Looking For Investors Or Small Business Loans - Don't Let the Capital Raising Process Get You Down

Entrepreneurs who are new to the process of raising capital almost always get discouraged at some point along the way. They become frustrated with the lack of positive reaction from investors. They really get frustrated with how slow the process is. Eventually they may even start to doubt themselves and the viability of their venture. If you're looking for investors or small business loans. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Nearly every entrepreneur has had the same experience when they first enter the market for venture capital. No matter how frustrated you might feel, you are not alone. You should never let a lack of immediate positive response shake your confidence, or take it personally. 2. The venture capital industry is not at all an efficient market. No matter what the venture capitalists might say, the best deals do not necessarily get the capital. If you are not getting a positive response, it may not have anything to do with your venture but everything to do with: VCs are swamped with business plans and contacts from entrepreneurs. It is very difficult for them to give every entrepreneur a fair hearing, or any hearing at all in many cases. One trend in recent years is venture capital firms having websites with e-mail addresses for entrepreneurs to contact them. Sounds good, right. Saves the cost of mailing the materials and allows for immediate contact. Maybe not. The e-mail is often to a blind address, such as: Submissions@bigbucksVC.com. You are not given a contact name, or any means to follow up. They do this on purpose. If the volume of submissions to too heavy to deal with, they can always just employ the "delete" key. Your goal is to develop a relationship with a decision maker in the firm, not just be in a slush pile in some junior assistant's e-mail box. NOTE: never send your full business plan to these blind e-mail addresses. Only send it to a partner in the firm who has requested it, so you have a record of who has read your confidential information. 3. So who succeeds? The entrepreneurs who persevere. If you contact them by e-mail and hear nothing, look up their phone number, the name of a partner in the firm and call them. If they don't call back. Try again. Use any an all means to get referrals to investors, through any of your associates or colleagues, which has a higher probability of success than cold calls. 4. Be wary of criticism. Investors may give you reasons for declining the investment in your company that don't make sense to you. You might even start to doubt your Business Plan or whether your venture will succeed. There's an old expression, consider the source. How do you know the investor who was so critical knows what he or she is talking about? How do you know they actually took the time to analyze your venture beyond a superficial review of your Executive Summary? The larger issue is, it is very difficult to figure out whether a start-up company is going to succeed. No one really knows. It's like predicting which independent movie with score big at the box office. It is up to you, the entrepreneur to be steadfast in your belief in your venture. 5. Quite a number of investors are just plain rude. You'll encounter some in the capital raising process. Don't let their lack of business courtesy get you down. Just file it away as experience that makes you a stronger CEO. Be glad you found out what they're really like now, rather than when they're deeply involved in your company. And years later when you are a big success and in the position to help or encourage another entrepreneur, please make sure you do so.

How to Start a Property Management Business

Property management is a business that is regulated and requires a real estate license in many states. This first step requirement means that the potential buyer of an existing business would need to be qualified to run the business. They would also need to meet the same requirements to start one from the ground up.

One way to get experience in the business is go to work for a large management company and learn the ropes. At the same time you could be completing any educational requirements and prepare for taking the license required to professionally manage properties. Starting a company of your own will take some strong detective work to find a property that is looking for management or looking to replace the current management firm. This will entail a great deal of cold calling and phone work to come up with possible clients.

Bieber Phone Number For Real

At the same time you could get a web site built so you will have something to point people to when you are speaking with them on the phone. You would also mention the website in all communications or advertisements. All of this would come after you have decided on a company name and have a phone number and address for your business.

Knowledge and preparation are requirements for success. Whether you buy an existing business or start one up, you will need to gain experience and first hand knowledge of the business from some source. The best way to gain real experience is to work in the business for a year or so for a management company. The requirements in your state should be checked also to see what licenses are needed. There could also be educational requirements that you would have to obtain. A smart person would make sure they have all of these ducks out of the way while working for someone else. The real estate department of your state will be able to give you the information you need to know. There also could be an association of property managers in your area. Both of these sources are a place to start to find the information you need.

Finding property management companies that are for sale The Internet will quickly give you and idea of what is for sale and where they are located. Business brokers are another solid place to find listings of businesses that are currently on the market. You can also get questions answered about the way to buy one of these businesses. One important facet of the businesses for sale is the asking prices. This may be eye opening for you. You might also check out local newspapers and the local real estate association. Lawyers that specialize in real estate transactions may also know of management companies that are looking for a partner or are for sale. Once you have an idea of the capital needed to pursue a purchase you can begin to figure if you can make a deal. If you are going to need help with the money you will have to resolve that common problem also. The business brokers will have a good idea if the listed business is cash only or the current owner would consider terms. This type of information will speed up the process of finding a deal that you may be able to pull off.

Another aspect of property management is the properties handled. Are you going to only deal with large apartment complexes or single-family residences? The type of properties you wish to handle could determine the price of a management company.

Money makes the deal

Money talks when buying a business. The seller is usually anxious to sell and if a real money offer is made, they may bite even if it requires terms to complete. The point here is make an offer and see what the seller responds with. You never know what kind of help you may get from a motivated seller. Other ways to make up a short fall is a loan from the bank, a business lender found on the Internet, a partner and family or friends. Some deals take a great deal of creative financing to pull off. If the existing business has long-term contracts with their clients it may be easier to get a loan from a disinterested third party. The most common way to handle the short fall is to get the seller to take back paper to be paid in full by a set date in the future. Maybe they would remain a silent partner for a short length of time. The answer to this problem is how much you can put down and how long you would need to pay off the balance.

