Southeast Angel Investors Huddle Up

Bill Warner Sunday, March 30, 2008

I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Southeast members of the Angel Capital Association in Greensboro last week. We saw some very good start up company presenations and spent some time sharing war stories. More importantly was the clear interest in being able to more quickly and efficiently share investment opportunities amongst the member organizatons. Most angel organizations cannot provide all the financing that is needed for a start up company themselves. They often need to find other investors to share in the deal in order to come up with all of what is needed. This form of syndication is gaining interest and momentum not only in the Southeast, but across the country. There still is a lot to do to work out the details of how this works, but many angel organizations have already engaged others to make simultaneous investments in start ups.

This is good news for entrepreneurs, but a dual edged sword. When an entrepreneur presents to one of the angel organizations in the Southeast, most of the others will know about it very quickly. That means that entrepreneurs have to be well prepared to make their first presentation. The result is that, if it goes well, everyone will know it. If it goes badly, everyone will know it too. The message to entrepreneurs is, “be well prepared before you make your first presentation.”

We saw some very encouraging news about the outlook for angel investing for 2008. It looks like most angel organizations will be able to at least sustain their level of investing in 2007, despite the difficulties that are emerging in the economy. So it is still full speed ahead for entrepreneurs who need angel investors. Contact the Triangle Accredited Capital Forum for guidance.

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Entrepreneurialism Phenomenon

Bill Warner Tuesday, March 25, 2008

This is the 25th year for the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) Venture Conference. More importantly, over the last 25 years, CED has provided leadership and support to a community of private and public companies, professional services firms, and financial and financing firms, all for the benefit of entrepreneurs who are in need of assistance in creating and launching their companies.

In perspective, this organization has done more for entrepreneurialism than any organization I can think of, and stands out nationally as an example of what a business community can do to support entrepreneurial growth, by generously applying some of its own time, money and know-how towards helping entrepreneurs.

What Makes it Work?

CED has grown in every way measurable over the last 25 years. What is the secret sauce that makes all of this work? Here’s the receipt:

  • Start with a few dedicated business leaders who really care about entrepreneurial growth and are willing to do something about it by providing leadership and advocacy.
  • Add a substantial amount of business community buy-in to the idea that if they all give a little bit of their time, money and know-how, the collective support will be incredibly powerful.
  • Fold in some dedicated organizational leadership to pull everything together with specific entrepreneurial support programs and make them happen.
  • Throw in some dedicated people into the organization who have program development skills and incredible excitement for what they are doing and who have no idea what they cannot do.
  • Of course, add some money, as membership fees, from the entrepreneurs. And, from the supporting business community, add membership fees and donations from them too.

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Know the Buyer’s Food Chain

Bill Warner Saturday, March 22, 2008

Knowing that you have, or will have, a winning product does not give you time to rest. You have to grease the skids by making your buyers aware that you have a product that solves an important problem that they have. Founded upon your in-depth understanding of your buyers, you need to structure the appropriate marketing campaigns that raise buyer awareness of the product’s value and availability. This can be mind numbing work, but is very necessary in order to not have surprises that could stop your business later. Many hours spent on understanding the distribution channel can save you from a whole lot of costly mistakes later when you are trying to get the revenue for your hard work.

Know How the Buyer Buys

Almost always, it is not obvious how the buyer actually buys. Knowing this is the subject of millions of dollars that some companies spend in order to introduce products to the consumer retail industries. Advertising agencies and research firms get rich figuring this stuff out. The best way, and a lot cheaper, is to ask them yourself. Approach representative examples of your buyers and ask them how they purchase products in your market segment. Answer these questions:

  • Who do they buy from
  • Where do they learn about new products
  • What are the payment requirements
  • What incentives are offered
  • What are the terms and conditions for the purchase
  • Is credit required
  • What are the price ranges
  • How is the delivered

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Engage with the North Carolina Sustainable Entrepreneurs

Bill Warner Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Paladin and Associates is a proud co-founder of the North Carolina Sustainable Entrepreneurs Group (NCSEG). We are fostering entrepreneurship in NC by providing guidance to companies that have sustainable technologies. Our organization was founded on the basis that there is tremendous support throughout NC that provide assistance to entrepreneurs. The problem is that entrepreneurs don’t always know how to form their companies and get them launched. We take entrepreneurs under our wings, give them some initial guidance on what they need to do and then get them in touch with the right organizations and resources that they need to take the next step in their company’s formation.

Early this week we had our regular monthly meeting. We are just getting started but here are some of the things that are on our radar screen:

  • Supporting the NC Green Fund by guiding companies to their application process
  • Engaging in some public forums to make the business community aware of our group
  • Having further meetings with successful sustainable companies
  • Engaging with university programs and make entrepreneurs award of their services

We encourage all entrepreneurs that have technology that has sustainability characteristics get in touch with us. Perhaps we can help you too. Go to our website at http://www.ncseg.net to learn more.

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Business Plans for International Businesses

Joan Keston Wednesday, March 05, 2008

When creating a business plan for international business, there are some fundementals that have to be followed. Although many of the issues that will affect your business plan may be somewhat difficult to quantify in advance, they must be raised and analyzed and continually assessed as you proceed with the execution of your strategy. Their significance may be the ultimate cause of the success or failure of your international venture.

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