Let’s talk about funding a project like this for a working artist during a pandemic- Shall we? It was a total and complete heart wrenching experience. Degradation, rejection, being disregarded on a regular basis. THAT was a good time.
For those that may need a little inspiration to stick with it, please read on. (spoiler alert- I’m here)
Funding attempt 1
My prior home equity loan holder. Byline, my trusted comrades in all things banking no longer apply their personal touch to their mortgage products. It’s a shame, because when after the initial call with the Guaranteed Rate, Byline banks new mortgage arm, the rep just couldn’t wait to get me off the phone and onto their on-line portal. I knew that that approach wasn’t for me.
I’m used to ‘being in the room where it happens’ to borrow a phrase.
Check them off the list
Funding attempt 2
I then moved onto MY neighborhood bank.
As an account holder for years, and understanding that they pride themselves on their neighborhood connections, I figured that would be a good place to check in with.
**I bank small. I always have. I shop small, I support small, I contribute small, but hope to contribute in a big way. Give me a main street any day of the week. Give me hard working individuals who pay taxes not the system and keep the rewards of community connection and I’m a happy gal.
Instead of getting the warm fuzzies from my bank, I received nothing but misogynistic responses, belittling speech, and ultimately, when I escalated it to the bank president, someone telling this ~little lady~ what is good for her, and how he knows best. His responses were dismissive, patronizing, and, I don’t mind saying so, completely out of touch and out of line with contemporary culture. He represented himself as a throw back to the 1950s when ‘gals should just be married off and in the kitchen’ vs being business owners and in charge of their own. NOT TO MENTION, his responses were one long run on sentence, poor punctuation, and nearly impossible to read. How this yahoo became a bank president is beyond me. Actually, no, it’s not beyond me, it’s completely in line with the old boys club that we see depicted in 1970s movies, likely taking liquid lunches and slapping their secretaries on the ass as they walk buy.
This guy WAS A JOKE.
Check that off the list
Funding attempt 3
Another ‘think small’ lending institution, based in the Midwest. The long and short, my money that I have earned doesn’t count. Any money that is earned without a 2 year minus history of having earned it doesn’t make a spit of difference.
As a woman, my hour is worth less than a man’s, and as a small business owner trying to hobble together her survival during the biggest catastrophe in a century, my money doesn’t count.
On a side note, the whole “Home EQUITY” line of credit is a fallacy. To this point, and in the past 6 weeks, the actual equity that I have worked really hard to build through back breaking renovation and innovation and responsible practices hasn’t even been taken into account.
That deserves a big fat WTF.
Funding attempt 4
A Chicago based Credit Union
There for the ‘little (wo)man”? NOPE Big fat NOPE
DE-NIED
Funding attempt 5
Meet David Hochburg. The seas were beginning to change