Funding Your Business: Angel Investors Vs. Venture Capitalists


When you talk about starting your own business on the internet, most people are referring to small, internet based, home start up type deals. But maybe your ambitions lead you in another direction. Maybe you have a great product that you want to get distributed world wide but you need the funding to get off the ground. In that case, you need more capital than simple internet start-ups do.

One way to get the capital you need is to search out angel investors or venture capitalists who are looking at funding businesses like yours. While the two terms are often used interchangeably, and while both are similar in many ways, there is a distinction between the two. This distinction is important as it has a bearing on which group you should approach for the funding of your business.

Let’s start with angel investors. An angel investor is an individual or a group of individuals who want to increase their investments by funding start-ups that they believe are likely to be profitable. While angel investors are concerned with investing wisely so that they can profit, they are also interested in helping small, non-established businesses get off the ground. To that end, they are often willing to provide mentorship and training along with the funds to help the fledgling new business owner on his or her way.

Now, let’s move on to venture capitalists. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the show, Dragon’s Den on BBC America, but if you have, then you’ve got a pretty good idea about what venture capitalists are and what they’re looking for. Like angel investors, venture capitalists may be individuals or groups of individuals who are interested in investing to grow their own portfolio. Unlike angel investors, they are more interested in going concerns where the risk is less. They’re looking to invest in established businesses that need additional funding in order to expand and for which the future financial picture is almost certain to be profitable.  Venture capitalists can also offer mentorship but are less concerned with that than are angel investors.

Accordingly, if you have an idea for a business or your business is very new, from days to perhaps a year old, you’d be better off searching for angel investors rather than venture capitalists to get your funding. As I indicated earlier, angel investors are much more forgiving in terms of your ability to prove that your business can make money. As long as your idea is sound and you have a well-thought out business plan, an angel will be willing to fund you.

If, on the other hand, you have an established business, that is a business that you’ve been successfully running for two or more years but you need capital to grow your business or expand your operation in other ways, then venture capitalists would be a better fit for you.

For either group you must approach them well prepared to discuss your business and how you plan to succeed.  Angel investors are more tolerant of initial losses as most startups are volatile.  Angel investors and venture capitalists can be located by attending functions hosted by your local Chamber of Commerce.

Find more resources to fund your business

Get custom-written exclusive rights articles written by a native English speaker at http://articleright.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/funding-your-business-angel-investors-vs-venture-capitalists-1651008.html

categories Make Money | December 31, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Tips and Tricks to Boost Your Business Credit and Paydex Score


There are too many free articles out there that simply market someone or a service and do not give you valuable information. My goal here is to get straight to the point and give solid valuable information for free that will help to boost your business credit building and your business in general.

Getting a paydex is just the beginning when building business credit and many people know how to do that. Basically you simply need 3-5 companies to report to Dun and Bradstreet that you paid your bills on time. The problem comes in when you cannot find companies that report. Companies like grainger and bags and bowes have stop reporting. When getting your initial vendors you want to go to Uline, Quill, and Seton. These are three companies that report that gives quick accounts. After these you will want to go to Tech Depot and Majestic Advertising. This will give you a strong enough file to get into your revolving lines such as office depot and staples.

So you know that you need vendors. These vendors will give you an account without a DUNS number. In order to get your duns number quickly and for free, I have highlighted a method that myself and my clients use all these time. Once these companies have reported, a DUNS number will be automatically created. This method will not only give you your duns number, but you will also get your eupdate password for free and instantly. I was going to show you a method where you call a phone number to get the free business Credit Builder from DnB. It turns out that you can get your Eupdate information right away from that same number. The number connects you with their people in india that take care of the updating and I guess that they give you the Eupdate information in order to reduce their load. Never the less, you can simply call 1-800-234-3867, then choose “option 1″ then “option 4″, and tell them that you will like to update some information on your business credit file and you will like to get your Eupdate information. They will verify some basic information, but this method is better than registering online because you never know who or when you will get it. Sometimes a Dun and Bradstreet sales rep will contact you about there “business Credit Building Products” before they send you any Eupdate information.

These are just a couple tricks that will be useful to speeding up the process to building strong business credit.

