An expert in the alternative finance segment delivering excellent services to keep SMEs ahead of the curve: Propellus Inc

Generally, banks are viewed as the first option when a business needs funding. However, there has been a sharp decline in bank lending in recent times and has given rise to alternative finance companies. The alternative finance companies provide businesses with flexibility that banks cannot offer. SMEs in the market are now spoilt with a large array of alternative finance options because they can receive help quickly by following simple steps. Alternative finance providers are well-equipped to understand the needs and want of SMEs looking forward to growing their existing business. They are also well-versed in the challenges faced by SMEs in today’s financial market.

Globally there are various companies delivering excellent alternative finance services, but Propellus Inc stands out from the rest. Propellus Inc is an expert in the alternative finance and small enterprise consulting industry. The company is designed to help entrepreneurs access and manage working capital, increase revenues, and optimize profitability. Propellus can also provide payroll and tax services, payment processing solutions, and marketing expertise through its partner and vendor network. The company has offices in New York and New Jersey, but with much of its team now able to work remotely, Propellus currently serves customers and investors worldwide.

In conversation with Ralph Johnson, CEO of Propellus Inc

Q. How do you optimize and update your application regularly? How do you gather insights from clients or their consumers directly?

We communicate often with our clients in many aspects, not just about the transaction at hand. We encourage feedback directly from our customers on everything from application procedures to customer service experiences and take those insights very seriously. Gratefully, 100% of our customers interviewed in the past are satisfied with the way we conduct business.

Q. What are the latest technologies leveraged by you to provide exceptional financial services?

I’m not afraid of hard work and making big sacrifices in order to succeed for my clients and customers. In the last few years, I have founded and built multiple businesses from the ground up that have grown from zero to over $50 million and enabled us to be in the position we are in today with Propellus. I am especially proud that in the middle of any crisis, whether it was the economic recession, the terrible events of 9/11, the banking failures of 2008, or the recent global pandemic, I always stay calm, evaluating the situation and pivoting, aiming to evolve, learn and adapt with the new environment and find opportunity in the chaos. I believe strongly that crisis is the textbook of leadership, and I am eager to lead during challenging times, becoming smarter and stronger from each trying experience. In addition, we have recently upgraded our back-office systems and software to operate more efficiently. From here, we are setting our sights on developing our public entity into a company with a $1 billion market cap.

Q. Compliance is important for any organization. What are the measures you adopt to comply with regulations?

Our legal team and consultants and regular roundtables with industry leaders keep us at the forefront of changing regulations, new adoptions in procedures and documentation requirements, and effective protection measures that are being used in real-time to protect our assets on every transaction.

Q. How do you streamline your services without compromising with data security?

We use some of the most advanced vendor software and systems processing in the industry that comes with high-level encryption to protect our customers’ sensitive information. In addition, we employ an extensive cloud service that has multiple redundancies that can keep us operational in any unforeseen emergency scenario.

Q. The financial technology – or fintech – industry is one that is growing quickly, with an increasing number of companies offering an even greater number of online and mobile platforms. How do you distinguish your services from others?

We like to focus on the little guy…our niche is the owner-operated enterprise and generational family business that tends to be underserved in this market. Many of these entrepreneurs are used to wearing all of the hats and sometimes lose efficiency by trying to do too much. We try to streamline their cash flow, show them how to improve sales and margins, and take some of the burdens of those efforts off their shoulders.

Q. Could you describe your typical management style and the type of employee that works well with you?

While I delegate many individual tasks to my team and their respective departments, my job as CEO is to manage and guide the business as a collective unit. I am very hands-on in the day-to-day business regarding all facets of operations, sales, and investor relations. It is important to me to provide value both to our investors and our customers.

Q. Do you have any new services ready to be launched?

The products we offer are in great demand, and our approach has been received well by new and existing clients alike. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it…we are continuing to offer the same excellent service, fair pricing, and a high level of expertise with every transaction.

Q. What does the future hold for your company and its customers? Are exciting things on the way?

We have been growing quickly since our launch and are looking forward to fulfilling our goal of hiring more staff and securing substantially more business in 2022.

About the leader behind the success of in his own words

30 years ago, I started at a 100+ year old investment bank and graduated at the top of my training class of over 70 trainees. I advanced to senior account executive and then vice president before the age of 24. In 1994, I led my first IPO banking transaction taking the company public that was first responsible for putting dynamic video screens in elevators and on train platforms. Two years later, I became the youngest principal at a top equity trading firm in its 40 year history. From there I was recruited by a powerful NYSE member firm to managed assets for its private client wealth group where led or participated in capital raises that totaled nearly $1 billion. By 2002, I held seven different industry licenses in three different countries. Between 2003 and now, I have founded and grown several alternative finance companies that have collectively funded over $100 million with hundreds of small businesses in North and South America.

“We strive to provide fast and efficient review of our customers’ needs, unsurpassed customer service once funding is complete, and ongoing expertise to help our customer properly manage its cash flow and be best positioned for future growth and higher profits.”