Its easy to write about what the government or other people should do with our/their money. It’s harder to come up with a course of action that I can undertake on my own that possibly, somehow could make a difference. My first inclination is always to try to look “for the next big thing”. But the next big thing is just that, next. Its not now. Its Venture Capital. Its not self funding, renewal capital.
Rather than trying to be a Venture Capitalist, I was looking for an idea that hopefully could inspire people to create businesses that could quickly become self funding. Businesses that just needed a jump start to get the ball rolling and create jobs. Im a big believer that entrepreneurs will lead us out of this mess. I just needed a way to help.
So here it is. Some people will love it, some will hate it. It is what it is.
You must post your business plan here on my blog where I expect other people can and will comment on it. I also expect that other people will steal the idea and use it elsewhere. That is the idea. Call this an open source funding environment.
If its a good idea and worth funding, we want it replicated elsewhere. The idea is not just to help you, but to figure out how to help the economy through hard work and ingenuity. If you come up with the idea and get funding, you have a head start. If you execute better than others, you could possibly make money at it. As you will see from the rules below, these are going to be businesses that are mostly driven by sweat equity.
I will invest money in businesses presented here on this blog. No minimum, no maximum, but a very specific set of rules. Here they are:
1. It can be an existing business or a start up.
2. It can not be a business that generates any revenue from advertising. Why ? Because I want this to be a business where you sell something and get paid for it. Thats the only way to get and stay profitable in such a short period of time.
3. It MUST BE CASH FLOW BREAK EVEN within 60 days
4. It must be profitable within 90 days.
5. Funding will be on a monthly basis. If you dont make your numbers, the funding stops
6. You must demonstrate as part of your plan that you sell your product or service for more than what it costs you to produce, fully encumbered
7. Everyone must work. The organization is completely flat. There are no employees reporting to managers. There is the founder/owners and everyone else
8. You must post your business plan here, or you can post it on slideshare.com , scribd.com or google docs, all completely public for anyone to see and/or download
9. I make no promises that if your business is profitable, that I will invest more money. Once you get the initial funding you are on your own
10. I will make no promises that I will be available to offer help. If I want to , I will. If not, I wont.
11. If you do get money, it goes into a bank that I specify, and I have the ability to watch the funds flow and the opportunity to require that I cosign any outflows.
12. In your business plan , make sure to specify how much equity I will receive or how I will get a return on my money.
13. No mult-level marketing programs (added 2/10/09 1pm)
Im sure I will come up with more rules as I see what comes along, if anything.
As I find businesses I like, I will use the email address you provide before you post to get in contact with you. There will be a standard agreement, you can take it or leave it. Once I have done the standard agreement, I will post it here for all to see. This will definitely be a work in progress. Maybe it leads to great things, maybe it leads to nothing. We will find out. Im not going to claim a minimum or maximum amount or total I will invest. Im not promising I will definitely invest anything. If nothing comes along that I think is viable, thats the way it goes.
Hopefully I will invest in quite a few businesses that will lead to something more
I have the architectural design copyright with the Library of Congress for the Capstone Vortex Design.(March 22, 1994)The Design amplifies the Healing & Regeneration process(architectural healing) so can be applied to spas, healing centers and hospitals. It also enhances Memory & Concentration so can be applied to all Educational Environments.It also has Imax like Entertainment applications.
I would like to build a small Prototype for $250,000.Once it is up and running I can return funding in 90 days.I have Dr. Norm Shealy PhD ready to do an NIH Clinical Study.LOOK AT THE WEB SITE.
Regards, Ted Munda, Chairman
Comment by TED MUNDA -
Start a vineyard/winery in Newberg/Dundee Oregon. I know your rules state that the business must break even in 60 days, profit in 90….but these guys are making a killing!
Initial investments are going to be around $1M and you wont see return for 4-5 years, but when you do….$$$JACKPOT$$$….there is plenty of land waiting to be bought, and plenty of rich yuppies waiting to buy your wine for outrageous amounts of money.
The owners of a few of the SMALLER vineyards take there Ferrari’s (5 of them) and Lambo’s (total of 2) for joy rides every friday afternoon right past my dorm room, while i sit here and try to figure out how I can someday join their little club lol…..
Comment by Alex Overton -
Dear Mr. Cuban:
I came across your stimulous plan on the internet and was intrigued by it as I have longed believed that the basic premise/concept upon which it is based could serve as the foundation for a ‘venue’ that has the potential to change the world if you believe as I do in the following premise: the singularly largest,and yet,for the most part,virtually untapped source of human potential existing in the world today(as well as the source for the potential solutions to almost every problem facing society today)is in the form of the limitless supply of GOOD IDEAS IN EVERY REALM IMAGINABLE that exists in the hearts,minds,souls and imaginations of millions of normal,average,’everyday’ people in this country(and indeed, in the whole world)–a valuable human resource whose full potential will never be realized without the proper ‘venue’ in place to help them bring these ideas to fruition.
I am a 67 year old man who has tried his entire adult life to become a successful entrepreneur but haven’t as yet received that success. One of the biggest reasons that I haven’t succeeded as yet is in no small part due to the fact that I am a ‘member’ of a sizeable but unrecognized segment of the entrepreneurial community that possess the entrepreneurial spirit/mindset,but who,like myself,for LEGITIMATE REASONS beyond their control,lack many of the other key entrepreneurial traits/characteristics needed for success,AND/OR are possibly being forced to face,encounter or endure any number of possible negative situations,circumstances or obstacles that may hinder their entrepreneurial endeavors. There are many people who will say that these ‘reasons’ are simply excuses for failure,but the SUCCESS LIMITING power/influence of these LEGITIMATE REASONS can definitively be proven to be an absolute fact of life to anybody with an open mind.
Although I have many business ‘ideas’ that I believe have great potential(including one whose virtually unlimited benefits to every segment of society I have been trying to extol to the world for over 3 decades,but which,unfortunately has fallen upon unseeing eyes,unhearing ears and unthinking minds),most of them won’t fit the criteria that you have set forth for this stimulous plan. I do have one business ‘idea’however,that I believe might fit all of your criteria,and upon whose worth I will stake the worth of all of my other ‘ideas’,as well as the worth of everything else that I’ve ever believed in my life–which will include the validity of several dozen truths,principles,values and observations that I have painstakingly culled over my lifetime from the thousands of them that have come down through antiquity,and are timeless and eternal in the messages that they impart.
The following then is an ‘executive summary’ type of business plan for my proposed business venture. A more detailed explanation of it as well as a little bit more about myself and my proposed involvement in it can be seen at my simple,’no-frills’ websitse at http://www.geocities.com/freddyentre65/nobles_stores.html
As for your equity share or percentage of this venture should you care to invest,I’ll leave that up to you to decide what is a fair share depending on how much time,effort &/or money,if any,that you decide that you may want to invest in this venture. I’ll split whatever my share of this venture may turn out to be with my friend and the guy who conceived and ‘pioneered’ this concept (even though he didn’t want any part in it).. If you decide to invest you can be assured that I am ready ,willing and able to work 18 hours a day,7 days a week for minimum wage for however long it takes to get this venture on a solid course to success.
Even if it turns out that I don’t benefit from this venture in any way whatsoever, I would still like to see it reach maximum success for the knowledge,satisfaction and vindication that it will provide me with, AS WELL AS,possibly being the key to opening up the door to endless new &/or unexplored entrepreneurial worlds for me to conquer and to win those entrepreneurial victories for mankind that I honestly feel that I was destined to win.
NOBLES NEIGHBORHOOD DISCOUNT CONVENIENCE STORES
A very wise proverb from antiquity succinctly says: “NO POWER ON EARTH CAN STOP AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME”. Without exception,all of the current revelant economic indicators point to the fact that our society is on the verge of ushering in the birth of a new GLOBAL ECONOMIC MODEL,whose direct,indirect and ‘ripple-down’ effects,ramification,.manifestations,repurcussions,consequences and implications,will,by necessity,mandate that the American people will have to make certain changes in their current lifestyles,as well as make other concessions in areas of their lives that, up till now,they have simply taken for granted.
Every once in a while,FATE-as fickle and unpredictable as it can be at times-will sometimes crack a smile and bring to the attention of those who have the wisdom and insight to see it for the ground floor investment opportunity that it is,a business venture whose potentially possible magnitude puts it in the exclusive catagory of being one of those ‘proverbial’ EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE as far as it possibly being well worth spending a little extra time,effort and money to carefully discern whether or not any possible obstacles or other negative aspects related too or associated with it,can be feasibly resolved or overcome in order to succcessfully pave the way for it to reach maximum success in the marketplace.
Having said that, never in modern history have the TIME,OPPORTUNITY AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ever concurrently come together in such perfect alignment as to VIRTUALLY GUARANTEE THE SUCCESS OF STARTING UP A WORLDWIDE CHAIN OF RETAIL STORES based on the concept/premise of a single retail store located in Rockford, Illinois. Dispite mediocre management and providing only 70% of the total amount of possible products and services that it could, this store, which goes by the name of NOBLES, has been so successful in the last 7 years selling NAME BRAND convenience store type products and services at prices 10-50% cheaper than they can be purchased anywhere else, that they can’t seem to have a slow/bad day EVEN BY ACCIDENT, thereby, not only proving beyond the shadow of any reasonable doubt that it is an idea whose time has definitely come, but also one that well may be THE BIGGEST NO-BRAINER BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY in the entire history of modern low-tech retailing!!!!
Although NOBLES, which is offering easily providable products and services, is the kind of store that, obviously, almost anybody in the world would welcome, the concept/premise upon which it is based has appearently eluded the best corporate minds in the world, as an extensive search of the internet has conclusively shown that there are NO OTHER STORES LIKE IN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!! The complete abscence of a retail chain of stores like this one leaves a big empty void in this segment of the retail market that can be successfully exploited by someone with the wisdom and foresight to see it for the virtually unlimited ground floor opportunity that it is. Conservatively,there is a potential market worldwide to support 30-50 thousand stores of this kind with each doing in the vacinity of 2 million dollars a year in gross sales,thereby making this a potentially 50-100 billion dollar a year business!!!
Along with all of the other positive points/reasons for this being the right business concept at the exact perfect moment in time,there is a surge in a segment of the population possibly wanting to own/operate one of these stores in the thousands of people who have been offered ‘buy-outs’ in return for retiring early. Most of these people are too young to retire and are going to be looking for other avenues of employment until they get to retirement age–with their ‘buy-out’ money they could buy one of these stores and have a family owned business without the worries of being layed-off from a regular job.
Many new business ventures that are funded by outside investors(many of which are based on new&/or unproven ideas/concepts)can, in the end, for a host of different reasons, end up costing millions of dollars in funding in order for them to have a reasonable chance to become successful. I project that this one(taking into consideration the fact that the 7 YEAR SUCCESS of NOBLES proves beyond the the shadow of a reasonable doubt it’s viability as a profitable enterprise)will cost in the vacinity of a relatively modest $300,000 to give it that same realistic/reasonable chance to become successful!!!!
Because I don’t have all of the necessary business expertise to be the one in charge of taking these stores to a national/international level,some of this money will have to be used to acquire someone who is qualified,while another portion of this investment money will go toward setting up the required ‘infrastructure’ necessary to be able to franchise these stores nationally/internationally(although these stores could be ‘company-owned’,franchising them would be a much better,quicker and more efficient method in order to get a ‘jump’ on any competition that might enter the market when they see how successful we are). The rest of the money will go toward building(remodeling), equipping and stocking a single ‘model store’ on which all of the other units in the chain will be modeled after(the cost of remodeling these stores could cost an extra 50 thousand or more dollars per unit,depending on how modern,efficient and high tech you want this chain of stores to be). Having this ‘model store’ is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY in order for perspective franchisees to be able to come from all over the country(and,indeed,from all over the world)to observe an actual existing store in operation in order to be able to properly decide/ascertain for themselves whether or not this might be the kind of business that they would like to become a part of. This is the relatively inexpensive,BUT VERY EFFECTIVE, route/approach that Ray Kroc took way back in the mid 1950’s when he was just in the beginning stages of getting the McDonalds Corporation off the ground
Having said the above, with,once again, the number of people at an all time high who are getting a ‘buy-out’ package of some kind from their former employers, but are still too young to quit working and still need a way to support their families, I believe in my heart, mind, body and soul, that, with the PROPER LEADERSHIP, NOBLES, VIA THE FRANCHISE METHOD,can achieve, in less than a decade, the same kind of phenomenal success in their sector of the retail market, as it has taken WAL-MART 40 years to achieve in theirs –which in the light of our new GLOBAL ECONOMY will be a store that the public WON’T BE ABLE TO AFFORD NOT TO SHOP AT!!!!
If you think that this investment opportunity might be something that you &/or you company might be interested in, you can get a bettter idea of it, as well as just exactly what my involvement in it is at:
http://www.geocities.com/freddyentre65/nobles_stores.html
Thank you.
Comment by fred scanlin -
I was just wondering are you still looking at business plans for funding. If you are I am willing to put my idea on your blog for possible funding. I have a great idea and can meet your deadlines. Hopefully you will respond back soon. Thank You.
Comment by Courtney Hunt -
Mark,
We have come along way since our first post on this blog a month or so ago. We are in full gear and now filling orders and received one this wekk from the U of Fl who has done community studies and such on our product it is also proven that we reduce particulate inhalation and reduce sneezing while filtering the air and contain sneezing droplets which is crucial in containing the Swine Flu. Take a second look I think you will be glad you did. We no longer need big money only fifty to a couple of hundred k to buy more media time. We would like to advt in New York and also increase our stock for shipping to delay lead time as we are talking to the airlines and several fast food chains for employees and customers.
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/D9mX4zi4Jia7XO
Comment by Joseph K Moore -
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/technology/19patient.html
A small operation could help bring electronic health records to small doctor’s operations much more effectively than a company like IBM or one of the other big companies could. All it would take is creating a secure server, providing doctors with tablet PCs with a program that would allow them to quickly jot notes and save them to the corresponding record, and then providing training so that they can do so. Once the initial set up is created, it’ll take no time to implement and really help streamline the US health care system.
Comment by Joe Jensen -
AHFIS is seeking an equity partner. We offer 50% of the net profits after seed capital is recouped by investor.
To address the current economic crisis, we must start at ground zero – The Housing Market.
The financial trends we start today will shape the economic realities of tomorrow.
AHFIS will revolutionize the Real Estate industry. Please click on our link! http://www.ahfis.com/AHFISventures.pdf
Comment by Aaron Woods -
Hi,
No SMU yet but here is the basics of what we are looking to do:
SnuggleBall – The Ultimate Security Blanket for the little sports fan!
Product Description:
SnuggleBall is a plush sports ball with an attached satin edged security blank in your team’s favorite color. The blanket is 18 in. by 14 in., the ball is 4.5 in. by 7 in. for football, and about 5 in. in diameter for baseball, basketball, hockey puck and the soccer ball.
Demographics:
There are roughly 11,000 children born in the US everyday to families that are sports fans or have relatives that are sports fan.
Company History:
Started in 2001 by my wife and me on a day our car broke down and we started thinking there must be a better way to succeed.
We have five US patents; one for each sport and a registered trademark on the name SnuggleBall.
We currently own 100% of the company.
In 2002, we started selling generic footballs and soccer balls to local stores and had sales of about 1,000 units a year.
Spring 2005 we were granted access to use licensed sport teams
Wrote up in Earnshaws Magazine in May 2005
Made it into the 2007 LTD Christmas catalog
Sales History:
We have sold about 30,000 units a year with our current distributor for the last 4 years without any marketing.
Current situation:
We and our distributor are parting ways.
Looking for investor or loan to help us:
Purchase remaining inventory from distributor
Reorder teams that have sold-out
Implement a real marketing plan
Funding needed:
We need about $120,000 to start the transition process and we are looking for someone to work with us to make this product the big success that everyone tells us and we know it can be.
For more information, please email steve@snuggleball.com or call 603-686-0156.
Sincerely,
Stephen and Jean Long
Long Time Toys LLC
Comment by Stephen Long -
**MC, if you want to contribute to a more direct stimulus plan to inject some life into a lifeless economy, I cannot think of a better way to do it – this is it!**
National Equipment Finance for the Golf Industry (fleets of cars, utility vehicles and course turf equipment; leases/loans)
Upfront funding needed – $18-$30 million
Financial opportunity – Golf car and utility vehicle manufacturing industry total revenue was about $1.7 billion in 2008. Anticipate loan volume over the next few years is significant: $30-$40 million. Performance of loans in this industry has historically been outperforming the entire equipment finance industry (low default risk). ROE for the financing companies on these loans is generally in the 10-15% range.
Business opportunity – Supply financing for the customers of 3 major golf car manufactures. The largest financing provider to this market has exited the business completely due to funding issues. The second largest provider of financing to this market is nearing exit. These developments have led to only 3 to 4 players in the market, so barrier to entry is low.
Differentiation – customer service, faster response time. The market is not responding well to service levels of existing lenders. Slow application turnarounds that have taken weeks for decisions, often with no response at all.
Staff – 3 owners, all with substantial business contacts, golf course owner relationships, and golf industry experience. Will need an accountant to run the books while 2 bring in business and one processes credit.
Issue: Obviously cannot be profitable in 60-90 days. Needs a stronger capital commitment, with breakeven by 36th month with the remarketing of equipment coming off of leases.
MC’s Return: 13% return on invested capital ($3.9 million). Ownership percentage if required. There is long-term potential for a huge gain on sale to a major player (10%-20% premium over a $100+ million portfolio).
Comment by golfindustryexperts -
Hello Mr. Cuban,
I love your terms and think what I have fits perfectly. If you believe as I do that at some point ordering items such as groceries online will be commonplace read on. I’m sure you’ve heard of famed companies that attempted Internet grocery delivery before with great failure like Webvan and Kozmo. They made many mistakes indeed. I once heard you say that you become more motivated if someone says you can’t do a thing, and that’s what I’m reminded of with this, because it’s a tough problem. However, I believe I have the solution and right model. Please see my proposal at the link below.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhrhn3qh_0fbhr25dm
Comment by Gerome -
I want to start off by saying thanks Inc. Magazine http://www.inc.com (April issue page 20) and Mark Cuban who I like to refer to as Mr. Maverick for the opportunity. Allow me to tell you a little about our business. Private Video Network LLC is a startup Video Conferencing business located in Suwanee, GA. We are targeting a specific portion of the Healthcare Industry. We have been in the research phase since 2003 and started the company in January of 2009. Private video Network is currently operating by way of its two founders, Benjamin Carr of http://www.UnoGlobalSolutions.Com and Christopher Bettis of http://www.BettisConsulting.Com . We are in search of $500k in startup business funding so that we can grow our new Technology and deliver it to our targeted industries. Right now, Private Video Network currently has no annual revenue due to us being in a start up phase but project our annual gross sales in the amount of above $250k + after second year with a 10-12% growth each year after up to the fifth year. Here are some additional details below relating to what we will provide the U.S jobs and green energy saving and self assurance of well being.
In the U.S, we plan to hire 1-3 new account representatives per county, with over 3.007 counties being estimated by U.S. Geological Survey “USGS” http://gallery.usgs.gov/audios/124 we can then estimate anywhere from 3000 to 9000 new AMERICAN jobs. Our product will be sustained by a subscription base with revenue sharing. If you would like to know more about our investment opportunity, please follow the link.
http://aboutpvn.homestead.com/index.html .
Comment by Benjamin Carr -
Greetings Mr.Cuban,
I am a proud member of the first American Minority Owned Energy Company. The company’s named is Mur Energy,Inc., established 2009, registered with the SOS of North Carolina. Our headquarters is located in Charlotte, NC.
Our Purpose is to utilize Natural Resources more efficiently to produce maximum power and energy through Alternative means. Our Mission is to provide clean and efficient energy now and into the future, for the good of the human race. Our Vision is to operate and grow the largest most productive Minority Owned Energy Company in the World. Nearly everything in our lives is made from oil, including machinery and systems dependent on oil, and transported by Oil as either Gas or Diesel fuel. Some of these products include Artificial Turf, Aspirin,Auto Parts, Ballpoint pens, Bandages, Candles, Carpets, Credit Cards, Disposable Diapers, Shaving cream, Shoes, Shampoo and the list goes on. With the oil consumption being at an all time high, it is safe to say that investing in the Energy/Oil industry is a smart way to go. Wouldn’t you agree Mr. Cuban?
We are currently offering Limited Partnership opportunities for anyone who is interested in high guaranteed returns. If interested and want more details please send email to: murenergy@gmail.com. Thank you for time in advance.
Regards,
Brian
Comment by Brian Brazzil -
Water conservation is a serious issue. Over 60% of residential water use is on lawns. Synthetic lawns are the future of America’s outdoor living spaces.
We are building the biggest brand in the synthetic lawn industry NewGrass, we are already cash flow positive and we have a gross margin of 30%.
We would be willing to offer up to 25% of the company.
The funding would be used to expand the distribution network and continue brand development in key markets.
Comment by Trevor Brooks -
CLEAN BREAK – SERVICE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE A HASSLE FREE BREAK-UP
Have you ever been in a relationship where you are dating a girl, she spends the night with you often, then as girls do, she starts leaving things there for convenience? First it starts with a toothbrush, pajamas or a change of clothes to leave there, make-up and before you know it, she’s halfway moved in and you’re feeling stuck. And if she hasn’t begun to pressure you to move in, it’s only a matter of time, trust me. Maybe she’s not the only one you are dating so now it’s a real inconvenience because you have to hide all of that stuff when you bring another girl over, or maybe you just don’t want her moving her things in because you don’t want this to go any further. You don’t want to say anything because you don’t want to deal with that hassle, but at the same time, you want to get out of this situation without having to deal with the headache. Here’s your solution: Clean Break.
Clean Break is somewhat of a courier service catering to guys (and girls) who want to get out of the relationship as painlessly as possible. What you do is gather all of his or her things and call us. We’ll come pick it up from you, and deliver all of their belongings to them for you so that you never have to face them. With their belongings, we will also deliver a hand written note from you saying whatever you like. It can be an explanation of why you no longer want to see them, or it could be as simple as a note that says “don’t ever call me again”. If you don’t want to hand write a note, you also have the option of sending an email to them through our email account, we can send them a text for you, or you can request the driver to record a video message or audio message which will be burned onto a DVD and delivered with their things. The driver can also personally deliver a verbal message to the recipient. For those of you who have given their house keys out, we can also arrange to have a locksmith come and change your locks at the same time we pick up the package, so that your ex-lover can’t get into your place after they get the notice.
The price for a box is $125, up to 18″x18″x30″. Price is the same whether a shoe box or the full size and there is a 50 lbs. limit. Pick up and delivery have to be within 25 miles from pickup, $1.50 for each additional mile. Each additional box is $25, and it has to be during the same delivery/trip. If your box weighs more than 50 lbs. you have to pay for an additional box. Larger/oversized items such as skis or surfboard or small animals are have custom pricing per basis. You can schedule pickup online, and payment is through Paypal only, for both our services and to our couriers.
None of the revenue is generated through advertising, but I’d like a small part of the budget to provide for a website and for us to be able to do some low budget online and guerrilla advertising. You’d get a 25% equity in exchange for $20,000, which breaks out to $6,000 for website/advertising, and $14,000 total for 2 months salary for myself and a full-time web guru. Everyday we will spend the day building a web presence on website and targeting people we know, friends and friends of friends. We will also have stickers made and pepper public places with them, and we will do the deliveries here, and in other cities, we will do all of the scheduling, coordination and verification. Your money is recouped on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis and it is 25% of the business’ profits paid in the form of a check or wire transfer, however you want it. Obviously, the books are always open to you.
Let me know what you think. There are a LOT of people out there who are more than happy to pay for the convenience of not dealing with this headache and we can do it for them.
Thanks for the consideration, Mark.
Comment by Edward -
That is a personal website above. I had a dream of running a concierge service in a tourist town in Tennessee. It is a very faminly oriented town with over 25000 hotel rooms within a ten mile radius. The number 2 place to get married in the world behind vegas. I tried to start the business a few years ago with mixed results I just didnt have enough capital to continue while working 2 full time jobs to support it and a family. I offered discount tickets to shows and attractions, restaurant reservations, hotel reservations, flower deliver, food delivery (more then just pizza), vacation planning, phone rental, and bicycle rentals. Working in the area I always knew the best places and when someone comes into town after a long drive they stop at the first place with a vacancy sign sometimes good but mostly bad. Dont make your vacation suck because you just dont know where to go thats where I came in. I knew where you can get the best service, rooms, flowers, attractions, and everything else so you didnt have to make that mistake. Forget flowers for your anniversary one call to me and I can have them delivered. Never miss that occasion again. I had it all worked out I just didnt have the cash or time really to make it happen. Anyone want to help????
Comment by Jason -
All right Mark, I don’t know if you are still reading ideas, as I see you haven’t commented in a while, but here we go just in case:
The Supertanker Defense Corporation. The name says it all, but it’s not just a bunch of guys from Blackwater positioned on a ship with guns and it’s all doable. Before you tell me to piss off because the idea won’t work, just read with an open mind and know that I used to work for the Department of Defense.
This company relies primarily on remote and wireless components and technology to protect supertakers from pirates. The first set of components used for protection is autonomous remote surveillance aircraft that are small (often hand held) and can be easily operated off of the deck of the ship. These small aircraft that weigh less than 40 pounds but can carry payloads of more than 50 pounds. They can be equipped with surveillance and infrared cameras that remotely transmit video back to the home base (the ship). They can be set to take off, fly patterns and return completely autonomously. So there are two of these flying patterns around a ship 15-20 miles out either 24/7 or when a ship detects an approaching vessel within 30 miles. Once the video is relayed back, if it is in fact pirates, a small unmanned surface vessel (USV) is then deployed to intercept the ship and warn it to turn around or change course. These USV are also available through a number of domestic and foreign defense and robotics corporations that also sell then for commercial use. On these USVs, they are armed with speakers to verbally warn incoming vessels, mics so they can relay audio, warning stop/lights, cameras, and can be outfitted with weapons (remote controlled machine guns, though you may not want to go there just yet). If the USV’s fail to deter the pirates, then you deploy second set of remote aircraft which are armed with machine guns or a much less explosive but equally as lethal set of shot guns that shoot round of 90 small balls (similar to BBs) each shot. They can puncture rubber inflatable boats, blow holes in the side of metal and fiberglass boats, and netrualize human targets.
Obviously it can be somewhat of a legal slippery slope if engaging with pirates and there are casualties, but operation is in international waters that aren’t governed and everything you do would be documented electronically with via your video footage.
