Business

Common Goals That Leveraging Credit Can Help You Reach

Published

6 years ago

July 24, 2020

We often think of our credit scores as just something we’ll need down the line — when applying for a loan or renting an apartment. However, leveraging credit (which can only be done with an ideal credit score) may be the answer to achieving some of our biggest life goals.

Many don’t often think of credit as a way to fulfill these goals, and instead believe they must first make the money required to achieve them. But, in the spirit of Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad, one of the smartest ways to build wealth is to use “other people’s money.” This includes credit.

Not only is leveraging credit fairly straightforward, but it’s simply the smart thing to do – and it comes with its many perks, which can help you achieve other life goals. Just ask Colin Yurcisin, who’s been named the “Credit King.” He teaches students of all ages and backgrounds how to leverage credit to meet these goals and desires: many of which he’s been able to achieve in his own life with credit. His course, Credit Class, gets into all of the details on how to make credit work for you.

Here are the most common goals that leveraging credit can help you reach.

Starting a business.

There’s no way around it – starting a business typically takes some upfront capital. Even if you’re “bootstrapping,” there are websites, domain names, initial contractors – and these costs can feel significantly discouraging for first time founders. However, Yurcisin believes in the power of business credit.

“Business credit is truly a wonderful thing, especially because of the higher credit limits,” said Yurcisin. “Business cards typically give three times your highest personal credit limit – so if your personal credit score allows you to spend up to $5,000, a business card would allow you to spend $15,000 upfront,” he noted.

It isn’t just access to the capital, but what the capital can do for you in the long run. “There are many business cards that offer incredible deals upfront, so you can access capital and then get money back, or points to apply towards free travel.”

One of the cards that Yurcisin recommends in his Credit Class is the Business Ink Unlimited from Chase: it offers $500 cashback if you spend $3,000 in the first three months, 1.5% cash back on ALL purchases, and most pertinently: 0% interest for twelve months. This means you don’t have to pay back your initial investment for twelve months, which is plenty of lead time to make that money back. Yurcisin shared that with the Chase Business Ink Unlimited and Business Ink Cash you get 0% for 12 months and will just have to make small minimum monthly payments.

Buying other businesses or investments.

Credit is also commonly used to buy businesses or other forms of investments, such as real estate. Rather than applying for a business or personal loan from the bank, consider using credit, since you can get up to 1.5% cash back. Here’s one way to think about it: if you buy an Amazon e-commerce business for $10,000, you get $150 back. If you’re going to spend the money anyway on buying up businesses or other investments, you might as well get cash back.

Again, a twelve to fifteen month lead time to make the money back from that investment on these credit cards is ideal, as loans from a bank typically have high interest rates and payments start immediately upon accepting the money.

Traveling the world.

Finally, many entrepreneurs prefer to be digital nomads and travel the world constantly – or, at the very least, have a great vacation from time to time. This is also something Yurcisin lives by and helps with. “By leveraging credit, you can upgrade to a hotel’s most premium and lavish suite for pennies on the dollar of what someone else is paying for it,” he explained. In fact, many credit cards – such as the Chase Sapphire – make traveling in luxury easier than ever.

“Here’s an example: You can transfer your points from your Chase Business Ink Unlimited card to your Chase Sapphire Reserve for 1.5x more redemption points, so what you spend in your business can secure points that you can spend on travel,” he explained. And, that’s not even scratching the surface on what some credit card rewards can offer you: luxury lounge access at airports, such as the Centurion Lounge through American Express Platinum, free upgrades to first class, free checked bags, and more.

The beauty of leveraging credit is that you don’t need to choose just one of these three goals – they’re all accessible and possible through credit. Yurcisin’s Credit Class teaches the ins and outs of all available credit cards, how to repair or raise your credit score, and which order to get which credit card to maximize your line of credit and the rewards that you can access.

Business

How Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2026

Matthew Wiles

How technology drives value creation in private equity is now one of the most actively debated topics among institutional investors and fund managers. A decade ago, technology was largely a cost center in PE-backed companies. Today it sits at the center of margin improvement, revenue growth, and exit multiple expansion. Firms that figured this out early are generating better returns with less reliance on financial engineering.