My name is Marc Augustsine, Author of the business Credit Bible which is now called business Credit Made Easy and owner of http://creditrich.net

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/tips-and-tricks-to-boost-your-business-credit-and-paydex-score-1646137.html

Related Blogs

categories Nonprofits | December 30, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Online Charity Auction Software & 52 Traffic Generating Tips


Wednesday, 23 December 2009

How to get traffic to an Online Charity Auction

Site So you are hosting your shiny new charity auction website and you have installed your auction site software. You are all set to start fundraising online.  The next thing you need to work out is  how to  get quality traffic.  Some of it you will be able to get from your charity’s supporters who can be invited to play a role in the online auction, but you may want to cast your net more globally, in which case you will want to learn some internet marketing.

The million dollar question on the tip of any Newbie’s tongue is always about traffic. You can have the best online business in the world, but if people don’t visit your site it is all a waste of time and money. And it is not just about getting anyone, you want people who are truly interested in your product. This is why getting your SEO right and getting found organically in searches is by far the best way to make sure you have interested visitors. If you can get to number 1 on a competitive keyword in Google, you will have more interested traffic than you can handle. By the way, they will only be interested if you are interesting! So, the first thing to do is write.

Writing, Writing and more Writing

If you want people to buy your product, you must make sure you are an online authority on your subject. This can be achieved by writing an ebook, or posting quality content. Make sure you are in every conceivable corner of the internet with quality work that is not simply a rehash of something that someone else has already written. You can write and submit: hubs, articles, press releases, blog entries, forums entries (quality ones), directory listings, product or book reviews. Make sure you include a link back to your site wherever you can (including your email signature) and make it easy for people to find you. Encouraging people to subscribe to your RSS feed is good practice too. If you do start a blog, keep it up and be consistent with your posting. If you have images, brilliant, they attract attention and people might find you on Google Images, or you could tag photos on facebook or Flickr. Get your keywords in the title, tags and the body of the text, and in your domain name if you can. Take part in respected niche forums, but stay well clear of the spammy, scammy ones full of negative people who moan. Make sure that you add quality posts as opposed to lots of rubbish. No one wants to know what you had for breakfast! Think carefully and edit your work. Spelling mistakes and typos can be a real turn off to people.

Be a Social Network Butterfly

A lot of internet marketers become hermit crabs when they should be more like butterflies! You will do well if you learn to pull traffic towards by being the kind of person who people want to e-hang with. Be helpful, answer questions on Yahoo and network like you would offline, be valuable. You can point people to good sources of work, give them free e-books or tips and tools. Anything free is always attractive! Find out if they found your freebies useful. Get them involved and make communication two way. You can do this by inviting comments, offering surveys, fun contests, or participating in conversations on social networks. When you are posting in social networks avoid spamming people on first introduction with a URL. You should aim to provide 4 pieces of useful content to every time you post a link to something you are selling. Add photos (with links) and keep it light and fun. Post topical and newsworthy things and keep up to date. Every now and again, post something controversial, just get the conversation going and make people remember you. Develop a daily routine and discipline with social networks. Be consistent but don’t waste all of your time on the sites. I find Twitter and Facebook the best, but consider del.icio.us, digg, myspace, yahoo and the others and do add a badge to your sites and blogs so people can link back and forth as they build up a picture of who you are. Appeal to people’s emotions. You could sponsor a charity for instance, someone asked me today to sponsor a dog (l love dogs). so that is another point. Be real. Authenticity is great for business, but also I really believe that if you are being true to yourself and writing from your heart people will be attracted. Stay positive and think positive things. This is sometimes called The Law of Attraction and it works! If you have an option to allow translation, choose it especially Chinese. I have done this on my Third Sector Finance Blog with Blogspot.

Brand Yourself Beautiful

Remember to include a photo, link, logo and maybe a slogan wherever you go online. My lovely friend Al Diaz has coined the phrase Ilumine Ao which has become a trademark of his very strong branding. Clever man. It is important to do something or be something unique to people. My friend and colleague Paul and I share a blog that we like to think of as a drop in centre, a kind of coffee shop where we offer help to struggling internet marketers. Our brand is all based on being real, being available and lots of integrity.

Submit

A really obvious one that people forget. Make sure you submit your sites to DMOZ: http://dmoz.org/ and to the various search engines. Don’t just stop at Google verification. Try to get included in newsletters.

