·Credit. Did you pay previous lenders back as contracted? ·Capacity: Can you afford to pay back this loan? ·Collateral: If you don’t pay back loan from what asset can lender recover their principal?

Step one is:

1.Identify your strength and weaknesses in '3 C’s'. Do this as would a lender – with a very critical eye. Identify your loan to value ratio and your debt service coverage ratio. If you have reason to believe that your credit is less than sterling, get a copy of your credit report including your credit score.

Each lender has different criteria with cost of loan being higher as your strength in '3 C’s' is lower. Step two is:

2.Identify lenders who lend to your level of borrower and to your industry type. Call lenders to get their criteria. Learn about SBA 504 program and 7A loan guarantees. Find who others in your industry have used for financing.

If there is a gap (not a canyon, just a gap) between your borrowing ability and lenders' criteria, a loan broker may be able to help. They spend their working hours finding second and third tier (more aggressive and more expensive) lenders and establishing relationships with them. They can act as a salesperson for your project in ways that you as a principal cannot. Step three:

Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.

There are some for whom prospect of even looking at someone as a "guru" is a sin. They believe in being free-thinkers, unfettered by bonds of guru-dom.

Then there are those who try to score points by "proving" gurus wrong. They think they have achieved a new high in their field just by proving that a "guru" made a false statement.

The problem with such people is that they refuse to understand "gurus" for what they are.

So just what IS a guru (marketing or otherwise)?

To put it simply, a guru is someone who has "been there, done that."

A guru is not one who is meant to be followed like a sheep, nor one whose every word is written in stone.

Of letters in Sanskrit word "Guru ", letter 'Gu' stands for darkness or ignorance; and letter 'Ru' stands for one who removes it or dispels it.

A guru is one who imparts knowledge that clears path of seeker. Knowledge that helps seeker gain a better understanding of himself.

Unfortunately many people see gurus - and marketing gurus in particular - as successful, over-bearing, conceited boors.

Trust me, if a person was successful in this field, he'd never have got there by being over-bearing and conceited.

Why? Because to be a success, you need other people to help you get there. And no one is going to do business with you if you're an over-bearing, conceited boor.

So just why do you need a guru?

For same reason you need a parent - to guide you when you are young and still learning ways of world.

For same reason you need a teacher - to introduce you to new concepts and ways of thinking you may never have conceived of.

For same reason you need a football coach - to teach you rules of game.

For same reason you need a mountain guide - to take you through treacherous terrain to a safer place.

Sadly, people only perceive gurus as someone to look up to with fear and disdain, or as someone to pull down so that one can feel important.