Colorado Marine Officer

Archive for March, 2010

While most companies seeking venture capital initially think about angel investors and venture capitalists, a large alternative source of financing is federal grants and loans. The two largest federal grant programs are run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and by Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs).

An SBA loan, regardless of whether it is a direct loan from the SBA, or, as is more common, a bank loan guaranteed by the SBA, is essentially a bank loan. The benefit of it versus a traditional bank loan is the rate. SBA rates are typically much less than traditional business loan rates.

In most cases, in a guaranteed SBA bank loan, the SBA guarantees 90 percent of the loan will be repaid to the bank. As such, banks are at much less risk than in most other loans, and are a bit more flexible with regards to who they offer these loans. However, the SBA usually requires the founders of the company to personally guarantee the loans, which makes them risky should the venture collapse.

Alternatively, Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) are privately organized corporations that are licensed and regulated by the SBA. Small or emerging businesses which qualify for assistance from the SBIC program can receive equity capital and/or long-term loans from these companies. Essentially, these companies provide their own capital, which is supplemented by federal funds, to the companies they fund.

Interestingly, U.S. taxpayers benefits from the SBIC program as tax revenues generated from successful SBIC investments have more than covered the cost of the program. Likewise the program has created hundreds of thousands of jobs.

In summary, SBA and SBIC financing are viable alternatives to financing from angel investors and venture capitalists and should be considered in the capital raising process. Similarly to angel and VC financing, companies seeking SBA and SBIC financing need a strong management team and value proposition, and a highly professional and compelling business plan in order to raise the capital they need.

Copyright 2006 Stephanie Graham

For many mortgage professionals, frequent travel is a way of life. A big concern of frequent travelers is how to remain productive without access to the normal resources. Sometimes, that first trip leaves you feeling like a fish out of water. Especially if you didn’t anticipate your customer’s needs. But with each new journey, you will learn more ways to function efficiently. With a little planning, you can make your time away transparent to those you communicate with daily. Here are a few tips to make it happen:

1. Make a list of the things that need to be accomplished before your departure. Rate locks, file submissions, or any other critical appointments should be handled before you leave.

2. Contact processors, loan officers, underwriters, and other individuals to let them know you’ll have limited availability from _____ to _______.

3. Sign-up for an e-fax or other electronic fax service that will allow you to view, send, and receive faxes over the Internet. This will allow you to function just as if you were in the office.  4. Make a resource list for the things you will need to do while away. Include phone and fax numbers, website addresses, access codes, and passwords. Store this data on your pc, phone, or both.

5. Make a copy or scan an image of documents you may wish to reference while away. This will allow you to stay on top of the most important issues.

6. Save important letters, forms, and files to a jump drive, a CD, or e-mail them to yourself so that you can access them as needed. Convert documents that you would normally fax to a PDF format so they can be e-mailed but not altered.

7. Check the quality of your cell and laptop batteries. Get new ones if you will be without access to electricity to recharge for long periods of time. Be sure to pack your chargers as well.

8. Add a wireless card to your laptop if it does not have one already. Although your hotel may have their own Internet café, these rooms are sometimes crowded or have limited hours of availability. If the hotel charges for linking to their wireless network, if may be cheaper to purchase a wireless connection card through your cellular service provider.

9. Pack an Ethernet cord and a phone cord. This will allow you to get online no matter what type of connectivity your hotel has. You can log on to AOL or some other network.

10. Take a phone card as a backup. It may come in handy in areas where your cell phone signal drops. Used in conjunction with a cell phone, you can eliminate hotel phone charges altogether.

11. Pack pain reliever, antacid, and cold medicine just in case. If you have to buy these things on the road, they’ll cost double what they normally do.

12. Download audio files to an Ipod, mp3, or CD. Music or motivational audios may be just what you need to balance your day. You can also listen to a replay of a training session.

13. During your trip, incorporate as many of your normal activities as possible. Continue to exercise. Drink plenty of water and eat right. Take your vitamins. Keep in contact with family and friends. Let them know what time to call you.

14. Plan your day before going to your daily meeting, training, or appointment. This will allow you to make the most of breaks, lunches, or other dead time.

15. Make use of the special features on your phone. Text messaging and Internet access can be a lifesaver when you’re on the road.

16. Get the scoop on your hotel’s amenities in advance. The last thing you want is to have trouble connecting with your customers and your team because of limited resources. Go online to the hotel’s corporate website for a virtual tour. You might also check out ratings and feedback on Hotels.com. Ask lots of questions.

17. Take along a healthy snack and a bottle of water or two. If you experience a flight delay or get stuck in rush hour traffic, you won’t be bothered by hunger or thirst.

18. Pack as light as possible. Pulling heavy luggage plus a laptop through the airport is no joke. Choose a jacket that will get you through the week. Bring a pair of dress shoes that go with everything and a pair of sneakers or sandals for down time. Your feet will thank you. Switch up your shirt/blouse with a basic pair of pants/skirt. Take travel size toiletries instead of full size ones to make more room in you luggage. And for the ladies: leave some of your hair artillery, fragrances, and makeup at home. This stuff alone can take up a full piece of luggage. You’ll look just as good with the bare essentials.

