(Newswire.net — December 12, 2014) Surrey, BC — Gord Bylo is no stranger to mental illness. What makes this important to note is how it influenced him personally and his company, iFund Lending, that provides funding and investment to entrepreneurs and small businesses. When social conscious and enterprise have a meeting of the minds, the results can have a profound positive effect on the communities they support.
We are all guilty of judging others. This is true in business and in life: the homeless often a common target of our negative attention. Bylo admits he too was guilty of passing judgment on those he saw on the streets begging for change, for food. That is, until his own son became homeless as a result of an ongoing struggle with mental illness. “I used to be the guy who would look at a homeless person saying ‘get a job’ or ‘what’s wrong with that lazy so and so’. My own son’s illnesses woke me up to my rigid thinking. It forced me to change. I found my own son homeless and in trouble with the law for petty crimes and I realized I had to change my ways relative to how I think about our vulnerable populations”.
While Bylo’s own experiences as a struggling entrepreneur seeking capital to fund a fledgling business had influenced iFund Lending, so too did this experience with his son; the company sets annual giving targets to aid organizations focused on helping society’s vulnerable, mental illness being one of them. “Today my work as an advocate for mental illness and justice has placed me on a major learning curve. Most people on the street struggle with serious illness, daily. I believe that every business no matter what the size can do their part. Whether it is a donation, an annual gift or volunteering. Perhaps it’s educating others about the real issues at hand with our mental health crisis”.
Founding and leading a business is not without it’s challenges, as the entrepreneurial Bylo will tell you. But now that he is at the helm of a company that not only helps entrepreneurs and small businesses get the help they need, but society’s less fortunate, he is proof that we can all make a difference, one step at a time. Maybe we should all take his suggestion: “Next time you see a homeless person say hello. You might be very surprised with the response”. Words to inspire change from an inspiring man.
About iFund Diversified Lending Corp
We provide loans to growing small and medium businesses whose needs are not met by conventional lenders. For companies that want to retain full ownership of their businesses, iFund Lending offers a non-equity based option to fund growth.