Brylan Schultz

“With a Business Line of Credit from American Express, we can free up capital to buy things in real time, without hesitation.”

Brylan Schultz

Real American Express® Business Line of Credit (formerly called Kabbage Funding™) customer who was aware that this testimonial may be featured by American Express.

Seizing Opportunities and Saving Interest

To spend even a few minutes with Brylan Schultz is to see a business owner who thrives in a fast-paced environment that, in his words, “keeps me on my toes.” Brylan’s company, Natural Ventures LLC, is in the business of recycling rare and precious metals and minerals, primarily in the automotive industry. Moving quickly to find opportunities seems to be part and parcel of what makes Natural Ventures tick.

Brylan’s Salt Lake City-based company buys from automotive recycling centers and companies that shred metals, and then sells to businesses who rebuild and refurbish the materials or melt them down. From alternators and radiators to steel and batteries, Natural Ventures works to keep valuable material from being wasted. “There’s so much opportunity and variety in this business, no two days are alike, that’s for sure,” says Brylan.

A business that demands quick access to funds

Brylan founded his company in 2006 and has always worked to create value with what was at hand. “We don’t have some big, bottomless backer,” he says. “I bootstrapped this since the beginning—rubbing two pennies together into a nickel, and then two nickels into a quarter.”

Having been an American Express® Card Member since college, Brylan knew he wanted a company Card from American Express from the start. “From day one, American Express has always been our business Card.” For a line of credit, he turned to his local bank, whose rate is tied to federal interest rates. So accessing credit to smooth the company’s cash flow was nothing new to Brylan.

“Our business runs in cycles. For example, at the end of the year, we might buy a lot of material as our suppliers are trying to get it out. But then when we sell it, it can take as much as four months to get paid.”

When a representative from American Express reached out to Brylan and told him about the pricing and terms of the Business Line of Credit from American Express, Brylan was intrigued. “I didn’t need it at the time, but I felt the best time to borrow is when you don’t need the money—it’s less stressful.” Brylan applied online and Natural Ventures was soon approved for a line of credit. “It was almost hard to believe, it was so straightforward.”

Highly competitive costs makes the difference

About a month later, Brylan needed cash. When he compared the terms from American Express with that of his other line of credit, “it was a no-brainer.”

“For me, at the end of the day, it was the attractive cost structure/breakdown from American Express that made it an easy decision.” He proceeded to draw on his Business Line of Credit from American Express twice, choosing a six-month term each time.

“I really like how, with American Express, I could go online and pick my amount and term and see a breakdown of my monthly payment amount right there, and then I could schedule payments to come out of my account automatically.”

Making business purchases with confidence

“With the Business Line of Credit from American Express we can free up capital to buy things in real time, without hesitation,” says Brylan. “Harnessing that value goes a long way.”