It may sound rather silly to many a reader. We're not trying to fool anybody here. We're simply changing the angle from which you look at things. By changing the conditions, the guidelines and even by assuming the absurd, you find some very interesting ideas and discover untapped aspects of something that mainstream thinking would never even dream of.
The Benefit Of Using Lateral Thinking
What Edward De Bono calls "Lateral Thinking" brings about a different way of looking at the same phenomenon. So, for example, some people call a "loan" a "loan" and I prefer to call a "loan" an "investment". I have just changed the angle of my viewpoint and seen it from the lender's side of things.
Okay, Tell Me Something I Don't Know
Right, I'll tell you something you don't know, or at least, you haven't thought about. That is, it's also an investment from YOUR point of view. What your lender can do with money is just that. Lend it to you just once. What you can do with the loan is produce a turnover many times that of the loan in just one month.
And Where's The Catch?
Ok, I get it. You're an office worker. What I'm about to say may sound absurd to some, but it really is feasible. You know some of your co-workers are desperately trying to get over their money problems. You take a personal loan with a payback period of 12 months. Then you offer your co-workers a payday loan or a short term loan at double the APR you pay and for a fee which is a little under the usual ones outside.
Offer it to those who have a heavy balance in their credit cards and offer your loan to them, teaching them how to handle their credit cards. So, you have split one loan into several small payday loans with a juicy profit for you.
Aw, Come On.
What? Isn't there anyone who's got the guts to do it? So, getting back to the point, what I did was to change the guidelines of the usual understanding of what a loan is. The logical answer is "To buy something or pay for a debt". No sir! Just suppose YOU were the owner of the loan money. What would YOU do with it that could give you juicy dividends? Do you begin to understand?
So, lateral thinking gets you out of "yourself" so as to look at your situation from outside, as if you were somebody else. It's very useful for many other reasons, namely, putting yourself in the lender's shoes and imagine what he would want to ask you when you apply. What safety measures he would take and what he would consider good for you to know, say or do.
Even If You Are A "Nine-To-Fiver"
You may be an "ordinary" office worker wanting to be "extraordinary". Take your chance of starting up that long desired business and getting rid of that pesky office. Dig out those plans you made, about using the extra space in your garage or even the guest room, to start your new life. A well planned loan could be exactly what you need to take off.
