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This article is nine years in the making. The concept is so simple but 99% of the clients I consult with have made identical errors in their effort to raise capital. They will have a business plan and they will have a Private Placement Memorandum and after one read of these two documents I have to deliver the bad news, “Sorry, but your business plan and PPM are completely worthless”.

They will then proceed to give me a story where the one consistent theme usually goes like this, “That can’t be…there was a guy…..he gave us a great deal on our business plan besides he wrote the business plans for my brothers sock sewing company and my friends underwater basket weaving video business and he really seemed to know what he was doing and then we bought a template online and just took the content from the business plan and used it to fill out the PPM template…blah..blah..blah…”.

Look, before you have a business plan written, test the author’s knowledge on your specific industry genre. There is no such thing as a one stop shop for business plans, the good consultants will cater to certain industries. Find an author with a solid comprehension of your goals and can translate your ideas into the fickle, skeptical language of the investors reading it.

Your business plan should include, at a minimum, financial projections/assumptions, growth and development analysis, market analysis, research analysis and implementation, competition analysis, management summary, marketing plan, risk analysis, capitalization analysis, market penetration analysis and SWOT analysis. Without these crucial elements your business plan is dead in the water and so is your future in fund-raising.

Next, never… and I mean never buy a PPM template on the internet. There are certain aspects to your offering circular that can trigger the invest button or snooze button in the mind of investors. Your business plan’s job is to ‘sell’ while the PPM is meant to spell out risk and other technical information that isn’t present in the business plan. The last thing you want to do is simply cut and paste information from the business plan over to the Offering Memorandum; it’s unprofessional and immediately loses legitimacy in the eyes of credible investors. Find a professional consultant, accountant or attorney who specializes in Regulation D to write your Offering Memorandum for you. A poorly written Private Placement Memo can destroy your ability to raise capital so fast it will shock you but a well written, professional PPM will make raising capital fast and easy.

Want To Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Private Placement Memorandum authoring and the process of taking one’s company public are services that require extensive experience and the ability to look at a deal objectively and peripherally to evaluate all the angles to enhance the ability of the client to achieve funding in a timely manner.

Many times, when I’m hired to structure a company before funding, they will be under the impression that my evaluation is a mere formality and they are ready to go. Often I’m the bearer of bad news when I have to break it to the client that their company has more holes than Swiss cheese and 30 to 60 days away from starting the fund raising process.

They will often get a second and then third opinion and usually run into the same thing before they eventually find their way back to our firm. As they call around to consulting firms they perpetually experience the ‘hard sell’ by firms who ‘need’ the business because they lack the rewards and referrals that come with cultivating each client relationship because they take on and spit out deals so fast they hardly remember their client’s name during the transaction.

This mentality dominates the larger firms because of their gargantuan overhead while the boutique firms can take a more personal approach because they have a steady flow of business and referrals because they are not stressed about bringing in the next big deal so they can meet payroll and keep their lights on. The smaller companies that focus on turnaround consulting, private placement memorandum authoring, top tier business plan writing and taking companies public usually take a one on one approach to the consulting process and will rarely pressure clients to sign on because their phone is ringing off the hook with previous clients who want to hire them for the next stage in the evolution of their company’s growth.

This business is all about relationships. Ditch the consultant that applies the high pressure sales tactics and seek out the smaller, more personalized groups that don’t ‘need’ your business but will cultivate and value it.

Want To Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

If you’re trying to raise capital there are regulations set forth by the SEC to make sure everyone is conducting business ethically and in a way that can keep one accountable for their actions if fraud takes place. Regulation D Rule exemptions 504, 505 and 506 offer solid fundraising capabilities that can handle most investment needs. Companies typically hire a consulting firm to author these documents and within 30 days you’re off and running and talking to investors; that is, of course talking to investors while staying within the boundaries of Rule 502c which dictates the guidelines for solicitation which means no active promotion of the issuance of your securities.

