Strategic Alliances

New Resource for Entrepreneurs looking for Angel Investors

2008-09-04T10:45:00.003-04:00

A new web site that was unveiled that will enable entrepreneurs looking for early stage investment to connect to angel investor networks online. For the first time, entrepreneurs are able to browse over 400 angel investment groups and early-stage venture capital funds at www.angelsoft.net, and apply for financing using a single common application. These investment groups, representing over 11,000 accredited investors, form the world's largest network of startup equity capital. This marks a historic milestone in the early-stage investment industry.
Indeed,it has often been very difficult for entrepreneurs to be even find angel investors. Now, using the industry's Group Finder website, entrepreneurs can easily find groups near them, view the groups' public profile, and apply directly to any of them using a common application.
"Balancing entrepreneurs' need for access with investors' need for privacy has always been a challenge," said David S. Rose, one of the leading angel investors in the United States and founder of Angelsoft, the company that operates the industry's shared platform.
Angel investors are high net-worth individuals who typically invest between $25,000 and $100,000 into early-stage companies. Over the past decade they have joined together into hundreds of regional and national groups. These groups, along with traditional venture funds, are the primary source of early-stage funding accounting for billions of investment dollars.
Each month over 2,000 entrepreneurs apply for funding through an Angelsoft-powered application. Over 400 angel groups and venture capital funds, and 11,000 investors, rely on Angelsoft as their exclusive means of deal flow intake and management.
SOURCE: Angelsoft LLC

LinkedIn scores $53 million in Venture Capital

2008-06-19T22:43:00.002-04:00

LinkedIn Corp., which operates a social business networking site, said Wednesday that it has raised $53 million in a round of venture-capital financing. putting it in competition with the likes of Facebook and MySpace.The financing round values LinkedIn, which caters primarily to business and professional users, at about $1 billion.

The networking site had about 8.7 million users in April. This compares with 58.8 million unique visitors at MySpace and 22.5 million at Facebook. MySpace was acquired for $580 million in July 2005 by News Corp,publisher of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires.

Late last year, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) invested $246 million for a 1.6% stake in Facebook that implied a total value of about $15 billion for that company.

While its traffic is far below the two social-networking leaders, LinkedIn is seeing strong growth. April traffic was up more than 360% from the same period last year, compared with a 56% gain at Facebook and only 3% in gains at MySpace, according to Nielsen data.

Bain led the recent funding round, with participation from existing investors including Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, and Bessemer Venture Partners.

Is your business ready for a disaster such as pandemic flu?

2008-05-13T18:55:00.005-04:00

How should a business plan for a disaster such as pandemic flu? An article published in the Washington Post last week pointed out that less than one-third of businesses have any type of plan. Former US Secretary of Health, Tommy Thompson points out why companies can't ignore this vital issue. I'm convinced, but as a small business owner, what resources are available to help start the planning process.? An informal poll: How many business owners out there would say they have a diasater plan ready and accessible??
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/01/AR2006050101608.html

Reasons Why Venture Capitalists DON'T Invest in Companies

2008-05-10T22:08:00.003-04:00

Of course, there are many compelling reasons to invest in a company. But there are just as many reasons NOT to invest in a company. Sometimes it's the investment that you don't make that is the smartest decision. Doriot kept a list of reasons for not investing. Typically, ARD invested in just 1% of the companies that came through its office. After all, venture capitalists are quite the experts at Just Saying No to entrepreneurs.
Among the reasons not to invest:

No proprietary products or abilities.
Product not yet developed -- feasibility can not be determined.
Low profit -- highly valued at too many times earnings.
Lack of growth potential -- competitive nature of business.
Unfavorable reaction from potential clients or distributors.
Recent association of principals with competing company--- may imply a poor ethical situation.
Georges Doriot is known as the pioneer of Venture Capital. In 1946, Doriot became president of the first public venture capital firm: Boston-based American Research and Development Corporation (ARD). ARD financed and nurtured more than 100 start-ups, over a 25 year span. Several of these start-ups became successful companies brought advances in technology and business. ARD's biggest hit was minicomputer maker Digital Equipment Corp. ARD made an initial investment of $70,000,and 15 years later,it was worth more than $400 million.

