4 of 12
BACKNEXT
Michael Downey - Rejected, but bouncing back
Owner, Cypress Construction Services
Santa Cruz, Calif.

My construction company has grown from a one-man show to 14 employees, grossing $1 million annually. Last year, the phone stopped ringing - nothing was coming in. I tried bank loans but got nothing.

Then I tried the "receivables loan" people, who promised a great package that would just skim off my credit card sales for repayment. After 2 months of endless document requests, phone calls and e-mails, I was turned down by all of them. The reason? Too much fluctuation in my credit card receivables. One month, $20,000. The next, $2,000. They want a business like a restaurant that has very little fluctuation in their credit card receipts.

As a footnote, we've had the best year ever in 2008, and, knock on wood, have had no need to be soliciting loans.

NEXT: Gary Golden- Foresight kept us above water

LAST UPDATE: Oct 04 2008 | 2:03 PM ET
Sponsored by
More Galleries
7 craft sodas? Or 7 Big Beverage vassals? We love our weirdo regional sodas. While they may have local roots, many have joined beverage empires. More
Weight Watchers' famous faces Stars ranging from royalty to Playboy playmates have pitched for the weight-loss company over the years. See some of the most memorable Weight Watchers celebrity spokespeople. More
I started my business in 2013! Why these five entrepreneurs finally took the plunge. More
Sponsors

Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2013 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2013 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.