Startup Weekend is coming to Ventura County!

Startup Weekend, the world’s largest entrepreneurial event organization that has brought together over 190,000 entrepreneurs in 150 countries (That's more than starbucks!) around the globe  is coming to Ventura County March 11-13 2016!

In just 54 hours, you will experience the highs, lows, fun, and pressure that make up life at a startup. As you learn how to create a real company, you'll meet the very best mentors, investors, cofounders, and sponsors who are ready to help you get started. Your community is here to help you.

Startup Weekend Ventura County - Internet of Things, Healthcare and Agriculture will bring together local entrepreneurs, developers, designers and startup enthusiasts intent on learning what is like to share ideas, form teams, and practice launching a startup over 54 hours.

Attendees will pitch their ideas to the audience in 60 seconds or less. After teams form, the rest of the weekend will be spent implementing the most popular ideas  with the help of mentors and seasoned startup entrepreneurs. By Sunday, teams will be ready to present their prototypes before a panel of judges who include:
Darren Lee- President & CEO, St. John's HospitalsAlbert Garcia- CMO Semtech CorporationMichael Powers- CEO Ventura County Government Chris Meissner- CEO Meissner Filtration ProductsDr. Ross Dueber- CEO Z Power BatteryDaniel Schoenewald- EVP Advanced Motion Control
  David Nichols- CEO Applied Wireless Joe Kreutz- CEO County Commerce Bank Alex Teague- SVP Limoneira
The winner of IoT Healthcare and the winner of IoT Agriculture will each be awarded a no-interest, no-repayment and no-equity cash prize of $10,000 for use as seed capital. They will also be offered a host of other in-kind awards such as free co-working space, free professional services and free food and free products.. 

A free Startup Weekend community Q&A is scheduled for February 17th 2015 from 6:00 pm till 7:30 at Cal Lutheran’s Center for Entrepreneurship  31416 Agoura Road, Westlake Village, CA. 
Social media share:" Startup Weekend is coming to Ventura County March 11-13 Visit StartupWeekendVC.com for info #StartupWeekendVC"

Cool Coworking Spaces in Paris, France

So in my Startup Weekend global travels I came across Mutinerie in the 19th arrondissement in Paris, France. This space is awesome for people looking to co-work in a creative environments, its multi leveled complete with a cafe. phone booth and a very helpful passionate staff.

The cafe'

Notes on Raising Capital

Generate traction and revenue. investors portfolios last on average about 10 years. Don't loose control of the company by giving it away. There is more syndication going on (spreading the risk). Investors invest in a management. Capital efficiency means I am lean, this is key.

Business to Business is a market that gets allot of attention. "Nice to have" is a copycat. Be significant. 


Intellectual Property (I.P.) is a very important asset for your company. 

a Light IP is an app made with other existing tools. 

Women are 12% of all easy state investments.

Disrupt!!

NETWORKING is the #1 way of raising capital. Who do I know?

 Los Angeles wants revenue and content, Silicon Valley wants tech and New York wants eyes.

What investors are looking for?
1. Management Team
2. A unique Idea in an empty space.
3. A breakthrough idea
4. Scaleability, it has to scale.
5. Defensability. Patents, Intellectual Property, Trademarks, Corporate Structure (Corp, LLC) 

How to Pitch Investors?
Prepare with:
10 Slides
20 Minute
30 point type

In reality, expect to get 3-6 minutes. Sound-byte it. Turn a 30 second pitch to a 60 second "tell me more".

Investors care about the deal. What is the valuation? How does the technology work? Why is it unique, and how can I prove it?

Assume my pitch will save their portfolio.

When choosing your investment partner, do your research! 

The Terms

What  are the terms? Whats your term sheet like?

Alternative forms of raising capital?
Strategic partnerships, revenue creating deals. (I'm a huge fan of this)

Take money as late as possible. Ask for enough capital to keep going.

Super angels make bets.

VC's grow their portfolio.

Bravo's Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles is Casting!

Looking for High-Profile Real Estate Agents in Los Angeles

Bravo TV's Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles is Now Casting!!!

