Introduction To Types Of Small Business Finance

The best to place to start looking for small business finance is with the SBA. They have all kinds of financial assistance and grant programs for small business owners. Assuming there's a need for financing from the commercial market outside of the SBA's purview, outlined here are a few basics about the options available to small business owners.

The most basic question that the business owner needs to ponder over is whether to opt for debt financing or equity financing. Each has its pros and cons and further sub-divisions in terms of types of financing. Which one is more suitable depends on factors such as the type of business, its age, cash flow and the credit rating and history of the owner.

Debt finance can be a loan, bond or line of credit from a bank or other lenders, or even a simple IOU. It is usually the best option when the business project is very specific and has a well defined timeline. The borrower needs to put up something as collateral as a form of security.

The owner's credit rating and history will have a big impact on the ability to secure small business financing. The business also has to have a good enough cash flow (or projected cash flow) in order to meet the repayment schedule. It is important for the owner to do some business planning to figure out a feasible repayment period based on cash flow.

With equity financing, the owner offers the investor part ownership in return for cash. It has certain disadvantages such as loss of control, since the investor would like to a part of the decision making process. But unlike small business loans, equity investments do not need to be paid back with interest, so it makes it easier to run the business.

The equity option is feasible for broad and long-term financing needs which have no specific and immediate timelines for an ROI. To be noted that equity investors seek higher returns, even if it is after a reliably longer delay. The owner is not likely to regain full control in the short-term and probably not even in the long term.

Equity investment can in the form of individual investments made on a personal basis by the owner, friends, family, collections or angel investors. It could be funding provided by a venture capital firm. Equity financing is more focused on the success potential of the project and does not require the kind of guarantees or collateral required for debt financing.

As mentioned above, the decision on debt vs. Equity will depend on the type of business, its current situation and the owner's credibility. Too much debt is not good for the business, and neither is losing control to equity investors. The right balance needs to be found, and this debt-equity ratio is different for different kinds of industries.

On a related note, it helps to have more options on how to use it to maximize the impact of the financing on the business. For instance, instead of purchasing equipment outright, it may be beneficial to consider equipment leasing finance. There are many more such things that need to be considered, and it is best to consult a lawyer or trusted banker for more information regarding suitable options for small business finance.

Article Marketing - What is it Offering You?

Article marketing, in an internet sense, is a modern promotional phenomenon which harnesses the power of the interconnected nature of the internet and the hunger for written content on websites. Article marketing allows writers to promote themselves, their customers, websites, products or literate anything by writing about them and making the content freely available for reproduction on other internet sites.

So how does it work and what does it offer as a marketing tool? Firstly, you need to produce an article on whatever subject it is that you want to promote, or on a related subject. Once created, the article can be uploaded to any number of article directories which will allow website owners to 'reprint' your article on their site, usually for free. The genius comes in the form of the article bio, a small section of text, usually at the end of the article, where links can be included. This is sometimes called the resource box. Using these links to drive website traffic to another page can be very useful, but it's not the traffic from the article site that is the real benefit. If you have produced a high quality article, it's likely to be picked up and reproduced on a number of websites, probably all relating to the same subject matter. You will get some traffic from these websites as well but the fact that one link has now turned into several links without you having to do anything, will have a positive impact on your search engine results page rankings (SERPs). It is well known that the more backlinks you can get to your site across the web, the greater the perceived importance of your website, in general terms. The reproduced backlink is therefore the valuable item in this case. The more your article is picked up by others, the more times your backlink will be reproduced.

Having your work reproduced, carrying your name around the internet, can give you some excellent reputational benefits. If you're intent on building a personal reputation, your bio may focus more on you and less on a target website that you want people to visit. Again, writing quality articles will help you build your own reputation and standing as someone who knows their subject and you can, through time, establish yourself as an authority on your own particular subject.

Many webmasters get frustrated that their article is not getting traffic or that article marketing is not working for them. In most cases this is usually because the article writer has not fully appreciated that the article being written is an ad for you or your website. Many unsuccessful article marketers make the mistake of using sub-standard articles and expecting good results. Your article should always be of as good a quality as you would use for your own site. If it is not, then you are telling prospective visitors or customers that quality is not important to you and that they can expect poor quality information on the target website. Equally, website owners will not wish to reprint a shoddy article on their website and so the reproduction of backlinks that you so badly want, will not happen.

Do not get carried away with the whole website promotion and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) thing. Remember that your article needs to be for people, not for internet search engines to browse with their robot spiders. You're looking to have your article picked up and reprinted by real readers so that you can promote yourself, your subject or whatever you've included in your bio.

In short, to make article marketing work for you, you must:

- make sure your article is related to your target website or market and is there relevant.

- make sure you use good quality, well written and original articles.

- remember that your article will be read by a human being, so make it a readable and interesting article.

