Discovering the ‘thumbscrews’ of investors is crucial to getting them to take action. In over a decade of dealing with global investors there are several elements that I’ve discovered to be universal truths about the mind of the private investor (angel investor, accredited investor).

When talking to an investor for the first time, it’s more important to listen than to speak. It’s more important to ask questions than answer them. It’s more important to discover their needs and wants than to exclaim your own. Your first conversation with an investor should be all about piercing the armor and finding the trigger points that prompt a reaction that gets to the center of their ‘childlike’ state.

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Most companies who are on the venture capital trail are not set up properly to attract investors. When an investor looks at your business plan and private placement memorandum they are looking for certain things. Of course funding sources look for the obvious, a solid business model, positive cash flow, industry genre with solid future growth, recession proof business (if there even is such a thing) and minimal debt.

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Easily Find And Secure: Angel Investors, Private Investors, Institutional Investors And More! Raising capital for a start-up, corporation in expansion mode or a company in virtually any position presents it’s challenges and roadblocks. There has been no period in recent history that can simulate the difficulties that current entrepreneurs and executives are having when trying to achieve the procurement of venture capital. The standards have become more stringent and the cross-collateralization of personal and corporate assets as security for loans has virtually become a mandatory prerequisite for any type of funding, equity or loan based.

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Everyone worries about taxes and looks for ways and means of reducing the tax burden.  When you have a small business  you must be up date with your accounting and tax laws that pertain to “small businesses.” As a business owner you must understand clearly about accounting systems and tax planning. Sit down with your accountant and plan on ways of maintaining business expenses, filing receipts, planning on “tax saving” investments, and a strategy for running  the business in the most beneficial way.

Did you know that:

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Avoiding the top 7 business financing mistakes is a key component in business survival.

If you start committing these business financing mistakes too often, you will greatly reduce any chance you have for longer term business success.

The key is to understand the causes and significance of each so that you’re in a position to make better decisions.

>>> Business Financing Mistakes (1) – No Monthly Bookkeeping.

Regardless of the size of your business, inaccurate record keeping creates all sorts of issues relating to cash flow, planning, and business decision making.

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by Sanata L. Martin, Merchant Service Specialist

What do you have in common with the over 2,700 small businesses across Canada that I have helped in my 8 years as a Merchant Service Specialist? You are in the same business as each and every one of them.

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by Ken McLean, Factors Western

How is the economy effecting your business?

In today’s turbulent times of economic uncertainty, predicted massive job losses (estimated to be over 400,000) in all sectors and particularly in the mining, forestry, constructions, and manufacturing industries, small to medium, size businesses are finding it ever increasingly difficult to obtain adequate financing to maintain their business operations and at best, to grow their business.

Who is at fault for our current economic woes?

• The Banks?
• Government?
• Bay Street?


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According to Craiglist, during down economies in the past, growth in usage of the “barter” section of craigslist is accelerating, up more than 100% in the last year alone:

What is Barter?

According to Wikipedia, barter is “is a type of trade in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of money. It can be bilateral or multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a very limited extent. Barter usually replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis (emphasis added), when the currency is unstable and devalued by hyperinflation.”

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