Like, nearly, everything else, in life, purchasing, and owning, investment real estate, should be considered, on a risk/ reward basis/ scale! While, many have earned their fortunes, or supplemented their incomes, buying these types of properties, doing so, is not true, for all! There are many possibilities, both, positive, and negative, and a wise buyer/ investor, recognizes, understands, and analyzes, as many of these, as possible, in order to make the smartest decision! With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, some of these types of considerations, variables, etc.

1. The purchase price: The process begins, with closely, examining, and considering, whether the price, you purchase the property at, will serve your objective! Do you know, the realistic range, of rents, you might be able to charge, for tenants’ leases, etc? How easily, should you, be able, to rent these, so there are fewer vacancies? What might be your cash flow, after considering your financial outputs, both up – front, as well as on a monthly basis? How will you determine the rents, you charge? Are you certain, you aren’t over – paying, for this investment? What rate – of – return, are you seeking, and how will you get there? How realistic are your objectives?

2. Upgrades needed: What condition is it in? Will you need to make certain repairs, upgrades, etc, at the onset? If you think you will need to upgrade, soon, what will be your strategy, and focus, and will you be disciplined, enough, to – create a realistic, workable, time – table? Remember to factor – in, any expenditures, in these areas, you will need, to make, in order to determine, your overall cost of purchase!

3. Potential upgrades: Fully consider, and budget, for future upgrades, which you, envision, will need, to be performed! When you determine these, and adjust, your projections, accordingly, you begin to better understand, the correlation between the potential rewards, versus the possible risks!

4. Cosmetic and structural: There are 2 basic forms of upgrades, to consider, cosmetic, and structural. Obviously, the latter, cannot be delayed, while, you sometimes, might be able to delay the former. However, whether it makes sense to proceed, immediately, with a cosmetic change, it’s important to weigh, whether doing so, might make, the property, more sought – out, viable, and potentially, able to generating, enough additional revenue, to make this a smart approach. Before purchasing, it’s important to have a qualified, Home Inspector, or Engineer, comprehensively, examine, the entire structure, in terms of its overall quality, and expectations!

5. Rental income: Examine, on the lower – end, what the property (unit – by – unit), might deliver, in terms of rental income. Make your projections, based on only about 75 – 80% of these figures, in order, to ensure, you are able to handle the cash flow!

Examine potential investment property, using the risk/ reward approach! Don’t do this emotionally, but, do so, in a logical, analytical manner!

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, Director of Development, consultant, professionally run events, consulted to thousands, conducted personal development seminars, for 4 decades, and a RE Licensed Salesperson, for a decade+. Rich has written three books and thousands of articles. Website: http://PortWashingtonLongIslandHouses.com and LIKE the Facebook page for real estate: http://facebook.com/PortWashRE

Smaller, investment properties, often, offer, significant financial/ economic benefits, in terms of creating a combination of asset growth, return – on – investment, and some degree of safety! However, this is true, only, if, the purchaser, first, thoroughly, understands, what to seek, and why! Different potential properties, have, varying, potential, for optimal performance, etc! While, everyone, cannot, consistently, take care of, afford, or get involved, in major real estate deals/ purchases, far more, are able to take advantage of smaller properties, etc. These vehicles, often, include, one, to four, family/ unit, houses, and, while some, offer, attractive investments, others, may not, always! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 4 significant, meaningful, main/ essential considerations, and evaluations.

1. Cash flow: Cash flow, when it comes to these, usually, refers to, the difference, between, the funds/ revenues, received, and the monthly costs. It is important to consider these, in a conservative manner, by, basing evaluations, not, on the highest, potential rent – rolls, but, by market – based rents, and, no more than 75% occupancy (to avoid, a potential, cash – crush, if there are any interruptions, due to a variety of possibilities/ contingencies). In addition, the investor, must, be careful, to ensure, his personal cash flow, doesn’t suffer, by using too high a percentage of his reserves, for up – front costs, as well as creating reserves, etc!

2. Area/ neighborhood/ local market: Before, making – the – leap, thoroughly, consider, and evaluate, local real estate market conditions, and discover, the marketplace, for rentals, in terms of, availability, demand, advantages, and/ or, disadvantages! Thoroughly, know the specific area, and determine, if it offers, the best scenario, for you, and your priorities and purposes!

3. The 6% Rule: Many pay close attention to, what is often, referred to, as the 6% Rule, when it comes, to purchasing, smaller, investment properties. This means, three – quarters, of a realistic rent – roll, must achieve, at least, a six percent profit. Expenses, must include: mortgage – related expenses, including principal, interest, taxes, and escrow; landlord – paid utilities; repairs; renovations; upgrades, and reserves, etc.

4. Property condition: Understand, the existing condition, of the subject property, and, what, will need to be addressed, immediately, on an intermediate – basis, and in the longer – run. Reserve funds, must be used, and prepared, for as many contingencies, as foreseeable, etc! On the other hand, don’t be, overly – influenced, by staging, and overestimating, rent – rolls!

After, over 15 years, as a Real Estate Licensed Salesperson, in the State of New York, I believe, strongly, in the possibilities, and advantages of investing in smaller, investment properties, but, only, when, this is done, carefully, and in a focused manner! The smarter, you proceed, the better – off, you will be!

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, Director of Development, consultant, professionally run events, consulted to thousands, conducted personal development seminars, for 4 decades, and a RE Licensed Salesperson, for 15+ years. Rich has written three books and thousands of articles. Website: http://PortWashingtonLongIslandHouses.com and LIKE the Facebook page for real estate: http://facebook.com/PortWashRE

All too often I see small business owners missing the mark with their marketing. Sure, it’s easy to do when you specialize in a specific industry niche and you spend your time engulfed in industry sector jargon. However, it’s best to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes and think your marketing through from their perspective, addressing their most important questions. Your customers want to be able to trust you, to know you are looking out for their interests and that you don’t just see them with Dollar Signs in your sunglasses.

Below is a sample page, perhaps good for a website, brochure, email, or letter. Why not look this over and consider how you might form your own message. Use your own voice, your own style and remember you are talking to your customer across the table for the first time. You know what questions they will ask. Show that you care, that you are working for them, and will go out of your way to get them the best rates, and great service. Here is the sample:

Commercial Real Estate Loans

Are you looking to purchase an income property such as an apartment building, small office building, or retail center? Would you like to put several rental properties in your real estate portfolio into one commercial mortgage? Wish to find a suitable piece of land and develop that property? Do you need a loan for acquisition and construction?

Do you want to buy a business property with a business on it; a restaurant, carwash, service station, laundry mat, hotel, etc.? Are you looking for a commercially zoned property with a warehouse or industrial building on it? Are you expanding an existing business and/or want to own the property under your business rather than paying the monthly lease?

Are you in the agricultural sector, looking for specifically zoned farming property; land for a vineyard, orchard, or crop such as berries, vegetables, or flowers? We have significant experience to make this happen. Our area in Southern CA has one of the best climates in the world, and incredible top soil for growing almost anything.

We can assist with all types of commercial real estate loans including government-guaranteed loans such as FHA, USDA, and HUD. If you are looking for an SBA 7(a) loan or a CDC/SBA 504 loan for commercial real estate we can get it done.

We can assist you with traditional commercial mortgages, commercial bridge loans, or commercial hard money loans. We also have lines on non-traditional sources for hard money commercial real estate loans, which are custom tailored to you needs for complicated projects outside the normal scope of typical commercial real estate loans and mortgage offerings.

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Why not try something like this? Just because the Federal Reserve has raised rates doesn’t mean you have to let new deals and new clients move to your competitors. I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Innovation in America. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net.

Joint venture businesses are composed of two or more companies, groups or individual businessmen or businesses. The join each other to create a much better or a new business line, hence the name joint. Today, a lot of businesses have been joint venturing with other businesses and companies for numerous benefits. Although the benefits are obvious, there are still some disadvantages when joint venturing.

