1 00:00:00.355 --> 00:00:03.365 Welcome to the 2025 Deep Banked Connect in Miami. 2 00:00:03.885 --> 00:00:06.285 I am now joined with Bill Bennett of Lone Bud. 3 00:00:06.505 --> 00:00:07.765 We butting out. Yeah. 4 00:00:07.765 --> 00:00:09.805 Oh, we are butting out. Absolutely. How are you? 5 00:00:10.065 --> 00:00:11.645 I'm great. Tell me about Lone Bud. 6 00:00:11.825 --> 00:00:13.845 So, yeah, lone Bud. We're an online marketplace 7 00:00:13.845 --> 00:00:17.285 for SBA loans really birth out of the belief that, you know, 8 00:00:17.285 --> 00:00:19.405 the entrepreneurs in this country, the backbone. 9 00:00:19.745 --> 00:00:22.445 And so trying to find a way to offer them access 10 00:00:22.465 --> 00:00:24.325 to the most affordable capital, you know, 11 00:00:24.325 --> 00:00:26.965 in a really streamlined approach, you know, for an SBA loan, 12 00:00:27.345 --> 00:00:29.445 uh, very different, you know, for business owners 13 00:00:29.505 --> 00:00:31.645 to access a 10 year term loan, you know, 14 00:00:31.645 --> 00:00:33.965 with monthly payments to really help expand their 15 00:00:33.965 --> 00:00:35.485 operations, you know, expand their dreams. 16 00:00:36.065 --> 00:00:37.405 We love expanding dreams. 17 00:00:37.545 --> 00:00:39.885 So what type of entrepreneurs are coming to you 18 00:00:39.905 --> 00:00:41.045 to make their dreams come true? 19 00:00:41.585 --> 00:00:43.405 That's a great question. Um, right, 20 00:00:43.405 --> 00:00:45.445 right now we're getting hundreds of applications a week, 21 00:00:45.445 --> 00:00:47.845 so I'd like to say all entrepreneurs really. But, um, 22 00:00:48.705 --> 00:00:50.445 Is it focused on one type of industry? 23 00:00:50.625 --> 00:00:53.005 No, it's really not. Um, anything that's SBA eligible 24 00:00:53.005 --> 00:00:56.325 that falls under the umbrella of an SBA business, uh, 25 00:00:56.345 --> 00:00:57.685 is, is really coming to us. 26 00:00:57.785 --> 00:01:00.445 Um, so much of our business comes from referral partners. 27 00:01:00.785 --> 00:01:03.405 So we love, you know, the bank, you know, New York, Miami. 28 00:01:03.665 --> 00:01:05.005 We, we meet so many great people 29 00:01:05.035 --> 00:01:07.005 that are out there empowering the 30 00:01:07.005 --> 00:01:08.445 entrepreneurs with access to capital. 31 00:01:08.745 --> 00:01:10.485 And then, you know, they're coming to us to help, you know, 32 00:01:10.485 --> 00:01:12.565 maybe take out a loan, um, help, you know, get 33 00:01:12.565 --> 00:01:14.205 that client something a little bit more robust 34 00:01:14.505 --> 00:01:15.565 to buy real estate 35 00:01:15.665 --> 00:01:17.645 or whatever it is that they're trying to do to expand. 36 00:01:17.905 --> 00:01:19.085 So it's really a great relationship. 37 00:01:19.435 --> 00:01:20.725 It's where you meet all your buds. 38 00:01:20.875 --> 00:01:22.685 It's where we meet all our buds. I like it. 39 00:01:22.685 --> 00:01:23.765 You're coining that, that's good. 40 00:01:23.765 --> 00:01:24.765 Yeah, I, you can use it. 41 00:01:24.765 --> 00:01:26.325 I'll give you permission. Thank you. 42 00:01:26.325 --> 00:01:27.565 Thank you. So 43 00:01:27.705 --> 00:01:29.405 how do you see the year progressing for you? 44 00:01:30.275 --> 00:01:33.125 Well, uh, if, if last year in, in the first two months 45 00:01:33.125 --> 00:01:34.325 of this year as an indication, 46 00:01:34.525 --> 00:01:35.725 I think we're gonna probably three 47 00:01:35.725 --> 00:01:37.325 or four x is, is to plans. 48 00:01:37.505 --> 00:01:40.045 Um, you know, really leveraging a lot of technology to just, 49 00:01:40.185 --> 00:01:42.205 you know, process applications quicker, give, 50 00:01:42.205 --> 00:01:43.925 give quicker decisioning mm-hmm. 51 00:01:44.005 --> 00:01:46.485 To our partners and to our clients so they can, you know, 52 00:01:46.485 --> 00:01:47.485 make the decisions they need to 53 00:01:47.485 --> 00:01:48.245 make for their business right. 54 00:01:48.245 --> 00:01:49.285 In, in a quicker amount of time. 55 00:01:49.345 --> 00:01:51.365 So, I mean, the sky's the limit really. So 56 00:01:51.365 --> 00:01:53.005 What type of technology are you bringing in? 57 00:01:53.005 --> 00:01:54.805 Are you using ai? What's the latest? 58 00:01:55.245 --> 00:01:57.645 A lot of ai Yeah, we're implementing a lot, a lot of ai, 59 00:01:57.645 --> 00:02:01.485 doing a lot of, uh, you know, extracting data to, 60 00:02:01.485 --> 00:02:03.885 to make real time, you know, decisions, um, you know, 61 00:02:04.665 --> 00:02:07.045 credit, you know, being run instantaneously and, 62 00:02:07.045 --> 00:02:11.045 and, um, you know, uh, analyzing tax returns and, 63 00:02:11.045 --> 00:02:12.165 and being able to spit out a 64 00:02:12.285 --> 00:02:13.485 decision almost instantaneously. 65 00:02:13.625 --> 00:02:14.725 Mm-hmm. Uh, which is, 66 00:02:14.725 --> 00:02:15.885 you know, the wave of the future, right? 67 00:02:15.885 --> 00:02:18.445 Everybody wants everything right now, so we're really trying 68 00:02:18.445 --> 00:02:19.445 to adapt and provide that, 69 00:02:19.865 --> 00:02:20.885 And you're making it happen. 70 00:02:20.985 --> 00:02:22.965 So thank you for making the decision to speak to me. 71 00:02:23.405 --> 00:02:24.405 Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you. 72 00:02:24.465 --> 00:02:26.205 And let's have a budding day. I 73 00:02:26.205 --> 00:02:27.205 Like it. There's still 74 00:02:27.205 --> 00:02:28.205 more to come from Miami.