How to Find Investors for Your Business

How to Get Investors for Your Business

Sometimes when you are going to be an entrepreneur, you need to raise money for your business. If you are opening a store, need equipment, or have to buy a shop, then you need money and that is where investors come in. In order to get investors, you need to do a few things, which will show investors that you know what you want and you are willing to show them how you are going to achieve success. Here is a quick guide for how you can get investors for your business.

1. The first thing, and most important thing, to do is put together a business plan. A business plan is very important because it shows your investors how you are going to make money. They want to know how you will make money because if you do not know, then you probably will not make money. Your business plan needs to have items in it that includes a mission statement, a list of your management team, a market summary, a description of your business concept, who your competition is and what your objectives are for the company. In addition, you need to put in financial documents to show how you are going to make money, what you expect to make and what you want to do with the money that you get.
2. At this point, you should look at joining business networking groups so that you can begin to network with people who will either invest, or know who you can invest with. You want to create relationships with people because the better people know you, the more of a chance they will want to invest with you. In addition, you can look at investor groups as a way to gain cash, but you have to be very prepared with these types of groups.
3. Practice makes perfect, so prepare your talk by talking to the mirror. If you go to the meeting and you do not know what you are talking about, or you are very nervous, then investors may not be as keen to invest with you. They want confidence; they want people that are sure of themselves, so you need to really practice what you are talking about before talking to investors.
4. When you go to your meeting with your investors, act as if you already got the investment and dress for success. By doing this, you show you are confident, that you are a professional and that you are taking the fact that you are asking for money very seriously. You want to show them that they are taking a chance on you and you will not let them down. That is what something like dressing in a suit and tie can do for you.

Remember, you may not get the first investors you go with, but don’t give up. You just need to take your time and work until you get investors. Someone will believe in you and then you just have to ensure that you do not let them down.

First Published: EntrepreneurJourney.com Aug 2, 2010

Harry’s Razors – Are They Worth It?

Harry’s VS. Schick Hydro 5

Comparatively new company Harry’s is getting popular as its razors are drawing attention for its low price and quality. However, can these razors surpass some well-known brands such as Schick in quality?

I have been using the 5-blade razor Schick Hydro 5 for a while and wanted to give Harry’s a try. Harry’s offers a shaving program that lets you try its products for free. Canadians have to pay $6 shipping, though. The trial package comes with a shave gel, blade, and travel blade cover. You will have to cancel the next razor shipment early­—if you’re not interested—because the shave plan will automatically keep sending you new blades based on your choice.

Individual blades cost $2 US for up to 8 cartridges. If you buy 16 together, it will bring down the cost to $1.75 US each, which is slightly over $2 Canadian.

Schick Hydro 5 also has a 5-blade razor and each blade cartridge can cost $3 to $4 depending on where you buy them. But if you get them on sale, you can get lower prices and it can come very close the Harry’s blade cost.

I tested both, shaving one side of my face with Harry’s and the other side with Hydro 5. Both gave me a very close shave, but I felt that the Hydro 5 glides smoother than Harry’s on my face. And I had this feeling that Harry’s might cut my face while I was shaving.

Harry’s blades are definitely a quality product, but I will not the switch from my Hydro 5. Pricewise, you can save money with Harry’s, even after paying shipping and the Canadian dollar conversion if you are buying a lot. But if you buy Schick on sale, you can get it at much lower prices.

Watch my video for more details: | Harry's Razor | Can It Stand Up To Schick Hydro 5? |

Saying Goodbye To MS Word And Excel

Months ago, I used Google Docs, and I thought it was pretty neat. However, I discontinued using it because it did not offer offline feature back then. Couple of days ago I tried Google Docs again and found out that it is fully equipped to work both online and offline. I like the fact that with Google Docs you can work on your documents whenever, wherever. I have had enough of Microsoft, and it is time to say goodbye to MS Word and Excel.

Google Docs is a free, hosted service where you can create and share documents such as word process, spreadsheet etc. The feature I like most is that you are not tied up to your own computer. Also, users can share and collaborate in real time. This is very useful if a group of students or a team of Internet Entrepreneurs are working on a project and would like to share and edit as they go along.