Joint venture has lots of benefits; one of the most obvious is that you can survive financial crisis or depression because your venture partners can absorb some of your financial crisis to retain the company in shape. Usually this venture is being done to eliminate some or totally eliminate the competition to achieve a monopolized market for your business.

Another reason for businesses to have a joint venture is to have a different line or target market. This is to enable the company, usually a much bigger one, to target other market other than their present market. This enables the company to enter a new line of business and learn more about the products that they are going to create from their joint partners. This is very beneficial especially for those companies that jointed with other companies that have trade secrets or patented products and intellectual properties. They can now gain access to this valuable information that could help them and their partners expand their business.

Upon entering a new market, this venture not only allows the other company to enter and penetrate the market of the other, it also helps the other companies’ capabilities with handling the market. This makes the company a much bigger and better competitor if not the best in their specific market. Giving them full and great access and flexibility with their target market.

Joint venture capital also helps the company grow faster. This is because of the number of business lines that they have. This enables them to profit from different markets. For the part of the company that a market fails, the total failure is being absorbed by the entire venture capitalists. This works equally the same by the time they gain profit.

Although there are numerous advantages of joint venturing, there are some disadvantages too. One is that if your business partners were not as productive as your business. This will become a drag for you since you will equally share and endure the drawback of the other business. Another is you will have to share all the information that you have to your partners. And finally, if your business partners are not as effective or work efficient as you are. This may affect the management area of your business and may result to lower success of success. Besides that the power to govern your business is no longer solely to your company, but for the whole joint ventured companies.

Overall, joint venturing is a nice thing to do if you plan on expanding and growing your business much faster and if you intend on having different lines of market. Just a simple reminder, learn more about the partners you are going to have your joint venture. Choosing the right business or company can lead to success and vice versa.

Contact us for more information on a host of additional services.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mabel_Miles/887749

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6131065

Now the concept of a leased fee estate comes up most often in MAI appraisals.  A good MAI appraiser will usually only bring up the concept of a leased fee estate when the property is leased out for a long term at far under the market rate or at far over the market rent.

Now Back to Grandpa Jack:

Let’s suppose the huge R&D building was not burdened with the below-market, long-term lease to Oracle.  If it was rented out at $20 per square foot (pop quiz:  per month or per year?), the building would be worth – at a 7.5% cap rate – $40.5 million.

But the property is NOT leased out at $20 per square foot.  It is burdened with a long-term lease of just $9.60 per sf, which is less than half the market rate.  At a 7.5% cap rate, the leased fee value of the property is just $19.5 million.

The Debt Service Coverage Ratio is a financial ratio, used when making commercial real estate loans, designed to determine if the property generates more than enough net income (typically 1.25x) to make the loan payments on the proposed loan.

The Debt Yield Ratio, in contrast, is a financial ratio, used when making commercial loans, designed to make sure that the amount of the new commercial loan never gets too large in relation to the net income thrown off by the property – no matter how low interest rates get.  This latter point is critical.

In the lead-up to the financial crisis in 2008, conduits brought amazingly low interest rates on commercial loans to prime commercial real estate.  Because interest rates were so low (in comparison to prior years) in 2005, 2006, and 2007 that investors were able to achieve historically sky-high loan-to-value ratios, sometimes as high as 80% loan-to-value!

Venture capital firms are different from private investors in that they have raised capital from a number of high net worth individuals with the intent to make investments on their behalf into promising start up companies and expanding businesses so that they can ultimately take the business public via an IPO or sell the business for a substantial earnings multiple. There is not a single business that does not face any type of specific business risk that should be addressed within your business plan. You should showcase, within your business plan, how you’ll deal with an economic recession as it relates to remaining profitable and cash flow positive. The primary difference between private investors and venture capital firms is that these individuals tend to live in areas where there are a number of other high net worth individuals. In some instances, you may be able to finance your business through credit card receivables if you’re already in operation as an alternative to expensive equity capital financing.

Angel investors usually have a net worth of $500,000 to $1,000,000 although this number may be higher in selected metropolitan areas. It should be noted that venture capital firms will typically take 30 days to 60 days to make a decision as it relates to the capital that you need. Most angel investors are prepared to make their investment decision within two weeks of receiving your proposal. In any document that is specific for a angel investor or venture capital firm should have appropriate disclosures as it relates to the risks associated with business which should be drafted by an attorney. When you’re developing your business plan for an angel investor or venture capital firm, it is extremely important that you dismiss your emotions in the product or services that you is that you sell.

We recommend that you have your attorney present during your first meeting in order to make sure that the individual is a legitimate investor or venture capital firm that is willing to make a significant investment into your business. It should also be noted that there are firms out there that can introduce you to angel investors or syndicated individual investment groups when you are seeking private equity capital.

The primary difference between an individual investor and a venture capital firm is the amount of capital that they are willing to provide you with as it relates to making an equity investment into your firm. As such, if you are seeking less than $5,000,000 then it may be in your better interest to work with an angel investor rather than a large scale investment firm.

In the convoluted microcosmos of Silicon Valley, it is more common to find a person who is an ‘angel investor’ than a person who owns a bike. Angel investors by definition allocate a small amount of their own investment funds to support companies that give companies a financial taxi lift. One thing few people realize is that to get into that taxi you need to be ready, and you need to know where you are going, and when do you think you will get out.

So, in financial terms to access angel investments you need to:

1. Get yourself to the taxi: you need to be able to walk on your two feet, or with the help of a device. We don’t invest unless you have an established company, a tax id, a defined product or service, a prototype or a defined set of promises, some form of market validation (sorry your friends do not count). We don’t take crawling babies without parents – but we take babies with parents and we call that pivoting. And yes, both babies and parents get out on the next stop.

2. Carry a wallet. Have some skin in the game. The best way to put this in perspective is this: if you are not going to take a risk, I’m not taking it for you.

3. Speak the language. To understand each other we need to speak the same language, and in many many cases that means that the financial language needs to be clear to you. Oh yes, and the business language, and the execution language. You don’t need these languages to apply for some jobs, but if you want the title of entrepreneur, you need the language to get hired.

4. Have direction. Knowing where you are going and how to measure you are on the right track is critical. Yes, there might be accidents but you can do a plan B on the spot if you know where you are going. It also helps if you know the route, if you’ve taken a similar route before or if you have advisors along the way that can check in. Or you can take a ride with others and everyone benefits.

5. Accept some guidance. You might know the route, the goal, and the starting point, but we are in the business of transportation. We are in this day in and day out, and know when and where there is traffic, bottlenecks, stop signs, and landing spots. We also know the best time to take off, run, and go. And we know what has changed or not since the last time you took a ride.

6. Plan your exit. Taxis need your space to carry more passengers. You will need to get out at some point. I once said that the best description of the angel investor- entrepreneur relationship was this: how can we part ways and be happy about our time together? This is one of the most exciting opportunities to create something in such a lose structure. Angel investors invite entrepreneurs to their taxis at the expense of other rides, they spend time and resources together, and they expect financial and emotional rewards. We want to feel good about taking you from here to there. Entrepreneurs must also choose who they take the ride with. You can’t go to the moon in a bike, but you can enjoy the ride in a different way, and you will NEED that taxi to take you to the shuttle’s landing, or the airport, the train station, the port.

Thinking about Angel Investing as a time-defined transportation helps you manage this funding mechanism, but if you want to fund your company, whether it is a small company or a young one, there are many other ways to do it. Don’t limit yourself thinking that angels are the only ways to fund a company. Sometimes there not, and sometimes there are not even the best way.

Having an angel invest in your company does not define your success.

Getting into a business partnership has its benefits. It allows all contributors to share the stakes in the business. Depending on the risk appetites of partners, a business can have a general or limited liability partnership. Limited partners are only there to provide funding to the business. They have no say in business operations, neither do they share the responsibility of any debt or other business obligations. General Partners operate the business and share its liabilities as well. Since limited liability partnerships require a lot of paperwork, people usually tend to form general partnerships in businesses.

