FINANCING: WHERE TO FIND IT???

Financing: Where to Find It
Finding financing is a more complicated matter than during the dot-com years when money seemed to flow freely for any good idea that crossed the transom. Today, investors and lenders of all kinds are tightening standards, requirements, and criteria by which they judge business plans, entrepreneurs, and who gets the money.
To help you in your search for funding, we've rounded up some resources that provide sweeping overview of your options, and provide some good examples on how to secure the financing your growing company needs.
Angel Investors
Angels in America
Profiles of a select group of angel investors, including links to their websites.
Angels with Angles
Angel investors are changing. Here's what they're looking for, how they operate, and (because the devil is in the exit strategy) what they expect for their money.
Earning Your Wings
Angel investors are getting tougher. To land seed money, you should, too.
Angel Investor Directory
Need help getting started in your search for angel funding? Here's a directory of angel networks in the United States, broken down by geographical area.
Who exactly are angel investors?
Finance and capital mentor Guy Kawasaki defines angel investors, and when and how an entrepreneur should seek them out.
A Twist of Fate
Wetzel's Pretzels' owners Rick Wetzel and Bill Phelps landed angel investors but not without learning a lesson or two about the delicate relationship between entrepreneurs and using other people's money.
How do you get investors to read a business plan?
Finding a go-between can help get your business plan in front of interested investors, according to Writing a Business Plan mentor Rhonda Abrams.
Venture Capital
Mr. Cashman, You're On
Chris Cashman is looking for $500,000. He has 45 minutes to convince the skeptics at Robin Hood Ventures that he's a good investment.
Main Street VCs
A new breed of venture capital, coming soon to a town near you.
Cranking Up the Earnings
Forget revenue growth. For VCs these days, it's the EBITDA, stupid.
Offshore Drilling
Why foreign-based VCs are taking a closer look at U.S. firms.
The Down-Round Dilemma
Once a rarity, down rounds are becoming the norm among firms lucky enough to get venture capital funding. But is topping off the tanks worth the drop in valuation?
Government Programs
The SBA All-Stars
A look at the Small Business Administration's rankings of the best field offices turns up some surprises. The agency's western outposts tend to outperform their East Coast peers. Though the rankings are based on a number of factors, the chart below follows the money, listing offices' key lending statistics.
Seed Capital for Farm Communities
Financing for rural businesses.
Private Equity Financing
The Private-Capital Survival Guide
Even with both the economy and the stock market sputtering, private-capital deals are appealing. Why? Because well-heeled investors still need a place to stow their cash. But it's not just about the money.
When It's Time to Consider Private Equity
If you are like many business owners and management teams, you may reach a crossroads where taking on private equity capital makes sense.
More to It Than Money
Today, with banks imposing tight lending standards and the IPO market on hold, many company founders are assessing private equity as a primary source of capital. But if they're not actively looking for the partnership characteristics that aren't seen on a spreadsheet, they're effectively applying the brakes to future growth.
The Quotable Entrepreneur
"Private equity is like dating -- they're not permanent relationships. With a VC you get married -- either you're with them for a long time, or there's a very painful divorce. With private-equity financing in stages, you finish a round and you can decide whether or not you want to stay with the investor, or you can stop dating for the next round."--Rob Wood, president and cofounder of Dallas-based Coollogic Inc., a manufacturer of Linux-based Internet appliances
Selling Temporary Equity
Arranging a mandatory buyback of equity in your financing deal can help you reclaim full ownership of your company down the road.
Bank Loans
You're Approved
Help lenders understand your industry to improve your chances of securing a loan.
Small Business Lenders Want to Hear the Good and the Bad
Whether your business is struggling, or making money hand over fist, it's important that both situations be communicated to a lender.
Answering the Tough Questions
A bank will scrutinize your past business performance. Are you prepared to answer the tough questions when your banker asks them?
Historical Finance and Its Relevance to the Lending Process
Why lenders focus on it and what you need to be prepared to discuss.
Microloans
Q&A: The Lowdown on Microloans
Two experts answer some frequently asked questions about microloans.
Banking: The Microloan Alternative
A small-business owner explains how she received a microloan and what it took to secure it.
Reach out and Touch Bangladesh
The man who pioneered microlending in the villages of Bangladesh has designed a new way to seed entrepreneurship: give telephones to village women.
Strategic Partnerships
Choosing Strategic Partners that Really Partner
Understanding clearly where your business is in terms of the market and target audience is key to finding partners that best complement you.
The Possibilities of Partnering
It's easier to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in business when you have partners.
Fishing for Big-Name Partners
Small businesses often struggle when it comes to getting an "in" as a strategic partner with larger organizations. But companies seeking big-name partners can learn a lot from the methods of Staffcentrix.com. In one year it formed alliances with big players like Microsoft and the United Nations.
Customer & Supplier Partnerships
Capital Customer
This entrepreneur's first customer offered to act as a business incubator to get his company off the ground.
Hot Tip: Tap Customers for Money
Get customers in on the act of building your business to help raise capital.
Hot Tip: Tap Vendors for Credit
A vendor can be a great source of credit, and cost savings, as this entrepreneur discovered.
Direct Public Offerings
Got Money?
SolarAttic Inc.'s efforts to find conventional funding didn't pay off. So the company joined the first wave of company builders to seek investors on the Internet through a direct public offering.
When Mom and Pop Go Public
Despite the extra effort, many companies are raising capital by selling their own stock.