Price and ROI structure:
The first company to hire us pays for all of the equipment up front (they own the equipment). All of costs are done on a cost + 10% basis, which is paid every two weeks – salaries, travel expenses, cell phone bills, everything business related. In order to get immediately cash flow positive and profitable and stay that way, they give us a $100k retainer to start the job. We never put out more than we take in and stay ahead of the curve that way, so we are always cash CF+ and profitable.
The remote aircraft with complete systems are about $150,000 per unit. I would suggest 3 surveillance and 3 armed (2 and 2 for regular use and on backup each). I’d suggest a crew of 4 on each tanker to handle the system, both flying and maintenance. They each get paid $75,000 per trip, with a $25,000 at the end for successful travel (there are plenty of mechanically proficient young guys who grew up playing video games who would be great at this and willing to do it for the pay). The boats equipped are $500,000 each, and I’d suggest 2, one for regular use and one for backup. To set up everything, I’d start out pay myself and my other partner at the same pay as the system operators ($75,000 salary with $25k bonus upon mission completion). Again, we charge 10% on top of everything so for salaries the company pays $75k but receives $82.5 per. We pay $25k bonuses, but receive $27.5 etc.
We make a profit, though not a lot on the first, perhaps even second or third go around, but it allows us to to R&D and develop a system that works.
For the first company or two that hire us, they will have our rate of cost+10% locked in exchange for helping us get off the ground. Other companies will have to pay a much higher premium, which we can figure out as we work the system out, but we will be making money figuring out the system in the meantime.
From you, most valuable would be your name and involvement, as it would give the venture credibility. I’d ask you for $30K…that would give $500 a day for exactly 60 days to scramble, put together the info I need, convince a shipping company on the idea and get them to make the deposit for our first trial run so that we’d be cash flow positive within your time line.
Comment by Clay -
This is fantastic. My husband and I own several businesses and still owe on several businesses that no longer exist. Our 17 yr old son just opened a paintball field. Our guidelines for him before we would “invest” were almost identical to yours. Our most successful ideas and most solid business did not need hundreds of thousands to start up and create profit. The paintball field will meet your criteria and it doesn’t need you, a bank, or even much more mom money. It’s amusing that anyone has pitched anything to you. Even more amusing is the people that whine about publicly posting their ideas. DOING takes more effort than most people are willing to give. We are transparent about how we run our business, anyone could duplicate what we do. It never happens.
Kudos to you, Mark. The most interesting stories are the ones that will never be on this blog – the people you inspired to start moving and making it happen.
Comment by Traci -
I don’t think my link went through, so here it is http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dfdrwsvm_1gms2kvpv
I hope it works.
Kim
Comment by Kimberly Roy -
Yes, I do have reservations posting an idea open to the public with the thought someone will steal it. However, the reality is I work hard and have little time to devote to the things in which I would really dream of doing. I have two daughters, one in college and another in kindergarten. It should never be this hard to send a child to school. Yet, my oldest just got a fellowship to Yale, taking some or the pressure off. At least that answers your question as to if I would really work. Yes! I will work. So posting an idea on line in the hopes that someone will take notice doesn’t really count- at least in my thoughts. So here it is. I hope you like it.
On another topic, “Thank You!” for at least giving some of us out there in the world a little hope in our daily lives.
Comment by Kimberly Roy -
I love the idea Mark. However, I can`t possibly look through all of the comments as there are too many. This limitation prevents the true nature of the open source aspect to succeed. Which made me think…..
I propose that someone develop a more efficient platform for reading, ranking/rating, collaborating and ultimately funding these ideas. This way the best ideas will surface as “most read” or “highest ranked” and you can facilitate threads of suggestions to develop these ideas further. Then, the ideas that surface to the top can be funded by you, or even others who may find ideas that suit their interests. In essence, an open-source funding web community.
Comment by Matt Walton -
Mark,
Here are the details of my business, which I launched in January 2009:
Business Concept:
By June 2008, the number of Internet users in the United States had reached over 220 million (approximately 72.5% of the nation’s population), and the user growth rate had increased by nearly 131% since the year 2000. As of December 2008, the number of mobile phone users in the United States had surpassed 270 million, which represented an increase of nearly 15 million subscribers since the previous year.
As the use of the Internet and mobile phones continues to rise among Americans, it has become necessary for small business owners to establish a presence online and incorporate Internet and/or mobile marketing strategies into their marketing efforts in order to find new customers and sell more products or services to current ones. Many small business owners, however, simply do not understand how to properly utilize the power of the Internet and/or mobile phones to market their products or services.
The Small Business MBA is a marketing consultancy that implements customized Internet and mobile marketing solutions for small business owners in order to help them grow their businesses. Through the implementation of these powerful marketing strategies, The Small Business MBA will help its clients gain more exposure to a wider audience, brand themselves, generate targeted leads, collect lead information, communicate more effectively with leads and customers, and increase sales.
The Small Business MBA securing its first client, a custom framing shop owner in Los Angeles, CA, and providing multiple Internet marketing solutions for the client, validates this business concept.
Target Customers:
Small business owners (more specifically, high-end professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants, photographers, etc.) who either have no online presence whatsoever, need help in optimizing their website (SEO, long-tail keywords, etc.), and/or require assistance in the development and implementation of their Internet and mobile marketing plans. These target customers also waste thousands of dollars a month on ineffective advertising methods, such as placing ads in newspapers or mailing out coupons, that do not allow them to track advertising ROI.
Business Model:
The Small Business MBA generates revenue from the following sources:
• Internet Marketing Solutions. Clients will be charged for each of the Internet marketing services that The Small Business MBA provides for them.
• Mobile Marketing Solutions. Mobile marketing solutions consist of mobile site development and design as well as short message service (SMS) marketing.
• Joint Venture Opportunities. Joint venture revenues will be split in half between The Small Business MBA and the other party.
• Affiliate Products. The Small Business MBA will sell affiliate products that can help small businesses.
Competitive Advantages:
• Offers its clients both Internet and mobile marketing solutions.
• Creates joint ventures with its clients to produce new products.
• Provides its clients with individual attention and outstanding customer service.
• Provides potential clients with two free consultations and a customized Internet and mobile marketing blueprint prior to establishing any official business relationships with them.
Financial Projections:
Just to give you a quick overview of the financials (I have detailed Pro Forma statements if you would like to see them), our projected revenues for Years 1-3 are:
Year 1: $354,900
Year 2: $1, 241,060
Year 3: $2,772,420
Founding Team Experience:
The founding team (consists of my brother and me) has experience in building a start-up company, consulting for a variety of clients, offline marketing, sales, and financial analysis. Specifically relating to the services that The Small Business MBA provide, the founding team has experience in building web properties, e-mail marketing, article marketing, social media, information product creation, traffic generation, and selling affiliate products online.
Your Requirements:
As far as your requirements go, the business should be profitable as soon as I secure 4-5 clients because my start-up costs are so low (roughly $2500) — which can definitely occur within the next 60 days.
Regarding costs, I plan to offer customized solutions for each of my clients, but let’s just say that a client just wants a simple website and a monthly e-mail marketing campaign. I will outsource the website development and content writing for the e-mail campaign, and I will charge the client roughly 2-3 times the amount I will pay the outsourcers.
I will be the one that is managing the client projects, but I plan on establishing a strong network of people who I can outsource to based on their specific skill sets.
For your investment, I am willing to give you 20-30% of the company’s equity. Your investment would mostly go towards helping me establish a strong team of people for marketing, sales, and project implementation.
I hope this overview gives you a good idea of what I’m looking to do. I have already written an entire business plan for this business and can forward it along to you if you like. Please feel free to contact me with any questions and/or comments. Definitely looking forward to your feedback.
Thanks!
Justin
Comment by Justin Hong -
Hello Mr. Cuban,
I am a resident of Atlanta, Ga and am trying to open up an entertainment facility in a VERY profitable and UPCOMING area. It actually has one of the fastest growth rates in population for the last couple of years. I have shopped my plan around to the limited sources I do have. Moreover, I am still pushing forward. The owner of the property is even working with me as he thinks my idea is phenomenal (his words). Nevertheless, GOD willing, I look forward to working with you!
Comment by Che' -
Mr. Cuban,
We are a small group of guys with highly developed and specialized skills each supporting and building on each other. We have located an existing hydraulic repair shop for sale at a bargain price. This shop current produces between 90,000 and 120,000 gross per year as a husband and wife team with no employees. We intend to start expanding on the current revenue by hiring an office administrator to organize the work load. We paln to use 2 well qualified Mechanics and 3 helpers. Each mechanic will have 1 helper at all times, and the remaining helper will be roving between the 2. We will have one mechanic that specializes in farm and heavy equipement, and one mechanic that specializes in trucks. Our helpers will spend time in each side of the business in order to cross train our next generation of mechanics.
The farm and heavy equipment side of the business is supported by the existing hydraulic repair shop. This business is the only hydraulic repair shop within a 150 mile radius in the heart of farming and ranching country. It is also on the outskirts of the barnett shale. I understand drilling has slowed down, but maintenance will have to continue for the next 20 years. They use heavy equipment and big trucks for those operations. We will be aggressive in marketing this business to local business in the farming, ranching, trucking, dairy, and industrial businesses. We are also going implement a preventive maintance program for big businesses. We will put them on a schedule and change filters, fluids, belts, and hoses on equipement at their location. This is a revolutionary concept. We intend to educate these people on the value of PM in extending the life, function, and performance of their equipment. It seems fundamental, but it is rarely done. These machines are expensive, as are repairs on these machines.
The Diesel repair and performance shop will build upon this because there are many other trucks within these communities. They are used both within these businesses, and many of the employees of these businesses drive diesel pick-ups. We will also target the rodeo and college communities also. We have the best diesel mechanic in the area on our team. He currently works on trucks that go to pulling shows. He has extensive knowledge on how to get trucks performing better than new, and is also able to get these vehicles to get better fuel mileage. This appeals to everyone these days. We have also located a CNC machine that is a great value. We intend to use the Machine to manufacture some of our own parts, and repair some of the parts that come in. This service is currently not available in the area.
In short, we will be a one stop shop for farmers and ranchers in the area. Our Texas climate is hard on this equipment, and these businesses are under supported to begin with. We will complete repairs on time with great focus on quality in repairs. We will also be fair in our pricing. Our basic philosophy in business is we will be authorities in our market place and value integrity above all else. Our country was founded on integrity and business dynasties that grew after the Great Depression used those values, and if companies are going to survive today’s enviroment they should try getting back to basics.
Comment by Derrick Cooke -
Hi Cuban,
I own a startup software outsource service company located in China. We also want to extend new business of SaaS.
I know that there are many company provide SaaS such as salesforce and zoho. However, I think that startuping a similar company in China is best due to there are many talent and cost-effictive engineers that other countries.
Look forward to your reply.
Chengtao Du
Comment by Chengtao Du -
My plan is to open up a craft store where people can buy craft supplies as well as share crafting tips, host crafting workshops, do an annual craft show, and have an area to relax and work on crafts.
I am highly familar with crafting, having over 14 years of crafting experience. I research on the latest in the crafting industry and since my hometown does not have a local craft store, I thought it would be a good business idea to bring to my hometown.
Comment by Tabi Cooper -
My plan is to open up a craft store where people can buy craft supplies as well as share crafting tips, host crafting workshops, do an annual craft show, and have an area to relax and work on crafts.
I am highly familar with crafting, having over 14 years of crafting experience. I research on the latest in the crafting industry and since my hometown does not have a local craft store, I thought it would be a good business idea to bring to my hometown.
Comment by Tabi Cooper -
I guess I missed the winners post. Who / what won?
Comment by Scott Haley -
I live in Ashland Oregon, it’s right by Medford Oregon in Southern Oregon. Our economy relies on our world renown shakespeare festival, great dining and Marijuana. Medical laws have been passed and I’ve hear number like 1 out 5 houses our growing for personal medical reasons. I just moved home from southern california, I ran and massaged at two massage clinics with 30 employees. Obviously now is not the time for me to start a new practice. So my mind is grinding away for something I can do for a business that helps people and my community.
A garden supply store with indoor and outdoor growing supplies. The Valley here could easily have 5-10 more of these types of stores. I’d call it Stimuli Garden supply. Fitting seeing the economic shit hole were in!
I’d have everything one needs to grow food all summer long. As well as lighting and equipment for indoor growth for the winter. I’d also have classes and places people can come and learn how to do it right! Have pre made packages costing around $1000.00 ready to go to your land/home and produce at least $2000.00 in food! This would easily provide hundreds of jobs in our valley and help feed people nutritious food. There’s a hole lot more I’ve thought of but it falls into place after a couple years.
I’ve been in business since I was in High school. Everything from importing exotic butterfly’s to massage therapy for the Olympic athletes. To working with Autistic children as a contractor. I love to work hard and have that work affect people in positive ways. I’m ready to help my community in major ways. I just need that financial back to make it happen.
Kind regards,
Emile G.
Comment by Emile Garcia -
Mr. Cuban,
My first posting did not paste the full document. Here is a free typed document for your endeavor.
My partners and I have formed a company, Advanced Food Safety International (AFSI), to provide an answer to the multitude of food borne illness and contamination of produce, nuts and meat products. We have developed patented equipment and a patent pending process utilizing Ozone that will eliminate all bacteria, pathogens, virus’ and pesticides from food products. This process also extends the shelf life of the food products by an additional 8 to 40 days. Considering that over 25 to 35% of a grower’s fresh fruits, vegetables and produce never reach an end-user, the extension of the life cycle of a perishable product is extremely beneficial and profitable to all parties, including the consumer or any end-user. The Company’s food-safe programs and systems will provide multiple, value-added services superior to its current competitors.
The value of providing a safe food source to the consumer will drive the retail grocery chains to demand that their products be certified as Food Safe and uncontaminated. We have that ability and have already begun conversations with numerous small to medium grocery chains. The level of interest is very high.
Due to the credit crunch, the availability of Venture Funding is almost non-existent. Therefore, we have down scoped our initial objective and now have a business plan that will require substantially less capital ($90K) to get started and will rapidly maximize our profits without any fixed overhead.
At the present time there are numerous food distribution centers in California that have very large areas of unutilized space. With our new business model we will enter into a joint use agreement with an existing distribution center to use approximately 20,000 sq, ft. of this unused space as well as their employees on a “per unit” basis. Using this format the distribution center owner will receive income for the unused portion of the center as well as for his current employees that will provide the service. This provides a positive benefit to the center owner and without any investment, which is what makes the arrangement attractive. This means we have no fixed overhead. When a truck comes into the facility, the distribution center will provide an employee to use one of our Ozone Air units to sanitize/disinfect the products as they are unloaded. These products are then provided with a Certificate that they have been disinfected/sanitize and are certified as “Food Safe” and reloaded onto other trucks for delivery to the retail stores. The distribution center will receive a negotiated rate “per unit” (box, crate, bag, etc) that their employee sanitized with our process and equipment. This will be approximately $0.25 to $0.50 per unit. We will charge the vendor that owns the load a “per unit” fee based on the current market value as a “Value-Added” item, approximately $1.00 to $2.50 per unit. This cost is passed on to the consumer at the retail level as the “price” for a completely Food-Safe product. The cost increase will be less than 3% to 5% of non-food safe products.
The average truck load consists of approximately 2,000 “units”. This means that each truck load serviced provides a revenue stream of $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the market price for that day. This income is divided between the facility owner and AFSI according to the prearranged agreement. Using the lower end of the scale this would translate into $500 for the facility and $1,500 for AFSI. At this scale if the facility processes 3 trucks per week, AFSI would realize $18,000 per month. Our breakeven point is 2.5 trucks per week. Based on our ongoing talks with potential customers, we have projected a minimum of 3 trucks per day for the first week (based on a 7 day work week); 5 trucks per day for the second week; 10 trucks per day for the third week, and 15+ trucks per day for the fourth week. This translates to 231 trucks per month. Using an average of 2,000 units per truck at $0.75 per unit; this will produce $346,500 in gross income for the month.
Even using a minimum number of 5 trucks per week our gross income would be $39,925 per month. Our fixed overhead is projected at $15,500 per month, leaving a net profit before taxes of $24,425. This will be sufficient to generate the self sustained growth necessary to implement our long range plan of opening our own distribution centers. It also will allow sufficient income to provide a fair ROI to our investor and/or investors. We anticipate providing a full ROI on the initial investment after 6 months.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Advanced Food Safety International
Start Up Expenses
Initial Monthly
Office Expenses: $ 3,600 $ 1,475
Marketing: $ 3,000 $ 2,000
IT Services: $ 2,650 $ 1,075
Equipment: $30,200
Payroll: $11,000
Operating Capital: $35,000
Totals: $74,450 $15,550
TOTAL NEED: $90,000
Since the President has stated that food safety is a very high priority in his administration and the consumer is demanding food safe products, Advanced Food Safety International, with its programs, systems and equipment, considers itself at the forefront and well prepared to meet and capitalize on these expected demands and governmental pressures and has positioned itself by offering several value-added services not present in the marketplace today.
PRINCIPALS:
The Management Team is comprised of seasoned, entrepreneurial professionals with experience in the food and produce industries as well as experience in the food-safety and food distribution industries. The Team has the conceptual expertise capable of expanding the company, as well as the operational skills necessary to produce exceptional profit levels.
The development and expansion of the company requires expertise in many different areas. Due to the scope of the concept, many specialized companies and talented individuals will be sub-contracted in the beginning stages by the management team of the company. This will be done to maximize the results, as well as reduce start-up costs and overhead of the company in its initial phases.
Development team members include specialists in real estate selection, value engineering, construction and project management, marketing, advertising and public relations, legal and accounting services. They have been selected on the basis of their experience and long-term importance and business model.
I would appreciate your reviewing our plan and welcome your comments and feed-back.
David
Comment by David Denton -
SMU Would be a good candidate.
Comment by BIG BIRD -
How about a “Segway” rental business in Universities?
SMU & TCU would be good candidates.
I know you don’t want adverting revenue but I’m sure
that sticking some kind of local ad on those vehicles
Would work.
Comment by Ricardo -
Mr. Cuban,
I saw that someone already posted something similar to my proposal, but my team has over a decade experience in indoor cultivation of medical marijuana and his numbers are nowhere near the truth. This is the business plan I am working on and I am in the process of updating it and adding more content. As far as numbers, our initial start-up cost and total operating capital needed for the first 90 days is just $20,000. Most of this is needed up front. I mention this because you said the money will be dispersed in monthly increments and if goals are not met, funding will cease. We will not generate any revenue until sometime in month 2 of operation, but revenue generated in that month will be at least $30,000 and will we instantly become profitable, meeting your deadline of profitable with 90 days. After we have established ourselves, we will designate a generous percentage of our crop to be donated to terminally ill patients who cannot afford to pay for their medication.
After we have several productions sites operating and significant income is being generated, we will buy warehouses and setup up large indoor growing centers where patients who want to grow their own can. It will be like a large indoor community garden that is just for medical marijuana. For terminally ill patients who wish to grow themselves, we will donate a percentage of the rooms in our warehouses for them.
For your return, you could either choose a return of $50,000 in 6 months, or we could work out an equity stake if you were more interested in that. We haven’t discussed equity stakes with potential investors as of now but it is something that we are open to.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this business plan is to seek the start up capital to setup and operate a facility to cultivate and produce medicinal marijuana & its products year round without the use of pesticides and other harmful agents. The facility will house state of the art cultivation pods that are built to be the perfect controlled environment to cultivate the maximum amount of product utilizing the minimum amount of space, power and other resources. Tests have proven that cultivating within these pods produces 160% more product than those of other cultivation methods, while also being of better quality. With the increase in production, we will be able to offer products at a discounted price compared to other suppliers, while possibly offering products to terminally ill patients for free. Many states are now passing new medicinal marijuana laws, greatly increasing the demand. These states however will experience similar issues with finding a trustworthy and steady supply for which we believe the answer will be to petition each city to build facilities such as these to keep production under control. In March, President Obama spoke in support of medical marijuana stating that the DEA will no longer persecute medicinal marijuana businesses so long as they are functioning within state laws. The attorney general backed up this statement by stating that this is now American policy. Launching just one production site with a start up cost of $20,000 will generate revenue of $930,000 its first year and $1.5 million in its second. We will begin with one grow room and after each harvest, we will slowly add more rooms. We plan to have 10 rooms built and operating by the end of our first year. This does not include revenue made from the recycled waste, such as extracts and edibles. Profits will continue to rise considerably as we develop new methods of cultivation and in turn increase our yields even further.
THE PRODUCT
Cannabis is versatile medication that treats hundreds of illnesses and is recommended by a multitude of patient groups. It is a miracle treatment for people suffering from MRSA, cancer, AIDS, nausea, migraines, anxiety, chronic pain, inflammation and other illnesses that continue to be added as more research is done. Recent studies have verified that it will fight sick cancer cells while protecting healthy ones and even safely ease the pains of pregnancy as long as it is administered without harmful smoke.
THE MARKET
The United States of America has the largest percentage of marijuana use by country and it has become our #1 cash crop. There is currently a shortage of high quality marijuana products in California and other medicinal states. The California marijuana market is estimated to be $3-5 billion a year, with about a third of that being sold as medical marijuana and the demand keeps growing as more patients are seeking treatment. The Office of National Drug Control Policy estimated that the total marijuana market for the US is $113 billion a year. The price of medicinal marijuana has risen far beyond that of its street value and it is causing problems for seriously ill patients that cannot afford the extremely high prices.
PRODUCTION
Our research is directed toward the efficiency of our cultivation methods, utilizing the least amount of power, space, & other valuable resources while producing the largest possible harvest. Our state of the art pods are strictly controlled environments that mimic mother nature at its best producing the highest quality marijuana. These pods can grow even the most difficult of agricultural products with ease, such as fresh fruits and vegetables that are never exposed to the dangers that would come of growing outdoors. Finding the perfect balance requires many more years of research but with every milestone, profits and production efficiency have increased. In the future, we hope to cut our costs further by automating feeding schedules and monitoring our revolutionary vertical rooms remotely from a central system. This will give us the ability to control numerous production sites located anywhere. This will also give us an almost unlimited profit potential by being able to set up production sites anywhere and having to physically visit the sites very rarely. After harvesting, buds are then dried and cured to perfect the taste, smell and quality of smoke. The remaining leaves can be stripped of their medicinal content by many methods to create hash, oils and edibles, just as cookies or brownies.
THE FUTURE
The next phase in our plan is to build larger facilities that will be used to grow food for surrounding areas, produce will be of much higher quality and possibly for lower prices then today. These self sustaining facilities will purify rain water and generate electricity so that they may be built in 3rd world countries to provide food and work to very needy people, bringing the world closer to ending world hunger. It is also known that we will one day deplete our farm lands of nutrients and be in need of new methods of producing crops. These facilities will make it possible to grow local fresh produce that will be of higher quality and for lower prices then the produce of today. Specialty supermarkets will be located on the first floor to sell the produce that is grown in the above floors. Once again providing more food and work to surrounding areas.
Comment by Alex Cantwell -
Mr Cuban,
26,000 teachers in California received lay off notices for the coming school year. Detroit has laid off 600. I believe this is the tip of the iceburg and far more will follow.
I am a writer and teacher. I’ve developed the files for an online education website that will make learning math, 2nd grade to algebra 2, far simpler and more effective.
I am asking for $20,000. Half of this will pay for the website to be developed in Dallas and the other half will pay to edit, extend and develop the product. I hope to have calculus done by the end of October.
Currently, I live in Cleveland as I finish all the teaching files, but all my stuff sits in Austin in a storage unit.
Why does it work?
I took the current math curriculum and I concentrated on the most basic concepts. I put them into highly memorable form and wrote story problems that really make sense. This is very important in algebra, as most of the textbook problems seem very abstract.
How it is marketed
August is the key in the school year. News and talk shows are looking for stories to fill their human interest angle. This is free advertising for me. I’ve worked almost 6 years on this, 13,000 hours, and I’ve created a very smooth product that can find student weaknesses and bolster their skills.
I approach math like a coach approaches a sport. It is not enough to get a C on a test. I expect you to know the concept and be able to use it with a high level of proficiency.
What do logarithms do? How does the quadratic formula use the axis of symmetry? How do you use percent of a multiple?
All my students knew a 1 line answer that showed how each of these concepts works and could answer a problem without using a calculator. My product has high standards.
How the money works
I want to keep these prices low. I have 8 products, from add/subtract to algebra 2 topics. I’m thinking $5 a course. This is adjustable, but I want it to be affordable for anyone or any school system. When I have an entire curriculum of science, history, etc, a parent can spend $25 for all the courses for a quarter. There are add ons, such as online tutoring, workbooks, etc.
Once the website goes public in August, you will receive 25% of all revenue until the $20,000 is paid off. After that, you’ll receive 10% of revenue. I realize this is just past your 90 day rule, but it will take several months to make this happen.
There are 4 to 5 million home school students. I have talked to parents and teachers and the online school sites are often no more than a textbook online. Could this product be huge? A product that is so simple, it takes the place of a tutor.
Think in terms of public schools with finance problems. My product can be used in whole class environments.
I hosted a pilot project this past summer where the product taught 8th to 11th graders to logarithms without calculators. Half of them had never had algebra 2 before, so it was their first taste of higher math. It lasted an hour a day for 2 days. They learned base 10 logs, adding, power logs, and subtraction.
All the students received a B or above.
One 11th grader missed a problem, not because she didn’t know the logs, but because she hadn’t multiplied without a calculator since 5th grade. She couldn’t multiply 6 x 8 without punching buttons.
I’ve contacted several website designers in Dallas and there is alot of interest in creating it. If you want your representative to see the product before you fund it, I’ll be glad to travel to Dallas. I need to pick up my stuff. The monthly fees are starting to stack up.
Mr David Eastwood
Whole Brain Education
Comment by dave eastwood -
Live Now in BETA:
DontFart.com – Search Tool – Don’t Fart Around – Find It Fast!
GamesGamesGames.com – 3200+ Online Games
Concepts:
JustFart.com – Entertainment / Fun links (Time to just fart Around!)
isSINGLE.com – Personalize Dating Site as people can set-up their name within the domain name (MarkC.isSingle.com)
SELLitPRIVATE.com – Real Estate site and automotive site sales
MyNetPass.com – Secured login system
MEcircle.com – Personalized internet experience. With the main idea to serve local products and services with the intergration of personalized information.
