This Funding Shop Puts Students on the Phone for College Credit
October 5, 2023
“We figured out the best way is to recruit,” said Khoury.
Chris Khoury, CEO of Cheetah Capital, isn’t just hiring talent; he’s teaching it. He introduced a funding academy for college students in the summer of 2022. It’s an actual internship program that is specially tailored to recruit and train aspiring brokers and sales reps and teach them everything from the ground up.
Starting in the business three years ago, Khoury eventually went on to establish Cheetah Capital. He recognized the challenges in finding quality hires in the industry and decided to tackle it head-on with the creation of the program.
“[The interns] learn various skills such as cold calling, crafting professional emails, and acclimating to the corporate environment,” said Khoury. “Our program aims to provide valuable real-world experience that complements their academic learning to develop in business, marketing, and communication. They also gain experience understanding the world of financial services.”
The program is a collaboration between Khoury, Jonah Farella (Director of Sales & Business Development), and Joe Zampell (COO). The program is split into three “spots” (Spot 1, 2, & 3), where they each mentor 10-15 students and assess them on a weekly basis. Each student has an individual mentoring session each week and a team meeting every Monday.
Based in Boston, Cheetah Capital partners with local institutions such as UMASS, Boston University, Boston College, and Endicott College. Many of these schools have accredited their students with college credits upon validation from their team but interns are also compensated for their efforts.
“For Fall 2023, we’ve taken a slightly different approach,” said Khoury. “Rather than our usual remote/and in person internships, we’ve partnered with local Boston schools for a fully in-person co-op experience. These students dedicate their full semester to Cheetah Capital, working regular 9-5 hours, immersing themselves in a comprehensive professional environment.”
Chris Bearden, a current intern from Endicott, discovered the program on LinkedIn and secured an interview with Farella. Considering he is required to complete a 32-hour weekly internship in his senior year, Bearden has decided to cut his teeth in business in the world of b2b finance sales. He actually started at Cheetah this past June despite the internship program not officially starting until the fall. The program, he told AltFinanceDaily, started off with a lot of training and he says it’s prepared him to be able to talk more confidently to business owners and in general. He mused about the “100 different stories” he’s heard daily. “Everyone will tell you something different,” he said.
“The most I’ve made on a sale so far is $8,000 off of one deal,” Bearden shared. “That was really exciting, I can’t really describe the feeling being 22 years old and coming off of a phone call understanding that I just made that much money. But I think one thing that they have taught me at Cheetah Capital is just to keep your head down and kind of keep going…”
Farella, who oversees the program, also started out as an intern himself. As a graduate from Boston College, he was mentored by Khoury and he adapted to the industry quickly. Once he started closing deals and making money he realized, “I’m making more money than I ever have.” Helping the interns in his program at the time later turned into an offer from Khoury on running the program.
“Right now, we cap at around 45-50 [students] and that’s because we only have them for about three months,” said Farella. “But as it grows, and we bring in more managers, what we want to do is kind of offer interns a return offer.”
Offering real-world work experience to students while building up quality employees has felt like a win-win for Cheetah.
“We try to take good well-rounded kids here and teach them what we wish we knew at their age,” said Khoury.
The State of Funding Right Now
September 19, 2023
“The first quarter was actually kind of slow, like abnormally slow,” said Daniel Dias, founder of Small Business Lending Source, a brokerage based in San Diego. “We came off actually a record-breaking year last year. First quarter this year turned out slow and then it was kind of weird. Maybe it was owners who are hesitant to see what’s going on because there’s a lot of uncertainty in the market.”
Dias says things changed dramatically in Q2, however, to the point of setting yet again a new record. And the momentum only continued into Q3.
“This quarter is actually turning out really well,” he said.
It’s also going really well for Greenbox Capital, a small business funding company based in Miami.
“Q3 has been our best quarter this year,” said Jordan Fein, Greenbox’s CEO. “We positioned the company well over the last 8 months, ready for whatever the economy throws our way. We are running lean and growing again.”
