events
LAST CALL FOR PRE-SHOW TICKETS TO BROKER FAIR
May 3, 2023
The Pre-show is no joke. Last year’s Broker Fair Pre-show was one of the most exclusive industry networking events ever. This year it’s at the more spacious Valerie at 45 West 45th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue, mere walking distance to the Hilton Midtown where Broker Fair is taking place. This is now the last call to register for the Pre-show on May 7th.
At Broker Fair, brokers from the small business lending, commercial financing, revenue-based financing, leasing, factoring, and MCA industries, will come together in the heart of New York.
For all questions and inquiries, email: events@debanked.com or call 917-722-0808.
Speaking to the Masses
May 2, 2023
“I think public speaking translates into how much you can sell, right?” said Dylan Brodeur, Blockchain & Digital Assets Analyst at Marcum LLP. “And your work is how much you can back it up. Those two things together are a good recipe for any business going forward and lasting a long time.”
An oft-overlooked skill in the field of finance is public speaking. Some may wonder… ‘public speaking? What exactly does that have to do with the alternative finance industry?’ But it is just as effective as closing a deal. Whether it’s participating in a panel, communicating with clients daily, or simply networking with other professionals, capturing the audience’s attention is crucial. So, what’s the strategy?
Brodeur preps for different circumstances. Sometimes the opportunity is short and one has to work with what they’ve got. In one example of prep, he said he asked himself, “‘Okay, if I had to say one line, let’s say my whole thing was 10 seconds, what do I want people to know in 10 seconds?’”
In preparation for Broker Fair 2023, Brodeur has been working on an approach for the Transacting Deals in 2030 panel. He mentioned considering his audience, what they know, and meeting them where they are, as opposed to speaking over them. In doing so, he hopes what he says does not get lost in translation. Knowing the audience and the overall message he’s trying to convey will bridge that gap, he said.
“You introduce yourself, you introduce your product or service, and then you want to say how can that benefit the audience that you’re pertaining to,” said Juan Caban, Managing Partner at Financial Lynx. “So, if you stick to those three things, you should come up with a nice engaging presentation.”
This step-by-step process was not second nature to Caban when he attended his first networking event a ways back, which he had no clue he would be speaking at. In a “BNI-like” networking group of about 40 people, he realized, “I have to perfect a 30-second elevator pitch about who I am and what I do.” Now, Caban’s game plan goes as follows: putting himself in the audience’s shoes, figuring out what would engage them, writing it down, and then reciting it aloud.
“I’m still not naturally good at speaking,” said Marci Slagle, President at Bank Financial Equipment Finance. “I’m very good at what I know, but I’m not comfortable when I’m up in front of 100 people. I’m very comfortable when I’m in a small group of 5 to 10 people. So it’s something that every time that I do [much larger groups] I overcome my reticence to public speaking.”
Being knowledgeable and prepared on the topic one is discussing makes it much easier than trying to “fly by the seat of your pants,” Slagle explains. Preparation for her involves being well-versed in the questions being asked and the subject matter being discussed. Slagle also advises bringing someone else onto a panel to delegate areas of weakness in expertise that the person might not have.
According to Caban there’s a popular saying, “If you don’t plan then you’re planning to fail.” Practice makes perfect especially in an industry of perfectionists. Fortunately, there are numerous approaches to choose from, so it’s important to experiment and find the one that works best.
“…Plan, prepare, memorize, recite; even if you just memorize a paragraph, and just recite the paragraph verbatim in your first few just to get those out,” said Caban. “…the more you do it, the more you’re going to get comfortable.”
“I would say attend the events,” said Slagle. “Make sure you say hi to 10 or 15 new people at every event and volunteer for the panels because that’s an easy way to kind of slowly put you into a public speaking position where you can just talk to your strengths. And you have other people to talk to, to fill in where you don’t have those strengths.”
Who’s Speaking at Broker Fair
April 28, 2023
Broker Fair 2023 will take place on May 8th at the Hilton Midtown in New York City. This year’s sessions cover a diverse and timely array of subjects that will help any broker or funding shop prepare for success. They include:
- How to Determine a Product Fit
- Transacting Deals in 2030
- Expanding Your Funding Arsenal
- Investing in Deals
- Optimizing Your Brokerage for Success
- Debunking Industry Myths
- The State of Funding
- ERTC and Other Value Added Products
- Preparing for the New York Disclosure Law
Who’s Speaking?! Check it Out!
The ERTC and Other Value Added Products
April 27, 20232023 has ushered in a new era of value-added products for sales agents. The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) is one major example. Another is a throwback to earlier times in the working capital space, merchant accounts. On May 8th, several industry veterans will convene at the Hilton Midtown in New York City to educate sales agents on these opportunities. It’s all happening at Broker Fair from 3:20 – 4pm for the ERTC and Other Value Added Products panel. If you’re registered for this event, it’s one session you won’t want to miss!
BROKER FAIR 2023 HAS SOLD OUT
April 26, 2023Tickets to Broker Fair 2023 sold out early this morning. Those already registered will have access to an incredible lineup of networking opportunities, sales education, and content, that will position their shops for success in 2023 and beyond.