How to Get Heard in a Meeting Full of Men!!!

How to Get Heard in a Meeting Full of Men! TIPS TO TURN HEADS TO YOUR DIRECTION!

There you are, one of two women in a meeting room full of men, or perhaps in a loud bar one woman among four other men -- trying, trying hard to get a word in edgewise.
You try to speak, but Mike won’t stop talking. He’s got to get to the end of his sentence because he started one. He’s got a goal, and it’s to put the period at the end of the entire paragraph. You’ve got no chance.
A moment of silence occurs and you jump on it, only to have Bill start speaking over you, like you don’t even exist. You even start to speak louder to attempt to compete, only to lose, because Bill started his crescendo. You had no chance.
What can I say, Men? You like your points to be heard; don’t argue. In so many meetings you’ll talk over others (men and women) and raise your voices so that your point is heard loudest.Years ago, I was being interviewed for a job. I went to the office of the start-up and they plopped me in the middle of a FIVE man semicircle. One would fire a question at me, and before I could answer another would answer it. If I was lucky enough to get an answer in edgewise, an extraordinarily loud conversation would ensue with each one talking over -- and louder than -- the other.
I ended up getting the job (a wonderful job), but was put in these situations on a daily basis. How could I possibly ever be heard? How could my voice rise above it all?Here are a few tricks I learned -- and still use to this day -- to get a group’s attention and make my own ideas heard:
• Wait until what would seem like the end of the conversation (read: guys yelling over each other) and say, “Is it my turn to weigh in?” This commanded a moment of silence where they HAD to let me speak since they were all out of words and I was being polite.
• I raised my hand. No lie. You’ll be amazed at what a good old-fashioned 5th grade raising of your hand will get you. You almost stop the conversation and someone will direct everyone’s attention to you because again, you’re actually being polite.
• I spilled water on the table and while I was cleaning it up, I spoke my mind! That was probably the most desperate.
• I screamed “SHUT UP!”, then made a joke out of it: “The people from upstairs just called, they want their ear drums back.”
If none of this works, bring a bull-horn into the meeting with you. Then when the decibel levels rise, bring it out and join the conversation!

have your say!!!!: marielafernandasgro@gmail.com

SMART SPENDING TIPS!!! CRISIS TIMES!

Smart Spending Tips !!!!