This basically means that unless you have a bunch of millionaire friends, you’re no better off now than you were before the PPM was created. So, how does one raise capital in an environment which limits the promotion of your offering with such limitations? Easy, corporate publicity! You must have your timing right in order for this to work but here is basically what we do with our clients as we are writing their PPM and what you should do if you already have an Offering Memorandum written. First we make sure that they have a solid presence online, within their industry genre by getting them massive exposure virally using video, social and news bookmarks, press releases, unique article submission, image/photo marketing etc. This exposure is just for basic branding purposes and not advertising the investment opportunity.

This process will draw massive amounts of attention to their company while we use specifically researched tags that will cater to the internet user who is researching their industry and/or looking for this specific company’s position in the marketplace. The next thing that you’ll want to do is promote your company using traditional means such as radio, TV and articles written about your company and executives within the company. Now, these promotions are not ads, instead they are interviews and/or expert conversations where you’re being brought in to talk about your industry as a whole. This passive promotional technique will allow for multiple ‘plugs’ during the conversation that lead potential clients and investors to your doorstep.

If you don’t have a publicist you will need one and during your initial ramp up you’ll want to have a targeted, localized and national audience using a minimum of 5 promotional combinations, this is crucial! Lastly, you are going to want to start blogging like a maniac. Blog and respond to any and every industry specific blog you can find. It is crucial that you carve out your position as an authority in the marketplace to tower like a beacon to future customers and investors.

Now you are ready to start talking to investors. The publicity used above will usually deliver a powerful enough promotion that will yield a steady flow of clients and potential investors and once word gets out that you’re company is solid and that you are offering equity investment opportunities…well the fundraising trail get’s easier and easier. You may also want to consider using an ‘investor finder’ at this point. An ‘investor finder’ is an individual or company that has substantial accredited investor contacts and will introduce you to those contacts for a flat fee. They are not a market maker nor are they a broker dealer. They are typically a broker of sorts that holds minimal securities licenses yet packs a punch with their ability to set you up with active investing contacts.

Raising capital is actually extremely easy if you set your company up in a way that is conducive to investment.

Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

If you are going to start raising capital for your start-up or established business you’ve most likely been advised to have a Private Placement Memorandum written for your company so you don’t get in trouble with the SEC for selling securities without the proper structure.

The Offering Circular section of your document is crucial. Most likely you won’t be authoring this document on your own as it is wise to outsource this necessity to a trained consultant or attorney who specializes in PPM docs but you should be familiar with the basic anatomy of an Offering Circular so you can understand the PPM as a whole.

Here is a general breakdown of the sections of your Offering Circular, they are as follows (there are a few technical sections left out to streamline and simplify this explanation):

Amount of company equity you want to make available, escrow agent info, address and phone number, business locations presently and in the future and why have you decided on these locations, pertinent information about the company (date of incorporation , purpose of creating this company etc), risk factors in your industry, history of operations, time lapse from start-up to operational stage of the company, talk about the ins and outs of your competition, dependence on management, detailed description of the company, government regulations in your industry, who is retaining control of the company, dividend details, how did you arrive at the arbitrary offering price., details about officer’s salary, use of proceeds to repay loans due to officers and director, additional use of proceeds, in depth break down of business (summary, management, strategic partnerships etc), company balance sheet demonstrating assets, liabilities, shareholder equity etc.

This has been a general breakdown of the offering circular basics. Please consult your consultant or attorney for a more in-depth description. A Private Placement Memorandum can help you raise capital quickly and easily and is often the pivoting mechanism for a public offering. Take advantage of this valuable instrument as you pursue capital for your business.

Need Information about your Offering Circular, call 267-233-0183 Take Your Company Public contact Princeton Corporate Solutions.

Do you want to fine tune your publicity marketing plan. Publicity without tapping into the emotions of the individual is just a blur of words and sounds in a language that no one can understand. Publicity that plays the strings of human emotion suddenly becomes the sirens song that brings the masses to your doorstep. Publicity with an aim of tugging at the heart, getting to the root of human desire and the call to action as the solution to all their emotional, spiritual and greedy needs transforms a simple branding message into a ‘come to Jesus’ message at the end of a televangelists tent meeting where the mind and heart have been softened and the masses come clamoring to the front to be saved.

