Small Business Financing and Franchise Financing Blog

As any prospective business owner can tell you, discovery is in the first step in any process – and especially in finding the right franchise. The problem? There’s just not a lot of information out there. And the information that is there isn’t complete (or at least it doesn’t seem that way). Click here to check out the full story!

Come in: NextBigFranchise.com. While there are several websites dedicated to helping you find the right franchise for you, all of them are plagued by the same problem that faces any online retailer: how does the buyer know what they are really getting?

This is the problem that CEO Mark Kieckenapp decided to solve with NextBigFranchise.com. This new website uses video as a way to show prospective buyers what they are really being offered. And, so far the idea is taking hold. Many online retailers have started adding video of their clothing and other accessories walking down the runway as a part of the same effort to decrease hesitancy and increase sales.

What many clothing merchants don’t fact that NextBigFranchise.com does, though, is the financing dilemma. While a MasterCard will typically cover the cost of a new suit, it most likely won’t cover the fees associated with purchasing and starting a franchise.

Come in: Guidant Financial Group. “In partnering with NextBigFranchise.com we will be able to deliver educational content to their visitors and provide them with an understanding of how the different financing options available to them,” explains Guidant Cofounder David Nilssen.

With the economy in the midst of a jobless recovery, Nilssen believes that providing prospective entrepreneurs with the resources they need to realistically consider self-employment can lead to a resuscitation of American small business.

“While asset values have come back, consumer confidence is up, and the economy is turning a corner, both rising unemployment and a credit crisis continue to affect us,” explains Nilssen. “There are millions of Americans who could pursue self-employment but who don’t understand how to get started, or how they might finance a franchise.”

Kieckenapp explains that he chose Guidant Financial Group as the site’s exclusive financing partner because they are the leading provider of franchise financing services in the country. “While there are many companies that provide a service,” he says, “Guidant is one of the few that offers an array of franchise financing solutions through the industry’s most experienced team of consultants.”

If you’re looking to start your own business then you are likely aware that traditional sources of financing are difficult to obtain. Even if you’re like many of Guidant’s clients and have a stellar credit rating, you may not qualify under the tight credit policies of today’s lending institutions. At Guidant, we understand that small and medium-sized businesses are the cornerstone to a healthy economy. That’s why we strive to provide alternative small business investing solutions that assist our clients in achieving their dreams.

Finance Your Business with the Guidant 401(k) Plan

With the Guidant 401(k) Plan, you become your own financier by investing your retirement accounts into a business or franchise. As this is a self-directed investment and not an early withdrawal, there are no taxes or penalties applicable. And best of all, your new business will not have to pay the funds back as there is no debt. This opportunity can position your company for rapid growth in the early stages without using your earnings to make loan and interest payments.

At the same time, as your business flourishes and the value of the company rises so to does your retirement fund. That’s the beauty of the Guidant 401(k) Plan. If you have confidence in your abilities, unlike the loan officer at the bank, then this may be the solution to your entrepreneurial ambitions.


How the Guidant 401(k) Plan Works
• Guidant will assist you in setting up a C-Corp business organization for your new company or franchise.
• We will guide you through the process of setting up a 401(k) for your new business.
• Your retirement funds will be rolled over into the new Guidant 401(k) plan.
• The new 401(k) plan then purchases shares of the new corporation providing cash-flow to the business
• This small business financing option provides working capital for your new company without taxes, penalties, or debt.


Benefits of the 401(k) Alternative Small Business Financing Option
• Provides small business financing to start or purchase an existing business with the retirement savings you’ve already accrued.
• No bank managers or loan officers scrutinizing your every move.
• Puts your financial future entirely into your own hands. It’s not like the investment advisors have done a “bang up” job with handling your future.
• With no loan payments or interest expense, you’ll have lower overhead costs and increased cash flow. You’ll be able to invest those earnings into your business where you’ll get the most return on investment.
• Works in conjunction with SBA small business financing.
• Offers tax-deferred earnings within the plan
• You can continue to contribute your personal income into the 401(k) plan for additional retirement fund growth.

With the Guidant 401(k) Plan you get the better of two worlds. You invest your own hard-earned money into your new company and build the business and retirement fund at the same time. Guidant also offers alternative small business financing in the form of unsecured loans and equipment leasing as well. Your future is in your hands as it should be. Contact Guidant today to discuss alternative financing options for your business.

2010 will be the year of the entrepreneur. We are so confident that this will be the case that our cofounder David Nilssen has announced this affirmation to the entire world. Literally.

In a recent press release, Nilssen announced to the gossip engine that is the US Media that 2010 will be the year that American small business owners become the next Great American Hero.

Not only is this because so many big business are failing (or have already failed), but because so many key indicators are pointing toward a more friendly landscape for the small business owner in 2010.

To read more about why 2010 will be a year to remember – a year that we tell our kids and grandkids that American small business had a victorious revival, click here. Still not convinced you need to click the link? Well, here are some teasers from David’s top ten entrepreneurs and small business owners will be the US’s ticket out of a recession:

10. The jobless recovery will continue to be slow, and jobless.

9. Small service businesses have the advantage of being able to rely on “local marketing.”

8. Small businesses will start spending money again – and they know how to spend it smartly.

7. Growth in the 401(k) Small Business Investing industry will continue (P.S. Since this is our particular area of expertise, we thought we’d add some more info on this: Did you know that the Guidant 401(k) category of our business has grown 1,250% since 2005? Woah. That’s a lot.)

6. SaaS and Managed Services will give small companies the ability to compete with the big boys.

5. The government has created a secondary market for loans to small businesses, TARP funds.

4. Big lay-offs in 2008-09 will leave large service gaps in bigger companies that will need to be filled by an outside source.

3. While interest rates for small business loans will increase, more opportunities to acquire funding are available - with retirement fund financing being key.

2. Experienced and well-educated professionals will move their retirement funds out of the Wall Street roller-coaster and invest their retirement savings into themselves.

1. A record number of new small businesses will be started in 2010.



Wanna read it now? Here’s the link again.