The producers of BRAVO's hit TV show "Million Dollar Listing LA"
are searching for a high-end real estate agent to add to the
fabulous cast!

Now casting a prominent, big-personality real estate agent in
Los Angeles who handles the most high-profile clients, buyers,
sellers and listings in town.

If you're a real estate agent with million dollar listings and
live a life of lavish opulence ... .WE MAY WANT YOU!!!

To be considered: Shoot an email including a brief bio of who
you are, where you live, and where you work. Tell us about your
listings and neighborhoods, clients, social circle, and why
you'd be great for the show. Attach a recent photo, photos of
your listings/sales and phone number where you can be reached.

LAREALTORCASTING@GMAIL.COM
Requirements:

Must have a constant flow of listings to be considered. Must be
a serious player in the real estate world. 

Angela Weingrad Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles"

Searching for a Teen Inventor or Entrepreneur for a new docu-reality series

A major cable network is producing a docu-reality series about amazing teens and the parents who inspire and support them. We are searching for a teen inventor or entrepreneur who is on the cusp of success. Our series will be very inspirational and will focus on the talent and dedication of the teen inventor or entrepreneur as well as highlighting the involvement of their parents- with a special emphasis on the father- in their child's

success.

Requirements: 

The teen should be between the ages of 13-18 and their father or guardian should be very involved in their child's venture-whether they coach or tutor them, fund everything, or dedicate all of their free time to helping them.

Contact Name: Dominique Ferrari TV at Email: query-2as1@helpareporter.net

Start Up Resource: oDesk.com

Start Up Resources

 Odesk.com. I love shopping for developers! Founded in 2003, oDesk allows you to hire people and find gigs.Odesk is the largest online workplace, where you can hire, manage, and pay a talented workforce of on-demand professionals. You can find web developers, Ruby on Rails developers, open social developers, Joomla developers, Software engineers, someone to build you a website or fix code. I recently used odesk to have someone build me both an iPhone and an android application. You can also set your own price. 

Check out the video below to see how odesk can work for you.

Los Angeles Small Business and Entrepreneurs Needed

MO.com is seeking small business and entrepreneurial candidates from the Los Angeles to interview. Candidates should be willing to share their background, advice, strategies and business philosophies with our readers.

About MO.com - MO is run by a team of entrepreneurs, so we get energized talking with others that have traveled down the same path of launching a new business or even those just about to embark on the adventure of starting a business. For a better idea of what we are after in our interviews, please check out
our site at MO.com. We interview entrepreneurs from all walks, across all industries, and from around the world. We focus on their habits and methods; what makes them tick.

Requirements:

Must be from the Los Angeles area



Contact:

Name: Mike Sullivan MO.com

Email: query-25c2@helpareporter.net

Tax Havens For Internet Companies

If your website or business does not operate out of a corporation or LLC, you’ve probably given some thought at one time or another as to whether there is any benefit to you or your business to have one. Online businesses are different from traditional businesses in many ways that make them especially good candidates for operating out of a formal business entity.

Website Magazine

One of the great benefits of incorporating is that you create legal separation between you and your business. In other words, your business is its own legal entity. It has its own bank account, pays its own taxes and, most importantly, has the option of “living” in whichever state (or country) you decide. Why then, do so many business owners limit themselves by forming corporations in their home state? Unless you are one of the lucky few that happen to live in a tax haven such as Nevada or Wyoming, take into consideration whether or not your state is the best tax climate for your company.

However, while businesses can “live” in whichever state they desire (technically called “domiciled”), they still have to register and pay taxes in each state where they transact business. And while each state has a different idea of what that term means, for the most part, if you have employees or office space in a particular state, you are transacting business there.

Qualifying Online Businesses and Tax Havens

If you operate a pure online business chances are your company only exists in a virtual world. If you don't keep office space and instead of employees you have independent contractors — such as programmers and server administrators, who are often in developing countries — you are a perfect candidate for saving on taxes via a tax haven.

