Learning how to raise capital for your business idea is often difficult for many otherwise very capable would be entrepreneurs. Raising finance, be it from a bank, a venture capital firm or a business angel, has a lot to do with being able to sell your business idea, and less about how good that idea actually is. The best business idea can get nowhere if you cannot convince your prospective investors of its potential as an investment and your ability as a business owner of making it a success. You should keep the following key points in mind when trying to raise capital for your new business idea.Prepare a business planWriting a business plan is often a lot of work and distracts you from doing what you want to do, which is running your business. But you won’t get any funding without a solid written business plan. Telling an investor or your bank contact that they should give you money because you had a great idea is just not going to cut it. A business plan will explain exactly what you plan on doing with that money, why you need it and real numbers proving your business idea potential. Among other things, you’ll need to be able to prove that you know your audience and the size of the market you plan on targeting, your marketing plans, your expected cashflow for the first few years and how will you deal with risks such as another competitor entering the market. If you are unsure about how to write a good business plan you can also hire a consultant to help you prepare it, but make sure you know exactly what’s in it, since the consultant won’t be with you when talking to the potential investors.Practice your pitchLooking for investment is like selling your business idea to somebody who knows a lot about what makes a good, profitable business. While a good business plan is the basis for your pitch, you will still need to deliver it the right way. It’s worth investigating your potential investors, and adapting your pitch to that information. For example, a bank is often conservative and would be more interested in you showcasing how your business idea is a safe bet and has a solid base, without extravagant expenses or high risk taking. However, an investor with an existing portfolio of cutting edge technological business may be more interested in listening to how your business is highly innovative and will use the money to create the next big thing online. Do not go into any meeting with your investors without researching all you can about them and their style, since they will have no doubt researched you to see if you, as a person and a businessman, are likely to succeed.Plan for threats and weaknessesRemember when at job interviews people asked you to name your weak points? Your investors are going to do exactly the same about your business idea. While it’s clear that you wouldn’t be asking for investment if you didn’t believe your business idea has a high potential for success, you should also be aware of what things could make it fail, and be able to plan for it. Do not say “Nothing can go wrong, I have everything covered” because at best you’ll get a reality check from the investors about the many things you had not considered, before politely being shown the door. Being secure of yourself is great, but realism is highly appreciated in business.Know your USPWhat makes your business idea unique, and so makes people choose you over anybody else to buy from? Your unique selling point, or USP, will be key to your marketing strategy since it’s the reason why people will buy from you. A generic business with no unique selling point is not likely to make venture investors interested, because if anybody can do it, it’s probably not going to be very profitable. Investors want a high return on investment, and that means that your business should grow and not just be good enough for you to make a living. On the other hand, a bank may be less demanding with your uniqueness, as long as you are using a proven business model on a niche that has room for new players, but a bank knows that they’ll get their payment through your loan interest so they are satisfied with you just breaking even and paying your loan.Show that you the right person to lead your businessThis is another challenging issue when trying to get finance, and a question that few investors will ask you directly so you need to show it by your actions and your sales pitch. Some people are great at having ideas, but are very bad at making those ideas into a real business and managing the day to day of said business. As a business owner, you’ll need many skills that aren’t directly related to your business core idea. Even if you are technically the best developer in the world, and the person who can best implement your idea, you may not be the right person to actually manage it and many investors will notice that unfavourably. Make sure you come across as a savvy businessperson, and not just a great inventor or a proficient salesman.
