PREDICTIONS WISHES FOR 2024: THE RETURN TO NORMAL
The first blog post of the year is always a head-scratcher: review prior year? Predict this year? Pretend it’s just another week and babble on? Sitting down to write it, I started with a list of predictions for the coming year, but a dose of humility (and a second cup of coffee) soon made me change Predictions to Wishes. So here we go.
Big picture, I wish for all of us the return to an economic “normal state:” robust employment and spending, tamed inflation, along with a more accommodating Fed. These are the elements that drive entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses and give us lenders the confidence to support such growth. There is ample evidence that we are indeed on track to realize these goals thereby achieving the near-mythical soft-landing. In the past few months, we’ve seen a sharp increase in loan applications and approvals, and we expect to have the strongest 1st quarter closings in our history.
We are open for business in a big way, and we are excited about 2024 and beyond. If you are considering buying or expanding a business, please give us a call to see how we can help. We are not ordinary lenders and good things are happening here at Gulf Coast Small Business Lending.
Happy New Year!