Offline Work

This is critical. It takes a long time and a lot of work to really brand yourself well online so while that is happening engage with real people. Do good work with them and don’t forget to ask for a link and a testimonial. I do a lot of offline work in my community because I get a massive kick out of seeing people get found online. I teach them how to build their own websites and then introduce them to everything in this article. I love seeing them soar to the top of Google. I also go to Chamber of Commerce and frequently speak at various business meetings. I have a deal with the local Further Education College and they pay me to hire graduates who I employ to do some of my time consuming work. At the same time I train them in the art and science of internet marketing so it is a win win situation. I have a particular interest in helping charities and third sector organisations raise money online and I do this at a reduced rate.

Products

We have looked at the process of getting traffic, but you also need to have a great product. Sell things that you know lots of people are looking for, but there is scarce. You can check this out by looking at the number of searches for a keyword compared to the number of providers. Google Keyword Tools is useful and you can also look at Clickbank to see if there are any products that you could be an affiliate of.

Nurture your list

Don’t spam and bombard them! Send free things and also make offers that compliment what they have already bought. traffic Geyser is really good at that. They offer really good quality video training and then offer a complimentary product that helps you to use the really useful information that they have just given you. Give excellent customer service every time. Answer emails and deliver your promises.

Buy traffic

If you are going to be really successful you will have to buy traffic in one way or another. Direct mail is becoming popular again because it is different to email. It makes a change. Offline ads in local papers or supermarkets. I know one marketer who slipped his business cards in books at supermarkets! Be creative! Promote yourself with PPC ads or get yourself on a traffic exchange or two. You can do those on a budget if necessary. Some people buy lists, but I am skeptical about that and don’t want to encourage spamming in anyway.

Market research

Do your market research well and hunt for niches that will pay you well. High ticket items are great, and then I recommend making a blog post, an article, a podcast and a video and feeding all that through traffic Geyser who hurl it all out to the world, saving you loads of time. Keep test
ing your work to find out what is working and what is not. This is a crucial step and if you are to become very successful you need to do it. Be curious and don’t get too attached to what you think should work.

Joint Venture Partnerships

Teaming up with other businesses or individuals is fun and smart. Mashable media do that one really well. I loved their #beatcancer campaign. Cross marketing will save you time and money and can lead to quality friendships.

One last thing…keep checking your sites for broken links and fix them. There is nothing worse than a 404 error! Well thanks for reading this far and I hope you have found it useful. I would love your comments! Kay

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/online-charity-auction-software-52-traffic-generating-tips-1619048.html

Related Blogs

categories Nonprofits | December 24, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

How Invoice Factoring Works


Around this time the previous year, plenty of businesses need to freeze spending. All indications are that the recession is almost gone, so small businesses can get back to normal. Therefore, today is a great time to consider what the recession has done to your business. Think about how the economic changes have affected your industry in general. Has your customer base changed? Have your competitors started cutting prices? How about their service offerings? Are you keeping up? Recessions cause changes, and it is important to assess all aspects of your business. If you and your small business have been experiencing retrenchments, salary reductions or worse in order to survive the recession, there are some key points to keep in mind as things begin to get better. Firstly, consider the fact that several organizations are getting people again – this means that you can get new people from businesses that have went down the drain. But bear in mind that the same people may get a better offer elsewhere too. It is essential to satisfy them, or else, risk losing them to your competitors. Most people are are going for jobs that allows them to make more money to pay off their bills after the last year. Also, be wary of what you spend money on. Now that business is getting better. Priorities might include new computers, versus redecorating. Settle long-term debts and short-term debts. Most businesses have learned how to use invoice factoring to stay afloat during the recession. And that strategy can be continued after the New Year begins. It is a great way to pay down your debt, while keeping cash flow efficient. What’s more, there is a popular new factoring strategy called spot factoring. This is the tendency of factoring once invoice one at a time. Take note that spot factoring, dissimilar from a loan, is the purchase of financial assets like receivables. Also, loans involve two parties, invoice factoring has three. Banks base their decisions on a company’s credit worthiness, while factoring is based on the value of the receivables. Most importantly, this seemingly heaven-sent factoring needs no minimums, maximums and long-term commitments. Single invoice factoring can assist your small organization get back on its feet. Normally, businesses do not get immediately paid for products/services delivered. This has a negative effect on the cash flow and may even hinder the business from generating new orders on time. With invoice factoring, on the other hand, businesses that don’t get paid for 30, 60 or 90 days will have access to immediate cash – of up to 90% of the invoice total. Invoicing companies, such as IFG, simply looks at the client’s customers – and if they are worthy enough, IFG can provide funding within 24 hours.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/how-invoice-factoring-works-1610158.html

categories Make Money | December 22, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Business Banking Accounts Shouldn't Cost You Money


