"Money To Start A Business" by Expert Marketer and Investor Perry Belcher Is the Focus of a New Marketing Campaign from Shoestring Publishing.

PRWeb

Published 08:55 a.m., Monday, April 9, 2012

Article from Chron.com

The book is written by Perry Belcher, who has earned more than 100 million dollars profit in his own businesses, consulted with many Fortune 500 companies, and is now an investor.

(PRWEB) April 08, 2012

Shoestring Publishing has launched a new marketing campaign to promote the new book of marketing powerhouse Perry Belcher, who has coached Fortune 500 companies - helping them to earn tens of billions of dollars - and who in his own businesses has earned over 100 million dollars. Marketer-turned-investor Perry Belcher has written a book that will help entrepreneurs find and secure capital for starting a business. There are many great advantages to having investment capital, according to Perry Belcher. "Money To Start A Business" is written for entrepreneurs by an extremely successful entrepreneur who is now also an investor.

According to Justin Douglas of Shoestring Publishing, "Capital to fund your project is always a need for every business owner. Fortunately our startup courses at Shoestring Publishing usually teach you how to start a startup with little or no money of your own. But veteran investor Perry Belcher has made 100 million dollars of his own money selling products and now he is an investor, and in his new book he shares how to find the money to start a business."

Starting a business often requires both knowledge and money, and veteran startup expert Perry Belcher offers knowledge and information about how to fund a startup with his book "Money To Start A Business: How to raise all the money you'll ever need to start your own business." Mr. Belcher has been regarded as one of the top three copy writers in the world and he is now an investor himself. His work raising money for literally hundreds of his own business ventures has given him the insight and experience that he shares in this book.

Mr. Belcher says, "I've bootstrapped a lot of businesses in the past. I've had the privilege of going through the SBA lending process through a partner, I've dealt with venture capital firms; I've dealt with angel investors, private offerings, I even got very near to taking a company public, so I've dealt with pretty much all the stages of financing that you can go through. I've been involved in many startup companies over the past years."

For those entrepreneurs who are serious, Mr. Belcher's book covers most questions and information you will need to have to fund a business. For those who might not be serious, Mr. Belcher does give good advice regarding the potential downside to business ventures. He says "Running a business is hard. Starting a business is harder." Many aspects of accepting outside funding are covered in the book, including the challenges. Mr Belcher says When you're starting a business, having to deal with it, you have a whole other element of reporting and accountability to deal with in an investor or a funding partner. "They're going to be something that takes part of your time. They're actually partners with you now. Once they're investing in your business, they basically become your partner."

"You're going to have to answer to performance milestones if you're dealing with angel investors or venture capital companies, and even a lot of loans. Along your financing path, they're going to want to know how things are going, what's going on. There is going to be a lot of reporting. The more transparent you are with them, the better they're going to feel about you. 'Hey, I'm just too busy,' isn't going to work. More importantly, though, I know what they're not looking for: the reasons people won't loan you money, won't fund your project, or won't invest. Most of the time, this is more important than why they will. If you know their red flags, you have a big advantage."

Mr. Belcher explains that there are reasons to avoid borrowing money or having an investor for starting a stratup. "The reasons why not are twentyfold," he says. "There are a ton of them. When you borrow money from somebody, whether in a loan company, by taking in an investor, even if you just borrow money from rich Aunt Margie: this money comes with strings and sometimes Aunt Margie can be harder to deal with than the venture capital companies."

"You always want to be honest with whoever you're working with," Mr. Belcher says. "I think the biggest problem that I see when most people have conflicts with their lenders or their investors is a lack of transparency, not letting people know what's going on. It's a lack of communication. Angel investors and venture capital investors are what I call 'smart money investors'. A lot of the time what you get from them in money is the smallest part of the deal. They become your partners. All of a sudden you're a partner with somebody who is experienced, who has connections, who knows talented people, who has, in most cases, been there and done that. Most of these people that are working in venture capital funds, especially angel investors (less so venture capital funds, although they all have an element of it), are enterpreneurial. They're usually former entrepreneurs or former business owners, so they were where you are. They understand, so talk to them. Not only will you gain their trust by being transparent and honest with them, you'll probably get the answers to a lot of problems that are just perplexing you."

