South Carolina lender Advance America Cash Advance, Inc knows how manage through what the rest of banking, lending and finance has been recently relearning: steepening regulation and a tough industrial public image.
Cash America’s Chairman Billy Webster, discusses the current environment and challenges with Chris William, Dr. Frank Hefner of the College of Charleston and Donnie Hicks of Gaston County Economic Development.
I am a teacher, small business consultant and small business person myself in Asheville NC. My comment is simple. There is no money to work with unless you already have it. Most don’t. Innovation and creativity requires a risk element that banks and government agencies are saying no to. I own 1/2 my home but since my small business is not generating a profit I cant tap it to expend and neither can my peers in the dozens. No docs are gone. Small business owners as borrowers have been thrown out with the bath water in the financial scandal plus government miss management of funds and regulation have made it the tightest financial times ever.
The local development group tells you to go to school and no to finding capital. Other groups want 30% investment by the owner in cash. The bar is so high no one can really try something new in such a sterile lending environment. The SBA is no better, all are avoiding risk. You would think the way agencies are acting that the small business man was responsible for the financial collapse yet the future jobs will come from us, not government or the big boys.