BeCasted.com – Contest site for actors/singers/models
iLOVE2Shop.com – Shopping portal site
ShoppingPilot.com – Shopping Service
Click4Jobs.com – Career site
NetPostings – General Classifieds Ads
CrazyGiveaways.com & Crazy4Money.com – Contest sites
BecauseIsaid.com – Feedback / Review Blog
247Friends – Friends Network
AmazingAds.com – Ad Network – selling ads
Contact me for a detailed business plan.
Andrew
Comment by Andrew M -
Mr. Cuban,
My partners and I have formed a company, Advanced Food Safety International, to provide an answer to the multitude of food borne illness and contamination of produce, nuts and meat products. We have developed patented equipment and a patent pending process that will eliminate all bacteria, pathogens, virus’ and pesticides from food products. This process also extends the shelf life of the food products by an additional 8 to 40 days. Considering that over 25 to 35% of a grower’s fresh fruits, vegetables and produce never reach an end-user, the extension of the life cycle of a perishable product is extremely beneficial and profitable to all parties, including the consumer or any end-user. The Company’s food-safe programs and systems will provide multiple, value-added services superior to its current competitors.
The value of a safe food source to the consumer will drive the retail grocery chains to demand that their products be certified as Food Safe and uncontaminated. We have that ability and have already begun conversations with numerous small to medium grocery chains. The level of interest is very high.
Due to the credit crunch, the availability of Venture Funding is almost non-existent. Therefore, we have down scoped our initial objective and now have a business plan that will require substantially less capital ($90K) to get started and will rapidly maximize our profits without any fixed overhead.
At the present time there are numerous food distribution centers in California that have very large areas of unutilized space. With our new business model we will enter into a joint use agreement with an existing distribution center to use approximately 20,000 sq, ft. of this unused space as well as their employees on a “per unit” basis. This means we have no fixed overhead. When a truck comes into the facility, the distribution center will provide an employee to use one of our Ozone Air units to sanitize/disinfect the products as they are unloaded. These products are then provided with a Certificate that they have been disinfected/sanitize and are certified as “Food Safe” and reloaded onto other trucks for delivery to the retail stores. The distribution center will receive a negotiated rate “per unit” (box, crate, bag, etc) that their employee sanitized with our process and equipment. This will be approximately $0.25 to $0.50 per unit. We will charge the vendor that owns the load a “per unit” fee based on the current market value as a “Value-Added” item, approximately $1.00 to $2.50 per unit. This cost is passed on to the consumer at the retail level as the “price” for a completely Food-Safe product. The cost increase will be less that 3% to 5% of non-food safe products.
Since the President has stated that safe food is a priority in his administration and the consumer is demanding food safe products, Advanced Food Safety International, with its programs, systems and equipment, considers itself at the forefront and well prepared to meet and capitalize on these expected demands and governmental pressures and has positioned itself by offering several value-added services not present in the marketplace today.
I would appreciate your reviewing our plan and welcome your comments and feed-back.
David
Comment by David Denton -
Ok here’s an idea the will show near instant profit:
Monetizing Spam and Comments in webpages/blogs. You realize you could be making money right now, by charging people a few cents each to post a comment. That’s small potatoes for a single page with 2,100 posts, but it has two benefits: 1) very scalable service, 2) weeds out comment spam and only allows those who are confident in their content to post.
http://ideaclearinghouse.blogspot.com/2009/04/monetizing-spam-with-my-2-cents.html
Comment by Wayne Smith -
MC,
Here it is the One you’ve been waiting for. Anybody can do this, and the best thing is you only need $1 and time. A few years ago I stumbled across a way to make money from stuff. Understand this The difference between rich people and poor people is how they spend the money they have. On payday poor people buy “stuff”. They convince themselves they deserve it. So the go scouting at yard sales, flea markets, swap meets, bargain centers etc. Until they find “stuff”. It can be anything, they don’t care. Have you ever went over to someones house, and the entire house is loaded with stuff, figurines,and trinkets. This might even be you. Well you can change you just have to be aware of your habits. Middle class people are too busy trying to appear rich. On payday the purchase Liabilities. That new bimmer, which is going to cost them more with insurance and up keep so they can never break free to wealth. Rich people will invest in assets. This means anything that will bring income back to them. Not just a house or property, something that adds to there bottom line. If you can grasp what I am saying you can be wealth in you life. I took a simple method and made money now I am ready to take it to the next level. You can go to your local Self storage Auctions and buy forfeited property for penny s on the dollar. Get a flea market space, post on craigslist, sell on eBay,or host a yard sale and make $1000 per week. I’ve done it and it works. The only draw back is: it is work. Don’t be greedy work on doubling your investment and you won’t accumulate a lot of stuff. Storage can be a problem and generally, if you aren’t willing to pay a certain amount for stuff neither will I. The future will be bright for all those who use this. I have more money making ideas I will post that will make billions of dollars, I just need more time to perfect them. Good luck, happy hunting! Make some money this week and lets jump start this economy.
Sincerely,
Bargainhunterbh@Yahoo
Comment by Aaron McKinney -
Mark,
I have a question before I submit a business plan. Do you invest in a business that is already successful in on area but wants to duplicate that to another area of the country, say Dallas?
My son and I have access to expand a shooting basketball camp to the Dallas area and we’re looking for help and investers to get it started down here. Would you be interesting in hearing more?
Thanks, Cathy
Comment by Cathy Hauptstueck -
Dear Mr. Cuban,
Here is the poop. Literally. My business is called The Backyard Butler. I started it about 3 years ago. My main purpose is to pick up and remove dog waste form residential yards. Currently I am a sole proprietor and am the only employee.
With the world being so environmentally conscience these days it is important to find new ways to produce energy. With the amount of dog waste I collect each year and properly dispose of. it would make better sense to actually use it for energy and recycle it for fertilizer or compost.
Rather than have dog waste contaminating our ground water and being a health hazard, it is my goal to create a system where the waste is put into methane tanks and use its gases as energy similar to leaves and grass clippings.
I feel this would be a tremendous opportunity and would appreciate hearing back from you.
Comment by David Taylor -
Mark,
I came up with an idea to have a short run, quick turn around box making business. My daughter married a guy who’s father sold box making equipment. He sold to companies that would then make there own boxes. I had been in the office equipment business and thought that this could be much like a quick printer (Minuteman,Kinko’s,etc.)concept but with boxes. I did research to find that you can buy standard boxes most anywhere. However, if you want a specific size or uncommon type box you would have to order large quantities to make it cost effective for a large box maker. I also found that this concept has been done in England on a wide scale. They have small box sheet plants all over the country. I also found a person in Phoenix who has done the same concept for years that has been successful. I felt confident this would work.
I then approached some investors, one of which I had known for years. I put together a business plan which you can see at http://www.slideshare.net/spshepherd/box-werkz-business-plan. They gave me funding, we found a site and bought the equipment. After many struggles we opened on November 3, 2008. We had issues with power requirements, electricians and equipment that was damaged in shipment that delayed us. November started out okay but as the holidays neared, our business dropped off to a crawl. In January things started to pick up again.
Toward the end of January we had a meeting to see how much longer before BoxWerkz would be able to stand on it’s own and not require any more money. We started it with 75K and then added funds to bring it to a total of 140K. With this we bought the box making equipment, truck, forklift, etc. and we self funded these purchases. At that time, I thought we would need another 6 months.
Our original plan was to sell BoxWerkz franchises, or joint ventures. We would take the deposit money from the franchises and use that money to pay down the debit with the investors. One of the investors I have known for years desided he wanted to be our outside rep to sell the franchise concept. He traveled all over and found many people who had a big interest in our concept.
Another investor found someone in Fort Worth that was interested in starting a BoxWerkz right away. It was a husband and wife that had a long background in the box making business. I thought things were going great.
It was decided in the January investors meeting that they would form a new corporation called BoxWerkz International. This company would be totally dedicated to selling the franchises and
leasing box making equipment. I was not made part of this corporation. They also informed me that they would not be funding me anymore. As a matter of fact, they expected me to shut down and sent me a bill for all the moneys they had given to BoxWerkz. In all the agreements that were signed between BoxWerkz and the investment group we were given until September of 09 to start making payments. I told them I was going to stick to the original agreement. What they were doing was getting me out with my 48% of BoxWerkz and wanted me to pay them off even though they were planning to lease my equipment to the people in Fort Worth who wanted to open. They would become a lease company and be out of the box making business. They could use the Fort Worth franchise as their proof of concept and all they would have to do is sit back and collect lease payments and franchise fees. They would give the startups a form of my business plan as the playbook. They only problem they had was that I am too hard headed just to give up. I decided to keep going.
I have been now open until April of 09 on my own. I have tried many new things like advertizing on the Ticket Radio station, exploring new vendors, finding new opportunities on the web and re-thinking the original plan. I have also just added box brokers (sales people) who work on straight comission. I would do many things the same as the the first time if I were to do this all over again. I would also learn much from my mistakes and change many things. I also now know that I need some form of printing equipment to print on boxes. There is new technology out that would do this with a low startup investment and give good results.
I have talked to several financial people who have told me that they would not be able to help me because of the current situation with the investors. I am only 48% of BoxWerkz and they are 52% (and I don’t have any stock certificates to back this up). They have told me that even if I agree to pay them off that chances are that they would not want to give up the stock. Why should they? I could sue them but they have many more resources than I do. I think the best thing is to start over and walk away from BoxWerkz. I have no compete agreement and I wrote the plan.
I would like to start over with this concept, new and improved. I would like to help others to do the same thing in other parts of the country. I have talked with the Pheonix business like BoxWerkz and he will help me and support me. He will also join with me to help and support anyone else who would join us to start a box making business. I have posted the original BoxWerkz plan on Slideshare for anyone to see for free. BoxWerkz International will try to sell this for thousands of dollars and try to take a percentage of the gross profit. We also have sources for equipment, new and used.
The most rewarding part of this box making experince had been to meet all the people in the area that are now starting new businesses. There is a new Vodka maker starting up in Lewisville that will be made with all Texas companies as suppliers. There is a company in central Texas that is coming up with a new way to insulate your home and we will be making corrugated trays to use as molds for this process. There is a man who will be importing toys from Japan that he will re-package and sell here. There is a company with small portable storage units made of plastic that needs boxes made that fit exactly into the containers. The list goes on and on. Businesses don’t design a product to fit a box. They want a box designed to fit the product. This business helps people who want to start and run a new business. There are thousands of opportunities out there waiting. They just have to know we are here.
Comment by Stephen Shepherd -
Hi Mr. Cuban,
I’m hoping you could give your opinion about my product.
Please visit snuggleball.com
Sincerely,
SVL
Comment by Stephen Long -
Hey Mark – I actually met you a few years back at my buddies frat house at Pitt… very cool of you to swing by.
Here is my business:
I invested in a franchise called Moe’s Southwest Grill (www.moes.com), with the intention of bringing quick-fresh Mexican cuisine to the Greater Philadelphia region (the idea of a fresh burrito joint is still an up-and-coming market segment in much of the north-eastern part of the country). We have secured a great first location and have invested nearly $100K to this point on the project. However, we have been getting jerked around by the SBA for nearly 9 months now and we are at a point where we may have to cut our losses if we cannot secure the remainder of necessary funding in the very near future. My 2 partners and I do not have the necessary assets for a conventional business loan, but we are all committed to working full-time at the location once open and are currently all committed full-time to seeing this project through.
We need an additional $500K for equipment, build-out costs, and some working cap. I have very detailed financial projections in my business plan for the first 4 years, based on historical data collected from other franchise owners.
Mark- If you agreed to make an appearance at the store location at any point in our first month of business, we would be in an excellent position to be very profitable almost immediately.
The payback period for the loan would be about 2 years, and we would be willing to negotiate with you to become an equity partner in the company. The ultimate goal of the company is to own and operate multiple franchise locations over the next 5-7 years, and sell the locations at the appropriate stage of its business life cycle.
Please shoot me an email for our actual business plan, which is much to long to post here.
Thanks!
Comment by Eddie -
Mark
I have a small subcontractor business in the fire alarm/security trade.Been in business for myself for 4 years.Also have 15 years in the electrical trade.I want to provide service and installs for commercial buildings in the dfw area.We have 4 employees and including myself have over 35 years experiance installing all differant types of alarm/security/electrical systems.What I want to do is provide service,inspections,installs for fire alarm,security,monitor,electrical,telephone,network, systems. Currenty have been doing around 16000.00 per month as a sub. I know i have the contacts and knowledge to make this work.We have all the proper insurance and licence in place.Just need some funding to take this thing to another level.Also looking into providing fire watch at arena and high buildings. Have TX fire license and electrical license.Just thought since you are doing this would run it by you.thank you for your time and consideration
steve
GO MAVS
Comment by stanner -
Good Afternoon Mr. Cuban,
Thanks for taking a look at our products’ incredible potential, I will go
over the many uses and the biggest positive is the cost which will drop
significantly when compared to the many products companies and the consumer
are using now. There is not another product on the market that claims it
simplifies the cleaning process, Poly’s does just that.
This product makes cleaning a vehicle easier with each use. It owns the
North American auto show circuit – meaning every vehicle is cleaned with
Poly’s (by far it’s the best dry wash product on the market) which leaves
the vehicles looking better than wax with a simple wash. Poly’s CTS
replaced Meguiars in the auto show circuit due to the results, the
cost savings came with it. GM actually won an award for their vehicles in
the auto shows which were detailed with the product at a time when the other
vehicles were waxed.
This is a Product you can really get behind because it works! It is 100%
Biodegradable and it saves water. It is a one-product-does-all, eliminating
multiple other products (soap, wheel cleaner, window cleaner, degreasor,
upholstery cleaner/shampoo safe on every material, wax, clay glide, super
concentrate towel soap). I can furnish you many contacts who are presently
using Poly’s that do not have the need for the other products mentioned
above – which translates into huge savings!
We have spent years improving our product, to the point it almost cleans
without agitation. A bucket wash with one cap full of this product per gallon
leaves the vehicle detailed (no wax is needed) – this is the way the Chinese
consumers wash their vehicles. Our product adheres itself to the clear coat
leaving a protective coat with each wash. When used in a pressure washer it
leaves even a thicker coat due to the heating of the product (again very
high dilution even 8K to 1 you see the same mind blowing results), this is
really the future of car washing when you see the results in person not to
mention the cost is pennies. I have spent 7 years doing Logistics for auto
shows and special events, every person or company I’ve introduced it
to is figuring a way to get it into their system because they’ve never
used anything like it. The company I presently am a contractor for has
saved huge percentages not buying wax for special events or auto shows! My
previous company I worked for totally eliminated wax from their operation
due to a couple reasons, we received a better finished product easier for
less money. Some car wash owners have told me it’s too good, which brings
me to something those owners don’t want to get out (the fact the chemicals
being used are not good on a finish and cause reclaim issues), can you
imagine if that news got out?
When you High Speed polish a vehicle with the product its a one step process
(clean, fast and very impressive), there is no wiping wax off the clear coat
or cracks/molding. Porter Cable or Orbital is much cleaner and faster as
well, all leave a thick glossy protective coat. In these tough economic
times we all need to look into the best possible ways to save money
especially if it could produce better, easier results. We have very low
overhead, this product will go crazy with a marketing push and or a big name
person endorsing!
Can’t wait to Demo in person! THANKS FOR YOUR TIME/I can send you a DVD of
the auto show cleaning and the pressure washing but seeing in person is Huge
Dallas Trippy
949-309-7525
dallas.trippy@gmail.com
Comment by Dallas Trippy -
Mr. Cuban
I am an internet marketer that has a great idea I am starting to implement right now and this idea meets all of your requirements. I am taking online marketing offline. What I mean is I am going to offer internet marketing services to local offline businesses. It’s a fact that more and more people are using search engines for local search.
There are several business models included in this offline idea and all of them can be systemized and scalable easily.
1) Offer lawyers, cosmetic dentist, used car dealers and other highly profitable businesses an internet marketing package that will make them the authority in their local market and as a result create many more leads for them.
We will do this with an advanced SEO strategy that allows me to get local businesses several (5-8) first page listings on the google SERP’s for their main local keywords like Dallas dentist for example. This will easily sell for 1k-5k per month depending on market size and search volume. The best part is the other web properties besides their own site will only be licensed and if they fail to pay these web properties can easily be transfered to their competition within a few hours. They will be signed up for reaccuring billing from the begining until they cancel.
We will make them the authority in their market by dominating the online conversation in their market with their site, videos, press releases, and web 2.0 properties all on the first page for their keyword.
Note: I can do this for non local search phrases also – at a higher cost of course.
2) I am going to offer a free workshop at the SBA to show business owners how to make the sites that they have, that they paid good money for, actually work for them instead of just sitting there doing nothing like most do.
And as you know most people are too lazy or too busy running their business to implement these great new effective ideas. So they will pay me, the authority, to do it for them instead after they are educated on what needs to be done and why. A lot of them will want to implement these strategies but will be to overwhelmed with all the information to do it themselves and they have no clue who to go to, to actually get theses services done as most web designers have no knowledge of effective internet marketing tactics.
3) I will hold paid seminars/workshops for $997 per person for local business owners and the result will be the same as the free SBA workshops where I have shown that I am the authority and they will line up to buy my services after they are educated on what needs to be done and why to make their site work for them to generate revenue.
4) Run ads offline offering FREE websites that are totally custom to their wants and charge a $297 a month management fee for a 12 month contract and a $497 per month upsell option. The initial $297 will cover the cost of the site and the rest will be profit. They will receive a monthly newsletter(so will all of the people in the other business models) that educates them on internet marketing with the purpose of educating them enough to want to buy internet marketing services from me. The best part is that their free site will be hosted and managed by me so if they fail to pay their site will disappear.
I have several more tricks and more details on these business plans worked out. I just need to see if you have any interest in knowing more before I spend more time on the business plan for you because I’m actually working on the business models and systems right now.
email me at adam41143@yahoo.com
Comment by Adam -
Mark I have a couple of web sites for your and anyone else reading this they’re miraclefield .com and miracleleague.com I also was at a planning commission meeting tonight at a prominent city here in north texas the ordance on solar is such you couldn’t put it on or near your house or business I was going to buy a house in this town to put solar on it and sell and advertise my product well I couldn’t get a permit to put it on the house I was going to purchase so I didn’t buy the house now how many other people are going to have the same problem and not buy they’re solar dream home I found two other cities that have no problem writing permits and will work with you on the coding since every system is different anyways thats my delema I still out here trying to educate as many people as I can on solar thermal water heating and wind turbines have to educate before I can sell my product that’s the fun part when people relize how this product works and how easy it is they light up so its a good feeling go mavs
Comment by David Hughes -
Idea 2
Traffic lights have been proiven to be less effective than roundabouts. Most of Europe has switched from the use of traffic lights to widespread use of roundabouts. This is because they:
– increase traffic flow
– reduce speed at intersections and therefore are less dangerous
– prevent drivers from having to waste time at a red light when there is no traffice passing on green
– do not involve vehicles crossing each other’s paths and therefore reduce accidents and the resulting blocks and delays
– do not fail as traffic lights do causing chaos
– do not require electrical energy and the associated costs
– do not need ot be maintained
Roundabouts increase traffic flow and reduce travel times will therefore benefit the economy by reducing delivery times and wasted human hours on the road.
The massive project that would entail gradually transforming the United States’ traffic lights into roundabouts would provide work for thousands of people. It would also boost the heavy duty vehicle industry and those associated with the supply of the raw materials needed.
What do you think?
ed_vickery@hotmail.com
Comment by Edward Vickery -
Hi Mark,
If you continue to read past the next few paragraphs, you will see that this opportunity does not conform to all of your rules. However, it is the kind of deal that you might like anyway, it is the beginning of a trend that will become the new standard in the future. If we get the right financial partner and do our job, the ROI will be remarkable. Our patented technologies control hard water scale and bacteria in process water (HVAC, boilers, etc) better than chemicals and other Physical Water Treatment (non-chemical) methods.
If installed on every cooling tower (not including boilers and other process water systems) in North America, our technology has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 57 billion kilowatt hours, water consumption by 160 billion gallons, water treatment chemical use by 60 million gallons and prevent millions of metric tons of emissions (C02) from going in to the environment, annually.
The company has sold several million dollars of its patented products into a $3.5 billion annual sales industry without having a sales or marketing person on staff. However, in spite of that, we have managed to get our products to be the standard water treatment method at customer’s like United States Postal Service (district level), New York City Housing Authority, Washington DC Metro System and many other large accounts that buy our products because they work and are better than the competition.
We received conformation this week that a very large new customer will install our water treatment equipment in all of their 20 worldwide plants to treat process water and HVAC system water. They installed the first system in one of their plants 2 months ago and are so pleased with its performance that they have already committed to making our Physical Water Treatment system the standard for their entire international company. The point is, with USPS, NYCHA and Wash DC Metro a 2 year test of our product was necessary to become the standard…this decision was made in 60 days from the first installation. This could turn into a $500,000 account.
As far as representation / distribution goes, Johnson Controls (the largest cooling tower / chiller supplier in the world) has been successfully using 2 of our systems in their plants for 2 years and has just recently ordered the first system for one of their customers. We are in discussions with Johnson Controls and Trane about being part of our distribution network.
Mark, if you got this far thanks for your time and I hope this has sparked enough interest that we get a chance to tell the rest of the story…there is a lot more to tell.
Our office is in Plano. I would be happy to meet with you in person if you are interested in knowing more about what we are doing.
Respectfully,
Jerry
Additional technical info and installation and product pictures here
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dfg684zt_0cgpmm4hh&hl=en
__________________________________________________________________
I will invest money in businesses presented here on this blog. No minimum, no maximum, but a very specific set of rules. Here they are:
1. It can be an existing business or a start up.
Existing
2. It can not be a business that generates any revenue from advertising. Why ? Because I want this to be a business where you sell something and get paid for it. Thats the only way to get and stay profitable in such a short period of time.
No revenue from advertising…we make and sell patented products
3. It MUST BE CASH FLOW BREAK EVEN within 60 days
Break even can’t happen that fast
4. It must be profitable within 90 days.
Profitability can’t happen that fast, the sale cycle is too long
5. Funding will be on a monthly basis. If you dont make your numbers, the funding stops
We would have to have more than a month at a time commitment. Although we have minimal sales now, it will take some sustained effort and financing to reach the point where additional financing is not needed…you will understand why if you get all of the details.
6. You must demonstrate as part of your plan that you sell your product or service for more than what it costs you to produce, fully encumbered
Profit margins are good, typically from 30% to 200% +
7. Everyone must work. The organization is completely flat. There are no employees reporting to managers. There is the founder/owners and everyone else
Everyone does work…we will need to hire additional employees soon after funding
8. You must post your business plan here, or you can post it on slideshare.com, scribd.com or google docs, all completely public for anyone to see and/or download
If you are interested after this phase, I will be happy to share our business plan and any and all other information that you desire. One of our competiters was just purchased for an estimated $50 million by a major chemical company, I’m not interested in showing the competition our plans
9. I make no promises that if your business is profitable, that I will invest more money. Once you get the initial funding you are on your own
Understood. When we become profitable, additional growth funds will be much easier to get from conventional sources
10. I will make no promises that I will be available to offer help. If I want to , I will. If not, I wont.
Understood
11. If you do get money, it goes into a bank that I specify, and I have the ability to watch the funds flow and the opportunity to require that I cosign any outflows.
No problem as long as we have agreed to a budget that will be funded while we build sales/profits
12. In your business plan , make sure to specify how much equity I will receive or how I will get a return on my money.
This is negotiable depending on your commitment i.e. full funding or partial funding, etc.
13. No mult-level marketing programs (added 2/10/09 1pm)
None
Comment by Jerry Reeves -
Mark,
Full document of project on scribd:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14111492/Greatest-Las-Vegas-Project?secret_password=4v9j7225caewhyonrhw
Comment by Paul-Felix Montez -
Mark,
Being a sports owner, sports fanatic, and now movie entertainment company owner, you might be interested in a new sports project that could use your support and energy proposed for the city of Las Vegas. The ‘GREATEST” project. It is already receiving backing form major “fighting sports figures” as it is for “All fighters. all champions, for all time in all fighting sports”.
THE GREATEST LAS VEGAS PROJECT:
“All fighters, all champions, for all time” in Las Vegas. The Greatest Las Vegas project is five major global elements, which will bring together al fighting sports disciplines, from Boxing to martial arts, from fencing to karate under one organization, covering all in great detail.
The Greatest is first made up of the world’s largest sports monument, “The Statue of Liberty of sports”, standing 80 feet tall, cast in bronze and stainless, two boxing gloves face to face, would rise vertically in the desert sky. Thus the a major sculptural iconographic monument for the 21st century would be born.
Coupled with the monument is a “living” memorial “Championship Fighters Wall” emblazoned with cast stainless plaques, each baring “imprints of championship fighters fist, signature, weight class and championship years”.
Next a digital archive interactive museum, using the latest animation technology, thus enabling it, to present life size interactive viewer experiences in all fighting forms and disciplines. Along with these digital worlds, all information, background, champions in all fight sports would be available at the touch of a finger to a touch screen pad. Thus, every facet of any fighting sport, hero, pro fighter could be explored down to the ring men, trainers, doctors, and even the very sciences of sports fighting. Considering and drawing on the vast film and TV recordings of most major fighting sports, this archive could present thousands of hours of past, present and future fighters, with added insightful commentary, newspaper articles and more.
Next would come the retail operations, and on-line museum, capable of delivering custom merchandising on demand for any fighter or champion, sponsoring on line live interviews with fans weekly, thus building on our internet success on myspace reaching over 300,000 plus fighting sports fans in all disciplines.
The Greatest Las Vegas song will reach millions, as the entire iconographic project goes global. “All fighters, all champions, for all time”.
I’d love to send over the full illustrated package, which shows the entire range of merchandising, museum development, architectural designs, sculpture monument and living memorial wall project.
The greatest would be a “living” past present and future five part project, a theme entertainment and attraction center.
Hope you enjoy our site, and the song you hear on the site will be on local radio in Las Vegas and Los Angeles by the end of this month, thus promoting the project to vast numbers.
Paul-Felix Montez
Las Vegas BIG Art LLC
Comment by Paul-Felix Montez -
How do we post documents and/or pics?
Comment by Brad Wilburn -
Mark,
First, thank you for the open proposal. I am sure you will receive lots of offers. I have an idea I would like to share. We all know about the real estate market right now. I am trying to start a Real Estate Investment Trust, that purchases troubled properties, and leases back to the current owners who just want out. There are specific rules related to REIT’s, which are flexible upfront, but I feel I can meet your specifications outlined here and return significant upside potential as the real estate market recovers. As well, my goal is to help viable troubled homeowners stay in their own homes and get troubled assets off the books of the banks. I am not a real estate agent or a broker, however, my wife and I own an advertising agency, a hosting company, and I have a full time job as an executive at a major phone company. I see the turmoil going on around us, and at the root of the problem is the real estate markets. I endeavor to simply be a small part of the solution based on sound real estate investment strategies. Your investment will be backed by the real estate itself.