"There are a lot of reasons you need to raise money, but the biggest reason is the single largest reason businesses fail: under-capitalization," Mr. Belcher says. "Most people who start a business don't have the proper amount of funds to get through the learning curve of the business. Especially if people haven't run a business before; if you're brand-new to something, you're definitely going to have a learning curve. It takes a period of time, typically, to acquire customers, establish vendor relationships, things like that. You're sort of raising money to buy time. A lot of the time you need assets, you need equipment, you need particular things that require tools for your business that you're going to have to raise money for depending on what you're doing. The reason to raise money is to pay for those things in you don't have the money to do it yourself."

Check out the book at its Amazon.com page "Money To Start A Business".

About Shoestring Publishing

Shoestring Publishing is a group of successful entrepreneurs who have created courses for the "average Joe" to be able to start a business in a few days, with little or no startup capital, and with all the training you need in the course. In most cases, the courses can be completed with two days of studying.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/4/prweb9382373.htm

Article from Chron.com

Turn the hopelessness within you into a fruitful opportunity.

Millionaires share how they amassed their wealth

Fortune tellers

Article from Chicago Tribune

March 30, 2012|By Kimberly Palmer, U.S. News & World Report

Asked about their secrets to success, millionaires don't cite anything magical or rare, but rather the steady application of wise investing strategies, hard work and a degree of frugality.

Here are 10 secrets of millionaires' money management:

Start early to avoid financial pitfalls. Adrian Cartwood, author of the blog "How to Make 7 Million in 7 Years," made his fortune by living frugally while he built his technology-related business. People often get into trouble, he said, by racking up personal debt early on. "Learn how to live within your means and how to delay gratification; these are the habits that you need to maintain on the way up, so you can keep your millions when you get there," he said.

Believe that you can do it. Before investing in real estate and becoming a millionaire, Alan Corey, author of "A Million Bucks by 30," read as many biographies and autobiographies of millionaires as he could find. He said he was searching for a common characteristic that could help him in his own quest. "What I found was they all had an incredible self-belief that they would be financially successful," he said. Corey said embracing that level of self-confidence helped him amass his wealth.

Articulate your vision for success. According to Jen Smith, creator of the Millionaire Mommy Next Door site, the saying "I want to be rich" is too vague. Instead, she recommends imagining what your ideal life as a millionaire will look like. Smith offers this example: "I want to have $2 million invested so that I can live off of the interest. Then I will quit my job so that I can volunteer, travel, learn to play tennis and watercolor, and enjoy picnics at the beach with my family." Smith's vision involved becoming financially successful before becoming a parent. She cut out images from magazines of beautiful places she wanted to visit and people doing fun things and put them near her desk to help her keep that vision in mind.

Insure against life's risks. Bankruptcy is often caused by divorce, a death in the family or a disability that renders someone unable to work. Conversely, protecting against those risks through insurance protects wealth. In "The Quiet Millionaire," financial planner Brett Wilder writes that many people either fail to get adequate insurance or pay too much because they don't understand it.

Work hard — and you'll get lucky. In his new book, "Think Like a Champion," Donald Trump attributes his success to his hard work. Trump says luck comes from working hard. "If your work pays off, which it most likely will, people might say you're just lucky. Maybe so, because you're lucky enough to have the brains to work hard!" he said.

Practice smart budgeting. Smith recommends tracking how much you spend each month. Every month, she said, she downloads her transactions into a spreadsheet to keep her spending on track. Smith also said that, as prosaic as it sounds, maintaining a good credit score is essential to becoming and staying a millionaire. "A good credit score can save you thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime," she said.

Do what you love. You probably won't excel at something you don't enjoy. That's why Corey recommends going into the field that you find yourself reading about in your spare time. He asks, "Do you read fashion magazines? Get a job in fashion. Do you read gossip blogs? Get a job in celebrity-based enterprises. Do you read Car & Driver? ESPN.com? Yahoo Pets Forum?"

Decide how much money you really want. For many people, $1 million won't be enough. "For most Gen X and Gen Yers, retiring with a couple million when they are 65 won't be anywhere near enough to maintain even an average lifestyle, because that little pup called inflation is constantly nipping at your heels as you try to run toward building your own retirement nest egg," Cartwood said. A more reasonable goal might be $3 million, an amount that Cartwood considers the minimum to be a "bare-bones millionaire" these days. Consider your ideal lifestyle and what you would like to be able to fund. A mortgage of a certain size? Exotic vacations? College tuition for your children? Having a concrete goal in mind makes it easier to get there, said Cartwood.

Invest against the grain. Corey recommends making investment decisions based on the opposite of what everyone else is doing. When stocks are down, anyone buying can get them at a discount. Corey's rule of thumb doesn't just apply to stocks. "Buy a foreclosed house, fill it up with roommates, and you can get a pretty good passive income," he suggests.

