“Great” means different things to different people. To some can be it opening their own Laundromat. To others it means to completely change an industry. Whatever you do, be the hero of your own story. And make it a great one.
Clients
Over the past few years I’ve had the great pleasure of helping many clients create and expand their business. Here are a few projects I have been fortunate to work on.
9 Bar Roasting is a coffee kiosk in one of the busiest intersections in Los Angeles — Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave. I wrote a business plan for 9 Bar Roasting so they could move into an existing business.
ADR Solar Solutions is a solar panel installation company based in Woodland Hills, CA. Among their many projects they are credited with the largest residential installation in the world — at the 6,000 sq. ft. house of esteemed green architect Mr. Carl Harberger. I wrote a business plan to help ADR expand their current operations to a retail space in Calabasas.
DGAPlus is a specialty firm providing innovative strategies and solutions that meet the many requirements of enterprise utility companies and agency partners. I created a business proposal for DGAPlus to present to partnership targets to incorporate their patented systems.
H.E.R. House is a private women’s only lifestyle club in Newport Beach, CA. I made a business plan so that H.E.R. House could find the startup capital and equity investors needed to launch this rather large operation. Coming soon.
Maitri Yoga Store is a yoga clothing and accessories specialty store based in Culver City, CA. I wrote a business plan for Maitri so it could attract startup capital from lenders and investors. Open Feburary 2015!
Skyview Consulting Group is an advisory firm based in Beverly Hill, CA, specializing bringing foreign companies into the US. I wrote several business proposals for Skyview to help them with a roll-up strategy for multiple business sectors in the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita and surrounding areas.
It doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is where you are going
Could you go from homeless to CEO of your own company?
CREDIT: Ye Rin Mok
In 1989, Gabriel Bristol was a homeless 19 year old on the streets of Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Bristol wasn’t just a kid that ran away from home. His education in the school of hard knocks began at age 5 when he taken away from his birth mother. His earliest memory of her was when she was being booked at the police station for prostitution and heroin charges.
Picked on in school for being gay. Raised in the foster care system.
Now he is the CEO of Intelicare Direct, a call center with over 300 employees. Of course it didn’t happen overnight. He worked. He failed. He suffered. He succeeded. Read the rest of his inspirational story here.
What are you afraid of?
Another good article from Inc. Magazine.
I think the title “15 Terrible Excuses for Not Starting Your Own Company” is a little harsh, but they address some of the many obstacles people believe they face. Particularly numbers 6: “I Don’t Have the Money” and number 9: “I Don’t Have a Great Idea.”
Most start-ups start with less than $10k and only 13% received start-up capital from banks. Getting money from banks is difficult but not impossible. Also, getting the entire amount from one source is great, but often times, getting multiple loans from various sources is necessary. The good news is I can help you find money for your business. I used to work in buy-side institutional investing (i.e. I looked for where the big fish can invest their money) so I know what investors/lenders are looking for.
Number 9 makes a good point because creating the next wheel is not going to be easy. However, improving on the wheel is easier. We all have ideas on how to make an existing product or service better. If you are looking for an improved product or service, chances are others are too. My international marketing professor from graduate business school always said, “Find a market (i.e. a group of customers), then make a product. Don’t make a product, then find a market.” People looking for an improved wheel is the market. Now you have to go an improve on the wheel.
How many drafts have you gone through?
Learned an interesting bit of Matrix trivia today.
The Wachowskis harbored their vision for five and a half years, working through 14 drafts of the screenplay. The final concepts took up 500 storyboards.
Creating a business concept or writing a business plan takes adjustments and adjustments and more adjustments. Keep at it!
Not enough time? Try telecommuting
Finding time to do everything on one’s list is difficult enough, let alone finding enough time to start a business. Studies show that the number one drainer of personal time is commuting to and from work.
Fortunately, the traditional 9 to 5 might be losing some footing according to an NPR article.
Now the trick is to get your boss to OK this work arrangement. One method that might be helpful is outlined in Tim Ferris’s book, the 4 Hour work week. Your mileage will vary but it might be worth a try
Just be careful they don’t saddle you with more work.
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