Lane Banks

Angel Investors are the start up company’s best friend. Some say they are called “angels” because they are an answer to the entrepreneur’s prayer for money to get their business launched.

Angels are the financial fuel of the economy. Before Venture Capitalists get involved, before banks will loan a company an unsecured note; Angel Investors provide the capital that fuels the entrepreneurial spirit and helps inventions become products and ideas become reality.

Angels are wealthy individuals who provide seed capital and growth capital to companies in start up and early stage of their company’s life cycle. Their capital can be offered in exchange for equity in the company or as some specialized form of debt facility. Investing in this stage of company is the most risky, but it can also be the most rewarding. Rewards come not just from the financial returns, but also from experiencing the purest form of capitalism…bringing value to the market by supplying a product or service to satisfy a market demand. There is a definite sense of pride and accomplishment from being able to say you were an early investor in a block buster like MicroSoft or Starbucks, and surprisingly, there is little regret from the early stage investors in the near misses like WebVAN and PETS.com because they got their sizeable returns. That is how it works for the wise angel investor.

Investing or buying Private Equity of early stage companies is one of the secrets the wealthy use to create more wealth. As Robert Kiyosaki says in his book, Rich Dad’s Retire Young, Retire Rich on page 127, “the rich invest in shares of a company when the company is still a private company”

To become a successful angel investor, it is important that individuals learn how to identify and screen opportunities for early stage private equity investing. These can be great investment opportunities! These investments have the potential to reap big rewards for early investors who are not afraid to take a risk. Just ask anybody who invested in Google, MicroSoft or Home Depot! The bigger the risk, the greater the reward! Success builds confidence! These savvy individuals are probably searching for the next big idea or looking for their next big investment opportunity! If they became successful angel investors, you can too! Do not neglect the opportunity to become an angel investor. By: Karen Rands

Many people spend less time picking a real estate agent than they spend deciding where to eat lunch. Real estate agents are like belly buttons: Everybody has one! Everybody knows or works with or is related to, plays tennis or softball with, goes to the movies, lives with, even sleeps with, a real estate agent! So what?

The first cousin of a friend of the lady who does your hair or your uncle’s boss’s daughter of his golf buddy or your kid’s teacher’s husband is not someone to hire just because of those relationships. Your home, or the home you’re planning on buying, might be the biggest asset you have, and the person you hire to entrust that asset to should be interviewed and carefully selected.

It was the house they raised their kids in, and they still loved the place, but now the kids are all grown and off to College. How many people would hand over $200,000 to a co-worker’s cousin or a friend of a friend to handle for up to a year? Would you? But how many people have you heard complain that they’re unhappy with their real estate agent, but they can’t change because it’s their friend or a family member or their boss’s family member?

Don’t hand your home over to someone just because you “know” them. Do your homework. Interview them. Get references.

Here are some questions you should ask them:

1. What’s their average time to sell a house?
2. Do they produce virtual brochures? Are they well done?
3. Do they have their own website? Is it appealing and easy to find on the Internet?
4. What’s their marketing strategy?
5. How often do they hold open houses?
6. How often do they replenish the info box outside the home?
7. How well did they represent former clients who bought homes through them?

And then there’s the reality of today’s market. Is the agent you’re considering web-savvy and high-tech enough for marketing in this time of rapidly changing technology? Can they get you that out-of-town buyer? Can they attract enough traffic via the web to sell your home quickly?

Your home is probably your biggest investment. Make sure you have a true professional marketing it. Good Luck!

I believe that to give truly great customer service one must “Make a customer, not a sale!” - by: Katherine Barchetti

Lane Banks is an online journal of everything that is related to finance and the business industry. Find discussions, articles and personal opinions regarding current business news and issues.