Meebo and Ning among Web 2.0 startups awarded Venture Capital

2008-05-04T15:23:00.007-04:00

What do startups Ning, Meebo and Slide have in common? They have all been awarded large sums of venture capital funding. Ning,is a platform for creating social networks and has raised $60 million at a $500 million valuation. In July, 2007, Ning raised $44 million USD in venture capital, led by Legg Mason. Ning is located in downtown Palo Alto, California. Slide which creates widgets has raised $50 million at a $550 million valuation. Meebo has now joined their that elite group of Web 2.o stratups.
Ning investor and co-founder Marc Andreessen has explained his company’s Series D round as a way “to make sure we have plenty of firepower to survive the oncoming nuclear winter.” You may recognise Marc Andreessen as one of the founders of Netscape.
Other bellwether social media startups including music discovery site Imeem, and widget factory RockYou, are also rumored to be on the fund-raising trail.

With M&A seemingly drying up, many Web 2.0 startups are scrambling for another round of venture capital money so they can survive — most won’t. In the last few months, VCs and other private equity players have become reluctant to pour more cash into all but the most wildly successful Web 2.0 companies.
Stay tuned to see which of these companies become wildly popular (and successful) and which evaporate to web purgatory.
ps visit our very own Ning group On Entrepreners http://www.opennetworkers.info/group/onEntrepreneurs

Why do start-ups fail??

2008-04-18T18:31:00.004-04:00

If you've ever started your own business and bootstrapped it, then you can can probably related to this post.

Question: Why do most start-ups fail?

Answer:

5. The owner runs out of money

4. The owner's friends run out of money

3. The owner's spouse and children run out of money

2. The owner's employees run out of money

and the Number One reason why start-ups fail....

1. The owner runs out of family, friends and employees

Can you relate??? Hopefully, this gave you a reason to laugh out loud today.

Guy Kawaski to Speak at Entrepreneur Conference

2008-04-08T16:42:00.005-04:00

I am looking forward to a conference I'll be attending tomorrow night, 4/9/08 for entrepreneurs and business leaders in Orlando. The keynote speaker will be Guy Kawaski, founder of Garage Technology Ventures . If you know Venture Capital, you know Guy Kawaski. Guy is author of Art of the Start.
Guy Kawasaki will be joined by local community leaders such as Jerry Ross, Director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center of course my team from Innovative Marketing Solutions. The event is sponsored by Network Solutions to help educate Orlando-based small business owners and entrepreneurs about what they need to know to succeed in today’s business environment.

During this two-hour networking event, Kawasaki will share advice and personal experiences about starting and growing a successful small business. Local entrepreneurs will have a chance to meet Kawasaki, ask questions and learn from his successes.

Blogger Buzz: Blogger Help Videos

2008-03-27T17:51:00.002-04:00

Blogger Buzz: Blogger Help Videos
Just as a follow-up to the previous post on the Blogger Video hosted on YouTube , remember you don't have to learn everything at once. If you are a newbie, my best advice is to start slowly, BUT START. Sign up and give some thought to what the name of your blog will be; this is an important step; it should relate to you, your business or the subject matter you'll be blogging about. Try to make it easy to remember and unique if you can.
If you already have a website that updates, you can use that domain, or you can do it later. If not, just host it on blogger.com and you can switch to another hosting domain later if you decide.
What are you waiting for?? .... Ready...Set.. Go

Are you a Blogger WannaBe??

2008-03-27T15:43:00.006-04:00

I know many of you are already blogging experts, many more are just getting started, and many, many more are thinking about starting their own blogs. ...If only there were an easy, user friendly way to get started for the non-technies among us. It seems the two most common platforms are Blogger and Wordpress. I checked them both out, and I decided that Blogger seemed the least complicated of the two although WordPress seemed to have a few more features. And now to make it even easier (and remove that last excuse), here is a short video hosted on YouTube that will get you started on Blogger.... Ready...Set.. Go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnploFsS_tY

New Peep Show a Huge Success

2008-03-24T14:09:00.006-04:00

Did the term "Peep Show" get your attention, at least for a second?? A word to the wise: Find a way to grab your customer's attention (i.e. marketing). You did know we were referring the sugary marshmellow treats that are so popular this time of year, right??

The Washington Post’s just hosted their annual Peeps Diorama Contest which drew over 800 entries. The list was then narrowed down to 37 favorites which you can view in a slideshow. Top peeps shows include the first place winner, The Tomb of King Peepankhamun, No Country for Old Peeps, Sponge Bob SquarePeeps, The Wizard of Peeps, and my personal favorite, “Amy Winepeep’s ‘Rehab’” featuring drunken peeps with tattoos singin’ the blues and snorting sugar.