- be patient. Traffic and backlinks do not and will not appear overnight.

I'm Scared My Husband is Going to Leave Me - Tips and Advice That May Help

I recently received a pretty heartbreaking email from a wife who felt that in the next few days, her husband was going to leave her. The two of them had just not been getting along due partly to the stress of their financial situation. They both were at their wit's end, but the wife was willing to stick it out and work on the marriage, and the husband was not. He had been alluding to packing his bags and leaving. She suspected that he would promptly file for divorce not long after that.

The wife was beside herself. She stressed that she "could not live without" her husband and did not know how she could survive without his love and support. She was trying to come up with a plan to convince him to stay. But she was meeting a lot of resistance. She had tried reasoning with him. She had tried debating. She had tried guilt. And, recently she was contemplated begging. Basically, she told me that she was willing to "do whatever it took" to keep him from walking out the door.

She wanted my advice as to what might work best to convince him not to leave her. I will tell you what I told her in the following article.

Even If You're Scared That He's Going To Leave You, Do not Let The Fear Drive You: I have to get this out of the way and just say it. Fear is not a trait that is generally perceived to be attractive. The truth was, this wife had already laid her cards on the table numerous times. She had made it very clear that she did not want to live without her husband and was not sure if she could. So, continuing to tell him this was no more likely to drive the point home than the numerous previous tries.

Honestly, I felt that the desperation and fear that she was wearing on her sleeve was only making her situation worse. I dialogue with so many men in this situation and they almost always tell me that this type of behavior only wants to make them leave that much faster.

When I told the wife this, she responded with "well, do you think I should play hard ball then and tell him to just leave that that's what he wants to do? leaving is my worst case scenario. " No actually that was not what I was suggesting. Because this strategy will also bring about the negative emotions and reactions that you want to avoid.

Instead, you want to focus on things that are going to bring about some relief and some positive emotions. You have to set it up so that you're luring him toward you rather than pushing him away with tactics that are only going to make him want to escape the situation.

You're Better Off Appearing Rational And In Control: I know that this might be difficult, but your best bet is to change tactics and try to be rational and non threatening so that it's no longer necessary for him to continue to avoid or thwart you . And I felt that the wife needed to make the first move to give her husband a glimpse of her new tactic. Yes, she was going to talk about him leaving her. But she was going to go about it in a new way.

I wanted for her to calmly sit and down and tell him that she suspected that he was considering leaving. She was then to ask if there was anything that she could do to make the situation better. I also suspected quite sturdy that the husband was going to continue to resist and assert that it's been too late and there was nothing that she could do.

However, instead of responding like she always did, I wanted for her to show a bit of restraint. And rather than begin her speech about how she could not live without him and how wrong it was for him to leave, I wanted for her to just state that though she was very sorry for hear that, she only wanted for things to improve between them. If he needed some time and space for that to happen, then so be it. She was not to be angry or desperate. I sincerely wanted for her to state the facts and to come off as empathetic.

Basically, I wanted for her to get the point across that she only wanted both of them to be happy - preferably together. I wanted for her to leave the impression that she was no longer going to fight with him. Yes, this may be scary and risky. But the reason that we do this is because it allows us more access to them (which we very much need) during this process.

And in the days to come, we are going to move slowly and use this to our full advantage. The real goal is not to try to talk him into something that he's not receptive to right now. The real goal should be to change his perceptions so that he's looking at you, and the marriage, in an entirely different way at the end of this process. You must show him the strong, rational, and laid back side of yourself rather than the needy and desperate one right now.

Be Better Together: The Rise of the Coworking Space

Ten years ago, it was a term that no one had heard of, but now, it's becoming the new "normal" for Toronto's entrepreneurs and freelancers. So what exactly is "Coworking"?

Coworking is the creation of inspiring, collaborative, and community driven workspaces that are drawing independent professionals out of their home offices, and into a creative and welcoming work environment. Running your business in a shared space has many advantages. Typically, the reduced overhead cost is the driving factor. A monthly membership costs significantly less than a professional would pay for a traditional office lease, and the perks that go along with it are invaluable.

Coworking gives likeminded professionals the opportunity to network in a less structured environment. It's an excellent source for referral business, and a great way to connect with others who offer complimentary services. Best of all, it allows independent professional to escape the isolation of a home environment, and many of them offer 24/7 access.

There are already over a dozen coworking spaces scattered across downtown. MakeWorks, located on College Street near Dufferin, is a 10,000 sqft creative studio surrounding by boutiques and bars. Their members are a mix of hardware start-ups, designers, developers and freelancers. MakeWorks is also known as Canada's leading shared research and development lab. Members can create their own prototypes and electronics all under one roof. Additional hands-on resources include 3D printing, ceramics and woodworking.

