Something very important happened at eFactory last Thursday...

As a kind of "point person" for all things entrepreneurial in Phoenix, my new hometown, many people with opportunities and entrepreneurs with challenges come into my orbit every day. Only two weeks ago, one of our new Club E members and a long time networker in the area came to see me in our new Club E headquarters and eFactory prototype in North Phoenix. This new friend had a great and established business that needed some minimal capital to expand into a lucrative new area and her bank had disappointed her...what's new with that scenario with entrepreneurs and their banks??? Anyway, in passing, Roseann Higgins had mentioned that she had proudly served our country as a member our our Navy for 10 years.

Coincidentally, and btw, I don't believe in coincidences, I had made the acquaintence of Sue Malone, a San Francisco-based financier that specialized in the little known but very effective Patriot Express Loan for veteran business owners.On the low end request of $5k to $25k, Sue told me that she could literally get a veteran loan approved and funded within a matter of several days. Well, here was my chance to have Sue prove it with Roseann.

I immediately put Sue on the phone with Roseann and sure enough, Roseann was approved and funded the money she needed for her business within a matter of days. To thank me, Club E and the eFactory for helping her in her time of need, Roseann set about to put on an event commemorating her receipt of these much needed funds from the Patriot Express Loan to be held at our eFactory location...a scant four days later!

Only a woman with the determination, energy level and connections that Roseann Higgins has could have pulled it off and she did with flying colors...literally. Roseann actually enticed the Air Force Color Guard from Peoria High School to present at our event that brought 50 plus veterans and entrepreneurs and the Head of the both Arizona SBA and the Director of Veteran Affairs for the SBA who presented a 4 foot long facsimle check to Roseann in front of a very optimitic audience! What's more, we had several speakers and even an impromtu panel for an "Entrepreneurs Forum" who presented their own entrepreneurial stories and had a Q&A with the audience well into the night.

To say that this was energizing in this challenging economic time is a gross understatement. There was not only hope ignited in that group Thursday night but there was a determination to move forward with their entrepreneurial dreams and band together as fellow veterans and entrepreneurs alike to recapture what America has seemed to forget...it's entrepreneurial spirit of "Can Do!"

Sue Malone proved her ability to fund nearly 15 times more for my Club E members (so far) since I introduced her to Roseann Higgins only 2 weeks ago and it is my prediction that Club E and the eFactory members will do a great deal to make a substantial dent in the over $900 million sitting in Federal funds earmarked for our veteran business owners and even their entrepreneur partners. I am a veteran entrepreneur myself and I am making it my personal mission to fund as many small businesses starting out or expanding through this amazing program.

Please connect with me at pjb@clubenetwork.com with your small business financing needs, as a veteran with a business or not and as an entrepreneur with a financial need and I will do my best to get you some much needed business capital. Club E and the eFactory is busy putting together a Veteran/Entrepreneur matching program to allow the Patriot Express Loan-eligible veteran provide the capital for entrepreneur partners, if they don't have their own business to fund and want to help others.

Join us!

Best regards,

Peter J. Burns, III
Founder
Club E, eFactory