Live below your means. Even Eminem, a celebrity and millionaire, scales back his purchases out of frugality. London's Independent newspaper reported that several years ago, as Eminem considered buying a $15,000 watch he liked, he started worrying that he should save his money instead. Eminem reportedly said, "I don't want to run out of money; I want my daughter to be able to go to college." And so far, at least, Eminem hasn't fallen victim to the financial challenges so many other celebrities have faced. On the same note, Smith said even though she's a millionaire, no one would know it, and that's the point. She recommends saving at least 10 to 25 percent of your income. She also suggests avoiding buying "status" items such as fancy sports cars or mansions. After all, bling doesn't make a millionaire; in fact, too much of it can prevent you from becoming one.

Article from Chicago Tribune

Turn the hopelessness within you into a fruitful opportunity.

How to Research Your Business Idea

Your brilliant idea may indeed be brilliant--or it may need some work. Here's how to find out whether you're ready for startup.

BY KAREN E. SPAEDER

Article from The Entrepreneur

Somewhere between scribbling your idea on a cocktail napkin and actually starting a business, there's a process you need to carry out that essentially determines either your success or failure in business. Oftentimes, would-be entrepreneurs get so excited about their "epiphanies"-the moments when they imagine the possibilities of a given idea-that they forget to find out whether that idea is viable.

Of course, sometimes the idea works anyway, in spite of a lack of market research. Unfortunately, other times, the idea crashes and burns, halting a business in its tracks. We'd like to help you avoid the latter. This how to on researching your business idea is just what you need to keep your business goals on track.

The Idea Stage

For some entrepreneurs, getting the idea-and imagining the possibilities-is the easy part. It's the market research that doesn't come so naturally. "It's a big red flag when someone outlines the size of the market-multibillion dollars-but doesn't clearly articulate a plan for how the idea will meet an unmet need in the marketplace," says Aaron Keller, an adjunct professor of marketing at the University of St. Thomas in neighboring St. Paul and a managing principal of Capsule , a Minneapolis-based brand development firm.

That kind of full-throttle approach can cost you. "Entrepreneurs are often so passionate about their ideas, they can lose objectivity," adds Nancy A. Shenker, president of the ONswitch LLC , a full-service marketing firm in Westchester, New York. "Rather than taking the time to thoroughly plan and research, they sometimes plow ahead with execution, only to spend valuable dollars on unfocused or untargeted activities."

Market research, then, can prove invaluable in determining your idea's potential. You can gather information from industry associations, Web searches, periodicals, federal and state agencies, and so forth. A trip to the library or a few hours online can set you on your way to really understanding your market. Your aim is to gain a general sense of the type of customer your product or service will serve-or at least to being willing to find out through the research process. "For example," says Shenker, "if you don't know if your product will appeal to the youth market, make sure you include a sample of that population in your research efforts."

Your research plan should spell out the objectives of the research and give you the information you need to either go ahead with your idea, fine-tune it or take it back to the drawing board. Create a list of questions you need to answer in your research, and create a plan for answering them. "Utilize experts in planning and conducting research sessions," Shenker advises. "They can recommend what type of research is most appropriate, help you develop statistically valid samples and write questionnaires, and provide you with an objective and neutral source of information."

The type of information you'll be gathering depends on the type of product or service you want to sell as well as your overall research goals. You can use your research to determine a potential market, to size up the competition, or to test the usefulness and positioning of your product or service. "If, for example, the product is a tangible item, letting the target audience see and touch a prototype could be extremely valuable," notes Shenker. "For intangible products, exposing prospective customers to descriptive copy or a draft Web site could aid in developing clear communications."

Analysis

When working with firms on brand development, Keller first looks at a business idea from four perspectives: company, customer, competitor and collaborator. This approach allows Keller to scrutinize a business idea before even approaching the topic of brand development. Here's what he looks at for each of the four issues:

1. Company. Think of your idea in terms of its product/service features, the benefits to customers, the personality of your company, what key messages you'll be relaying and the core promises you'll be making to customers.

2. Customer. There are three different customers you'll need to think about in relation to your idea: purchasers (those who make the decision or write the check), influencers (the individual, organization or group of people who influence the purchasing decision), and the end users (the person or group of people who will directly interact with your product or service).

3. Competitor. Again, there are three different groups you'll need to keep in mind: primary, secondary and tertiary. Their placement within each level is based on how often your business would compete with them and how you would tailor your messages when competing with each of these groups.

