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A direct public offering is when a company raises capital by selling its shares directly to what is referred to as affinity groups, unlike an IPO which are sold by a broker dealer to its customers and the general public through other broker dealers who have customers interested in buying shares in the company.

In IPO’s you have a firm commitment underwriting, where the underwriters promise to purchase the securities for their own account if they can not sell them to customers.

Best-effort underwriting: The underwriters do not guarantee any specific number of shares to be sold, they merely act as brokers.

In an IPO the lead underwriter is referred to as the syndicate manager, he keeps the book and invites other broker dealers to join the syndicate. In a firm commitment underwriting, an underwriter’s agreement makes members liable for any unsold securities, regardless of how much of their allotment they sold. .

In a direct public offering the company sells the shares to affinity groups; who falls in this category? Customers, suppliers, distributors, friends, family, employees and other members of the community. In a direct public offering (DPO) the company places its shares in the hands of those people who are familiar with the company and know the company’s product and management, and are most likely to hold the shares longer because they feel comfortable with the company’s prospects for the future.

Direct public offerings are considerably less expensive than IPO’s and most effective for smaller offerings, for large offerings the sales staff and customer base of a broker dealer are usually necessary.

Since the affinity group is already familiar with the company and its practices it doesn’t put pressure on the company to change the way it does business, and will remain loyal to the company because of it’s presence in the community.

DPO’s are preferable to venture capital financing because it allows the present management to execute its business plan without outside interference. When a small company turns to a single large investor they tend to surrender the freedom to make all the decisions.

In a DPO like other methods of going public today audited financial statements are required. Unlike a reverse merger you choose your shareholders and you don’t have to deal with shady, unscrupulous shell owners.

Shell owners usually keep between 5-15% of the shares outstanding and are quick to liquidate, and they do not have an interest in the well being of the company’s share price. Even if you insert a stipulation in the contract that they can not sell for a year they will find a way of shorting the stock and destroying the share price.

This makes the DPO a preferable option even for companies that don’t need financing but would like to go public.

A DPO does not always require audited financials but if you plan on going public you will need them. So you must hire an auditing firm that is “peer review” or PCAOB.

If you wish to take your company public then you must file a form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a form 211 must be filed with FINRA.

A DPO is an alternative to an IPO or Reverse Merger for a company wishing to go public or obtain financing; it allows the company owner(s) to call the shots instead of an underwriter or a shell owner.

Want To Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

If you own or run a company that is trying to raise capital in the current economic conditions you’ve undoubtedly been challenged by the limited funds available. Investors are more difficult to find and the individuals that are actually willing to part with their cash are even tougher to find. You’ve talked to friends, family members, your cpa and your attorney but trying to get them to invest is like drawing blood from a stone, it’s just not happening.

There is an easier way. Most broker dealers and market makers have an emergency number in their rolodex that reads “Investor Finder”, these specialist consultants are brought in when there is nowhere else to turn for cash. A true Investor Finder has 1,000’s of investor contacts that they can call on to get funding for their clients and are constantly using online viral strategies to attract more investors to their database.

An investor finder usually is not a licensed securities broker/agent or attorney; instead they are traditionally consultants that are active in the investment banking facilitation aspect of the industry. Being that they are not licensed they do not accept equity payments or percentages; instead they work on a flat fee basis.

A good consultant in this genre can bring in 30 to 70 real investors per day and it’s up to the client to sell the opportunity from there. A typical lead from an investor finder will be an investor or investment firm that is responding to the consultant’s opportunity introduction email or snail mail mailing, they have read about the opportunity and they respond one of two ways, either they are calling into a phone room to be screened and qualified or they are contacting the client directly.

Many times the investor doesn’t know that they are part of the “finder’s” database but do recall signing up to receive investment opportunity updates, so either way the investor is solid and active. If you are trying to raise capital and need real results quickly and can’t afford to waste time begging for cash, you need to seek out a qualified Investor Finder consultant and make your fundraising efforts fast and easy.

Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

When an investor is looking at your business they are obviously looking for the basics: an executive team that has worked with other companies in your industry at the exact stage you are at now with a solid track record of success, an active advisory board that is eager to help and has a solid comprehension of your industry, a board of directors that acts as your company’s strategic think tank and action center where the tough issues get dealt with and questions get answered. Investors also want to see that you are in a growth industry and that all involved have the discipline to step out of the emotional ups and downs of a start up or company seeking capital and look at the business objectively.

All this said, the one aspect to creating a salivating group of investors is your massive and powerful strategic partner database. These partners are able to enhance your company is ways of distribution, sales, contracts, legal, tax etc. The partners that you team up with are often build off of and initiated by the rapport of your executive staff, board of advisers and board of directors. Your corporate attorney and accountant should also contribute heavily to helping you build strategic alliances with like-minded companies in their client base. These companies that you are teaming up with allow for rapid expansion and optimal eye candy for people that are interested in placing capital with your company. Having some big names in your corner with the label ’strategic partner’ just sweetens the pot. Companies thrive and dive on relationships.

If you are considering raising capital with a Regulation D exemption like 504, 505 or 506 (also referred to as a Private Placement Memorandum) chances are, your company will be funded by angel investors, private investors and other private equity money sources. Having a powerful partnership base is like adding a blanket and warm milk to your business plan and PPM when handing if off to the investor, it’s soothing and comforting to see that you’re not alone but you have some big names helping you on the road to success.

Are you thinking about taking your business public? The same thing goes. The public wants to see that you are in bed with big names who can step in and help your company out of a tight spot and that you can co-op advertisements and promotional campaigns together.

Raising capital is easier when you are moving forward with establish partnerships to ease the weight of the load and stress that comes with a growing company.

For Strategic Alliances or Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Private Placement Memorandums and Direct Public Offerings, the most common mistakes made. When gearing up to raise capital it is typically a business owners first instinct to simply throw together a business plan and find the cheapest company to put together the private placement memorandum and then seek funding. What these professionals don’t realize is that they are doing things in reverse and often times a PPM is not a standalone solution to financial needs.

The first problem is the most companies will first write a business plan and cheap PPM and look for a capital solutions last, when strategically speaking, one should first find a full service solution who has a database of investors ready to fund properly structured corporations with well authored business plans and private placement memos. After you find a company that has a ready network of seasoned investors you will often find that this firm will also structure your business and documents so that you are able to attract the attention of these investors. Next, don’t make the mistake of hiring just anybody to write your biz plan. You need to find a professional author who is well rooted in the art of technical writing and has a solid comprehension of your industry.

Now it’s time to write the PPM. Here is a warning that will most likely go in one ear and out the other but you must never choose the cheapest service for your PPM you will regret it and this is a guarantee. Investors see these documents all day everyday and they know a template when they see it. Don’t believe for a second that you will get a viable private placement memo that will actually achieve funding for anything less than $3,000; it’s just not going to happen. There is too much work involved in putting a fund-able strategy together and you’ll never find an experienced firm to do it for cheap.

The moral of the story is to first find an investor finder solution with a solid network of investors, second have this company write your business plan and private placement memorandum to fit the needs of their investor base and lastly, talk to this consultant about helping you perform a DPO (Direct Public Offering) to their group. This is what separates the men from the boys in the venture capital consulting industry.

Legitimate consultants who stand behind their work will take your PPM directly to their investor base and help you raise capital quickly. In return for this service the company may want a modest equity position in addition to their fee but it is always worth it and typically they will take the final step and have their investors pay to take your company public. This is the ultimate for any company that is seeking a long term funding solution.

Remember the order: 1. Find an investor finder 2. Have that company write your biz plan and PPM 3. Convince the firm to perform a DPO for fast funding 4. Offer some equity to sweeten the pot so that they take you public!

Want To Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Direct Public Offerings and Private Placement Memorandums the easy way!

For real estate investors, there are two things that are always in short supply regardless of the ups and downs in the economy: capital and quality inventory. Most investors that I have worked with not only need capital but strategies to go after capital that is not issued based solely on a credit score. Even if a real estate investor has good credit they still have the obstacle of too many inquires and too many open loans on their credit report and funding sources are spooked by these distractions and turn the applicant down even though all of their loans are current and they have a solid FICO.

