Micro Loans Help Small Business Grow (business marketing solutions)

November 16th, 2008 admin Posted in business |

By Tom Mack

Recently I spent some time in the country of Ukraine, while there I decided to seek out budding entrepreneurs in the rural countryside villages to see for myself the impact of micro loans. What I found is that when people have the opportunity to go into business for themselves, particularly in impoverished communities, that poverty can be averted.

I believe that entrepreneurship is the key to lifting individuals, families and communities out of poverty. In developing countries being in your own business is often the only way out of poverty.

Myself, I am in the finance business and am very interested in how financing impacts the developing world. As a business owner myself I am also looking for opportunities to give back, ways to give another entrepreneur a leg up.

Micro loans are loans made to poor entrepreneurs living in poverty who are not considered bankable. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and verifiable credit history. They can not meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional business credit.

In Ukraine, the rural countryside is predominately farmland with a few small houses (called dachas) scattered in between. Gas stations are scares, it is best to keep the tank full, you ever know when that will be the last station you see all day.

In larger villages you will find the Bizarre. Its the central marketplace, an outdoor flea market where merchants set up their shop daily. Their spaces are small and seem to lock up securely at night.

People sell produce grown on their farms or in their yards. Some had dairy products like milk, cream, butter and cheese. Others sold eggs and assorted chicken parts. There was even someone selling fish which is pretty scary considering the nearest ocean is hundreds of miles away and the only river is the Dnieper which flows down from Chernobyl Russia.

Other merchants displayed merchandise they had purchased - presumably in bulk / wholesale and were selling it at retail. Its very interesting to note that these merchants tend to be specialists in what they sell. For example, a merchant who sells ladies jeans and tops would not sell anything else. Someone else sells coats, another sells bras, another sells dresses and yet another sells socks.

In the line of hygiene products you can buy soap, shampoo and toothpaste from one vendor but will need to go down the isle to buy a toothbrush. I know - I had to do it. And by the way “dental floss” does not seem to exist there.

Interesting merchants in the Bizarre included someone selling pet food for cats, dogs, birds and pigs. Someone was selling plumbing parts for faucets, sinks and toilets. Even tools and auto parts. You name it, you can find it. The bizarre is kind of like an outdoor Wal-Mart with a dozens of individual merchants.

Many people in these villages are poor and to a large extent live off their land. Jobs are few and the pay is low. Poverty is a chronic condition for much of Ukraine, the one thing these people need to transform their lives is an “Opportunity.” One such opportunity is to start or expand their own business but that requires money.

But where can this budding entrepreneur come up with 5000-7500 UAH ($1,000-$1,500 US) necessary to start a business or expand their current business? The answer can be found in micro loans.

Knowing the solution and having the ability to do something about it are often two different things, until now. I lend to entrepreneurs all over the world through Kiva. Kiva is an organization who helps put individuals like you and me together with entrepreneurs in the developing world so that we can make a difference.

Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world - empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. Its easy, you choose an entrepreneur, loan as little as $25 then receive updates and get repaid as the business succeeds. Each entrepreneur is hard working and hopes to create a sustainable livelihood. All they need is a small loan.

I just made a loan through Kiva to Olga Gryaznova in Simferopol, Ukraine. Olga lives with her mother and sister. She owns a small booth at the central market and sells womens clothing, mostly terry cloth robes. Due to good marketing strategy, reasonable mark-up and renewed assortment, she is able to attract many clients.

Her gross revenue is about 13,000 UAH per month ($2,600 US). The net income is about 2,000 UAH ($400 US). Olga has been working in this business for 12 years. At that time she just could not find any other job. Being a very responsible and honest person she was able to start and develop this business to provide for herself, her mother and her sister.

Olga would like to get a loan for 5,000 UAH ($1,000 US) to buy more terry cloth robes and increase her sales. She hopes that increased sales activity will generate the funds they need to fix their house.

When you make a loan, you are helping a real person to make great strides towards economic independence and to improve life for themselves, their family, and their community.

I have learned first and the importance of micro loans and how a small amount of money can change someones life, lift a family out of poverty and empower a communality to be self sufficient.

We just started a lending team at Kiva, right now we have a handful of lenders and were growing every day. The team is named after our business “Super Easy Credit” I hope you will join us. A link to our team and my Kiva portfolio is available on our website.

