By Henry Villaseñor, CEO/Broker, Viva Verde Commercial Capital
Note: The thoughts below are inspired by something I read recently in Relevant Magazine, an article titled, “Seven Ways Jesus’ Life Teaches Us How to Make an Impact.” It’s not an article about religion. But it does share some timeless wisdom. The article touches on these seven ideas: Love people. Keep a servant heart. Build a solid team. Empower others to use their gifts. Meet the needs of others. Be intentional. Practice forgiveness.
I believe these principles can be practiced by just about anyone. It also got me thinking about Viva Verde Commercial Capital’s faith-based lending programs. So, I wrote down seven principles that guide our work funding commercial real estate loans.
Seven principles for creating commercial property loans for houses of worship:
1-Be part of the solution, not part of the problem
I don’t have a problem with problems. I welcome them. Why? Because when a problem comes up, I get a chance to solve it!
There is so much negativity in life and business these days. The word “no” is on the lips of many people, including lenders. One of my success secrets is to tackle problems head on — and then keep going until we find answers.
2-Treat each day and every encounter as an opportunity to serve others
I love the term ”servant leader.” This quote from the great book, “The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle” sums it up nicely: “…people do not care what you know until they know you care.”
I don’t put myself above anyone else. Approaching each day with an attitude of service helps create positive energy. And, in my opinion, it makes for better business, too.
3-Believe in the value of collaboration
Viva Verde values team wisdom and empowers others to use their gifts. We take a collaborative approach — inviting conversation and dialogue. We favor building relationships over making transactions. We like to get to know our customers in the faith community because we believe it will help us serve them better. Our goal is to develop a spirit of camaraderie.
4-Say what you mean and mean what you say
I like to begin each day by taking a few minutes to think about what Viva Verde Commercial Capital plans to accomplish, and what the preferred outcomes are. My goal is to make sure actions match stated intentions.
5-Forgiveness is a powerful healing virtue
We believe in second chances. After all, people make mistakes. I do. You do. We all do. That’s why forgiveness is a powerful idea. As I like to say, “Okay, so you goofed up, you made a mess. We are happy to help imperfect people find opportunities to get the commercial mortgage they need for their businesses. “
6-When Plan A fails, try plan B
We live and work outside the box. We love puzzles, taking them apart and putting them back together in a new way. Some lenders only have a Plan A, and if Plan A doesn’t work, that’s it. Not Viva Verde. We’re ready to explore Plan B, and, when necessary, Plan C. Our goal is to see things through until success is reached, and we have a satisfied client.
7-Be real, honest, and authentic
Clients in the faith communities appreciate Viva Verde’s down to earth approach to the business of commercial lending. I don’t work (or hide!) in an ivory tower. What you see is what you get. I care deeply about arranging commercial capital loan packages for houses of worship. And just to be clear: At Viva Verde Commercial Capital, all faiths are welcome.
Viva Verde Commercial Capital works with business of all kinds in our underserved communities. Our niche? Small-balance commercial real estate loans in California. Please contact me, Henry Villaseñor, to learn how we might be able to help.