Drive Your Dream Blog

Life is simply fun when the markets are up, stores are open (with people in them buying stuff), and everyone gainfully employed. It’s almost like all you have to do is come up with a plausible business idea, go pitch it to somebody with money or access to credit and, voila, funding.

Well, a funny thing happens when the markets crash, credit disappears, and people start hording their cash like squirrels. It seems almost impossible to get any venture off of the ground. This, unfortunately, is the current state of things.

But being creative creatures, Americans have come up with something called peer-to-peer lending. Generally, these are facilitated by web-based companies that allow for potential borrowers to state their case as to why they need money (which run the gamut from the ridiculous to the sublime) and potential lenders can look for an opportunity that they think makes sense.

Many of these companies have gone belly up do to the tough market, high default rates, and other problems. But one company, Lending Club, has not only survived but thrived. Just recently, Cnet.com reports that Lending Club got regulatory approval that will allow their lenders to package up their loan instruments and offer them for sale to other lenders as instruments.

This type of entrepreneurial creativity isn’t just present in the credit markets either. The consumer retail market has its own examples. “In tough times, people don’t want to have to give up their passions due to budget restrictions,” claims Ron Sturgeon, a business consultant and serial entrepreneur in Dallas-Fort Worth. “We offer car lovers the ability to continue enjoying high-end automobiles without the expense and hassle of direct ownership.”

How, exactly does Ron Sturgeon get this done? Sturgeon operates DFW Elite Car Club (http://www.dfwelitecarclub.com). This car club allows members to access the club’s multi-million dollar exotic car collection for personal or business use. Don’t think this is just a car rental agency either. We are talking about Aston Martins, Bentleys, and Lamborghinis, not Ford Focuses. 

Photo taken by very talented photographer ZeroOne and licensed under a Creative Commons license. See more of ZeroOne’s photographs on Flickr.

With car club membership plans starting at under $1,000 per month and no large up-front start up fees, many people who thought they were priced out of the exotic car market may find themselves driving a Ferrari F430.

It just goes to show that even in down economies, whether you’re talking about getting credit or joining a luxury car sharing club, there are always creative ways to get things accomplished.

Written by G.D. Gregory. If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my portfolio of web copywriting, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com.

.