The US is a game preserve and the entrepreneur is the endangered species being hunted by political poachers. Don’t expect a solution by government bureaucrats that use band aids intended to provide a temporary and sub-modest patch up, only problem is this band aid is suppose to close up a bazooka shot to the chest so don’t wait on resolutions that will have a lasting effect.

So what is the solution? When a company is fighting for survival who can they turn to? Two groups that will only hang string you up and hang you to dry are politicians and institutional banks. Both of these sectors of industry are parasites who will eat you from the inside out and then transform into maggots to feast on your rotting flesh.

Strange wording for a financial paper but this is reality. So again, who can you turn to for guidance? That answer is both simple and simultaneously complicated as there are multiple sub sectors of finance each with their own good and bad issues. Seek out a consulting firm that offers turnkey solutions with a contact portfolio that could gag a horse.  Read more...

Yep! Quite a mouthful but let it sink in. The self proclaimed economic elite make rules and mistake that affect all of us, there only accountability is a quick senate hearing where they are interrogated for show and afterwards have champagne and cocktails in chambers and laugh off the comments of the day and plan their future hunting events in the Congo. I don’t find it comical that our domestic economy and power position is rapidly being exchanged for that of the third world or some obscure island nation whose major export is sand and debt.

Don’t you find it interesting that we as a country owe mountains of debt to a privately held organization called the Federal Reserve? Don’t you get angry when you see that the reason for this economic collapse was because the Fed started calling in debt from banks using their fractional reserve system of finance and that they were fully aware of the global repercussions of their actions? If you are losing your home to foreclosure have you taken a closer look at the process in which your bank acquired the funds to loan you the money and where you ticked off when you realized that there was no financial exchange at all only a transfer of numbers on a screen?  Read more...

One of the most profitable investment solutions for an accredited investor is the almighty Pre IPO, seed capital opportunity. Though extremely profitable this transaction is not for the non accredited or amateur investor. The risks are numerous such as how long it will take the company to achieve it’s symbol, post public market creation and investor relations, corporate publicity, SEC audit and the ‘C’ level executives’ professional pedigree just to name a few.

But when one takes all of this into consideration it is ideal to team up with a brokerage or consulting firm who specializes in the task of corporate strategies and IPOs. When a motivated and seasoned investor aligns himself/herself with a solid firm with who has access to IPO’s it can be an extremely profitable venture and one of the few win/win situations in the investment industry.

Having access to a steady stream of Pre IPOs allows an investor to diversify in highly sought after and deeply discounted seed stock and also creates a rewarding solution for the IPO facilitators as they are raising capital and qualifying the company for it’s offering.  Read more...

Taking Your Company Public? Post Public Investor Relations Can Make Or Break Your Company Going public is an amazing undertaking with the light anticipated at the end of the tunnel is increased market share, financial stability and of course the almighty strategy of growth through acquisition. The problem is for most companies that light at the end of the tunnel isn’t anything even remotely close to the above; instead it’s a train that will crush you under it’s weight as it’s steaming full speed ahead. That train is a personification of the ‘lack’ of solid investor relations strategies in your post public existence.

Investor relations is the process of working with broker dealers, market makers, stock alert services, press release distribution, fielding calls from the media, potential investors and others interested in your company as well as general publicity to get your executive, company name and trading symbol on as many TV screens, radio waves, social media platforms and email boxes as possible.

The above is the traditional comprehension of a ‘newbie’ public CEO. What most new public CEOs lack the understanding of the post public IR concept so they don’t know what questions to ask the IR firm and have no knowledge to compare services so they sign a crap deal, the stock price doesn’t open, then plummets and everyone begins pointing the finger and on and on with the blame game.  Read more...

Many times companies stand at the threshold of massive stardom but carry the burden of dead weight management that simply take up space and increase salary costs. The company needs to eliminated them and recruit qualified management but there is often an emotional element at play here which makes it difficult to take the garbage out to the curb on trash collection day.

There are many corporate cautionary tales here. Companies that could have been but never were are a dime a dozen because they lacked the motivation to get past that emotional ingredient that paralyzes them, not allowing them to fire someone who has become a buddy. Your mind will play all kinds of tricks on you by telling you that: this guy has a family, you and he have a history, you can’t just fire someone who helped build this company and so on. What you are forgetting here is that the presence of this individual is jeopardizing the careers and livelihood of everyone else involved so this action of elimination is serving the greatest good.  Read more...

There is a lot of confusion about stock and securities backed, non-recourse lending. Here is a case study for three different scenarios of what can be done for ultimate capitalization if one owns stock and wants to monetize without selling their shares.