BrightLane, located on King West in the Fashion District, boasts 30,000 sqft of inspiring space spread out across three levels. It is pet friendly and offers member access to a rooftop terrace with a BBQ. Educational workshops are offered on a regular basis and there are 11 meeting rooms available for presentations and group work.

For Toronto's local artists, Creative Blueprint is the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals. Their coworking space, known as the Foundry, is located on Bathurst near Dundas. They offer full and part-time memberships as well as private individual offices for rent. In addition, they have art studios available. Studio renters enjoy the added bonus of a rooftop patio, café, and an art gallery. The gallery can also be rented for private events or week-long exhibitions.

If you are a freelancer and feel like the walls of your home office are closing in around you, book a tour at one of Toronto's fabulous coworking spaces. Some facilities offer day passes so you can try it out before you commit to a monthly subscription. You never know what kind of opportunities could come your way when you move your career into a shared space.

Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Act: A Money-Maker With Health Benefits

Following the lead of twenty-three other states, Pennsylvania's Governor Tom Wolfe made history here on April 17 by signing The Medical Marijuana Act (SB3) into law. Two days later, he turned up in King of Prussia to tout the bi-partisan legislation before "jubilant" crowds, saying, "This is about helping peoples' lives, about helping people that are going to be better, faster. They're going to feel better and that is just such a rewarding thing."

And he could just be right, as our law covers such conditions as:

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  Crohn's Disease






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  Cancer






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  Epilepsy






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  Glaucoma






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  HIV






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  Multiple Sclerosis






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  Parkinson's Disease






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  Post-traumatic stress disorder

The law is set to go into effect next month, but it could take 18 to 24 months to establish all the regulations and get retailers up and running to sell us medical marijuana. The standards, though, are already set for tracking the plants, certifying physicians, and licensing growers, dispensaries, and physicians. Also decided: It will only be available in pill, oil, vapor, ointment, or liquid form. No smoking allowed, growing, either.

It's all been a long time coming...

Our Jamestown settlers actually brought marijuana to our shores way back in 1611 when they established the first permanent English settlement here. By the 1890's it was turning up in a variety of medications and was freely sold in pharmacies. Then in the 1920's, Mexican immigrants introduced us to its recreational use, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to 2016, and:

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  Medical marijuana is legal in 24 states and D.C., with Pennsylvania the latest to sign on.






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  Legalization of medical marijuana is currently pending in Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Tennessee.






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  Marijuana is legal for adult and medical use in 4 states: Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska-and D.C., too, but accompanied there by strict restrictions.

Meanwhile, it's one helluva money-maker, so no wonder budget-strapped states can't seem to resist the lure. The numbers speak for themselves. Back in 2014, adult use amounted to $373.8 million; add in the total for medical marijuana sales and the figure comes in at a whopping $4.6 billion!

Plus, by 2020, it's projected that adult use sales will amount to $12.1 billion, while medical sales will top $10.7 billion, for a total of $22.8 billion. Talk about filling the coffers!

So now it's Pennsylvania's turn at the trough. Indeed, although our law is brand new, marijuana entrepreneurs are already lining up. Says Doug Porter of the Cannabis Career Institute, "This is a prime time to start a marijuana business." Indeed, folks in the know actually expect some 245,000 patients to sign on right away and sales to quickly top $100 million.

Adds Michael Bronstein, co-founder of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp in Philadelphia: "Pennsylvania could be one of these robust states. There is a serious marketplace here."

The only bumps in the road noted so far:

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   Not enough prescribing docs, as they must first take an online certification course and then opt-in to the program.






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   Along with the ban on smoking and growing, flowers and edibles are not allowed.

In time, restrictions may very well ease, however. After all, just take a look at what's already happened in places like California. It all started there with legalizing the medicinal use of pot, and now celebrities are making names for themselves in the marijuana marketplace. For instance, while Snoop Dogg hawks his "DANK FROM THE DOGGFATHER HIMSELF," Melissa Etheridge is offering up marijuana-infused wine-a double whammy if ever there were one.

At the same time, Willie Nelson has partnered with private equity investors to market his "Willie's Reserve," and, not to be left out of the boom, either, Whoopi Goldberg and partner Maya Elisabeth now offer women a balm, a tincture, a sipping chocolate, and a bath salt. Really.

All in favor raise your hands and say "Aye."

One caveat, though: In 2014, the U.S. Addiction Rehab Industry brought in $35 billion a year with more than 14,000 centers nationwide treating some 2.5 million patients and counting...

Writing a Treatment - How to Write a Treatment For a Hollywood Screenplay

When you are preparing to write a screenplay or even preparing to do a major rewrite, it is very helpful to create a blueprint or treatment of what you are going to write prior to actually writing or rewriting it. This is what a treatment is used for. It will help you layout the direction of the entire screenplay and work out some of the kinks before jumping into the whole thing.

