Author Archives: Joe Schmitz

About Joe Schmitz

Joe Schmitz has been involved in equipment leasing and finance for over two decades. Joe has a special area of expertise in the fitness industry, having placed funding in excess of 100 million dollars for small to medium sized health clubs, Joe has also funded general equipment projects throughout the United States. Currently one of approximately 200 Certified Lease Professionals (CLP) in the United States.

Would you survive the Shark Tank?

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Joe Schmitz

I confess, I love the show “Shark Tank”.  In it, 5 venture capitalists are pitched a variety of business ideas and are asked to invest in the business for a percentage of ownership.  The sharks ask questions of the investor … Continue reading →

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5 Signs You’re Losing A Sale

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Joe Schmitz

Here’s an article that was referred to me by one of our banks.  The article is in Entreprenuer Magazine written by Jane Porter in Nov. 2011. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220689 Here are the 5 Signs 1.  If a client seems indifferent. 2. If there is … Continue reading →

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2012 & Your Business

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Joe Schmitz

Recent economic indicators are looking positive. US stock markets are at with levels not seen since 2008 with the Dow flirting with 13,000. The US Labor Department said that seasonally adjusted new jobless claims is the lowest since March of 2008. … Continue reading →

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The 5 “R’s” of business

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Joe Schmitz

I was reading a recent sales article and reminded on how much the details matter.  We forget the 5 R’s at our peril. They are Relationships, Results, Retention, Referrals and Revenue. For most businesses, Relationships are the understated part of … Continue reading →

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Good Communication

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Joe Schmitz

I get business email tips from http://connect.manta.com. The one today said “don’t send emails when you’re angry“. While emails filter most emotions, especially humor; anger seems to come through even when you don’t mean for it to. So stand up, … Continue reading →

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Joe’s Economic Predictions…

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Joe Schmitz

Having recovered from my tryptophan induced nap after Christmas, I’m ready to provide my 2011 review and predictions about the US economy for 2012. As always, once the tinfoil hat is off, I’ll disavow any wrong predictions made by the author (that … Continue reading →

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Financing for businesses

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Joe Schmitz

I generally don’t use this forum to promote equipment leasing or our business but had some recent experiences I thought worth talking about. If you have a small business, there are other options than banks for financing.  Today banks cater to … Continue reading →

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What to do when “it” didn’t work?

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Joe Schmitz

As small business owners we put so much effort into a project like getting a new client that it can be disheartening when the result was failure. So what happens next? I suggest two steps. First, ask yourself “what did … Continue reading →

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How Bad Is It?

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Joe Schmitz

As an adult, I have been through three recessionary business cycles; ’90-’91, 2000-2001, and this one.  This seems to be far and away the worst.  Of course that could just be the advantages of time.  In 1990, I was trying … Continue reading →

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Favorite Business Books

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Joe Schmitz

The joke in my house is the number of books on my “Top 10 List” is about a hundred – and it’s probably true.  Here is my current top 10 list in no particular order: 1. E-Myth Revisited by Michael … Continue reading →

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