How to Get Financing For Your New Small Business by Sharon Fullen

In good financial times it can be hard to secure financing for a new small business. So, getting financing in these tough and uncertain economic times are even harder. That’s a reason why you need to know about this book.

We all know that a business can be run in the ground by bad management, poor planning, a downturn in the economy and many other reasons. But improper financial planning is the #2 reason that businesses fail – that is why this book is a valuable resource. Far too many people plan to open or expand a business and incorrectly calculate how much money they will need. Having sufficient money available is critical in being successful.

Compiling a thorough and accurate financial statement is one key. Another key is having a thorough and complete business plan. Both of these items enable you to launch or expand the business with a solid plan and sufficient financing and it allows the lending institution to make the best loan to you and also to give you the best feedback for your  situation.

This book delves into some of the more creative financing options – and in these times, it doesn’t hurt to get creative when you look for financing.

Some of the topics covered in this book include:

Chapter 1 – Learning Your Money Formula

Chapter 2 – The Money is Out There

Chapter 3 – Your Business Plan

Chapter 4 – Investing in Your Own Dream

Chapter 5 – Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be

Chapter 6 – Your Loan Proposal

Chapter 7 – Valuation of Your Business

Chapter 8 – Debt Financing Versus Equity Financing

Chapter 9 – Uncle Sam Helps Out

Chapter 10 – Grants

Chapter 11 – Venture Capital

Chapter 12 – Investor Angels

Chapter 13 – Initial Public Openings

Chapter 14 – Direct Public Offerings

Chapter 15 – Strategic Alliances

Chapter 16 – Legal Considerations

Chapter 17 – The Pitch

Chapter 18 – Glossary

Chapter 19 – Resources

There are many unusual and creative financing options that are discussed in this book in detail. So – if you are looking for a very thorough book that walks you through the traditional and the more creative financing process for your business – this is the book for you. The resources section is also packed with all kinds of resources to get much more information to help you in search to get financing for your business. Like Chapter 2 says — the money is out there, you just need the details on how to get it.

Note – This book was written several years ago and there are new programs — however, this book will give you a great foundation to search for business financing and to better understand the process and to understand the terminology during the process.

Heart of Marketing by Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski

Customer service and really good customer service seems to be a thing of the past in many businesses. When I was growing up – my grandfather reinforced the importance of stellar customer service to me and that lesson has served me very well of the last two decades.  This book explains how to put “heart” back into our businesses and our marketing.

The full title of this book is Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back.

This book is made up of the answers to 45 questions about the “soft sell marketing” concept. There were MANY questions submitted, but Judith and Jim narrowed it down to 45 questions and share the answers with all of us in Heart of Marketing.

Some of the topics include:

• What is Marketing?

• What is the primary benefit of soft sell marketing?

• How does soft sell marketing differ from hard sell?

• People say to succeed you have to get your ego out of the way. What does that mean?

• When creating soft sell marketing messages, which words reassure and establish a relationship quickly?

• Do you use “urgency” or “scarcity” in soft sell marketing?

• How do I sell without making a nuisance of myself?

• How can you close a sale without pushing too far?

• How do I train my brain to realize its ok to ask for the sale because what I am offering is of value of them and not just money for me?

• What are the pitfalls of soft sell marketing?

• How do I measure the success of soft sell marketing?

These are just a few of the questions that are included in Heart of Marketing.

Are you the type of business person or sales person who has a hard time with the traditional hard sell approach? You NEED to read this book. I learned long ago that you can make the sale and succeed with using hard sell techniques. This book takes that premise and walks you through the soft sell process. Even if you like the “hard sell” – you can learn valuable tips from this book and you may find ideas that you can incorporate into your current selling techniques. It could help you take your current success to a much higher level.

Are you an entrepreneur and business owner who wants their sales people to use the soft sell sales approach? You need to recommend this book to your sales team or better yet – buy copies for them and help them learn how to love your customers – your business will reap the benefits.  I worked with Judith and Jim on the campaign that helped them reach Amazon Best Seller status – now you can find out what all the excitement was about – and learn the soft sale tips that made this book a best seller.

Passion, Plan and Profit by Christy Strauch

Having your own business is said to be a part of the “American Dream”. Even in these tough economic times, many people are still working toward having their own business. Actually, I’ve read that a financial recession can be the perfect time to lose a fortune — but also the perfect time to make a fortune. So, is this the time for you to get serious about starting your own business?