So, remember to have fun and don't be afraid to let your sense of humor show through. Everyone loves Peeps, don't they? Its just a word you can have some fun with: You can eat the Peeps that the Easter Bunny left for your kids, you can hang out with some cool Peeps after work, attend a meeting with some important Peeps, etc etc.
So, try a little humor in your next marketing campaign.

Photo: courtesy of Buddy Stone Flickr

Are you LinkedIn?

2008-03-21T16:05:00.003-04:00

If you are reading this blog, then you are probably already familar with LinkedIn, THE site for business networking. I'm guessing that you have heard of LinkedIn; now the question becomes: are you using it and how well?
Are you a LION with thousands of connections, or are you more like a kitty cat with just a few connections with the people you already work with? Are you an open networker who believes that there is power in numbers and wants to connect with as many people as possible? Or do you belong to the school of thought that "its about the quality" of the connections and you only want to be in touch with those that can have a direct impact on your business? Do you belong to 3 groups or to 30? Do you partcipate in the forums of those groups, answer questions, and leave comments on the various blogs?
There is no right or wrong answer to the above questions. But there is no doubt that if business networking is valuable to you, then using LinkedIn should be part of your strategy.
ps. I'm an open networker, so send me an invite if you like. http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnieims

Blogging Basics

2008-03-06T13:32:00.003-05:00

One truism I've observed about blogging, the more you learn, the more there is to learn!! If you are a relative newcomer to the world of blogging, it can be rather overwhelming; truthfully, it can be VERY overwhelming! That fact discourages many people from starting to blog, and of those who start, many give up after a short while and quit. That, of course, creates its own problems in the blogosphere since many blogs will wind up a dead link or you'll visit what you hope is a grreat site, only to discover that it hasn't been updated in two years.

For those who are entering the blogosphere, SEO expert Chris Bennent gives out some basic pointers about blogging that are useful. See his article, Thirteen Ways to Make Your Blog ‘Go Viral’. I particularly like the one about using social bookmarking sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon or del.icio.us. I, personally, tend to use del.icio.us the most.

(What, did I hear someone say "What the heck is social bookmarking??")

See what I mean.... ALWAYS MORE TO LEARN!!

Ouch!!- Healthcare spending will reach $4 Trillion

2008-02-27T14:29:00.001-05:00

This news just in. Maybe the article should be entitled "Where's the roof in healthcare spending?" Economists are now redicting that by 2017, total health care spending will double to more than $4 trillion a year!!! That translates into one of every $5 the nation spends will be on health-related costs.
This represents a 6.7 percent annual increase in spending, nearly three times the rate of inflation and will be primarilydriven by higher prices and an increased demand for care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Monday. A primary factor in the equation is our growing and aging population. As difficult as it is to believe, the first wave of baby boomers become eligible for Medicare beginning in 2011. With the aging population, the federal government (programs such as Medicaid and Medicare) will be picking up the tab for a growing share of the nation's medical expenses. Overall, federal and state governments accounted for about 46 percent of health expenditures in 2006. That percentage will increase to 49 percent over the next decade."
Health is projected to consume an expanding share of the economy, which means that policymakers, insurers and the public will face increasingly difficult decisions about the way health care is delivered and paid for," CMS economists said.Overall health care spending in 2017 was estimated to increase to $4.3 trillion. That would be about 20 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. In 2006, people and the government spent $2.1 trillion on health care, an average of $7,026 a person. In 2017, health spending will cost an estimated $13,101 a person.Health experts tell Congress that Medicare pays much more for each beneficiary who opts for a private plan than it would if they stayed in the traditional Medicare program, which reimburses providers at a set fee for a particular service. That difference increases the burden on taxpayers as well as beneficiaries, because participants pay higher monthly Medicare premiums.The government economists say it's hardly a new trend that the health care sector will grow more quickly than the overall economy. Over the past 30 years, health spending has exceeded growth in the gross domestic product by about 2.7 percentage points each year. Over the coming decade, that difference is expected to narrow slightly. Still, the continued gap is worrisome, said the agency's acting administrator, Kerry Weems. He said consumers, particularly businesses, need more information about the quality and cost of care."We have an approaching crisis in this country unless we change the way we do business," Economists project that spending on hospital care will increase at rate of 6.9 percent a year over the coming decade, spending on physician services will rise 5.9 percent annually, and spending on nursing homes will grow 5.2 percent a year.The economists' report will be published online by the journal Health Affairs.Health Affairs: http://www.healthaffairs.org/

