As a pilot for US Airways from 1984-2004, Douglas Muir played an instrumental role in salary contract negotiations. Based in Washington D.C. at the time, Muir was tasked with ensuring financial statements were accurate and contract terms lined up—a unique experience that ultimately helped him discover a new career path as an entrepreneur.
Since starting I&E Marketing Group Inc., Muir has extended the reach of his entrepreneurial spirit and aptitude by creating, scaling, and selling businesses in a diverse range of fields, including restaurants, credit restoration, insurance and subrogation, consultation. Most recently, Muir has launched a high-yield, fixed-income alternative investment fund that launched in 2018. He is currently servicing his investors as the President of that business, the Family Business Fund.
The $10 million fund distributes merchant cash advances, typically in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $50,000, for small and mid-size companies to purchase inventory, finance equipment, expand operations or boost hiring. The merchant cash advances are given in lump sum payments that can be provided in as little as 24 hours to businesses in exchange for a negotiated percentage of future revenue or credit card sales. “They have a purchase order to back it,” Muir says of the underlying assets.
These varied small businesses, which are highly transactional by nature and often require payment before services are rendered, have fared much better than other hard-hit industries in the pandemic. But they haven’t been immune to the rolling lockdowns and closures that have become part of everyday life since the outbreak, and many of these types of businesses are looking for assistance during this difficult time.
That’s where the Family Business Fund steps in to help. “We give small businesses in need of cash flow the chance to maintain daily operations and continue or complete projects,” says Muir, who acutely understands the challenges of running a small business in uncertain and unsettling times.
Muir predicts that the addition of Wall Street giants, which are providing cash advances in the six figures, could quadruple the industry’s market size. Alternative investments differ from traditional investments, such as government and corporate bonds, because they are less regulated and not backed by the government or corporations. They are also illiquid with less securitization, very difficult to trade or sell as an asset class, and much more diversified than government or corporate bonds.
The volatility of the stock market in an election year amid a global pandemic ultimately led Muir to seek other opportunities beyond traditional stocks and mutual funds. “Because of the massive volatility of the market,” he says, “investors are looking to place their money into safe alternative investments with a high yield.”
