Tag: business

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

Small Business Funds

Posted by WFG – August 30, 2011

money roll

Image courtesy of zzzack

Small business funds are the life source of a startup company. They not only help you progress as an organization, but as a small business owner. These funds though, can be hard to come by and while you can try pitching your business to investors, you can also look to government grants.

Government Grants

The first approach to finding small business funds is the government grant. But before you rush to your nearest government office, you’ll need to consider a few requirements.

  • Make sure you’re eligible, which sounds obvious, but true. A wide selection of applications get turned down simply because company owners don’t read the criteria.
  • Keep your finances in order. When going through the application process, authorities will need to make sure your finances are professionally maintained. This means invoices, receipts and any documents to support your application.
  • Have enough time. Many small business owners don’t understand that government grants can take time to complete. Give yourself roughly three to four weeks.
  • Seek professional help. You may find that completing the application process is getting in the way of other tasks. By getting professional help you can complete a good government grant application, and work at the same time. Read the rest of this article

Finding an Investor

Posted by WFG – August 29, 2011

Finding an investor might sound simple, but it isn’t. There are a series of different strategies and the chances are you’ll need to put them all into action. Just remember that if your business idea is good, they’ll need you as much as you need them. Pitch your business well and you’ll be in a commanding position.

Know Your Plan

Before you start pitching your business and finding an investor, you need to know what you’re looking for. There is a typical angel investor and you should aim your search for the following points.

Age: 40-60

Income: Exceeds $100,000 Read the rest of this article

E-Business Risk

Posted by WFG – August 24, 2011

E-business risk is everywhere and it can severely damage your company reputation. But in this day and age not using internet technology would leave you falling behind the competition. So how do you get by and manage the potential e-business risks?

What Is E-Business?

Computer Keyboard - stock photo

Image courtesy of espensorvik

In the most basic terms, e-business is using internet technology for your business. By using this, companies can reach out to more customers, speed up their services and create a better product. It’s an ever changing part of the industry, but learning how to use it isn’t the hardest part of e-business. One of the toughest aspects is keeping up with the progression. One of the e-business risks is being left behind, but by staying one step ahead of the industry you can use it to your advantage. Some of the examples of e-business are:

  • E-mail
  • Online Banking
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Business to Business Data Exchange
  • Commercial Transactions Read the rest of this article

Video Investment Pitch Online

Posted by WFG – August 24, 2011

One of the newest ways to gain funding for your small business is to try a video investment pitch online. But despite Youtube growing in size every day, not many outlets offer this form of exposure. So why bother with this source of investment pitch?

The Modern World

De Draak

Image courtesy of Hans Pama

On TV there is a program called the Dragons Den, where entrepreneurs pitch their business to investors, and hope to gain funding. It gives them national coverage, and though some ideas are rubbish, others get the money they need and help the company move onto bigger and better things. Read the rest of this article

Small Business iPhone Apps

Posted by WFG – August 23, 2011

As technology evolves it’s important to find the best small business IPhone apps. It can keep you up to date with current events, can help you monitor your website and will also push you to be creative. So what are the best small business IPhone apps?

iPhone 4's Retina Display v.s. iPhone 3G

Image courtesy of Yutaka Tsutano

Communication With Your Small Business IPhone Apps

Every business person needs to communicate. So you’ll need something that can help you contact whoever you want, whenever you want. Though you can pretty much do this already, some IPhone apps enable you to make conference calls to more than one person. Read the rest of this article

Dealing with Difficult Staff

Posted by WFG – August 19, 2011

As a manager, dealing with difficult staff can be a pain. It makes your life hell, causes problems with other staff and harms progress. But before you make a sudden decision and fire the employee, remember why you hired them to begin with, you may be able to use the situation to your advantage.

Ashes of Problem Employees

Courtesy of mio_pls

Dealing With Difficult Staff, Not Ignoring

Some staff might cause problems in the work place, but also bring something to the company that others can’t. A wide range of managers will simply choose to ignore the problems, because of the more positive aspects. But doing this won’t solve the issue. The difficult staff won’t just stop being who they are, so deal with it sooner rather than later. Before it gets out of hand.

The chances are that the member of staff won’t realize they are causing a problem. This is down to a polite workforce that wants to get along. As the manager you will need to help your staff by addressing the issue and making it go away. Not only will you feel better, but the rest of your team will be grateful.

Read the rest of this article

Good Staff Management Tips

Posted by WFG – August 19, 2011

We all remember good staff management. It helps us become a better employee without making it feel like all work and no play. So what do these good managers have that we can learn from? Here are some tips to point you in the right direction. Read the rest of this article

Small Business Growth Strategy Tips

Posted by WFG – August 19, 2011

So for a while now, you’ve been running a successful business. Money is rolling in and customers are happy. The only problem is that you’re feeling frustrated. There’s room to develop but before doing so, you’ll need a small business growth strategy.

Starting Your Small Business Growth Strategy

The easiest way to start growing your company is expanding into new markets. Are there areas of the industry that you haven’t touched upon? If there are you need to find a way that your service/product can fit in and compete. Read the rest of this article

Boost to Florida Small Businesses

Posted by WFG – August 18, 2011

A federal program has promised that small businesses in Florida will have more access to funding. This comes after years of tight business loans and conservative company managers. The change will help many with long waited expansion.

For more on this news visit the Capitol News Service.