Showing posts with label Business » Venture Capital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business » Venture Capital. Show all posts

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Vending Massage Chairs For Business

What is Massage?

Massage is a relaxation treatment which includes a variety of gliding, kneading, smooth strokes and other movements on the exterior layer of the muscles in order to release muscle tension and pain. It also improves blood circulation by bringing in oxygen and some other nutrients to the tissues in our bodies.

What are the Benefits of a Massage Therapy?

Aside from relaxation purposes, a massage therapy is used for different health reasons:

• To ease body pain and fatigue
• To improve body posture
• To alleviate stirring conditions (chronic arthritis)
• To relieve stress and stress-related issues
• To ease headaches and migraines
• To relieve muscle pain, sprains and strains
• To resolve blood circulation and respiration concerns
• To improve condition for post-injury and post surgical incidents

Truth is, a lot of people find massage therapy to be a great way to pamper one's body after a long day of work. It relaxes your mind and body caused by stress either work-related or personal issues.

Is massage therapy expensive?

It actually depends on where you are getting a massage and your location. You can get a massage from different spas near you since this is a popular treatment nowadays or for your convenience you can likewise get a massage from a licensed massage therapist who could come in to your place for in-house services.

Now here's another way of getting a massage without going to your local spa or setting an appointment with a massage therapist and that is through a vending massage chair. Like a common vending machine all you need to do is drop a coin or a bill and you can now get a soothing massage for usually 15 minutes.

What are the benefits of getting a vending massage chair?

One major benefit of a vending massage chair is that it maintains a healthy lifestyle since you can get a regular massage anytime you wish. Aside from that, this machine can be an income generator, if you notice you will normally find vending massage chairs in the waiting lounges of malls and some other stores.

You can actually try it for your self and see how it works. The good thing about it is that you won't need to hire a professional to operate it and provide the service. If it's going to be strictly for personal use only then you will have your own privacy at the convenience of your home.

Of course we all know that when you're going to get a massage from a spa you need to be somehow "semi-naked," and that is something not all people is comfortable of doing. By getting a vending massage chair, you will not only earn but also promote a healthy living for the society especially for those who are working.

By : Gretchen_Canedo

A Wise Move for Business Is to Seek an Angel Investor

There are many people with good business ideas however they don't have enough capital to convert it to a real profit making venture. There are some people who seek the help of an Angel investor. They would invest in your business idea even if the money is tighter. They are giving away capital and helping start up businesses out there.

According to survey there are over hundred thousands of angel investors who are providing capital to businesses out there. Overall, these investors are giving away about $20 billion a year. If you are seeking to find an angel investor, there are some things that you should know.

One is to know the place where to look for angel investors. Most of them are looking at universities with business courses. This serves as an incubator for ideas. It is a good idea to contact local business groups. They would know some organizations that offer capital. Ask your friends or family in case they have an idea on this matter.

Asking around can lead you to the money you are seeking like high net individuals or big corporation that are interested in investing in small business. Some are willing to take the risk as long as the concept is strong enough and it is run by good people.

When seeking angel investors, you need to show them value. Your idea should be interesting. This would make them pay attention to your products and service. Make sure to have a business plan ready. It should be more than just an idea. You need to know how to attract customers or prove you can create product.

Very few investors would go for an idea without backing up. Business plan should cover the product, market and the execution. Explain the ways to make money. Add documents like profit and loss balance sheet. This is essential in their decision making if they would invest or not.

Remember that investors talk to other investors. Always be sure that your first business plan is very good. You don't want them to talk about a lousy and disorganized idea. There are angel investors who belong to association and they have venture capital firms.

People don't know that they pool their money so that it will be larger and they could spread the risk. Angel investors would also want to get involve in your business. They don't just give the capital.

There are many who want to become board of directors. This is something positive and you could use their advice. Your investor will not just sit back after giving you tons of money. It is a good idea to plan an exit strategy for the investor. Aside from the potential return of investment, you should know what to do in case things don't work out.