If the above describes you or if you have limited or poor credit and you’re a serious real estate investor, here is how to get all the capital you’ll ever need. First put a solid strategy together. Start with your company infrastructure. Organize your company with a CEO, CFO, Board of Directors etc. After you’ve done this you want to set up your inter-industry strategic alliances which should be composed of other investors, bird dogs, electricians, roofers, general contractors etc. You want each of these alliances to have a purpose. They should be a portal for industry niche knowledge and consultation and also referral hubs. Let each of your alliances know exactly what type of investments you’re looking for and as they are sending you referrals, reciprocate by issuing them work in whatever specialty they are in.

Next you want to have a solid business plan written for your company (don’t write this yourself, have a professional do it for you) that spells out the intricacies of your company, your alliances, your accomplishments and goals. Paint a picture of success and strength.

Next you need a mechanism for accepting investment capital so you’ll need a Private Placement Memorandum. This document package gives a technical breakdown of your investment opportunity and spells out the risks and advantages in detail to keep you from getting sued by investors down the road. This memorandum takes advantage of SEC Regulation D Rule Exemptions 504, 505 or 506. A PPM is the minimum requirement dictated by the SEC for accepting capital from accredited and non accredited investment sources. Real investors will demand an PPM anyway so it’s good to have it done beforehand.

Now that your company is properly structured, you have a solid board of directors and alliances; your business plan is well written and to the point, you have a solid outlet for accepting capital from investors, you are now ready for capital. Your best bet is to go back to the company who wrote your business plan and private placement memorandum and use their ‘investor finder’ service. Legitimate corporate consultants who write technical documents will also stand behind their work by assisting their clients in finding investors. One solid strategy for getting access to capital quickly and easily is to have your Investor Finder forward go through their database and email individual and institutional funding sources.

When you are contacted by these investment sources, give them the option to invest in your company using the PPM (which will give you a fund in which you will be able to rehab real estate, buy at auctions etc). You will also want to give them the option of investing in a ‘per deal’ scenario. Allow them the option to also (or only) invest in particular transactions with you so when you get a deal, with a solid investor finder service, you’ll eventually have 100+ solid investors to go to for quick capital on particular transactions that go above what your PPM fund can handle.

There you have it, a strategy that works 100% of the time for real estate investors globally. Your best bet, to make sure that you do this properly, is to hire a consultant that can set up this process for you. Cheers to your success!

Need Real Estate Partners and Funding?Need A Corporate Consultant?, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183We Can Transform Your Business

If you own or run a company that is trying to raise capital in the current economic conditions you’ve undoubtedly been challenged by the limited funds available. Investors are more difficult to find and the individuals that are actually willing to part with their cash are even tougher to find. You’ve talked to friends, family members, your cpa and your attorney but trying to get them to invest is like drawing blood from a stone, it’s just not happening.

There is an easier way. Most broker dealers and market makers have an emergency number in their Rolodex that reads “Investor Finder”, these specialist consultants are brought in when there is nowhere else to turn for cash. A true Investor Finder has 1,000’s of investor contacts that they can call on to get funding for their clients and are constantly using online viral strategies to attract more investors to their database.

An investor finder usually is not a licensed securities broker/agent or attorney; instead they are traditionally consultants that are active in the investment banking facilitation aspect of the industry. Being that they are not licensed they do not accept equity payments or percentages; instead they work on a flat fee basis.

A good consultant in this genre can bring in 30 to 70 real investors per day and it’s up to the client to sell the opportunity from there. A typical lead from an investor finder will be an investor or investment firm that is responding to the consultant’s opportunity introduction email or snail mail mailing, they have read about the opportunity and they respond one of two ways, either they are calling into a phone room to be screened and qualified or they are contacting the client directly.

Many times the investor doesn’t know that they are part of the “finder’s” database but do recall signing up to receive investment opportunity updates, so either way the investor is solid and active. If you are trying to raise capital and need real results quickly and can’t afford to waste time begging for cash, you need to seek out a qualified Investor Finder consultant and make your fund-raising efforts fast and easy.

Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Entrepreneurs are being turned onto Regulation D in droves. Regulation D Rule 504, 505 and 506 allow companies a more lenient fund raising process than those who choose to go public by other means. In the past year I’ve seen more PPM consultants pop up on the internet than ever before and I have to admit I’m concerned. As a veteran in this field I’ve seen it all, now we have a legion of self proclaimed Reg. D gurus who buy templates, add some text and tell their clients that they are delivering a customized offering memorandum; here’s where things go bad and a difficult situation gets even worse. You have this worthless document, now what?

You need to gain the confidence and capital of accredited investors without soliciting as dictated in Regulation D Rule 502c. Now you have a worthless document that you can’t solicit investment capital for (which your guru consultant never told you but took your cash anyway) so how are you suppose to raise funds for your company? First, you’ll find that you’ll eventually need to make your way to an actual PPM author, not a broker so that you can get a PPM that protects you from lawsuits and gives the investor a real breakdown of the upside and downside of your business.

Next you’ll need to find a “Investor Finder”, yes this is an actual term for an individual or corporate entity that is completely submerged in the accredited investor realm and is able to match your opportunity with friends that he/she has in their database of real, accredited investors. This is the second half of the PPM equation.

Don’t kid yourself and don’t allow yourself to be lied to; you’re going to need a seasoned professional to help introduce you to investors that have the capital to help you get to where you need to be. Friends, family and employees will commit to investing in your company until your PPM is completed and it’s time to make good on their commitment; all of a sudden little Johnny needs braces and Sally is in the hospital with pneumonia, this happens all the time. Now what? With a real Private Placement Memorandum and a solid Investor Finder you’re problems are basically over. Investigate where the author and I.F. stand in the Internet public domain and after you find a company that meets your needs, get moving and start raising capital.

The internet tells all when it comes to reputations, you’ll be able to tell the difference between a seasoned veteran and a startup consultant after on Google Search and a phone call. A PPM can make raising capital quick and easy if you have the right firm in your corner.

Private Placement Memorandum, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Growing your company sales by adding promotional and sales agents and increasing your marketing exposure is an obvious way to beef up revenues but few companies consider the virtually instantaneous power of strategic alliances. Creating strategic partnerships with ‘would be’ rivals and companies that cater to your business genre can help you rapidly take possession of your market.

If you are a printer, team up with brochure designers, ink and paper distributors, advertising firms and print solution resellers. If you are a solar panel technology company then team up with corporations who have government grants for research and development and other alternative energy groups such as wind energy turbine technology firms, Department of Energy contractors etc. By teaming up with other companies and combining resources. You can stimulate growth in every area of your business. Look at each individual product and service you offer.

Now think of other companies who you can team up with to share resources. Make sure you create win/win opportunities for everyone involved as this is the only way to truly take advantage of this type of partnership. Don’t look at this concept as leaching off of other company’s resources, to the contrary, carefully researched and structured alliances will transform the here and now as well as future business of all parties involved. Strategic alliances will also enhance your appeal as an ‘invest-able’ business to venture capital firms and angel investors.

Think about it. You have a carefully constructed and managed corporate infrastructure. You’ve taken the steps to make sure that each of your ‘C’ level executives has been promoted as the ‘who’s who’ in the industry to speed up investor due diligence and increase customer confidence. You’ve carefully selected a board of directors that will effectively and actively guide you through the turbulent industry environment with their proven track record of success. And you’ve even initiated and solidified powerful partnerships that enhance your business concept and strengthen the longevity of your company.

You are now ready for expansion, investors, venture capital firms, taking your company public, attracting a professional CEO or CFO and practically anything your company is setting out to do.

For Strategic Alliance Services or Investor Finder Services, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

With global economics the way they are it would be redundant to rant and rave about the downsides of corporate fund-raising. Quick infusions of cash from venture capital firms and institutional lenders are on hold and it is what it is but companies are becoming creative and corporate attention is steering away from the problems and toward the solutions.

