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sme (13)

SME Lending: Get Redi to Get Funded

Posted by James McCallum on April 18, 2014 at 21:00
The tough conditions in the credit markets require small businesses to communicate and demonstrate their credit worthiness to satisfy exacting credit risk standards of lenders. Credit channels are open and loans are being made but strict federal regulations and heightened risk aversion by lenders places additional burdens on borrowers to demonstrate they are a good credit risk.
 
“You have to be prepared,” said Robert Seiwert, a senior vice president with the American Bankers Association. “If you
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SMEs Dance to the Basel III Shuffle

Posted by James McCallum on April 14, 2014 at 21:00
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I often wonder, what if Basel II capital accords had been in place prior to the Great Recession? 
 
Could the devastating crisis fueled by the serial pops of credit bubbles rumbling through the dismal landscape of G20 principalities been avoided with better capital adequacy safeguards? 
 
Could the precious Post Cold War peace dividend been preserved; had the fiduciaries of global solvency not toppled the dominoes of economic prosperity and political stability through extreme selfishness and irratio
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SME World 2014: Transparency Gets the Loan

Posted by James McCallum on March 27, 2014 at 18:30
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Though 90 per cent of Dubai registered companies are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), just 4% of all business loans goes to SMEs. In developed economies lending to SMEs goes well into the double digits. 

 
Vikas Thapar, CEO, SME Business, Emirates NBD, offered this observation during a panel discussion at SME World 2014 in Dubai. Mr. Thapar went on to explain that banks are reluctant to provide loans to SMEs because of regulatory compliance restrictions and the lack of transparency in SME busi
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Anatomy of a Tax Audit

Posted by James McCallum on March 22, 2014 at 2:00
Its that time of year again.  April 15th looms ever larger as small businesses scramble to meet the IRS  tax filing deadline.  For many small businesses, tax filing is handled by a trusted accountant or business adviser. That tends to take the trauma out of this annual exercise in pain.  But even with the help of a tax professional the angst of the season is always a pressing concern.   
 
The enclosed infographic published by oBizMedia, displays some startling data about audit risk and its cost t
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SME Credit Channels Open

Posted by James McCallum on March 20, 2014 at 2:00
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Golden Pacific Bank in California has created a new lending subsidiary to provide SBA loans for small mid-size business enterprises (SME). The program called SmartBiz uses an advanced technology platform that allows the bank to reduce the cost of borrowing and extend credit more efficiently to creditworthy SMEs. 
 
The lending platform was developed by the firm BillFloat. The technology enables SmartBiz to efficiently originate, process and close SBA loans. The cost of processing loan applications
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SME Credit Repair

Posted by James McCallum on March 19, 2014 at 1:30
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As the US economy slowly emerges from the great recession many small businesses are looking upon battered and bruised balance sheets and income statements.  Before the downturn they looked young healthy and vibrant but the distress of the credit crunch, high unemployment and record business closures has taken its toll.  Receivables growing longer in the tooth each month.  Write offs of bad debt up.  Client defections, pinched profit margins and market erosion due to decreased buying power, busin
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Deductions and Tax Audit Risk

Posted by James McCallum on March 19, 2014 at 1:30
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The filing deadline for filing taxes is fast approaching. Small Mid-Size Business Enterprises (SME) need to be aware of all the deductions afforded to them by the tax code.  
 
Our friends from Balboa Capital sent us this reminder about the Section 179 Tax Deduction...
 
...There have been a lot of questions surrounding the Section 179 deduction for 2014*
 
…According to the IRS, the Section 179 tax deduction limit as of January 1st 2014 is $25,000. This is a sharp drop from last year's limit, but it
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Cultural Revolution at Apple: Lessons for SMEs

Posted by James McCallum on March 18, 2014 at 14:00

Marketplace Interview:

Interview by Kai Ryssdal
Tuesday, March 18, 2014 - 15:30

This Marketplace interview is relevant to the tricky issues surrounding the transformation of business culture of SME's. Since the death of Steve Jobs, Apple has been struggling with transitioning its corporate culture into a post Jobs era. 

 
SME’s whose business brand and culture is often associated with the founders personality and ego creates transition problems when the founder leaves or refuses to alter the business
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A Whiff of Risk

Posted by James McCallum on March 18, 2014 at 1:30
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When you get a whiff of risk you must react to assess its danger and do something to protect yourself from its impact. Failing to do so could have catastrophic consequences. Take for example last weeks building explosions in Harlem; shaking the foundations of New York City when two apartment buildings collapsed from a gas line explosion.  
 
The explosion killed 8 people, wounded dozens, destroyed the homes of many families and three small businesses. It closed a major commercial thoroughfare halt
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Half a League, Half a League, Rode the 600

Posted by James McCallum on March 18, 2014 at 1:30
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So begins Alfred Lord Tennyson's famous poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade.  The poem bespeaks the glory and folly of Pax Britannica's imperial apex; yet still offers dear lessons for those dispassionate enough to listen.
 
Tennyson recounts the doomed charge of a British cavalry unit at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War.  British Intelligence provided the Light Brigade Command incorrect information, under estimating the strength of the defending Cossacks.  As the assault commenced
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QE Taper Risks Spike in Global Interest Rates

Posted by James McCallum on March 18, 2014 at 1:00

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Forbes Reports:
3/17/14
 
"...The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) expects the taper of the Quantitative Easing to continue. Economists expect the Federal Reserve to cut another $10 billion from its monthly asset-purchase program at its two-day monetary-policy meeting, lowering its monthly bond buys to $55 billion.
 
The FMOC meets Tuesday and Wednesday, and it will be the first one overseen by new Fed Chair Janet Yellen. Bond traders will focus on the commentary that accompanies the decision, wh
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May Luck Be With You

Posted by James McCallum on March 17, 2014 at 1:00
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It is said all the time.  May you have good luck in your new endeavor.  We realize its just an expression of goodwill but it does speak to the power and predominance of the notion of luck. Its as if the fates of chance and the charm of serendipity is the ultimate factor separating success from failure.  

This is absolutely the case for manufacturers of rabbit foot good luck charms, shaleigh wielding Leprechauns and other providers of magic elixirs and mojos that steer the gods of fate to your per
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China Shows Signs of Economic Weakness

Posted by James McCallum on March 13, 2014 at 23:00
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Dow Jones Market Wrap reports: 
 
...China's economy weakened sharply during the first two months of the year, deepening concerns that growth in the world's second-largest economy would decelerate further.
The country's top leaders now have tough decisions about whether to set aside economic overhaul measures that could pinch growth in the short-term.
The slowdown was across the board, including retail, manufacturing, housing and investment, as the National Bureau of Statistics released a raft of da
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