Things to Consider Before Setting Up A Business Partnership

Business partnerships are a great way to share your profit and loss with someone you can trust. However, a poorly executed partnerships can turn out to be a disaster for the business. Here are some useful ways to protect your interests while forming a new business partnership:

Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels

1. Being Sure Of Why You Need a Partner

Before entering into a business partnership with someone, you need to ask yourself why you need a partner. If you are looking for just an investor, then a limited liability partnership should suffice. However, if you are trying to create a tax shield for your business, the general partnership would be a better choice.

Business partners should complement each other in terms of experience and skills. If you are a technology enthusiast, teaming up with a professional with extensive marketing experience can be quite beneficial.

2. Understanding Your Partner’s Current Financial Situation

Before asking someone to commit to your business, you need to understand their financial situation. When starting up a business, there may be some amount of initial capital required. If business partners have enough financial resources, they will not require funding from other resources. This will lower a firm’s debt and increase the owner’s equity.

3. Background Check

Even if you trust someone to be your business partner, there is no harm in performing a background check. Calling a couple of professional and personal references can give you a fair idea about their work ethics. Background checks help you avoid any future surprises when you start working with your business partner. If your business partner is used to sitting late and you are not, you can divide responsibilities accordingly.

It is a good idea to check if your partner has any prior experience in running a new business venture. This will tell you how they performed in their previous endeavors.

4. Have an Attorney Vet the Partnership Documents

Make sure you take legal opinion before signing any partnership agreements. It is one of the most useful ways to protect your rights and interests in a business partnership. It is important to have a good understanding of each clause, as a poorly written agreement can make you run into liability issues.

You should make sure to add or delete any relevant clause before entering into a partnership. This is because it is cumbersome to make amendments once the agreement has been signed.

5. The Partnership Should Be Solely Based On Business Terms

Business partnerships should not be based on personal relationships or preferences. There should be strong accountability measures put in place from the very first day to track performance. Responsibilities should be clearly defined and performing metrics should indicate every individual’s contribution towards the business.

Having a weak accountability and performance measurement system is one of the reasons why many partnerships fail. Rather than putting in their efforts, owners start blaming each other for the wrong decisions and resulting in company losses.

6. The Commitment Level of Your Business Partner

All partnerships start on friendly terms and with great enthusiasm. However, some people lose excitement along the way due to everyday slog. Therefore, you need to understand the commitment level of your partner before entering into a business partnership with them.

Your business partner(s) should be able to show the same level of commitment at every stage of the business. If they do not remain committed to the business, it will reflect in their work and can be detrimental to the business as well. The best way to maintain the commitment level of each business partner is to set desired expectations from every person from the very first day.

While entering into a partnership agreement, you need to have an idea about your partner’s added responsibilities. Responsibilities such as taking care of an elderly parent should be given due thought to set realistic expectations. This gives room for compassion and flexibility in your work ethics.

7. What Will Happen If a Partner Exits the Business

Just like any other contract, a business venture requires a prenup. This would outline what happens in case a partner wishes to exit the business. Some of the questions to answer in such a scenario include:

• • How will the exiting party receive compensation?
  • How will the division of resources take place among the remaining business partners?
  • Also, how will you divide the responsibilities?

8. Who Will Be In Charge Of Daily Operations

Even when there is a 50-50 partnership, someone needs to be in charge of daily operations. Positions including CEO and Director need to be allocated to appropriate individuals including the business partners from the beginning.

This helps in creating an organizational structure and further defining the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder. When each individual knows what is expected of him or her, they are more likely to perform better in their role.

9. You Share the Same Values and Vision

Entering into a business partnership with someone who shares the same values and vision makes the running of daily operations considerably easy. You can make important business decisions quickly and define long-term strategies. However, sometimes, even the most like-minded individuals can disagree on important decisions. In such cases, it is essential to keep in mind the long-term goals of the business.

Bottom Line

Business partnerships are a great way to share liabilities and increase funding when setting up a new business. To make a business partnership successful, it is important to find a partner that will help you make fruitful decisions for the business. Thus, pay attention to the above-mentioned integral aspects, as a weak partner(s) can prove detrimental for your new venture.

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at https://www.funded.com/

The other day, I was talking with an individual, a seasoned entrepreneur looking to raise a little capital for his next business, and he noted that he only needed a little bit of startup money to get the prototypes going, to prove concept, and to start making money.

Yes, perhaps so, and perhaps not, but how can he come up with the money if he doesn’t have family members to fund it or any money of his own to invest? Okay so let’s talk a little about this case study, perhaps you are in the same boat as a small time entrepreneur?

Entrepreneur says: “I have a manufacturer and sources lined up to make these devices, and it doesn’t cost that much to make them, and I also have beau coups contacts to get them into the market, so I can be launched and operating for very little money.”

Still, contacts are not commitments. Sources are not firm guaranteed delivery. How much, do you have a rough plan? Go ahead and copy it into an email so I can read it. If it is really cheap, you could try the “micro-funding” online sources where folks can chip in small amounts – crowd source type funding, but you’d still need a strong business plan and go get real money to really make this vision happen. What are your thoughts on the crowd source funding concept, I was asked?

Well, here are some of my thoughts, you see first off; Hope and Change are BS right? I mean you have to make it happen, that means “step 1” is still only “step 1” and is no guarantee you can get to the real goal of creating a viable business that will launch these products into the market.

Now then, should you go the crowd sourcing route, does it make sense, is that a good way to raise funds? Well, it can be, and it has worked for some folks, of course a nice business plan helps, but then at the same time you are giving away your idea to the whole world, and describing your invention, innovation, or business model to entrepreneurs, foreign imitators, and others who will merely steal your concept.

But, if you can get your funding and go to step one, quickly, complete that, and get a second round of funding to keep going at a fast pace, it could work, and yes, people have done it, and it is one source of funding. So, please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Business Subjects. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

Purchasing an established business can be a daunting and complicated process for many individuals. Understanding the steps involved in the acquisition and doing the necessary planning and preparation will enable the buyer to increase their chances for a successful transaction. Following an established and proven process will not only reduce the stress that often comes with chartering new territory but also eliminate many of the risks and unknowns that often derail a business acquisition.

1. 1. PERSONAL ASSESSMENT

The first step in buying a business starts with introspection. This process should be a thoughtful and honest examination of the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, skill set, as well as their likes and dislikes. This analysis will assist in narrowing the selection for the logical and best choice of business enterprise to pursue.

What talents, skills, and experience do you bring to the table and what are the types of businesses that can excel with these attributes behind the helm. Here are a number of questions that the introspection phase should involve:

1. 1. What type of business do you want to operate? Is it one where you are the owner/manager or do you prefer to have a management team in place?
   2. What hours are you available to dedicate to the business? Obviously, owning a small business will never be a 9 to 5 endeavor. Having said that, it will be important to determine the time available to manage the business. Do you prefer a B2B business that operates M-F 8-6pm or are you more flexible and would consider a consumer oriented business that is open late or often over the weekends?
   3. Are you successful at sales, meeting with clients, and being the face of the business or are you better suited to a managerial role and running the business from behind the scenes with an established sales force in place?
   4. Are you able to travel and be away from home for several days or do you require a business that keeps you close to the family each day of the week?
   5. Do you have a background and expertise in the manufacturing of products or is it the service industry or distribution model that is more your forte?
   6. Do you have any licenses or certifications that qualify you for a certain business? If not, are you prepared to obtain the necessary credentials required for successful ownership if the targeted business requires such certifications?
   7. What are the things that you really enjoy doing? What are the things that you prefer not to do? The best advice is to start considering businesses in industries that the buyer is passionate about.

