Fifteen years ago, I started my company, All Nation Restoration while banking with a large, well-known international bank. Like most small business owners in the early days, I spent a lot of time walking through their doors—making deposits, paying off credit cards, asking questions, trying to figure out how to keep the wheels turning.
But as the business grew, so did the complexity of my financial needs. I needed more than just a place to deposit checks—I needed support, information, guidance, and tools. I needed systems that would help me track my finances, manage cash flow, and navigate the sometimes confusing, always high-stakes world of business lending.
What I got instead was a lot of friction.
The bank I was with didn’t adapt to my growing needs. There was no sense of partnership. It felt like I had to beg for help. And worse, I didn’t know if I was even asking the right questions.
Out of frustration, I made the decision to move our business accounts to Chase Bank. That’s when I met Beau Lacey, a business banker who specializes in small business financing—and everything started to change.
From our first conversation, it was clear: Beau wasn’t just a banker. He was a partner.
He didn’t talk down to me. He didn’t overcomplicate things. He listened. He asked smart questions. And more importantly, he brought clarity and transparency to a process that had always felt adversarial.
I remember a key conversation we had while looking into financing for a building purchase. I was pushing for the numbers to work, anxious to get the green light. Beau looked at me and said:
“Ben, my job is to help you—but if we pull strings just to make this deal happen, I’d be doing what’s in my best interest, not yours. We want to help your business, not own it.”
That moment stopped me in my tracks. Because that kind of honesty is rare. And it was exactly what I needed to hear.
That experience marked a fundamental shift in how I view money, lending, and the role of banks in business.
When I was young, I remember applying for a loan to buy my first truck. I walked into the bank with everything I had—determined to convince them to say yes. Years later, that same mindset followed me into business: it was always us versus them, pushing as hard as we could to make deals go through, regardless of the toll it might take on our financial health.
But Beau—and by extension, Chase Bank—helped me see it differently.
It’s not about forcing approval.
It’s about transparency, communication, and a shared commitment to what’s actually best for your business.
It’s not “them versus us”—it’s us together.
That change in perspective has been one of the most valuable tools I’ve gained as a business owner. Now, when I sit down with the bank, I want them to do their due diligence. I want the hard questions. I want them to tell me if I’m healthy enough to take the next step—or if I’m not.
Because that’s what a real partner does.
In a world where financial institutions often feel cold and impersonal, I’m here to tell you: the right banker can change your business. The right institution can make growth feel safe instead of scary. The right relationship can turn money from a source of stress into a tool of clarity and confidence.
To Chase Bank, and especially Beau Lacey—thank you.
You’ve helped me not only grow my business but grow as a business owner. And in the end, that may be the most valuable investment of all.
Stay strong. Stay focused. Stay in business.