Grabbing into the emotions of the public must be done in a stealthy manner. The publicist or marketing professional must place the media in such a way where the future client is constantly bouncing into the brand message each day.

One of the most powerful ways to do this is by understanding the subconscious mind of the client so that their online web search habits can be predicted and patterned so that in every direction they are being politely bombarded with your brand message as the be all and end all solution for whatever ails them.

This can be achieved by tapping into the various genres of online media such as video, blog, social book marking and press release and article directories just to name a few. Material existence is a blurred vision on a gray wall, the infusion of mind and emotion is what brings color and definition to our reality.

It’s the same thing with internet publicity marketing; words are meaningless without the element of emotion which add color, feeling and definition to the message being passed along to the public.

Publicity Marketing, at it’s finest! Call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183 for Business Publicity Power.

There is a misconception that the process of taking your company public has to be costly and stressful. The truth is that it’s the ‘learning curve’ that makes it stressful. By learning curve, I mean dealing with industry sharks that will con your company and take every dime you have while simultaneously never having the ability to take you public in the first place.

On a daily basis I hear one tragic story after another about how a pink sheets facilitator took them public and then dropped them without passing them to a broker dealer or market maker or someone to sell their stock to the public so they were left to fend for themselves. Another reoccurring story I hear is how a company sold a small start-up a shell company for a reverse merger but the shell had liens and shareholders that were ready to dump the stock as soon as the transaction was completed.

All this said, after the sharks and the scumbags there are many good consulting firms that love the industry and take joy out of helping a corporation fulfill the ultimate dream of a public offering through IPO or OTCBB or legitimate reverse merger (oh, the money is a nice benefit as well haha). The boutique firm is your best bet, if you can’t find one then find a small securities lawyer.

These people are in this for the love of the industry and the massive plethora of industries they get to work with. Personally, I love hearing from an executive that owns a company and is completely stressed, he’s been lied to, conned and feels helpless. It is an amazing feeling when I can calm his nerves and say, “All this is in the past, let’s talk about how we are going to make this work!” The relief in their voice after a statement like that is such a reward for me its difficult to put into words. I will customize a public offering strategy that falls within their affordability capacity of their company and put together a path to get them trading as quickly and efficiently as possible. I am happy to say that there are many consultants and attorneys that do the exact same thing.

If you are trying to figure out a quick, affordable way to take your company public here are some ideas to consider: most likely you won’t qualify for an IPO (that’s ok, most companies don’t) but you will qualify for an OTCBB offering which is just as rewarding and you can evolve that structure into the IPO phase if you so desire in the future. If you lack the capital for a public offering, consider raising a quick round with a Regulation D 504 (Private Placement Memorandum), its fast, easy and cheap. Raise the capital you need to pay your fees for going public and allow a group of eager investors to flip the bill. If you want to grow your company and take it into the ‘public’ arena this should be an exciting time, don’t ruin it by being stressed. Find a consultant that you feel comfortable with who will take the burden off of your shoulders and carry it for you; this is the job of the professional public offering consultant!

Take Your Company Public, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

With the plummet of the economy and banks holding on to the bailout money they were supposed to be lending that was meant to stimulate the economy, the entrepreneurs are once again, thrown to the wolves.

Now there are self proclaimed ‘guru’ consultants popping up on the web who are reselling private placement memorandum authoring services. It’s unbelievable to think that a company will spend $5,000 to $20,000 with an absolute amateur who doesn’t know the first thing about a PPM or the legalities of this document that can lead to the client getting sued by investors down the road.

Who is looking out for the client? Sadly, no one seems to be looking past the almighty dollar and actually trying to help the entrepreneur succeed in raising the capital they need to grow their business which will lead to job creation and stimulating the economy. If you’re a business that’s trying to raise capital here is some advice on how to prequalify a PPM service to find out if they are truly the author of your document or if they are simply using a template that will get you burned down the road or if they are simply taking your money and outsourcing the service to another group that has no real compression of this intricate document.