Please review my basic powerpoint at:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=d7pvc6d_68frz7j8zn
I have much more detail to share if there is further interest.
Thanks for consideration,
Ken Carter
Comment by Ken Carter -
Hello, my name is Kelly and this is my project. I have been working on this clothing line for close to a year now. I had another clothing line before and had moderate success. However, due to lack of funding, I wasn’t able to move forward. I know, whoopidy doo, another clothing line. But, I truly believe that this one could really catch fire and become another Hurley or Volcom. Even with our economy being in its negative state, consumers still want to be a part of the “next big thing”.
The name of the company is s.e.c.s. apparel. I have a trademark for the name and the logo. The website (www.secsshop.com) is up, but I have no actual product to sell. There are several designs on there for both men and women. Before the site is fully operational, the pictures will be updated and the options will be narrowed down significantly. To start, 6 – 10 designs for men and the same for women. The site will have a window which will preview future designs. It will be set up as an online poll, allowing the consumer to choose the next design(s).
Right now there are only t-shirts and tank tops. I will have embroidered hats for men and other silk-screened items for women right away. However, I don’t want to be pegged as just a t-shirt site. In the future I want to offer swimwear, casual clothing, and accessories.
For every t-shirt sold, there is a profit of 300%. In order to break even, 1,250 shirts would have to be sold. In 60 days, that’s an average of 21 shirts per day. More realistic numbers would be 14 shirts average for 90 days or 10 shirts average for 120 days. However, due to my location in Orange County, CA and the time of year, I could reach and surpass numbers meeting your terms just by hitting Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
In order to drive traffic to the website, I will distribute flyers at colleges, concerts, sporting events and any other event that would hold a heavy percentage of my demographic. I have created a MySpace page for s.e.c.s. apparel and I hope that it will be a powerful means to spread the word about the site. There will also be t-shirts made specifically to be given away as another way to promote the website.
Thank you for taking the time to read through everything. Any feedback regarding this or comments about the designs on the website are encouraged and appreciated.
Contact information: KB@secsshop.com Below is my full business proposal.
1.0 Executive Summary
S.E.C.S. Apparel is a new clothing line that caters to anyone with a pulse between 15 and 45 living anywhere in the U.S. As our name is a simple play on words (or one in particular), we want to offer something that most people are already looking for. S.E.C.S. does not stand for anything x-rated nor is it affiliated with anything x-rated. S.E.C.S. Apparel will focus our attention on men and women between the ages of 18 and 30. We aim to position ourselves at the top of any retail store carrying our product.
We are a company whose products can be worn by men and women of any color, from any ethnic background, of any age, and with any sexual orientation. We don’t want to be another “surf” clothing line. We are going to be the casual apparel line everyone wants to wear, and one that is easily recognized by our logo and our clever play on words. Our intentions are to be the household name that is already a household name.
S.E.C.S. Apparel will be located in Costa Mesa, CA. This central location will allow us to become a fixture in Orange County. It also provides a convenient location to attend many promotional events from Los Angeles to San Diego, as well as Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
1.1 Objectives
1.To create an apparel line that anyone could wear and would want to wear.
2.To become completely self-sufficient within one to two years.
3.To sell a minimum of 500 units/month through the website.
4.To have a customer base of 7500 by the end of the first operating year.
5.To have our product in at least 15 “Ma & Pa” shops within 3 months.
6.To have our product in a nationwide chain within our first year.
7.To be a fun company where everyone loves their job.
1.2 Mission
S.E.C.S. Apparel’s mission is to offer quality, fun and comfortable clothing in an assortment of sizes and styles to accommodate our extremely wide demographic.
1.3 Keys to Success
In order to succeed in the casual apparel industry S.E.C.S. must:
1.Carry an assortment of designs and offer new products every three months to accommodate for season and style.
2.Provide customers and clients with top notch personalized customer service in an atmosphere of courtesy that doesn’t exist anymore.
3.Advertise and promote in areas that our target customer base will continue to grow at an alarming rate.
4.Continuously review our inventory and sales and adjust our inventory levels accordingly.
2.0 Company Summary
As of now, S.E.C.S. Apparel is a sole proprietorship, owned by Kelly Boyle. There are plans to incorporate in the near future. The licenses needed to establish a business in Costa Mesa have been obtained. The seller’s permit has been acquired through the California State Board of Equalization. Trademarks for the name and logo have been approved and awarded. We own the rights to both for eight years.
We own the domain and have paid for hosting of the website. It has been built and is ready for operation. The bank accounts and merchant accounts have been established and are connected to the website. We currently accept Visa, MasterCard, and have also created a PayPal account.
The hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All website purchases will be shipped the day of the order, as long as it is done within our business hours. Any order after 5pm Monday through Thursday will be shipped the following day. Any order made over the weekend will be shipped on Monday. We will honor all of our nation’s holidays.
2.1 Start-up Summary
The purpose of this business plan is to secure a $25,000 investment. S.E.C.S. Apparel’s start-up costs are listed below. The company will start with 1500 t-shirts. This supplemental financing is required to work on site preparation, inventory, and operational expenses. Other financing will include an owner’s investment of $10,000. Successful operation and building a loyal customer base will allow S.E.C.S. Apparel to be self-sufficient and profitable within the first year.
Start-up
Overhead $4,000
T-shirts and Screening $10,000
Embroidery $1,200
Business Insurance & Inc. $1,000
Advertising & Promotion $2,600
Custom Labels $1,500
Computer/Website $1,600
Photography $2,200
Business Supplies $1,000
TOTAL $25,100
3.0 Products
S.E.C.S. Apparel will open with 20 t-shirt designs; ten for men and ten for women. We will carry embroidered hats and other screened items yet to be determined. We will also be making promotional items such as t-shirts with special designs that will not be sold via the website or wholesaled to any future distributors. These promotional items will be given away and are covered within the Advertising and Promotion budget.
3.1 Product Description
S.E.C.S. Apparel will provide a variety of styles and designs to fulfill our mission statement. Our goal is to offer a selection of apparel that is ever growing. Starting out with t-shirts and other screened items allows us to make a name for ourselves. Our plan is to design our own beachwear, such as board shorts and bikinis. We’d also like to create casual clothing including, but not limited to, button-down shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, etc.
3.2 Competitive Comparison
S.E.C.S. Apparel has a number of advantages that will allow us to build our brand identity, add value to our merchandise, and build a loyal customer base while standing apart from our competitors. We will be using Gildan blank tees for men, and all of our women’s blank tees will be from American Apparel. We will offer clothing that can be worn by anyone from any area of our country. We will maintain a detailed record on each customer, logging addresses, their purchases, size, and brand for customer follow-up and in-house promotional purposes. We have a name that everybody already knows, a logo that is very recognizable, and designs that are fun and timeless.
3.3 Sales Literature
S.E.C.S. Apparel will use a targeted advertising and sales program to generate publicity and build a customer base. 7,500 full-color postcard flyers with a 10% coupon will be distributed throughout the Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and Huntington Beach areas. 5,000 business cards with a special offer coupon on the reverse side, entitling the customer to a free promotional item with a purchase from the website, will also be handed out. Both postcard flyers and business cards will have detailed information on how to contact S.E.C.S. Apparel, as well as the special offers.
3.4 Future Products
As we achieve and exceed our sales and profitability goals, S.E.C.S. Apparel will add seasonally appropriate clothing for both men and women. For summer, we will offer women’s swimwear, board shorts, and casual shorts for men and women. For winter, we will offer hoodies, pants, and jackets. Accessories such as backpacks, handbags, belts, and wallets will be just a few of the items that will adorn our name and logo in the future. We see ourselves growing rapidly. There are already over 40 t-shirt designs ready to print and new ideas develop daily. We look forward to hiring a professional designer. We do not see ourselves being just a t-shirt line for very long.
4.0 Market Analysis Summary
The primary target customer of S.E.C.S. Apparel will be 18 to 30 year old males within Orange County. We conducted a small survey amongst friends and family, and our research determined that there was a 91% probability rate of purchase among men and a 70% probability rate of purchase among women. The women also added that they would be more likely to buy our product if they had heard of the name beforehand. Even though we are targeting our immediate area first, with word of mouth and proper advertising, we can reach consumers far beyond Orange County.
The secondary target customers are females between the ages of 18 and 30. As the aforementioned survey reflects, women like our designs almost as much as the men. To grow rapidly in this business we must satisfy both our male and female customers. We know that women will continue to buy a product they like or one that fits them well, as they are very loyal to particular brands.
The last target customers of S.E.C.S. are the ones that fall just out of our target; Men and women under 18 and those over 30. Even though we are not pushing to sell to the under 18 market, we know that they will contribute highly to sales. Those over 30 are definitely not excluded from our target; they are just not our primary focus. As popularity about the line increases we expect to see an assortment of curiosity seekers; curiosity seekers that will soon become customers. We naturally believe that sales will skyrocket during Christmas season.
4.1 Target Market Segment Strategy
A goal of S.E.C.S. Apparel is to serve the local community. They will be our closest and most consistent clients. However, we plan to give the same top notch service to a neighbor as to someone who lives across the country, or even further. Focusing on a local customer base will help to spread the word about our new company. It will also allow us to see it being worn in and around the surrounding communities. This will help guide us in the future so as to stay current with what our customers and clients want.
4.2 Market Needs
There are several important needs in the apparel business that are being either underserved or not met at all. Focus and attention to customer’s personal preferences and customer retention will be given high priority. Because of the high rate of employee turnover at major mass retailers, customer service and personal detail has been lost. S.E.C.S. Apparel plans to meet and exceed the expectations of service in these areas.
4.3 Market Trends
Millions of people around the world instantly recognize and identify with brand names and their logos. We believe that S.E.C.S. Apparel and its logo will receive the same recognition. As far as trends go, sex has never gone out of style. S.E.C.S. plans to parallel that trend. Many clothing lines don’t even get a chance to succeed because they never get off the ground. Many more fail because they only target a small window. S.E.C.S. Apparel has no window. There isn’t even a wall. Our demographic is wide open.
4.4 Market Growth
Market growth is in an upward motion, despite some of the latest economic downturns in the United States. According to an article recently in The Los Angeles Times, t-shirts with simple sayings on them are more popular now than ever. They gross in the billions every year.
4.5 Industry Analysis
Where you will find our products:
Small Specialty Stores: A large number of youthfully trendy apparel is sold through small family-run specialty stores that are located in or near neighborhood communities.
Large Corporate Retailers: These large, well known stores mass market and sell to hardcore enthusiasts as well as the local shopper.
Our Website: Naturally, consumers will be able to buy directly from the website. Without the internet, our road ahead would be very rough.
5.0 Marketing Strategy
Our marketing strategy will focus heavily on promotion, niche positioning in the market, and customer service with loyalty and retention in sales. Having customers wearing our product is like having walking billboards. Anyone that wears a shirt or puts a sticker on their car window expands our promotion without having to spend more on actual advertising.
5.1 Pricing Strategy
S.E.C.S. Apparel will maintain a flexible pricing strategy. We base our product line’s prices on those of our competitors. Our wholesale prices to retailers will be significantly lower than our retail price, allowing the retailer to make their own mark-ups. Women’s shirts will be sold at a higher price than men’s shirts to compensate for the higher piece price that we pay. This keeps the profit margin for men’s and women’s relatively the same.
5.2 Promotion Strategy
S.E.C.S. Apparel will follow an aggressive yet creative promotional plan. This will allow us to focus directly on our target customer while still being conservative with our advertising dollars.
5.3 Distribution Strategy
Our location will be the foundation of building our customer base. We will also manage a direct mail program that will focus on our top 50% customers spotlighting any in-house sales and promotions.
5.4 Marketing Programs
Social networks on the internet, i.e., MySpace and Facebook, can allow us to reach millions in a matter of days (all without spending a dime to do it). We will distribute 7,500 color flyers on college campuses and to local hot spots prior to our “grand opening.”
5.5 Sales Strategy
We will utilize tracking software with every sales transaction. With each purchase the software will record and maintain in its database the customer’s name, address, and purchases. This information will be used with our direct mailing program to focus on our most frequent customers. We will offer a 14 day return/exchange policy to build trust with our customers and maintain retention and loyalty.
5.6 Sales Forecast
It will take roughly thirty days to allow for lead time for our production. It is within that time that all screening and embroidery will be done. The photography, stickers and promotional flyers will also be made in this time frame. To meet our monthly overhead, we only need to sell 4 units per day. We expect sales to be between 10 to 20 units per day, right away. In order to break even in 2 months, 21 units per day would have to be sold. With proper advertising, promoting, and connections, we believe 30 to 40 units per day to be reasonable goals. The Christmas season looks to be even more promising and profitable.
5.7 Milestones
We know that the first milestone will happen when we are in production. The most important milestone after that is the first sale. Having our product carried in retail outlets is another milestone. Growing into a larger company and acquiring office and warehouse space to accommodate our growth is highly anticipated.
6.0 Management Summary
Employees will be encouraged to work within their creative, physical, and intellectual boundaries. All duties will be divided and delegated according to strengths and weaknesses. At S.E.C.S. we will expect a high degree of customer service skills and personality, as this is essential to our success.
6.1 Organizational Structure
S.E.C.S. Apparel is a small business for now, and therefore requires simple organizational structure. Kelly Boyle will act as general manager. All decisions are made in-line with the company objectives. Our Webmaster will be compensated but will work as an independent contractor. We will be hiring designers very soon. We will grow fast. It is exciting to be able to create jobs. We will be very selective on who comes to work for us. The pieces must fit; otherwise we will continue to look for the right match.
6.2 Personnel Plan
We are excited about growing quickly and equally excited about creating jobs in our community. Any full-time employee will be paid at a competitive rate for his or her position. Our part-time employees will be paid at a rate significantly higher than the minimum wage. All employees will benefit from a one day paid holiday on their respective birthdays, paid time for nationally observed holidays, and one week of paid vacation after twelve months of employment. At this time medical benefits will not be offered to employees. As profits increase in the future, medical benefits will be offered to all full-time employees.
7.0 Financial Plan
The growth of S.E.C.S. Apparel will be quick, and the cash balance will always be positive. Being a retail environment, we will not be selling on credit. We will accept all major credit cards. Marketing and advertising will remain at or below 5% of sales. We will continue to reinvest residual profits into company expansion and personnel.
7.1 Important Assumptions
S.E.C.S. Apparel does not sell on credit nor do we offer layaways at this time. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. All sales paid via credit cards will be deposited in our business checking account immediately. Our business checking account is with Union Bank of California.
7.3 Break-even Analysis
A break-even analysis has been completed on the basis of our sales forecast. Keeping in mind that profit must be returned back into the business to allow for inventory, payroll and expansion, we feel S.E.C.S. Apparel will break even between six months to one year and will have the ability to repay any and all debts, including interest, and become completely self sufficient.
7.4 Compensation
For the $25,000 I am seeking, I will give in return 10% of the business. Investments above $25,000 will receive a larger return. All terms for investment, return, percentages and/or profit sharing are all up for negotiation.
Comment by Kelly B -
Hi Mark,
I am a young hispanic woman living in San Antonio that decided that instead of working hard for others – I would work really hard for myself. I formed my company in September of ’08 – I love managing my own business and in this economy it is miraculously floating. It is a very small social web development company (sweb development) that began developing regular websites, graduated to CMS sites and have now began to develop mobile applications. I came up with and developed an application for a large “niche” market that I have sold to quite a few places. I am afraid to post openly at this time – but I would like to give you numbers without posting the idea:
1. I have already sold 5 applications in less than 3 weeks (with no one practically knowing who i am) – Each application costs $15k.
2. The market I am targeting has over 640,000 businesses all over the US.
3. If we were to reach at least 10% of the market – it would leave me at 64,000 apps at 15k each.
4. I have a licensing agreement with all clients charging $25 monthly licensing fee.
5. The company is already off the ground – all i need is a push to hire more people to fill my orders.
6. I would need 75k investment to float a larger staff and move into a larger space.
7. With 3 programmers I could produce 10 apps a month at least. 150k a month plus licensing fees.
8. I would definitely make your 3 month mark.
I hope you are interested! I really feel this is going to take off – but i am looking to be prepared!
Thank you for your consideration.
Magaly
Comment by Magaly Chocano -
Mr. Cuban
Just for the record, I never played for the Falcons and I love dogs. Now, could you answer a few questions for me before I submit a business proposal. First, would paper fliers printed up with information about the opening of a newly renovated shop posted on bulletin boards, utility poles, windows, etc. classify as “advertising”? Second, how much equity do you expect in return for your investment? You stated that we were to specify how much you were to receive, but it will be difficult to project an exact figure until the business is able to track profits made in the period the first three months. Maybe you have a certain percentage in mind. Along that line, how long would the business be required to pay you equity? As the business is continuing to make profits, are we looking at a span of time like one year? Two years? Or will it just be based on the amount of funds that was initially given?
Comment by Michael Vick -
Hey Mark I have an Idea for a website I dont have the funds or knowledge to put it together. Its a great idea born out of the worst time of my life. Would you be up to listen to it and help with something like that?
Thanks,
Ono
Comment by Ono -
STARTUP COMPANY: HEALTHCHIP DIAGNOSTICS COMMUNICATIONS (TM)
The Future HealthCare Diagnostic Platform Point-Of-Care BIOMEMS Lab-On-A-Chip Broadband Real-Time Proteomic Signature Disease Precursor Detection / Remediation using Cell Signal Transduction Pathways.
PRODUCT: An I-Pod Nano Sized Arm Velcro Mounted Sports Platform
that utilizes BIOMEMS Technology and Real-Time MicroAssay
Proteomic Signature Signal Acquisition to realize a new
paradigm in Wireless, Real-Time, Broadband Access
HealthCare/Wellness/Nutrition Provisioning.
Wireless Blood Test HealthCare Medical Device that
maps proteomic signatures to precursor proteomic
signatures of chronic disease formation and also
maps proteomic signatures to nutrition recommendations.
FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
An I-Pod Nano Sized Arm Velcro Mounted Sports Platform that utilizes BIOMEMS Technology and Real-Time MicroAssay Proteomic Signature Signal Acquisition to realize a new paradigm in Wireless, Real-Time, Broadband Access HealthCare / Wellness / Nutrition Provisioning by implementing a Wireless Blood Test HealthCare Medical Device that maps proteomic signatures to precursor proteomic signatures of chronic disease formation and also maps proteomic signatures to nutrition recommendations.
TECHNOLOGY: BIOMEMS, IN VITRO DIAGNOSTICS, PROTEOMICS, MICROFLUIDICS, MICROASSAYS, WIRELESS STANDARDS PROTOCOLS,
MOBILE DEVICE OS, MOBILE DEVICE PLATFORM, CELL SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS, PROTEOMIC SIGNATURE ANALYSIS DSP,
FPGA PLATFORM, etc.
I study mathematics, Cell Signal Transduction Pathways, molecular motors, proteomics, and real-time microassay platform architectures, some of which are being defined here:
http://www.NANOBIOSYM.com
Sincerely,
Michael Hughes
April 9th, 2009
RESUME: http://www.devbistro.com/resumes/mwhres@hotmail.com
LINKEDIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/verilogfpga
BROADBAND ACCESS
MEDICAL DEVICE PLATFORM / ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT
MICHAEL HUGHES CEO, CTO, CFO, and FOUNDER
HEALTHCHIP DIAGNOSTICS COMMUNICATIONS (TM)
PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY ARCHITECTURES (TM)
REALIZING YOUR ENTERPRISE VISION (TM)
Comment by Michael Hughes -
You are going to get scooped by “big fishes” if you post everything on the open web. I have an idea to avoid this and a business plan but won’t work with rule #8 which is silly considering the backlog of good/crap ideas your staff will have to sort through while VCers are peeling off your great ideas in droves. I can monetize the VC search process for you instead of opening your blog to open suggestions which is insanely inefficient.
Comment by Wayne Smith -
Mr. Cuban I know my idea is not as grand as some of the other ideas posted on here, but I truly believe in the product and the long term potential. I would like to produce my own Hip-Hop album. The music will be a cross between LL, Rakim, and Jay-Z. The music will not be about selling drugs, violence, or going to jail. The music will be more inspirational, about not letting your past dictate your future and about what you can accomplish if you work hard and have a positive attitude. Growing up on the Eastside of Detroit Michigan has given me plenty to rap about!
For your investment you will receive 10% equity in the first two albums and 12% return on your initial investment. The process from start to finish will cost between $40,000 – $50,000 for a product that’s ready to be played to the radio and go on the shelf.
Step 1 – Build a winning team. Find a producer to take the tracks we have and make them better or make new tracks. We will also need an engineer with a recording studio, and a graphic artist.
Step 2 – Start recording.
Step 3 – Once we get all the songs for the album recorded we will start the copyright process.
Step 4 – Get the artwork for the album.
Step 5 – Get the album professional mixed & mastered.
Step 6 – Get the album duplicated for mass distribution.
Step 7 – Now we have a duplicated mixed and mastered album, complete with artwork and barcode. Now we have to do promotions. We will do promotions by contacting radio stations, internet, posters, flyers, MySpace page, billboards, bus benches, and trying to get on undercards. There are a lot of ways to promote and sell an album, but we will be very creative and very aggressive!
Comment by Terence Johnson -
Mark,
I NEED A MAVERICK,A VISIONARY TO HELP ME GET ACCESS TO THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION TO PRESENT THEM MY PLAN.
I DO HAVE THE NEXT BIG THING, THAT WILL FIX THE ECONOMY
I HAVE “THE MOTHER OF ALL PROJECTS”
NOTE:I DON’T NEED YOU TO INVEST MONEY IN THIS PROJECT
Mark, I sent you this message before but I don’t see it posted.
At the beginning of your Stimulus Plan you said the following:
“Its easy to write about what the government or other people should do with our/their money”. Mark, what you said is so true.
You also said:” It’s harder to come up with a course of action that I can undertake on my own that possibly, somehow could make a difference”. True again. But I have good news:
I HAVE THE PLAN THAT WILL FIX THE AMERICAN ECONOMY, AND THE WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS.
I have this idea for almost two decades, and with the way things are going lately, it became more and more clear to me that there is only one solution to this crisis: MY PLAN.
IT IS A MAJOR PLAN THAT WILL REPLACE ALL THE LOST MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRIAL BASE WITH A NEW TYPE OF “INDUSTRY” OR “PROJECT”,(I apologize for not fully disclosing my plan here, but of course, that’s for obvious reasons) THAT IS LARGER AND MORE MODERN THAN WHAT WE LOST, AND THAT WILL RENDER ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES’ ECONOMIES OBSOLETE.
Let me say it one more time, becouse this is essential:
BY IMPLEMENTING MY PLAN IN THE USA, THE AMERICAN ECONOMY WILL REPLACE ALL THE LOST INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING BASE WITH SOMETHING NEW, LARGER THAN THAT, LARGER THAN LIFE, THAT WILL RENDER ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES’ ECONOMIES AS OBSOLETE. That will bring all the action back to the US, GUARANTEEING ANOTHER NEW CENTURY OF U.S. ECONOMIC SUPREMACY AROUND THE WORLD.
So Mark, if you get involved, we can start the most impressive venture ever started, that can turn into the largest and strongest corporation that has ever operated anywhere.
You also said: “My first inclination is always to try to look “for the next big thing”. But the next big thing is just that, next. Its not now”. Mark, good news again: THE NEXT BIG THING is FINALLY HERE and, it is NOW. And I’m begging you to get involved and contact me, so we can start THIS immediately.
As we speak, there are meetings going on, from Washington to London, to Paris, to Moscow, to Beijing, to Tokyo, trying to find the solution to the World Economic Crisis. Mark, join me please in my endeavor to let everybody know that THE SOLUTION TO THIS CRISIS IS NOT THERE, THOSE PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE ANSWER, I HAVE THE SOLUTION.
My only fear is that you are not going to pay enough attention to what I’m saying in here, and not take this seriously. That would be a disaster. But I strongly hope that that won’t happen.
Mark, I know you are a VISIONARY. From that perspective, I want you to know that my plan IS THE ONE PLAN EVERYBODY IS WAITING FOR. AND, INDEED, IT DOES TAKE A MAVERICK TO TRANSFORM MY PLAN INTO REALITY. So, YOU’D BE THE PERFECT MAN FOR THE JOB.
YOU’LL BECOME LARGER THAN LIFE,(and richer than BILL GATES) FOR HAVING THE VISION TO GET ASSOCIATED AND IMPLEMENT THE ONE PLAN THAT WILL FIX THE WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS.
NOTE:YOU DON’T NEED TO INVEST YOUR OWN MONEY IN THIS PLAN, EVEN THOUGH IT WILL BE THE MOST RECOMMENDED INVESTMENT FOR THE DECADES TO COME. ALL YOU NEED TO INVEST IS YOUR NAME AND INFLUENCE.
INVESTMENTS WILL COME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, FROM THE LARGEST INVESTMENT HOUSES, BECAUSE MY PROJECT, ONCE REVEALED, WILL BE THE LARGEST PROJECT EVER IMPLEMENTED, IS SELF EXPLANATORY AND SELLS ITSELF. And that’s exactly what we want. WE WANT A WAY FOR ALL THE OVERSEAS CAPITAL TO MAKE ITS WAY BACK HERE, IN THE USA.
Before I close, following are a few other facts about my plan:
–such a “project” is a shovel ready project, it can be started immediately, it will actually produce real things that can be sold to the rest of the world, yield enough revenue to the government instead of spending its money, so it can pay for all the social programs, create millions of well paying jobs while fixing the economy.
–on the short term, it will bring in over $4 TRILLION DOLLARS of new cash in private investments from around the world. IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS, CREATING 4 MILLION NEW JOBS;
–on the long term, it will bring TENS OF TRILLIONS of DOLLARS to our economy and TENS OF MILLIONS of well paying JOBS, creating the foundation for a new type of economy, which can not be outsourced;
–for the first time in decades, due to this plan, United States will become the main investment destination in the world once again, by bringing back most of the investment capital that ever left our country, plus by attracting new, major foreign investment capital;
–this plan will set the standard for the future world development;
In one of his articles, Nobel Prize Winner for Economics, Mr. Paul Krugman, from NEW YORK TIMES says:
“But in Europe, as in the United States, the issue is time. Across the world, economies are sinking fast, while we wait for someone, anyone, to offer an effective policy response. How much damage will be done before that response finally comes?”