You need to communicate often with the investor. This is a business partnership so be transparent with your plans. This is a condition for most of them. Always keep these things in mind so they won't take their money and say goodbye.

By : Janaki_Patro

Friday, August 20, 2010

How to Make Investors Pull Out Their Checkbook With Only 10 Slides

Have a big investor presentation coming up soon? Need to attract some investors for your small business? Start by creating a 10 slide powerpoint presentation that will last no longer than 20 minutes and then practice practice practice. Here are the ten slides you have to have to get investors excited.

Title - Just include your organization name, your name and contact information. Don't read this to the audience. Start off by telling them what your organization does in no more than 2 sentences.

Big Problem - What is the big problem or pain that your organization addresses? Maybe you have a cure to cancer, or maybe you have a pen that does not leave ink blots. Both are pains. Just make sure you start by setting the stage with the pain or problem

Unique Solution - After you have the audience nodding their head and talking amongst themselves with comments like, "Yeah I hate it when that happens". Now it is time to reveal your unique solution to this problem.

Business Model - We could alleviate a lot of problems if money was not an issue, but unfortunately it is, so now explain how you are going to make money with your unique solution to the big problem.

Unique Selling Proposition - What makes your product or service special? If you are a online marketing firm, how are you any better than the 1 million other online marketing firms?

Competition - Thoroughly explain your competition. Acknowledge their strengths, but you can also point out their weaknesses and where you hope to capitalize on their weaknesses. Never Never say that you have no competition. Even if no one else makes your product, what would keep someone from buying your product? That is your competition.

Marketing Plan - How are you going to find customers? How are you going to convince them to take money out of their wallet and put it in yours?

Financial Projections - Either a 3 or 5 year forecast is best. Give it your best shot on these, but don't waste too much time. What I have learned is that smart investors know that you have no idea what kind of money you will make so they essentially disregard your projections and make their own estimates based on everything else you have already told them.

Management Team - Teams are important because no one can build Google or Microsoft by themselves. You need team members that can make up for your weaknesses and vice versa. Focus your audience on your teams strengths as they will be what drives your success.

The Ask - Now it is time to ask for the funding you need. Don't ask for more than you need. Don't ask for less than you need. Explain major milestones for your organization as well as an expected timeline so that investors have an idea regarding the length of investment.

If you can communicate these ten topics in a clear and effective way you will be on your way toward raising your first round of investment!

By : Adam_Hoeksema

Joint Venture Psychology - Turning Weaknesses to Strengths

Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? Anyone who has sat down for a job interview has probably been asked these questions. However, have you actually sat down and truly analyzed your weaknesses?

Weaknesses may appear to be strengths. For instance, a perfectionist may consider his need for superior craft, design, or process an asset, when in actuality; it hinders his progress and prevents forward momentum. By carefully determining where your weaknesses are, you can work toward improving them, or using them to the advantage of your business or your JV business.

As an example, during your JV efforts, you find that your marketing strategy for billboard advertising is not what you expected, but your online marketing is showing results.

As a response, you and your JV partner modify your strategy to reduce billboard advertising and focus more on online SEO searches and pay per click advertising. This helps to generate the most out of your marketing dollar and improve sales.

The same holds true for your own weaknesses. You might determine that something is not working as well as you'd like. However, by modifying your behavior or capitalizing on a weakness, you can improve your own personal achievement.

Write It Out

The first thing you must do is take some time to write out your weakness. This is not the time to be over-confident and deny that you have any. Consider what hinders your progress. Are you a procrastinator? Do you have trouble with authority and taking directions?

Are you a slow typist? Any of these could be a weakness that prevents you from getting work done. Be honest and list what you think are your weaknesses. Then ask others as well.

Determine the Impact

What do your weaknesses cost you? Does your procrastination cost you time and money? Does your problem with sharing authority prevent decisions? Knowing how your weaknesses affect your external outcomes is important to know before you can begin working on internal changes.

Dedicate Yourself towards Improvement

Now that you know what you can improve, and what happens if you don't, you must dedicate your efforts toward improving that weakness into an asset. Were your communication skills determined to be a weakness?

