Call Me An Angel! Have You Missed Anything In Your Business Plan Before You Seek Out Investors?

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard..." but, does it bring all of the investors to the yard? Your business plan needs to address the questions that investors will be asking themselves as you pitch your "milkshake" dance to the people that you want stuffing your G-string with cash!

•  Is there an actual need for what ever it is that you want to sell?
•  Is the product fully developed?
•  Does your business plan show how the product or service will solve a problem in the industry
•  Does your product or service  create a revolution or paradigm shift in the industry?
•  Is there a lot of money to be made? How large is the market that you want to tap into and do you have the expertise and the background to go after it and gain your share? Does your Financial Business Plan detail positive cash flows and strong revenue growth? Are the figures realistic? 
• Who is going to buy your product or service?
• Do you have customers buying your product or service now or a commitment from them that they will buy from you?
• Does your business plan detail your own investment in start-up or product?
• Does your business plan have an exit strategy for your investor such as issuing an Initial Public Offering (IPO)?
• How do you get your product from your shop to the shelves or consumers?
• Always remember that investors are in investing in you, your team, and the business model. Does your business plan showcase the strengths of your experience and background?

If you would like to learn more about the process of  Angel Investment go to the Angel Capital Association http://www.angelcapitalassociation.org/entrepreneurs/faqs/#What_criteria_do_angel_groups_use_

Starbucks is raising money from the proceeds of their javalicious sales to help finance small businesses so that they can hire employees and get our economy back on track! So, go get your Starbucks on!

Why The Business Plan is The Greatest Asset of a New Business

Whether you are trying to obtain financing or just navigating the waters of new start up business the business plan is one of the best investments an owner can make when first starting out. The journey of any entrepreneurial endeavor can become overwhelming...unless you know who your competition is and where your best target markets are!

Know your target audience. Who are your most important customers, clients or prospects, and why? A carefully researched and prepared business plan can do this for you.

Before you walk in to ask for that loan or approach investors for capital financing, take the time to have a business plan created for you.

If you would like to learn more go to: 

 http://kalaunifinancial.com/

What do Investors and Venture Capital Groups Want To See From Your Business Plan?

A good friend of mine started his business in a shop that he built in his garage. He started by making cast molding of bloody hands and selling them at Halloween in catalogs. After several years he developed a business selling animatronic figures ( like the kind that you would find at Disneyland) Over time, he developed a personal  business plan of bootstrapping and issuing closely held stock to finance his small corporation. Today his company is thriving and he is one of the formost animatronic companies in the world!

If your dream has lead you to develop a company and you need to find capital to see it grow, you might have asked yourself, which is the best way to go? Where do I find financing for what I'm doing? What do these finance people look for?

Once you have started developing your business, a  well thought out business plan is essential in attracting capital from Venture Capital and Investor groups. What does an investor want hear and see in your plan and presentation? The business plan should have a clear vision of what you are selling, a business overview of who you are and who will be working with you along with your background and expertise in that field. They want to see a review of  how the economy is expected to fair in the future and the industry overall that you will be competing in. Also a marketing snap shot of who your competition is and how you stack up against them as well as your goals on how to enter the market and gain market share. The Venture Capital group and Angel Investors will want to also know how much capital you will require as well as an exit strategy for the investor. Will you issue stock and then buy back their shares at a later date? Or will they retain a percentage of ownership in the company?

Angel Investors and Venture Capital groups are very busy, have a complete business plan written with projected financial statements but, send the investors a detailed executive summary of your plan for the initial contact. If you go in to pitch your plan, have an executive summary ready to hand out along with your complete plan. Try to keep your pitch interesting and to the point. You only have a few minutes to tell them who you are, how you plan to revolutionize an industry or how you can make them a large amount of money with a quick turn around.

Best wishes and good luck with your venture!