Do you have a business banking account that is slowly dwindling because of all of these hidden charges and fees that you didn’t know anything about? It’s sad to say, but many business people are finding their business banking accounts getting smaller and smaller just because they’re being held in that account. It doesn’t make sense. Banks charge if there’s not enough money in an account, they charge to make some transactions and they even charge if you want to add money in some cases. However, you should know that you don’t have to pay money just to have a business banking account. You just have to find a bank that allows you to keep money in their bank with no hidden fees.

Keeping Track Of Your Money

For your business to be successful, you have to keep tabs on where your money is going and where it’s coming from. This should be done to the very last penny. You can easily do this by keeping track of your income and expenses using business banking software. These days, internet banking is very popular. It’s easy to use and extremely convenient.

Most business software will allow you to sync your accounts using online banking, which makes keeping track of your funds a breeze. That way, if you’re every charged hidden fees for having a business banking account, you’ll be able to find it immediately. However, if you’re not keeping track, the bank could nickel and dime you all day and you’d never know it.

Offers and Promotions

Banks love to hold business banking accounts. They will often have special offers and promotions strictly for business banking accounts to attract more people to their bank. Look for these offers and promotions and decide which one sounds the best depending on your needs. You shouldn’t have to pay a lot of money just to hold a business banking account and these offers and promotions are a great way to do that.

Contact the Bank

If you are being hit with a lot of fees, simply call the bank and ask to speak to a manager. If you’re a good customer, their not going to want to lose you. Tell them that you have a business banking account with them and that you’d like to keep it at their bank but you don’t want to keep paying those fees. See what the manager says.

In this hurting economy, it’s likely they’ll waive those fees and they might actually reimburse you for what they’ve already taken. If they don’t, take your money out and switch. There’s got to be a bank who will take care of you and that won’t charge you exorbitant amounts of money just to hold a business banking account in their bank.

If you love this article, you will also love another article written by this article’s author on industrial paper shredder and commercial paper shredder.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/business-banking-accounts-shouldnt-cost-you-money-1606218.html

categories Make Money | December 21, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Remaining Liquid In Troubled Times


 

 

It is a volatile marketplace indeed. Any entrepreneur maneuvering on the waves in this current environment is surely getting a wild ride. For the savvy entrepreneur, these stormy conditions offer advantages of opportunity if they can survive the tumult. Some even see opportunity to expand, taking advantage of supply and demand shifts as fellow entrepreneurs fail to effectively bail themselves out and are forced to abandon their sinking ships. And although profits are generally the focal point of any business, current conditions may dictate a more concentrated focus on your liquidity. That means finding the most effective balance within your Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC).

You can hear the snap of the leather, as every business belt is tightening. Lending institutions are cracking down on their extensions of credit, demanding more collateral, tightening up on their lending windows, and increasing the cost of extending credit just to name a few. Some entrepreneurs are finding that at one time they had pre-approved credit line, but now may not. (It is recommended that you check and make sure that this is not you!) For more in depth information on Cash Conversion Cycles and how it is calculated google “Invesrotpedia” or “Wikipedia.” Both sites have clear and concise definitions, working models and calculations to help you get a good start in understanding and implementing and effective CCC plan for your enterprise.

In it’s simplest terms, the cycle refers to the number of days between when a business pays for it’s materials/ inventory, and receives cash for these goods. It represents the time in which working capital is “tied up”. If you can shorten the CCC, the need for external financing and the resulting interest expense will be smaller, thus creating higher profits. Although each business is unique, you are aiming at reducing this number as low as you can. It will require discipline, setting of targets, and continual effective monitoring. Ultimately the goal is to find a balance in three areas: the payables, the receivables and inventory management.