The shift happened for a practical reason. As interest rates rose and deal multiples compressed, financial leverage stopped doing the heavy lifting. Operational improvement became the primary value creation lever. Technology accelerated what was possible within the ownership period.

How Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity Operations

Operational improvement through technology produces the most measurable results. PE firms apply technology tools to reduce costs, increase throughput, and improve decision-making speed inside their companies.

Digital Process Automation in PE-Backed Companies

Manual processes in back-office and production functions carry real costs. They consume labor, generate errors, and slow down the information flow that management teams depend on. Automation tools eliminate these costs without requiring headcount reductions that disrupt company culture.

The most impactful automation deployments in PE-backed operations include:

Accounts payable and receivable automation that compresses billing cycles and reduces days sales outstanding
Production scheduling software that reduces downtime and improves throughput in manufacturing environments
Inventory management systems that cut carrying costs by aligning purchasing with real-time demand signals
Quality control automation that reduces defect rates and warranty claims in product-based businesses

ZCG Consulting (“ZCGC”) works with companies across industrials, manufacturing, packaging, and consumer products to identify and implement automation programs tied to specific financial outcomes. The approach connects technology investment to measurable margin improvement rather than treating automation as a general upgrade.

Data Infrastructure as a Value Creation Tool

Many PE-backed companies arrive under new ownership with fragmented data systems. Different departments use different tools. Reporting requires manual consolidation. Leadership makes decisions with incomplete information.

Fixing that infrastructure creates immediate value. Integrated data systems give management teams real-time visibility into revenue, cost, and operational performance. That visibility accelerates decisions and surfaces problems before they become material.

James Zenni, founder and CEO of ZCG with over 30 years of capital markets experience, has consistently emphasized that information quality drives investment performance. That view shapes how ZCG approaches technology investment across the companies in its portfolio.

Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity Through Revenue Growth

Cost reduction gets most of the attention in PE operational improvement, but technology also drives revenue growth. The mechanisms are different, and they compound differently over a hold period.

E-Commerce and Digital Customer Acquisition

Companies that sell primarily through traditional channels often leave significant revenue on the table. Adding e-commerce capabilities or investing in digital customer acquisition expands the addressable market without proportional cost increases.

PE firms that invest in digital revenue channels generate higher growth rates during the hold period. That growth rate difference translates directly into exit multiple expansion.

Revenue growth technology applications in PE-backed companies include:

E-commerce platform buildouts that open direct-to-consumer channels alongside existing wholesale relationships
Customer relationship management systems that improve retention and increase repeat purchase rates
Digital marketing infrastructure that lowers customer acquisition costs through better targeting and attribution
Pricing optimization tools that identify margin improvement opportunities without volume loss

Technology-Enabled Customer Experience Improvements

Customer retention is cheaper than customer acquisition. Technology investments in customer experience, service speed, and product quality consistency reduce churn. Lower churn produces more predictable revenue. More predictable revenue supports higher exit valuations.

ZCG deploys Haptiq Technologies and Solutions, its 300-plus-person technology division, to support digital transformation across its companies. The platform was founded 20 years ago and manages approximately $8 billion in AUM. It brings implementation resources that most individual companies cannot afford to build internally. That capability gives ZCG’s companies faster access to technology improvements at lower execution risk.

Building Technology Capability Within PE-Backed Companies

Technology investment during the hold period creates value in two ways. It improves financial performance during ownership. It also makes the business more attractive to the next buyer.

Strategic buyers and later-stage PE funds pay premium multiples for companies with modern technology infrastructure. A business with integrated systems, clean data, and digital revenue channels commands a better price. A comparable business running on legacy platforms does not.

The ZCG Team structures technology investment as part of the initial value creation plan for each company. Priorities get set at entry based on the gap between current capability and acquirer expectations.

This pre-sale positioning approach changes how technology investment gets funded and sequenced during the hold period. Projects that improve financial performance and exit readiness simultaneously get prioritized. Projects with long payback periods that do not improve the sale narrative get deferred.

How technology drives value creation in private equity is ultimately about execution discipline. The tools matter less than the clarity of the financial objective each technology investment must achieve.