These are a few of the questions that will help an individual assess the types of businesses that they are best suited for and assist in narrowing the range of enterprises where the buyers skill set, experience, capabilities and passions can be leveraged.

1. 2. DEVELOP INVESTMENT CRITERIA

Now that you have established the type of business that is a ‘good fit’ the next step is to put pen to paper and concisely define your investment criteria. If you will be seeking bank financing it will be important that the investment criteria match your resume or the transferrable skills that you are bringing to the table. The investment criteria will state the following:

1. 1. 1. What is the price range of the business that you can afford to buy?
      2. What is the geographic location for the business you seek to buy?
      3. What type of business are you looking for?
         • Manufacturing
         • Wholesale/Distribution
         • Service
         • Retail
         • Web-based
      4. What industry should the business be in?
      5. Management structure (owner managed or management team in place)?
      6. Size of business. In terms of:
         • Revenues
         • Profits/Earnings
         • Number of employees
         • Number of locations
      7. Recurring revenue model vs. project based

1. 3. LENDER PREQUALIFICATION

If you plan to use bank financing to acquire a business it is important that you obtain a prequalification before your search process. Not only will this the ‘prequal’ provide you with the data as to how large of a business you qualify to purchase but it will also demonstrate to the business broker and seller that you are a serious buyer. If you are serious about buying a business and will need to obtain financing, receiving a bank prequalification is a required step at some point in time. Therefore, what would be the reason for procrastinating and not having this in place at the outset? There is zero downside and only considerable benefits. Contact your business broker as they will be able to recommend a financial institution that does business acquisition lending for the type of business you are interested in purchasing. This is an area where having the right lender is critical.

1. 4. BUSINESS SEARCH (Individual or Retained)

What is the process that you are following to locate and qualify businesses for purchase? Will you be conducting the search on your own or will you utilize the services of a professional business intermediary or broker. There are literally thousands of business for sale at any given moment. A process needs to be established for conducting the search and qualifying businesses. Few of these businesses are of the quality, caliber, and profit level that distinguish them as being best in breed. What have you done to ensure that you will stand out and be given the proper consideration when engaging a broker regarding a business for sale? The business-for-sale marketplace is plagued by unprepared and non-serious buyers inquiring about any enterprise listed for sale. It takes the right preparation, message, and professional team to establish contact and quickly get to the point where the business can be qualified as a legitimate candidate or one that should be dismissed. Too many prospective buyers fall prey to the late business internet search process and clicking on any business that catches their interest. Unfortunately, serious buyers get lost in the field. This is where the prior steps come in handy – having a personal bio, an established investment criteria, as well as a lender preapproval.

1. 5. QUALIFICATION

A business that is professionally represented for sale will have a number of documents available for review by prospective buyers (e.g. Financials, Asset list, Business Summary, etc). Buyers will need to execute an NDA in addition to demonstrating that they are qualified both from a financial standpoint as well as an experience standpoint to be considered a serious candidate.

At this stage the buyer should already have completed individual research or have first-hand knowledge on the industry. For those without direct industry experience there are trade magazines for just about any business sector not to mention the wealth of data available on the World Wide Web.

The buyer should have a list of questions already prepared, designed for one purpose – determining if the business meets the majority of elements within the investment criteria. The buyer should understand the value of the business. If the business is priced outside of their financial ability they should not be evaluating the business and wasting anyone’s time, most importantly their own. It will be important for a serious buyer to recognize that there is no such thing as a perfect business and each will have different strengths and weaknesses. Most buyers are seeking businesses with growing revenue, a stable customer base, excellent staff, established policy & procedures, and increasing profits. What are the most important qualities that you are seeking? Ranking the criteria is often helpful when qualifying businesses. Finding a business which meets some but not all of the criteria is more the norm than the exception. In many cases, the buyer may be positioned and experienced to improve certain business aspects that are deficient. Following this approach will also enable the buyer to quickly and efficiently eliminate those businesses which will not be a suitable fit, an endeavor that will save all parties considerable time. A quick no is far better than a slow no for everyone’s sake. Lastly, the buyer should recognize that the better the business is, the more they will be expected to pay.

After the initial information exchange the buyer should prepare a second set of questions based upon the particulars of the specific business. After receiving this information the time has been reached where the buyer knows whether their basic criteria has been met. The buyer is clear on the business valuation, the financials, and the business operations and the seller (through the broker) should be clear on how the candidate will be financing the transaction.

A teleconference should be arranged by the business broker to fill in any gaps of information and to allow specific business questions to be asked by the buyer and answered directly by the seller. Should this interaction satisfy the requirements of all parties a personal meeting and site visit is often arranged. During this meeting the buyer, seller, and broker can discuss the framework for a transaction that will satisfy the needs of each party. Only serious contenders should be involved at this point. Now is not the time to waste anyone’s time as a tire-kicker if the goal is not to proceed. Buyers should be clear that regardless of signing the NDA, data such as names of specific clients will not be divulged, not just at this point, but until the transaction closes.

1. 6. LETTER OF INTENT – TERMS SHEET

A Letter of Intent (LOI) and Terms Sheet are typically non-binding documents which are used for one fundamental purpose… to determine if there is a meeting of the minds between the buyer and seller on the price and terms of the sale. The LOI will outline the strategic points of the agreement. Investing time at this stage and preparing a more detailed document will avoid misunderstandings and prevent key terms from being renegotiated later. Some of the broad points that should be addressed include:

1. 1. Who is buying the business?
   2. What is being acquired (Assets, Stock)
   3. Transaction price and how that money is being paid
   4. Loan commitment letter date.
   5. Proposed closing date.
   6. Is there a consulting agreement and if so, what are the terms?
   7. What are the contingencies for the transaction to close?

1. 7. LOAN COMMITMENT LETTER

With an executed (signed) LOI in hand the buyer will now need to obtain a ‘Loan Commitment Letter’ from the lender. A loan commitment letter is produced by the bank and will confirm that the buyer is approved for financing to acquire the business. The Loan Commitment Letter is generated after a thorough review of both the buyer’s data as well as the target business’ data.

1. 8. DUE DILIGENCE

Most business acquisition transactions will require bank funding. The bank will have a proven, structured, and very detailed due diligence process and it is this methodology that the buyer should rely upon when acquiring a business. Why attempt to recreate the wheel? The bank works solely on behalf of the buyer and their fundamental interest is in ensuring that the buyer is acquiring a business that has the required financial framework for the new owner to be successful and positioned to repay the principal and interest on the acquisition loan. The bank will provide a DD checklist that covers a wide variety of documents, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. 1. Financial Statements & Tax Returns
   2. Asset & Inventory List
   3. AP & AR
   4. Corporate Books & Records
   5. Contingent Liabilities
   6. Sales & Marketing Materials
   7. Employee Agreements & Benefit Plans
   8. Equipment, Vehicle, & Property Leases
   9. Customer and Supplier Contracts or other Agreements
   10. Insurance Policies

1. 9. PURCHASE CONTRACT

The business for sale contract aka Definitive Purchase Agreement (DPA) is typically drafted by the Buyer’s ‘Transaction Attorney’ after the LOI is in place. If the proper care was taken in developing the LOI, the DPA should be a much easier document to produce. In circumstances where the major deal components were not properly negotiated or addressed in the LOI, the DPA becomes much for complicated and a higher risk level is associated with the transaction closing.

Upon execution of the LOI, the DD period commences and the DPA should begin being drafted. The DPA is the binding contract covering all aspects of the transaction. The DPA will cover all assets that are connected to the purchase, including but not limited to:

1. 1. Assets/Stock being acquired
   2. Price, Terms, & Payment
   3. Representations & Warranties
   4. Covenants
   5. Indemnification
   6. Non-Competition Agreements
   7. Lease Assignments
   8. Landlord Consents
   9. Consulting Agreements
   10. Asset Allocation

In most transactions the DPA is executed at the closing table but this is not a requirement. In certain circumstances, the buyer and seller will elect to execute this Agreement prior to the actual close.