Broker Fair 2023 is being held at the Hilton Midtown on May 8th. Some tickets to the pre-show party (sponsored by Bitty Advance) taking place on the evening of May 7th still remain available. If you have any questions about Broker Fair, please email events@debanked.com or call 917-722-0808.
This year’s Broker Fair stands to rank among the most critical in the industry’s history. We look forward to seeing you there!
LAST CALL for Broker Fair Tickets!
April 24, 2023For inquiries or questions, email events@debanked.com
Last call to purchase tickets for Broker Fair 2023! Taking place at the New York Hilton Midtown on May 8th, this is the biggest annual event of its kind in New York City. (REGISTER HERE).
Sponsors hail from across the small business and commercial finance industries and include the following categories:
- brokers
- working capital lenders
- revenue based financing providers
- equipment financing providers
- real estate lenders
- factors
- technology
- accounting
- collections & recovery
- consultants
- payments
- and more…
Only a Few Weeks Until Broker Fair 2023
April 13, 2023The clock is ticking. Broker Fair 2023 at the New York Hilton Midtown is just around the corner on May 8th. Once again, professionals from the small business lending, commercial financing, revenue-based financing, leasing, equipment financing, factoring, and mca industries, will come together in the heart of New York.
This is the biggest annual small business finance conference in Manhattan and the sixth one to have taken place since 2018.
Register here. For inquiries or questions, email events@debanked.com.
See last year’s sizzle reel:
John Henry to Keynote Broker Fair 2023
April 3, 2023
Entrepreneur and investor John Henry is returning to Broker Fair. He previously spoke at Broker Fair’s virtual event in 2020. At the time he was the star of the TV show ‘Hustle‘ on Viceland. He’s since co-founded LOOP and this year attendees will have the opportunity to actually see him in person.
deBanked previously interviewed Henry in 2020 when it was still believed that Broker Fair that year would be held in person. The original un-updated bio and interview have been reposted below in their entirety:
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About John Henry
Voted to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and Ebony’s Power 100 lists – John Henry is a Dominican-American entrepreneur and investor. Henry started his first business at 18, an on-demand dry cleaning service for the Film and TV industry in New York City, with clients such as The Wolf of Wall Street, Boardwalk Empire, Power, and more. Henry led the company through its acquisition in 2014 — founding and selling his first business by the age of 21. On the heels of his first win, Henry launched Cofound Harlem — a non-profit incubator that aims to foster a robust tech ecosystem North of 96th street in New York City. Cofound Harlem has launched numerous high-growth companies in Harlem, gaining recognition from Fast Company, TechCrunch, Business Insider, and more. He is a former Partner at Harlem Capital, a diversity-focused early stage venture capital firm on a mission to change the face of entrepreneurship. Henry is also the host of VICELAND’s latest show, HUSTLE, which is Executive Produced by Alicia Keys and focused on helping scrappy entrepreneurs grow their business to the next level.
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Q (Sean Murray): You started your first business at 18 but what made you want to start one?
A (John Henry): It was driven by necessity more than a desire to be an entrepreneur, but I did exhibit some of the traits that pushed me towards that path. Entrepreneurs tend to have a history of non-conformity where there’s no pre-chartered path and in an environment that demands conformity, anyone that likes to express their own views comes up against a lot of friction. So, for me it was necessity but also part of my character to do things differently.
Q: What kind of lessons did you learn from running a business at such a young age?
A: It’s a serious game and it’s full of responsibility. I was telling myself at one point that I was just 18 and so the struggles I faced running a business could be overlooked because of my age, but the world doesn’t care how old you are. If you’re running a business, there’s no way around the responsibilities it demands.
The other thing is, when you come up against really tough situations, you need to be brave and have courage to go through those moments. I’m glad I had the courage in them. Once you take them head-on, you come out feeling better on the other side.
Q: As a former partner of a Venture Capital firm, what’s the #1 mistake you saw entrepreneurs and business owners make?
A: You’ve got to have macro understanding and micro-chops. Everything is connected, it’s not just knowing your business but knowing where you’re situated in the economic or market cycle and understanding what customer sentiment is. That’s what a lot of entrepreneurs miss. Like if your idea is to make a mobile app, that’s great, but how many apps are already out there? How long have apps been part of the market already? What’s going to make your app stand out from every other app? And this doesn’t apply just to startups, but also existing companies. Every 3 months, you should be asking yourself the business question and evolve if necessary. The hardest part though is when your gut is telling you you’re right but every other person out there is telling you you’re wrong. And that’s something you’ll really have to figure out.
Q: Why has helping minority entrepreneurs and businesses been so important to you?
A: I’m not usually asked why, but I was seeing less and less minority representation among entrepreneurs that were receiving capital. There are some systemic factors that make it harder to get ahead but at the same time people can become inclusive to the point where they’re becoming exclusive. So, I think it’s about helping those that are on their way to overcoming tremendous odds to get far.
Q: Real estate, what can you tell me about your foray into that market?
A: I can say it’s the best business that I have been in so far. Real estate is the #1 fundamental building block of wealth. When I first got into it, I was shocked that you could put down 20% and the bank would put in the other 80%. This is a game of physical assets and I’m glad I came across it when I did. I’m currently building a bedrock of business around real estate, my preference being residential multi-family apartments.
