Raj Tulshan Of Loan Mantra: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Always be available to your customers and clients even if they just want to talk.

As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Neeraj (Raj) Tulshan.

Neeraj (Raj) Tulshan is the Founder and Managing Member of Loan Mantra, a financial advisory firm with best-in-class and proprietary fintech, BLUE (“Borrower Lender Underwriting Environment”). Loan Mantra, Powered by BLUE, is next-level finance: a one-stop-shop for business borrowers to secure traditional, SBA or MCA financing from trusted lenders in a secure, collaborative and transparent platform.

After graduating from Ithaca College in Finance, Tulshan began his banking career at Merrill Lynch in New York City. He spent more than a decade in the Currencies, Commodities and Investments Group where he also worked with global asset-backed securities, structured products and principal investments. Here, he also originated and underwrote deals valuated near $25 million and structured Series A and B financing.

When the market crashed in 2008, Raj saw a significant opportunity to fix the fractured lending ecosystem. Soon thereafter, he sought after and completed an MBA from the Said School at Oxford University and began developing Loan Mantra. His goal was to remove the silos that exist between lender and borrower using secure financial technology. Though Tulshan continues to be iterative with his fintech, meeting current demands of both market and borrower, his professional mission and good- natured approach with clients remain the same. In this, Loan Mantra displays its founder ’s proud partnership between best-in-class fintech and top-marks human experts.

Time-and-again, clients turn to Raj because they know he will always pick up the phone and offer unparalleled financial counsel in a remarkably human — even friendly — way.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

When the market crashed in 2008, I saw a significant opportunity to fix the fractured lending ecosystem. I began developing Loan Mantra to remove the silos that exist between lender and borrower using secure financial technology.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

We launched the company in March 2019 at the very time COVID-19 shut down the entire country. We were planning a huge launch party event during the first week of April and could not believe our luck and we are still here today, doing better than ever. This taught us to be patient and not give up.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

The most distinctive voice in my head is that of my mother who always reminded me that the sun will come up tomorrow, meaning that whatever difficulty there was in life, don’t panic. Even if you have to take a hit, go with it, face it and walk through it. No matter what, challenging times will pass.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

Always be a trusted and available counselor when you’re needed whether it’s a client, prospect, partner, associate, team member, etc.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?

One of the best examples of leadership I can illustrate is this. I was standing on the Wall Street trading floor at the exact moment when the 2008 financial crisis hit. All of a sudden, you could see panic in people’s eyes. Many traders froze, others ran to escape, to see how people reacted in that moment was a key defining moment. The leaders were the people that gathered their composure, assessed the situation and started to make phone calls to their teams to provide live updates of what was happening — it’s something I’ll never forget.

Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?

As any entrepreneur will probably tell you, when business is difficult it is hard not to look at your friends who stayed on the corporate side of things and are enjoying maybe VP or executive-level status and all of the perks that come along with this; and wondering for a minute did I take too much of a chance here? But this quickly disappears when you compare how much job satisfaction you get when you are able to make a difference in a customer’s life. There’s nothing else like it.

What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?

To be authentic and communicate no matter how difficult the news you have to deliver is.

When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?

Consistent patience and making people a priority go a long way to boost morale. When someone needs your time and attention, give it to them. If you are tied up tell them exactly when you will be available and stick to that time. If someone wants to communicate with you, be present, walk them through their needs, work with them through issues. And a great sense of humor helps!

What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?

To have direct, honest, face-to-face discussion or phone call conversation so that information can be understood, questions can be asked and any problems can be solved together.

How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?

Business leaders who get control of their financial situation now feel much more empowered to make plans for the future, and carry out those plans successfully.

Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?

Working with a financial expert to restructure debt, analyze your business processes and reduce expenses can help your business succeed and become more financially stable.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

  • Prop up the same business model vs. Invest in innovation, updates, competitive advantage
  • Hang on to high interest loans/debt vs. Restructure debt now
  • Focus on same customers vs. Diversify your business, customers
  • Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork vs. Optimize digital systems

Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?

Companies that are agile, innovative and responsive are better able to adapt to a difficult economy.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.

  • Always be available to your customers and clients even if they just want to talk.
  • Many clients of Loan Mantra seek our advice on a variety of things. We try to be a resource for their business and a sounding board.
  • Be trustworthy.
  • We seek to democratize the business of finance to give equal access to financial services that were once only available to large corporations.
  • I receive so many referrals from loyal customers that tell me, I gave your contact information to three people. And those three people contact me and we do business right away. Our customers are really incredible.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Failure is not an option. If something doesn’t work, go back and do it again. I actually wrote my thesis on this principle. It could really be everyone’s mantra. At the company, Loan Mantra, we have another mantra, your success is our success. This means that our attention, purpose, and intention are all focused on you, our client. We are your ally to overcome obstacles, bringing peace through uncertain times to achieve your highest goals and aspirations. Your friendly, responsive agent will listen respectfully, and service your account actively through one of three locations in the US. We speak your language whether it’s English, Spanish, Hindi, Bengal, Hospitality, Laundry or Manicure, let us help you today.

How can our readers further follow your work?

Yes, please connect with Loan Mantra or contact me anytime at: www.loanmantra.com, 1.855.700.BLUE (2583) or YouTube/mymoneymantra. on Facebook/Loan-Mantra, https://www.linkedin.com/company/loanmantra.

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!


Raj Tulshan Of Loan Mantra: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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