Responsibility: Ultimately, the success and financial health of the business rests on the owner's shoulders.

• Bookkeeping and Financial Documentation: Accurate and up-to-date financial records are non-negotiable.

• Credit (Personal and Business): Maintaining good credit is paramount for securing loans.

• Loan Purpose: Clearly defining how the borrowed funds will be used is essential.

• Budgeting and Cash Flow: A solid understanding of your budget and cash flow management is critical.

Attendees were strongly advised that personal credit is vital in the early stages of business funding. Furthermore, investing in accounting software and potentially hiring a bookkeeper early on was highlighted as a crucial step towards becoming creditworthy.

The importance of finding advisors and mentors to help refine your business model was also emphasized. Engaging with multiple funding organizations can help you develop a more robust and viable funding strategy. A particularly strong piece of advice resonated with many: if your current bank isn't actively supporting your growth, it might be time to find a new banking partner.

Finally, an insightful point was made about the often-overlooked benefit of providing financial education to employees. This can reduce their stress, strengthen your relationship with them, and ultimately position your business to have a stronger financial standing with your bank.

Moving Forward: Your Path to Funding

The business funding workshop in Richmond served as an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs seeking to fuel their growth. The key message was clear: preparation, strong partnerships, and leveraging available resources are essential for securing the funding you need.

If you are a small business owner in Central Virginia looking for more tips and guidance for growing your business, subscribe to our newsletter. You will receive weekly guidance for growing your small business.

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How Dealing with Problems Can Make Your Business More Profitable

One of the best ways to make more money in your business is to stop losing money in the first place. In this article, I will demonstrate how having a good plan for dealing with problems, specifically when an employee was stealing, helped a business get back $20,000. This real-life story shows why it's so crucial for small business owners to think ahead and anticipate future conflicts. I'll also briefly discuss how the Power6 leader framework can help you learn leadership skills and create plans to protect and grow your business.

Why Planning Ahead Is So Important

Think about how buildings are designed with safety in mind. They have things like fire alarms and sprinklers, not because people expect a fire but because they want to be ready if one happens. In the same way, business owners need to have plans for dealing with problems. If they don't, preventable things like losing large amounts of money due to theft can happen.

A Real Example: Getting Back Lost Money

Here is an example of how having a plan can help you deal with a crisis when it arises. When I worked with a 7-Eleven store owner, one of their employees stole more than $20,000! They were doing this by not ringing up coffee and cigarette sales. I was always curious how the employee could afford expensive clothes and premium rims for his car based on his pay. Luckily, I had ways of finding out when someone was stealing, and a process for helping business owners hold accountability when employee theft was identified. Because of this, we caught the employee on camera not ringing sales and got much of the business owners' money back. Having a plan for dealing with problems if they occur can help you navigate challenges more efficiently and effectively.

How Leaders Should Handle Problems

But dealing with problems isn't just about catching people. How a leader handles an issue is essential. Problems will happen in any business, especially when you work with many people. The key is seeing these problems as chances to learn and improve. Instead of blaming people, leaders should be curious and work together to find solutions. Being solution-focused builds trust and helps everyone move forward.

When I talked to the 7-Eleven owner about the theft, I focused on solving the problem together. I helped him see what he could have done differently to catch the theft sooner and how we could stop this from happening again. Working towards a better future helped fix the problem and strengthened our relationship.

Understanding and Managing Emotions

Problems often cause strong feelings like anger, sadness, or fear. These feelings are helpful because they tell us something is wrong but can make it hard to think clearly. On the other hand, expansive feelings, like peace, power, and joy, can help us be more creative and find better solutions. Changing your mindset from closed to open can help you find solutions when dealing with conflicts.

In the case of the 7-Eleven owner, I knew I had to help him find power, peace, and joy in this situation. I didn't want to tell him what to do. Instead, I explained how finding the theft was a good thing. He had been working hard to grow his business, but he did not see the profits he expected. By keeping better track of sales, removing the employee from his operations, and recouping the stolen money, he could improve his business and make more money. My main goal was to help him see that this was a fixable problem and that we would be stronger and better when we got to the other side of this crisis.

Feeling Wheel

Key Ideas for Solving Problems

To sum it up, dealing with problems effectively means doing three things:

• Plan ahead: Consider what problems might happen and create plans for dealing with them.

• Be collaborative: Work together to find solutions instead of blaming people.

• Focus on solutions: Find ways to fix the problem and improve things.

Why a Positive Mindset Is Important

It's important to remember that business relationships can be complicated. People make mistakes, and emotions can get in the way. But if we try to find the good in difficult situations, we can make our businesses stronger and more successful.

Getting Help with Difficult Situations

If you're facing a challenging problem and need help finding a solution, please contact me for a consultation. I'm here to help you work through the situation and find a positive way forward.

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I'm not just a writer; I'm also a father, husband, executive coach, and former retail executive. My 21 years of experience leading operations, sales, and marketing teams have given me firsthand knowledge of feeling stuck, undervalued, and underappreciated.