Take writing and speech classes. Procrastination an issue? Read books on organization today (don't put it off!), or take a local community center class on improving organization and motivation skills.

Capitalize on Weaknesses

With your work set before you, you can set a goal to capitalize on your weaknesses. Take the classes. Face your fears. Focus on improvement. And don't forget to measure the results. When you can measure your improvement in certain areas, then you know you are on the right track to turning your weaknesses into assets.

Remember, there is strength in your weaknesses. You merely need to crash through the blocks of doubt and denial, and focus on changing behaviors.

By : Christian_Fea

Thursday, August 19, 2010

How to Fund Your Business Without Giving Up Equity

Although there are many methods to finance and capitalize a company, the financing transaction is usually structured and secured in one of two ways. Either your put up collateral as security or you give up some ownership of your company (equity).

Both methods have their benefits and drawbacks. One of the major benefits of using collateral instead of giving up equity is that you retain ownership and control of the business. This can be very important for business owners who want to retain their independence. When you sell equity, the buyers become your new partners - for better or for worse.

Most small and medium sized companies look for financing because they have cash flow problem. Although you can fix these problems by selling equity and recapitalizing the company - it's not always the easiest solution.

One business financing alternative is to get a business loan. Although business loans are a popular tool to finance a company - they can be hard to get. The current lending environment is very difficult and institutions are only extending loans to very low risk ventures.

To qualify, most companies need to have strong financial statements, multi year profits, seasoned management, substantial collateral and good growth potential. Few companies meet these criteria, especially small and midsized companies.

If the cash flow problems are caused by slow paying clients - rather than by low sales - invoice financing may be the right solution. Invoice financing is a simple solution that provides a funds advance on your slow paying invoices.

It plugs the cash flow gap, providing the money you need to pay suppliers, employees and other business costs. More importantly, it smoothes out cash flow, providing predictability and allowing the business owner to focus on other tasks.

Most invoice financing transactions are structured as two advances. The first payment is given to you as soon as you invoice your client. It's usually 80% of the invoice. The second advance, which is 20% less the financing fee, is given once your client actually pays the invoice.

One of the advantages of invoice financing is that is easier to get than other forms of financing. If your business is free of liens and encumbrances and you invoice credit worthy commercial clients, you have a good chance of qualifying.

By : Marco_Terry

A Flexible Alternative to Business Lines of Credit

Companies that sell to commercial and government customers almost always get paid for their services on net 30 to net 60 day terms. This means that they have to wait up to 60 days from the time of invoicing to be able to collect a payment.

Most firms cover expense during this delay by using their cash reserves or relying on a bank line of credit.

This strategy tends to work well, unless you have limited cash reserves and are unable to get a line of credit. Institutions underwrite their lines of credit much like business loans and other business financing products.

They require two or three years worth of financial reports about your company. They require that the company and the owners have substantial assets. And, they require that all the records be spotless.

If your company cannot meet the institutions funding criteria you will usually be out of luck, especially in the current economic environment. Conventional underwriting standards are very strict. However, there is an unconventional approach to financing your business that works for many industries.

As mentioned earlier, most companies that have cash flow problems have them because they can't afford to wait 30 or 60 days to get paid by clients. This gap can be covered using invoice financing.

Invoice financing provides an funds advance on your slow paying invoices giving your company the necessary liquidity to cover expenses while waiting to get paid. One advantage of invoice financing over other solutions is that you can leverage the credit quality of your clients to your advantage.

In an invoice financing transaction, the funding company buys the invoice at a discount, with the expectation it will be paid in 30 to 90 days. If your clients have good commercial credit, the funding company will likely buy the invoice. This feature enables small companies whose biggest asset is a solid roster of clients to use invoice financing.

A second advantage of invoice financing is that it grows with your sales. Your funding line will usually be determined by the size of your invoices and the credit quality of your clients. This funding flexibility enables small companies with big potential to grow organically.

By : Marco_Terry