A treatment can be anywhere from 3 to 10 pages.

Think of it as being an in-depth synopsis of your story. As you can imagine, it is much easier to edit and make changes to a story that is under 10 pages than it is to make changes on a 100+ page script.

If you work out all the story issues, character arc, and theme aspects in the treatment, it will save you an awful amount of work when you write the screenplay itself.

A treatment for a screenplay is simply a narrative of all the major actions and characters from start to finish.

It has no dialogue whatever. (Okay, you can put one or two great lines of dialogue in if you must, but only to show the flavor of the character.) But do not spend much time on the dialogue in the treatment as you might end up throwing out any given scene before you finalize the treatment, and then you will have wasted time on the dialogue.

Your treatment should be compelling, just as the screenplay will be.

When you read it, you should connect with the story emotionally. If it does not affect you emotionally, then you should keep working on capturing the emotion in the treatment before you go on to writing the screenplay. If you can not capture it in the treatment, you definitely will not capture it in the screenplay itself, because it already shows that something is missing.

Once you have the whole story fleshed out with the plot, character arc, and theme all working together, and emotionally you are moved deeply when you read it, then you are ready to write your screenplay . The only caveat about that is that I recommend that you have a professional review the treatment before you go on and write it, simply because they may respond to it differently.

But for sure, you should work your story out in the treatment first. Oftentimes, when I critique a script and it needs a fair amount of work, I will recommend the writer go back to the treatment stage and rework it before rewriting the script itself. This has proven to be very beneficial.

The treatment is more of a mini-rendering of the story and must paint the mood of it.

If you liked the treatment to build a house, you could think of it as being like a full-color sketch of the interior of the house. It would be a sketch of the colors of the living room and the curtains, the couches and pillows. It would have all the mood that the final one would have, but it would never have been a sketch of it. You could also think of the treatment as a miniature or scale model of the screenplay.

As mentioned previously, a treatment can be 3-10 pages long. Single-spaced within the paragraphs with a double space between paragraphs. Use a 12-point font that is easy to read ( Arial, Courier, Times New Roman ).

Ten Things You Need to Consider About Garden Waste

A garden can be somewhere to relax in; to let the children play; to have parties and barbecues in the summer; to potter about it, and to just 'enjoy'. However, gardens never 'stand still' - especially in the growing season. Plants keep growing - or dying. Either way, they need to be cut back from time to time. Changes need to be made regularly if the garden is not to become overcrowded and a place to be dreaded rather than enjoyed.

When you want to get rid of the waste you're going to generate from your garden, you need to:

1. Consider the environment. Old fashioned bonfires help to pollute the environment, so getting rid of your garden waste that way is not a good idea - except, maybe, on 5 ^th November but that's a special case.


2. Separate the waste into 'green', garden and 'other' waste. 'Green waste' approximates to 'compostable' waste; garden waste includes tree trunks, roots and branches and 'other' waste means such things as old garden furniture, plant pots, bricks and plastic bags. If your waste is separated into these categories it's easier and quicker to be collected - and it promises to be cheaper to dispose of green waste than other forms of garden waste. In addition, reduce the waste's 'bulk' as much as possible because waste removal firms charge customers according to how much space the waste takes up in their vehicle. It'll also help the collectors if you can place the waste as close as possible to where it's going to be loaded onto the collectors' vehicle. That could save time and trouble - and, therefore, money.


3. Decide on the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to get rid of your waste. This could mean ...


4. Compost the waste in your own garden. You'll need a big garden and a sizable composting area - and you can not compost every bit of garden rubbish. For example, tree roots and branches do not compost unless you use special equipment to crush them to sawdust.


5. Use your 'green bin'. This works well for modest amounts of garden waste - but the bin is only emptied every fortnight. You might have more waste than your bin can cope with - and collection times may be inconvenient, depending on when the waste is generated.


6. Take the waste to your local refusal and recycling depot. This will involve 'bagging up' the waste and then transporting it - maybe via several trips - to the depot. This could be tiring and time consuming.


7. Get a 'Man and Van' to collect the waste. This can be convenient and reliably cheap - and it can save you a lot of time and trouble. But you must ...


8. Make sure the person collecting the waste is reputable - because you would not want that person to fly tip your waste. Moreover, if the rubbish can be traced back to you, you'll be liable to pay the penalty. Ask to see the person's public liability insurance certificate and Environment Agency license to carry waste. Ask for the person's waste carrier license number - and check it on the Environment Agency's website.


9. Hire a skip or a mini-skip. If you get a skip, order the largest skip you feel able to fill with waste - since larger skips cost less per cubic yard than smaller ones.


10. Make sure your property can cope with a skip safely and legally. You can get advice, guidance and practical help on skip hire, as well as a 'man and van' service, from Waste King on 0800 141 2778 and 01442 210034.