Who Is Behind Your Angel Funds?

            Andrea Cockerton, business plan and pitch expert has assisted over 350 entrepreneurs realize the dreams for their business in her career. Andrea has hosted workshops and networking events for business and entrepreneurs in the U.K interested in venture funding and the critical ideas surrounding business. She has assisted companies such as Microsoft further develop their business plans. Cockerton has also successfully launched her own businesses www.brickhandbag.com, a self-defense training system taught by women and Dowsing for Sound, a genre specific music service.

            Lori Greiner, shark from ABC’s hit show Shark Tank and Queen of QVC, has made a name for herself as a prolific business woman and inventor of retail products. Lori has created over 450 retail products and holds U.S. and international patents for over 120 products. As a shark on ABC’s Shark Tank, she helps entrepreneurs realize their dreams by investing in the business pitches that she believes in. Lori features her products as well as the products of the businesses she has invested in as a shark on her personal website.

            Cockerton and Greiner have offered much advice to entrepreneurs though seminars, magazine features, interviews and several books. The tips the business gurus have shared are meant to help entrepreneurs realize their goals and be successful in business. Cockerton suggests that a business plan with a well developed executive summary and thoroughly researched financial plan is key in persuading an investor to fund a business.

Greiner gives the following tips to entrepreneurs: work from home as long as possible; don’t hire additional staff until it’s a necessity; keep low inventory numbers and avoid borrowing money from family members. Working from home will save new business owners the expense of paying for additional overhead in the form of an office space and any additional expenses that may come with that such as utilities. Keeping a lower staff will help the business owner to put more money back into the business as opposed to paying wages to workers when earnings may be lower.  Keeping low inventory on hand will reduce storage cots as well as keep the business from paying for units that are unsold. Finally, not borrowing money from protects your personal relationships in the event that you are unable to pay your loan back.