You will be looking for strategies that will increase the days of payable outstanding, effectively slowing down the cash going out the door.. You can negotiate with your vendors but be careful here, the downside is alienating them and jeopardizing your relationship. Other considerations on extending the period of payment due on the payables side of the cycle might be looking at weighing the cost of accepting a trade credit discount for early payment as opposed to the benefits of using your cash elsewhere. It may also be suitable for you to set up a zero balance account where funds can be automatically transferred by the bank when they are needed for clearance of cheques.

Next your focus will turn to inventory control; the software on the market available for inventory control is huge. Regardless of of your enterprises make up, size, or needs there has simply got to be a cost effective product that is a perfect fit for you. Do your research! But by all means do not let inventory control be a guessing game. It can be the key link between success or overwhelming red ink. With the right information accumulated from a good inventory analysis program you can identify and deal with your worst night mares like: dead and slow moving stock, and over orders. Then you can clearly see and implement control strategies that will minimize stock on hand, while keeping your customers happy, and your business running.

Your final step in n tightening up your cash conversion cycle will be to look at your receivables. Calculate and evaluate your average collection period. As a rule of thumb, if the average collection period is one third larger than the credit period extended on the statement, there may be a problem.( For example on average it took you 40 days to collect on invoices with a 30 day net.) Age your receivables to identify and actively pursue slow paying customers and attempt to lessen credit risk by tightening payment terms to “net 15″, or by actually selling fewer products on credit to the high risk accounts, or even cutting off credit entirely, and demanding payment in advance. Establish a discount percent for early payment, and a surcharge for late payment. Identify and evaluate accelerating payment techniques for collecting such as pre-authorized cheques, or direct deposit transactions. And finally, the use of a collection agency is not really a tool to manage credit risk; rather, it is an extreme measure because you can expect a below-agreed return after the collection agency takes its share (if it is able to get anything at all).

An efficient CCC will translate in a tightly run ship, with a more profitable bottom line. Cash is king in this environment and a well balance cash conversion cycle will enable you to access the best financial arrangements for your situation if the need arises. You will have a better chance of holding on to your pre-approved credit line, or fitting into those tighter lending windows. And you need what ever advantage you can get now days.

CHICKMELIONfreelance is a tripple threat advantage for small business offering writing, design and marketing services like: Article marketing, Press Releases, Newsletters, Ebrochures and much uch more at affordable prices. Visit our web and sgn up for our free newsletter packed with tips and the ocasional free tool for you to test try at: http://chickelionfreelance.blogspot.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/remaining-liquid-in-troubled-times-1516653.html

categories Make Money | December 19, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Picking Good Fundraising Ideas for Church


When you’re raising funds for a nonprofit organization, you may feel that the possibilities are endless and that you could do any number of things to raise money without lifting an eyebrow or taking a second look at what or who you’re working with.

But when you’re putting together fundraising ideas for church, you probably go through the list more than once just to make sure your ideas are properly representing you church, your faith and your congregation.

If you’re worried about making sure your fundraising ideas for church are proper, consider the following information that will you make your determination.

· Do your fundraising ideas properly reflect your church? Remember, it’s easy to get carried away and want to make people feel sorry for your organization, even when it’s not quite reality. But your fundraising efforts and your message should properly reflect reality in order to get the best response.

· Do your fundraising ideas for church meet the people at their level? Most people do their shopping, reading, listening and watching online today. If you can work with them through affiliate networking or other online fundraising programs that live where they live, then you’ll get a better response.

· What will your church fundraising ideas accomplish? Carefully consider your ideas and decide ahead of time if they will earn money, if they’ll get attention but not donations, or if they’ll simply look cool. You want to choose ideas that will accomplish the main goals of getting attention and earning money before they get you general praise.

Remember, coming up with good fundraising ideas, especially for church, is like making a cake. You’ve gt to have all of the ingredients before you can come out with the perfect product. Keep your mission in mind and you’ll have greater success than you dreamed of.

For more ideas check out Non-Profit Fundraising Ideas.

This article was brought to you by Blastoff Network

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/picking-good-fundraising-ideas-for-church-1518696.html

Related Blogs

categories Nonprofits | December 18, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Business Grants For Women


Women have some advantages, for example, women can be very intuitive and they have the ability to blend analysis and creativity; very useful qualities for successful business startup and expansion, as proven by the growing number of successful businesses owned by women.

