connectFirst - 5 Reasons Credit Unions are Better for Your Small Business

Credit unions are sometimes looked at as the small fry of the banking world. Some businesses might decide to go with a more “robust” bank, thinking that they’ll get better accounts, better fees, and better service.

But we think there's nothing wrong with being a small fry.

Because whether you're a sole proprietor or leading a team of hundreds, we have the resources, the know-how and the passion to help you and your business succeed.
Here are five reasons credit unions are better for your business:

We stick close to home.

connectFirst is a credit union by Albertans, for Albertans. All of our decisions about account openings, loans, and mortgages are made right here in Alberta. And these decisions are based not only on facts, documents, and numbers, but on relationships.

Bigger banks can have rigid, inflexible processes. If the numbers don’t line up, they may not zoom out to look at the bigger picture of your business goals and your relationship with them. You may also have to wait days or weeks for an answer because the team isn’t based in your city or province.

At the credit union, the employee population is smaller and more intimate, providing easier access to the solutions you’re looking for. If you find yourself in a tight turn around time, we do our best to give you answers in days, as opposed to weeks.

We personalize solutions for your business.

Credit unions are uniquely equipped to find individual solutions specific to your business needs.

Your communities, livelihoods, goals and dreams matter to us. Because they're ours too.

We work here, and we live here too—so we have experience with local economic and social environment, giving us the freedom to adjust rates, lending amounts, and more to work within your needs.

We bank on a thriving Alberta.

Giving back to Albertans is one of our core values. Part of the co-op model is mutual growth with our members and our communities. The more you succeed, the more we succeed. And your money stays right here in Alberta, contributing to the local economy and businesses like yours.

The more businesses we can support, the more our communities benefit.

We build relationships you can count on.

We're not just about documents and numbers. We want to know you as a business, and as a real, live human person.

To help you to succeed, we strive to understand the in’s and out’s of your business, including your goals, your mission, and your values.

We want to grow with you and see you through many years ahead. We invest the time to know you and your business so we can support you through rapid growth spurts, changes in direction, changes in economy. Regardless of the situation, you can pick up a phone or shoot us an email and your advisor will be there for you.

Our advisors are just as passionate as you are about what you’re doing—and isn't it nice to have someone who really gets you?

We understand your business

All of our advisors are highly experienced in dealing with businesses of all shapes and sizes. We’re not just in it for big deals—we want the start-ups too!

Our advisors approach your relationship with a level of expertise, know-how, and passion that you aren't likely to find at the big banks.

Are you in agriculture? Some of our advisors have farms of their own.

Are you a commercial business? We have advisors with years of experience helping commercial businesses find a customized banking package that makes sense for them. Are you a small business opening a boutique in a rural community? We have advisors that have lived rurally their whole life and want to see you thrive.

Don’t be shy. Give us a call or book an appointment today.