Business Debt - Workout

The Mission

Our business mission is eliminating debt and preserving assets. Helping business owners reach their goals, helping them overcome difficult business problems and build profitable organizations. We are the last line of defense. No other way out. Crushing debt, reduced revenues, increasing overhead, changing business environment? Imminent disaster.

No bankruptcy, no legal procedures, a pure business workout with debt forgiveness the result. A second chance.

We have the solutions!

SBA AND BANK DEBT WORKOUTS: YES, WE DO IT.
Debt forgiveness is always possible and is critical for survival.
Navigating the Downturn
The Four Pillars: Downsize, Reinvent, Debt Workout, Internet Marketing
From The Trenches - Our Employee Blog
Stories from the men on the front lines of hand to hand small business combat.

In "From The Trenches", on the front lines of small business combat, is where the workouts take place, the negotiations are handled and the positive results are realized. From The Trenches is where you'll find the stories and perspectives about the issues that the people in the trenches of Second Wind confront every day for you, our valued clients.

Here is what they have to say:
"We are incredibly focused, committed and successful, as we all know what is at stake for our clients. We know and accept the fact that we cannot lose. If we lose, then our clients, their businesses, their families and the jobs and families of all their employees are in jeopardy. This, we cannot tolerate so we commit ourselves to excellence and we deliver results."

We win, all the time. The people behind From The Trenches are the same people who, every day, carry their clients to victory in their small business battles. Read about these victories–and more–in From The Trenches.

Today's Featured Trenches Post:

High Standard = High Results

Recently I had one of the rougher tasks in any business. I had to participate in letting an employee go.

The goal of Second Wind Consultants is more than simply getting paid to work out debt. Our goal is to save businesses and in so doing, we save families and homes as well. This goal is lofty and requires a high standard not only of success, but of commitment, self-motivation, and overall context.

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What Is Your Corporate Culture? Is It Working?

By
Don Todrin
Posted in: Business, Management, Navigating the Downturn

What is Your Corporate Culture? Is It Working?What an interesting concept “corporate culture” is. We see it all the time. Every corporation has one, good or bad.

There once was a significant regional bank, since absorbed, that always projected a snooty, unhelpful, “holier-than-thou” attitude. Most of my experiences with this bank, at any level, were filled with their ego and arrogance. It was always distasteful, and I was told by many employees how little they liked their company as they were also treated with little respect.

This is an example of corporate culture: low mutual trust or respect, intense control by management, careful, precise, micro-monitoring of employees, low pay, no goodwill from customers, no appreciation from employers, meaningless incentives and meager raises. This generates a similar attitude at all levels–distrust and lack of respect. It starts at the top and permeates downward.

I have done business for years with another bank, a national one called Citizens Bank. Since I travel a lot, I manage to visit branches all over. I have always been treated exceptionally well, as if each branch I go into is my local branch where I am well-known and friendly with all the employees. Again, a distinct example of corporate culture, but in this case, a nurturing attitude from the top permeates downward throughout the business.

Review your corporate or small business culture and evaluate whether or not it is working for you and your business. Upon inspection you may find you need to make changes. Maybe your corporate culture it is not projecting what you want it to project. Maybe it starts with you.

Remember, it starts from the top and filters down. Change your approach and attitude and change the entire culture of the business.

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To Develop The Best Business Model Possible, Political Correctness Must Go.

By
Don Todrin
Posted in: Debt Workout

“Political correctness” is the destroyer of growth and development. It’s only result is mediocrity.

The cure—developing candor, freeing your people to speak the brutal truth without risk (in fact with encouragement and rewards), supporting and promoting candid discussion—supports the free flow of ideas, resulting in a better business model. Unfortunately, we are all taught at a very early age that if you cannot say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all. Ridiculous! We must root out this “politically correct” concept.

Unfortunately, it is easier to say nice things, to support existing programs and managers whether or not they are successful or the best possible choices. We want to make each other “look good”. Not in my business; I want to do better at any cost, even if it’s personal attack on my ideas and programs if this yields a better result, and that is really what any business owner wants to achieve.

The more ideas (good or bad) there are, the more involvement in open debate, the more creativity produced, the more criticism given and received, and the more risk taken, the better we and the business will be. That’s a certainty. The more inspection and debate, the faster a business can overcome obstacles and succeed, and time is sometimes everything.

In fact, while it may appear that supporting a manager with false support creates trust, as face is saved and feelings not hurt, the opposite is actually true. Telling the brutal truth supports the development of real trust as one can get to the higher truth—the better result—and saving face should never be an objective. Rather, running a better business should be the goal. This requires managers to control their ego, get out of their emotion and commit to making a better business, presumably what everyone wants.

To nurture this culture, a small business owner must praise candid communication and reward it. This will eventually lead to a culture where the brutal truth is expected and received and everyone can participate, creating an environment where saving face is not the objective, but creating a better business model is. Trust is developed and success insured. The result of candor is a better business, newer and fresher ideas, tremendous cost savings and huge profit enhancement, as well as an environment where people are respected and want to contribute as there is no more risk in telling the truth as they see it, right or wrong.

The more in on the debate, the better the results will be. The more freedom there is to speak the truth, the more truth you will hear.

All this from candid discussion, eliminating political correctness and supporting and respecting everyone’s ideas no matter what they may be. Everyone wants to be heard, open that door and benefit, everyone wins.

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High Standard = High Results

By
agleason
Posted in: Business, From the Trenches - Our Employee Blog

Recently I had one of the rougher tasks in any business.  I had to participate in letting an employee go.

The goal of Second Wind Consultants is more than simply getting paid to work out debt.  Our goal is to save businesses and in so doing, we save families and homes as well.  This goal is lofty and requires a high standard not only of success, but of commitment, self-motivation, and overall context.

These goals and standards are an aspect Don has looked for in the employees and are not learned skills, they are part of a person’s natural personality, you can be trained to talk and act a certain way, but you cannot be taught to care enough to drive yourself and if you do not have it, any management pushing you along will only help as long as you are monitored.  When that monitoring ends, so will the high standards.

The employee that was let go is a good person and was trying their best, unfortunately they could not hold themselves to the standard that is required when the stakes are peoples financial lives.  One loan, line of credit, or credit card can be one too many for the client if we do not push the banks into the lowest possible settlements.

Second Wind’s standards are one of the reasons we are so successful and the management style of allowing your employees to meet your standards on their own instead of lowering the standard to meet the median is something needed to salvage lives.  As much as you like someone, you cannot allow emotions to judge if the fit is right for your company or the job they are in.

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