The DPA is the actual contract that consummates the sale of the business. It will include a number of Schedules and Exhibits detailing all of the terms of the sale. This is a custom Agreement and the level of detail, length, and companion schedules and attachments is predicated on the particular business.

During this stage the buyer should already have their new business entity established (assuming it is not a stock sale), business bank accounts created, insurance policies prepared, merchant credit card accounts (if applicable) in place, etc.

1. 10. THE CLOSING

The closing should be the easiest part of the process. Why? Because all of the above steps have been followed diligently by both parties. For business-for-sale transactions the “closing” is simply the process by which both the buyer and seller execute (sign) all of the documents that have already been discussed and agreed to. Having the right transaction team in place from the start (transaction attorney, business broker, and lender) will make this a smooth process. Each of the advisors has their role and when done properly the closing becomes an uneventful step.

1. 11. TRANSITION

The terms and conditions of the business transition will vary based upon the type and complexity of the individual business. Obviously, the specifics will have already been spelled out and agreed to in the DPA. For some businesses, a customary 4 week transition period is all that is required. For others, the Seller will assist for an extended period of time, often under an employment or consulting contract. When bank financing is involved, especially the SBA, the Seller is typically restricted to a consulting or employment contract that does not extend beyond 12 months. The transition period is the stage where the seller and new owner implement the change of ownership and how that is communicated to employees, customers, suppliers, etc.

The transition of ownership represents a big change and the goal is (often) to make it as seamless as possible. To be effective, this process must be planned in advance with all stakeholders in agreement

Do you actually consider that a company with no real asset can value so much as $40 billion? Well, you are going to find out in this short article today.

Today, I believe you will benefit from some of the simplest elements in valuing a company. So let’s begin, the 7 essential elements most companies consider when they value themselves based on milestones.

I was searching for a topic this morning when I came across a discussion on Reddit “How Companies such as Uber and Ashley Madison Value Themselves”? The discussion caught my attention when one of the participants said, “I was reading about Ashley Madison scandals and how it has sales of $115 million but values itself at $1 billion.

Even a company like Uber that has no real asset value at $62.5 billion, where did they get those values from?” and I know that some of you out there might have also wondered how they got those values?

Well, most companies value themselves based on their milestones. Let me give you one example, if you watch Uber news you will see that they always talk about their milestones.

The company proudly announced that they have reached the new milestone on April 14, 2015. Wayne Ting said, “the number of Bay Area driver-partners on Uber platform exceeded 20,000 for the first time… And we were not even halfway there just one year ago”.

Then again on June 28, 2015, they also exceeded their milestone in South Africa, and this year 2016, their target is to hit another milestone in China. Okay, in that case, let’s briefly brush over the 7 essential elements that most companies look at when they value themselves:

#1: Business plan – The number one thing they would be proud of is that they have a business plan. They know the purposes of a business plan, that you can use it when you want to raise funds. You can also use it as a marketing tool and as a planning tool.

#2: Money – Money is a very important tool in every business, you know that. They go and raise some cash.

#3: People – They also hire people, and Remember the number 1, 2, 3 things investors look at when they value a company is people.

#4: Products – Another thing is that they build their products, and take them to the market. It might just be a company’s app or something like that.

#5: Customers – When there are no customers, there would be no sales, and when there are no sales definitely there would be no profit. They carefully figure out who their major customers are, or their target market. They may base their target on demographics, or university students of lower or upper grade, geographical or what have you.

#6: Marketing – This is very, very important. Marketing is the propeller that propels their products to the desired market, I mean the right market. It also helps your brand name gain exposure, when handled effectively.

#7: Risk – So what most venture capital firms do is that they look at a company’s risk factors, if the stage of the risk of the company is less, generally, they worth more money on all those stages.

Conclusion: what else do you think that was not added to the list of the 7 essential elements? In one of my training articles we talked about business plan purposes, money, people, customers, products, marketing and risk. Share this content with your friends, and have a nice day.

In order to get your business off the ground, or to continue operating, you must be able to obtain the financing you need. It’s not easy to get that money – especially if you lack business experience and don’t have a very good credit score. There are things you can do to increase your chances of getting approved. Here are a few tips on how to apply for a small business loan:

• Write a detailed business plan that explains why exactly you need the funding, how you’re planning to spend the money, and what you are going to do in order to pay it back. The last part is especially important, as you must demonstrate that you will be capable of gaining profits, and that through those profits you’ll be able to repay the lender with interest.

• Research the different types of loans and determine which would be the best one for you to send the application to. The SBA loans are backed by the US Small Business Administration, but they typically have strict eligibility requirements. There are term loans that are offered by financial institutions such as credit unions and banks, and can range from short-term to long-term solutions. Other options include lines of credit, merchant cash advance, microloans, crowdfunding, etc.

• At some point when you learn how to apply for a small business loan you should take the time to review your credit history and score. If your business has been around for less than three years, you probably won’t have much of a business credit history. You might have to use your personal credit history, and if it isn’t very good, you might have some problems getting approved. Review the credit reports and consider working with a credit repair agency that will help you remove any potential errors and clear some issues up.

More Tips About How to Apply for a Small Business Loan

• Compare different offers and terms. Pick at least 3 lenders that seem to offer the ideal terms and conditions for you. If you don’t take the time to review multiple options, you might miss out on a lower interest rate. Don’t apply for TOO many loans, however, since it could hurt your credit score.

• Read reviews about each lender you are considering to see what other businesses of similar size of yours are saying about them. Which lender seems to have a good rating with companies in your industry? Which ones are in solid financial standing?

Now that you know how to apply for a small business loan, start getting all of your credit info and reports ready, and create a good business plan. Start with a company like US Business Funding, which has an A+ rating with the BBB.

To get closer to financial freedom, visit George’s website: https://www.financiallygenius.com/us-business-funding/

This is intentional.  Commercial lenders and CMBS investors want to make sure that low interest rates, low caps rates, and high leverage never again push commercial real estate valuations to sky-high levels.

So what is an acceptable Debt Yield Ratio?  For several years after the Great Recession, 10% was the lowest Debt Yield Ratio that most conduit lenders were using to determine the maximum size of their advances.  That number has crept down to 9% today and occasionally lower.

In our example above, the subject commercial property generated a NOI of $437,000.  Four-hundred thirty-seven dollars divided by 0.10 (10% expressed as a decimal) would suggest a maximum loan amount of $4,370,000.

Fixing credit isn’t as difficult as you might think, if you understand the steps that need to be taken and try to get your credit reports fixed up. The problem with trying to do everything yourself is that the process can take a lot of time, effort, and patience. If you really want to get everything cleared up as soon as possible, the fastest way to fix credit is to request assistance from professional credit repair analysts – particularly those with actual lawyers involved.

In the internet world of endless options, finding the ideal credit repair service might not be as easy as most people would like. You have to filter out all of the ones that get a lot of negative reviews and have a reputation for scamming people. One red flag is any claim that seems too good to be true, such as “Increase Your Score 50+ Points in Just 30 Days!” Even in the best case scenarios, that will be HIGHLY unlikely, since it will take at least 30 days for them to hear back from the credit bureaus about whether or not your negative items will be removed. Even if they are, it’ll probably take a bit more time to start seeing the score increase.

Fastest Way to Fix Credit With a Legitimate Company

Still, there are LEGITIMATE companies out there, and working with them is the fastest way to fix credit for most people. It might also be in your best interest to consult with a debt settlement / relief company in addition to a credit repair company. It all depends on the severity of your credit issues and how much of it you are confident in handling yourself.