Ask them, in a stealthy way, to define these basic terms that are simple for anyone that does this for a living. What are Blue Sky Laws and how does that affect you when you’re raising capital? What is and do they include a complete state legend with your PPM? What is the difference between accredited and non accredited investors and how many of each can be used with each of the 3 types of Offering Memorandums?

What type of solicitation laws does the SEC have in place for a company that is fund raising with a PPM? How can you prepare for due diligence before the PPM is completed and in the hands of investors? These are just some of the most basic questions that will give you a feel for how well the consultant you are speaking to truly knows this industry. Always get all your questions answered before going with a consultant in this industry. Never go with a pushy consultant and always remember, the best Regulation D (PPM) consultants will answer all your questions without up sells or ‘hurry up because this is a limited time offer’ mentality. The SEC created Regulation D exemptions (PPM) to help companies raise capital in a streamlined, simple way and this is an incredible method for any business to raise a little or a lot of money. Find the right consultant that includes everything in one, cost effective bundle and you’re on your way to getting the cash you need for your expansion objectives.

Trying To Raise Capital Fast? Call us at 267-233-0183 to get more information about Private Placement Memorandum, Princeton Corporate Solutions can write you an Offering Memo

Entrepreneurs are being turned onto Regulation D in droves. Regulation D Rule 504, 505 and 506 allow companies a more lenient fund raising process than those who choose to go public by other means. In the past year I’ve seen more PPM consultants pop up on the internet than ever before and I have to admit I’m concerned. As a veteran in this field I’ve seen it all, now we have a legion of self proclaimed Reg. D gurus who buy templates, add some text and tell their clients that they are delivering a customized offering memorandum; here’s where things go bad and a difficult situation gets even worse. You have this worthless document, now what?

You need to gain the confidence and capital of accredited investors without soliciting as dictated in Regulation D Rule 502c. Now you have a worthless document that you can’t solicit investment capital for (which your guru consultant never told you but took your cash anyway) so how are you suppose to raise funds for your company? First, you’ll find that you’ll eventually need to make your way to an actual PPM author, not a broker so that you can get a PPM that protects you from lawsuits and gives the investor a real breakdown of the upside and downside of your business.

Next you’ll need to find a “Investor Finder”, yes this is an actual term for an individual or corporate entity that is completely submerged in the accredited investor realm and is able to match your opportunity with friends that he/she has in their database of real, accredited investors. This is the second half of the PPM equation.

Don’t kid yourself and don’t allow yourself to be lied to; you’re going to need a seasoned professional to help introduce you to investors that have the capital to help you get to where you need to be. Friends, family and employees will commit to investing in your company until your PPM is completed and it’s time to make good on their commitment; all of a sudden little Johnny needs braces and Sally is in the hospital with pneumonia, this happens all the time. Now what? With a real Private Placement Memorandum and a solid Investor Finder you’re problems are basically over. Investigate where the author and I.F. stand in the Internet public domain and after you find a company that meets your needs, get moving and start raising capital.

The internet tells all when it comes to reputations, you’ll be able to tell the difference between a seasoned veteran and a startup consultant after on Google Search and a phone call. A PPM can make raising capital quick and easy if you have the right firm in your corner.

Private Placement Memorandum, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

When raising money, usually investors will demand their equity distribution in an SEC approved format like a Private Placement Memorandum, also known as a PPM or offering memorandum. This structure makes use of one of the three Regulation D exemptions stemming from the Securities Act of’33.

The three common exemption rules are Regulation D (Reg D) Rule 504, Rule 505 and Rule 506. These rules carry multiple criteria that assist businesses in raising equity or debt funding without all the stringent legalities of an IPO. These rules are defined like this: Rule 506 provides an exemption for limited offers and sales without regard to the dollar amount of the offering.