Tax havens are generally states that are very pro-business and tax-free — no corporate taxes, franchise taxes or personal income taxes. There are two major tax havens in the United States — Nevada and Wyoming. The only significant difference between the two is that Wyoming seems to offer lower fees and doesn’t carry the tax haven stigma that Nevada has developed over the years.

If you have a truly virtual online business, all you have to do is form a Nevada or Wyoming corporation. Keep in mind that it can’t be an LLC unless you elect corporate taxation with the IRS. Otherwise, all of your income will pass through to your individual tax return in the state in which you live. This means that you will have to pay state taxes on the income at an individual level as if it were income to yourself.

When forming your corporation, it’s recommended to use a professional service. If you choose to go it alone, you may have to spend many more hours than you realize to understand the filing procedures and the nuances of that particular state — all from hundreds of miles away. A better bet is to use a national company with associates who specialize in each state and not only know the required filings, but also maintain strong relationships with state employees — an important factor to getting things filed in a timely manner.

Keep in mind that as soon as you issue yourself payroll, your corporation or LLC will need to register to transact business in your state — which means it will have to pay taxes from all income derived in that state. Therefore, you should try to take money out of your company in the form of loans and dividends.

Read the entire article on

Tax Havens For Online Businesses - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

Orange County Business Owners

OC Metro Magazine

Our friends at OC Metro Magazine are writing a story about successful Orange County businesses.

Orange County with all the assets and expertise doesn't get the media attention it deserves. OC is still infamous because of a few "Housewives" but anyone who lives here knows that's not the real OC... From up-and-comers, start-ups, and entrepreneurs or the big guys, Bruce Elliot writes a weekly column about "How It's Done." He writes about what's really happening here and profile businesses that are making things happen. His readers want to know "How It's Done" in OC.

Email Bruce Elliot at query-1b8o@helpareporter.com

Examining Different Business Structures With Jennifer Reuting

Register Now for Nevada State Bank's FREE interactive webinar, featuring Jennifer Reuting, founder of MyLLC.com, an expert on corporate structuring and limited liability companies. Reuting will show you the best way to customize a business structure to meet YOUR needs.

Register for our July 12th webinar and discover:

• Which entity is right for you - LLC, Corporation or S-Corporation?

• How to operate your company effectively, while still maintaining compliance

• Which tools and resources are essential for structuring your business

Thousands of companies have entrusted and counted on Jennifer Reuting to address their corporate needs. She has founded multiple industry-leading companies to help lower the cost of entry for independent contractors and small businesses. A regular speaker and guest professor at USC Marshall School of Business, Reuting’s newest venture, DocRun.com, was born out of the need to provide small businesses and independent contractors with an easy, affordable way to create operating agreements and other contracts and agreements governing business operations.

Major cable network is now casting a new docu-drama about Family Business in the NY and PA area

Do you own and operate a family business? Are your father's "old school" ideas just not blending with this "new media" world? Is your son's work ethic not up to par with traditional family  standards? Semi Sweet Productions is casting a brand new show for a major cable network and are looking for Fathers and Sons who are struggling to find a common ground when it comes to running their company.

Our celebrity specialist will spend time with the families and give them valuable advice and strategize new ways of bettering their business to improve revenue. We're looking for businesses based within 2 hours of NYC that are not necessarily about to go under, but can definitely use some help.

If you are interested in featuring your company on the show, send Kelli Sturges an email right away to FamilyBusiness@semisweetproductions.com and tell us a little about your company and why you think your business (and relationship with your family) would benefit from the appearing on the show.

Los Angeles Ranks Second Nationally for Small Businesses

According to Buffalo Business First, new federal data shows that Los Angeles ranks second nationally with 331,479 small businesses.

The U.S. Census Bureau counted 339,782 private-sector businesses in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, the latest year for which official statistics are available. The vast majority were the 331,479 businesses that had 99 or fewer employees.