It might be easier to handle some of your credit issues yourself if you know exactly what is causing your score to be low. You’re entitled to request and review copies of your own credit report free once a year from all three bureaus: Equifax, Transunion, and Experian. If you haven’t already done that this year, do it right now. Examine it all carefully, and if there is any information that seems inaccurate or unfair, the report should provide you with the information you need to dispute that information.

You can also try to catch up on any bills you are struggling with. Try your best to keep up with all of your payments.

If it’s all too much for you, then it’s okay to seek help. Consider a company like AnalytIQ Group, if it’s available in your state. There are a lot of positive reviews that indicate that this firm offers the fastest way to fix credit.

Whether, one is looking, to purchase a new home, and/ or, feels it is in his best – interests, to refinance, for whatever reason (for example, other financial need, seeking better rates, etc), it’s important to carefully choose/ select, the best mortgage banker, for you! Since, each of us, is different, and, the combination of one’s personal knowledge and experience/ expertise, as well as our emotional composure/ make – up, it is, often, a significant consideration, ensuring, choosing, the right person, for you, to professionally, assist you, in your financing/ mortgage needs! With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 6 specific priorities, one should consider, in making their choice/ selection.

Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels

1. Listens effectively: Like, in many consumer positions, etc, it is wise, to choose, someone, who listens, effectively, rather than dominating the conversation! How can anyone, make the best recommendations, in terms of, mortgage – terms (lengths, down – payments, using – points, etc), unless/ he, fully considers, individual needs, in a customized way, rather than, merely, proceeding, on a one – size – fits – all, basis?

2. Custom service: Each of us, has individual needs, knowledge, etc, so, choose a mortgage banker, who customizes his approach, to best serve your needs, priorities, and best – interests, instead of, merely, the same – old, same – old, manner! Since, for most people, their house, represents their single – biggest, financial asset, doesn’t it make sense, to carefully, consider, all relevant aspects, and details?

3. Explains thoroughly, what is needed: Beware of the difference, between, being, pre – qualified, and pre – approved, for a loan! The more detail, and documentation, up – front, generally, eases the rest of the transaction period. Seek, someone, who, openly, thoroughly, explains, what will be needed, an overall strategy, and the best path, forward!

4. Explains thoroughly, what to expect: Few things, become more stressful, than being confronted with surprises, and the need, to produce, on a timely basis, additional documentation, etc. When, your chosen professional, thoroughly, explains, what to expect, and has you, as prepared as possible, it significantly, eases the process!

5. Hand – holding: Many find the entire, real estate transaction period, stressful, it demonstrates, how important, your choice of your agent, and mortgage banker, is! It is best, to choose, someone, and/ or, a team, which is there, for you, every – step, along the way, and holds – your – hand, and comforts you, throughout!

6. Expedites/ stays on – the – ball: It’s not enough, for someone, to be, simply, a glorified, order – taker! Seek someone, who, proactively, expedites, and eases the process, is consistently, prepared (no surprises), and stays, on – the – ball!

Ease the home – purchasing, and/ or, financing process, by hiring the finest, mortgage professional, for you, and your specific needs, and priorities! The wiser, you proceed, the easier, this will be!

Today, trust is the basis of many of our every-day interactions and exchanges. We put money into a bank trusting that it is safer there. We give information to one another on the basis that they will not share it with someone else without prior permission. We also put a lot of trust into pieces of paper – money, land records, transaction information, etc. But these pieces of paper can be easily stolen, forged, or altered. Nowadays while we are moving towards the computerization of information, data can still be hacked and leaked easily.

Blockchain is a series of records or data distributed through a network of computers so that no central computer or database holds the information, instead, every computer contains the data making it a fully transparent system. Why blockchain is so impressive is due to its unhackability. Each exchange, transaction, or record entered into a database is time-stamped and verified by a large group of trusted computers before it is put as a block into a chain of various other exchanges, transactions, or records. After it is entered, the information “block” cannot be altered or deleted because that means altering or deleting the chain on all the computers simultaneously which is almost impossible.

The social impact that blockchain technology can have is tremendous and can be implemented toward solving many issues the world faces today in a variety of areas. In most developing countries agriculture contributes to a major part of their GDP; yet many farmers suffer due to lack of money, lack of land, and lack of various resources necessary for farming. Even if a farmer owns a large plot of land, it is often incorrectly recorded. Property titles also tend to be susceptible to fraud, as well as costly and labor-intensive to administer. Blockchain can be implemented to digitize land and farmers will no longer have to fear someone hacking the database and committing fraud over land ownership as all types of record-keeping will become more efficient.

The technology will not only tell you who currently owns the land, but it can also tell you who previously owned the land making it extremely simple to track the chain of title. Blockchain can correctly update the records of which portion of the land belongs to which person and how much was produced from that land, allowing the farmers to get the correct amount of funding necessary.

Among many other areas, blockchain technology can contribute to the healthcare sector. Maintenance of Public healthcare records is a constant issue in many countries with its inaccessibility to doctors and patients. By creating a decentralized ‘ledger’ of medical data, we are able to remove the paper trail in healthcare and make patients’ medical records available to the patients and doctors easily and efficiently. It also eliminated the fear of the medical files getting lost. Such a change is not only convenient but necessary where doctor-patient confidentiality is becoming increasingly important.

Currently, blockchain is primarily used in finance. Blockchain can accurately record the transfer among people, and because each transfer is with minimal to no charge, it has the potential to disrupt today’s financial organizations that make money by charging a fee for each transaction or transfer made. This makes what is called a peer-to-peer network, where a third party is not required for a transaction to occur.

In the financial world what that means is that if a person wants to purchase something, usually the bank and the place/site from which you’re buying, will take a fraction of what you’re paying. And because there is no fee for a transaction in blockchain or the transaction fee is minuscule compared to the transaction value, most if not all the money goes directly to the creator or distributor of the product.

The same logic can be applied to the music industry as well. In fact, it is already being implemented today. Rather than a person purchasing a song through a streaming service like Apple Music or Spotify, they will pay directly to the artist and obtain the rights to listen and use the music. This eliminates the need for a ‘middle-man’ and makes every transaction only between 2 entities.

These are just a few examples of where blockchain can be used to completely change how things used to be, essentially changing our lives, the economy, and our world. Blockchain is a multi-faceted technology that can be applied to almost every business sector in some way. An exciting technology that can change society for the better; a change that is not just convenient but necessary.

We are currently, witnessing, a period, of time, with the longest, extended period, of historically, low, interest rates, in recent memory! While, there are many reasons, for this, it may be, beneficial, to better understand, the fundamentals, and relationships/ ramifications/ impacts, of this sort of prolonged, extended period. However, it’s also important, to recognize, since, we have never witnessed this, before, our concepts are based on theories, concepts, and apparent, common sense. Will interest rates, remain, this low, and become, the New – Normal, or, will, we, once again, see cycles, over – time? With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 4 questions, and whether, it will, in the longer – run, create undesirable ramifications.

1. Historic lows – How low, will rates go?: In the last year, or two, many have believed, we experienced, the lowest rates, only, to discover, they went, even – lower! Although, these are historic lows, how low, will they go? We observe mortgage interest rates, which have never been lower, in recent memory, and the impacts. In housing, it means, a buyer, can purchase, more house, for – his – bucks, because, it creates low monthly payments, etc. It also means, individuals, can qualify for bigger loans, because, their monthly expenditures, are a lower percentage of one’s overall income, etc. When, banks pay, such low – interest, and bonds, such, low dividends, it contributes, strongly, to the rising stock market, for a number of reasons, including, it being, the only game, in – town! However, banks and lenders, also, reap large profits, because, they still charge high rates, on credit cards, and, other, unsecured – consumer loans! It helps car dealers, because, especially, lease rates, but, also car loans, becomes more attractive!

2. Historically, rates fluctuate?: Will they do so, this time?: A review of historic trends, indicates, rates fluctuate, over – time. Since, they seem to have usually done – so, will this occur again, and, if – so, when? Since, the United States budget deficit is also, at a record – high, will that prolong, or reduce, this current period?

