ForumsShop Talk

P.S. My previous post was not a criticism of the SBOC, any of its members, BoA, or the Community Team. It's more an acknowledgment that we who are speaking up here may be in the minority.

I get the impression that there are only about 30 or 40 of us who actually own and run a full-time business with employees, perhaps a hundred who run a full-time one-person operation, and a couple of hundred who are currently run a part-time business (but are seriously moving toward full-time business ownership). In contrast, thousands of members have posted on the "money hungry" topics.

This forum is great but I do like what LUCKIEST had to say and his viewpoint. I have not heard of any success stories from anyone as of yet. I am not oppossed to hearing about worthwhile ventures that make sense and can generate profits. Whether you decide to actually invest or not is another story. This is a forum for networking and opportunity. People should be allowed to do just that and Yes there should be a seperate section for funding requests.

Cheers,

T.Michael

I to think that there should be another section for this topic. But, don't knock everyone though. I am a father of three that has bad credit because i did not have medical insurance when they came into my life. I hardly ever ask for anything from anyone. I work year around hardly ever missing a day of work and yet i am exhausted at the fact that i have a growing business, good reputation, in need of equipment because his partner quit and yet i still can not get a small loan to keep doing the productive job that i have been. So, there are people like me that are indeed in need and do not know where else to go. So, please understand. ( But, there should be a seperate section for this topic, I agree )

Gypsumrocker,

I do understand, I really do. I am not saying the people requesting are bad or evil. I am saying this forum should be about more than this and there should be a section for requests.

I did not mean this as an attack on anyone but as a request to create a section for people to post requests.

Iwrite: I agree with you as well. I had noticed quite some time back that the tone of the forums were heading down a virtually money-oriented path. I agree that there should be a "Requesting Funding" section solely for this purpose, however as with anything ... that doesn't necessarily mean they will utilize it. I was enjoying the conversations with new business owners and prospective entrepreneurs who were looking for advice and ideas ... it DOES certainly seem as if they have diminished over the months. I actually stopped checking this every day for a while because of that problem. Another problem I have is the amount of people who post to the forum who do not utilize proper grammar and never respond to the posters or at least acknowledge their responses.

I too think something needs to be done.

Deb L

Glad we're on the same page! I think we're all guilty of posting w/o reading before hitting the submit button - I'm talking about the obvious "SPAM" of sorts that seems to hit here every so often. If you look at some of the stats to that post, without actually going into the post, you can see that 1 or 2 people may view the post, but no one replies.

I am back with a vengence on the site ... have taken a short break to see if things sorted themselves out. I agree that the way to combat some of the problems is to "take back the forum" and make viable contributions which are not only informative but enjoyable at the same time. I have had the wonderful opportunity to help out some really great people on here and the reward comes from knowing that I have had a small part in their success, hopefully. Of course it doesn't hurt that we've obtained a couple of new clients from the forum as well ... that aside, it is always a good feeling when you can set someone on a good path with positive encouragement and support. Afterall .. isn't that why the forums were invented?

Keep in touch ...

Deb L

This site has gotten too money-hungry, and I am one of the hungry.

I came looking for funding. Banks have said no (even our patron has said no.) Friends and family have said no. As an aside, you will find that the income you have will be roughly 10% above or below the people you call friends. I am broke, (broke is a state of finances, poor is a state of mind.) So we look for business sites where we hope to find funding. I have been looking for work as well. I can't buy a drafting job in Georgia.

I do have a bad back. (That is why I went back to school and learned drafting.) So it is not like I can dig ditches or lift boxes for extra money. My wife had a stroke in May of '07 and I have become her primary care giver. I have been looking for a business that can give me a full time income with part time hours. I found it, and that is what I am looking to fund.

If you have been wondering why the "PTB" has not put in a "looking for funding" section, the answer should hit you in the face like a wet fish. They are a "BANK!" If any funding is going to happen, they want to be the ones holding the notes. They would probably frown on any funding that actualy happened under their noses. But we still have the problem of what to do about all of the funding requests. I put mine in the loans and lines of credit section because I felt it was at least closest to the topic. I would call the funding section "Where to go, when banks say no."

Even though I wait for someone to say that they may be able to help, I read other posts and have given answers when I had something helpful to contribute. It is not like I make one request and have nothing else to contribute. I try to be an engaging part of the community.

I hope this helps...

Tim...