• Skip to content

Jim Blasingame

Business futurist, award-winning author, speaker and columnist

header image
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Third Ingredient
    • Age of the Customer
  • Speaking
  • About Jim
  • Press Room
    • Jim In the News
    • Press Materials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Third Ingredient
    • Age of the Customer
  • Speaking
  • About Jim
  • Press Room
    • Jim In the News
    • Press Materials
  • Blog
  • Contact

Investors

The New Regular: Putting Lipstick on the Bankruptcy Pig

July 23, 2020 by Jim Blasingame

This is the ninth edition of my New Regular series, dedicated to helping small businesses cope with the one-two punch of the coronavirus pandemic and associated economic constraints. Normal was just sighted in a homeless shelter in the north of France.

The subject today is a serious and troublesome one. No amount of lipstick will make the bankruptcy pig pretty. But as we roll into the post-pandemic era, we should improve our understanding of it.

You can be technically bankrupt without being legally bankrupt. At some time in their existence, most businesses will experience an upside-down state of negative net worth, where liabilities exceed assets. It’s likely that such a condition will pass unnoticed, possibly even by the owner, because the business might not be insolvent.

Insolvency is a pre-bankruptcy state of financial distress when near-term payment obligations exceed cash-generating ability. This condition is not only noticed, it’s consuming. If you dig yourself out of insolvency and avoid bankruptcy, that becomes a badge of honor. Yes, your humble correspondent knows something about that.

[Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Banking, Cash Flow, Investors, Profitability

The special sauce created by small business and community banks

April 17, 2020 by Jim Blasingame

America is fortunate to have two marketplace sectors that also happen to be unique in the world: 28 million small businesses and 5,000 community banks. Let me tell you a story about why we’re all even more fortunate – especially during a pandemic – that these two groups are next-door neighbors and close friends.

There are many differences between a small business and a big business. But the most dramatic is something you won’t find on Wall Street: small business special sauce. When this rich blend of ethics, values, and value is slathered over Main Street America, it manifests as one of the most powerful forces in nature: high-quality, enduring relationships built on a foundation of trust. 

And these aren’t like your affinity for a big business brand or product – they’re old-school relationships between human beings operating in a new-school marketplace. 

[Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Banking, Ethics / Trust, Investors, Leadership, National and Global Economy

The Paycheck Protection Program and your small business

April 2, 2020 by Jim Blasingame

The coronavirus pandemic has thrust Main Street America into a very challenging and unprecedented economic period.

Most businesses have been negatively impacted and millions are in peril. Every owner is justified in their concern for the next few months.

But it’s important to remember that we’re dealing with a global pandemic like no living person has ever experienced, which has caused an economic crisis, the abruptness of which no living person has ever seen. As I said last week – this isn’t your fault. And once we “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus, there’s every reason to believe the economy will return to the growth footing we knew only a few weeks ago.

[Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Banking, Cash Flow, Coronavirus, Ethics / Trust, Investors, Leadership, Profitability

Will government help for small business be fast enough?

March 28, 2020 by Jim Blasingame

The national response to the coronavirus pandemic – however necessary – is crushing Main Street.

This economic tsunami wasn’t caused by market animal spirits, irrational exuberance, bad business practices, or bolloxed supply chains. In the span of a month, an invisible Black Swan took us from robust to shut down. It’s not your fault, small business owner. You didn’t cause this.

That’s why you’re going to hear me say something I’ve never said to the government before. Instead of “Get out of our way,” today I’m saying, “You must step up and step in.”

[Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Banking, Coronavirus, Government / Politics, Investors

Searching for investor capital? Don’t make these mistakes – Part 2

March 12, 2020 by Jim Blasingame

This is the second article in a two-part series on how to maximize your chances of success when approaching an investor for your business.

Last time, I pointed out one of the modern marketplace myths mouthed by talking heads and politicians, which is that small businesses don’t have enough access to capital. You could write a book about what these people don’t know about small business and, as it turns out, Andrew Sherman did.

Andrew is my friend and long-time member of the Brain Trust of my radio program, and his important book, Raising Capital, reveals, among many other things, the common mistakes entrepreneurs make when searching for investor capital. So far in this series, I’ve revealed six of the mistakes on Andrew’s handy list. This time we’ll cover the other six, each followed by my commentary. To see the first article, search for this title with “Part 1.”

The good news for seekers of investment capital is that outside sources have become more robust and multi-faceted, whether from venture capital funds, angel investors, and more recently, crowdfunding. The rude news is that, just like getting a loan, you have to have your corn flakes together to score this kind of funding. The bad news is the investor capital process is very complex, and almost always takes longer. And as you have and will continue to learn, there’s more to acquiring investor capital than writing a business plan.

[Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Banking, Finance / Accounting / Taxes, Investors, Start Ups

Searching for investor capital? Don’t make these mistakes – Part I

March 5, 2020 by Jim Blasingame

This is the first article in a two-part series on how to maximize your chances of success when approaching an investor for your business.
One of the modern marketplace myths mouthed by talking heads and politicians is that small businesses don’t have enough access to capital. You could write a book about what these people don’t know about small business.

It’s true that capitalizing a startup isn’t easy. Here’s some non-breaking news: funding a startup is supposed to be hard. But if you have a viable business model, a performance track record, can justify future performance, and are creditworthy, capital sources will come and play in your backyard. But remember the Marketplace Golden Rule: “He (or she) who has the gold, makes the rules.”

Before we go further, let’s identify the four primary sources of small business capital:

[Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Banking, Finance / Accounting / Taxes, Investors, Start Ups

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Next Page »

Categories

  • Banking
  • Business Planning
  • Cash Flow
  • Communication
  • Coronavirus
  • Customer Care
  • Cybersecurity
  • Demographics, Generations
  • e-business
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Ethics / Trust
  • Finance / Accounting / Taxes
  • Franchising / Licensing
  • Futuring
  • Government / Politics
  • Human Resources
  • Innovation / Creativity
  • Intellectual Property
  • Investors
  • Leadership
  • Legal
  • Management Fundamentals
  • Marketing / Branding / Advertising
  • Mobile Computing
  • National and Global Economy
  • Negotiating
  • Profitability
  • Sales / Sales Management
  • Social Media
  • Start Ups
  • Technology / General
  • The 3rd Ingredient
  • The Age of the Customer
  • Trade: Import, Export, Globalization
  • Uncategorized
  • Work-Life / Balance

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017

Share this page with your friends and followers

© 2021 · Jim BlasingameContact Us