Investment bottelnecks removed for the mid- atlantic branch of angel investment network

Investment bottelnecks removed for the Mid- Atlantic Branch of Angel Investment Network

Read the papers today, and you’ll feel like start-ups are a rare breed in 2009.  Many sources say less people are starting up companies, albeit successfully too – citing the lack of investors available as one of the top reasons. But perhaps they are not looking in the right places.  

A paper in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News) recently did a story in which a start-up CEO almost seemed to feel like securing angel investment was easier in this market than before.  And it makes sense, since less competition combined with more places to look for funding make this a good time for companies to secure investment.  

It is true that angel investors are becoming more cautious, and one will need a strong, convincing business plan (or some already existing activity) in order to secure such funding, but this has always been the case.  However, sites such as the Mid-Atlantic Investment Network help potential entrepreneurs and existing start-ups alike find more channels in which to reach these investors.  

Many companies will look to raise “Seed Capital” from a wide variety of courses, including friends and family.  But the Mid-Atlantic Investment Network allows members to look beyond that, with the ability to broadcast your plans to other potential investors online.

While technology remains one of the top niches in angel investment (such as the recent development by an entrepreneur in Maryland to develop software that uses facial recognition technology to determine who can see the content on-screen), other fields are also attracting entrepreneurs and angel investors these days.  Our network has active investors and entrepreneurs in fields such as Real Estate, Retail, Business Services, Transportation, Health Care, Entertainment, Agriculture and more.  

A wide range of investors are members, including various angel investors from within Mid-Atlantic regions such as Delaware, Maryland (including Baltimore), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, etc), Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C, but also features investors located across the country and internationally.

Join the Mid-Atlantic branch of the Angel Investment Network today and find someone to help get your business off of the ground.

Learn what you can do to be successful in your business, even in a recession

Learn What You Can Do to Be Successful in Your Business, Even in a Recession!

News reports contain plenty of bad news about the economy that can make an entrepreneur fear that it is not possible to be successful during a severe recession. Utilizing the right tools and mindset, it is very possible to be successful. Here are some things other profitable companies have done to grow profits during economic downturns.

Turn off the news and think about this: Customers will still spend money in a recession; they just become more selective on where to spend their dollars. They look for what appears to be a better deal, whether it is better pricing, better customer service, a special add-on, easier sales process, and more.

Even during the Great Depression (that began in 1929), consumers were still spending. Companies that survived, and even thrived, got creative and took action. Here are just a few examples from that time period:

* Kellogg and Post were once pretty close competitors until the Great Depression. Kellogg came out swinging, with heavy marketing; Post took the no-growth strategy — thinking they needed to save money and not spend it. Kellogg overtook Post, and Post has never caught up.

A similar situation occurred with Chevrolet and Ford. Chevrolet increased their marketing and had a large market lead over Ford for many years.

* Proctor and Gamble began a huge branding campaign by being the first company to sponsor radio soap operas, which was a significant form of entertainment and relaxation for listeners. Their name became a household word and remains so today.

* Bixler Jewelers, credited as the oldest jeweler in America, saw a drop in customer traffic and decided to open a free lending library in the store. This creative service addition brought more people into their store, and also kept their current customers coming back. In time, sales began to increase. Bixler Jewelers survived the Depression and are in existence today.

* A.E. Schmidt was a billiard table manufacturer when the Depression hit. They diversified and sold janitorial supplies to restaurants. They also sought new markets for their billiard tables, approaching the US government about the need to provide inexpensive and positive activities for those in government work camps during the long, boring evenings when they weren’t working ? and billiards became one of the top activities at those camps.

* Cornell Iron Works was a specialty ironworks provider. In the Depression, they broadened their market so that they not only made specialty railings, grates and stairways; they also made plain metal siding for delivery trucks and security doors.

Some entrepreneurs saw opportunities that others didn?t see during the Depression, and took them.

* Warren Buffet?s father, Howard, noticed that many brokerages had closed or were not taking new customers, yet there were still some people who wanted to invest in stocks, so he opened a brokerage.

* Walt Disney knew people still wanted entertainment, and provided it at a low cost through animated cartoons.

* Ever hear of Monopoly? The rise of this game occurred as another form of cheap entertainment. A small investment for the Monopoly game became a way to see hope in the future, and as players developed their money making skills, they could pretend they were real estate barons.

There have been severe recessions since the Great Depression ended, and during each one, new and existing businesses were built to great levels of success.

Two companies that began business in a recession are Domino’s Pizza and Toys R Us. They thrived by using new marketing models. Domino’s Pizza created a marketing campaign that no other pizza company had: if they didn’t deliver the pizza within 30 minutes, the customer did not have to pay for it. Toys R Us transferred the warehouse store concept to selling toys — a first for that niche.

A very short list of some other companies that started business during economic downturns include: Wrigley Gum, UPS, NewEgg, Super 8 Motel, Microsoft, Symantec, Nantucket Juice, Zippo Lighters and Hewlett Packard. These companies are giants, and are well-known by multitudes!