Business First separated companies into three groups:

• Small businesses (1 to 99 employees)

• Medium businesses (100 to 999 employees)

• Large employees (1,000 or more employees)

Fifty-one metros have at least 25,000 small businesses, led by 526,063 in the New York City area, which sprawls across Downstate New York into parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The BusinessMakers Radio Show-Jennifer Reuting of MyLLC.com -

Best Selling Author and Founder of MyLLC.com Jennifer Reuting is interviewed on the BusinessMakers Radio Show

Jennifer Reuting of MyLLC.com - The BusinessMakers Radio Show



Thanks

Incorporating your Equestrian business

Author: Greg Monterrosa

If you're operating your Equestrian business as a sole proprietor or general partnership you need to know you are operating in the most dangerous forms of business. Operating this way opens you up to liability, meaning, you are entirely and personally responsible for the actions of your company.

It only becomes scarier if you have partners, then not only are you responsible for your actions but theirs as well. If your partner gets sued personally his or her share of the assets can be taken away. Welcome your new business partners!

"I recently incorporated my business". Says Malibu Horses, Inc. instructor Inge Halliday. "Working with horses and clients really opens me up to liabilities above my insurance coverage. It also helps attracts clients, by operating as a corporation they see I am serious about my business, and its success. A successful business in turn means allot of educated and well trained clients and happy horses".

So what can you do to protect yourself? Operating as a corporation or a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a safe way to protect your assets. With these types of entities you have what's referred to a corporate veil, this prevents the members/Shareholders from being personally liable from debts or other obligations the corporation or LLC enter into. For this to take place you need to follow your formalities.

When selecting the state for incorporate or form your Limited Liability Company(LLC) most equine professionals incorporate in the state they conduct business out of. If you ever plan on conducting business in a different state check with the Secretary of States office to see if you need to foreign qualify to do business there.

Operating as a separate entity can also give you added tax benefits, such as depreciation of your horses or other business assets, as well as pass through taxation (with LLCs). And the ability to easily add partners or investors.

So when is the right time to incorporate or form your LLC? Now! Everyday you operate as a sole proprietor you are risking your family's house, savings, trucks, animals and any other assets you may own or plan to own.

There are several ways you can incorporate your business. You can speak with a lawyer that can help you get everything filed, you can do it yourself or you can choose to use a service company like MyLLC.com aside from working with start ups and entrepreneurs they also wrote the book Limited Liability Companies for Dummies ®.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/equestrian-articles/incorporating-your-equestrian-business-3064201.html

About the Author

Greg Monterrosa has worked with thousands of start ups and entrepreneurs. You can follow him on twitter @GregMetro or catch up on his blog at www.StartupWorld.Blogspot.com

Why Do People Friend and Follow Brands?

Why Do People Friend and Follow Brands?

Two separate studies have been released over the past week that show why people "friend" and "follow" brands on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The first, from Google, looked at Facebook. The study found that 55 percent of Facebook users do not friend or "like" any brands on Facebook. Of those who do, 18 percent become a fan of one or two brands, 11 percent do so for three or four brands, 10 percent five to nine brands and just 6 percent ten or more brands. And why do they become fans?

25 percent to receive discounts and promotions
18 percent to show others they support the brands
10 percent because it's fun and entertaining
8 percent to hear new info first

The second study comes from ExactTarget and surveyed Twitter users ages 15 and up. They found that:

38 percent of users follow brands to get updates on future products
31 percent to receive discounts and promotions
30 percent to get updates on upcoming sales
28 percent to get a "freebie"

The writing is on the wall. Your top business social networking priorities should be to offer discounts and promotions, and to keep users informed about product releases and other company news that will benefit the user. This does not mean announcing a new CFO, but rather a new product line, an update to an exisiting product or news about how your products can help improve consumers' quality of life, for example.

Of course, discounts and promotions loom large. Build a value system with users by rewarding their loyalty with discounts and you are likely to see new fans and followers. And, don't stop at promoting this strategy solely on networks - make sure your website provides links to your network profiles and informing users that, by becoming a fan or follower, they can expect discounts and promotions. As always, set a strategy including well-defined limits. After all, you don't want to give away the store should a discount go viral.