How can small businesses obtain Paycheck Protection Program loans? How are 2021 PPP loans different than last year’s round of loans? And perhaps most importantly, what can small businesses do after they obtain funding to ensure PPP loan forgiveness? With a new round of PPP funding available to eligible businesses, many small businesses likely have lots of questions about how the program works.

That's why Brent Cannon, director o...

How much should small businesses borrow? How much business debt is too much? Borrowing may not be the best option for you or your small business. In this episode, two long-time bankers who have worked with numerous small businesses throughout Arizona explain that just because you can borrow, doesn’t mean you should. Business loans don't always lead to business growth, and in this episode, John and Brent explain why with real st...

What is an SBA loan? Who can apply for one? Is an SBA loan more expensive than other options? National Bank of Arizona is highly ranked by the Small Business Administration and proud to be an SBA preferred lender, increasing SBA Loans 272% in 2018.  We sit down with John Lewis, SVP, business banking regional manager at National Bank of Arizona, and ask him what is fact and what is a myth when it comes to SBA loans. 

“Over the years,...

How do I sell my business? What steps do I need to take to retire from my small business? We’ve got three tips for you to consider. Our guest this episode is Jason Gove, vice president at National Bank of Arizona. He gives three tips to business owners looking to sell, exit or retire from their business. Brent Cannon, EVP, director of community banking is your host for Financial Cents, Arizona’s Financial Podcast.  

On this podcast...

What is commercial real estate, and how is different than residential real estate? What kind of properties can be financed with commercial real estate loans? What types of commercial real estate loans are available? How do you get started with investing in commercial real estate? For those looking to start their real estate investment journey, commercial real estate offers a wide array of property types and sizes, from the single-t...

What is cash flow, and why is it so important to any small business? What are some cash flow management techniques? How do cash flow problems arise? What is treasury management and how can it help? For most small business owners, these can be very important questions, though may not always get the attention they deserve. Because the truth is, most small businesses don’t have the benefit of a chief financial officer, treasurer or an...

If you’ve been dreaming of building or remodeling your dream home, there can be a lot of financial considerations: what’s the best way to secure a construction loan? What do you do if you’re looking to sell the property you currently live in before moving into the new home being built? What happens with your construction loan once the new home is built and you’re ready to move in? There’s a lot to consider, and we’d certainly under...

How much home can you afford? How do you get started with securing a home loan? What loan programs are available? While looking for homes, attending open houses and negotiating offers and counteroffers can be an exhilarating experience, there’s a lot of prep and paperwork that must happen first – before you even start the process of making offers. In short, it can all feel overwhelming, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the type...

Picking up the discussion from our previous episode about what businesses can do to remain profitable during uncertainty, we’re keeping the conversation going on profitability. Are the fixed costs of running a business really all that fixed? When should you turn to technological resources to make processes in your business more efficient? It isn’t nearly as glamorous as generating new revenue or boosting gross revenue, but there’s ...

During times like these brought on by the coronavirus, should your business stay the course or pivot? How can a business owner leverage their relationship with a banker to keep the business healthy? What should businesses be doing to make sure their Paycheck Protection Loan will be forgiven? As stay-at-home orders lift and businesses everywhere begin looking for answers to these questions, one thing is becoming all too clear: there...

What should you do if your person income or business profit is impacted by the coronavirus? How should you allocate your resources and available funds? What will the new normal look like once the economy reopens? The coronavirus pandemic has been an unprecedented event and you’ve probably got a lot of questions about what you should be doing with your finances and how you should be navigating through this.

In this episode of Financi...

When we set about creating Financial Cents, our goal was to deliver a podcast that provided informative and in-depth discussions ranging from personal finances, operating a small business, common banking questions and more. To deliver on this, we started work on Financial Cents months ago, in 2019. Because of that, some of what you’ll see in some of the episodes was recorded prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.

While we feel that many...

Do you know how healthy your personal finances are? Are you financially prepared for anything life may throw at you? Not sure where to start with budgeting? As overwhelming as some of these questions may seem, getting your financial health in order and preparing for unplanned events and expenses all starts with a pen, some paper and a little bit of addition and subtraction. 

In this episode of Financial Cents, podcast guest Mary Hol...

There are a lot of useful lessons to be learned from the 2008 economic downturn – from steps small businesses can take to prepare, to changes that can be made during and after times of economic uncertainty. But the overarching lesson is that preparation and a solid business strategy can make all the difference.

In this episode of Financial Cents, podcast guest John Lewis, SVP, business banking regional manager, joins host Brent Cann...