1 00:00:01.020 --> 00:00:01.470 Aaron Crouter: Good to see you. 2 00:00:01.530 --> 00:00:03.570 Johny Fernandez: Likewise. So Aaron, let's talk a little bit 3 00:00:03.570 --> 00:00:06.000 about your business where you're from or where you're based and 4 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:06.900 the name of your business. 5 00:00:06.930 --> 00:00:09.750 Aaron Crouter: So we are Alternative Funding Group. We're 6 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:13.440 alternative lender based out of South Florida, we do merchant 7 00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:16.140 cash advance. I personally have been focused a lot on 8 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:19.050 acquisition deals lately. There's kind of like a gap. 9 00:00:19.500 --> 00:00:23.130 Normally, the term lenders don't want to do 100% financing they 10 00:00:23.130 --> 00:00:26.160 need to buy or to have some skin in the game. So you know, MCA is 11 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.320 a very quick underwriting process. We kind of help them 12 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:30.780 get skin in the game to get those deals done. So yeah. 13 00:00:30.810 --> 00:00:32.880 Johny Fernandez: So let's talk about your experience here. So 14 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:36.060 far, at Broker Fair 2021. Walk me through what it's been like 15 00:00:36.060 --> 00:00:36.750 for you today. 16 00:00:36.870 --> 00:00:40.260 Aaron Crouter: So I've been to many of these I know Sean very 17 00:00:40.260 --> 00:00:43.110 well, it's good for the merchant cash advance industry, we meet a 18 00:00:43.110 --> 00:00:45.720 lot of brokers, we meet a lot of other, you know, ancillary 19 00:00:46.050 --> 00:00:49.440 products to kind of supplement the MCA process. It's a good 20 00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:51.360 it's a good, it's a good show, for sure. 21 00:00:51.390 --> 00:00:53.130 Johny Fernandez: So what advice would you have to someone that's 22 00:00:53.130 --> 00:00:55.140 either just starting out in the business because we've had a lot 23 00:00:55.140 --> 00:00:57.600 of those people come today, and we've talked to a lot of them, 24 00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:58.950 any advice to them? 25 00:00:59.430 --> 00:01:01.980 Aaron Crouter: Um, I would say make sure you're doing as much 26 00:01:01.980 --> 00:01:04.440 networking as you can. It's kind of that kind of industry. When 27 00:01:04.440 --> 00:01:07.350 it comes to finance, you got to build partnerships. You got to 28 00:01:07.350 --> 00:01:11.370 build a network of resources for clients as well. So I think net 29 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:14.850 networking is very important in the atleast in the cash advance 30 00:01:14.850 --> 00:01:15.570 industry for sure. 31 00:01:15.660 --> 00:01:18.030 Johny Fernandez: So talking about Florida, I mean, Florida 32 00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:20.220 has definitely been a lot different than New York and up 33 00:01:20.220 --> 00:01:23.310 north. So when you come in New York, you see this event would 34 00:01:23.310 --> 00:01:25.260 you come back to Broker Fair 2022? 35 00:01:25.350 --> 00:01:28.140 Aaron Crouter: Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Honestly, I think since 36 00:01:28.140 --> 00:01:30.720 COVID, and all that stuff, Florida has kind of become the 37 00:01:30.720 --> 00:01:34.890 next hub in the in the financial space. But New York is the is 38 00:01:34.890 --> 00:01:37.170 the OG if you will, you know what I mean? This is this is 39 00:01:37.170 --> 00:01:40.890 where it's at. And I would suggest any rep across the 40 00:01:40.890 --> 00:01:42.870 country, always make sure you're participating in what's 41 00:01:42.870 --> 00:01:46.230 happening in New York and then maybe in the future Miami will 42 00:01:46.230 --> 00:01:49.320 be the the centralized location for all this kind of stuff. 43 00:01:49.470 --> 00:01:50.010 Johny Fernandez: Awesome.