The United States government provides economic aid from the general federal revenue to various recipients in the form of Government Grants, to carry out public support or stimulation, as authorized by the law of the United States. Hundreds of billions of dollars of funds are distributed by 26 grant making agencies to around 900 grant programs administered by the states, local governments and various agencies. These grants are made with the intention of stimulating economic growth.

business grants for women are not available directly from the U.S. government, but the government does provide free help for planning, starting and expanding businesses and cheap loans. The Small business Administration provides planning, financing, training and advocacy for small businesses and it works with thousands of lending, educational and training institutions nationwide and is able to provide low interest loans.

The U.S. Small business Administration, or SBA, has offices in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The contact details for each of these can be found at www.citizensgrants.com/SBA-Womens-business-Centers.php

The SBA can help you if your business is, or will be independently owned and operated, is not dominant in its field, and meets the maximum business size standards.

business grants for women are available from the states and the contact details for each state can be found at www.citizensgrants.com/Grant-Resources-by-State.php. To be the recipient of grants you need to sot through the grants resources and discover which grants you are eligible for, and apply for them.

business grants for women are also listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. The CFDA provides a full listing of all Federal programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic, public, quasi- public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals. It is of course comprehensive and, once again it is necessary to discover the grants for which you are eligible and apply for them.

The process of finding grants and applying for them is slow and tedious, and it is no surprise to find that software has been developed to speed up the process. This makes it very easy to find all the grants for which you are eligible, and write the applications, because tips and templates for application writing are included with the software.

Discover the grants for which you are eligible, and apply for them easily and quickly, at Business Grants For Women

The hard work has been done for you so why wait?
Discover how to find and apply for your grants quickly and easily at Business Grants For Women.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/business-grants-for-women-1520123.html

Related Blogs

categories Nonprofits | December 17, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Medium TV Star – Alison DuBois`s favorite Charity


If like me you are a fan of the hit TV show Medium,that is based on the life of real life medium Alison DuBois, and portrayed by actress Patricia Arquette. What you may not know is that Alison DuBois also enjoys supporting her favorite charities.And that two of her favourite charities are the Make a Wish Foundation and the Humane Society, as she loves children and animals.Below are two examples of some of the Make a wish foundation`s work from their website.

 

DREAM COME TRUE-NUMBER ONE

For Tiffany, 6, a Make-A-Wish® experience was a much-needed relief from the day-to-day challenges of recovering from leukemia.

“She went eight days chemo-free,” said her mother, Renee. “No needles, no pokes, no treatments … it was freedom!”

Nearly two years into her chemotherapy treatments and with one year still left, Tiffany was ready for such a break. She enjoyed those carefree days on the Royal Caribbean International ship Serenade of the Seas, which sailed to Alaska, her mother’s birthplace.

Tiffany packed comfortable clothes, raingear, binoculars and a camera to document her wish experience. She and her family set sail to see amazing sights: vast landscapes, majestic mountainsides and amazing wildlife.

“She loves whales and water,” Renee said.

Viewing glaciers, sea lions, and humpback whales was just the beginning of Tiffany’s happy adventure. Serenade of the Seas also stopped in Vancouver, B.C., where Tiffany and her family enjoyed Stanley Park and other tourist attractions. When not exploring land, the family kept themselves busy with an endless list of shipboard activities.

“She loves to cook, and she got to cook with the chef,” Renee said. “They gave her the experience of a lifetime that she will never forget, and we are truly thankful.”

DREAM COME TRUE-NUMBER TWO

There is always one place that can raise Elliot’s spirits: Duluth, Minnesota. After he was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 2 ½ years old, Elliot’s parents would take him to Duluth’s Canal Park near the shore of Lake Superior. Watching the boats and the lift bridges was always a respite from his debilitating chemotherapy treatments.

Though Elliot and his family moved away, he never forgot those happy moments watching ships and hearing the sounds of horns blaring over the water. He told volunteers from the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Minnesota that his fondest wish was to drive one of those boats near his birthplace in Duluth.