The only way you will ever know if a deal is possible is to make an offer and see what the counter offer looks like. The business broker in a deal can help in the negotiations and in many cases make it happen through their deal making skills.

If you come to a point in any deal that the final terms are too difficult for you to live with, then it is time to take a walk. Knowing when to walk a way in also part of good deal making. The wrong terms could make the deal a failure from the beginning. The last thing any buyer wants is to put a large down payment into a business and then watch it fail. The loss of this money could be the end of any possibility to own your own business. The thought process should go like this, this deal is not possible and there will be another chance down the road. Some times in the heat of negotiation the making the sale happen becomes the end in itself. This should never be the reason to make a bad purchase. This is a serious situation that needs to be well thought out.

Conclusions

Once you have the experience, education and licenses, the ownership of a property management company is possible. You can either start one up or buy an existing firm. The expense of buying one will be much higher than starting one from the ground up. Finding one you can buy will take effort and the willingness to commit a sizeable amount of money. The obvious way to start is through a business broker, as they will have a current list of business for sale. They should have a very good idea of what you will need to pay to buy a property management company Coming up with the money may be a problem for some buyers as the price of an existing successful firm will be higher than a startup. An existing management company's current customers will be a large asset, as they will supply immediate cash flow to the company. So the higher price is offset by the constant cash flow from contracted customers.

If you start a company from scratch, you will need to plan on a significant amount of cold calling, phoning and face-to-face meetings to find customers that need your help. This is a slow start but can be a reasonable way to get into the business

How to Start a Property Management Business

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Henthorn is president of Spiral Marketers, a marketing firm which includes a number of partnerships that range from cutting-edge software development, business and personal improvement coaching, online e-commerce businesses, and more.

He was formerly was president and principal broker of a resort / commercial real estate brokerage in Honolulu which specialized in representing sellers in transactions up to MM.

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Is a Toll Free Phone Number Right For Your Business?

Ever wonder why those late night commercials have catchy toll free phone numbers like 1-800-MAKE-ME-RICH? Simply put, it works. Not the name, but the number itself. The phone number isn't a sales trick, but helps the consumer to remember the company as well as the product. Some companies have become so dependent on the Internet that they have neglected to see the power in having a toll free phone number. It can increase business, empower your customers and boost productivity.

When and Why Should I Consider a Toll Free Phone Number for my Business?

Bieber Phone Number For Real

When a company begins using a toll free, or otherwise known as an 800, number is completely left to their discretion. Size isn't important and neither is the company's current condition. For instance, Company A is a self-employed individual, who runs a business alone, and is never at the office. The entrepreneur would like to stop receiving calls on his mobile phone and, instead, have an 800 number that will allow him to choose which calls are forwarded to his cell. On the other hand, Company B has over 50 employees and now realizes incorporating a toll free phone number into its communications would ultimately save money and make business run more smoothly. Both companies can reap the benefits of having an 800 number.

There are numerous reasons why a company would want to have a toll free phone number. They enable businesses to appear more responsible and reliable to the consumer. The business, along with its product, will stand out. Having an 800 number is perfect for customer support and customer satisfaction.

Features and Benefits of a Toll Free Phone Number

It's easy. Besides increasing the flow of business, acquiring a toll free phone number is simple. They are available through telephone service companies and a number of providers online.

Consumer savings. Not only can an 800 number be beneficial to the business, but also to the consumer. Phone calls are free for the customer. When a consumer knows that he or she will not be charged for something, then he or she will be more inclined to pick up the phone and give it a try.

Convenience. No consumer wants to go through loop holes to get what he or she wants. Having a toll free phone number is an easy and convenient way for customers to receive help and information concerning a particular product or service. In addition, some consumers would prefer to speak to an actual person as opposed to entering personal information online. So for some, an 800 number provides peace of mind.

Call forwarding. No two businesses are the same. Some operate from a brick and mortar office. Others work with a dispersed work force. Some companies require employees to work outside the office during regular business hours. With a virtual 800 number, calls can be forwarded to any location - business phone, home phone, cell phone. A business and its employees can work more efficiently and be more productive when not tied to their desk for fear of missing a call.

Accessibility. With a toll free phone number, the customer will feel secure knowing help is only a (free) phone call away. Being available whenever needed builds customer rapport and generates new business.

Portability. If the business decides to switch telephone companies, the number goes with it. This is very important if the company has a "vanity" number. (A vanity number is personalized to fit the company. It can be a slogan or the company name.) This portability is made possible by the FCC. The FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, is an organization providing guidelines for toll free numbers. Although the FCC has nothing to do with what goes on in the forefront, it offers security in the background.

Faxing. Many 800 numbers allow for faxing to the same number as well. Because toll free numbers are not limited to the number of calls they can receive at one time, like a local number, faxes and calls can be coming in at the same time without anyone getting a busy signal.

Although over 1/3 of the United States population has Internet accessibility, many people will simply use this service to find a phone number instead of placing an order online. Although a toll free phone number is not required, it is definitely a smart addition to any business. Most importantly, it's easy to obtain and offers elements of convenience and peace of mind to the consumer.

Is a Toll Free Phone Number Right For Your Business?

Toll free phone numbers have been part of doing business for many years. With new advances in telecommunications technology, there are even more benefits to having one today. Click to learn more about how a virtual toll free number can benefit your business. Or for 15 Day Free Trial visit http://www.Freedom800.com, a leading provider of virtual 800 number systems.