Wholesale Clothes – How to Source Out Clothes Through Wholesale Clothing Lots
Running a wholesale clothes business is without doubt a great way to make money. The market for clothes is tremendous and is expected to grow year after year. The competition, however, is quite fierce and if you are in this business, you must keep your prices low while maintaining a high quality in the clothes you sell. To do this, it is necessary to find a wholesale clothes supplier you can rely on to provide you with quality clothes at low prices.In any buy-and-sell business, prices represent the bottom line. You may have the finest and most fashionable clothes to sell, but if your prices are too high nobody will buy them from you. The only way you can sell your products at affordable prices is for you to get them cheap from your wholesale supplier. Make use of online wholesale directories to find a suitable wholesaler.You can use the Internet to search for suppliers of wholesale clothing lots. Usually, these clothing lots contain a wide selection of clothes. For example, one lot may contain men’s wear of different brands, styles, colors and sizes. It may contain shirts, slacks, jackets and sports apparel. Wholesale clothing lots are sold very cheap, up to 70% off the retail price. With such a huge discount, you can sell the clothes below the regular retail price and still make a good profit.Do not limit yourself to wholesale clothes suppliers from your own country. Inquire from international suppliers too. In many instances, you may be able to get your wholesale clothes from them at much cheaper prices. Be very clear about shipping charges, and factor this into your over-all cost, if ever you have to pay for shipping. Find out also when you can expect to receive your order.There are a great number of suppliers with wholesale clothing lots for sale at rock bottom prices. A quick search on the Internet will allow you to locate one that suits your needs, whether you are looking for ladies’ apparel, men’s wear, babies’ clothing, plus size women’s clothes or other items. Once you have the goods, you can start selling them and make a good profit for yourself.
Why Is Organic Antioxidant Skin Care The Very Best For Your Skin?
These might at first glance sound like easy questions to answer.1. Are all skin care products out in the market place safe?
2. Can you develop skin conditions just from using certain skin care products?
3; Can skin care products actually cause serious harm to your health?
4. Are there skin care products that are effective and also good for your health and cause no harm to your skin?Question number one is a resounding no! There are many skin care product lines that are widely sold in the market place that are not safe. Many of these skin care products contain caustic chemicals, preservatives and many other additives that can cause not only skin reactions but can also lead to serious conditions both on your skin and for your overall health.The answer to question number two is yes. Many people develop skin conditions from the products they are using and don’t even know that the products are the source. They keep using the products they are familiar with and use makeup to cover the problems. When a skin care product has a variety of synthetic chemicals in it the potential for negative reactions to the skin are widely different for different people.Question number three’s answer is also yes. Long term use of chemical ingredient skin care products can cause many forms of long term health issues. Like cancer, auto immune disease. There are many types of illnesses that are related to the absorption of toxic compounds through the skin. It’s bad enough that we all absorb toxic compounds just being exposed to the environment, we live in a very toxic world these days. Then to also add more toxic chemicals willingly through the skin care products you use is insult to injury.Question number four is answered yes. There are definitely skin care products available that are not only very effective but also good for your health and for your skin.
This what the rest of this article is about, the positive message that you can take great care of your skin, stay looking younger, heal and prevent skin conditions and prevent serious health problems that can start through your skin.The concept of organic skin care has gained a lot of attention. The idea that what you put on your skin should be pure, chemical free and have no synthetic ingredients makes perfect sense. If you believe it’s better to eat organic food, as opposed to food grown with pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals, or foods processed with preservatives, additives and other unnatural food compounds, then the same should go for skin care.Of coarse you should be conscious and concerned about the food you eat and it’s effect on your health, you should also be conscious about what you put on your skin.Your skin being your bodies largest organ is the filter and the protector for your body from all the toxicity you are exposed to in the modern world. If you have healthy well treated skin that has been fed lots of antioxidants and your are internally also healthy with a strong immune system, you can fight off all the free radicals that attack you through your skin and can potentially cause serious damage to your health.Antioxidants are if not the most important compounds, they rank right at the top of the organic compounds we all need in our bodies and on our skin. We have to add them daily and keep the absorption of antioxidants at a consistently high level. It is sad to say but we do live in a very polluted world and much of this toxicity in deliberately added in the quest for profitable products. Companies get their products approved without the longer term health studies that should be completed so the consumer can be assured the products are safe.The only real clear way to know for sure whether a specific skin care product has no harmful side effects, is to only use organic products that have zero synthetic additives, chemicals or other ingredients that are not from the natural world. Of coarse there are compounds in the natural world that are toxic, and ingredients in organic products that can effect different people in different ways, so as with any product or food, read the labels and know what you are eating or putting on your skin. If the company is a reputable company with a positive track record and their skin care products are all organic it is a good bet they will do you no harm.