Mark, to minimize that damage, my hope is that you will follow your inclination to look for THE NEXT BIG THING and contact me. I’m looking forward to hear from you.
Respectfuly,
Emil.
emarcu1@yahoo.com
Comment by EMIL MARCU -
Mid-Atlantic sales & service llc was established to secure a GSA contract at their home base in Goldsboro NC just down the road from Seymour Johnson AFB .As work progressed the need to facilitate a portal for government agencies and financial institutions to access the many services available through the internet was realized .Specializing in real and personal property management and disposition., the owner Lawrence William,a decorated minority war veteran, partnered with Rbids.com to offer a national listing service and online auction as a supplement to all entities with surplus and disposition needs. Imagine one site on the web to see all of the assets the government and banks have to offer . Live sites across the nation for asset management,storage, sale prep. and live/internet bidding will increase the bottom line for the seller
Rbids.com was conceived and set in motion by a group of individuals who are passionate about the sales and auction industry. All those involved in the creation of rbids.com, be it in sales, auctioneering, information technology, programming, and administration have decades of collective experience in the industry. We have consulted with the leaders in the industries listed above and would welcome your input as we have a fresh and exciting way to sell or buy real property, merchandise and most any thing in between .
Currently an agent/broker lists a property at what should be fair ma rket value and decreases the sales price until reaching the point of activity (i.e. an offer). Our site will provide a 2 week inspection period prior to the start of the auction, then the property will go to auction (or bidding) decreasing as set by the seller (e.g. $1000.00 an hour until sold or removed). With our model , the point of activity will come very fast, perhaps with in a couple of days, thus turning the money for everyone involved very quickly. The excitement is generated by the speed at which it all happens. Not knowing what is on the other bidders minds will create an atmosphere of urgency for the bidders highest and best offer. This was an example of a Dutch auction model. This method will help shore up values by creating a competitive experience thus revitalizing the ailing economy .
The Dutch auction method is by no means new, just not utilized in the general public. The Dutch auction method has been used for decades by the Dutch (hence its name), and by the big players in the derivatives market. Now you can buy and sell like the big boys at todays fair market value. In a Dutch auction the property will be opened up for a period to be inspected then will begin with an offer to sell. If the offer to sell is not accepted, the price will be lowered by an amount set by the seller in predetermined time intervals. For example: $1000.00 per hour every hour until a buyer accepts the sellers offer to sell. When a buyer accept the sellers offer the sale is over. No more long, drawn out bidding wars or waiting month after month for the price to come to you. Set in your offer and you will know quickly wether your in or out. This method gives the buyers and the seller a quick way to establish a fair market value today.
For the sellers it is a very quick and expedient way to establish a fair market value based on what the property will sell for in todays market and make a decision wether to hold on or liquidate now. For the buyer you will no longer have to keep up with the property for long periods of time because it will be under contract within a 3 week period of going to auction at a price that is attractive . The state of Indiana through the sale of surplus real estate has proven that the Dutch model brings a greater recovery over standard methods. Buyers and sellers should love this site because it will stimulate activity on even the most aged listing.
To satisfy a national contract Rbids and Mid-Atlantic associated with the National Real Estate Board (a non governing message board with a minimum annual fee) bringing auctioneers, real estate brokers/ agents and appraisers together under one umbrella to blanket the marketplace with sales people .
Rbids will house the database of professional listings and FSBO’s (for sale by owner) , leasing the listing service database to the NREB giving a true wide open forum for professionals and the public to do business at an affordable price point online .This will give us true cross section of the day to day market by having real time data from all segments of the marketplace.
A simple finance plan has been designed to go hand in hand with this auction system that will MAKE the taxpayer money.
We have been asked to present this program to the current administration – Scott Wells (deal designer) 919-223-4799
Comment by Scott -
Pingback: Mark Cuban, Naked Pizza, and Being Passionate and Persistent about Your Dreams
Just an Idea, create a website for entrepreneurs that is basically a place for investors/entrepreneurs to invest in others ideas. Create 2 sections, 1 for ideas or (unstarted companies), and a 2nd section for companies already in place. The investors can bid/fund ideas/companies for “stocks” in them. Each investor/entrepreneur will have their own profile page, etc. Investor will essentially be able to buy stock in small businesses before they are big enough for market production. This will also be a way for entrepreneurs to partner up and create funds for their ideas. Their are a lot of concepts of this that need to be shored up but since its an idea i am throwing it out there.
2 unsure things:
1. Is this 100% legal
2. Is there anything exactly like this already out there? (I havent found anything)
Comment by Nicholas S -
Hello Mr. Cuban,
This is the Text of our Business Plan and Model Concept
Vision and Business Summary
Are you ready for the “Next Generation” of On-demand Interactive Magazines? If not, with a “TOUCH ON YOUR SCREEN”, magazines, advertisers and shopping will soon pass you by!
As innovative thinkers our initial goal is to develop and deploy new Interactive Magazines On-demand programming to millions of subscribers via digital content platforms. This content is made available to individuals who pay a monthly subscription to access interactive magazine content. This content offers a new interactive format for the “Next Generation Magazine Readers”, who are currently viewing more than 50 hours of entertainment weekly.
On-demand subscribers want what they want when they want it. Our research indicates that there is a substantial market of people who love to read magazines and want instant access to their magazines. Our solution is perfect for the family or individual who likes a variety of magazines but does not want the clutter, storage or disposal concerns of what to do with old magazines. Our research also indicates consumers are concerned with conserving our environment more than ever before. The Paper Elimination Act serves notice that we are changing from a paper intensive society to a society that is eager to lessen negative effects on the environment. This greatly reduces the need for paper, printing costs, recycling concerns and postage costs.
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Nykel is offering magazine publishers and advertisers a new vehicle to engage potential magazine subscribers like never before via Magazines On-demand. We’re also offering publishers a familiar layout format plus the enhancements of a new digital format that adds increased ad creativity not available in current print media form. As subscribers become more acceptable to digital on-line magazines, we’re anticipating a natural progression of subscribers to our service.
Take note, digital cable and digital broadcast satellite companies are not switching from analog signals to digital signals simply because the picture will be sharper, the true reason is that there are new applications that can be brought to your television or handheld device using digital technology. Remember magazine publications and television shows have two things in common, which are content and advertisers.
Our vision has been to create entertaining and engaging non- linear on-demand content that will become one of the first niche players to capitalize on the efficiencies and interactivity offered through digital content platforms.
Business Objectives
Nykel is an interactive digital publishing & deployment company whose business objectives are:
1. To offer a new interactive format for magazine producers that reduce production and distribution costs by deploying content via digital content platform infrastructures – which is a substantially lower cost than Internet content distribution.
2. To increase the number of new subscribers by offering an interactive digital newsstand environment – content selection is as simple as selecting a song from a jukebox.
3. To increase targeted advertising revenue by offering new interactive magazine content to next generation subscribers – similar to selecting magazines and newspapers from a newsstand except Nykel’s newsstand is interactive and digitally created.
4. To create an interactive platform for existing magazines to be viewed by their loyal subscriber base. Magazines already have an established subscriber base; our objective is to convert those current subscribers and to attract new subscribers by offering the next generation interactive magazine platform.
5. To eliminate the waste and negative effects paper magazines place on the environment by distributing content in an environmental friendly manner – to become the home of environmentally friendly magazines.
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Products Nykel’s development team will create two (2) revolutionary products that will enhance interactive content and engage the “next generation” content subscriber across multiple telecommunication platforms.
1. Reader/Viewer Interface- The GUI, “skin” is the focal point of subscriber interactions. The interface provides the subscriber the ability to tailor his/her viewer by selecting from a library of themes. This active “skin” allows the interactive magazine or future content to interact with the existing digital platform output devices to control:
• Select menu options
• Parental controls
• Scroll left/right
• Scroll up/down
• Zoom in/out
• Select viewing preferences (single or split page view)
• Auto-page flip
• Digital Bookmark
• Select narrative preferences (male or female voice speaking in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Latin, Russian, Greek and Hindi etc.)
• Audio
• Video (commercial ad insertion)
• Interact with advertisers
2. Interactive Digital Magazine- Our Digital Magazines will enable print media and future content to be transformed into a dynamic and interactive 3D game format for deployment. It will consist of 3D software, which uses Linux an open-source program language.
This open-source programming offers compatibility across multiple interactive platforms and enhances our ability to patent Nykel created applications. The application will transform print magazines into our interactive game format; our solution gives subscribers the same content and improved graphics while enhancing the look and interactivity of the print magazines they currently enjoy.
Nykel’s digital magazines offers you something new — an interactive experience that lets you actually get involved with your magazine and advertisers in an exciting new way, by allowing you to interact and purchase advertised merchandise through each digital magazine page.
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Intellectual Property and Patent Materials With the accelerated growth in technological advances during the past decade, nowhere has the growth been more noticed than in the digital software and digital arts. We have potential patent materials in interactive software, digital networking systems infrastructure, telecommunications interactive technology, digital template processing, and interface design.
Intellectual property attorneys has been consulted with by the founders in regards to proprietary assets, intellectual property and how best to secure and protect these assets long term. To date, Nykel has not applied for a patent nor executed a patent search, registered trademarks or received patent pending status.
The seven (7) potential items are:
Status Description Type of Intellectual Property
3 Logo designs and business names Trademark Created
Company slogan Trademark Created
Business Model Copyright Created
Reader/Viewer User Interface Copyright,
Patent Developing Direct advertisement process flow Copyright Developing Interactive magazine templates Copyright, Patent Developing Interactive magazine data flow design Copyright, Patent Developing Portable Handheld Device Patent Developing
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Revenue Generators There are five (5) revenue generators in our current business model. Our solution offers magazines, advertisers, Telecommunication Companies a new and innovative distribution model never before realized for magazine digital content.
The five (5) revenue generators are:
1. Revenue Generator FEE Description Magazine Fee Table This is a one-time set-up fee that entitles See (Publishers pay this fee for magazines conversion from print, to Magazine each magazine that is set-up wireless, telecommunications on-demand to utilize Nykel’s platform) Setup platforms.
2. Licensing of Nykel’s Reader/Viewer Reader/Viewer is the User Interface that See allows magazine content to be viewed on (Publishers pay a licensing fee Licensing Handheld Devices based upon the number of Table subscribers viewing their magazine content) Non-Direct Advertisement See Non- Advertiser can deploy static or dynamic ad Fee insertions to magazine content.
3.Audio and Direct Fee video advertisements are now offered. On- Table (Advertisers pay a fee to be demand platform allows the magazines to seen in the magazine.) be viewed by subscribers and also monitors & tracks view through rates.
4. Direct Advertisement Fee See Direct Same as Non-direct advertisements with a Fee table (Advertisers pay a fee to be gateway to purchase items direct from the seen and interacted with in the advertisement via the digital output device. magazine.)
5. Content Subscription Fee See The fee allows access to the magazine (Subscribers to the content pay Subscription content “jukebox” via an on-demand this fee monthly to view Fee table platform. magazines)
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Subscriber Market Potential We have identified four (4) market segments. Our goal is to obtain a 5% share of the total digital magazine market by initiating an aggressive market penetration plan targeting strategic partners in the magazine publishing and Telecommunication markets.
In 2003, the size of the market was estimated at $39.4 billion in revenue with an expected annual growth rate of 5%. It should be noted, our financial projections use a conservative 1% market penetration.
1. The first identified market segment consists of 350 million magazine subscribers totaling $10 billion in total circulation revenue. (Refer to MPA Handbook pages 11-12, 16.) • $7 billion Subscription Revenue • $3 billion Single-Copy Revenue
2. In 2003, magazine advertisement revenue generated $18 billion. (Refer to MPA Handbook pages 27, 29-30) • 226,000 advertisement pages • 12 advertiser category classifications
3. There are over 6,234 magazines being published by 205 publishers. (Refer to MPA Handbook page 06.) • Hearst Magazines • Time Inc. • Conde Nast Publications, Inc. • North American Media Group • Meredith Corporation A young and culturally diverse demographics will comprise the “Next Generation”
4. subscriber. We believe the below referenced demographics are mutually exclusive and offer an intriguing upside for subscription growth.
• Magazine plublisher subscribers
• Caucasian, African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic
• Men, women, children and teens
• Visually impaired
• Current subscribers to digital magazines available via the Internet • Individuals who prefer increased interactivity not available with paper magazines.
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Marketing Strategy Plan
Our primary target markets are the magazine publishers, advertisers and digital content providers. Also included in our target markets are magazine subscribers and telecommunications subscribers. Our primary access to potential subscribers is via handheld device users on telecommunications networks by securing distribution contracts with these entities, the magazines and advertisers exposure to subscribers will greatly increase.
In addition Nykel will participate in Telecommunication and media publishing trade shows throughout the U.S. Our marketing plan closely resembles the approach Video On-demand and Pay-Per Use content companies used when launching their premium services, to advertise the interactive content through local, regional and national television ad campaigns targeting existing and next generation magazine subscribers. Promotional efforts directed towards magazine subscribers include newsstands, advertisements in newspapers, magazines and comics.
Nykel will also market to subscribers of magazines via publisher web sites and printed editions to offer an innovative alternative. One important aspect of the plan calls for establishing working revenue-focused relationships with several partners related to the telecommunications industry magazine publishing and direct advertisement. Thus, our marketing strategy includes establishing several strategic relationships concurrent with product development during the first nine (9) months of development.
We are identifying and building these relationships to ensure long-term alliances. During the second nine (9) months of start up the strategic partners would play an important role in linear marketing campaigns these same strategic partners would receive a share of revenue generated throughout the partnership. Telecommunication providers will enter into a joint marketing venture with us providing advertising time-space. This venture is a win-win proposition due to the fact that advertising revenue generated will be shared based on agreed upon contractual advertising revenue payout.
This gives Telecommunication providers an incentive to advertise our content to their digital subscribers as well as magazine publishers who offer Nykel ad space in print editions. In today’s on-demand environment, advertisers are not present therefore revenue models are heavily based upon subscription sales. With our solution, the introduction of advertisers to on-demand content opens the door for new advertising revenue sharing models not present with current content.
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Risk Factors We have identified five (5) key risk factors. These risks need to be addressed but each can be overcome with sound business planning and aggressive yet obtainable milestones.
1. Funding: Inadequate funding would be our most critical factor in developing a new digital product scheduled for an aggressive customer launch 3Q of year one (1).
We have a three-tiered capital raising strategy. These funds are critical for:
Tier 1 $500K to $1million • Business plan • Consultant fees (Legal, C.P.A, P.R. and H.R.)
• Product development
• Design prototype
• Initial management team selection
Tier 2 $1 million to $10 million
• Complete Prototype
• Consumer research
• Strategic Partner Acquisitions
• Compensation (Employees, Advisors and Management team)
• Content and storage servers
• Content management system
• Improved On-demand infrastructure
• Digital content acquisition
• Research & Development
Tier 3 $10 million to $25 million
• Marketing & Promotions Plan
• Break-even stage
• Future content creation and implementation Timing: Getting to market early and \”right\” is critical in today’s technology
2. businesses.
We understand the importance of timing when launching a new concept. Most advances in the digital content world were stated to take shape in 2002.
With 3-5 years of intense industry development and testing in digital deployments, we feel this technology can be utilized as a consumer product.
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Timing is everything and as a newly formed company we realize this and respect the importance of an accurate product introduction within a targeted time frame. There is little doubt that digital content is here to stay. It’s the wave of the future that is very real now. The digital content phenomenon has been led by media and entertainment companies, wanting to digitize content to be able to repackage and re-sell it.
You can now find digital music, books, and photos readily available almost anywhere. Digital content solutions may have started with publishing, media and entertainment but now it’s moving across all industries. Digital content solutions are more than Digital Access Management or Web content management. The real value of digital content solutions is in enabling companies to achieve the promises of digital transformation, from content creation to delivery. It’s a field that’s opening up the possibilities of digital content – creating new product types and opportunities in the process.
Technology: Interactive technology exists and the infrastructure required to
3. deploy digital content exists. New content is needed to maximize the existing technology. As real-time two-way networks are becoming commonplace, the industry has begun to shift its focus to the advanced services that can now be offered in our digital network environments.
Applications such as used on the iPhone, Video on Demand and digital Content on Demand are emerging as lucrative digital deployments worldwide. As we begin to move past the existing deployments such as Movies On-demand, we can begin to explore other applications like digital Content On-demand that utilize on demand video streaming, and thus leveraging current investments.
Buyer Behavior:
Educating current magazine subscribers on the ease of use
4. and increased interaction are essential when moving current print media subscribers to a new digital format. With any new “Buyer Behavior” restructuring, there is a degree of skepticism.
5. Companies are familiar with the routine of getting a product or service to market and have gone through the ups and downs of becoming effective and efficient. We are going to have to influence their behavior through creative marketing and provide reliable data that supports this new technology and distribution model. In the media business paper and ink are accepted costs associated to deploy print media to their subscribers.
What we can demonstrate is that the “next generation” of subscribers will want this form of media versus print magazines and in order to accommodate these “next generation” subscribers, our solution is the only viable solution. There is not a Magazine On-demand business model to copy because we are the first to believe in this vision. It will take a company that is willing to take a calculated risk in order to attract and maintain its “next generation” subscribers.
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Together we will walk thru this process and at the end of this process is a realistic vision and goal to take traditional print media and distribute it digitally through digital telecommunications and handheld devices in a familiar, functional and fun environment.
5. Advisors:
When entering into a new arena such as digital media deployments, the most important factor is having capable and competent strategic partners and advisors in those key areas where industry experience is critical. We are continually seeking those relationships that will strengthen our company while being advised by the best and most creative minds in digital deployment of print media via telecommunication companies.
Competition We have identified four (4) key players. These companies represent the leaders of the current digital magazine market. Our business model focuses on the distribution of digital content via the handheld device while existing companies have focused on Internet distribution because of the capital they have invested in Internet distribution.
When these companies started, the infrastructure required for television distribution of digital content was not in sight. Recently, due in part to an $85 billion investment starting in the mid 1990’s, telecommunication infrastructure has undergone a “makeover” to allow two-way digital communications. Now is the time to capitalize on this breakthrough to be sure that we are one of the first to offer new content on this new distribution highway.
The market leaders are as follows:
Zinio- Electronic creation and distribution of digital magazines via the Internet download. Founded in March 2000, Zinio creates and delivers, in partnership with magazine publishers and advertisers, the first fully realized digital magazine. Zinio’s technology extends the magazine reading experience to computer screens, for the first time providing publishers, advertisers and readers with the immediacy and cost effectiveness of digital distribution joined to the enduring power of print via the Internet. Customers get the digital issue at a reduced cost of the paper form.
qMags- Electronic creation and distribution of digital magazines via the Internet download. Founded in 1999, qMags markets and delivers to readers’ electronic issues of printed magazines. Using proprietary technologies, qMags converts a publisher’s digital files to a compressed qMags issue. The magazine is then downloaded onto a reader’s PC (or Macintosh) and read using a customized version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Keepmedia- Electronic distribution of digital magazines via the Internet without advertisements. Chairman Louis Borders, also founder of Borders Books and Webvan, and CEO Doug Herrington, formerly VP of Marketing at Webvan, founded the Company in January 2002. KeepMedia™ is a premium content service, delivering current and archived articles from 140+ popular magazines and newspapers in one convenient location.
KeepMedia™ is a premium content service, delivering current and archived
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articles from 140+ popular magazines and newspapers in one convenient location. Until now, consumers have not been able to search archived and current articles from leading publications in one convenient and affordable location on the Web. KeepMedia subscribers can find articles from some of the most trusted brands in journalism, ranging from health and finance to hobbies and politics.
MagRack- Delivers on demand special interest television programming to digital cable subscribers. Mag Rack is the first and only service designed exclusively for on-demand television, launched by Rainbow Media Holdings, LLC (AMC, WE: Women’s Entertainment and The Independent Film Channel). Mag Rack engages enthusiasts with a wide selection of \”video magazines\” about subjects that are personally relevant, such as Yoga Retreat, Motorcycle Freedom, and Inside Weddings. The service offers special interest programming not widely found on other channels with the advanced DVD-like ability to fast-forward, rewind or pause the program.
Operations Plan Our plan depends heavily on an aggressive approach to viewer, software and market development. We will develop a working prototype ready for vendor beta testing within eighteen (18) months of receiving the initial influx of capital. Our optimal goal is to have complete integration with telecommunication providers, media publishers, on-demand platform vendors and handheld device manufacturers within one year of having the prototype completed.
The infrastructure and technology required to deploy interactive media content exists. We will develop “killer” applications that will engage the next generation of media subscribers. As mentioned earlier, we are building key strategic alliances in the telecommunications industry, publishing, On-demand technology, interactive software and media distribution industries to produce the best environment for a successful launch.
The company will be segmented into two (2) sites, the East Coast Headquarters and the West Coast Operations Center. This approach provides cost cutting efficiencies in leasing equipment or commercial property based on need and hiring, training and retaining skilled employees as well as capitalizing on the regional resources each brings to fulfill its functional objectives.
Headquarters: Our focus is to establish our headquarters on the East Coast because the majority of magazine publishing companies are already headquartered on the East Coast. This would provide us the ability to transact day-to-day business objectives within the same time zone as our strategic partners and magazine publishing base. The core responsibility of the site is to manage and support all business related activities of the company. The headquarters will initially employ 3-15 individuals during Phase I, 16-40 employees in Phase II and eventually reaching a maximum of 41-75 employees in Phase III handling day-to-day business support to 100 magazines. These employment numbers are related to the number of magazines using our platform. This location will accommodate top-level management, administration and support personnel. The nine (9)
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departments located at this location are Corporate, Operations, Sales, Sales Support, Accounting, Legal, Public Relations, Human Resources, and Administration.
Operations Center: Dallas, TX. is the optimal location for the operations center because of its long-standing commitment to technology. The North TX is home to commercial properties such as Texas Instruments, large facilities, a vast selection of high tech professionals, multimedia software companies, and the area is currently the core of state-of-the-art facility is to manage and support all technology, design and customer support activities of the company. This technology center will initially employ 10-50 individuals during Phase I, 51-110 employees during Phase II and 111-200 employees operating on a 24/7 basis with three (3) shifts during Phase III creating and supporting 100 magazines. The seven (7) departments located at this location are Interface Design, Animation and Multimedia Rendering, Digital Platform Integration, Software Development, R&D, IT Support, Customer Support and Administration.
Offer and Use of Proceeds In a pre-institutional friends-and-family round of finance, the company plans to raise $500,000. This capital would be applied to initial salaries, office space, consumer research, strategic advisors, professional services, initial prototype design, testing laboratory and operating expenses associated with the formation of the company.
Nykel will later seek a first round of institutional capital estimated at $1-10 million for the acquisition of its network infrastructure, graphic and game servers, dynamic design software, computers & peripherals, prototype beta testing materials, and intellectual property protection.
A second round of institutional capital estimated at $10-25 million will be applied to content acquisition, salaries, working capital, marketing initiatives, sales campaigns and facility expansion. Concurrent with the above-mentioned milestones, Nykel’s focus is to solicit telecommunications companies, and publishing venture companies to invest not only capital but also human and networking resources essential to the overall success of the Nykel.
We believe this approach fosters the best environment for long-term success. Pricing Strategy Our strategy is to price our service at a level comparable to our competitors on a national scale. Current On-demand subscriptions are competitively priced at $0.99 a download to $15.95 per month based on the type of content that is accessible. Our subscription price has not been finalized but the fee projected ranges from free access to $10 per month. This fee provides access to our entire database of magazine content estimated between 25-50
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magazines initially. Our philosophy is to present a value proposition model that does not exist in current paper subscription models. Currently a paper subscription is a one to one relationship meaning one subscription allows the subscriber to read a magazine for a 12 month period. What we propose is monthly subscription to the channel gives the subscriber access to a multitude of magazines. This can be accomplished because of the cost efficiencies provided to digital production and distribution.
Co-Founders Issac Wallace, III received a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration degree from East Carolina University and is a Microsoft Certified Professional. While attending East Carolina University he received recognition for completing the Chancellor’s Minority Leadership Development Program. While attending E.C.U., he was selected to be a corporate intern with Wachovia in Charlotte, NC. This experience proved to be a catalyst for his professional development and desire to own his own business. He was employed with Wachovia Bank as a senior retail banker for five years. During his employment with Wachovia, Issac was placed in numerous leadership and management capacities.
Deon Holmes passion for art and music has been the catalyst for his twenty-three years of combined experience in the music and the graphics industry. He has owned two businesses Hazel Eyes Entertainment and Dark Alley Graphx House. Hazel Eyes Entertainment, which he started in 1994, specialized in the management of producing artists out of Oakland, California and he also started Dark Alley Graphx House, which created logo designs, business cards, brochures, vehicle wraps, magazine design layouts and marketing materials for over 150 different companies since 1991. He is also a partner in Winetime Entertainment and has severed as Artist Repertoire (A&R) for 20+ artists since 1994. The company has produced music for Grammy nominees, and music for HBO-“Arliss”, NBC- “The Inside Stuff” television show, also movie soundtracks for “Senseless” and “Replacement Killers”, just to name a few. As a self-describer “ dreamer & visionary”, Deon’s creative vision for Nykel is to change the way traditional print media is viewed & distributed to the “Next Generation Subscribers”.
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Feasibility Checklist Question Answer
1) Will the content be unique? (YES)
Magazines on-demand content does not exist currently for distribution in the U.S. to wireless handheld subscribers.
2) Will it be too expensive to program? (NO)
To avoid the crushing costs of programming & operating a 24/7 Magazine, On-Demand produces virtual access point of content available to subscriber 24/7 when they select it.
3) Will it appeal to specific demographics? (YES)
It will appeal to a diverse group of individuals much like paper magazines. Also, because magazines are created to be demographically appealing, it will offer an alternative distribution to a specific group that appreciates digital magazine editions.
4) Will it appeal to younger demographics, thereby attracting advertising revenue? (YES)
Magazines are seeking alternative ways of attracting younger subscribers. This content targets a growing base of young tech savvy individuals who rely on the wireless content or Internet as the gateway to entertainment and information.
5) Will the content be attractive to advertisers? (YES)
The content has value added services like local, regional and national ad insertions, increased ad tracking capabilities and eventually a spontaneous buy feature. This is more compelling and attractive to advertisers compared to paper magazines.
