Raising Capital for Your Business

Where to get the Money

Why Banks won't fund your business

Professor Richard's credentials

Why you shouldn't waste your time with Banks

Why Private Money is the preferred choice for start up and growth capital

Who are the real wealthy that invest in business? Things aren't always what they appear to be

Defining who the investors are that you need to look for to fund your business

The art of putting yourself in your investor's shoes

Understanding the difference between an exit for the investor vs. the entrepreneur

How to be Flexible and Creative in setting the terms of investment that will satisfy your investor

With so many possibilities for creating an ROI, it should be possible to find mutually agreeable terms.

Underwriting fees - whether & how much you should pay. Be Prepared: What investors need for due diligence.

Valuing your business for Equity Investments

How investors view the acquisition of major assets by the company

Finder's and brokers fees. When they should be paid, legal considerations, and investor perceptions.

Beating the competition and acquiring customers at a profit

Investor perceived risks of employees

Operational costs and "burn rate" concerns of investors

External factors can have a major impact on your business so it is important you address them with investors

how should you set the price of a share or value of a percentage of ownership? - Asset based Valuation

How to set the value of an equity investment in a start-up or pre-revenue company

Demonstration video on using the Investor ROI Calculator to determine the value of an investment

How to accurately calculate the value of Real Estate. Bonus: the best way to do "comps"

If you are a tangible product based business, you probably have to deal with the issue of inventory.

Inventory is a double edged sword. On the one hand, having lots of inventory ties up capital, and could choke the life blood out of a business. On the other hand, a business needs some inventory to fulfill customer orders in a timely manner

The most important thing for a business is Cash. Buy LOW if you want to survive.

How to price and negotiate finder's fees and get your investor to buy in.

Customers (people or entities which create revenue for a business) are the business' sustenance. A company without customers (or enough customers), will expire quickly. Investors don't like that kind of investment :).

What is Crowd Funding. Who can use crowd funding both to raise capital and prove marketability

Every business, even brick and mortar businesses need to have an online presence. And I mean not just a token website, but a functioning and effective site for selling the business' goods and services. Without this, any investor that reviews your offering is going to think you are an outmoded dinosaur. And he or she will be highly dis-incentivized to invest. Even in real estate, successful businesses have a website to attract and manage buyers, sellers, brokers, etc

Defining your competition too narrowly to make your product or service stand out is a good way to lose the confidence and respect of an investor. Because it delivers the message "I don't really know my market." We discuss how to define and research your competition

How to create and improve a marketing plan that will satisfy investors.

Don't. marketing is a revenue producing activity, and the amount spent should be based on ROI.

Big Profits are what attracts investors. They don't want a little extra income, they want a windfall.

"I'd rather invest in a great team with a mediocre idea, than a mediocre team with a great idea." - so here's how to build a great team.

The successful operation of every business requires expertise. How to acquire what you don't have.

A big benefit for companies and investors

The integrity and character of you and your team can make or break a deal

Why most investors require this

Knowing and understanding in great detail, the financial aspects of your business is a key factor in establishing credibility with an investor. One strike and you're out.

Employees are EXPENSIVE. Investors know this, and are very skeptical of plans that include the hiring of paid employees before there is revenue to pay them. Here's how to deal with this.

Considering that most young companies have a burn rate that is draining them of their financial life blood, a.k.a. their investor's money, managing expenses is a mission critical activity. Here's how to deal this this.

Track every expense and dollar of revenue from day 1. Here's how to do this without being overwhelmed.

If you are a brick and mortar business, or a real estate based business, or you picking an area to test out a marketing campaign, knowledge of the local market is crucial to your successful. Here's what you should do.

The world we live in is very interconnected. It is not unusual for events half a globe away to impact your business. Investors are aware of this and you must be too

Nobody has a crystal ball. However, all investors want to see your projections (best guess) of how your business or project will fare for at least until the investor can exit the investment with his/her return of capital and profit. How to be clear and accurate about your assumptions.

And how to create your pro forma. Downloadable spreadsheets to help you.

Well one of the most important of those concerns is "WHEN" is your investor going to get his money back. A key part of your exit strategy should be getting the investor paid off as soon as possible. Here's how to plan it.

A catchy little mnemonic device when setting up milestones.

Make sure you are prepared for the exit event. Here's what it takes to go through an IPO or acquisition

ROI is return on investment over a specific time period. For equity investments this can be a big advantage for the investor. We show you how.

There are times and circumstances when the original plan cannot be carried out. Well, it's time to implement Plan B. Here's how.