…It’s the big reason why you should talk to Baltimore Rising about getting the money you need to grow your business.

By “your business,” we’re talking about the one you want to locate in Baltimore’s neighborhoods that are what we like to call “Opportunity’s New Frontier.” Click here to see a printable list of the neighborhoods we’re talking about.

What do you need to qualify for our assistance?

• You need to be an established company employing 10 or more people. No startups, please.

• You need to be profitable, but not necessarily substantially so or on a consistent basis. You can be struggling, but not hanging on by a thread.

• JOB$ isn’t a micro-loans program. You should need at least $100,000 to $10 million or more to finance construction, equipment, inventory and/or operations.

• Where you are currently operating is unimportant. You can be in Baltimore already or from anywhere in the region or around the county.

• You do not need to be minority or woman-owned and operated. Honestly, that program restriction is ridiculous. This is about creating jobs in the city of Baltimore where they are needed most. We don’t care about your race or gender, only that you are a committed professional entrepreneur who will succeed when we help you get the capital you need.
  

• Most importantly, you must be willing to locate inside one of Baltimore’s neighborhoods where unemployment is currently 10% or higher.

Our JOB$ program is about making you money, about your profitability and maximizing your company’s value and your personal wealth. JOB$ is not a do-gooder, charitable program. We’re not asking for your help. Far from it. We’re offering you an opportunity.

Yes, JOB$ is about using your company to help ignite all-inclusive economic development in the city’s neighborhoods that have been neglected, have been outside the process of economic development for far, far too long. But it’s symbiotic economic development. We’re going to use the vacant land, human resources and pent-up consumer demand in these neighborhoods to make your company extraordinarily successful. At the same time, your coming to these neighborhoods is going to benefit their families, changing the lives of thousands of local residents for the better and for generations to come.

To be clear, we’re not a bank or a finance company or an equity lender or investor. What we are, for your purposes, is a consultant whose management and supporters have extensive experience in getting hard to finance businesses and projects funded.

You can and should start by going to the Small Business Administration, to the Maryland Department of Commerce which was formerly the Department of Business and Economic Development, to the Mayor’s Office for Minority and Women-Owned Business Development and to any of the many banks that serve the city. These are all good people with programs and money that may be of help to you. Go to their websites. Talk to them. But If those inquiries don’t work out, call or email us and we’ll see what we can do.

Will we help you work with these agencies? No. That’s not what we do. Our service is all about straight-up financing by banks and, in some cases, specialized lenders. We’re all about building businesses using traditional sources of capital – businesses that will grow and thrive, that will achieve significant short- and long-term success.

So, why might we be able to help you when government agencies and banks, without our assistance, can’t or won’t?

• We specialize in the financing of difficult projects and companies.

• We respect entrepreneurial initiative.

• We understand that business – small and large, new and long-established – is challenging and fraught with difficult times. That stuff happens and that plans don’t always work out as well as you’d hoped. Even the most studied, most reasonable ideas can fall short of expectations with detrimental impact on a business that is still a fundamentally good idea. Understandably, a recent history of negative or lackluster results will restrict your ability to fund and continue the development of your company. If that’s where you are now, talk us. Tell us your story.

• Our experience working with banks has helped us understand how to make your case with content and style that banks appreciate.

• We’re creative – even to the point of being able to recommend changes to your project or business plan that will increase lender interest. At the very least, there may be alternative ways of structuring the financing you need to facilitate it’s approval by lenders with legitimate concerns.

• We know people, successful companies who may be interested in helping you – people and companies who may be willing to invest.

• We’ll actually lobby the city and state government to see if we can get you free property in these special neighborhoods, property tax breaks and other special assistance that will encourage lender support and make your business more profitable.

• We move quickly. As a rule, if we agree to work with you, one of the banks with which we work will give you a term sheet – or decline to do so and tell us why – within 30 days of when, with our help, you apply for funding. Funding can then get underway within 30 days thereafter.

d
Mind you, we’re not a last resort service and we certainly don’t guaranty success. What we are is a well-intentioned non-profit related to people with experience helping small and moderate-size businesses grow and increase their profitability. If you need help, let us know.

So think about it. Read the description of our JOB$ program. Think about it and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us when you’re ready.

Thanks. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.