Greenbox began to tighten its credit policies late last year, according to Fein and by continuing this strategy into 2023, it has allowed the company to evolve. “Our momentum has been building ever since we tightened credit and refined our spending in Q4 2022,” Fein said.
Optimism is also in the air at The LCF Group, a small business funding company based on Long Island. “Navigating Q3 and approaching Q4, we anticipate our positive trajectory to continue given the consistent demand from merchants,” said Andy Parker, LCF’s CEO. “Despite certain sectors of the economy facing challenges and the appearance of recession indicators, we’ve adapted our underwriting to reflect these conditions without any major tightening of our guidelines.”
LCF recently announced that it had acquired key strategic assets from Reliant Funding.
The LCF Group Acquires Key Strategic Assets from Reliant Funding and Sets Course for a Record-Breaking Year
September 18, 2023New Hyde Park, NY, September 18, 2023 – The LCF Group, the leading capital provider specializing in subprime merchants across all U.S. industries, announced the successful acquisition of select strategic assets and licensing rights for Reliant Funding, a foremost authority in prime funding.
“We’re excited to announce The LCF Group’s successful acquisition of key assets from Reliant. This strategic move not only enhances LCF’s portfolio but also empowers us to offer merchant funding through both ISO partners and directly under the LCF and Reliant brands. With this step, LCF solidifies its position as the leading provider of quick access to working capital for small to mid-size businesses,” shared Andy Parker, CEO of LCF. “We’re making significant progress in our integration, capturing synergies, and realizing the financial advantages of this acquisition. Our focus remains unwavering: to meet the growing funding needs of small businesses nationwide.”
While LCF has resumed funding under the Reliant brand in the direct business, ISOs should stay tuned as the company plans to roll out funding options through the wholesale side of the business with select ISO partners in the coming months.
For information on The LCF Group, visit www.thelcfgroup.com. Learn more about Reliant Funding at www.reliantfunding.com.
About The LCF Group
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in New York, The LCF Group is a seasoned MCA capital provider. The company specializes in funding small businesses across all states, industries, and risk factors. To date, LCF has funded more than 8,000 businesses and receives a glowing 4.7 / 5 star rating from more than 1,000 customers on Trustpilot.
Small Business Funding Companies Showcase Phenomenal Growth
August 15, 2023The annual Inc 5000 list is out again and with it some big reveals about who in the industry is taking off like a rocket. We’ve pulled out some of the relevant names for you below!
#30 – B2 Capital Solution Provider – Miami, FL – 10,446% growth over 3 years
#38 – Novo – Miami, FL – 9,906%
#76 – Byzfunder – New York, NY – 6,228%
#89 – Valiant Capital – Houston, TX – 5,223%
#157 – Ampla – New York, NY – 3,404%
#180 – LeasePoint Funding Group – Austin, TX – 2920%
#192 – Backd – Austin, TX – 2,819%
#269 – Percent – New York, NY – 2,087%
#1383 – eCapital – Aventura, FL – 422%
#1617 – North Mill Equipment Finance – Norwalk, CT- 354%
#1622 – Oakmont Capital Services – Westchester, PA – 346%
#1837 – Nav Technologies – Draper, UT – 305%
#1942 – Crestmont Capital – Irvine, CA – 289%
#2026 – 7 Figures Funding – American Fork, UT – 277%
#2593 – SBG Funding – New York, NY – 210%
#2929 – 1West – New York, NY – 179%
#2947 – ApplePie Capital – San Francisco, CA – 178%
#3145 – Channel – Minnetonka, MN – 164%
#3737 – Direct Funding Now, Irvine, CA – 128%
#4085 – Smarter Equipment Finance – Las Vegas, NV – 111%
#4094 – iAdvance Now. – Uniondale, NY – 111%
#4651 – Expansion Capital Group – Sioux Falls, SD – 87%
If we missed you, let us know, email info@debanked.com.
