Small Business Management - 4/6/2006

We’re starting the final countdown towards the big presentation day!!  Everyone seems like they are working extremely hard and I know you guys are going to do great.  Here are some last minute pointers before next week:

Make sure you dress professionallyRemember, you will not be presenting to Jeremy and me.  You will be presenting to two bankers who have money that you need for your business to run.  Coming in and presenting in an old t-shirt and jeans will not help in your quest to borrow money.

Know your business
I don’t want you to address every possible question in your business plan, but make sure you know enough about your company to be able to field general questions from us.  Remember, any sign we see that you guys are going to not be good stewards of any money we might loan raises the amount of risk we perceive.  And the more risk we perceive, the less likely we are to let you have any money!

Relax!
I know, I know – easier said than done.  But seriously, relax and have fun with this.  The more you relax, the better job you will do.  How do you go about relaxing?  Make sure that you are NOT working on this late into the wee hours of the morning.  I want you to come in next Thursday rested and ready to go.  Make sure that you spend this last week wisely – remember, all information gathering should have been long completed – writing is all that should be going on right now.  Plan out your schedule so that next Wednesday night can be spent vegging on the couch, partying with friends, playing with your kids, or whatever makes you happy.  Your presentation will benefit from it!