6) Will the content be too expensive to invest in and carry? (NO)
Start-up costs for a non on-demand network is initially $5 million to get started on the road to $100 million without carriage commitments. An on- demand network can be started with $3 million with far less on going costs due to decreased programming and operating expenses.
7) Does Nykel have the flexibility to provide unique content across multiple platforms? (YES)
Once the content is created digitally it can be distributed via multiple digital deployment platforms and wireless to mobile subscribers.
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SUMMARY Nykel
is engaged in the design, development and distribution of innovative digital content on-demand media. We believe the company is well positioned for expansion and solid financial performance. The Company plans to increase its value to investors through the continued development and marketing of its product to drive sales, license agreements, joint ventures, strategic alliances and tactical acquisitions.
The Company may rely on its own growth as the primary means of returning value to its investors or it may eventually be acquired or conduct a public offering.
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Comment by nykeltechnsolutionsllc -
Hello Mr. Cuban,
http://www.slideshare.net/NykelTechnSolutions.llc/slideshows
I’m a Co-Founder of a Startup Technology Co. Our Company and Business Model is based out of Charlotte, NC. via Dallas, TX.where I am living Today your Blog with an open Source funding towards startups was brought to us today from a friend, so Here’s our business plan slideshow concept link for all to see and comment on.
Comment by nykeltechnsolutionsllc -
Keeping things simple, the concept is a college bar.
This college bar caters to frats and sororities just like every other bar in town but we have buses that pick the college students up at their front door for free, every half hour, and return them home safely when the bar closes. Every night is a different gig for each frat/sorority as well as music, dj’s, and bands. The bar would host events such as volleyball tournaments, flag football, and other games at public parks or a reserved facility which a title will be given from the bar to the frat/sorority winners.
The big picture, to have this as a franchise business to where the franchisee’s are competing with other franchisee’s for sales but also having the colleges enter the annual tournaments with volleyball, flag football and other events. This could be in the DFW area, Texas or even the nation. Summer college tournaments?
I would be the only owner, you would have 20% of the business which includes all franchisee business. Startup cost would be $250,000 which includes the space, renovations (I own my own startup construction company as of last month), two busses, insurance, TABC fees, and a staff of roughly 25 people per bar(this would create good jobs for college students to pay for school as well as a few manager/event coordinator positions).
I have a golf clothing deal I am working on at the moment which I could email you about.
I have a new construction company that could use startup funds to take a few steps out of the bottom growing process. I have many contacts but do not have the funds to hire anyone right off the bat.
Thank you for your time and good luck,
LRG
Comment by LRG -
Hello Mr Cuban,
I am an independent affiliate member of a ten year old nutrition company that promotes health, wellness and wealth for your life purposes. This is my number one reason for joining with a company such as this. A person can build a business and have immediate income monthly because of the unique business model the company offers.
On March 26th the company launched a new product line and a Share and Earn program. With the launch of this new product line, Sonoran Bloom, It is the first time in ten years of business to promote internationally offering people a way to earn a good solid long term income in this economy.They did not offer a business income before for affiliates. With our economy being what it is today, it is a perfect time to introduce it.
Is it set up as multilevel marketing? No. Multilevel marketing companies typically rely on the distributor to share the company’s message through one-to-one marketing and usually do not provide corporate co op systems that attract customers. I am able to buy my customers through the companies 38 year old media company through television and radio infomercials to online marketing and more which brings in thousands of customers and contacts every week. The full rights to these responders can be purchased, which has helped affiliate members grow their business to become 6 figure income earners. Once you purchase a customer, a percentage of that customers purchases are yours for life.
Set up as an independent affiliate business, yet it is profit sharing of the companies sales. Some even call it a franchise.
The newest product line is one where they turned to the Nopal Cactus in the Sonoran Desert for its remarkable healing properties. It is packed with extremely rare and powerful antioxidants, called Betalains. It keeps cells healthy and your body happy. Many affiliates are already feeling the affects. An up and coming problem when looking at the baby boomers statistics. This may be the next billion dollar product.The next biggest thing.
For the next 90 days starting today an affiliate member can earn 70% commission on this new product, Sonoran Bloom.. Yes seventy percent profit for 90 days.
A 70% profit is paid as they join my business and become an independent affiliate member. This will meet the criteria of CASH FLOW BREAK EVEN within 60 days and in profit within 90. There is no limit to the number of people you can sell to. There is a limit to the number of customers you can purchase monthly.You can purchase 100 Media Acquisition Customers or MAPS monthly to grow a business. Cost of each MAP is $50.00, or $5,000.00 a month per business affiliate.
Cost of one bottle of Sonoran Bloom Nopalea is $39.95 @ 70% profit for 90 days. Then, affiliate members receive 21% commission on all product member purchases for life.
We have experienced business men and celebrities who are now affiliate members with the company. It is an established money making business for people that I feel is the best business you will find to fund for those you want to help get set up in starting a business that will not fail tomorrow. This business is easily duplicated especially with the funding you can supply.
In the report received from people who has been in Trivita for years, Trivita returns from between 25-40% per annum.With the launch of the new line and adding in a 70% profit margin for 90 days, that percentage will be much higher.
I am in need of funding for my business and other members are interested in a joint venture. If you are interested in Health, Wellness and more Wealth please contact me.
Comment by Gary Giardina -
Mr Cuban:
My company is The OM Bamboo Company. We are in the business of developing clothing lines that are made of Bamboo Fiber. Bamboo is a fiber that has the following characteristics, it is 100% anti-microbial, anti-fungal, softer than cotton, absorbs moisture better than cotton.
Our first product will be Hospital clothing made of Bamboo by using bamboo we are diminishing the possibility of have cross contamination due to the transfer of bacteria on employees clothing. We have the interest of the nations top retailers.
We will partner with large consumer products companies that have green initiatives to be able to diminish our marketing spend by piggy backing on their products marketing efforts. (Ie. our clothes are certified to use with brand X that is a green laundry detergent)
After this product has become successful we plan to develop a full family clothing line to ensure that consumers understands the benefits of Bamboo for them and for the environment. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant and is fully renewable. Our Brand will be Bad Panda Clothing and will become a household name as one of the first “green” brands.
We are creating a ecological company that is focused on getting the best products to the market for the benefit of our shareholders, the public in general and the environment. We believe that being environmentally friendly is not reserved for a small elite but should include the general population and seek to expand the use of Ecological friendly materials in our products for the benefit of our customers.
We will donate 5% of our net sales to charities that champion the environment.
I meet all of the requirements stated in your rules. I will offer up to 40% of the company for investment. My funding requirement is $150,000.
Thanks
Mario
Comment by mario anglada -
As you have now become very popular and chatty on Twitter, I thought it would be a good time to post my plan.
http://www.slideshare.net/smcguinness/twtseat
Comment by Seth McGuinness -
What about a new way restaurants etc. can do deliveries? Instead of having to staff a full time or many full time delivery men, they can outsource all their deliveries to a delivery company. Different than a courier. This can save the companies loads of money and we can make those loads of money which they are saving. Start off in a small area and expand.
This idea as well- Almost everyone is concerned with weight loss and being fit and healthy, however it seems that nobody really wants to stop eating. Let’s start the world’s first fast food chain like McDonalds that happens to be low fat, healthy food. Guess what? We can make it compatible with all of the diets by putting the amount of points etc. on the menus. Perhaps we can start a Weight Watchers franchise restaurant.
Mark are you still checking and giving feedback? I wrote one yesterday, A really good idea.
Comment by David M -
Here you go guys. Totally open source. This business plan/idea came to me from my beautiful wife when she was ordering eyeglasses. She spent hours and hours agonizing over which frame looked the best instead of which was most comfortable or functional which lead me to wonder if people would want to wear glasses as an accessory — for looks — even if they didn’t need them. Apparently so. I have done some research and there are many women who would if they could find fashion glasses at a reasonable price. For examples of searching women just search “non prescription glasses” on any engine. If you are interested you can download my 18 page business plan at the following URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13858325/Pogo-Eyewear-Business-Plan.
Based on my business plan this business meets all of Mark’s criteria. I know this business can and will be a success once someone comes around with the necessary capital to invest. I am an experienced businessperson with the skills to make this business work, but I lack the capital (student loans) to get it going. I have been searching for venture capital for about 6 months now to no avail — poor time to have a good idea I guess. Anyways I guess this plan is available to anyone now. I would love to be the one to make this business plan a succeess, but if you think you can make it. Go for it!!! My only hope is that the business is a success and you stay in touch.
Comment by William Kinzel -
Dear Mark,
I tried to leave business plan on site it was discarded or email address was wrong. Do not understand problem with summiting
plan will try this instead. Invest $ 675,000.00 return over 6 years
$ 1,415,869,00.
Kind Regards,
Steve
Comment by Steven Williams -
Mark,
Being you have an expertise in tech and software I know you will love this idea. It is a no fail idea!
It’s time to revolutionize online shopping. If you have done the research which I have done on online shopping then you will see that online shopping has skyrocketed, and will continue to skyrocket. People love shopping online because it’s convenient, offers a larger selection, and a list of other reasons.
Second Life- A very intricate online, animated, sim-based avatar world combined with the fantastic idea of social networking.
We are going to combine conventional online shopping with the Second Life world. Yup, it will be done. The question is who is going to take advantage of it.
Here is how it will work- we will develop a Second Life-like platform/s in which a virtual mall will be created. This mall will look like Second Life in regards to graphic. Inside it will look like you are walking through an actual mall, except it’s online. The most fun thing about this is that it will be a social networking experience. You will be able to shop with you friends. Walk into the same store with your friends. Try on clothing with friends. And get their opinions. You will be able to pick up clothing, zoom in and even fit it to your body size. How bout putting your face on the avatar. Why not make it more fun and personal?
How we make money? Well very simple, we will be the only of its kind. We will charge rent for a store to be apart of our mall. Since it’s online, we can fit plenty of stores. Who knows, maybe we can take rake on each purchase. Charge huge amounts for billboards and mall advertising. We can have virtual bands playing in the mall, and perhaps a movie theater linked into surfthechannel or youtube. Possibilities are endless.
Let me assure you Mark, this idea will take far more time than your stimulus plan requires. However this idea will change the world in which we live in, be more profitable than anything on this blog and let me assure you, this will create an unbelievable amount of jobs, from tech to sales to marketing to management etc. etc. etc.
Looking forward to hearing your feedback.
Comment by David M -
I am fairly unfamiliar with blogging. But I have posted my business plan but can not find it. Please find my business plan at:
Your document is publicly viewable at:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgmwxr5x_1cjqn4p6n
I hope this is readable.
Thanks,
Mary
Comment by Mary Blake -
Mark, please forgive me for never having heard of you or the Dallas Mavericks before comming to this blog. We don’t really play basketball in Africa. The good news is that I really like your idea. Run with this, or let me do it myself.
“… no one possesses the less because everyone possesses the whole of it. He who receives an idea from me receives it without lessening me, as he who lights his candle at mine receives light without darkening me.” – Thomas Jeffersen.
Seems to me reading this blog that the best idea is the one that you started yourself, namely that putting the idea down in the public domain is the best way of hatching it. If clones hatch – they enhance your idea they don’t detract from it.
The basic problem with this site is that the architecture sucks. I suggest that you redo the site in a CMS system like Joomla. Here – see an example of how I run an open Source project at http://www.turbocash.net. Well deesigned architecture allows me to connect 1 to 100 000 users. The trick is to get the community to empower themselves.
I really like this idea of yours. What you need to do is stop pretending that you will have the time to micromanage these discussions. Put up $ 20 000 to cover the development costs and I will turn this into a self funding site for you. There are a few tricks for handling collaborative work that will simply go nowhere under the current architecture.
Also stop prentending that you have the time to get involved with start up businesses. Use this site as a means of connecting ideas to other peoples money. The best poeple to put the money into these ideas is not benevolent billionaires (The hardest hit sector of the current recession). The best people to put up the money into these ventures is the poeple who actually help formulate them!
The revenue model is that we will take a 2% share of the deals closed. (Maybe more – I will need to look at the numbers)
The equity model is that I will share it with you 50-50 with your $20 000 starting it. We will keep diluting to the community.
Comment by Philip Copeman -
Good Morning Mark,
I see I am a little late to the post but I hope you will still consider my idea.
The company is named Medext and it uses text messaging technology to help people adhere to their perscription drug regimens.
One of the biggest problems for drug companies and doctors is that patients often forget to take their medicine. However, many of these patients also have cell phones. I propose creating a text messaging service that alerts patients when they need to take their various pills. So, for instance, if you get a perscription that you must take 3 times a day, evry 8 hours you would get a text message reminding you to take your pill.
The technology would not be marketed directly to consumers, but rather to either pharma companies or pharmacies as a value added for their customers. The start-up costs are relatively low. We need to build a secure web-based platform where the cutomers can input customer text numbers and medication times. A negotiated SMS rate also needs to be negotiated.
I’m ready to hustle and make this happen and think it could be up and running in 60 days and profitable in 90 by locking in early customers at a discounted rate with a small non-refundable deposit.
Comment by Dan -
Pingback: What Would Dad Say » Seth Godin says, “Don’t Try to Get a Job.”
one more thing…
7. Exposure from NBA grows our existing industrial and sports sales, so benefits from NBA branded products are exponential.
See SweatGUTR.com for current list of sports and industrial distribution partners. Now available in nearly 30 countries and industrial customers include ExxonMobile, Goodyear Tire, BNSF railways, along with many others. Products are also currently sold through major sports and industrial catalogs, including Amazon, Inc.
Comment by Erick Flatt -
Mark,
Thanks for the opportunity, and I hope we’ll have a chance to exchange information.
The Company:
The Financial-Quest Group is a startup that’ll be incorporated within 12-18 months. Through a network of consultants, the business will provide personal financial planning, small business planning and Direct Public Offering (DPO) services. A virtual office format will be employed, and an executive suite lease provides a national network of offices. Review the business profile on the website: http://www.fqgroup.com.
Proposed Steps to Realize Business Potential
1. Form advisory board(s) for The Financial-Quest Group
2. Incorporate for multi-million dollar plan (100 million shares)
3. Mark Cuban Proposal: $0.50/share (up to 30% equity available)
4. Grow and train network of consultants on a regional schedule
5. Market DPO services and orientation process to small businesses
6. Introduce LEAP! through local ground-game plans and campaigns
7. Plan The Financial-Quest Group DPO to occur within 2 – 3 years
8. Plan The Financial-Quest Group IPO to occur within 3 – 5 years (Exit Strategy)
Services and Program Description:
The primary service is raising money for small businesses through Direct Public Offerings (DPO). However, we’ve developed a package of services that can help communities realize their economic potential. Local Economic Advancement Plans (LEAP!) educate and organize communities to utilize services that promote economic growth. The following is an outline of program components:
• Financial Education and Literacy Program
• E-course and Personal Financial Planning Services
• E-course and Investment Club Services
Clubs organize and educate investors. Members reduce investment risks by pooling their money. E-courses enrollees become members of Local and Online Investment Clubs Community.
• Family Small Business Plans (certification every two years)
The following components may be included in a family plan:
o National family e-mail alert system
o Family website and common-interest networks
o Family genealogy and Halls of Fame
o Annual family reunion (incorporated non-profit)
In 2002 more than 200,000 family reunions occurred nationally. Also, 37% of adults attended a family reunion in 2002. Since 90% of U.S. businesses are family-owned, the reunion format should be used to encourage family business development.
o Education plans and student recognition (K-12)
o Personal financial planning and investment clubs
o Small business finance through DPO
o National alliance of families that may support DPO’s
• Small Business Finance
• Direct Public Offerings (DPO)
Regulated plans allow small businesses (0 – $15 million in annual sales) to raise money ($250,000 – $5 million) by selling ownership shares directly to the public. Theses company-controlled plans bring businesses and investors together at a significant savings for both parties. Shareholders may earn a profit on their investment if or when they sell their shares.
• Joint-Ventures and Alliances
• Traditional finance (loans, friends, angel investors, etc.)
• Enterprise Zone Tax Credits and Refund Services
• Local and Online Investment Clubs Community
LEAP! will help strengthen the U.S. economy by addressing the lack of credit available for small businesses. These businesses deliver valuable products or services and create the majority of U.S. jobs. If an unusually large number fail it could erode entrepreneurial motivation and our competitiveness in a global economy.
State regulators have understood for a longtime the problem small businesses face trying to raise money. They’ve also been aware of the discretionary income that individuals have to invest. To bring small businesses and investors together, regulators created the Direct Public Offering (DPO). (Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has shown that a large pool of small donors can generate a lot of money.)
LEAP! also promote financial literacy to address the projected retirement crisis for Baby-Boomers and future generations. Family Small Business Plans, personal financial planning and investment club services may prepare retirees to bridge gaps in their retirement income.
The Market and Marketing Strategy:
Traditional means for raising money have not worked well for most small businesses. Banks are reluctant to take the risk, venture capitalists want to almost take full control and major brokerage houses make larger profits through bigger deals that close faster. Selling ownership shares directly to the public appears to offer the best option for most small businesses to raise money to meet their financial needs. However, most business owners lack the skills to manage these offerings; and there are not many experienced advisors.
While small businesses are looking for money, there’s a large pool of potential investors who’d be receptive to purchasing ownership shares (just ask Barack Obama). However, most of them are not familiar with the investment process; and until recently there hasn’t been a process in place to facilitate direct investments. Our program educates investors about investing and offers a way to invest in equity shares before a company may begin to trade on major exchanges.
A LEAP! would immediately offer another option for financing small businesses through Direct Public Offerings. As it becomes more difficult to secure traditional financing, businesses could take their cases directly to the public. These offerings could build support in urban, suburban and rural communities because stable businesses usually mean a stable local economy.
A LEAP! also introduces personal financial planning and investment club services. These services would help educate and organize a company’s affinity group to support their DPO’s. Our continuing education plans will promote financial literacy through webinars and local seminars.
Program services may also be introduced through Family Small Business Plans. These plans build on the emotional ties of relatives and promote a culture of intra-family support. All relatives are encouraged to participate, including seniors and elementary school age students.
Business and Service Goals:
The Financial-Quest Group will be a profitable multi-million dollar financial services corporation. Through its LEAP! small businesses could install a permanent and efficient DPO management process. By educating and organizing a national network, most offerings should achieve their financial objective. Businesses will grow, create jobs and help stabilize local economies.
The plan may incorporate the following scheme:
Phase I: Educating and Organizing Affinity Groups – prospects enroll in a (5) lessons e-course ($19.95) for an overview of the (DPO) organizing process and investment clubs. Course must be competed by business officers, employees, personal financial planning clients, investment clubs’ members and other affinity group members.
Phase II: Business Planning and (DPO) Preparation – DPO-Action Plan fees are based on ¾ of 1% of gross revenues (min: $4,950; max: $15,000). Payment schedule is based on the amount of the fee. Offset and Defer Fee calculations may apply to make services affordable.
Phase III: DPO Marketing and Management – fees based on hourly rates and totals average 6 – 8 % of offering’s goal. These fees are budgeted and paid from DPO proceeds.
To sustain a successful LEAP! financial literacy must be a priority; especially for participating poor and minority communities. Personal financial planning and investment club services would promote financial education. This is also an important part of the plan to educate and organize potential DPO investors.
E-courses enrollees will earn membership in our Local and Online Investment Clubs Community. This national interstate network will include entrepreneurs, personal financial planning clients and investment clubs. It’ll schedule financial education events, and businesses can e-market their DPO propositions directly to the community. Approximately 35-40% of DPO investors should come from these local and online communities.
Financial Needs:
I’ve taken risks and sacrificed to develop a model that could make a difference in this dire economy. The plan wasn’t developed for this economy, but it’s an example of “luck is when preparation meets opportunity”. The key components are in place and have been tested for effectiveness. I’m now seeking a financial package that’ll support my last $1,500 and an aggressive marketing plan. The support could be based on any one or combination of the following proposals:
• Equity investments that support a state, regional and national implementation schedule.
• Equity investments and alliance relationships that will provide market credibility.
• Equity investments based on scheduled Direct Public Offerings (DPO). Investments would build investors’ confidence and support implementation plan.
Exit Strategy:
The Financial-Quest Group’s business plan is based on an objective to grow into a publicly traded company through Direct Public Offerings (DPO). These offerings could also provide an important option for investors’ exit strategy. Other options may include a buy-back plan or an Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Howard Ware, CFP
Business and DPO Advisor
Comment by Howard Ware, CFP -
Simple proposal, small investment and significant ROI.
1. Develop “Dallas Mavericks” and “NBA” branded Sweat GUTR sweatbands and distribute with other Mavericks apparel. FYI – We hold 2 utility patents.
2. You pay for and help with NBA licensing and we produce here in Dallas!
3. Develop other NBA team branded sweatbands for their shops and distribute accordingly.
4. Players wear sweatbands during games to obtain exposure.
5. Your equity in the company is contingent upon final investment amount and participation.
6. Headband revolution complete.
Comment by Erick Flatt -
What is your growth strategy?
Our weakness is that because we have low revenue we are not able to engage in proactive marketing activities. However the upside of this is that we do allow our channel to profit form distribution and integration of our software. Hundred of consultants already make TurboCASH their full time business.
We also have a strong internet presence – Google Free Accounting Software, Open Source Accounting Software, TurboCASH. Many people find us through search engines and blogs.
Want us to make revenue? Its easy. Take 100 000 free users and turn them into 5000 users paying you $200 per year – bingo – $ 1 M per year profit!
The opportunity for revenue is always there – gough the users. The is not my mission, my mission is to grow rapidly with as little cost as possible. Bringing a funder on board will enable that to happen at a faster rate. We leverage the Open Source industry and there are no foreseeable scalability issues.
I do not see this business growing – personnel wise. I have owned and managed businesses with a hundred people employed. This is much simpler. If you are looking to invest in businesses with offices and board rooms for meetings – this is not it.
In an open Source project the freedom to redistribute the software and the zero cost of connecting to it is our most powerful tool. We have only this and the quality of our product to take on the marketing campaigns of our competitors.
Comment by Philip Copeman -
Clarify why you lead this industry? What are the barriers to entry?
Barrier to entry in the mainstream Accounting Software market is enormous. It is not just the cash cost of entry. In the last 15 years there has not been a single case of a significant entrant in the market. This includes numerous attempts by Microsoft to gain a foothold.
TurboCASH is protected, because our cost of delivery is significantly lower than our competitors. In the Open Source business, it is very difficult to dislodge a market leader. Currently we can deliver the software at zero cost. We can deliver simultaneously in over 80 markets. Our logistic chain is significantly shorter than our competitors. Coming from our early history of bilingual software, I have always kept local language as a priority. Whereas Inuit has multiple versions of Quick books and Sage is even worse with multiple brands, we have one product that compiles once and is delivered instantly to different markets in over 25 languages and over 80 tax regimes.
It is not only the cost of entry- it is the time it takes a competitor to enter- minimum period would be 5 years – in the Open Source market, there is no one else in sight. All our competitors are large public companies. We sell at Zero cost. How would they fight back? What are they going to do – as a public listed company, give up making profit?
What is your target market?
Overall market is 20 Million users. I can explain this in detail if we get to due diligence. It is based on the units in the field and our ability to get a share of those units.
We target SME businesses with from 1 accountants to 10 accountants. The accounts can be a part time job carried out by the owner. It seems very wide, but the Accounting market is clearly defined. Below us we have spreadsheets like Open Office and Microsoft Excel as well as personal financial managers like Quicken and GNU CASH. Above us we have ERP packages like Accpac and Pastel Evolution. All the myriad of POS systems and ordering systems are all incomplete – they all need GL backends, which forces double entry accounting and batch processing and are complex to develop. It is in this shadowy world that we thrive.
So the range of business that we target is narrow ($30 000 per year to $ 3 Million Turnover), but we are prepared to make it work in a very wide geographical sense.
Comment by Philip Copeman -
Give us a brief description of your business proposition?
I am the project leader of the worlds leading Open Source Accounting software for SMEs. We provide Open Source Accounting solution for Small businesses. I am looking for funding to help accelerate the growth of our user base of 100 000 to 500 000 Plus. I have a business worth a minimum of $ 8 Million and I am willing to warrant this value as part of the transaction. The return to the funder will be a minimum of 5 times and I am able to offer security guarantees if required.
I am looking for funding of between $ 1 M and 4 $. Below $1 M, I would rather carry on with my self funded approach, which has a great deal of flexibility. Above $ 4 would require me giving up control of the business, this would not be in either my own or the funders interest. Its not out of the question, but it starts to get complicated. I would be more comfortable with a deal of between $1-2 M, with protections for the funder.
I am certainly looking for advice here, I see that there are some really good brains here. My proposal violates some of Marks rules, so I am unlikely to raise funding from him. However those of you that are also close to the VC market may consider getting involved with me. Considering on how you take your commissions (Cash or stock ) I would be prepared to give up to 20% of the funding raised to any party that materially assists me in putting together this transaction. Depending on your country of origin, there are some exceptional tax benefits for investing in this type of project. The target country of where we expand, makes significant gains for its small business sector.
This is not a commitment to anyone here or an offer for you to make 2 blogs and claim a share of the deal, but is an opening offer to anyone that has suggestions – that stay inside the Open Source concept. To be paid by me, you will need a formal offer from me, which I will do through this site. Until then it is all just “talk”. It is a big step for me to put my data down here – I believe in the Open Source process and I will ride it out to the end here. If the funding source starts out on this site, we keep it here. No private discussions!
I am based in Cape Town South Africa. I am firmly committed to living here and developing my business from “The other side of the world”. Any discussions I have had with US VC companies require me to relocate. This not an option for me. See my article Why VC is as American as Apple Pie.
http://www.turbocash.net/20080831146/Business/Why-VC-is-as-American-as-Apple-Pie
Comment by Philip Copeman -
I have always thought this a good idea – putting up the business ideas on an open platform. It would be great to see something a bit more structured. Can I suggest a Forum structure?
The rest of you seem to have “ideas” – I have a running business in the second round funding stage. This is a step into the unkown for me. One Business plan coming up…
Comment by Philip Copeman -
Mark:
Here is my submission. I hope I am able to recreate my vision in this short synopsis of an business plan.I am confident there is a viable business here, one that needs fairly significant funds at the beginning to ensure a successful launch. With that said, it also believe that it can be sustaining very quickly. As far as your equity position is concerned, I am sure that you will present a take it or leave it offer, but I will answer the question anyway. In consideration for your capital injection you will own 25% of the company.
iPod trade-in, used and New iPods for sale
This is very simple e-business with the primary goal of controlling the secondary iPod market. There are a couple small players that I would venture to guess most have not heard of at this point. They have poor marketing and poor inventory. I amazingly enough there seems to be a very large market for you iPods, mostly sold via Amazon and EBay. The thing is that most of these sellers are obtaining there inventory from the same place The inventory is mostly derived from liquidation.com and other liquidation sites is very small lots of 10 to 20 units. The resellers then place there small mark up of 20-50% and compete against one another.