19. Initiate contact with your customers and team members early in the day while you’re away. This will allow you to deal with challenges or concerns at a time when it is convenient for you. Otherwise, you may find yourself bombarded with phone calls and emergencies that could have been avoided had you made contact earlier.

20. Be realistic. There is no way that everything is going to be perfect when you’re away. If it were, then no one would need you in the first place. Take care of the biggest priorities. Give training and guidance before you leave and then delegate as many projects as you can. Make a plan to take care of other things within the first few days of your return.

When you plan your business trip well, you will feel far less pressure and frustration. It allows you to focus on the real purpose of your trip. You might even have the opportunity to get the rest and relaxation you find difficult to squeeze in at home. So, don’t fret about your next trip. Think more about how it will enhance your business and rejuvenate your mind and body.  Happy traveling!

What is ‘Credit card debt consolidation’?

‘Credit card debt consolidation’ is a phrase that you must have come across many times. There are hundreds of sites with advice on credit card debt consolidation. Every now and then your favourite newspaper will also contain an article or advise on credit card debt consolidation. TV channels host discussions on credit card debt consolidation. Moreover, there are numerous consultants and companies that provide professional advice on credit card debt consolidation. So what is this “Credit card debt consolidation” that everyone is talking about? Why is it such an important topic?

“Credit card debt consolidation” refers to consolidation of the debt on various credit cards into a single credit card (or a couple of credit cards). Generally, you move from a higher APR credit card to a lower APR one. You might ask ‘why?’ If you look into how the vicious circle of credit card debt works, you will immediately understand the logic behind that. Credit card debt grows in 2 ways. One is due to addition of new debt on account of fresh spends on your credit card and the second is due to addition of interest charges to the existing credit card debt. The first one is due to your use of credit card but the second one is due to interest charges which are calculated on the basis of the interest rate or the APR applicable to your credit card. So a lower APR rate means that your credit card debt will grow at a slower pace and hence switching over to a card with lower APR makes perfect sense.

The process of credit card debt consolidation is also referred to as balance transfer process (you transfer the balance or debt from one credit card to another).The credit card debt consolidation (or balance transfer) offers are made even more attractive by the credit card suppliers by associating various benefits with them. The simple logic behind offering these benefits is the fact that such a customer would be defecting from one of their competitors. The biggest benefit offered by these credit card suppliers is 0% interest on balance transfers (or credit card debt consolidation). This 0% APR is generally applicable for a short period of time i.e. 3-6 months, after which the standard APR is applicable. Other credit card debt consolidation offers include things like interest free purchase for a short period, reward points, etc. These credit card debt consolidation offers make the exercise of credit card debt consolidation even more logical and meaningful.

Credit card debt consolidation seems to be a good way of tackling the problem of credit card debt and that is the reason why there is so much of discussion on the topic of Credit card debt consolidation.

Skiing originated thousands of years ago with Norwegian hunters and  travelers. Since then, skiing has branched into several different styles and techniques. To access the 10th Mountain Division Huts, we use a backcountry ski modeled after traditional cross-country skis. Over the years, the backcountry ski has evolved into a cross between an alpine and nordic ski. These specially designed skis provide added stability, good turning qualities and are capable of responding to a variety of terrain and snow conditions in the backcountry. A cable binding is most often used with a sturdy leather or plastic boot. The boot has been designed to provide stability and warmth while remaining flexible enough for touring. Depending on the terrain, either cross country ski waxes or climbing skins are used to effectively travel through the backcountry.

Backcountry skiing skills begin with trail and downhill skiing technique. This includes being able to perform a strong snowplow to control speed and step turns for changing direction. Mid-winter powder and spring cornsnow offer great skiing possibilities. Although the telemark turn is not a necessary skill, it provides a wonderful addition to winter cross-country touring and is instructed at all levels. Alpine Touring gear is becoming increasingly popular and works well for many backcountry skiers.

Are your organizations or fabric looking for best waste solvent recovery solution? If the answer is yes, you have come to the right place. This article will introduce Nexgenenviro.com. This site has high performance solvent recovery system which is necessary for use in fabrication, manufacturing, and production locations. They have more than 8,000 customers from all branches of contractors, all disciplines of manufacturing and government agencies who trust their solvent distillers and cleaning systems.

Nexgen Solvent Recovery is available in variety of capacities. Solvent Recovery System from NexGen allows you to drastically reduce the cost of purchasing and disposal. You can minimize or eliminates the impact of harmful material on human resources and surrounding community. Their Solvent recovery system using the ideal and latest technology for reuse and recovery of waste solvents from varied industrial applications like part cleaning, printing, paint cleanup, so on.

If you have good and clean environment, your organization or manufacturing will get the good environmental impact later. This system really can save your money, time, and energy. Well, as information, many manufacturing find that the using Waste Recovery System is very good on their investment. If you want to know more you can visit the official site.