The US and Chinese markets are intertwined in many ways and now a new trend in finance is making the relationship even closer. It’s a fact that Chinese corporations are still trying to figure out how to make their domestic stock market profitable and stable. Many of these companies have global ambitions with unique technology solutions business products and strategies but because of the week Chinese economy (compared to the power of other currencies) they have no choice but to head to the Frankfurt Exchange or the OTCBB market here in the United States.

As a corporate consultant that facilitates the process of going public for both domestic and global entities I have received maybe 5 to 10 calls per year from Chinese companies wanting to set up American corporate subsidiaries to absorb their foreign corporations and trade on the Bulletin Boards but all that has changed. I now receive 5 to 10 calls from Chinese and Indian companies per week to take advantage of the global market place that centers around America’s gravitational pull.

Here is how you can take your foreign entity public: set up a domestic corporation (I usually have corporations set up in Delaware because its fast, easy and the states statutes go back to the original 13 colonies so there is sufficient case law and precedence to protect a public entity affectively). Next you will need a professionally written business plan in English. Translated business plans don’t work as Western investors look for different details in transactions than their Asian counterparts. Write a new business plan based off of this new corporate entity.

After this you will use the Regulation D Rule 504 exemption to offer discounted stock to a core group of investors via DPO (direct public offering) we have spent 11 years putting our core group of investors together that can finance around 80% of the public process so it becomes extremely reasonably priced for foreign companies. Then the S1 is put together while simultaneously their SEC audit begins which is simple and fast because the company in the US is a startup. We go through and get the SEC approval, then FINRA and then the market maker that we have attached to the deal goes to work.

Now here is the kicker. If you have any experience with taking companies public you’ll see one common thread throughout all the companies that you work with and that is the fact that the company executives who started this company and are more than likely the majority share holders, want to retain as much equity as possible so this is simple. When the company is publicly trading, limit the issuance of stock specifically to your original core group and let the stock price stabilize then you simply take some of the company owned shares and use them as collateral for equity loans and lines of credit.

Once you’re public the last thing you want to do is liquidate shares to raise capital quickly. Instead, use your shares as collateralized bartering chips and you’ll never have a problem with cash flow or fund raising or the threat of losing control of your company. Foreign companies that want to go public in the United States are often intimidated by the strenuous process and the concern of ‘who to trust’. Find a consulting firm with experience in turnkey ‘go public’ facilitation and you’ll be fine.

Indian and Chinese Companies, Take Your Company Public, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!

Are you a business owner raising capital with a Regulation D Rule exemption (504, 505 or 506) also referred to as a Private Placement Memorandum, PPM or Offering Memorandum? If you are using this mechanism to raise capital then you’ll, no doubt, have to have a solid comprehension of the most distinct and important part of the Private Placement Memorandum referred to as the ‘Offering Circular’.

When your consultant or attorney is asking you for details on everything from business location to management, from dividends to risk details, you need to make sure that this information is complete and accurate. You’ll need to audit the documents after they are completed. A solid Offering Circular has kept countless companies from being sued by investors that didn’t get the investment return they were anticipating.

While the business plan is meant to grab the initial attention of the investor or funding source, the Offering Memorandum is meant to spell out the down and dirty details of the venture so that you are protected from lawsuits down the road, while simultaneously exposing the various ins and outs of your venture to give a ‘reality check’ to the investor before they hand over the cash.

The offering circular needs to be powerful yet very compact without the redundancies of using space to say the same things over and over again to pull the investors attention from the negative to the potential profit margins or management’s impressive pedigree. With all this said, yes it’s true the offering circular is one of the parts of a PPM spells out the technical aspects of the enterprise with a focus on inherent risk of investing but this can be done in a balanced way to also demonstrate the positive aspects of your venture by giving solid descriptions of your management team and, in place, distribution centers and contracts in place ready for capitalization.

When authoring the offering circular demonstrate the risks with a well balanced demonstration of the system in place to overcome these risks and dominate your market niche.

Go Public With Your Company, call Princeton Corporate Solutions at 267-233-0183Take Your Company Public the easy way!