Sales, Tech, Funding, and the Law in California
July 7, 2023deBanked sat down with three individuals from across the spectrum of the small business finance world in Southern California.
With David Austin, an attorney and Managing Partner at Austin LLP, we discussed merchant cash advance law and the importance of legal counsel to run one’s business correctly.
With Trey Markel, VP Sales & Marketing at Centrex Software, we discussed corporate finance, AI, blockchain, tech, and more.
With Justin Thompson, Chief Revenue Officer at National Funding, we talked about what’s changed in sales and the state of selling.
They’re all on AltFinanceDaily TV or listen to them on Spotify!
And don’t forget to register for AltFinanceDaily CONNECT San Diego!
Are You Prepared For a Recession?
April 26, 2023
“Different industries thrive through different times and circumstances where others may not weather them as well,” said Kevin Duffy, SVP of Sales & Business Development at Channel Partners Capital.
The new interest rate environment and slowing economy could be viewed as a specific circumstance and some experts say we’re on pace to experience a recession. But that might not be all bad, according to some industry veterans. Duffy’s colleague at Channel, Chris Cainion, VP of Sales and Business Development, told AltFinanceDaily that if things slow up a bit, it could be a opportunity to “work on efficiences within your business.” For those in the funding industry specfically, the Channel colleagues said that it’s a time to leverage your strengths, monitor your portfolio, communicate with your customers, be opportunistic, and manage your liquidity.
“Cash is king as the credit crunch is increasing,” said Eleni Delimpaltadaki Janis, Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer at Equivico. “Focus on looking at your expenses very carefully, looking at where can we create efficiencies in your balance sheet and reserving cash for the future.”
Recessions tend to separate the really good companies from poor ones, said the folks at Channel, who emphasized that they are among the ones prepared for change or a slowdown.
“It’s important for us to be able to first hone in on a type of industries that are good for this type of climate,” said Duffy. “And then the ones that aren’t, we got to be a little bit more careful. It also gives us a chance to work on other things that make us flow, our app-to-funding or funding-to-conversions and things of that nature that helps us be more competitive and more competent as we progress and starting to pick up business again.”
For Janis, if an eventual recession becomes a crisis, she said to never let a crisis go to waste. “In other words, crisis comes with opportunity in the industry, whether you are a FinTech high growth startup or small business, the reality is that a crisis will end up eliminating some of your competitors, and will bring a spotlight on weaknesses that your company or others may have, and an opportunity for those who are solving real problems and have quality products to stand up and gain market share,” Janis said.
WBL Secures Anchor Institutional Financing and Resumes Full Operations and Funding
April 24, 2023
World Business Lenders (WBL) is resuming funding this week and relaunching originations through its Traditional, Digital API, and ISO Express channels, following a financing arrangement announced today by WBL CEO Doug Naidus.
“I am excited to welcome our new financing partner, not only enabling WBL to resume loan origination and funding, but affording access to more lending capacity than ever before,” said Naidus. “We are eager to return to market and launch our new business model.”
Initially, WBL will prioritize funding the customers who have remained in its pipeline since December 2022 when the company temporarily paused funding. WBL will begin accepting new loan submissions from its ISO partners, with respect to which additional detail will be provided over the coming days. In parallel with accepting new submissions, WBL will roll out a full-service Digital API business model and a self-service ISO Express business model, for certain qualified ISOs. At the helm of the new business model launch is John Milligan, WBL’s Chief Operating Officer, who now heads loan production.
“The API model will enable larger ISOs to leverage a digital integration that will automatically submit merchant applications straight to WBL. The ISO Express model empowers ISOs with the ability to generate offers for their merchants directly online. Both of these digital offerings are high-growth opportunities that will maximize the earning potential of our ISO partners through a combination of speed and simplicity.” said Milligan.
To learn more about how your business can maximize profits by partnering with WBL and leveraging its new API business model, please reach out to John Milligan’s team directly at isorelations@wbl.com. Also, be sure to inquire about meeting times with the WBL team at the upcoming Broker Fair on May 8th, of which WBL is pleased to be a sponsor.