4. Collaborators. Think of organizations and people who may have an interest in your success but aren't directly paid or rewarded for any success your business might realize, such as associations, the media and other organizations that sell to your customers.

Another approach is to research is SWOT analysis, meaning analysis of the strengths of your industry, your product or service; the weaknesses of your product (such as design flaws) or service (such as high prices); and potential threats (such as the economy). "[SWOT] enables you to understand the strengths and flaws, [everything] from internal information such as bureaucracy, product development and cost to external factors such as foreign exchange rates, politics, culture, etc.," says Drew Stevens, a St. Louis professional speaker and consultant who works with entrepreneurs in researching and marketing their ideas. "SWOT enables an entrepreneur to quickly understand whether their product or service will make it in the current environment."

Whatever your approach to evaluating your idea, just be sure you're meeting the research objectives you've outlined for your product or service. With those goals always top-of-mind, your analysis will help you discover whether your idea has any holes that need patching.

Checking Out the Competition

Assuming your research process has helped you uncover your competition, you now need to find out what they're up to. Shenker advises becoming a customer of the competition, whether by shopping them yourself or by enlisting the help of a friend. "Visit their Web site and put yourself on their list," she says. "Talk to your competitor's customers, too-ask them what they like or don't like about your competitor's product or service. If you conduct formal research, include a question like 'Where do you currently go for that product or service? Why?'"

Your aim is to understand what your competition is doing so you can do it better. Maybe their service is poor. Maybe their product has some flaws-something you'll only know if you try it out yourself. Or maybe you've figured out a way to do things better, smarter, more cost-effectively. Find your selling point. It's going to be the core of your marketing program, if and when you're ready for that step. It's also going to be what sets you apart and lures customers your way.

After all this-the idea stage, analysis of the idea, competitive analysis-you might find that your idea (and not your competitor's, as you'd hoped) is the one with the holes. Does that mean you need to scrap the whole thing and resign yourself to life as an employee? "Not always," says Keller. "Sometimes it just needs to be reworked or retooled."

That can be disheartening if you've already spent X amount of hours in the idea stage, plus X amount of hours on market research-only to find that you're not quite ready to get started after all. But taking the time to refocus your energies and determine why your idea needs some tightening is the best predictor of future success. "No entrepreneur wants to hear that his 'baby' is flawed, but only by listening and reacting to feedback can he give his idea a chance for success," notes Shenker. "Ask yourself, 'Is this a weakness that can be overcome?' If you can't create true value for your customer and your business, then it's time to pick another idea to pursue."

Remember, though, that many ideas simply need some fine-tuning. Before you panic and start flipping through your idea books again, closely consider whether you can make this idea work. After all, there was a reason you thought of that idea in the first place. Some ideas that seem like they'll be total duds after doing a little research end up being great successes. "Ideas that seem like a flop are always interesting to me," says Keller. "Sometimes you look into an idea and find it was just luck-but many times, you find the original founder had some clear insight into the potential. That insight was his or her focus, and it seemed to lead them to success.

"I've seen many people launch ideas that I thought were beyond foolish," Keller adds, "but then I learned more about the idea, the customer and the vision-and realized the true risk being taken."

When Your Idea Is Ready to Go 

The market research you've conducted thus far ought to be a good indicator of where you need to go next with your idea. One key factor to consider is pricing. You want to do it competitively while also considering what the market will bear. For products or services that have a close competitor, Keller advises pricing with respect to the competitive position. "Higher-priced positioning requires an idea with enough relevance and importance to customers to overcome the gap between your idea and the nearest competitor," Keller says.

The beauty of being in business for yourself is that you have the option to make changes at will-so if a pricing structure isn't working, you can alter it. "Price high to start-you can always drop the price down," says Keller. "You can never go up."

Shenker adds that you need to be sure your product or service is delivering enough value to command the price you set. If possible, test different pricing offers as you go, and determine what works best.

When you're ready to get started, be sure you're selling where your target market is likely to buy. "Your marketing plan and budget should include a well-crafted distribution strategy," notes Shenker. If you'll sell over the Internet, budget for media to drive new customers to your site. If you'll sell via retail distribution, you might need workers with industry experience to help you reach your target market.

