Tag Archives: business assistance

Consider Strategy Before Seeking Equity

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Tom Stephenson

Tom Stephenson, Managing General Partner, Verge Fund

Once an entrepreneur decides that equity capital is the best way to finance his business, the next questions are how much and when should it be raised? One approach is to determine from the business plan how much cash shortfall is projected early on and raise that amount. But raising money in multiple rounds is often a better choice, allowing the entrepreneur to retain a greater portion of ownership.

If a business plan calls for $3 million in total financing to achieve profitability in three years, a startup raising that money all at once will give up a large portion of the company — perhaps as much as 75 percent. New companies are high risk; if investors put in less at the beginning, they will be willing to bet more money on a promising venture later, taking fewer subsequent shares of the business in the process. Continue reading →

‘Made in America’ Heats Up

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Yolanda Garcia Olivarez

Yolanda Garcia Olivarez, SBA Region VI Administrator

Joseph Armijo has consistently created jobs: his business added 12 employees over the past 10 years – about one a year. ButArmijo’s Albuquerque-based company, Four Winds Mechanical HTC/AC, may soon accelerate its rate of hiring. With help from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA),Armijonow has the resources to bid on large contracts that, if awarded, will allow him to quickly hire up to five additional employees. Four Winds Mechanical provides plumbing, fuel (gas) process piping, sheet metal work, and heating and air conditioning services, including equipment repairs.

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Businesses, Like Life, Have Stages

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Paul Goblet

Paul F. Goblet, Financial Advisor, NM SBIC

Few businesses follow a predictable path and timeline from one stage of life to the next. Some linger for a long time as startups, while others dash directly from startup to rapid growth. Knowing the life cycle of a typical business can help an entrepreneur know where to find capital to reach the next stage.

The seed or startup stage starts with an idea or a prototype for a product or service. At this stage, entrepreneurs either tap friends, family members or other personal contacts for funds, or they seek angel investors, SBIR grants, micro loans or very early stage venture capital.

When a company is preparing its product or service for a market launch, it’s in the early stage of life. Continue reading →

Investors Bring Benefits Beyond Capital

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Les Mathews

Les Mathews, Mesa Capital Partners

Business owners who obtain outside equity – whether from family, friends or institutional investors – quickly learn money has strings attached.

Most outside equity providers want to get repaid over a reasonable period of time and at a very good rate of return. In exchange for providing capital, they obtain a piece of the company, thereby becoming business partners.

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Small Business Publicity: Writing Effective Press Releases

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Julianna Martinez-Barbee

Julianna Martinez-Barbee, Director, NMSBDC at Northern NM College

Professional publicists recommend press releases to deliver business news to the media for broadcast to potential customers. Publicity of this kind is free and can often be done by a business owner or someone who works for her company. If the media publish the story, the business stands to gain the goodwill of existing customers and attract new ones. The result can be increased sales at a cost of only the time it takes to write and distribute the release.

But the average newsroom receives hundreds of emails and faxes every day, only a fraction of which are published. Competition for print space and airtime means press releases need to be creative, factual and informative. They must provide content the media believe its readers, viewers and listeners want.

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Government Contracting: A New Path to Increased Revenue?

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Elaine Palin

Elaine Palin, Advisor, PTAP at Santa Fe Community College

In times of economic upheaval when private sector output slows, government contracts may mean the difference between running a company at profit rather than loss. The Procurement Technical Assistance Program, set up by the New Mexico Small Business Development Network in 2009, is a non-profit organization that helps small businesses obtain government contracts.

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SBA Seeks Feedback at Event

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John C. Woosley

John C. Woosley, District Director, SBA NM District Office

Janice Lucero was convinced people would pay a little more to renew their driver’s license or car registration if they could do it quickly from a convenient location with friendly service. Lucero turned her conviction into MVD Express, a $5 million company that serves 22,000 customers a month from its 11 New Mexico locations. Lucero’s success and community involvement led the U.S. Small Business Administration to name her the New Mexico Small Business Person of the Year. The award earned Lucero a trip to Washington D.C. where she’s in the running for national recognition.

The New Mexico district of the U.S. Small Business Administration will honor Lucero and other small-business leaders from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. June 2 at the state’s Small Business Week Award Celebration luncheon at Embassy Suites Albuquerque Hotel, 1000 Woodward Place N.E.

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LANL Puts Students to Work for New Mexico Businesses

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Monica Abeita

Monica Abeita, Regional Development Corp. for Northern NM Connect

When Scott Laidlaw and Jennifer Harris created Ko’s Journey, a game designed to teach math in middle schools, they weren’t sure how to get it into the marketplace. With help from MBA students participating in a summer internship program at Los Alamos National Laboratory, they are now better prepared. The students helped them target interested schools and made recommendations to market their product on the Internet.

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Stay Stable with Balanced Cash Flow

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Sandra Taylor Sawyer

Sandra Taylor Sawyer, Director, NMSBDC at Clovis Community College

Cash-flow imbalance is the leading cause of business failure in a healthy economy, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. So when the economy is sputtering toward its prior vigor, it’s more urgent than ever to maintain a balance between what’s flowing into the business and what’s flowing out.

In business, cash is king. It’s used to pay short-term bills, cover unexpected emergencies and invest for future business needs. Savvy business owners look beyond income and expenses by keeping an eye on cash to manage all cash inflows and outflows.

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Personal Approach to Sales Prospecting Yields Results

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Stacy Sacco

Stacy Sacco, MBA, VP Marketing at WESST

Small-business owners focused on increasing sales sometimes turn to prospect lists – names of potential customers researched on the internet or purchased from a marketing firm. Even if the selection criteria are finely targeted, “cold calls” made from these lists result in fewer sales than calls made to people with whom there is a personal relationship. The key is to turn unknown potential customers into personal connections.

One approach is to generate an ongoing prospect list from public announcements about people who have won industry awards or reached achievements of note, and use the announcement to make a personal connection by sending a letter of congratulations. The letter should be written and addressed by hand, and suggest how doing business together can make the award-winner become even more successful.

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