Business Attorneys and Lawyers

2008-02-22T18:08:00.003-05:00

Business Attorneys and Lawyers
The requirements of a entrepreneur who is starting or expanding their business are unique. It is absolutely essential to find the right business attorney for YOUR needs!
There are many factors that come into play when choosing a Business Attorney to assist you in structuring your business.
You will need assistance in the following areas:
1. Business entity formation
2. Corporate governance
3. Capital formation and investor relationships
4. Shareholder/partnership agreements
5. Joint ventures
6. Finder agreements
7. Employee relations, including hiring and termination
8. Incentive Compensation Plans
9. Appointment of sales representatives and distributors
10. Purchase and sale of products/services
11. Office and equipment leasing
12. Purchase/sale of business
13. Not-for-profit organizations
This is not a process you should rush. I recommend that you consult with at least 2 or 3 attorneys before reaching a decision. He must be knowledgeble in the above areas, and just as importantly, you must be able to communicate openly with your lawyer.

Business Accountants: What every Business Owner Should Know

2008-01-24T15:54:00.000-05:00

Accountants for your Business
We have listed a few important issues to consider when looking for an Accountant to help you manage your business finances. All of the Accountants that are exclusively listed on our website are fully capable of servicing your needs. http://www.fundsandloans.com
You can't afford to take chances with your accounting firm - make sure you choose the right one.
You need an Accountant that can help you with strategizing purchases, sales and operations of your business. You may even require Invoice Factoring to enhance cash flow.
Running a profitable business is tough. To grow, or even to survive, it's simply not enough to know how to build buildings, manufacture, buy and sell products, etc. Your accountant can help you with Business Finance, changing laws and regulations, changing technology, valuation issues, financing strategies, etc. and the educated decisions you make in these areas on a daily basis can enhance your profits. To manage the risk element of your business effectively, you need reliable information from knowledgeable and qualified advisors.
Each Funds and Loans-approved accountant has the experience, the qualifications and the ability to meet the accounting, auditing and management assistance needs of your organization and the ability to present the financial statement to a Business Plan Writer if need be. Our specialists apply their extensive experience to help you find money-making or money-saving solutions to the increasingly sophisticated and complex problems you face daily in controlling and managing change.
Accountants can value your business. Business Brokers and owners frequently estimate a business's value based on gut feeling or rely heavily on their market experience or perhaps an old valuation report. Relying on these inaccurate or even outdated estimates can lead to underestimation of value and costly mistakes. Companies providing Business Finance, Insurers, the courts and government agencies are increasingly insisting on expert opinions to support claims where value is concerned.
You can also expect help from your Accountant in the following areas:
Job and cost accounting systems
Business planning and organizational development
Business Plan Writers
Cash flow management
Business Finance
Insurance reviews
Sales tax compliance
Litigation support
Lease/buy considerations
Invoice Factoring
Budgeting and forecasting
Mergers and acquisitions
Buy/sell agreements
To remain competitive in your industry, you need a partner with sharp business acumen. A good Accountant can be treated as a silent partner as he or she will share an earnest desire to see that your business is successful. The key to successful business for an Accountant lies in developing long-term relationships with clients and understanding technology, the changing business environment, and to help business owners and managers control costs, manage liquidity and achieve a competitive advantage.

In addition to the above mentioned areas of expertise your Accountant should be able to help you with most, if not all, of the following:

Bookkeeping
Payroll
Financial Reports
Tax Preparation
Management Consulting
Financial Planning
Auditing
Estate Planning
Tax Planning
Business Planning
Cash Flow & Budgeting Analysis Compilation
Buying & Selling a Business

Search Engine Optimization for 2008: Are you # 1 ??