Remember, too, that you can always seek help in this long, arduous process of bringing an idea to fruition. The Internet, your local library, the U.S. Census Bureau, business schools, industry associations, trade and consumer publications, industry trade shows and conferences, and new-product development firms can be invaluable sources of information and contacts. "It's just a matter of seeking knowledge from as many sources as possible," notes Keller. It's also a matter of putting your ego aside and being willing to create a business that will not only survive, but thrive. "If you have an idea, don't be afraid to refine it, retool it, rethink it," adds Keller. "The more you do before you launch, the less you'll have to do [afterwards], and the less painful the lessons tend to be."

Article from The Entrepreneur

Turn the hopelessness within you into a fruitful opportunity.

How to Get Investors for Your Startup

Raise the money you need by proving to investors that you've done your homework and are willing to sacrifice.

November 21, 2005

The Entrepreneur

I've been working with entrepreneurs now for close to 25 years, and throughout that time one thing hasn't changed: Only 5 percent of all entrepreneurs get funded. Can it be that only 5 percent of the ideas generated are good enough to succeed? Why is it that this "magic" number never seems to change?

I believe there are three fundamental reasons contributing to this impasse. Finding ways to address these issues could significantly improve the flow of viable, creative ideas in this country and have a dramatic impact on our economy.

1. The system for evaluating entrepreneurs is arbitrary and inefficient. When you think about it, the methodology investors employ to find and qualify a potentially viable entrepreneur places almost all the responsibility on the entrepreneur. Once they have an idea, they must take the initiative to package it and promote it all to potentially interested parties. There're two problems with that system:

It's the entrepreneur who decides what information gets presented, and

Everyone who receives this information must process it from a cold start.

To illustrate how ridiculous that system is, it would be the equivalent of you going into a bank to ask for a loan and instead of filling out their application form, you just created your own. How would the banking system operate if everyone made up their own application? What entrepreneurs need is a scoring system similar to the one Venture Alliance uses to determine if you're really ready to get in front of professional investors. It'll also help you find quality resources if you're not. What the system won't do is help you bridge the gap between having a need for capital and actually being ready for it. That part is up to you.

2. Entrepreneurs don't understand the difference between having a need for capital and being ready to ask for it. In a system where the entrepreneur chooses the application, it's not surprising that their timing for when to submit that application is often out of sync with the very investors they're trying to impress. Why? Because entrepreneurs are motivated to seek capital based on need, not readiness. What do I mean by that? Here's the difference. When an entrepreneur is driven by a strong sense of need, the message they send to an investor is one or more of the following:

1. I need you to bail me out of my bad management of the limited capital I had.
2. I'm unwilling to invest any more of my money, so I need yours.
3. I haven't been able to raise money from anyone else, so I need you to save me.

On the other hand, when an entrepreneur has "done their homework" and truly understands what it takes to run a business, the message they send is:

1. I'm ready for a partner to help me take this to the next level.
2. I have a handle on my product, my market and my customers, and I'm ready to accept an investment that'll help me grow.
3. I've researched the various sources of capital available to me and I'm ready to work with you because you're the best match.

Since most entrepreneurs are unwilling or unable to determine when they're truly ready, one goal of a good rating system should be to make that call.

3. Entrepreneurs often struggle over whether to fork over their own money vs. paying someone who won't deliver, leading to a freeze on progress and a slow painful death of their vision. Admittedly, the entrepreneurial industry is flush with charlatans just waiting to take advantage of a vulnerable entrepreneur. However, a far bigger problem is that many entrepreneurs with absolutely stellar ideas simply don't understand that building a business requires tons of sacrifice (including money), and they're just not willing to pay the price. So how do you deal with this conundrum? There are two ways to approach it:

From the investor's perspective: We'll always look for entrepreneurs who demonstrate to us their willingness to "put their money where their mouth is" and who clearly "have skin in the game." If we don't see indications that they believe in their vision enough to invest their own hard-earned cash, then we won't invest either.

From the entrepreneur's perspective: Don't hire anyone without checking their references thoroughly. Talk to previous clients. Be wary of "guarantees." Look for resources that'll take at least part of their reward based on the success of their service. That way, they know they must perform to get paid "the big bucks."

Running your business should be a lot like running your household--you know it's going to cost money and your resources aren't unlimited. So, be prudent on how you invest your limited capital, but realize that an investment is required. Have a plan and follow it as long as it's working. Be flexible, be tough and be open to new ideas. Not every thing will work as you planned.

Jim Casparie is the founder and CEO of The Venture Alliance,a national firm based in Irvine, California, that's dedicated to getting companies funded.

The Entrepreneur

Turn the hopelessness within you into a fruitful opportunity.