Angel Investors Bring Big Ideas to Reality

If you're an emerging company with the next great product, sometimes you need an angel on your side.

A study by the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research showed that "angel investors" - high-net-worth individuals willing to invest in entrepreneurial companies at an early stage - shelled out more than $18 billion into early-stage companies last year alone, compared to $304 million by venture capitalists.

Finding an angel investor, however, is not an easy task. Safer Smokes Inc. is one company that understands the challenge of attracting the right investors.

This development-stage company is tapping the smoking cessation market with a unique tobacco-free, nicotine-free smoke called Bravo, which has the appearance of a traditional cigarette and burns like tobacco, but is actually made from lettuce fibers.

"Bravo lets you smoke your way out of the tobacco habit gradually," said Puzant C. Torigian, chief executive officer of Safer Smokes.

For companies like Safer Smokes, it may be too soon to approach large venture capital firms, yet time to move beyond networking with family and friends. Angel investors to the rescue.

"The challenge for raising capital in today's market is in harnessing the courage and vision of the angel to see through to the real investment opportunity," said Torigian.

So how do companies like Safer Smokes attract their angel?

* Have a clear-cut target market for your product or service. For example, Safer Smokes is targeting the smoking cessation market, which has sales approaching $10 billion per year, up from $6 billion just three years ago.

Most angel investors prefer companies that are likely to show positive cash flow within their first 18 months, so having these kinds of statistics about your market can be an incentive.

* Match the business plan objectives to the angel's risk tolerance. Investors want to know the product or service will be unique and well-cultivated. Safer Smokes has a patented solution that company officials say will "affect the landscape of the health care industry."

Small Business Leadership: $200 for a New Customer

Attention: Small business owner or struggling salesperson

Are you sick and tired of looking at the wall while making phone call after phone call, only to find no prospect wants to talk to you about your offering?

Are you an experienced business owner or salesperson that used to generate business by knocking on doors or shaking hands at networking functions? Do you find that somehow in today's fast-paced world that's not working for you?

So are you ready to try something different?

Here's a valuable FREE gift, from me to you:

Visit a coffee shop close to your office. Or perhaps stop by a popular mom and pop restaurant. Think of any place you know where the patrons of a business are prospects that you would like to obtain as new customers. Envision yourself visiting a location wherein its customer base might have a need your product/service can meet or exceed.

And when you visited one of these places with clientele that you wish to serve, approach the manager politely and offer them $200 (or whatever amount you want). This may very well be the solution to all your referral and cold calling hiccups.

Here's an example: have the coffee shop manager agree that you'll pay $200 worth of coffee for the next 35-40 people who walk in. The only stipulation is that the manager allows you to:


Say hello to the patrons
Tell them that the coffee is on you today and
Share your business card with them AFTER they give you permission to hand them the card.



Don't shove your card on them. They will smell your commission breath. Just have fun. Don't push. Be personable!

Now slow down and honestly think about this: if you casually shook hands with 35-40 people in this laid-back environment that you created for yourself, how many of these people will eventually become your client? One person? Two people? Perhaps more? I'd be willing to bet that just one new customer is worth more than $200. Over the course of your career you probably have spent thousands of dollars on advertising and marketing. Most of it probably did not work.

This does work-try it now! And by the way, you have my permission to send me $200 or at least your story about how this simple concept worked for you.



Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/expert/Marvin_LeBlanc/1019123

“11 Great Reasons why Smiling makes us More Successful!”

First: Our smile shows others people that we are friendly.
If a stranger approached you and gained eye contact with you and then treated you to a broad smile you will have a fairly good idea that they are being friendly and certainly mean you no harm.

By contrast we would find it far more difficult to offer trust to the stranger that wears a scowl or unfriendly face features.

Second: A smile can make people happy.
When someone treats you to a smile, even a stranger, you usually smile back.  For that moment you enjoy a flash of positive communication without saying a word. As you walk through a crowed area such as a main street you can do this hundreds times in a very short period of time.

When you smile at someone who is not already smiling and they smile back you have brought a moment of happiness into their lives which, who knows, could last all day.

Third: Smiling is infectious.
When you spend a lot in the company of someone who smiles a lot you will soon discover that their smile starts to wear off on you.  It is hard not to return a smile; most of us do it at a subliminal level without thinking.

Fourth: Smiling can make you popular.
Which type of people do you prefer? A person that has a tired and listless face. An expression that may reflect their inner thoughts of boredom and worry? Or, would you prefer someone who is always smiling and shows that they have an enthusiastic passion for life.

I think for the majority of us the choice would be obvious!

Fifth: Smiling can help you to make new friends
In the same way few of us would choice a miserable person for a friend. Lets face it we all want someone who is going to be bubbly and a happy and positive.

Sixth: A smile is usually returned
When someone smiles back at you it make you feel good inside. You have just made a short but very positive communication and possibly the first step in the process of getting to know or making friends with someone new.

Seventh: Smiling makes you positive and happy inside.
When you smile it is hard to feel unhappy, negative or sad in anyway. Smiling gives you enthusiasm and drive, it is also habit forming.

Eight: A smile makes you look far more attractive.
You don’t see many celebrities or media personalities that are not smiling because if you did it is fairly certain that their popularity would quickly start to drop!

Ninth: Smiling also helps make you memorable to others!
Have you noticed that smiling people are usually far more memorable than those that are not? It is fact that you are 3 time more likely to remember the person that is smiling over the one that is wearing a negative or neutral features.

Tenth: Most importantly, smiling is good for your health!!!
When you are smiling you find whatever you are doing far easier. It releases stress, worry and tension that you may have built up throughout the day. Long term, developing the smiling habit will be one of the smartest things that you can do to improve most aspects of your life.

Eleventh: The effects of smiling can last for hours
Whatever problems and challenges you have in your life, smiling temporary puts them and hold.  For a while you forget the problems and become positive, and while you are in a positive state you have far more potential and power to advance and improve your life.

Lastly: Smiling is FREE!
You are never going to run short of smiles and will always have enough to go around.  When you weigh up the positive points of smiling it is a no brainer decision to do far more smiling and share them with as many people as possible.

Keep smiling.