Monday, April 20, 2020

Resume Writing Services For Jobs

Resume Writing Services For JobsI am not a writer and had never used resume writing services for a few years. The only resume that I am aware of had not a single heading or a title and simply said: contact me to learn more about jobs at this address. My thoughts were maybe a real disaster but I thought maybe the resumes didn't really matter. I know that is not true.The best example is Paul McKenzie who always made me laugh. Whenever I would see his name he would get a few curious looks but most of the time it was because people didn't know where to find him. His resume writing services are extremely important and should be used for any type of job opportunity you want to fill.I have known Paul McKenzie personally and he has an uncanny ability to draw your attention with his resume. In fact one of my clients said that it took him two months before he even looked at his resume because he kept coming back to see if Paul McKenzie had written it.At the time I read Alex McKenzie's articles I already knew that his resume writing services were invaluable and would help me tremendously when I was preparing for a job interview. I couldn't wait to see what he had in store for me and now when I am interviewing I always get the same reaction.When I was preparing for an interview with Paul McKenzie I also included a cover letter that you can get a free sample of here and it was the first thing that I said to him as we started talking. I knew that this is what I needed to tell him to get him interested in me.What I don't know about Paul McKenzie is that I couldn't believe how quickly he could put me on the spot! He knew that my resume was going to be the first thing I wanted to look at and if I had a cover letter I would have left it at that. I have come to really appreciate how he puts people on the spot and his resume writing services do the same.Of course if you are not sure about a job, you can also always use the resume writing services for referrals and recommendations. You may not have met the person in person so you would want to take a few minutes to get a feel for them. I hope that I have helped you gain an appreciation for Paul McKenzie's resume writing services.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Small Business Funding 5 Creative Ways to Launch Your Startup

Small Business Funding 5 Creative Ways to Launch Your Startup When Mike Shapiro quit his job as a corporate lawyer to launch a group of community news web sites in 2008, he relied on savings he’d frugally socked away for years. “I wasn’t an Armani suit guy at my firm,” says Shapiro, CEO and publisher of TAPInto.net, a five-employee franchise chain, based in New Providence, N.J., that now has 37 locations. But self-funding the business turned out to be stressful. During the first two and a half years, he poured about $250,000 into his startup, taking no salary while he and his family lived on their savings. And as he was launching the business, his son, then an infant, had to have open heart surgery, and his wife stayed home to care for the baby. “I put all of my money into the company,” says Shapiro. “I had to work to bring in enough revenue so we could survive as a family. It was pretty high pressure.” And it didn’t help that he was launching the business while the global economy was collapsing. Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. So Shapiro took another approach in 2012, when he was looking for a $150,000 cash infusion. He raised the money in a transaction known as a private placement, selling equity in the business to supporters in the community who bought a stake in the company in $25,000 increments. His efforts have paid off, enabling him to keep growing the business and invest in technology that keeps his sites visible. This year he projects that revenues at the profitable business will be in the range of $650,000 to $1 million. As many entrepreneurs discover, raising money to fund a small business isn’t for the faint of heart. Only 46% of small firms received some or all of the financing they sought in 2014, according to a 10-state survey by the Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Atlanta, Cleveland and Philadelphia. More than half of the applicants sought credit of $100,000 or less. But fortunately, new options for small business owners on a money hunt are fast evolving. Here are five that first-time entrepreneurs often overlook. 1) Private placements To raise the $150,000 he needed, Shapiro offered to sell equity directly to handpicked individuals on TAPInto’s advisory boards for various towns. “They were business and community leaders in those towns,” he says. That’s one way to do it, but it’s now possible to find such investors through online platforms, such as AngelList, CircleUp, and EquityNet, notes Richard Swart, crowdfunding and alternative finance researcher and scholar-in-residence in the Institute for Business and Social Impact at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. “There are dozens of platforms to connect entrepreneurs to accredited investors,” says Swart. When you do a private placement through these online platforms, it is called equity crowdfunding. Pro: You can potentially raise millions this way. Con: You will have to share ownership of the business with your investors who may not agree with how you are running it. 2) Community banks It can be tough to win a bank loan, but given that banks generally offer the lowest interest rates on loans, they’re worth approaching. That’s especially true if you’ve logged a few years in business during which you showed steady growth and profitabilityâ€"qualities that bankers want to see. Even so, big banks can be tough to interest early on, so your best shot at finding a lender may be at a community bank. According to Biz2Credit, an online matchmaker between borrowers and lenders, lending approval rates at small banks were 49.6% in April, compared to 21.7% at big banks with more than $10 billion in assets. “I would say between the two, if you have the option of going to a smaller bank, you should do that,” says Rohit Arora, CEO of Biz2Credit. “They are better in terms of approval. They understand your business better.” When exploring your options, keep in mind that loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration aren’t your only option, and many entrepreneurs prefer standard bank loans that don’t come with a government guarantee. “SBA loans require a lot more paperwork,” says Arora. Capital One’s Spark Small Business Barometer, a survey released in May 2014 found that only 9% of small business owners have applied for SBA-guaranteed loans, even though 79% of respondents were aware of them. Among those who had applied, 73% said the process is somewhat or very complicated. Pro: Banks generally offer the best interest ratesâ€"and you don’t have to give up equity to get a bank loan. Con: It’s often hard to get a bank to lend to a startup. 3) Online financing sites If you can’t qualify for a bank loan, check out the growing number of internet-based financing companies that offer short-term cash infusions via the web. “There are online funding platforms that can provide very substantial amounts of money, sometimes in the millions,” says Swart. These sources range from peer-to-peer lenders like Prosper and Lending Club, where individuals and institutional investors lend you money through the platform, to merchant cash advance providers, which offer an immediate cash infusion in exchange for a share of your future revenues. Pro: What these platforms have in their favor is speed. They tend to approve or reject applicants quickly. “In the small business space, interest rate is one thing, but timing is important, too,” says Arora, CEO of Biz2Credit. Con: The catch is that they’re usually not cheap. “Depending on what type of product you get, your APR can be anywhere from the low teens all the way to extremely high, probably 100% or 200%,” says Swart. The fine print on some alternative financing arrangements can be hard to understand, so if you’re not clear on what effective annual percentage rate you’re actually paying, ask your accountant before you sign any agreements. 4) Hedge funds, endowment funds, and family offices In the past few years, these types of large investment pools have been looking for new ways to enhance their returns by lending to small businesses, says Arora. “These pools of money have never been available for small businesses,” he says. These lenders behave more like banks than online financing companies, and often are willing to make longer-term loans. So how do you get access to their money? As a small business owner, you probably won’t get anywhere by cold-calling a hedge fund. But several online platforms such as Biz2Credit, Funding Circle, and Lending Club provide such loans. Pros: Many entrepreneurs don’t know about this type of financing, so the pool of those competing for it hasn’t maxed out. Cons: The interest rates can be higher than for bank loans. Typically, they range from 8% to 22% a year, says Arora. In comparison, the maximum interest rate for an SBA-backed back 7(a) loanâ€"the kind used for working capitalâ€"is lower, currently ranging from 5.5% to 8%. 5) Third-party loan guarantees With banks more eager to lend to small business but still using stringent lending criteria, third-party loan guarantees are becoming more popular in recent years, says attorney Andrew Sherman, a partner at Jones Day in Washington, D.C. who advises businesses of all sizes. In these deals, an entrepreneur teams up with private investor, known as an angel, to get a bank loan that the angel personally guarantees. In return for doing so, the angel gets equity in the business. “The person that is picking up the equity is using their personal balance sheet to earn equity and not have to write a check,” says Sherman. “The bank gets more comfortable and gets to do the small business lending, and the entrepreneur gets access to the capital with minimal dilutions.” Pro: Third-party loan guarantees can help you get a loan a bank might otherwise be leery of making. Con: You have to give up an equity stake to get the loan. READ NEXT: 5 Ways to Tackle the Problem That Kills One of Every Four Small Businesses