Mental Health in The Funding Game
April 6, 2023
Technology, finance, healthcare, sales, and marketing have all been reported to have the highest levels of employee stress and mental health issues. Eager, driven executives of this industry work around the clock to close deals, finance equipment, and conjur fresh new ideas. While alternative finance can be deemed the industry that never sleeps, the people pushing it forward should remember not to push themselves too hard. Prioritizing one’s mental health can often be found at the bottom of one’s checklist but should be the first thing assessed before starting the day.
“It is critical that we start really focusing in on understanding that mental health is part of every everything we do, every part of who we are, how we see ourselves, how we interact with others, how willing we are to take risks, how willing we are to be ambitious, and how forgiving we are of ourselves when we make mistakes,” said Nancy Robles, President at Eastern Funding LLC.
Success is an adrenaline rush and can be addicting if not managed properly. Jessica Garcia, CEO at Simplified Funding Solutions, at one point struggled to find a balance between her work and home life, leaving her feeling burnt out more days than some. She believed the more hours put in working on a deal the faster results she’d attain in return. Finding ways to regroup and reassess, she created her own methods within the workplace to cater to her mental health.
“I started doing like a lot of self-care within the workplace,” said Garcia. “So what I mean by that, as opposed to sitting at my desk and being glued to a hard phone on a conference call for an hour, I would just put it on my cell phone through my air pods, walk around, grab a stress ball, sightseeing, have meditation music in the background at a very low volume to help stimulate. I would turn on some candles to help with the aromatherapy and I noticed once I started doing those things, I was able to pace myself more and I was also happier…”
Meanwhile, For Nancy Robles, she’s not just the president of a company but also a full-time mother of five. The pressure of performing as a woman of color in this industry while juggling motherhood are constantly clashing and finding themselves at odds with one another. But as of late, Robles has learned to emphasize mental health into her daily routine.
“Over the past several years, I’ve prioritized my mental health and as I have prioritized my mental health that comes with a lot of self-care, a lot of healing,” said Robles. “I’m a big advocate for therapy, everybody should go to therapy. I’ve been going to therapy for seven years.”
Unlike Robles and Garcia, finding a work/home life balance has its own unique twist for Sonia Alvelo whose fiancée is also her partner at work. And after 15 long years together they’ve managed to find stability between the two.
“Communication is big for us in everything that we do, in order to be better,” said Alvelo, CEO at Latin Financial. Administering daily mental health exercises in one’s routine can make all the difference but having the support of one’s employer can make an even bigger one.
Incorporating necessary steps and open communication in the workforce can help a team or staff to not feel as if they are being hammered by their 9 to 5. On this, Jessica Garcia has noticed companies moving in the right direction, implementing more group activities and break spaces for women especially as they are growing in number in the finance sector.
“We’re getting that softer, feminine touch, in regard to ‘it’s okay to take a day off if you’re over it, it’s okay to go home early if you’re just burnt out,’” said Garcia. “’It’s okay to ask for help if you’re overwhelmed and need assistance from the team to complete a task. It’s okay to be vulnerable, it’s okay to be human,’ we’re not robots, we’re not machines. And I think in the past two years, especially after the pandemic, we’re starting to see that synergy of being there for each other.”
Alvelo recognizes the significance mental health has within a company as a CEO. Weekly discussions with her team throughout the years has helped for a happy community life in her office.
“I have a responsibility as a CEO and I have a big one on top of that because I’m a Latina CEO. I have to bring things to the table that other companies may not talk about it or may not talk about enough.”
Success starts within oneself to achieve it anywhere else. In order to put your best foot forward in this industry take time, check in, and evaluate your mental health.
“One of the critical pillars of having any success in any type of career,” said Robles, “if you own your own company, if you want any successes, you want to have your relationships in your family, your relationship with yourself, which is the most important one, you really have to address mental health first.”
