All too often, businesses wait until they are in a position of need before seeking help. Here are some typical scenarios:

• A business is cash-strapped and has no reserves.
• A business grows too quickly and the demand for resources outpaces the cash flow and/or income.
• A business owner is ready to sell. Now.
• Not being able to defend or validate their business strategy with specific information, structure, trends and detail about the industry itself.
• A business holding out projections as solid when historically they have not met past projections.
• An entrepreneur is ready to bring a new idea to market but lacks the financial backing.

Sound familiar? The key to successful business growth is to anticipate and actively plan for that pending growth. Long before it occurs. It’s much easier to get money/help before you need it.

Many business owners perceive asking for money or the potential of needing money as a weakness. But really, in today’s environment, it’s just a reality.

The funding marketplace recognizes continuous change as a fact in running a business today. It also acknowledges how increasingly difficult it is today to build a business that can adapt in order to hold continuous advantage. So as you can imagine, investors ask very good business model questions and insist on understanding the viability of any business - before pulling the trigger on an investment, stretch loan, joint venture or acquisition.

The key is to plan ahead so you have the answers to those questions. That’s the true value of engaging with an intermediary like TCM. Our most valuable contribution is not in finding money. When your business is ready, we’ll have money ready.

It is the preparation and approach to the marketplace. An intermediary should be judged on their perceived ability to ask the same types of questions the marketplace will ask and the perceived quality of advice relating to preparing a business to handle/react to potential issues in advance of capital formation or owner exit activity.

Be sure to ask for references that speak to both aspects of any intermediary you are considering.