This exemption does not limit the number of accredited investors, but the number of non-accredited investors may not exceed 35 investors. (An accredited investor is any one investor with a certain net worth and or experience in the purchase of stocks.) All non-accredited purchasers, either alone or together with a designated representative must be sophisticated enough (i.e., have the knowledge and experience necessary) to evaluate the merits and risks of the investment. (An offering company typically determines the sophistication of its investors with a questionnaire subscription agreement.)

Rule 506 requires detailed disclosure of relevant information to potential investors; the extent of disclosure depends on the dollar size of the offering. Rule 505 offerings may not exceed $5 million, less the total dollar amount of securities sold during the preceding 12 month period under Rule 504, Rule 505 or Section 3 of the act. This exemption limits the number of non-accredited investors to 35 but has no investor sophistication standards. Rule 505 requires disclosure similar to that required for Rule 506 offerings, under $7.5 million.

Regulation D Rule 504 offerings allow a company to raise a maximum of $1 million in funding, less the total dollar amount of securities sold during the preceding 12 month period, under Rule 504, Rule 505 or Section 3 of the act. However, a business can raise only $500,000 by the sale of securities to persons residing in the states of Montana and Alaska, which have no disclosure laws applicable to the offering. For states that do have disclosure laws, which are 48 out of the 50 states, a business can raise up to $1,000,000. Rule 504 has no prescribed disclosure requirements, no limit on the number of purchasers, and no investor sophistication standards. So if you’re trying to raise capital using a Private Placement Memorandum, use the above criteria as a cliff-note and as long as you stay within SEC guidelines, fund raising for your company will be simple.

Call 267-233-0183, Private Placement Memorandum Services, visit Princeton Corporate Solutions to get more info about Private Placement Memorandums and passing Due Diligence

The psychological profile of business proprietors and entrepreneurs in general boasts the critical ‘Risk Taker’ element which allows one to take the leap from the financial security of a 9 – 5 job to the dicey waters of action based, success based income generation meaning: No Sales = No Money and No Food.

Many of these risk takers function within the realm of right brain communicative as opposed to left brain analytical which passes over the critical detail oriented solutions that are mandatory for raising capital. It is crucial for someone of this profile to hire a professional to come in and cross the t’s and dot the i’s in preparation for corporate fundraising efforts. After this is facilitated the entrepreneur needs to prepare mentally and emotionally for the turbulent road ahead.

Raising capital is no easy task and after the company is properly structured and you have an investor finder service, market maker or broker dealer in place to sell or promote your funding cause, you must step back, take a deep breath and prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. This preparation should start with the concept of ‘objectivity’ when you talk to investors, some will love your business model while others see an investment in your company as a waste of time. You must take these critiques, good and bad with a grain of salt. Don’t get caught up in the habit of emotionally reacting to these ideas from outside sources, don’t allow your mind to attach itself to an investor’s idea of your company or it will drive you insane and you’ll find that these emotional ups and downs will find their way home as your family will quickly be affected by your emotional fluctuation.

The second thing you must do is read and absorb the knowledge in such books as “The 48 Laws of Power” and “The 33 Strategies of War” by Robert Greene and of course “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. These books deal with strategy that can easily be translated into the business world and can help you prepare mentally for the art of fund-raising. Read these books cover to cover and then read them again. Absorb the intricacies and strategies that these books offer and make it a point to use these concepts in your daily professional life; believe me, you’ll be glad you did.

The next thing you want to do is to study great strategists like Napoleon and Machiavelli. One thing that you will realize almost instantly is that these investors are out for their own gain, period (Why wouldn’t they?). They will try to attract your attention with the right hand while their left hand is reaching in your financial records looking for chinks in your corporate armor to make their case for more equity for less investment. You need to be able to analyze, not just the words of the investor but also all the other elements of their expression such as: intonation, facial gestures, eye movement, standing and sitting positions and other ‘tells’ that can give you an insight to what they are truly trying to communicate so you can anticipate their next move. These are just a few things to consider before entering the world of venture capital. Raising money for a business is a daunting task only to the unprepared.

Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!