First Source of Inventory
The idea would to begin by controlling the market on the liquidation sites by purchasing all of the inventory (mostly store returns) driving out the small garage players. Then cut out the middlemen at the liquidation sites by going directly to the retailers that are receiving the returns. Once you control the inventory you can begin to control the pricing.
Second Source of Inventory
Accepting used iPods from individuals. A value is placed on the iPod based on a product detail questionnaire. Upon completion the customer is offered a cash value and a trade in value for the item.
Sales Channels
Sales will be primarily on the internet, via our website easy and quick to set up generating revenue very quickly.
A secondary channel maybe retail. The best application of this could be at mall kiosks. This would also be a great source of brand awareness. There maybe a franchise looming in this secondary channel
Marketing & Communication
We will keep marketing simple and efficient focusing on the market most likely to be an early adopter of the concept. College campuses should be a hotbed of potential customers. College students are usually strapped for funds, but want the latest technology, especially when in comes to music. They will trade and upgrade, buy used and without a doubt trade in their iPod cheap for cash. It should be relatively inexpensive to advertise in local college papers and to sponsor local events to build awareness. As we grow and refine the business our marketing will become more sophisticated and the target market much larger.
Of course we will employ all current SEO strategies and an aggressive adwords campaign.
Distribution
A small warehouse should suffice at first utilizing USPS of UPS for delivery. I expect the need for a larger space to occur fairly quickly. Also, the potential for regional distribution may be more cost effective and timely. A bar-coding system should be employed to track each iPod through the process. The website and inventory software will have to easily scalable to handle rapid growth.
Ancillary Ideas
• The obvious sale of iPod accessories and speaker systems.
• Free registration of all iPods (serial numbers) even those that are not even customers yet. This will help control the theft and promote the recovery of iPods. This is an area that Apple does a poor job. This idea alone will create an immense data base of potential customers. This will show us what they own, how old it is and when they may need a replacement
• Warranty programs.
• iPod Repair and data recovery
Preliminary Capital
Inventory: $150K to $250K
IT: $100K to $150K
Operating: $100K
Initial Investment: $350K to $500K
Closing
This is without a doubt a viable market and timely since we are in a recession. People do not want to give up there toys, they just want to pay less for them. As a matter of fact it is actually en vogue to be cheap these days. The secondary market of a proven brand like Apple iPod is extremely fragmented at best and ripe to be consolidated by one dominate player.
Comment by Tom Cannon -
Real-world Education for Kids & Young Adults
Problem: Conventional schooling does little to prepare children for the real world. Kids are not taught how to develop their strengths & passions. The math doesn’t teach them how to save, or use basic tenets such as compounding to their advantage. You don’t learn entrepreneurial or job skills. Worst of all, many children don’t love to read or ever develop the drive to better themselves through engaged schooling because, in my opinion, the rewards are disconnected from the actions.
Solution: A subscription-based model of learning modules, using user-created content, and a social network to foster collaboration between the students and the parents, finally, the graduates can use the network for ventures and job searching when they reach employment age. Less fortunate families would be offered the service for free. Parents could even withhold or give allowances based on module completions.
Funding needs and equity offered…to be discussed.
eaw112@ gmail.com
Comment by Doug H. -
Mr. Cuban,
Please check out http://www.bidrox.com they are going live next week. it looks like a great opportunity.
Comment by Terry Collie -
Mr. Cuban,
I did forget to mention one small detail in my Brand.com idea, the part part about your equity stake if you chose to invest. Here is what I propose, you would buy the lucrative Brand.com domain name from the current owner and let me build my concept on it. As the site grows in popularity and profitability, I would buy the Brand.com domain from you and return all of your investments with a very handsome profit. 90 days to profitability is very ambitious but I think that I could achieve that by first focusing on very large local businesses for the first Brand.com pages. There is a very large Toyota dealership here (Priority Toyota) that is family owned. I had priority.brand.com in mind to be the first member. One of my good friend’s wife works for a large Nissan dealership and she was telling me that car dealerships waste an enormous amount of money moving cars from dealership to dealership to dealership to avoid paying a state tax for a car that remains on a lot >30 days. An auction at priority.brand.com would be a great way to move cars prior to them going over 30 days on a lot (Priority is a family owned business that owners a Toyota, a Chevy, and a couple of other dealerships.) I have a lot of friends in this dealership, including one that goes on vacation with the CEO/owner every year because he is one of their top sales men. If I come up with a good presentation, he can get it to the Owner. Once the other businesses saw the success of this first member, they would be clamoring to get onboard. Brand.com would then explode the same way Twitter, Myspace,and Facebook did. The difference is that Brand.com would have a non-advertising revenue stream right a way in the form of commissions from items sold.
The current revenue breakdown that I propose for Brand.com would be something similar to this: 90% of the revenue for am item sold goes to the originating seller (e.g. Prince in the example that I gave in the original post), 5% would be reserved for a secondary contributor if one existed (e.g. Warner Brothers records produced a lot of Prince’s albums), the remaining 5% would be kept by Brand.com as a commission. This would be a great incentive to everyone to abandon Ebay and come to Brand.com as a seller. Prince would get 90% of the revenue including 90% of the revenue raised from Prince cds, lps, posters etc. sold at prince.brand.com. Warner Bros. and other secondary companies would get revenue from the resale of 20 and 30 year old records that they have never imagined earning revenue from again. This would create a frenzy amongst all of these companies to join brand.com to get a part of this revenue stream.
Comment by Rex D. -
Marc, Although this seems like a crazy idea, (and you seem like a crazy guy) this is my plan:
Hispanic market is first minority in the country ,
Printed Yellow pages business has been proven to be inefective as business and big hispanoc yellow pages have gone bankruptcy already (the only big one standing now is seccion amarilla own by CARLOS SLIM).
I have an alternative : To create a service that is a combination of yellow pages and 411 type of service for hispanics in the US OVER THE PHONE(GREAT IDEA!!!!!!!) . Google has something like that already called 1800 GOOG 411. but not directed to the hispanic users
I called it guiaportelefono.com (website is running already, check it out)
The process is very simple and it works like this:
1. PEOPLE THAT NEED ANY SERVICE OR BUSINESS a toll free number
2. USERS State location and type of business desired (i.e. lawyers in Beverly hillls CA)
3. WE provides USERS with FREE information
4. Customer service Connect Dialer with Business at no cost
5. EVERYBODY HAPPY!!!
Business will be profitable from month 2 or 3.
Business will make money 3 ways:
– Business will subscribe to be in our database.
_ Before a transfer is made, we will have SPONSORS
_ Website advertising.: banners, sponsors, etc.
The concepts is simple , the idea is new (in the hispanic market USA), and is profitable very quickly .
How do you guys like it:?
Comment by Mendieta -
I have an idea for a business that I believe would be killer: http://www.brand.com.
Brand.com would be the “Myspace” of brand names. It would combine the best features of Youtube, Myspace, and Ebay into one website.
How would it work? Brand members of Brand.com would be by invitation only. An initial group of “inviters” would invite brands that are:
a. well-respected
b. known for high quality
c. offer exclusive content
The invited brands would get their own subdomain on brand.com, for example Toyota might get Toyota.brand.com, musician Prince might get prince.brand.com, and Saxophonist David Sanborn might get Sanborn.brand.com.
Then what?
Well let us first use Prince as an example. Prince could sell cds, mp3s, guitars; any thing that he wishes at prince.brand.com. Brand.com woud get a small commission on each item sold. Brand.com could host video, audio, pictures etc. just like Youtube. Prince would upload his content directly to his Brand.com page. He would not have to pay any hosting fees etc., Brand.com would host everything for him. Prince.brand.com would auction capabilities built in. So Prince could auction off exclusive items if he wished such as signed cds, dvds, music lead sheets etc. This is where my plan differs greatly from Ebay: PRINCE COULD MAKE MONEY OFF OF PEOPLE SELLING HIS OLD CDS. How would this work? Brand.com would have members the same way that Ebay does. However, anything sold on Brand.com would have a brand associated with it. Items sold on Brand.com could only appear on the page of the brand holder. For example, any used Prince CD sold on Brand.com would only appear at prince.brand.com. Prince would get a small commission from EVERY Prince CD sold on Brand.com. Can you imagine if Prince got a cut of every used Prince cd sold on Ebay?
How would this work with a non-musical brand like Toyota?
Toyota is sitting on an untapped goldmine in its stories. For example, let us say that Toyota uploads an exclusive video interview with the guy that designed the 2010 Toyota Prius to toyota.brand.com. He talks about his education, his passions, and some of the things that inspired him to design the Prius the way he did. Immediately following the auction, Toyota puts the following items up for auction at Toyota.brand.com: 1.)100 Blue Ray disks of the interview, no reserve, highest bidder wins, all signed by the Prius designer. 2.)100 2010 “Designer Edition”Toyota Priuses, each with a placard signed by the designer.
So Brand.com would sell exclusive items by top brands?
Yes, the thing that would make Brand.com attractive would be that people that love a particular brand would come to see Brand.com as being synonymous with exclusive items from that brand.
Why would brands do this when they could just do it on their own website?
Centrality, the same reason they now have Myspace pages. People want to be seen where all of the action is. Within a few months of opening up, Brand.com would explode and become the “go-to” place for selling your wares. However, their would be exclusivity by the fact that Brands would have to be invited. Only the best brands would get in, no junk allowed. Brand.com would come to be known as the “center” of commerce, so every brand would want to have a brand webpage their.
Brand.com could even earn additional revenue by having a Brand submission application with a small fee.
For example, let us say that Sony loves what Brand.com is doing and wants in. Well Sony fills out an online Brand.com application form and pays a $50 submission fee. For the fee, Brand.com quality auditors will take a close look at Sony’s brand and either accept or reject their admission to Brand.com. if they reject, they will explain to Sony why they were rejected and make recommendations for improvement to maximize the chance of future acceptance. The $50 fee would be non-refundable since the Brand.com staff took time and effort in reviewing the application.
This sounds like a great idea. Why haven’t you set it up yet?
I don’t own the Brand.com domain name and the current owner won’t sell it to me (yet). Other than that, I have a team of people who could do all of the technical details of building the site. I would host the site at Rackspace.com because they have the technical ability to handle the traffic that I suspect the site would receive.
Comment by Rex D. -
I couldn’t be more late with this as I’m only part way through reading February’s postings, but better late than never I guess.
http://www.slideshare.net/sweatequity/powelton-village-project-proposal
Comment by gale -
Mr. Cuban,
Here is an overview on the Sports Fan Development Institute powered by Game Day Communications in which we seek your stimulus support.
http://www.slideshare.net/gamedayjreau/sports-fan-development-institute-business-plan-for-mark-cuban
Upon your review, please let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Jackie Reau
Comment by Jackie Reau -
Mark –
Thanks for inspiring so many of us to share our ideas. Here’s mine:
Too many companies in the US need talent they can’t afford, and too many good people are out of work. People need to be productive, companies need help to survive and to grow in a tough economy. Professional Interns matches hard-working professionals with the companies that need them for unpaid, part-time internships. The interns refine new skills while continuing to search for paying jobs. Some will end up with the companies for which they intern, others will gain the confidence they need to interview well and get a job with another employer.
Is it needed? Obviously. Is it a viable business? I think so, and here’s my plan:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddd2v98z_3d9sm5r54
and the numbers to support it:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pZ998O2xHe9T3sLloOV7lGQ
Let’s get to work!
Comment by Myles Beskind -
I’ve sent 3 different ones to you but I’m blocked for some reason?
Comment by dt -
Mr. Cuban,
I have a question regarding disclosure. With the “green” movement, I have always been interested in alternative energy sources. I have developed a way of creating mechanical energy using gravity/kinetic energy. Unlike solar or wind power, it had no dependency on outside energy sources; it only requires gravity, which is always available. This is basically a machine that does not plug in, that can produce electricity from thin air with zero pollution. Since it produces mechanical energy, it can be used in a variety of applications, not just to produce electricity.
My question is, am I able to post without providing specifics on how this concept works until it is patented, I have put thousands of hours of my time into developing this technology and now I am poised to seek funding for a start up as my concept has been proven. I look forward to your answer and will be happy to send you the specifics if you have any interest. I think the possibilities are limitless and our dependency on fossil fuels is troubling. Thank you in advance for your thoughts, A. Mackey
PS, also, do I have to become a Mavs fan?
Comment by Andrew Mackey -
Well, I might as well give it my best attempt.
My name is Austin Cushing, and I want to start a business. In fact, I plan on trying to make it work regardless of whether I get help in it or not. Many local stores in our area discard of books and other media that doesn’t sell quickly enough, sending them into landfills, and it bothers me. I got into the practice of picking up some here and there and reselling them – I make profits on the transaction and break even on shipping costs, someone gets a book they wanted without having to spend bookstore prices for it, and the book ends up in the hands of a reader rather than a landfill.
My initial foray into this as a form of business was effective, generating higher revenues each week as my inventory began to grow, but collapsed due to one primary reason: space. Or rather, the lack of it. Easily acquired inventory does you little good if you have nowhere to put it, or have to little space to manage it effectively and efficiently.
I have considered various options for storage, from on-site solutions such as a shed to rentable storage facilities or even a full storefront. I have even dabbled with the thought of making a full-fledged bookstore and cafe environment – our area has very little in the way of poetry or musical venues, and my wife and I would like to attract more culture to our neighborhood. However, I know that in order to succeed, you have to start small and work your way up. I want to start with the basics that have already proven to work – a setup run out of the home through various online channels – and expand upon it to bigger and better things as I become more experienced and have more capital available to make considerations about property acquisition without having to invest food money in the venture.
I have weighed the merits of storage options — a rented 10′ by 10′ space for storing inventory would cost approximately $60 per month, while a permanent storage space would cost roughly $1,500 to $2,000 to get installed. However, the costs offset by having said storage space installed on site (a shed or similar building) instead of having to transport inventory to and from the storage location would include transportation and time. It simply makes no sense to store everything offsite until sales are significant enough to justify making the trip.
My employees, as it were, would consist of my wife and myself for the time being. We want this to work in the long term, and we will attempt to make it work — but a strong financial backer would facilitate much faster developments and get things rolling more quickly and efficiently.
Assuming that funding has been provided, the money would be used in the following manner:
1) To obtain an on-site storage solution, 8′ by 10′ or larger as local zoning codes allow, for the storage of inventory. Approximate cost: $2,000, including delivery and installation.
2) Obtaining bookshelves to store initial inventory in reasonable good order. Approximate cost: $500.
3) Obtaining shipping supplies to maintain initial readiness for a wide variety of shipping requirements. Approximate cost: $200.
4) Obtaining initial inventory. While I already have some inventory ready to sell, I would like to make a serious investment in acquisitions to fill my shelves, so that clients have a wide variety of material to choose from. Approximate cost: $1,000.
5) Obtaining postage solutions. I would like to reduce shipping costs by purchasing postage online and printing labels from home; this will have a direct impact on shipping costs, and in turn improve profitability while reducing time spent on the task. Approximate cost: $150 for printer and labels.
This is the extent I can afford to plan for at the moment; investment capital would improve the sustainability of the business venture and ensure that things come together in a matter of weeks rather than months.
As for ROI, profits would be tracked and organized into reports, with trend marketing used to improve our future selections of books and other media to save and sell, so that inventory-to-profit is maximized (ideally.) Of money earned from sales after shipping expenses, followup expenditures would focus first on replacing sold goods and supplies to maintain a stable amount of on-hand inventory; remaining money would be considered profits and would be divided between the investor (to repay and improve upon their initial investment up to a specified maximum) and myself.
I think it’s perfectly fair that if someone chooses to invest money in my business and I am profiting from it, then they should certainly regain the money they invested and then some. I hope you will consider my plan, or follow up with me if you are interested and have further questions. Thank you for your consideration.
Comment by Austin Cushing -
Recycling Dead Walmarts
First, this idea is not anti-Walmart; it’s just trying to recycle abandoned stores.
Walmart works fast–when it sees a location it goes after it, builds a store, and generates revenue. Unfortunately, not all stores survive as predicted. Walmart acknowledges failure quickly and abandons stores that don’t turn a profit. When a Walmart dies it usually leaves behind an empty store front, an empty parking lot, and an empty strip mall. But it also leaves behind infrastructure and potential.
In Lake Highlands, there is an abandoned Walmart. Across the street, there is a thriving Mexican deli. Surrounding both are enough apartment buildings and middle-class houses to support a neighborhood store. But if they can, then why did walmart fail? I’ll tell you and here’s the plan:
Partition the abandoned walmart into a number of sections, such as a neighborhood market-anyone can set up a stand for a price; a day-care center; a job/tax stand; a good-will clothing area. Make it a community co-op and hire a few supervisors/managers to oversee the whole thing.
Think ALDI + local comminity.
Comment by Jason Lohr -
Mr. Cuban
My name is Christa. I have a company along with my partner Laurie called Christa Creations. We are a small company that specializes in scented stuff animals. Our business plan is attached.
http://www.slideshare.net/mschrista/business-plan-for-christa-creations.
We work from our homes to keep costs down and over the past few months have seen a profit. Unfortunately we don’t have the necessary funds to expand our operation. We are a minority owned business and take great pride in our creations. We don’t worry about having anyone imitate our work for the formula of creating our products, advertising, leg work involved and keeping the costs down took many months and trials and tribulations.
We are not asking for much, but rather a jump start to really get our business off the ground. We have had rave reviews and even have a membership list currently being setup.
We have never did a business plan, but we did research and did our best creating this one. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
If you are interested, please feel free to contact me with any questions. Thank you for your time. Ms Christa
Comment by Ms. Christa -
Mark,
Here’s our submission. I look forward to hearing something positive from you.
http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/53703/Precise-Values-Investment-Opportunity
Problem: Banks are losing their shirts on bad loans. For each loan that goes delinquent, one of the first things the bank does is get a value on it. Once they know what it’s worth they can decide whether to modify a loan, approve a short sale, foreclose or sell the note to a private investor. They don’t call a realtor or appraiser themselves, they contract with a valuation provider who handles all the details. We are that provider.
Market: Estimates are as high as $10 Billion in 09. Portfolio valuations account for a large portion of those sales. Only sites that can handle batch orders get that part of the pie. We can. Only 3 of our competitors offer the level of automation and systemization that we’ve implemented.
Opportunity: Precise Values is innovative in that we focus on increasing the banks’ collections and recovery rather than just providing an accurate valuation. We provide an accurate valuation, but we also have products to help them reach the customer (the main goal of collectors) and liquidate inventory they wind up with (wholesale selling of notes and REOs). Banks make money on loans, not on houses. The more inventory they have, the fewer loans they can make which is definitely a contributing factor in the credit crunch.
We are early stage/ start-up that has a bootstrapped a working website system, vendors are currently signing up to provide the valuations and we are actively marketing for our first client.
Revenue: small lenders spend $20k to $50k a mo on valuations. Our over head is 50% of each order plus monthly salaries, internet costs, continued web development.
Cashflow/ break even: On first client we’re break-even. We’ve kept overhead low, and plan to use profits to grow. We’ve gotten some warm reviews, but no contract yet. We’ve got some marketing material out there and are hitting the pavement. So why don’t we just get a client? We’ve run out of funding and credit for everything. My partner just quit his job to be full-time, and I’m already full-time plus. It’s now or never.
Funding Request: We’d love $100k, but we can continue to bootstrap on $50k which will be used for marketing, hiring an asst. and salaries and webdevelopment.
How Mark gets paid: We’re offering up to 10% equity or debt financing at 15%, but you’d be crazy to not take the equity.
Thanks for your time. I look forward to your comments.
Comment by Tracey King -
9139 Boulevard 26 Suite 540, North Richland Hills, TX. 78180
Click here to skip directly to our product information
Click here to skip directly to the team
Click here to skip directly to the numbers
BiiCast is the holding company founded and equipped for the development of life changing GPS enabled LBS mobile applications and solutions all designed with the purpose of making everyday life a little easier on everyone who uses our products. We look to identify, engineer, and market multiple brands, but focus on each creation one at a time to increase our earnings through longevity and/or sale of that brand. BiiCast is a start-up in its development stage. The board is composed of experienced professionals in various areas of expertise. As a team, they represent a strong and cohesive board, linked together by shared beliefs and the BiiCast vision of changing lives for the better on both sides of the coin.
Hail the taxi of your choice, by rating, from your smart phone in seconds!
Why?
For Consumers: People always roll the dice when they order or hail a taxi. They never know what they are going to get when it comes to safety, service, personal hygiene, language, etc. What if you could use your smart phone to view the closest GPS enabled taxis to your current location on a map, browse them by rating, view their name and picture, view an interactive driver profile for more information, and secure service directly with the driver of your choice, while coming down the elevator in your office, standing comfortably inside, or just as you walk out the door, in seconds. The interactive driver profile expands to show you other consumer comments on the driver, allow you to pay by credit card, allow someone else to pay your fare remotely, or let the driver know after your ride that you left something in the taxi, and get immediate resolution. Allowing you to directly deal with the driver of your choice, in less time than it takes to call dispatch and get someone on the phone to take your order. All of that and you also get to immediately help the drivers that you like with a tip, a great rating, a comment, or choose them as your favorite which gives them search priority. You can help improve those that need it with comments and ratings, or help ensure that those that don’t belong find something else to do. Don’t worry about bad input because of a bad day for a driver will not affect a good driver’s rating, only those that are consistently poor in customer service and safety, which is good for the industry. What if rain, snow, sleet, wind, and cold weather could be avoided every time you needed a cab? Would you use it? What if the application was free and you only paid when you use it with no extra billing? Would you download it, just in case you need it one day? Why use a directory style application that only lets you search for cabs from specific companies? Wouldn’t it be better if you could see all cabs from all companies that were relevant to your search because of their location, not their branding?
For Drivers and controlling entities: Dispatch groups and medallion controlling entities are adopting GPS at record rates after years of being slow to adopt almost any technology upgrades. But, all of this money is being spent and the drivers have no choice, so the devices are being received with mixed reviews and protest. Drivers see them as just tracking devices. The companies want to adopt more efficient means of dispatch and help the drivers earn more, but even automatic GPS dispatch doesn’t guarantee that, and despite their best efforts they cannot get the drivers to understand or accept that the GPS is there for efficiency and safety, not tracking. What about a system designed to allow the driver to view and use the GPS fleet tracking equipment as a tool to earn more money? What about a system that rewards hard work and great customer service with real results, gives the driver hands on interaction with the system that psychologically transfers responsibility solely to them, and starves bad drivers into submission or retirement, saving the industry and company face which helps the city image and fights an age-old problem of no accountability? Also, our solution provides an alternative to credit card processing equipment, or a backup plan to existing equipment which reduces the chances of drivers driving away thinking they got paid when they did not. Remote payments being accepted will reduce the amount of time it takes to resolve issues of inability to pay and an alternative to involving law enforcement. All of this is done from a secured iPhone cradled in plain view of the driver to allow them to log in, view fare prompts for service (location/destination), and respond and view information on the fare without distraction, talking, or cumbersome controls associated with most all dispatch devices which allows greater concentration and safety. Using the iPhone’s touch screen capability allows fares to be accepted or denied in a one touch sequence that does not distract the driver. Drivers can also log into their account via the iPhone and view their statistics.
What?
A Mobile application supported by an intricate, patent pending back end arrangement that reports the location of the nearest taxis equipped with GPS tracking devices to consumers, upon scrolling over the icon for the driver on the map the patron sees a short driver profile that shows rating, picture, and name. Once the consumer chooses a driver specifically a full page interactive driver profile is displayed that allows the user to view the driver’s picture, see their name, pay by credit card, rate the driver, enter comments or notify them that they left a bag. The driver logs in via his profile on the in-car iPhone provided by BiiCast as an interaction medium to reduce distractions and increase safety through simple button displays for interaction that is not based on speech or texting.
Business Summary:
For CabDaddy: What we can and aim to do is to provide a total solution to the Taxi Industry, those who consume their services, and the businesses that support both of them. The ONLY solution that offers increased earnings, reduced costs to do so, and as a result allowing taxis, limo’s, mini vans et al to perform better in a reduced timestamp, all the while reducing the amount of time that these vehicles must be driving and limits aimless driving to reduce the carbon footprint of these vehicles dramatically. No other solution offers the key to fixing all of the problems in the taxi industry which is the allowing these drivers to earn more money truly based on their merit. Taxi drives work more and earn less than most professions in the U.S., all the while, exposing themselves to danger.
We currently have 3 more conceptual solutions that can be developed once CabDaddy is sustainable
The results for Consumers:
No more stress with the hassle and a gamble of random hailing or calling
Available taxis shown from multiple companies all at once ensuring customers get the absolute closest taxi every time
No longer wait times in rain, sleet, snow, wind and splashing water
No more unsafe nighttime walking while hoping to find a taxi
No hailing frustrations during peak hours
No need to ever call dispatch again
Never wait for a cab to be dispatched from across town
Use taxis when you need them immediately without moving to New York City
Peace of mind
Faster and reliable service
A better life
The results for the Drivers:
No other system out there proposes a means for the driver to earn more money…This can no longer be ignored.
Less missed opportunities while driving
Fewer miles wasted driving to and from fares
Less fuel spent to achieve and fulfill the fare thus greener and environmentally friendly
Less downtime
Eliminate no show rate as all contact is based on proximity
Less stress
Viable credit card processing solution for the majority of Taxis
A real tool for efficiency
Doormen and dispatchers show favoritism to tippers, forcing drivers to forfeit up to 50% of the fare, let’s make this a non-factor
Shorter distances to fares
Secure a new fare at the end of the old one
More money earned
Less money spent
Less time lost
A better life
The results for Businesses and Large Venues:
Less time spent by hotels trying to secure a cab for guests
Front desk employees will no longer spend as much face time with patrons looking to schedule transportation services
Savings for large hotel chains of millions of dollars per year by suggesting their customers to use the service
More efficient way for offices, bars and restaurants to secure taxi service for clients, staff and patrons
Receptionists can spend more time working, less time securing for-hire services for clients or staff
Ability to readily provide these services, where the customer wants, anytime which will drive revenue for the entire industry
Reduced or eliminated cost of front desk employees’ at hotels interacting with patrons
Viable reporting service to report to patrons where their shuttles are at the airport
Viable reporting service to patrons where their shuttles are on location
Swift means for removing disorderly individuals without affecting the other customers in bars and restaurants.