I wanted my own business for years and started it about 10 years ago. But for years before and after that, I ran businesses for other people and learned something new on each and every job I had. Finally about 4 years ago I had the opportunity to focus on my business fulltime and I haven’t looked back. This background and experience has been invaluable to me and I know there are many people out there who would like to have their own business.

The thing about my business is that I love what I do — the creative outlet, the ability to help others grow their business and seeing the results we get – all make this something I love to do. Having a business of my own that I love is not something I take for granted and there are many other people who would like to have the same opportunity. That is what Passion, Plan and Profit by Christy Strauch is about.

In the beginning of this book you will find sections that include: Read This Before You Begin, Caution, How to Use This Book, etc. I like to include these sort of sections to lay the groundwork in my non fiction books – be sure you read all of these sections. Then we move on to the heart of the book.

Section One – Why Are You In Business (Purpose, Vision, Mission and Value)

Section Two – How Are You In Business (Target Market, Strategies, Unique Selling Proposition, Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats)

Section Three – (Income, Expenses, Key Measurements)

Section Four – (Clarity)

Strauch covers so many great topics that all business owners or people who want to be business owners need to understand. But she doesn’t stop there. In the back of the book you will find a business plan template, a checklist to track your progress, resources, the Footwork Calculator and Business Plan Review Processes – including monthly and quarterly reviews.

There are so many topics that business owners need to manage. All the sections of this book are valuable, but I was really impressed with the “Numbers” section. Not only does she explain the incomes and expenses, but she also included directions to help you estimate these numbers properly. Getting these estimates is critical to the success of any business and need to be calculated to complete a thorough business plan and to secure sufficient financing.

Another thing that I really like is that Strauch included a number of worksheets in the book. I love non fiction books that provide ways for the reader to interact and utilize the information. This book is highly recommended for people who want to start a business and especially people who want to start a business that incorporates something they love.

The New Rules for Mortgages by Dale Robyn Siegel

When I think of some of the biggest decisions we can make in our lives – I think of things like getting married, having children, starting a business, and buying a home – to name a few. These are major things we do in our lives and these things affect our lives for many years to come — so they are the kind of things that we should think about very carefully and thoroughly before we do them.

So why is it that so many people have no idea about the mortgage on their home? I could ask many questions about the other major decisions, but that would be different books.

How many people do you know that have a 30 years (or longer) mortgage on their home, but they don’t understand the terms or anything else about the loan? I admit that I’m incredibly careful about spending money and especially when it comes to a purchase of that magnitude — so I can tell you that I discussed the details with my loan officer – I asked so many questions, that I didn’t know if we would still be friends. But I understood what I was signing and I felt very good about the loan. Can you say the same about your mortgage?

If you have a mortgage and you don’t understand it, if you are looking for a mortgage or if you just want to understand the current mortgage market – The New Rules for Mortgages is for you. Dale Robyn Siegel is an insider – she is in the mortgage business and she has been for years. She understand what is needed to secure a loan, she knows the things you need to know long before you walk in to fill out that application and she know the dos and don’ts of getting the best mortgage for YOU. And, she knows what will keep you from getting the home of your dreams. These are all reasons why you need to read The New Rules for Mortgages.

I am not a financial guru and I admit that many of the terms my mortgage officer used were foreign to me – but Siegel walks you through the entire process. These are some of the chapters in this book — how many of these topics are things that you don’t understand?

The All-Important Credit Score

Income Yeah, You Need That!

Money Matters

A Good Look at the Property

What Mortgage Is Best for You?

Where to Get the Best Mortgage

The Loan Process

Interest Rates, Closing Costs, and the Closing

Types of Property

Protecting Your Homeownership: Divorce, Dispute and Death

You Are a Homeowner

Whether you are a first time home buyer, self employed, under employer, an investor or most any other home buyer – this book has the details you need to make educated decisions when it comes to buying a home. Let an industry insider give you the information you need to get the best possible mortgage for you.

Lords of Finance: The Bankers That Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

Lords of Finance: The Bankers That Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

In 2009 we’re deep into a major recession in the United States and many other countries throughout the world are experiencing many of the same problems. Each week we hear comparisons to previous recessions and economic downturns – but the benchmark for all financial crisis is the “Great Depression”. So, this seems like a great time to read and learn more about what happened around the world from the end of World War I and the late 1930’s. Liaquat Ahamed has written a great book that documents what was happening in the world during this twenty year period. I highly recommend that anyone interested in learning more about what lead up to the Great Depression and how the financial leaders handled it – must read this book.

