Financial Resources for Business Ownership

This webinar (51 minutes) provides information to current and potential business owners about Nebraska microenterprise statewide resources. Included is discussion on financing a small /micro business, along with saving and building credit for business ownership. Guest speakers were Jeff Christensen of NED, Inc., and Jeff Reynolds of REAP, along with Rose Jaspersen, Executive Director and Glennis McClure, Program Manager of NEF.

To access the webinar, click on the provided link: https://canhelp.webex.com/canhelp/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=MC&rID=58206977&rKey=3fe5e5feb3f41ade

International Market Research at GlobalEDGE

Do you need information about a potential market in another country? Check out GlobalEDGE(TM).

Created by the International Business Center at Michigan State University, GlobalEDGE is a web-portal that connects international business professionals with information, insights and learning resources on global business activities.

The website includes:

More than 5,000 online global resources
Information on all countries, listed alphabetically and by continent
Information on all US States
In-depth analysis of selected industries
International business blog that provides insights in relevant global issues
Diagnostic tools
Strong international network

Specific business resources include, but not limited to: trade law, trade tutorials, cultural issues, living abroad, money exchange, market potential index, country comparisons, and so much more. There are even basic language guides to prepare you for international travel.

Website to Search for Angel Investors

Angelsoft.net is a new online startup tool to help business owners find venture capital firms and angel investors worldwide, including in and around Nebraska.

Launched in 2009, Investor Search allows users to search by location, investment size, industry, milestone, valuation, and more. You can also search by keyword, and sort results based on closest location, most active, response time, investments, and applications. The tool includes profiles of over 1,000 venture capital firms and angel investor groups.

Angelsoft.net has an online business planning tool that helps the business owner put together a business plan specifically designed for the investors. You will be asked 11 questions that every investor wants answered. Along the way the website provides you with tips on how to best complete each question. When you are finished, you will have a document that you print, share as a PDF, or use to apply to the 1,026 groups that accept the Angelsoft application.

2010 Young Entrepreneur Awards

Inventors Digest has the scoop on a scholarship opportunity for young entrepreneurs:

The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2010 Young Entrepreneur Awards. High-school seniors with a flare for entrepreneurship are encouraged to apply online for a chance to win a scholarship valued from $1,000-$10,000. The deadline for applying for an award is December 31, 2009. If you know an impressive young entrepreneur, encourage them to apply today.

Students can visit www.NFIB.com/YEA to apply for a scholarship online.

Check it out. More great opportunities for Nebraska youth. Don’t forget about the East 2 West Competition as well. Details can be found here: http://www.nebusinessplancompetition.com/

Terry Jones speaks at Governor’s Conference On Rural Development

On November 6th, 2009 at the Nebraska Governor’s Conference on Rural Developmentin Kearney NE, Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity.com and chairman of Kayak.com spoke about technology changing how we conduct business. It was a great presentation on innovation, rethinking and redesigning the customer relationship and our interaction with that customer.

Pitching to Angel Investors

FOR entrepreneurs hoping to land start-up capital from angel investors, here’s what two recent studies found: Don’t get carried away when you pitch your product because the investors may lose interest faster than you can say “almost unlimited market.” And one misstep — like stammering a vague reply instead of saying you do not know the answer — can also kill a deal, the authors of the studies say.

Other tips include:

Memorize an “elevator pitch” for your product and its potential in 90 seconds or less. It will bolster your confidence, and you can recycle it to win over customers, vendors and employees.
Consider hiring a speech coach, but only one familiar with angel investors’ thinking.
Attend “pitching contests” that many business schools and angel groups sponsor.
In presentations, be upbeat but realistic in your profit and revenue projections. Better yet, draw up optimistic, middle-ground and pessimistic projections to show how carefully you have thought them through.

Check out the article, “In Pitching to Angel Investors – Preparation Tops Zeal” by Brent Bowers, New York Times, June 10, 2009.

Doing Business Where?

Interested in conducting business is another country? Do you need to find more information about the country’s business practices and policies? Here’s a web site that can help with the international research process: Doing Business.org

Subnational and regional Doing Business reports capture differences in business regulations and their enforcement across locations in a single country or region. They provide data on the ease of doing business, rank each location, and recommend reforms to improve performance in each of the indicator areas. Select from over 183 economies, either by country or region. Compare rankings in starting a business, construction permits, registering property and enforcing contracts. This website lets you download subnational and regional Doing Business data, reports, and the ranking simulator to assess the impact of the reforms.

East 2 West: The Nebraska New Venture Competition

The first annual “East 2 West – The Nebraska New Venture Competition” will be held in Lincoln on December 11th, 2009.

Entrepreneurs and business owners will have the opportunity to submit full business plans for new ventures, or significant new market business expansions, and compete for an investment prize. Prize money can be used to purchase equipment, inventory or begin business operations. Business plan submissions will be accepted from any Nebraska resident or one that intends to start/locate the business in Nebraska.

New Searchable Patent Website

Patent Lens is a worldwide, open-access, free full-text patent informatics resource. Users can search and retrieve the full-text of more than 9 million patent documents from US, Europe, Australia and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), their status and counterparts up to 70 countries. Patent Lens is supported by the Initiative for Open Innovation (IOI) and partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Visit the Patent Lens Search Help to get started on your searches.