Blog
Gordon blogs only when he sees a need either among our members or within a business transaction in which he is personally engaged. Content rich and highly insightful, Gordon's blogs are like an advanced course in business success.
Just because the cards are all stacked against you doesn’t mean you can’t prosper. In the US on a student visa from Ghana, Zak Senanu could not be legally employed. Zak found himself in dire need of more money for college and living expenses, but didn’t want to do anything illegal. Zak tripped…
Read MoreI received and email from a college student who wants to be an entrepreneur. He was concerned that after graduation it would then take years to get the operational experience he believed would be necessary to start or buy his own business. Here is the pertinent portion of my response to him. I started a…
Read MoreWho is your customer? What is their income level? Age? Gender? Family status? Race? National origin? Industry & Occupation? How many and where do they live? Trends over time? These are just some of the elements that form the basis of evaluating the marketplace you intend to master. When starting, buying or expanding any business,…
Read MoreSo your business failed. You have no income. Every dollar you had was invested in your business and it’s gone. Maybe you have bill collectors calling night and day and eviction from your residence is only weeks or even days away. Your brain and emotions are beyond fried. You have no money, no prospects and…
Read MoreA good bank lending officer can be an entrepreneur's most important ally. Yet most fledgling entrepreneurs have unrealistic expectations of their banker. Expect your banker to play it by “the book.” “The book” divides your business entity's history into two segments: 1) before two years of successful operation; and 2) after. To the uninitiated, dealing…
Read MoreCultivate relationships with early stage financing sources, even if you don’t need their money. Angels - Capital Finders - Venture Capitalist - Even if you never raise a dime from any of these sources, as an emerging entrepreneur they are worth, to you, their weight in GOLD. In fact, they have something more valuable to…
Read MoreIs your business venture in a good position to qualify for venture capital? Like the rest of the economy, Venture Capital firms have been relatively lethargic since the bubble burst in late 2007. If you weren't the next Google or Facebook, VC money has been hard to come by. The good news is Venture Capitalists…
Read MoreSome entrepreneurs are financing a business start-up or business purchase by taking an early distribution from their pension plan or 401(k). However savvy entrepreneurs are doing a rollover of their pension plan into a self-directed 401(k) and end up with almost twice the amount of after tax cash to invest in their business. Here's how…
Read MoreMost people believe they need a mountain of cash to start a business. Not true. You can start your own business with little or no cash of your own. How? Go virtual. That means outsource everything. Here's an example of how it works and how you can do it for yourself. Someone called me a…
Read MoreHere is a great example of how to be self-employed by using "Sweat Capital" or "Sweat Equity" to quickly propel yourself into ownership of your own successful business with no cash. Several years ago I was visiting a friend when his 34 year old wanna be self-employed son also stopped by to visit. Let’s call…
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