“Think of yourself as on the threshold of
unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life
lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!”
- Andrew Carnegie

2009 is now officially history and most people in business would agree that it was historic – it is going into the record books as one of the toughest economic periods of all time.  Last year was brutal for businesses of all sizes and survival alone was success for many.  As we embark upon 2010, the expectations for a turning tide are high, but the effects of the recent Great Recession will probably still be felt for a while to come. 

Being in the equipment finance industry exposes me to a broad range of businesses, business owners and executives across our country.  Most recent discussions with clients (existing and prospective), business partners and related professionals from the world of banking, accounting and law have invariably touched on year end assessments and contemplation of what lies ahead. 

Some of the general observations for 2009 have been:

• In most areas of the county there are initial signs of rebound taking shape
• The very worst is behind us although a false bottom is a possibility
• Lenders are starting to loosen up a bit although approval criteria is still strict
• Some regions / industries do not yet see any light at the end of the tunnel

Some general expectations for 2010:

• Cautious optimism – 2010 promises to be only marginally better
• The coming year will bring recovery albeit slow and lengthy
• Further receding of the liquidity crisis may free up capital markets
• Some positive movement resulting from improvement in certain sectors

With the down economy there is no better time to take advantage of your competitors exit from the market and effectively grow your business.  There are significant efficiencies to be gained by upgrading or improving technology, equipment or systems.  Because equipment leases provide some of the most flexible commercial financing terms available today many financial experts agree that the few remaining healthy equipment finance firms will spark the commercial lending turnaround in 2010 and beyond.

The First Star Capital team spent a significant amount of time in 2009 refining our value proposition to go far beyond the financing of business assets.  Our intent is to share best practices with executives and business owners and also disseminate valuable information to equipment sales people across the country.  One of the resources that was designed for business owners and executives is a portal related to the Economic Stimulus Act – this can be viewed at:  www.EconomicStimulusInfo.com.  For equipment vendors and their individual sales people we have just launched a comprehensive website geared toward Vendor Financing which can be viewed at:  www.VendorFinancing101.com.  This will prove to be an invaluable resource as vendors seek ways to increase sales through the use of an effective financing / leasing program.  Starting next month the newsletters for equipment vendors and individual equipment sales people will originate from this site and be geared toward specific ways to increase sales and drive more volume.

About First Star Capital

First Star Capital is an established national firm that has financed thousands of different businesses across the country and has funded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of capital equipment. We are an independent commercial lender with a specialty focus in equipment financing and leasing. First Star Capital is a direct lender with the ability to quickly and efficiently fund new financing requests between ten-thousand and ten-million dollars. Since we are a direct lender with our own funding and servicing capabilities we are able to deliver tangible value added financing solutions with the utmost flexibility. First Star Capital has the internal ability to underwrite a variety of different financing requests – nothing is too big or too complicated.

First Star Capital

(800) 604-4817

Brad@FirstStarCapital.com

www.FirstStarCapital.com

Did You Know?

A storm officially becomes a hurricane when cyclone winds reach 74 mph (119 km/h)

On average there are 13,000 earthquakes each year

Summer on Uranus lasts for 21 years - but so does winter

The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth.

There are more than 326 million trillion gallons of water on Earth

During a total solar eclipse the temperature can drop by 6 degrees Celsius (approximately 20 degrees Fahrenheit)

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December 2009
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