Client A is in the gaming business based in the Southeast and had problems getting conventional financing to fund their growth. The project was a bid and fulfillment of contract to place gaming machines in new locations recently approved for gaming. The need was $1.2 million and while the company itself could not fund its growth, the owner’s personal portfolio of mostly blue chip stocks got a loan to value of 85% and a rate of 0.75% with a cap at 1.75% for 5 yrs. He has the option to renew for 2 additional 5 year periods.

Client B has substantial real estate holdings both residential and commercial. One of his larger commercial mortgages was getting ready to reset with a large balloon payment due. Not having the money and not being able to refinance with his bank he came to us. The need was $1.4 million and in this case the portfolio consisted of only one stock. That stock was a large cap stock nearly a ‘blue chip’ company that got a loan to value of 82% and a rate of 1.05% with a cap of 2.05% over a period of 3 yrs. He has the option of renewing for 2 additional 3 year periods.  Read more...

We get calls all day, every day from companies that talk about ‘wanting’ real corporate publicity that will transform their company but few have the stomach for what it really takes and even fewer have the financial dedication it takes to obliterate their competition and take their rightful place at the top of the food chain.

Of course it’s important to cater to the traditional media (TV, radio, newspaper, industry journals, etc) but the genre of publicity that wins every time is viral publicity consisting of video, social and news bookmarks, article submissions, press release submissions and photo/logo sharing sites. The reality is online publicity is where you’re going to completely annihilate your competitors and claim your rightful position.

When you take into consideration the ultra powerful medium and stealth of viral publicity, all other promotional genres cower in comparison. Online your pre public or post public company will claim instant viewers and a cult-like following that TV and radio can’t even remotely compare. Billions of searches take place every day and it is the viral publicists job to do what SEO and traditional publicists can’t do and that is get solid search engine ranking while simultaneously bringing in powerful results that are targeted and strategically placed.  Read more...

Selling Shareholder Offering: The Key To Raising Fast Capital For Pre-Public Companies. As a consultant who has taken many companies public on the OTCBB (Over The Counter Bulletin Boards), consulted on even more and turned around and structured more companies I can even count, there are a few common threads inherent in all of them.

Most of the companies pursuing capital from angel investors, private investors, private equity firms or small groups of professionals looking for a quick in and out situation with rapid capitalization did three things that made all the difference in streamlining their raise.

First the executives structured their entity to attract investors which by default strengthened their corporate infrastructure. Now they are proposing investment opportunities from more of a position of strength.

Second they chose a team (in these cases they chose our consulting firm) with a proven track record of success with organizing companies for acquisition, merger and taking companies public.

The third element that is common in most successful enterprises which are seeking a first round of seed capital to fund their ‘going public’ ambitions is demonstrating confidence to the investor with a “selling shareholder offering”. Obviously this last element tests the skill of the consultants going back and forth with the SEC during the comments stage but this demonstrates confidence and organization by the company wishing to raise capital.  Read more...

Business Owners: Build A Corporate Structure That Investors Love! Ok, you’ve decided to go after investment capital but you’re not sure where to start. Here are the basics that you should pay close attention to before putting your company in front of investors.

First and foremost you need to perform an industry analysis that answers the questions pertaining to where you are in the industry and who are your competitors. It doesn’t matter what product or service you offer. You could be selling underwater sock fitting kits and there is a competitor and industry leader somewhere in the world. Don’t be so naive in thinking that there is no competition or that you are at the pinnacle of your industry. Show your audience that you’ve done your research and that you’ve identified the players in your market.

Next get your executive team together and it better be the who’s who in your industry. If you can’t attract the upper echelon of your industry genre then you need to do some serious PR on behalf of your individual executive team to show the public what they are made of. Brand them as the up and coming powerhouse executives in the industry. Publish their articles and knowledge on industry blogs and article submission sites. When a funding source initiates general due diligence you need to shine like a lighthouse in the fog. Each and every executive team member needs to have an image that screams power, success and investor security.  Read more...

Pre IPO Investing: How To Triple Your Investment. A Must Read For All Investors!

It’s no mystery that IPO investing can make you millions overnight and investors savvy in this niche investment process constantly triple and quadruple their investments day in, day out. How do they do it? How does an investor pick a company with a winning model where they can buy a pre public share for .50 cents and go public with a solid share price of $2.00+ per share? Here is how it’s done.

First the company that you are considering investing in must be either a stable market or an emerging industry with massive demand. There must be rapid domestic and international expansion potential. The company must be a lightning rod for top tier strategic alliances that will voluntarily spend publicity, branding and PR dollars announcing its alliance with this new company.

The corporate structure must be one that is conducive to streamline processes with little need for micromanagement while simultaneously no being so macro managed that no one is accountable. Each individual executive and board of directors member must have a solid track record of successful ventures, similar to the enterprise at hand. Each C and Executive level member must be completely submerged in the industry and should be able to hold a press conference, give an intelligent interview and by mere presence be able to give a skilled public face to the company when they are put on the spot.  Read more...