3. Relationship between rates and stocks: Because, when rates are low, using bank vehicles, or bonds, bills, etc, become less attractive, largely, because, they may not, even, keep – up, with the inflation rate, especially, in the long – term! Therefore, the stock market, usually benefits, because, many borrow cheap – money, and invest it, in stocks, and, it also, becomes, the only game, in – town!

4. If this continues, what will Federal Reserve use, as new/ future incentives. stimulus: Historically, the Federal Reserve, used lower rates, to stimulate investing, and/ or, spending. If this becomes the New – Normal, what will be the weapons, available, etc?

Will this become the New – Normal, or, just, a temporary, cyclical occurrence? The smartest strategy is to understand impacts, and be prepared!

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, Director of Development, consultant, professionally run events, consulted to thousands, assisted with financial planning, and conducted personal development seminars, for 4 decades. Rich has written three books and thousands of articles. Website: http://plan2lead.net and LIKE the Facebook page for planning: http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

The public is, often, bombarded with, a variety of economic terms, which, often, instead of helping the untrained, better understand, merely confuses them. How often have we heard, terms, such as, recession, depression, inflation, stagnation, etc, but, many, have only a limited understanding, of what that means? As, a former, licensed, representative, and principal, for a financial services company, I have learned, and developed, an understanding, and appreciation, for what these mean, and their potential impacts. Often, I try to make others, feel more comfortable, by joking, that the difference, between, a recession and a depression, is, it’s the former, when it happens, to you, but, the latter, when I am affected! With that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, these four concepts/ principles, and what they mean, and represent.

Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels

1. Recession: A recession is, generally, defined, as a period, of temporary economic/ financial decline, when, trade, industrial activities, and other economic indicators, are identified, in, at least, two consecutive quarters. It is usually reviewed, in terms of, the Gross Domestic Product, or, GDP, which measures, overall economic performance, in a specific nation. Often, the Federal Reserve Bank, uses several tools/ methods, to attempt to enhance activity, including reducing interest rates, etc.

2. Depression: When, the recession, becomes, even more severe, and endures, for a significantly, extended period of time, it is often, considered, a depression. We might witness, either, a specific component of the economy, which is depressed, such as housing, or industry – specific, or, an overall one. Nearly, everyone, is familiar, with the period, which began in 1929, and extended, for several years, which is referred to, as, the Great Depression.

3. Inflation: Inflation is the rate at which, a specific (or several) currency, falls, and, results, in an overall, rise in most prices of products, and services. The usual pattern, of the Federal Reserve Bank, is, to increase the costs, of borrowing money, also referred to, as interest rates. In most cases, when these increase, significantly, many individuals discover, their wages, do not keep up, with the inflation rate!

4. Stagnation: When we refer to, stagnation, in economic/ financial terms, it refers to a significant period of little, or lack of activity, growth, and/ or, meaningful development! When, this occurs, for a prolonged period of time, it generally, creates a loss of employment possibilities, and, often, more unemployment. Historically, governments use a variety of economic stimuli, to strengthen, overall economic activity, and hopefully, restore us, to a stronger, better, financial condition.

When it comes to money – matters, the more, one knows, the better – off, we might be, in being prepared, for eventualities. Learn as much as you can, for you own best interests.

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, Director of Development, consultant, professionally run events, consulted to thousands, and conducted personal development seminars, for 4 decades. Rich has written three books and thousands of articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

Monetarism is actually a set of views depending on the perception that the entire sum of money in an economy is actually the main determinant of economic development.

Monetarism is directly linked with economist Milton Friedman, who argued, dependent on the amount concept of cash, that the federal government must maintain the money supply relatively constant, expanding it slightly every year largely to allow for the organic progress of the economy.

Monetarism is actually an economic idea that says that the source of cash in an economy is actually the main driver of economic development. As the accessibility of cash in societies increases, aggregate need for goods as well as services goes up. A growth in aggregate demand really encourages job development that brings down the speed of unemployment and influences economic development. Nevertheless, in the long-range, the growing need will ultimately be bigger compared to supply, creating a disequilibrium in the marketplaces. The shortage the result of a higher need than supply is going to force costs to go up, leading to inflation.

Monetary policy, an economic device used in monetarism, is actually applied to change interest rates to manage the money supply. When interest rates are improved, individuals have much more of an incentive to conserve than to invest, therefore, contracting or reducing the money supply. On the flip side, when interest rates are actually lowered observing an expansionary monetary system, the expense of borrowing decreases that means folks are able to borrow even more and invest more, therefore, revitalizing the economy.

Because of the inflationary consequences which could be brought about by too much expansion of the cash source, Milton Friedman, whose job formulated the concept of monetarism, asserted that monetary policy must be performed by focusing on the growth rate of the cash source to keep economic and price stability. In the book, A Monetary History of the United States 1867 – 1960, Friedman proposed a fixed growth rate known as Friedman’s k percent rule, which recommended that money supply must develop at a continuous yearly speed tied to the nominal GDP growth as well as conveyed as a fixed percent per year. By doing this, cash supply are going to be likely to get moderately, companies will have the ability to count on the changes to the cash supply each year and also strategy accordingly, the economy will develop at a constant speed, and inflation is going to be maintained at levels that are low.

Central to monetarism is actually the Quantity Theory of money, that says that the cash supply multiplied by the speed at what some money is actually spent per year equals the nominal expenditures in the economy.

Monetarist theorists observe velocity as frequent, implying that the some money supply is actually the main element of Economic growth or GDP growth. Economic development is actually a characteristic of economic activity as well as inflation. If velocity is actually predictable and constant, subsequently an increase (or perhaps decrease) in money will result in an increase (or perhaps decrease) in possibly the price or quantity of goods and services sold. An increase in cost levels denotes that the quantity of goods and services sold created will continue to be constant, while a growth in the amount of goods produced implies that the typical price level is going to be fairly constant. Based on monetarism, variants in the some money supply will affect cost levels over the economic and long-term output in the short term. A shift in the cash supply, consequently, will immediately determine employment, production, and prices.

The perspective that velocity is actually regular serves like a bone of contention to Keynesians, who think that velocity shouldn’t be regular since the economy is actually subject and volatile to regular instability. Keynesian economics states that aggregate need is actually the answer to economic development and also supports some activity of central banks to inject more cash into the economy to boost interest. As reported previously, this runs contrary to monetarist idea and that asserts that such actions can lead to inflation.

Proponents of monetarism think that managing an economy through fiscal policy is actually a bad decision. Increased government intervention interferes with the functions of a completely free market economy as well as may lead to big deficits, improved sovereign debt, and also greater interest rates, that would ultimately force the economy into a state of destabilization.

Monetarism had the heyday of it in the first 1980s when economists, investors and governments eagerly jumped at each brand new money supply statistic. In the many years that followed, nonetheless, monetarism fell out of favor with economists, as well as the link between various methods of inflation and money supply proved to be much less distinct than almost all monetarist theories had recommended. Many central banks now have stopped establishing monetary targets, rather have adopted stringent inflation targets.

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Bids, Tenders and Proposals

Submitting bids and tenders is a great way to grow and expand your business and is a great way for a small company to become a much larger company. It can be frustrating and costly to bid, this work taking you away from other business activities. However, winning a bid gives you access to a new customer and other project opportunities. You also have to consider as to whether you have the financial standing and moral fortitude to undertake large projects so choose your opportunities with great care. Smaller projects can help your company grow efficiently and profitably with less drama and anguish. Here are a few pointers to remember when producing tenders.