Since we've seen the markets go crazy for weeks, it’s due time to take a closer look at how we can shave to save. Every little bit helps, especially in a small business, so I’ve compiled a list of places where companies can cut without feeling too much pain. No one knows how long it’s going to be down, but it’s a great time to take stock of areas where you can cut back so you’re maximizing profit even if your business isn’t feeling the pinch.
Credit Card Processing Fees. Banks are hurting, but it doesn't mean that you have to bear the brunt of it. Call your bank and see if it’s possible to lower the percentages you have to pay when someone uses a credit card to buy your product. A fee reduction of only a percentage point or two can save your business thousands of dollars. When you’re comparing bank rates, in addition to the fees, make sure you’re looking at all the costs involved -- from the processing equipment and lag time for processing, to the extras built into the relationship that may off-set the hard cost. Extras such as bundling transaction fees in a monthly bill versus charging for each individually, or processing gift certificates as part of the deal, can save you money over the long run as well.
Paper Costs. With the exception of a few business types, it's becoming rare that you should actually have to print a document. You can read e-mail, you can read a document attached to an e-mail, and it's even quicker than printing on paper. So here's an idea: every time you go to print something so you can snail mail it, or read it on paper, ask yourself "Can I send this in an e-mail? Can I read this on my computer screen?" I bet you'll find that most of the time you can avoid the printer.
Another idea for reducing paper usage is to keep your documents online. Google Docs are free and you can invite people to share your documents and make changes to them. In addition to reducing paper, it reduces confusion because it offers version control and other management perks. I know an events manager at a local restaurant who was keeping event dates on a paper calendar until he was introduced to Google Calendar. Now he's keeping everything online. Added bonuses? He can access the calendar from wherever there’s an internet connection, and even better, the owners can access the calendar without having to contact him.
And clearly I’m going to tell you to stop printing out and snail-mailing your newsletter. Sending a hard copy is not only environmentally unfriendly, but it's probably about 10 times the cost of sending an e-mail newsletter. Now is the time to convert your subscriber list into digital format. The upfront investment of getting all your content and contacts online pays for itself pretty quickly, because it’s so much less expensive and more time-efficient to e-mail. Take a free test drive of VerticalResponse to do it, if you don't already.
Last, but not least -- stop faxing. Get rid of the fax machine! There are a ton of free services you can use as well as services that offer low monthly fees.
Travel. There are a lot of businesses that demand face-to-face meetings to close the sale, and if that’s the case for you, then you probably can't cut down drastically. When times are tight, though, there are many ways to have meetings on the phone, even if you need to present. Check out InterCall and GoToMeeting for web conferencing, and Glance to share your desktop.
Also, have you looked at your frequent flier statement recently? Now is the time to pay for travel with rewards if it is an important part of how you do business. If you can sync some of your business spending with earning higher rewards, do it.
Supplies. Take a look at the monthly supplies you purchase for your office, warehouse, or other physical locations. Can you save money buying cheaper paper plates? Can you make a one-time purchase of real silverware for the lunch room instead of buying plastic utensils? Do you really need name-brand paper towels? Are there coupons you can use from the Sunday paper? It might not seem like a lot but it all adds up.
Phones. Do all of your employees need a phone? Of course you'll need them, especially if you have sales or marketing folks who have to speak to customers or order inventory. But, if you've got a group of employees that don't need their own, try setting up a phone for them to share. Also look at Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP allows users to access regular telephone networks anywhere through an internet service provider, which can help cut down on long distance charges.
Shipping Costs. If you ship a lot of your products, why not put a call into your shipper to see how you can reduce some of those costs.
Little by little it all adds up, so make sure you keep a close eye on everything you're spending money on!
HAVE YOUR SAY!!!: marielafernandasgro@gmail.com

UNA CASO REAL DE ASISTENCIA VIRTUAL! - CASO TESTIGO

Un ejemplo factico de nuestros servicios!

Por: David Phillips
En un artículo anterior en Año Nuevo, mencioné haber contratado una Asistente Virtual personal. Algunos de ustedes me preguntaron más detalles sobre el tema y he hablado por teléfono con gente que también lo mencionó. Así que pensé que publicaría un artículo sobre el por qué y el cómo de esto para darle más detalles sobre el proceso.
He aquí el porqué: Odio la administración. No soy una persona detallista. ¿Gran visión, grandes ideas, ver el panorama completo? Ese soy yo. Pero hacer que eso funcione… no. Puedo si quiero, pero para mi estar orientado a los detalles es un trabajo muy duro e inclusive recordar pagar las cuentas. Es por eso que mi esposa maneja nuestras finanzas. Puedo decirles lo que está en mi agenda en cuanto a las reuniones, pero no mucho más, soy una persona orientada a la gente y esas son los temas en los que me destaco. Ese es quien soy.
Había leído partes del libro La Semana Laboral de 4 Horas de Tim Ferris y vi uno o dos videos suyos hablando sobre la tercerización de sus tareas administrativas a una asistente virtual en India por $5 la hora. Pensé, “Oye, suena como una gran idea. Tengo que comprobar si es así.” Por lo tanto, lo hice, y publiqué un anuncio en elance.com. Elance es un sitio donde los freelancers cotizan proyectos para personas que necesitan que llevar adelante un trabajo. Yo había utilizado el sitio antes para el diseño de un logotipo, y había utilizado el sitio para encontrar a alguien que creara resúmenes ejecutivos de documentos extensos. He tenido buenos resultados de este sitio. Por ello, publiqué un anuncio para proyecto buscando una asistente virtual. Y esperé a que las ofertas llegaran. Varias ingresaron. Algunas fueron del exterior, pero realmente quería alguien que estuviera disponible durante el día sí fuera necesario. Las ofertas de americanos eran más altas que las del exterior pero seleccioné una persona de Michigan para el trabajo. Su nombre es Erin.
Antes de aceptar su oferta, la contacté para asegurarme que ella estuviera de acuerdo con trabajar para un Pastor. Sabía que le solicitaría realizar algunas tareas administrativas que estarían orientadas a la pastoral, y necesitaba estar seguro de que ella estaría cómoda realizando eso. Su respuesta fue que no tenía problema con ello, que era Metodista. Por lo que acepté su oferta y comenzamos a trabajar juntos.

