Without a good
business plan you're not going to get to face-to-face with the investor to make
your pitch. Many would-be business developers then find that approaching an investment
source costs money too. A broker should only charge for success - a commission
at settlement of your financing. Be wary, and check everything.
Since the Global
Financial Crisis a huge amount of capital has been destroyed - severely
limiting the ability of banks and other financial institutions to fund
investment. Be just as wary of the 'famous names' as you are of those you've
never heard of. Business Finance company
you approach may have been an active investor in the past, but check on how
much they are currently investing.
However, an investor
may also want to be paid for you lodging an application. This is valid -
because they need to know who you are and whether you're 'credit-worthy’.
Investor due diligence costs you money - and it can be quite a lot of money.
If the investor
doesn't live in your country, they shall want to have their people travelling
to make on-site inspections, face-to-face interviews with everyone associated
with the project. They have to. It's unavoidable. If you've been working with
good people, who can deliver, then they shall be working 12-16 hours a day on
the due diligence, and avoiding partying and girls.
Though angel funding
is viewed by many as primarily being start-up funding, the fact is there is
total freedom to seek and structure financing in any way that meets the needs
of the angel investors and your business. Using what you have learned in the
past, including through mistakes made, you can reinvent your business as if
it's a new enterprise and come out stronger than ever.It's also a fact that
businesses need to reinvent themselves periodically.
The reinvention often
comes on the heels of experience, though. People change, the economy changes,
the marketplace changes, customer needs change - all good reasons to reinvent your
business and rev up revenues once again. Experience can teach entrepreneurs
that the business is solid but needs a new approach to penetrate the market, a
new service or product to round out its offerings, or perhaps a new look or
refined brand image that successfully appeals to the niche market.
It's
a pity that so many businesses with great potential end up going out of
business simply because the owners refused to adapt. Commercial Loan
became abundantly clear as the recession, and now the slow recovery, unfolded.
The economy shifts periodically and the successful business is able to shift
with it.
Stubbornly
refusing to change a brand that has become outdated is not a good business
practice even if you have spent years building it. A brand won't be useful if the
business fails because you didn't listen to the marketplace. The
core competencies of your business serve as the starting point for reinvention.
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