Funders Belief System

The following reflects our beliefs. Like our Rules of Analysis, Rules of Business Plans, and Rules of Forecasting, we consider them to be guiding principles which, if applied, will improve the quality of your plans as well as the quality of your relationships with others.

Beliefs About Projects

• A project is neither good nor bad; only fundable or unfundable in its present condition.

  Some organizations look for a few “good” projects. In reality, they really look for those few projects that are prepared; the ones that are fundable. We help you by taking on the role of the investor when working on your project. The advantage is that we will continue to work with you until your project is ready. Investors won't do that.

• There are always specific reasons why a project is unfundable.

  Investors don't reject projects just for the fun of it. They look for specific things to convince them a project is worth more time or for things to help them weed out projects to save them time. We make sure they find what they need to convince them you are worth their time.

• Funding is a task, not an accomplishment.

  When a project is funded, many entrepreneurs feel they have accomplished something. They have a tendency to relax and not follow their plan. The “real” accomplishment comes from using that funding to meet the goals and milestones established in your projections.

Beliefs About People

• Everyone is worthy of our offerings.

  Good ideas come to people in all walks of life. Some may already have business experience while some may not. We work with everyone, regardless of their level of experience, and help them learn what they need to understand in order to meet with investors and present themselves as people worthy of investment.

• We offer the best chance for a business to be funded and to make financial management decisions.

  Our experience tells us that we have the best tools and advice on the market for helping businesses properly prepare their funding plans.

• Next to the lender (investor), we are most qualified to assist the borrower and the lender (investor) to understand each other.

  We have spent many years making sure investors and entrepreneurs understand each other. We work closely with both constituents to make sure we continue to provide the service and communications tools to foster these relationships.

• People only do those things they believe will help them in some way.

  This is a basic belief that drives our efforts to always provide products and services that give value in excess of their cost. In addition, we make sure we do everything we can to help our clients fulfill their dreams.

Beliefs About Lenders (Investors)

• They fund people, not projects.

  Funders are not interested in your product as much as they are in you. After all, you are going to manage, market, and produce products and services that will earn them their return on investment. They want people in whom they can feel confident.

• They want to lend (or invest), not give.

  Funders want their money to work for them to earn a return. Therefore, they expect information to be provided, milestones to be met, and plans to be followed. They are not giving a grant, they are investing in you.

• They don't want to have to work for their return; they want their money to work for their return.

  Funders are not interested in taking over your project and making your plan work. They want you to do that. They have already worked hard to earn their money. Now, they want their money to work for them.

• Asking them to consider an unprepared project harms everyone.

  You typically get only one chance to impress an investor. If they are presented with a poorly prepared plan, they have already formed their negative opinion about you and your project. In addition, while they may be missing out on a truly promising project, they likely don't believe you can pull it off at this point.

Beliefs About Borrowers (Entrepreneurs)

• They want to succeed in their business or project.

  No one goes into business with the idea of failing. Their expectations are that they are going to succeed. We can help you achieve that goal.

• They have the right to control their own destiny.

  We will tell you what we believe you need to do, or not do, based on our experience and successes. However, we always respect your right to make the final decisions.

• They must learn our information.

  If you do not learn or take advantage of what we have to offer, you may still succeed. But, you will eventually spend more time, money, and effort learning the hard way what we already know. Whatever you decide, keep a link to our website. When you've had enough pain, contact us!

• It is our responsibility to mold their dream into reality.

  We take your project seriously. So seriously, that we will ask the hard questions. We will question everything you say to make sure it is as sound and solid as possible. We will help you make sure evey projection is defendable. We make the truth believable!

Beliefs About Business Plans

• Every business needs a written, organized plan.

  Every business, regardless of size, has goals and plans for where it will be in the future. These goals and plans are often just in someone's head. The brain is a slippery place! If those goals and plans are not written down, chances are they will be forgotten or altered on the fly without concern for the consequences. The discipline of preparing and reviewing written plans often makes the difference between failure and success.

• A plan must convey the understanding of the borrower.

  If you do not understand what you are planning, how can a funder feel confident in your management ability? On the other hand, even if you understand your plans but can't convey that understanding to the funder, the perception is the same.

• A plan is a resume of your financial skills.

  Your plan is a window through which investors or lenders look at you and judge your financial skills. If your plan looks like you have spent money unwisely in preparing your plan, they figure you will spend the investment unwisely. Likewise, if your plan shows you don't have the skills to properly project finances, they will not have confidence in your ability to control finances.

• Plans are owned by those who make them.

  We have found that for our clients to consider the plan to be theirs they have to be deeply involved in its preparation. We won't invent numbers for your plan. We will work with you to make sure the projections are yours and that you can confidently stand behind them.

• Projections are future budgets.

  You should consider the projections for at least the next year to be your budget. Furthermore, you can't create effective budgets without projecting the next few years beyond them. Budgets must be prepared in the context of future strategic and tactical plans.

• Projecting is not guessing.

  Some people say you can make numbers do anything. Understand, we do not consider planning to be a game. Plans are just that ... planned actions and directions for the future. We show you how to make sure your plans present a coherent, defendable, and believable scenario.