Friday, April 10, 2020

5 Things You Need To Do Before Opening A New Business - Work It Daily

5 Things You Need To Do Before Opening A New Business - Work It Daily Opening a new business can be extremely fun and exciting. It is the dream of many people to have a company that they can call their own, where they will be able to work for themselves instead of for someone else. Related: 5 Goals To Reach Before Opening Your Own Business Unfortunately, over 90% of new businesses end in failure. Any entrepreneur thinking of opening a new business is cautioned not to get rushed so that they can avoid falling into some of the traps that can easily destroy new companies. By following these five steps, the chances of success are increased: 1. Consider Cloud Hosting The Internet has brought with it a number of tools that can help entrepreneurs to succeed with their new businesses. One of the most powerful tools that you can have on the Internet is actually your own website. This useful tool can not only become a permanent advertisement for your company, but it can also turn into one of your best sales people when it is properly created. Those who wish to put a great deal of emphasis on their website will need some sort of hosting service. With the advancements in technology, it is usually strongly recommended to use some sort of cloud hosting service, such as Sparknode cloud hosting. Cloud hosting is beneficial in that it gives companies a great deal of storage and power for their website, while also being able to offer 100% up-time for the site. 2. Be Aware Of The Competition No matter what business you are starting up, there is bound to be competition. Whether it is local or online, it is important to research your competitors in advance. Take note of the tactics they employ that help make them successful. It is a good idea to also visit their website and join their e-mail list. This will give you an even better insight when it comes to advertising and reaching out to their customers. While you more than likely will have some obvious competitors, you will also want to make sure you research the ones that are not so obvious. For example, if you are starting a bowling alley, you are not just competing with other bowling alleys, but you are competing with every other business that provides entertainment. 3. Create A Solid Business Plan Too many entrepreneurs start up their business before they even map it out. The creation of a solid business plan is crucial, and it serves as a map for the entire team regarding the goals of the business and how to achieve them. There is a common saying that says “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” While it might seem like you have a fail-proof way of doing things in your mind, putting it on paper will set the idea in concrete and it will give others a clear view of where your business is going. A business plan is also essential when you are first seeking financing for your business, or if you are looking for talented people that can join your team. 4. Seek Advice Friends, family members, and local organizations have a lot to offer. Run your idea by an uncle who owns a restaurant or a friend who manages a home-based business. Many communities even have resources, such as the Small Business Administration, that offer free help in planning a new business. Try to run your idea by as many people as possible, not matter their background. These people will more than likely pick out weaknesses and flaws with your plan, which will allow for you to re-evaluate and become stronger. This will also be the ultimate test that will determine whether you have what is needed to be an entrepreneur, since opposition against your idea will only grow after your business has been created. 5. Be On The Lookout For Talent Many businesses fail because they are not prepared for growth, and that's an unfortunate situation. A great way to avoid this problem is to be on the lookout early on for potential talent that could offer help to the company as it begins to expand. When you are looking for new people, especially if your business still does not have a great deal of resources, you will want to find people that have potential. Hiring experienced and skilled professionals will end up costing you a great deal of money, while an eager and smart young person can be cheap to hire, and they will also be able to learn how you do things, instead of bringing in another way of performing the required work. Starting up a business is exciting, but it is important not to get ahead of yourself. By carefully planning and following these five helpful tips, anyone has a good shot at opening a business that will grow and succeed. Related Posts Have An Idea? Why You Should Start A Business NOW Financing Your Growing Business The Right Way How To Start Your Own Business In The Retail World   Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!