Category: Start-up Essentials

New Alternative to Small Business Government Grants in Ontario

Posted by WFG – October 7, 2011

The purpose of this article is never meant to be undermining the benefit of government grants. In fact, as small business owners, entrepreneurs should always be aware of government grants available to their companies. That said,  except for some specifically allocated funding for government subsidized innovative projects, government grants in Ontario usually come in small amount, and could hardly be count on in terms of facilitating business growth.

 

Private funding is now available for small businesses in Ontario

A great alternative to traditional funding options for small businesses is available. Many private investors are now offering financial opportunities to small businesses with great potential. Funding of such is often referred as venture capital. The transaction is straight forward, venture capitalists basically purchase part of the company based on a strong goodwill forecast, and the company seek fast growth opportunities with the extra capital invested.

The benefits of private equity vs traditional ways of funding are:

  • amount is large enough to fund the business with the desired expansion
  • no collateral is required
  • no complicated approval process such as bank loan applications
  • investors are usually experienced business professionals where the company could get valuable advice from

There are companies and individuals where small business owners can turn to for private funding opportunities. For business owners in Ontario, check out pitchyourbusiness.ca for opportunities to meet a group of venture capitalists in Toronto.

Start-up owners: when is a company ready for venture capital?

Posted by WFG – October 3, 2011

Most owners of start-up businesses dream about drawing venture capital to their company and expand the business exponentially in a short period of time. But when is a company ready for venture capital? Knowing the answer would make it a lot more efficient for a small business owner to reach venture capitalists and get the funding. Read the rest of this article

What’s a business pitch? Why pitch your business to investors?

Posted by Winflow – September 16, 2011

What’s a business pitch? Why pitch your business to investors?

Many may have similar questions when they are first presented with the idea of pitching a business. One of the definitions in dictionaries for the word ‘pitch’ is ‘to set at a certain point, degree, level, etc.’. And that’s probably the closest definition of the word pitch in this context. Read the rest of this article

Small Business: How do you get investors?

Posted by WFG – September 13, 2011

One question that’s been pondered by many small business owners is:

How do I get investors?

Indeed, for small business owners, it is in general difficult to attract investment as compared to larger companies. Large companies holding more assets may get large amount loans at a preferred rate, but small companies usually gets nothing, even if willing to pay a higher interest. This is because the bankers generally do not have time  to perform Read the rest of this article

Pitch Your Business Essentials: Financially Prepare Your Business for the Perfect Pitch

Posted by WFG – September 9, 2011

In order to pitch your business successfully to an private investor, it is important to ensure the financial accounts are correctly recorded and presented.

Total Revenue is the key when you need to pitch your business

The total revenue is extremely important when it comes to a business pitch, especially for start-up business. Profitable or not, the total revenue gives a good idea of whether the product or service your company offers is widely accepted by the market. A business pitch may have innovative ideas, Read the rest of this article

Pitch Your Business Essentials: How to make your website look “active”

Posted by WFG – September 8, 2011

Having your website updates is as important as having a website to make your web portal look presentable when pitching your business.

 

Use of a backend on your website

In order to have a cosistently updated website, a backend is highly recommended, where one can log in and create or modify webpages easily. It is not hard to obtain a backend on your website. Read the rest of this article

Pitch Your Business Essentials: A Credible Company Portal Website

Posted by winflowfinancial – September 7, 2011

A website is important for pitching your business to investors

Today, almost every company has a website. Some have a dedicatedly hosted extensive website that can handle sales and inqueries online, while some are just an information page on Blogspot or Myspace. A properly presented website always gain credibility to the company. No matter big or small, if done right, the website plays an essential role in providing potential investors with more confidence. The key is to make the website look like a professional company portal. Read the rest of this article

Investment Pitch Questions

Posted by WFG – September 1, 2011

Question mark

Image courtesy of Marco Bellucci

When it comes to your investment pitch, you need to plan ahead. You’ll have prepared your company plan and practiced how to pitch your business, but have you planned for the questions that might be fired in your direction? This can cause a potential stumbling block but knowing what to expect can leave you one step ahead.

Question 1) What’s your business all about?

This is the most common question from investors, and it sounds easy to answer. But there are still a lot of people that talk for a long time, about every aspect of the company. Remember, that it’s not always about the question but the way it’s being said. When an investor asks what you company is about, they want it in a short, precise, attention grabbing moment. Sell your business to them as if they were waiting for a train and it just started pulling into the station.

Question 2) Your Investment pitch is good, but do you have any customers?

When completing your investment pitch it’s always good to include the customers you already have. This shows that something is working and with a bigger push, there will be more people interested. If you have references, use them. Anything that shows your company has potential will give you a better chance of receiving new business funding.

Question 3) What’s stopping a bigger company stealing your idea?

There is always competition, so avoid answering this question with ‘no one can’. But what can you say? A larger company will have more staff, more money, and years of experience. The only answers you have are that you can move quicker, that other companies have too much to deal with already. Read the rest of this article

Find Angel Investors In Any Location

Posted by WFG – August 31, 2011

If you’re trying to find angel investors, it’s unlikely that they will fall in your lap. They don’t have name tags and they won’t slip a calling card in your pocket when you’re not looking. You have to go after them, and do it in a ruthless fashion. But when you know how, you’ll be able to find them no matter what city you’re in.

Find Angel Investors with Networking

Some people are better than others when it comes to networking, but we all have friends, right? When you need to find angel investors ask every last friend you have if they know someone. The message will soon spread and before you know it someone somewhere will get your message. Read the rest of this article

Pitch Your Business with Three Simple Rules

Posted by WFG – August 30, 2011

berlin 196

Image courtesy of Klara.Kristina

If you have the chance to pitch your business for funding, there are three simple rules. These rules are for those of you that already have a basic outline and a business plan, but need that something special to help you stand out. Without it, you’re just another small business owner with an average idea.

Pitch Your Business in a Circle

Not physically in a circle, that would be silly, but make sure that the start and the end match up. Think of it like a Simpsons episode. At the beginning everything is normal, Homer works in the factory and the family live at the same house they always have. There is an introduction, much like your investment pitch, until the storyline starts and the core of the show unravels. This is the moment to reveal your business plan and company outlook. As the program goes on, the cartoon characters are built up and more often than not, the loose ends will be tied up, with the family back to sitting on the couch. It’s in this part that you summarize your pitch, much like you started, but with a broader outlook. Read the rest of this article