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Tom Mack simplifies business credit. Find out more about business credit and get his popular FREE Special Report “Top Ten Credit Offers Any Business Qualifies For” available at: => http://SuperEasyCredit.com

So You Want To Do Business Online Find A Mentor
By Todd Ash

Finding a mentor will improve your succes rate. A mentor can show what it takes to make money online.

Making money online is a science and and is very methodical. If you do not know the methods you will never succeed. There are plenty of information products out there that can help you however 9 times out of 10 they will always sell you short. They tend to leave out the most important aspects of building an online business and how to go about doing so.

This can be very frustrating thats why finding a mentor to show you the way. mentors do not come cheap however you can find one that you may be able to afford.

Most mentors are reluctant to hand over the keys to the vault.They will want you to work for your success and will coach you on what it takes to be successful.Do not be fooled into buying worthless ebooks or products that promise overnight riches becuase this will not work. Just like anythiing else if you want to be wealthy you are going to have to work for it. making money online can be very difficult and time consuming you want to make sure you are headed in the right direction from the get go.

An internet coach or mentor is a good head start and will lead you in the right direction from the beginning which is very important. You could spend thousands of dollars onlin and ver make a penny. This is the case most of the time.

People are lead to believe that they just need to setup a website and then the money starts pouring in.This is not true. If you have built a website and are not making any money it is because you are off to a bad start and before long you will quit and say the internet is for the birds.

I have witnessed people that start right and end up making money very quickly because they have the right plan of action and have been helped by somebody in the know.Developing a plan of action and then following that plan will lead to your success.

If you are new to the internet and want to make money online you will need knowledge and help from others that are in the know.Find an internet coach or a mentor and get started the right way.Be one of the few who do and become an internet success.

You can find a mnetor by performing a search for an internet coach or mentor. You will find a huge list of them. Choose wisely because you may be fooled by a newbie they they are the real deal and wind up selling you a bunch of worthless junk.There is always someone looking to get in your pocket and taking everything you have leaving you with nothing but and empty wallet and a bruised ego.

be dilligent and find a reputable internet coach or mentor and you may very well be on your way to making some serious money.

Todd Ash Is An Expert In The Field of Marketing And A Well Recognized Entrepreneur. Click Here To Visit ToddAsh.com For More Information

Is An Internet Business For You
By Todd Ash

If you’re ready to start making money from home, and start an Internet business do some research first. There are millions of dollars being made on the internet and you deserve your share.Before you start your online business.Do some research and find a business that you are interested in.An Internet business can be very lucrative if you have the desire to be successful.

The key to the Internet is working smart not hard. Once you know your way around the Internet making money is actually quite simple. Finding the right internet business for you may take some time. Make sure that you take the time to find the right business. That means investigating all the opportunities that are available to you. You may consider finding a mentoror an Internet coach to assist you.

You do not want to start an Internet business that you are not interested. Make sure that whatever business you choose is something you love to do. If you love your business, you business will love you back. Once you have the right internet business you can begin developing your business strategy. That business strategy should include video marketing, article marketing, press release marketing, forum, marketing, e-mail marketing. Marketing will bring long-lasting results as opposed to paid advertising. Paid advertising is a short-term fix and needs to be fed costs.

Marketing will bring long-lasting success and a never-ending stream of web site traffic. Your success will come from your marketing strategy. Marketing will be the foundation for your business. If you’re foundation is strong than your business will be strong. Marketing is a never-ending process that will bring you long-lasting success. Once you learn how to market. You’ll have no other out-of-pocket expenses, making the internet very lucrative for you. Imagine making all the money you want without ever having to spend.

A business that has no overhead means pure profit. Most businesses have overhead, bringing down their profit margins with an Internet business begin at zero overhead and huge profits.

Determining whether Internet business is for you are not please consider all of the above. When making your choice. If you’re like me than this decision should be a no-brainer. I knew from the moment, I started my internet business that this was what I was going to be doing for years to come in as is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. So he decided that Internet business is for you don’t wait get started today it will be the best decision you’ve ever made.

Todd Ash Is An Expert In The Field of Marketing And A Well Recognized Entrepreneur. Click Here To Visit ToddAsh.com For More Information

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