1. Work in partnership on larger tenders, spreading the risk, costs and work required with a similar company, but also the profit.
2. Make sure that what you bid on you can actually provide at the price that you bid on.
3. Be on time with your submission – if you miss the cut off date and time you will not be evaluated.
4. Ask and review the questions if you are unsure. Questions asked are a great way to understand what other bidders are struggling with as well.
5. Similarly attend the briefings.
6. Read the RFP and PQQ numerous times, particularly the guidance notes, the must haves and the evaluation criteria. This gives you a wealth of knowledge about what is required and what will score you good points.
7. Keep to the word count and guidance on what to produce. If it says no attachments for example they will not evaluate these so keep this information in the main body of the tender. This includes CVs/Resumes.
8. Research: Look at sample tenders on the internet and try and find out who your target company deal with currently.
9. Understand your target company and what kind of objectives and visions you have. Prove in your tender that you understand the company.
10. Understand who you may be competing against and try and find your USP that will put you above them.
11. Do not use jargon without explaining it first.
12. Do not lie on your proposal in order to win – it will come back to haunt you if they find out or you win a bid you cannot produce.
13. Many companies are risk adverse so ensure they understand how you are mitigating risk.
14. Mention your company name at least once in each question- just to remind the weary evaluator who you are. Be positive about what you CAN provide. No modesty allowed in proposals.
15. Make your target company excited about working with your company whilst also giving them confidence that you can provide a winning solution.
16. Do not mention competitor names or make any reference to them, but make sure that you appear better than them in your proposal.
17. Use consistent branding and great presentation throughout your proposal, particularly if it is written by more than one person.
18. Ensure all the attachments have your company name, copyrights and bidding reference on them and obviously if you refer to an attachment, make sure they are actually submitted.
19. Ensure that your costing model is accurate and makes you a profit. Winning because you have a low priced bid is no good if you are tied to a non profit making proposal for the next few years.
20. Lastly quality check to ensure you have answered all the questions correctly, spelt and grammar checked and have not missed out any requirements.
21. Always ask for feedback on your proposal, even if you lose.
22. If you are asked to a presentation, do not assume you have won, they often ask several. Prepare to give the best presentation of your solution that you can.
23. Keep bidding, it’s a numbers game, the more you tender the more chance you have of winning, particularly as you get better and quicker and bidding.

© Copyright 2020 Biz Guru Ltd

Lee Lister writes as The Biz Guru, for a number of web sites where she provides assistance for the business entrepreneur. She is known as the Bid Manager and is a recognized bid management expert.

If you would like assistance in writing your tender or PQQ, visit: http://www.TenderWriting.com or read Proposal Writing For Smaller Businesses which can be found on Amazon.

This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached. ————————————————-

Having a money sense is critical to becoming successful in life. When an entrepreneur chooses to get to the next level, it is imperative that he takes into cognisance such things that can mar his progress in business. Among the things that can make or mar a business is taking loans. People take loans to meet up with their expectations. However, it takes a wiser entrepreneur to decipher when to or when not to take a loan. Loans can do wonderful things for you when properly managed. It can help solve urgent problems, cater for substantial expenses and grow businesses. Though loans can work perfectly for those who have steady income, yet it has the propensity of entangling those who struggle to earn a living. It is very important for every entrepreneur to note that a mismanaged loan is hell. Credit quickly becomes a source of frustration and can cause real damage to someone’s future financial prospects.

This present generation is a credit bound generation. It is a loan-cultured generation! Countries borrow to finance projects, creating huge damages to their economy, while individuals, companies, organisations, etc delve into the same act of borrowing or taking a loan to make ends meet. Apart from emergency expenses, moving costs, appliance purchases, vehicle finances, wedding expenses, home remodelling, etc, people take loans to consolidate debt. Whatever be the reason to borrow, loan helps as well as entangles.

One of the dangers associated with taking a loan is its strangling nature. You are bound to get chocked if you don’t have your main capital which should exceed the loan. A loan is worth taking only to increase your capital base or to make much more money than the original loan.

Loans can be obtained based on certain terms of agreement between the lender and the borrower, and can come in two forms: secured and unsecured loans. Secured loans require collateral, which could be in a form of property, held back or seized if the borrower defaults payment. Unsecured loans don’t require anything as collateral but typically require a higher credit score. If a borrower fails to pay back an unsecured loan, there is the risk of being sued or having a lawsuit filed against the borrower by the lender or bank.

Money is good, very hard to make but so easy to spend. Our lifestyles most a times help to bring us to a tighter corner. We live so extravagant that our daily/monthly incomes cannot just be enough. Having an attitude problem is one thing, and devising a way to solving it is another. Some of us are ready to make a few tweaks in our lifestyle, stop a few money habits that are toxic to our growth, and take certain steps that will help us break from this cycle.

Growing up, I never knew what is called prudence. I lived so extravagant that it became a problem for me to save for the rainy day. My pocket money was the first to finish and in no time I will start looking for where to borrow. My fellow students were my first point of call. One day, I was deeply insulted by one of them when I approached him for a loan. I gave it a deep thought and decided to change.

Believe me, I was so liberal at school that I could give out my under-wears just to help other students. Little did I know that I was being foolish. Some of them would hide their things and come to share mine. I did not see it coming. I thought I was doing service to humanity. My eyes opened to reality the day I decided to become stingy, so to say. It could be that you have been plunged into perpetual debt, such that you even borrow to pay debt, no matter the interest. Many businesses have collapsed as a result of the owners eating up their capital. The moment they see money, they start spending, especially on irrelevant things. As a business man/woman, does what you spend your money on yield back profit to your business?

You go into a spending spree the moment money enters into your hand. Ask yourself few questions. Some of us have the belief that witches from the villages are the cause of our troubles. Let me tell you, the money in your hand belongs to you. It is only spent on anything by your own approval. If witches are there, you have power over them to control them. Just do the following:

• • Track your spending – If you do not track the way you spend money, you are likely to underestimate how much you spend in certain areas or even to forget some expenses entirely. It is very important to keep your receipts and messages or connect your bank accounts and credit cards to an app that works out the expenses for you.
  • Limit your exposure to debt – Realize that ‘too much credit’ can be very harmful. Taking on multiple loans at a time increase the risk of missing a payment and then getting stuck in nasty cycles of debt – constantly taking additional loans to pay off previous loans which you are already struggling to service is an abrasion. It is very important that you only apply for loans when you need it. A loan is a serious obligation and should be treated as such. Assess your needs prior to applying for a loan, and always try to ask yourself if it is worth it to take loan at this time.
  • Start with the end in mind – Only take loans when you are certain you will have the means to repay on or before the agreed due date(s). Be sure to confirm all interest/fees associated with the loan prior to applying. Only proceed when you are comfortable that you will be able to service the expected repayments. Try as much as possible to avoid late repayments. Late repayments or defaults on loans are not only a breach of the contractual agreement between a borrower and a lender; they also come with very real consequences that can be hard to shake off in the long-term.
  • Minimize your cost of living – When your cost of living is too high, it likely that what you term activities of witches and wizards are the result of high expenses you incur on daily bases. It is advisable to cut your coat according to your size. In other words, try as much as possible to review how much you spend on your fixed expenses and look for areas where you can downsize.
  • Invest wisely – Not investing your money in profitable business can bring about redundancy. Investing helps you make money from money and keeps you financially secure. You basically let your money work for you.
  • Avoid impulse buying – It is natural to say that only animals act on impulse. The animal nature of man can lead him into anything but wisdom. It is in the nature of so many people to get attracted to a nice pair of jeans at the store while buying some household items and so cannot resist buying them simply because they have money in their wallet. Impulse buying can be extremely bad and needs to be curbed if you want to stay away from debt.
  • Avoid comparing yourself to others – Constant comparison between you and your colleagues or friends is never a good idea as you are bound to come across differences that make you see the need to catch up with them. That is not necessary. Focus on yourself, building your savings, and retirement fund.

It important to see patience in the line of what it is – a virtue. Being able to wait for something without being antsy or frustrated is a great skill to have. Break the cycle of living in debt. I did, and I overcame. You too, can!