Exploring Growth Opportunities in Small Business and Credit Union Collaboration (John Janclaes)

Brief Summary of Episode #317

Customization and personalization is a pathway to care.

When lenders are willing to customize and personalize, they show through their actions that they care for their clients.

Unfortunately, small business owners and entrepreneurs are dealing with a hard truth — most large lenders today can’t, or won’t, meet their needs.

So John Janclaes, President of Nymbus CUSO, is spreading the word to credit unions and community banks.

If you’re looking for growth opportunities, look to your SMB neighbors.

“Thirty-two million businesses that are out there make up 44% of our economy,” John said. “The lending opportunity alone is about $800 billion with a ‘B.’”

In the age of the gig economy, local lenders have a chance to do more of what they do best.

That’s to build niche partnerships. 

“Our products were geared first at the retail banking level, but now that we're adopting care for the ecosystem of a community… that's the opportunity for us to lean into,” John argued.

In this episode of our Heart of Growth series, we explore how community lenders can charter new growth through entrepreneurial partnerships.

Key Insights and Takeaways

• Growth opportunities for SMB and credit union partnerships (5:36)
• Why community financial brands need to lean into the gig economy (13:53)
• How entrepreneurs can know which lending partner is right for them (23:32)