What are the main keys to success in these examples?

1. GET CREATIVE with marketing, business models, product diversification and positioning, and,

2. SEEK the opportunities that others do not see, and,

3. TAKE ACTION, because of, and in spite of, the economic news.

Don’t get caught up in the fear that is being propagated on the news channels. Instead, focus on what you can do to create you success, regardless of the current economy.

Joint ventures make sense

Joint Ventures Make Sense

As there are numerous good reasons both business wise and financial, to create a joint venture with a company that has a great complementary capabilities and resources, such as distribution channels, new technologies or finance, joint ventures are becoming an increasingly popular way for different companies to build strategic alliances.

In a Joint venture, two or more parent companies agrees to share capital, technology, human resources, risks and rewards in a formation of a new entity under shared managerial power.

But before going into a joint venture, you should consider something first. We have gathered some information on what are the most important things to think about before going into a joint venture, here is the list:

Before going into a joint venture, be sure to first screen prospective partners. Make sure that you are on the same level of the industry.

Also make a joint development of a detailed business plan and short listing a set of prospective partners based on their contribution to the development of the plans.

Check the credentials of the other party by doing interviews and research. Check their previous business and also the sales that they are getting. You may also want to check customer feedback regarding their services.

You should also develop an exit strategy and terms of dissolution of the joint venture in case things would go wrong.

You should also try to think of the most appropriate structure for you joint ventures, for example most joint ventures involving fast growing companies are structured as strategic corporate partnership.

You should also take notice of the availability of appreciated or depreciated property being contributed to the joint venture; by misunderstanding the significance of appreciated property, companies can weaken the economics of the deal for themselves and their parties

You should also point out the different special allocations of income, gain, loss or deduction to be made among the partners and so with the compensation to the members that provide services.

You should also take note of the role of your business architect, this is a person that initiates new business ventures or leads business innovations, designs a winning business model and builds sustainable balanced business system for a lasting success.

Business architects can be found in multitude of business settings, be it in corporate change leaders, initiator of joint venture, and managers of different and radical company settings.

Human resources also plays a special role in joint ventures, here are some thing that a human resource should look into to get good business ventures.

The business strategy should begin with a sound, well articulated strategy. Before going into the first step, determine first and explain why you wish to enter into a joint venture, why you have chosen such partner or partners, and what the goal of the company is. You should put into word the involvement of the parent companies and define how long will the joint ventures last.

You should also describe strategies to define the managerial, accountability, decision-making process and conflict resolution procedures.
Develop Human Resource strategies that align and support the goals of the JV. You should develop a distinct identity and culture for the newly form company. Communicate energetically to the employees and establish a distinct career goal, management, and a means of welcoming return to the employees transferred to the joint venture.

Create salary, bonuses and retention program that is inline with the success of the joint venture. Maintain open communication between the companies that have been tied up.

Define a process for leadership selection that is seen fair and credible and give credits to the top-tier leadership as soon as possible. Look for key indicators of leadership potentials such as behavior, past experience, and measurable outputs.

To engage and motivate your employees, communication should be frequent and used to create a common vision, establish a connection with leadership, explain the new rules, support the individual transition process, aid in retention, and ultimately, define the new organization in terms of «We» instead of an «It» or «They». Share as much information as you can, and never sugar-coat or make false promises.

Conduct employee research to help the new organization determine what matters to employees and can serve as the foundation for all programs and incentives.

Jilin jiangyuan to develop shale tile industry

Jilin Jiangyuan to develop shale tile industry

Jiangyuan County, Jilin Province, give full play to advantages in resources, make full use of local rich shale soil, low-grade bauxite resources to vigorously develop the shale tile as the leading building materials industry. Of shale tile county sales market covers the three northeastern provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, shale tile production line to reach 40, an annual output of 400 million watts, known as the hometown of shale tile.

Jiang Yuan County, located in the Changbai Mountain Xilu, is very rich in natural resources. In the pages geotechnical, bauxite resources in the development process, the county, the county government adhere to the collective, the individual with the principles of individual and private funds to invest a billion dollars, all new shale tiles, glazed tiles, split tiles and other building materials from the project, In order to strengthen the scientific management of building materials company has set up a tile factory Hakusan City, shale, shale tile as the leading group. Hakusan City, shale tile group on the production, marketing and development of the major issues for macro decision-making to solve many manufacturers compete for resources and mutual issues such as lower prices, parent company to take the initiative to co-ordination with the railway authorities to address the most critical marketing shale tile link — transportation problems, thereby ensuring the healthy development of the dominant industries. Only shale tile 1, and annual profit and tax of up to 50 million yuan.

The county right-rich shale soil, low-grade bauxite in-depth processing and series development, production of high-tech and high value-added products. Has developed Cai Youzhuan, glazed tiles, wall tiles, bricks and other mid-range point. Hakusan City, a tile factory by investing 30 million yuan, the new production lines on the glazed tile, glazed tile production occupation of Dalian market. In order to foster new economic growth point, the county, the county government open up investment channels, investment 52.48 million yuan, all new development projects in-depth geotechnical page 11, continued construction of the project 5. These 16 projects, when 6.05 million yuan in profits and taxes can be.

