© Penningtron


I don't have an iPad yet. The new Apple gadget looks like something I'd have fun with, but the truth is that I probably wouldn't carry it to the grocery store with me. I go there now with a little slip of paper in my pocket (milk, eggs, whole wheat noodles, pork chops...) Tech mobility only extends so far for me, I guess. That's part of being a middle aged digital immigrant. I already have a Palm I could use to carry my shopping list to the store or the mall. I just don't...

That means that paper is still an important part of my shopping patterns. And while I can write my own notes for the grocery store, for most other things a good business flyer that gives me the product information I need and that I can fold up and put in my shirt pocket - well, that's a useful thing to me.

Since I know how valuable a good business flyer is to me when I'm shopping, I also make them myself. And rather than reinvent the wheel every time I need a flyer, I go looking for flyer template out there on the web.

So maybe I'm a little tech savvy, after all.

I sometimes joke that my favorite verse from the Bible is Ecclesiastes 10:19, which says that money is the answer to everything. It does actually say that (although you have to take it in the large context of the book). But I can come up with verses I like more...

While money might really be the answer to everything in some cynical sense, hold down your costs can be the answer to a lot of things, especially if you're just getting started in your business. Women Entrepreneur has some tips for doing just that.

Ideas, fortunately, are free-until you decide to implement them. Does your idea require a patent or a trademark? What will you call the entity? Will you require a professional license? Do you need local or state licenses? If there are two or more people involved, will you form a partnership or a corporation? If you're going to be a sole proprietorship, consider potential personal liability should something happen to a client or visitor on your property. These are only a few of the things to consider as you set up shop.

There's a cost to every one of these details...

The article goes throguh and examines a number of common startup costs and looks at alternatives that may reduce those costs.

President Obama gives great speeches. I don't know anyone who disagrees with me on that. The question becomes, what happens tomorrow? Can Congress be whipped into shape and made to actually do something other than bicker.

President Obama made it clear that small business should be the job engine in America, and he says he hopes to help them do that. He paid special attention to entrepreneurs and innovation early in his speech. Here's the actual text:

Now, the true engine of job creation in this country will always be America's businesses. But government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers.

We should start where most new jobs do - in small businesses, companies that begin when an entrepreneur takes a chance on a dream, or a worker decides it's time she became her own boss.

Through sheer grit and determination, these companies have weathered the recession and are ready to grow. But when you talk to small business owners in places like Allentown, Pennsylvania, or Elyria, Ohio, you find out that even though banks on Wall Street are lending again, they are mostly lending to bigger companies. But financing remains difficult for small business owners across the country, even those that are making a profit.

So tonight, I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I am also proposing a new small business tax credit - one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we're at it, let's also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment; and provide a tax incentive for all businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment.

Let's hope Congress now can actually make it happen.

© Jon_Marshall


If you want water from the well, you have to prime the pump. It's the same with money. But often the question becomes: Where do you get that first little bit?

Inc.com had a piece recently on raising startup capital. It's a tedious and demanding task - but an essentail one if you want to start out with the resources you need.

Gone are the days of pitching investors with hot new technology ideas. Today, entrepreneurs are much more likely to dive into their own pockets and hunker down for a battle to start up and stay alive. But if you don't have the cash in your wallet, what do you do? Luckily, there are still options for funding new companies, but finding and securing the cash will take careful research, good negotiating skills, and, above all, an unflagging commitment to launching your new business.

The article has a long list of ideas for finding the money to start your new business. It's a good read.

funding for WAN optimizer TJ's Weblog

Often new companies bring solutions for problems which yet have to be found. Riverbed -- a company that develops software that improves the performance of distributed systems is very much different. Riverbed just received $10 million in Series B. Riverbed tackles one of the most disturbing problems that the 'distributed enterprise' is facing. Many employees/ partners are not in or close to a head office LAN. Instead they you use a [...] Read More


ContactNetworks with funding TJ's Weblog

Contact Networks has raised it's first round with $1.6 million in funding. The company has a very similiar sounding value proposition than venerable Spoke. Let's see how they do... [...] Read More


FundingUniverse with FUNDING TJ's Weblog

FundingUniverse a matchmaker for angels and entrepreneurs has raised funds for its own development: "Orem, Utah-based FundingUniverse.com has raised a Series A funding, the company said today. FundingUniverse said the round came from Grow Utah Ventures and Provo Labs" These stats seem interesting: - Investors: 860 - Capital available: $556,100,000 - Entrepreneurs: 7531 - Business plans posted: 2269 [...] Read More


Bootstrapping can be route to funding BootStrapMe

While some entrepreneurs may be happy to bootstrap their companies indefinitely as the best way to launch, grow and maintain control of their ventures, others may choose it as a route to outside funding in the future. Investors still have plenty of money to sink into startups, about $58.5 billion in the U.S. in 2008 according to this article from the Arizona Republic via azcentral.com compared with $44.3 billion in private [...] Read More


eBuddy gets funding Web 2.0

Back in June I wrote about eBuddy - eBuddy was formerly known as emessenger but ub June it was relaunched as ebuddy. As said before, eBuddy being dutch should mean I have to promote it or at least like it, but I don't feel that dutch, see. eBuddy today took 5 Million Euros (about $6.25 million USD) from Lowland Capital Partners. I am not a financial expet but that certainly sounds [...] Read More