Press Release

Guidant Financial Group and NextBigFranchise, LLC Join Forces to Educate America’s Entrepreneurs

Bellevue, Wash - (February 3, 2010) -- Guidant Financial Group announced today that it has inked an exclusive partnership with NextBigFranchise, LLC to provide franchise financing information and services for the website’s visitors.

“Discovery is the first step for any prospective franchisee,” says Guidant Cofounder David Nilssen. “In partnering with NextBigFranchise.com we will be able to deliver educational content to their visitors and provide them with an understanding of the different financing options available to them.”

With the economy in the midst of a jobless recovery, Nilssen believes that providing prospective entrepreneurs with the resources they need to realistically consider self-employment can lead to a resuscitation of American small business.

“While asset values have come back, consumer confidence is up, and the economy is turning a corner, both rising unemployment and a credit crisis continue to affect us,” explains Nilssen. “There are millions of Americans who could pursue self-employment but who don’t understand how to get started, or how they might finance a franchise.”

Marc Kieckenapp, CEO of NextBigFranchise.com, explains that he chose Guidant Financial Group as the site’s exclusive financing partner because they are the leading provider of franchise financing services in the country. “While there are many companies that provide a service,” he says, “Guidant is one of the few that offers an array of franchise financing solutions through the industry’s most experienced team of consultants.”

NextBigFranchise.com is the only web portal that offers video as a way to explore different franchise opportunities. “We are in a time when people want to ‘look before they leap,’ if you will,” explains Nilssen. “With the use of video, NextBigFranchise.com can provide prospective entrepreneurs with a level of information and discovery currently unavailable in the marketplace.”

About NextBigFranchise, LLC

NextBigFranchise, LLC operates the website www.nextbigfranchise.com to facilitate quality connections between serious franchise opportunity seekers and growth-minded franchise and business opportunity companies. As franchise people with decades of combined experience working with hundreds of franchise companies and thousands of franchise buyers, we take our role very seriously.

NextBigFranchise seeks to improve peoples' lives through franchising - whether by helping aspiring entrepreneurs to get into business with the right franchise, or by helping franchise companies grow their systems with quality franchise owners

About Guidant Financial Group

Guidant Financial Group provides investors with safe and innovative options to invest for their retirement futures. Guidant is the premier provider of self-directed IRAs and business funding solutions through an individual’s IRAs and 401(k)s. Guidant's services allow investors the freedom to make alternative investments in real estate, franchises, businesses, tax liens and more. For more information on self-directed IRAs or small business financing please visit www.guidantfinancial.com.

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