 

Angela King-Jones, wish coordinator for the chapter, called Duluth’s mayor to ask permission to grant Elliot’s wish. The story immediately caught the community’s imagination. The mayor was happy to help, and the staff came up with creative ways to fulfill and enhance the boy’s wish. “The community really rallied around Elliot and his family,” King-Jones said. “The mayor granted special permission for Elliot to blow the horn at the lift bridge.”

Elliot and his family boarded the tour boat Vista Star. Captain Chris, who they knew from previous excursions, gave them a warm greeting. He and his crew gave Elliot the VIP treatment and presented him with his own captain’s hat. And the captain let Elliot sound the horn requesting the bridge lift. Under the captain’s supervision, Elliot piloted the ship past the bridge. Everyone celebrated with a pizza party aboard the Vista Star.

Bring on the Noise

At the massive Aerial Lift Bridge (one of Elliot’s favorite maritime attractions), Elliot climbed into the control booth where bridge Supervisor Ryan Beamer let him push the big black button as many times as he wanted. The blasts startled tourists, commuters and seagulls out of their daily routines. With every blast of the horn, Elliot’s smile got even wider.

Many Duluth residents already knew what was happening – the local media had written about his unusual wish. So every blast of the horn gave them a reason to smile, too.

Thanks for the Memories

Sara and Aron, Elliot’s parents, were thrilled with the warm reception the family experienced in Duluth. Part of Elliot’s wish included staying at the South Pier Inn so he could have an up-close view of the ships passing under the bridge. “So many people helped us to be present during our trip and to spend time as a family … and to make Elliot’s trip such a magical time,” they wrote in a thank-you letter published in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Elliot also rode in the locomotive of a train, visited local landmarks including the Duluth Children’s Museum and Great Lakes Aquarium, and enjoyed a meal at the New Scenic Café.

Elliot is now in a three-year maintenance phase of treatment and is doing very well, according to his parents.

You can visit the website to read more heart-warming stories,or to make a donation to help some of the children the Make a Wish Foundation helps, with people`s generous donations below.

http://www.wish.org/

 

 

 

 

Charity Faith Hope supports numerous charitable causes by publishing their good works and contact link details in article directories. Hopefully this will raise awareness and support for their cause.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/medium-tv-star-alison-duboiss-favorite-charity-1522384.html

categories Make Money | December 16, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Venture Capital – Funding in the Recession


As you might imagine, the recession and implosion of the credit markets has had just a tad of an effect on the venture capital and angel investor markets this year. For those considering start-up businesses or expansion, the forecast is decidedly mixed.

I don’t have to tell you that the implosion of 2008 and 2009 resulted in the near strangulation of many niches of the financial markets. Oddly, venture capital investing was not one of those markets that was rocked to its core. Don’t get me wrong. Things were bad, but the downturn in venture capital investing was in the teens as a percentage instead of a much larger number as with most markets. Angel investing, sadly, was crushed for the most part with rates dropping by 30 percent or more.

Well, enough about the past. What about the future? After all, we’ve all read and heard we are now in a recovery from the Great Recession. To say it is a tepid recovery might be a mild understatement. The simple fact is the financial world is still at a stand still. For example, more banks have failed in 2009 than all of 2007 and 2008 combined. That doesn’t make for a solid platform from which to launch 2010. So, what can we expect?

2010 is going to be a brutal year for start-ups. Venture capitalists are risk adverse at the moment, which means few will be interested in taking on the risk of a brand new business. Unless you have a proven record turning start-ups into big winners, don’t hold your breath on VC funding. The same goes for angel investing. The year is going to be about family and friend investing or simply waiting until things turn in the venture capital markets.

What about existing businesses looking to take that next step? VC companies and angels are going to be much more receptive towards inquiries from companies that have a history. That doesn’t mean they will be handing over money right and left, but it means you have a chance. As usual, it comes down to whether your idea seems plausible to them at a time when things are very tough.

The venture capital markets are not dead. Not even close. That being said, there are a lot of fish competing for the food in that market. Things will eventually loosen up, but it may be some time before that happens.

Thomas Ajava writes about venture capital funding for VentureCapitalInvestmentFirms.com where you can find venture capital investment firms for your start-up or existing business.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fundraising-articles/venture-capital-funding-in-the-recession-1535182.html

categories Make Money | December 14, 2009 | comments Comments (0)

Share

Powered by Software-Script.Com
Powered by Yahoo! Answers