In 1918 the world was reeling from the events during World War I and they were trying to rebuild their countries and the economies in those countries. We are all familiar with the bare bones of the end of World War I, the Roaring Twenties in the United States, rebuilding in Europe, the financial crash in the United States, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party and many of the other events between 1918 and 1938.

                   But, how many of us know the details of the individual financial systems in the United States, France, Britain and Germany?

                   Do you know what people managed the financial decisions in these countries during that time?

                   Do you understand how the gold standard worked and what that meant for each country?

                   Do you know what happened in the ongoing debate about war reparations and what that did to various economies around the world?

                   What happened within Germany when they were ordered to pay substantial reparations after the war?

                   What happened when Germany started printing money around the clock to boost the economy?

These are just a few of the questions that are answered in this book.

In school I remember learning that the financial situation in Germany after World War I was one thing that enabled Adolf Hitler to gain power in Germany. But I never understand the extent of the financial crisis. My depth of understanding on that piece of history has increased dramatically. Understanding what happened in the different countries and the various domino effects are staggering as you turn the pages and see how things fell apart.

I love to read about history and to get a deeper understanding of what led to various events. But I think in the current economic climate – this information is even more important. Most of us have heard the saying that “those who do not study history are destined to repeat it”. That idea kept coming to mind as I read this book and saw many examples of the things these power players in the worldwide economic community tried that failed and in a good number of cases – made the situation much worse.

Through the pages of this book you will meet Montagu Norman of the Bank of England, Emile Moreau of the Banque of France, Hjalmar Schacht of the Reichsbank in Germany and Benjamin Strong of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In addition, you will learn how each of these men reached these positions and much about the history of these various financial institutions.

Anyone interested in the economy – and especially people who could make a positive difference in the financial situation – should be required to read this book. For people who are concerned about authenticity – there are 23 pages of notes and references for the information in the book and a 12 page bibliography. This is a long book – over 500 pages of content, plus the notes, bibliography and index. It took me a while to read the book – because its not really the sort of content you want to rush through, but I thoroughly enjoyed the content and feel like I have a much more complete understanding of the things that led up to the Great Depression and how the world recovered from this crisis.

How I Managed $20,000,000,000 By Age 32 By Wade Slome

How I Managed $20,000,000,000 By Age 32

By Wade Slome

First, a bit about Wade Slome

Wade Slome holds an MBA from Cornell University with an emphasis in Finance. He earned a B.A. in Economics from UCLA. In addition, he holds the esteemed credentials of CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and CFP (Certified Financial Planner.) He is the go-to resource for USA Today, The New York Times, Dow Jones, Investor’s Business Daily, Bloomberg, Smart Money and many other media outlets. He presently leads his own investment practice in Newport Beach, California.

Wade Slome has led an adventurous life. He started trading penny stocks in high school stock market competitions after the 1987 Crash. As a freshly minted MBA graduate from Cornell University in 1998, he never expected in his wildest dreams to land on one of the largest mutual funds in the entire United States of America. But at the age of 3.

About How I Managed $20,000,000,000 By Age 32

This book was much more entertaining than I expected. While it was being edited and laid out, I saw portions of it. But, then I received the final book and got a chance to read it. I will admit that finance is not something that I know much about. I can manage my finances and I have done bookkeeping for years – but this is a whole different dimension to finance and economics.

I really enjoyed the fact that Slome takes us back to his childhood and we see his development and learn about his family. Its clear the family and his roots are important and helped shape him into the man he is today.

We go with Slome to his college days and to his internship. Through movies, I’ve seen the life that financial interns and that comes across in the pages of the book. From no pay and low pay and the very long days that all interns have to survive.

Slome goes into a lot of detail about the job where he managed $20,000,000,000. We get an insider’s view of a typical day, the responsibilities and rewards. I’d never thought about the type of people he interacted with during this time period. Imagine being in your early 30s and dealing with titans in business. He met with these very powerful people and it was his job to question just about everything.

Throughout the book, some of the headings include:
Influences
Paying His Dues
Chasing Profits
Investment Philosophy
Hedge Funds
Managing Billions

Once we get a clear picture about the man behind the book and the accomplishments, he moves us to topics that are very timely.

Technology and Globalization
Winning Strategies
How to Choose a Financial Advisor
Credentials
What to Do With Your Portfolio

2008 and 2009 have brought and will bring the biggest financial challenges this country and the world have faced in over a quarter of a century. Most Americans seem to be no clue what to do about their financial future and what to do now. Wade Slome has the background and experience to help people have more information about how to tackle the current and future economic situations.