But I also know the transformative power of professional development, the strategies for climbing the corporate ladder, and the profound satisfaction of finding fulfillment in your work. Your career path is a unique journey of discovery. Each opportunity builds upon the last. At Your Path Coaching and Consulting, we're dedicated to helping you gain clarity, accelerate your professional growth, and unlock your full potential.

We offer personalized coaching and consulting services to empower you at every career stage. Our expertise includes:

Executive Coaching: Guiding leaders to enhance their leadership skills, communication abilities, and team dynamics.

Business Consulting: Helping organizations optimize strategies, foster growth, and build high-performing teams.

Career Coaching: Assisting individuals in defining a career path and building the skills, network, and competencies needed to maximize their potential.

Our holistic approach combines proven techniques with a deep understanding of your needs and aspirations.

Connect with us:

Website: www.yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

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Accelerate your business growth by delegating tasks.

Every small business owner hits a point where their business stalls. No matter how hard they work, progress slows, and they begin to feel like they are working too hard for the results they are getting. When your progress starts to stall, it is a great opportunity to reassess who is responsible for different tasks within your business.  Shifting tasks off your to-do-list, and giving them to your employees helps everyone grow within your business. Your employees can gain new skills, take on higher-level assignments, and become more invested in the company’s success. You gain more space to think strategically and allocate your energy toward activities that can accelerate business growth. 

Delegating tasks triggers business acceleration.

When I was a Business Consultant working with 7-Eleven, I had a Franchisee who was looking to expand to a second location. For this story, we will call him Tom. Tom had been a single store operator for 10 years. He wanted to expand to a second location but could not pass 7-Eleven’s multiple franchisee requirements. Within the 7-Eleven system, you must consistently operate your store at a specific level for over 6 months to qualify for an additional store and demonstrate that you have the infrastructure to support multiple locations. Tom’s biggest challenge was not trusting his employees to order products or make decisions without him being involved. Tom was intelligent and had high standards, but he did not feel his employees could be trusted to do things as well as he could. 

Get out of the trap.

At the time, Tom did not realize he had built a trap for himself. The trap was that he had to be in the store six days a week for the store to run well. The store's image and customer readiness dropped when Tom took time off of work. The leadership at 7-Eleven believed that Tom was not ready to run more than one location because of the performance inconsistency. He had to learn how to delegate and empower his team to do more. This would reduce business risk because the store performance would not be directly linked to Tom being in the store daily. It would also free up his time and energy to do things outside the store, like network with the community and spend more time with his family. He was spending too much time on low-value tasks that someone else could do. 

Change of mindset

When I first told Tom that he was not approved for a second location, he was emotional. He knew he was one of the top-performing franchisees in Baltimore. His staff was friendly, his store was clean, and he felt he did everything we asked. Tom was 90% correct. The one thing he failed to see was that he did not invest in developing his employees. It was not until he traveled overseas for two weeks and came back to a store that was a complete mess that he understood 7-Eleven’s point of view around business infrastructure. Once he accepted that he needed to build more infrastructure, it became easier for him to devise a plan for delegating more tasks to his employees.

Identify the solution

Shifting tasks to employees was a multi-step process for Tom. First, he had to assess his employees' capabilities and determine which tasks they could take on. Next, he needed to outline what he wanted them to do. Then, he had to provide them with training, communicate his expectations, and guide them on what to do if problems arose. Finally, he needed to identify how he would follow up to ensure tasks were completed. 

Solicit help

Tom and I developed a plan for transferring more tasks to his employees. I encouraged him to start small. We identified low-value tasks that people could do without harming the business. We allowed them to execute those tasks for two or three weeks before we layered in higher-value tasks. This process worked for two reasons.

1. The employees were new to making decisions and executing tasks without direction. They needed a safe learning environment, the opportunity to fail, and coaching to help them build confidence.

2. Delegating tasks was new to Tom. He had to learn how to access employees' capabilities, explain his expectations well, provide learning space, and step in when needed.

Going slow allowed Tom and his employees to become comfortable with change and build momentum towards the ultimate goal of delegating all non-financial tasks to employees. 

Reap the rewards

Delegating tasks to your employees is one of the most beneficial actions you can take as a leader. When you delegate, you have the opportunity to master new skills, free up your time, and expand the capabilities of your organization. Research shows that employees want to be developed. When you teach them something new and trust them to do it, their confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficiency grow. They will make mistakes sometimes. That is part of the learning process. However, even a mistake provides a teachable moment where you can help them grow professionally and develop a trusting relationship with your employees. Tom went on to become a 3-store multiple Franchisee. One of the first employees he developed into a store manager became a 2-store multiple Franchisee. One person can only accomplish so much. When you are willing to share your workload, teach, and inspire others, you unlock their potential and yours. 

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Thank you for reading this blog. If you have any questions about leadership, please email me at dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com. Becoming a better leader is easier when you have a guide. To learn more about my coaching and consulting programs, schedule a call.

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