Allies and Enemies – Closer Than They Appear
It’s disorienting to watch millions gushing with empathy one second, but then casting fiery outrage the next.
Not to mention firing people for having the wrong opinion. They might be allies…
And it doesn’t help that people hide behind good intentions, trends, platitudes… whatever bullshit gets them off the hook. After scrambling to what looks like safety, they pat themselves on the back while someone else gets thrown to the wolves.
When your head’s on a swivel and nothing is what it seems, the questions can be paralyzing.
Who can you trust?
Who’s going to stand—not buckle—when the mob shows up? Who’s ready to take one in the jaw for you? And who’s really an enemy, looking and talking like a friend, but running away when the shit hits the fan?
And when the unknown can hurt you, (in our industry, it’s often life or death), what unknowns should you be watching out for?
While we can’t always answer right away (though we’ll see plain as day when the time comes), we all know that trusted allies are hard to come by. And while we look around carefully, we can start by being honest with ourselves.
So who are you?
Are you the friend who won’t run? The trusted ally?
How close are you being to being Sam in Lord of the Rings? Or General Patton? The stubborn bastard who won’t back down, even when he’s surrounded?
Or rather, are you ‘your own worst enemy’ as the cliche goes? If that’s true, if you’re dishonest, riddled with compromise, or holding back from crossing your own threshold, how can you stand strong for someone else?
Passing Your Own Test
Regardless of what’s in the news, have you taken the steps you need to?
If not, why are you holding back?
Draw a line and be honest with yourself. What fears or defense mechanisms might be dressing up like friends, but really stabbing you in the back?
Start with self-serving bias — thinking good about ourselves, no matter what.
It’s a huge reason why we stay stuck and don’t cross the threshold.
Next, consider resistance — and no, I’m not talking about your refusing to go to the dentist for five years.
Best-selling author Steven Pressfield cites resistance as the ultimate enemy, the supervillain scheming to burn it all down. What’s stopping you from doing what you’re born to do? How does your form of resistance show up and operate?
Is it indecision? Or something like perfection, or confusion… a legit consideration that turns out to be an enemy?
When it comes to making a decision, most of us would rather not make one at all. Instead, we rationalize. But the worst decision is not choosing. So we leave it up to fate, randomness, chance, and so on… all the while dodging the big question:
Red pill or blue pill?
Do we take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes? Do we finally run out of excuses to not be who we are? Do we step up to what we can’t not do, given our programming?
The Real Choice
If it’s really about choosing your own growth and progress, then there’s no room to rationalize. You won’t find perfect—and if you want growth, you won’t find it without pain.
It’s not about adding layers of knowledge that cushion you from the world; it’s about destroying layers of false beliefs through profound and painful self-exploration.
If you’re done resting, then it’s time to struggle.
What will you grapple with?
Considering your limits, and that you’ve got to say no to most things just to move forward, what goals stand above everything else?
Start by deciding what you will say no to. Where will the energy come from if you say ‘yes’ all the time? Next, identify resistance—and squash it. Get your skin in the game, if isn’t already there.
Make the choice to not be your own worst enemy.
Back in the Fight, Choose Allies
So you’ve taken that step. You’ve stepped out to the unknown, kicked down resistance. You’re aiming to be that trusted ally, that friend who won’t back down.
What next?
Looking around, who is a friend and who is an ally?
The options are overwhelming — and plenty of lowlifes will pose as a friend, just to hook you in and serve their own interests.
But at Dare, we think of ourselves as one of your allies — especially when it comes to capital choices. Our job is to put you and your referrals in the right bucket, based solely on the profile of the business. In other words, we put first things first and would love to explain more of what we mean by that.
Check out the chart below to see some of the key differences between the senior secured options for SMEs.
If you have questions, give us a call! We’ll walk you through an industry insider’s guide to unknowns, the questions to ask, and the details that matter to the choices you make.
Speaking of enemies…
“You don’t have to trust people not to betray you or break your heart or steal your purse: you just trust them to be who they are.” ~ Jed McKenna
MCA’s, loan sharks, daily lenders — beware those who promise you something you hope to get, but don’t even take the time to get to know you. In our industry, average default rates are one percent (-ish), this means, most of the time (99%), we are “right” as an industry when we pick you and you pick us.
- Sidebar rant on the MCA business: this is another example of “disruption” at work, billions of dollars are raised, marketing on the internet happens, an instant gratification society “clicks here” and gets money, damn the details, businesses and actual human beings get hurt from ignorance, then the government steps in and “protects people” with regulations and takes down the good guys in the process. So net net, good lenders and good borrowers will pay for the asshats at the party who put the turd in punchbowl for everyone.
Ahhh… feel much better now.
PS: we have written about this before, here.
But the average default rate of MCA’s is at least 5x that of factoring and asset based lending — and behind every default lies a dead business. This is what has all the regulators up in arms.
This is why we work on behalf of the industry to help legislators understand the differences between Factoring / ABL and what the MCA industry does, MCAs characterize their offerings as “Factor Rates” and regulators have taken notice and are coming after non bank lenders as a result.
At DARE Capital, we don’t play the false friend… just to shuffle money your way and abandon you when the pressure’s on.
We get to know you — where you’ve been and what you value. And if we’re in, we’re in for keeps. If your skin’s in the game, then ours is too.
That’s because we woke up long ago and answered the call, saying no to everything that’s not our struggle.
Trust us — it’s a hell of a ride, but worth it.
Calling Those Who’ve Crossed Over
If you’re looking for a friend who won’t back down, then we’re your huckleberry. Or if you know someone who’s navigating the murky unknowns of financing a new company — we’re the ally, plain and simple.
If you’ve crossed over, then give us a call.