2008-01-11T13:43:00.000-05:00

Well, the new year is here and that I means I survived the playoffs, and Bowl Games, and the endless bragging from one of my colleagues from LSU who actually has orange and purple blood flowing through his veins. I even had a voice mail from him playing the Tiger Fight Song, seriously.
And of course the New Year means it's time to explore our business strategy for 2008. Whether your business is "old-school" or the latest IT or biotech innovator, your internet presence is your calling card. Your website has got to be seen; to be seen, it has to be found.
That brings us to SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Search engine optimization is an essential skill. No matter the nature of your business, here is a simple truth: if your site is well optimized, Google and Yahoo can be the most important source of referrals to your web site.
Every business owner owes it to themselves to understand the basics; you don't have to be an exper, but you owe it to your business to understand the wide-reaching impact it can have. You want to ensure that whoever is producing your web content, as well as whoever is designing your web site, ARE experts at it. It shouldn't be done as an afterthought -- it should be an integral part of your web design and content creation.
Remember the formula: More referrals = More Sales = Increased Revenue
So do I practice what I preach? Absolutely!! If you go to Google and Yahoo and type in business finance advisors, right there on the first page you'll see my website www.fundsandloans.com on the FIRST PAGE ( number #2 spot on Yahoo and #7 on Google)
Now, that's what I mean by a National Champion!! If only I had a "fight song" to play.....

Sales: The Key to Business Success

2008-01-10T20:03:00.000-05:00

Most of the successful businesses that are around today have increased revenue by concentrating on sales. A word to the wise, those that aren't around today probably weren't very effective at sales. Enough said.
Whether you are selling a product or a service, the quickest and most effective method is to use an in-house sales team or outsourcing to a telemarketing specialist. With the adoption of different sales techniques, and after having spent valuable time and money trying to reinvent the wheel, you will discover that there are very little options, techniques or gimmicks that are able to overturn conventional wisdom and revolutionize how people sell over the telephone.
Fortunately or unfortunately the basics of telephone sales will always come down to two things; people like to do business with people they like and no matter how much they like you, a prospect will only buy over the phone if you have something that will benefit them. It is really that easy.
You might ask, "If telesales was really that easy why wouldn't everyone flourish at it?" The answer is simple: keeping the level of energy necessary to establish rapport, generate enthusiasm and have the courage to push for the sale on every call, is very difficult to maintain.
As executives and managers we must realize the importance of motivation, maintaining a positive atmosphere and consistently emphasizing the importance of on-going training in order to facilitate teamwork, knowledge and enjoyment in a very difficult work environment. Telesales is not "rocket science" but if it is done correctly, with the heart felt enthusiasm that it requires, combined with a few simple straight forward telesales tools and techniques, then your team will succeed. It goes (hopefully) without saying, that your sales team must possess excellent product knowledge.
Managers and executives industry wide miss the opportunity to increase productivity and the overall success of any telesales initiative by failing to provide the ongoing support necessary to ensure success. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Enthusiasm is not only a necessity but should be a requirement in any telesales environment.
Note formula: Product knowlege + Attitude + Enthusiasm = Sales

Tips to grab media attention

2007-12-29T15:56:00.000-05:00

The following are some ways in which you can grab and keep the media's attention:
Take the time to build awareness - give key media targets enough information to build interest in your products and services.
Think ahead and start to build attention prior to product launches with online or local newspaper press releases for example.
Focus on what differentiates you - prepare corporate messages that refer to exactly what your company is and how its products stand apart from others in the field.
Anticipate the media's needs - accurate, quality information provided in a timely fashion is fundamental to maintaining credibility. By anticipating the needs of a busy editor or reporter, you become a valued resource and help ensure consistent press from your target publications.
Once you have established yourself as a credible source of information about the issues facing your marketplace, reporters will want to hear from you.
Sit down, right now, this minute, and jot down a few ideas that could be part of a press release.
This is your chance to shine..Let the juices of creativity flow!!

Promote your business

2007-11-27T23:53:00.000-05:00

Once you have obtained the working capital or business finance to launch your business you will need a marketing plan in order to sell your service or product. The options are advertising and marketing, or employment of a PR firm and/or a telemarketing company to take your product to the consumer. It is not enough just having the perfect concept as it will be useless unless it is successfully marketed.
The following is an overview of different areas that you may wish to consider:
Your business is your business; most businesses need promotion in some shape or form and this is the area that can be left to the professionals whilst you handle the day to day running to bring profitability.
Your business success and credibility rely on the support of many different communities. Yet simultaneously communicating with multiple audiences can be a complex challenge. Effective public relations can help drive your business goals and can establish and maintain your credibility. If you position your company and its offerings clearly and consistently to all of your audiences, you will begin to build credibility with them. You will also gain their trust and attention when you interact with them again and again. Most of us are influenced by the media and what it has to report. There is no greater benefit to your company than a positive mention in a printed article, a newscast or online publication.