Recently, Google added limited PDF functionality to Google Docs. It can now upload, share, “copy and paste text” and “save as PDF”. Although Edit feature is not yet available, Google is expected to implement it shortly.

I have never been a fan of Microsoft Word and Excel. In this digital age, users are looking for a simple product with an emphasis on sharing ability. MS office failed to meet customer demand and ignored to address customer’s needs. Until now, I had no other choice but using MS Office. But now that there is an alternative , I am not going back to MS, and it is time to say goodbye.

First Published on: Jun 23, 2008 ADawnJournal.com

3 Things You Will Love and Hate About Amex Cobalt Card

American Express Cobalt Credit Card

American Express launched a new credit card recently. I will talk about 3 things you will love and hate about this credit card. Let’s start with 3 things you will love.

Rewards Structure: The first thing you will love is its rewards on some specific things such as grocery and restaurants, which will earn 5 rewards points. By far this is the highest return (5%) in Canada if you redeem these points for travel purposes.

Annual Fee Structure: Instead of paying $120 annually, you will be paying $10 per month. This is another first as well and it’s easier on your wallet to pay each month rather than a year at a time.

SPG Points: The capability to convert rewards points to Starwood Reward points (1:0.05). What this means is that for certain categories you will earn 2.5 SPG points, which is hard to find anywhere else.

Now let’s talk about 3 things you will hate.

Missing Travel Insurances: Although the Cobalt card provides some travel insurances, it does not provide very important travel insurances such as Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption, which are a must for any traveller.

No Airline Points Transfer: The Cobalt card does not offer any direct airline transfer partners such as Avios or Aeroplan. Yes, you can transfer to many airlines via SPG, but for many that’s not an option.

Not Accepted Everywhere: This is a common problem with all Amex cards, as they are not widely accepted everywhere like Visa and MasterCard.

Before selecting any credit cards, always do your research and make an educated decision based on your lifestyle and needs. If you would like to watch this article in a video, please visit here:

Amex Cobalt | 3 Things You Will Love & Hate |

The Most Successful Entrepreneurs in History

Successful Entrepreneurs in the World

Every field has those who excel, and entrepreneurship is just a further example of that. There are those who do well as entrepreneurs, and then there are those who do amazingly well. They are the ones who excel at what they do, and move forward in life to greatness. So, who are these entrepreneurs and what did they do to make themselves so successful?

• Richard Branson: One of the most famous men on Earth, he is known for his adventures just as much as he is for his business. Branson dropped out of school at the age of 16 and began a magazine called Student Magazine. From there, he went on to form Virgin Records, which signed some of the best bands of the 70s. Moving forward, he then created an entire Virgin brand that has 360 companies within it, including an airline and the world’s first space tourist service.
   
• Coco Chanel: Growing up as an orphan, Chanel worked as a seamstress to make ends meet. She had a strong drive that pushed her to try new things and learn new things, and that allowed her to create fashion ideas that would revolutionize what people wore. These days, she is known as much for her perfume, Chanel No. 5, as she is for her extremely profitable business.
   
• Michael Dell: Starting with $1,000 from home, Michael Dell dropped out of college and created PC’s Limited, which would become Dell Inc. From there, he created through drive and determination, one of the most successful computer manufacturing companies on the entire planet.
   
• Bill Gates: The richest man on Earth from 1995 to 2006, Gates dropped out of college and began Microsoft with a friend. With revolutionary new ways for users to use computers, Gates not only helped start the computer revolution, but helped to change the world in the process.
   
• Henry Ford: Speaking of changing the world, Henry Ford started off small as an apprentice when he was 16 and would go on to found the Ford Motor Company. Through his amazing concept of assembly line production, Ford not only changed how people made cars, but he made them more affordable for the masses and his concept of assembly lines changed the world in everything from clothing to food.
   
• Walt Disney: His name is known to all of us, and this high school dropout started off as just an animator who created a company that has become iconic. Thanks to starting off making cartoons with a mouse named Mickey, Disney and his company have gone on to create theme parks around the world, while making an estimated $30 billion a year.

These are just a few of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. If you want to be successful, it would be a good idea to learn their story and see how they were able to find such immense success in the working world. If they can do it, so can you.

First Published: entrepreneurjourney.com July 3, 2010