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Is your property manager working for you

Is Your Property Manager Working For You? 5 Tips To Getting What You Pay For

With vacancy rates on the rise, it’s more important than ever to keep your units rented. Hiring the right property management company can go a long way towards doing so. But how can you be sure you’ve hired the right person? Following are 5 tips to help you make sure you’re on the right track.

1. Make Your Expectations Clear

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is rushing the process of hiring a property management company. Often they are so desperate to fill the position that they’ll interview only a few candidates before hiring someone. Taking a little extra time to hire the right property management company the first time will save you time and money in the long run.

The good news is that San Diego has a large pool of people to choose from. The first thing you want to look for in a potential property management company is enthusiasm. Remember that they will be the ones selling potential renters on your units. If they can’t even sell you on themselves, it’s unlikely that they’ll do an effective job for your rental units.

A good question to ask during the interview is, What do you like most about San Diego? If they answer with a generic response they are not the right candidate. Hire someone who exudes enthusiasm and who is passionate about the area. They should be familiar with and well informed on the attractions, such as Balboa Park, the numerous sporting options or Seaport Village. The key is to find someone who can speak with confidence and enthusiasm in regards to not just your rental units, but the area in general.

Once you have someone in mind that you think would make the right property management company, be sure to check their references and ask around and see if others in the field have any experience with them. Speaking not only to their previous employers but also with tenants that they worked with previously can be a big help.

When you’ve hired the right property management company, it’s important that you don’t simply hand them the management agreement with any addendums and assume that they’ll read them. Go over each issue individually to ensure that your new property management company understands the specifics of your rental agreement.

2. Stay Involved

While it’s true that you’ve hired a property management company to ease the burden of the day to day issues that spring up, this doesn’t mean that you can simply spend your days in Seaport Village, enjoying the San Diego sun or taking long drives through the mountains. You’ll need to strike a comfortable balance wherein you’ll check up on your properties, and your property management company, from time to time — without going overboard.

A good idea is to stop by your properties at least once a month. You’ll first want to do a drive by to check on the condition of the exterior of the property. Make sure your property looks great from the outside by creating an attractive curb appeal- this will help the property rent faster- the right kind of tenants take pride in where they live and these are types of tenants you want.

You should also take pictures of the interior and exterior of your units when you hire your property management company. This will give you proof of the condition your units were in when you hired them. In addition, have your property management company do a walk through every six months to make sure that there aren’t needed repairs that your tenants aren’t reporting.

3. Be Forward Thinking

It is the job of your property management company to take care of your advertising, but it’s your job to guide the way in which they do so. San Diego is not the type of city where you can simply place an ad in a newspaper once a month and hope someone spots it. Rather, you make sure your property manager is aware of the incredible promotional opportunities which exist on the Internet- if you see online channels your not using, get in touch with your manager and tell them about it.

Give your property management company an example of the type of ads you’d like written and follow up on them. Calling and posing as a potential renter can give you the best view of how your property management company handles these calls.

Check the books regularly. Focus on all the expenses that your property management company is incurring- keep on eye on each line item and expenditure so your property manager thinks twice before spending your money. The more often you check into these things, the less likely your property management company will be to abuse your trust.

4. Don’t Fear Change

San Diego is one of the most sought after locations to live in for many reasons. One of those reasons is that it is on the cusp of new technology and is a trend setting city. This means that you and your property management company must stay on the cutting edge if you are to find new renters and retain them.

One of the best ways to avoid having your San Diego apartment or home sit vacant for weeks or months at a time is to start showing them before your tenants move out. In order to do this, you must be sure that your property management company is keeping an open dialogue with your tenants. This will give you the best opportunity to know when you have tenants that will be vacating and to act pro actively.

You also need to be sure that you’re keeping an eye on the San Diego economy. While you do want to get a fair rate for your rental units, if you know that one of your long term tenants has been laid off or forced to take a pay cut, this is not the time for your property management company to raise their rents. Conversely, an increase in the San Diego Economy means that you should be ready to increase rental rates when the time comes not charging market rates is the worst mistake you can make as it devalues the perception of your property.

Lease increase need to be handled delicately- make sure you’re justified as if you’re not, your tenant will simply move to another location. However, if you instruct your property management company to do so in a fair way, you can relieve some of the tension. Keep your rental raises in line with other San Diego rentals. Tenants who understand that they may pay the same rent elsewhere are less likely to move-m oving is a huge headache and has many costs associated. It’s also a good idea to offer them incentive to stay, such as a bonus for signing a longer lease.

5. Appreciate Your Property Management company

Everyone likes to feel noticed and appreciated for their hard work, and your property management company is no exception. Something as little as a hand written Thank You can go a long way. As a management company, you should be quick to let your property management company know when their performance could be improved and quick to let them know when they’ve done an excellent job as well.