Le solicité a Erin que compartiera un poquito sobre lo que hace y porque es Asistente Virtual. Esto es lo que dijo:
Podría hablar, y hablar y hablar! Porque me encanta tanto y los beneficios son numerosos. Tal como comentó en su artículo su iglesia es pequeña y no necesita asistencia administrativa de medio tiempo ni de tiempo completo. Alguien como yo puede colaborar en base a las necesidades y no hacerlo cuando no lo necesitan. No hay impuestos, salarios, vacaciones, licencias por enfermedad, sólo paga un cuota por los servicios.
Cuando comencé este negocio intenté vender la idea en mi área de influencia. Yo vivo en un pequeño pueblo aquí en SW MI pero estoy a 20 minutos de Sur Bend, IN (Notre Dame), San José, MI (Lago MI), Kalamazoo (MI Western University) y así sucesivamente… ¿por qué no todos desean esto????? Pues no lo deseaban. Fue un vez que exploré el mundo de Internet y la “asistencia virtual” que comencé a tener presencia. Estoy asistiendo a todos, desde coaches de negocios en Florida a una pequeña compañía de turismo en bicicleta de Italia y adoro a cada uno de mis clientes. Me gusta poder tener ese toque personal aún cuando puedo estar a muchas miles de millas de distancia de mi cliente. Cuando alguien llama y dice, “Erin, mi ducha pierde y necesito repararla” o “Erin, necesito imprimir documentos de 10-60 páginas y enviarlos por Fed Ex urgentemente” puedo hacer que eso suceda! Y ellos no tuvieron que dedicar tiempo de sus ocupadas agendas para lograrlo, es justamente por eso que yo estoy aquí!
Vivo mi vida y opero mi negocio con una regla siempre presente, “Haz a los demás que que harías por ti.” Atender las necesidades de otros y recibir satisfacción por ello me enorgullece de una manera que jamás hubiese obtenido en el mundo de 9 a 5.
Entonces, ¿qué hace Erin por mí? Ella ha organizado en una planilla de cálculo todos mis gastos personales y del ministerio por categoría y por mes. Tengo una cuenta de correo electrónico secundaria creada para que cuando llegan recibos por correo electrónico -que es de donde proceden la mayoría de mis gastos- una regla automática re-envía ese correo a la cuenta secundaria y Erin los tomará y actualizará la planilla. Ella actúa como mi asistente en la programación. Ella también maneja mi calendario. Otra cosa que hace para mí un resumen semanal de tres blogs me parecen lecturas importantes. De esta forma no tengo que leer todos sus artículos diarios. Ella hace eso por mi y me envía un documento todos los viernes con los resúmenes.
Además, estaré enviándole algunos de mis sermones y ella los transcribirá. Como estaré predicando durante mi investigación doctoral, ella estará brindándome la base para mi disertación, mi tesis. Hace dos semanas, la llamé y le pregunté si hacía trabajos con videos. Ella no lo hace pero pudo tercerizar el desarrollo de un video para una canción que quería utilizar durante el sermón la semana pasada. En este momento, ella está realizando algunas investigaciones en La Biblia para mi sermón de esta semana. Está encontrando eso muy interesante. Está leyendo pasajes del Genesis y 1 Samuel – 1 Reyes para ver cómo el pecado de Abram y David fue transmitido a sus descendientes.
Desde que he descargado cosas que encontraba aburridas, cosas en las que no soy bueno, o que me dan un poquito más de tiempo con la gente o de preparación, soy más productivo, y ha reducido algo de estrés. También me ayudará financieramente. Por ejemplo, yo gastaba MUUUCHOOO más de lo que debería en libros el año pasado. No tenía idea que gastaba tanto como lo hacía. Ahora que alguien me brinda esa información, puedo controlar mejor el presupuesto. Por lo tanto, lo que le pago me ayuda a ahorrar dinero.
Lo mejor de todo es que ella trabaja cuando yo lo necesito, por lo que sólo le pago las horas trabajadas.
Tienes que ser capaz de dejar que una persona haga las cosas a su manera. Ella no podría hacer las cosas exactamente la manera en que yo haría, pero eso está bien. De hecho, es refrescante y estimulante creativamente.
¿Recomendaría yo que consiguiera una asistente virtual? Sí, si usted puede encontrar alguien con quien se siente cómo y que haga un buen trabajo. Yo recomendaría Erin, pero sólo si puede tomar su trabajo sin poner en peligro el mío:-D.La tercerización en una asistente virtual abre una gran cantidad de vías para que pueda lograr más de lo que lograría sólo. Como yo fui un profesional independiente en un momento en mi vida, y he contratado también, no fue difícil para mi delegar el control. Algunas personas no pueden. Pero sí te hace más productivo en el largo plazo.
DIME TU OPINION: marielafernandasgro@gmail.com