A better life
Sales/Marketing Initial Approach:
For New York City, drivers will be able to use CabDaddy business cards, and our COO knows the owner of two television stations in New York City that has vowed to give us air time because of his belief in the system and Jan Gerits currently runs two marketing firms in NYC, which can help us dramatically and has, allowing him to treat his work with us as a business development effort for now.
Hotels and large gathering venues can use CabDaddy as a means for appearing to offer efficient service, while putting this duty back into the hands of the consumer by offering our marketing materials as an alternative.
We would also like to form partnerships with different carriers to offer kiosks in hotels and other venues with high traffic that have the latest smart phones for them to “play with” and use our service to secure taxi service, despite not having a smart phone. The result is the customer may, in effect, sell themselves a new phone.
As for other markets we offer exclusive Pilot tests to cab companies and medallion controlling entities. Upon pilot release we will exercise press releases on local newscasts and radio stations. Gains are defined as follows: increased revenue – heightened customer satisfaction and driver enthusiasm – higher repeat business – market share gain.
Offer services like free download to customers and marketing materials will be made available. An active word of mouth strategy towards drivers and users is part of the approach. On-going in-depth research is currently conducted with Corporations, Drivers and Consumers.
The Numbers
Target Markets:
• 236,000 Taxis in America alone (worth $424M a year in recurring revenue)
• 504,000,000 Taxi rides per year (worth $756M a year in revenue)
• 241,000,000 Taxi rides in New York City every year worth $364,000,000 a year (WE HAVE AN IMMEDIATE OPPORTUNITY HERE!)
• 13,300 Taxis worth $23,900,000 per year in set recurring revenue (WE HAVE AN IMMEDIATE OPPORTUNITY HERE!)
• For-hire transportation growth rate ranges from 20-44%
• Customers are taxi/shuttle/limo companies (Primary), end-users of the
• Application (Primary) and service oriented businesses (secondary).
• Target markets should be any market of 100,000 or more residents, unless significant tourism is present (e.g. casinos, popular retreats such as Tucson, AZ)
Customers:
• Had 2 hour meeting in New York City with the Taxi and Limousine Commission where they expressed a genuine interest in this service and brought to light that funds are available to secure such services and that is without viewing a demonstration. We have built a buzz through Twitter and other means. We are invited back for a formal presentation and have basically been told to be ready to pilot 200 Taxis. This is the reason for our urgency. Our COO has inside connections in the city government.
• Taxi company in San Antonio (440 Units) – wants to pilot.
• Texas Taxi (#1 dispatch in Houston and San Antonio Texas) has an interest in pilot
• Cowboy Cab of Dallas in interested in Piloting (520 Units) (GPS enabled)
• Yellow cab Dallas has shown an interest in pilot (1100+ units, plus shuttles)
• American Taxi (900 units) likes the idea and would like continued follow-up on our status.
• Dade County Florida: Transportation manager has shown an interest in profiling bus and light rail systems to integrate with CabDaddyGPS for coordination and reporting to consumers.
• Chilean Government: Expressed an interest in profiling public transportation and for-hire industries to report locations to consumers for consumption in a more efficient manner. (Aiming for Government contract)
• Many Drivers, consumers, and hotel managers have shown interest and agree that it is a total solution to eradicate the weaknesses of current business model.
Competition:
• Google RideFinder: This shows balloon points on a map of taxi and shuttle locations and displays the dispatch number for that service. Nothing on the blog or in the news that is newer than 2005. Currently displaying super shuttle.
• Taxi Magic: Our closest competitor to date. But the only similarities are GPS systems, credit card processing that they must pay for through a 3rd party, sister company, but other than that, they are just like the others a glorified directory. Nice product but delivery defeats the purpose. They have no answer for New York City which is 50% of the taxi business in the US and we designed our product around the problems in New York.
• CallACab: CallACab is an entry in the 1st Google Android platform that was approved for release in the new phones as a feature. This cannot succeed without concentrated efforts.
• Zingo: Zingo was introduced in the U.K. as a service that when called dispatched the nearest taxi to a taxi beacon that was GPS enabled. Too limited but still succeeded.
Business Model:
• Taxi Drivers will pay $150/mo/unit (Large Markets) or $37.50 per week which makes it more affordable for the drivers; this is deducted automatically along with per use fees. Our backend system allows us to track which drivers owe per use fees. (Cities like NYC with multiple drivers per vehicle pay less, as we charge per vehicle.)
• Consumers will pay $1.50 per use to use the service but downloading the app is free.
• Service oriented businesses will not pay to display our marketing materials. To use our service for scheduling, they will pay $19.99 per month
• Service Oriented businesses will pay $19.99/unit/month to profile shuttles for their business using equipment purchased from a fleet tracking solutions provider.
Return on Investment:
Investors should expect at least 10-100XROI within a 3-5 year period or better.
Team
FOUNDERS:
Chief Executive Officer: Samuel Hyatt
Sam does certainly not lack the ability to garner support needed for success. Sam has succeeded in bringing our first product, CabDaddyGPS from a simple thought to a full-fledged project with advisors, 7 expert team members, and a lot of investor/customer interest. Sam is proficient in Sales, Research, Development, and Management. Most importantly he is a visionary entrepreneur who can recognize opportunities and turn them into tangible business.
Chief Operating Officer: Jan Gerits
Jan has extensive experience in marketing, brand building and communication. He has also been MD and CEO of various companies in different countries across Asia, Europe and the US. Other than the global perspective that he brings to the business, he has a proven track record in successfully bringing to market a number of consumer and technology based products. He has a strong corporate business development background and is by nature a lateral thinker who provokes unconventional thinking about ordinary problems.
Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary: David Hutton
David is a highly talented attorney with special expertise in international multi-jurisdictional, transactional and contract law. He provides our legal support, counsel to management and manages our representation of the company’s interests covering a wide variety of issues and subjects both locally and internationally. David also contributes to the growth and development of BiiCast by providing his experienced guidance in numerous legal and administrative areas.
Chief Technology Officer: Paul Gunder
Paul is a seasoned Chief Technical Officer and Entrepreneur. He brings to the table a proficiency at every level. His “out of the box” thinking has resulted in successfully developing a number of incredible applications. Not surprisingly, he is a true professional and passionate about innovation and ideation. Paul is a true technical leader with all the skills to lead the team in creating a product that will surely succeed.
Other Team Members:
Vice President of Business Development (Americas/Europe): Efrain Rodriguez
Efrain is a retired military Special Operations Reverse Signal Engineer with a very impressive background, extensive education, and a set of global contacts that will allow him to take the CabDaddyGPS product beyond boundaries. Efrain has already had productive high level contacts with Governmental and private business leaders in Chile and the US.
Senior Advisor to the Board: Leroy Levin
Leroy is a professional Senior Developer with expertise on most platforms. He is a .NET enthusiast and professional in that arena and is tackling J2ME to help our project become portable across all mobile platforms.
Senior Advisor: Jean Vincent: A 20 year veteran of Silicon Valley, Jean Vincent has done it all. He has been CEO, CTO, and CFO of startups from concept to exit. Driven by the business logic behind our application, his commitment to green initiatives, and curiosity; Jean volunteered to be a permanent advisor for us for nothing in return. Jean’s most notable business ventures, are Centile, an award-winning VoIP company today integrated into 8×8’s flagship VirtualOffice service for small businesses, and Callbright, a call-tracking startup sold to Reynolds and Reynolds in 2005.
We also have several individuals from GPS Fleet tracking industry and mobile software industry who will be joining us soon.
BiiCast’s current estimated pre-money valuation: $940,000 to $1,150,000
BiiCast is seeking minimum $750k to finish development of our CabDaddy product, and get through a 200 taxi pilot with NYC. Beyond that we will need $3-5M in funding to further develop market, introduce, and sell our unique products. The investment will help to establish our corporate identity, to purchase the rights to use major mapping services at commercializing stage, to create successful test markets, and to fund implementation and expansion. These operating expenses will cover one calendar year, after which we should be cash positive even beyond this investment.
BiiCast is incorporated in Delaware, with a development center in Texas and a remote office in New York City. Product development is in place and we are happy to present you with the roll out of our first brand, based on unique, patent-pending technology.
Comment by Sam Hyatt -
Hello, everybody!
First, THANK YOU Mr. Mark Cuban for this exciting and wonderful opportunity. I welcome any and all thoughts. I think I may have caused the whole thing to crumble to begin with as I let a car go back to Ford Motor Credit Dec.07. But I’m ready to help fix just a little corner of our economy.
The name of my company will be:
Squeezepenny Sustainable Farm
Producing fresh, high quality, “Certified Organic” Hydroponically grown fresh vegetables in a Controlled Environment. Delivering locally (50 mile radius) from our 50 acre 24/7 sustainable farm.
Our first crops solely of Organic Hydro Bibb Lettuce.
We would be in the U.S.Dept. of Agriculture’s “Specialty Vegetables” classification.
The consumer driven demand in our niche market is looking for a quality, pesticide-free, soil-free, eco-friendly carbon footprint reducing product. They are at present willing to pay a 10-30% premium.
The numbers used will have to be reworked with the true and exact figures after the decisions are made on systems and models for the greenhouses, the electricity generating windmill(s), etc..
I have already dove into the fine, very fine print of the manuals.
The mark up is expected to be at least 100%.
Cost to raise per head approx. $1.00
Selling price per head approx. $2.00
Ten(10) greenhouses that produce approx. 6000 heads each per crop.
A crop takes a approx.thirty-two (32) days to harvest resulting in only eleven (11) harvests per year. That’s 660,000 heads per year. If Funding were available mid-April, the first planting would be mid-July with a harvest of mid-August. Allowing us to sneak up and be established before the normal harvest season ends in our area(by the end of Oct).At that time WE STILL GET TO PRODUCE YEAR ROUND. We are located in Collin Couty, TX. The closest commercial Hydro producer in our D/FW market is located approx. 145 miles away. Their product is marked as Hydro (If you are NOT certified by the USDA you can’t put “Organic” on the label). I found them at Brookshire’s with a retail price $3.99. Today at a Super WalMart (they carry another brand) retail price was $4.99 a week ago) they are out of stock (no clue if that is due to the demand or lack thereof with the harvests arriving at the markets currently). BUT NOT TO FEAR, we are NOT going to the chain grocery stores (or at least not yet). Our fail-forward idea would be a Produce Broker ) our market niche is already is place. EVERY “LOCAL” “Organic” Farmers Market (Frisco, Plano, Allen, etc…) And the regular well establihed Dallas Farmers Market and a local McKinney Farmers Market only open Apr.-Oct each year. Rest. chains that are PROUD (and adverstising about it) to commit to buy X % of their produce locally. The USDA sponsored “Farm to School” program is another possibility.
I understand that we may help to drive down the premium now paid by providing a lower priced product to the consumer, making the need to diversify into the other types of lettuce and herbs. The Bibb (Boston or Butterhead) has the most profit potential. The local rest. chain that wants 25% local grown uses Romaine. At that point we will add more greenhouses (with 1/2 of them alloted for the increase of the current type and the other 1/2 for the new product).
I would be seeking a loan in the amount of $700,000.00 for 5 years. I fully expect to take advantage of the US Gov./SBA/7a federally backed Small Business Loan Program for the land deal.
That would be the first approx. $65,000.00 out of your loan. First month 2 full-time jobs created , second 2 more and by the third 1-3 other part-time jobs added. Approx. 15 contracted workers to build buildings. And my first re-distribution of your stimulus would be back to the LOCAL gov., ie. fees, permits, site tests. I thought Agri-Tourism would come in later but since the liabil. insur. has to be in place prior to the Electric Coop working on site -we may as well go ahead. I have been thinking of nothing else (forgot to eat dinner tonight) since reading your original post. Consumed to say the least, my family says I won’t shut up about the details. I have the available data from the lastest 2007 USDA Reports. They publish ONLY every 5 years. I also have details on the land to be purchased. With a $120,000.00 cash payment to be exchanged at time of purchase. I would get it in advance on leasing out the house also on the land. I’m not trying to get rich quick, instead I look forward to working the farm and this business for the next 20 years. My personal financial goals would be to pay my outstanding debt to FMCC and you and your investors. I could take the cash-method one step further and not seek any additional credit. You remember a company that pays as it goes for costs of goods sold.
I look forward to helping you help myself and the others it could benefit.
Penny
Comment by Penny -
http://www.slideshare.net/guest35fa3f0/just-try-and-find-me
Comment by Kim -
I see that your number 2. rule states that “It can not be a business that generates any revenue from advertising.” I have a unique marketing company headquartered here in Dallas that has been in operation for a little over a year; one I wouldn’t necessarily classify as advertising. In fact, I often refer to what we do as manufacturing, that is, we take raw data and develop clients from it. Additionally, we now have products to sell to the clients we develop. With that being said, I guess you could say we have created a way to market our products in-house.
What I began doing sheds light on how my company evolved to what I am attempting to do now. I had a referral service, referring consumers around the country to financial advisors licensed in their respective states for a free financial review. This is done via direct mail and recipients of the mailers dial a toll free number which is answered by our call center personnel who qualify the call and set the appointments. We are paid for appointment packages and the demand for our services is literally unimaginable. There are hundreds of thousands of agents throughout the nation looking for tried and true marketing programs. Initially I was exclusive with one client; a subsidiary of Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America. The ole adage — “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” – is something I learned the hard way. On April 13th, 2008, Chris Hansen did an NBC Dateline Investigative Report on Allianz. This report showed the improper sale of annuity products to seniors. After agreeing to refund consumers billions of dollars they ordered the company I was contracted with to cut their overhead by a third and I was the first branch trimmed off the tree. I restructured as an FMO (field marketing organization), and became the first and only FMO in the life settlement industry, which is where my focus now lies.
I have several financial products available for sale; for small investors (minimum $25k) to large institutional investors (I currently have a $711 million buy box available and $500 million to $1 billion of fresh paper available each month through my sources). I am also in the process of becoming a state licensed broker which will allow me to orchestrate the purchase of life insurance policies from individuals and I have several large buyers available at all times. One of our products has been producing mid-level double digit annual returns (see Wall Street Journal article; February 4th, 2009; “Life-Settlement Business Gets a Boost Amid Crisis”). 60 Minutes also called it the perfect no risk investment of the future! These vehicles are not affected by market fluctuations or economic downturns. In fact, the worse the economy is, the better our business does. There are over $14 trillion of these policies available to the secondary market.
As the annuity market continues to diminish over the next few years, while the L/S market continues to grow almost exponentially – estimated annual sales to be in the neighborhood of $160 – $180 billion in the next few years –agents who have been making their living from annuities are looking for an alternative products to sell. This presents an extraordinary opportunity for us and for an investor to coming in now as we have an incredible, custom designed, technical infrastructure in place and the know-how, based on past experience, to make this fly to great heights. I would love to recruit 5000 agents nationwide within 24 months. The talismanic key though, is our in-house tried and true ability to get them in front of prospective buyers of our products. I just need some water to prime the pump!
Comment by Walker -
I have been involved in computer science academics for 16 years. I have been running a computer business for over 14 years. I have recently sold most of my assets to a company by the name of T-Mobile.
I reside in Europe but am currently enjoying the fruits of my previous efforts while skiing here in Utah, which I can highly recommend (despite this year apparently being a bad season).
I have about 2 years of grace period which I’m using to start a new business (which I would like to start in the U.S., or maybe even Australia) while I continue to look at other developments in the computer industry.
What I’ve been both actively and passively following (on and off) for the last 8 years is the upcoming 3D market. Gartner research predicts a 100 fold increase in the 3D printing market in 2011 in comparison to 2006. That’s somewhat obvious and doesn’t require an expensive consulting firm to predict.
I’ve been tracking a predominately one man (currently two men other than myself) company that has been a) acquiring (one should say inventing) intellectual property pertaining to the 3D market and b) has been selling his/their product for over 2 years now.
This company is receiving a lot of interest from a whole score of industries; museums, military and law enforcment, industrial design and manufacturing, to name but a few. Things are changing. Very soon we won’t be having a classic two picture mug shot anymore, to name one of the things that’s changing due to the maturing of this industry.
I never look at what is profitable, I always look at developments that generate a “wow” factor for myself. If it looks profitable, then someone else has already seen that. “You have to have an elevator pitch” is one of the biggest lies I’ve (repeatedly) come across in the entrepreneurial climate, although don’t let that statement stop you from coming up with one. Apple didn’t look profitable to Hewlett Packard. Google didn’t look profitable to most people while everybody thought that paid ranking (remember AltaVista?) would be profitable. “The world is round” didn’t look profitable to the church. It’s not that people (or the reigning power) didn’t want to recognize these highly profitable changes. The reigning logic and methods of reasoning of the time simply prevented them from inferring these changes which ultimately changed the reigning logic.
My peers call me an imaginative maverick and I’d like to get in touch with this other maverick for which his adjective has apparently not yet been assigned.
I live in a part of the world that has the highest natural air pressure on the globe. I’m currently vacationing in a somewhat lower pressure area (the locals appropriately call it “Life Elevated”) till the 29th of March after which I’m returning to the high pressure area. I’d like for you to visit my (other) home country and show you around the country while expanding your horizon on this industry and this particular business.
Even if you don’t get involved, we can still have a good time, I never waste my or others time.
Comment by Imaginative Maverick -
Hi – Yesterday I posted a test comment as I was having trouble uploading. It did get posted.
Then I posted my plan. It got posted and the test disappeared.
Today I go to your site to read comments – the test post has appeared and the plan post has disappeared Help !
Cutting to the chase – The link below shows the product line I developed with Sweat Equity – Energy – PASSION and Bootstrap Capital.
I still have the Sweat Equity – Energy – PASSION – but not the Bootstrap Capital.
After trying several Business Models – A learning curve. I found what works best to sell my products. It is not Wholesale. It is not Retail on my own branded E-commerce Web Site. It is selling Retail on an E-commerce Portal – Namely Amazon.com
http://www.geocities.com/feb14thgourmet2000/photopagetan.html?200169
My plan/proposal is to focus on one product for now- my International Award Winning Jerk BBQ Seasoning which is the most likely to hit 60 Day Break Even – 90 Day Profits – given an early May Roll Out to capitalize on The Memorial Day to Labor Day Prime BBQ Season.
The link to my slide show is below. No new jobs are created but equally important – JOBS ARE RETAINED.
http://docs.google.com/Present?docid=dfbmms8g_2g8f2p2cf&skipauth=true
If my post was dropped for some non computer glitch – please advise – I like the idea that the plan can be seen world wide – I hope it is your cup of tea – but if not – perhaps it is for someone else.
Thank you for your consideration.
Rod Valentine – Phoenix, AZ
Comment by Rod Valentine -
>>>Other private lenders are considered, 100% money back guranteed (sic), no risk.<<<
No risk… Yeah, right. LOL. If there’s no risk your bank will be happy to lend you the money.
Geez, it’s no wonder Mark isn’t responding to anyone. It’s just a bunch of crackpots.
Comment by Matt R -
Oh my dear Mark, do you ever respond to anyone. I know you are a busy man and so I am a busy woman too. Business is hard to run as it stand, so please take a minute out of your hectic schedule to let me know if my plan interest you. I am a small business woman taking over a large business. I have the loyal customers to service. Investment is 50,000 of your money with a 20,000 return in 6 months, along with your 50,000.
Other private lenders are considered, 100% money back guranteed, no risk. All sales based on orders.
Comment by S.J. -
How can I have my business plan removed? Please advise.
Comment by Peggy Sagers -
EquityLock Financial offers Home Price Protection the first product offered nationaly to a homeowner which enables them to protect their home equity against market downturns. Founders spent 2 1/2 years on the concept and launched in late 2008 with an initial focus on Builders and Developers. To date we are working with real estate companies, mortgage brokerages, PMI and MI carriers and homeowners who purchase to help sell their home using it as an incentive or for their own peace of mind.
We have support from Robert Shiller, well known economist and Yale professor.
We have had a heck of time raising capital for a national campaign given market conditions but have been fortunate to write business in many states with many different types of markets.
Full BP, ES, Financials and anything you would ever need to evaluate risk, underwriting etc… available on request.
P.S. We are a Texas based company.
Thanks
David Camp
Comment by David Camp -
I post this with mixed emotions, as I don’t like it when people promote their stuff in my blog comments. However, many of the ideas I’ve seen written here might not exactly fit the guidelines as described, but they may fit our startup incubator in Austin, Texas. CapitalFactory provides cash, services, and mentorship from 20 talented entrepreneurs. Applications due April 3, 2009.
I wish you all luck in getting Mark (or anyone who might read this and like your idea) to fund your company!
Comment by Bryan Menell -
@Steve:
Yeah, I understand that most recycling projects are government subsidized. For example, I’m forced to pay my city every month for the “privilege” of having recycling. In protest, I put everything in the regular can. It irritates me to no end that they are charging me to sell my stuff.
Now if I were a real greenie (and this is where the Teton deal has potential trouble), I’d save all the cans and give ’em to the Boy Scouts. The other stuff I’d take to the free recycling dumpsters at the local hippie grocery store. Why pay when I can just dump it there?
Comment by Matt R. -
@Grace Cruz: I’m sorry to hear about your situation – it is very unfortunate.
I’m not sure but I sort of doubt that is the type of business Mark is looking to invest in.
Have you considered talking to the guys at lifestylesunlimited.com? They are a mentoring organization that helps people do exactly the types of real estate deals you mentioned. Among other things, they help pair people that have the time to find houses with the people who have the money to invest, the skills to rehab the houses and accountants and lawyers who can oversee the transaction. Just a thought.
Comment by Matt R. -
Hi Mr. Mark Cuban. I have read many of the comments on this site and is it true that you are looking to make even more money for yourself? I thought I finally found a kind hearted billionaire that had his heart in the right place. I am a senior citizen who is about to lose my home of twenty eight years and yes I am looking for help. I want to start a Real estate business with my brother who is already in the real estate business. What I need is capital. That is what I am asking for. We will find the homes that are in very bad condition and hire plumbers,painters and gardeners and who ever I need to put the house back on the market.
Let me explain why I need your help. In 1994 My husband was in a terrible truck accident. He was on the very top of his load and the fork lift driver pushed one of the pallets and it knocked my husband to the pavement below. He crushed his back and One foot. The doctors did the best they could for him. He has steel screws and metal pins holding his foot together and they also had to take bones from other parts of his body to replace all the bones that were crushed. He has never been the same.
I could not work myself because in 1986 I found out I have a disease called Fibromyalgia that disease attacks all my muscles, tendons and nerves through out my whole body. I am in pain 24/7. I cannot afford health insurance and should I have a flair up and my body starts to attack my vital organs I will not be able to go to any hospital or see a doctor.
Since 1994 We have been living off our funds from our savings account which at this time is almost depleted. We earn eleven hundred and fifty dollar a month and our house payment is almost one thousand dollars a month. As you see we are not able to pay all our bills. We have no one and no where to turn. That is why I asking you for help. I know you have rules and I have to be honest with you right up front I will not show income in six months. I would first find the property and then hire all the workers to put the house on the market place. This all takes time and money. I am so desperate for help and a better life style then I have had all these years. I know we will be able to start this business. Please give me a way to save my home and a new start out of this misery, that I am in now. I cannot say much more it is up to you to decide to help me or not. I need a God send. I hope you are willing to help me. Thank You
Comment by Grace Cruz -
This is a test – having trouble uploading.
Rod Valentine
Comment by Rod Valentine -
The short answer is, it cost more to recycle than you can make from it. Any Municipality with a recycling program has to subsidize it. I think the accepted line of thought that it is desirable to recycle items designed to be disposed of should be re-examined. There are multiple reasons to doubt the assumed negative macro enviromental impact of NOT recycling these types of items.
There are some things that are not economically viable which the government should subsidize. The military comes to mind! (Even though you could make an arguement for the peace dividend from that investment.) However, I believe that such an approach should be extremely rare.
Auto salvage yards exist because it is economical to recycle car parts.
I think the ultimate solution is to find a way through better processes, etc. to make recycling disposables economically feasable…in the free market.
Comment by Joel Black -
To Matt R –
Teton Valley Recycling is not my business plan, but I can answer that one pretty easily having seen the downside of a business that depended on the market value of recyclables. Simply put, the value is subject to extreme and untenable fluctuations. Supply and demand is not only subject to the usual economic considerations, but also the ever changing cost effectiveness of reprocessing vs new raw materials. In addition, recycling is mostly an international industry, so frequent changes in laws, supplies and processing capabilities anywhere in the world can have an impact.
There is value to recycling beyond the free market economy, so it would be reasonable for governments to provide price supports. Unless that ever happens, any recyclable collection business plan dependent on market prices is an invitation to eventual failure.
I think the bigger failure in the Teton Valley plan is that there are probably not enough people willing to pay extra to recycle instead of just throw it in the trash. If the recycling was part of a more comprehensive trash pickup plan – for example replace their only competitor’s $70 month for trash only with $70 for trash collection and recycling – they would have a chance. Then again, the competitor would be easily able to match the offer and have the benefit of an established infrastructure. It’s tough to compete with a defacto monopoly, even with some of the advantages of reduced overhead.
Without local political will due to the lure of reduced landfill and a desire to be green, this kind of plan is tough to accomplish.
I think the best way for Teton Valley to try to become viable is to sell the service before creating the infrastructure, and if they get enough takers for critical mass, than execute on the rest of the plan. In this way the plan could also be mostly self-financing. An additional lure that would also create tremendous customer loyalty would be to give a very small amount of stock to customers that commit up-front. Maybe they could even raise additional real equity capital that way. Think of the free publicity attendant to that offer, which could also be another factor in achieving success.
-Steve
Comment by Steve -
A question for TetonValleyRecycling: Why would I want to pay you to collect my valuable stuff (cans and bottles) that you go off and sell at a profit?
Why not just come get the stuff (no charge to me) and make your money by selling it to recyclers?
Comment by Matt R -
I have been promising my business plan for Cajun Sports Cream and I have now completed it and the presentation can be viewed at: http://www.slideshare.net/cajunsportscream/cajun-sports-cream-1182891
Comment by Marcy Jordan -
Hi Mark
This is an amazing idea. And I sincerely hope it works.
Here is what I am heading towards doing. I am in the process of opening a bakery/coffee shop in downtown Chicago. I was offered an extraordinary opportunity to get into a space. The shop is in a community that has been looking for what I can offer. 2 blocks down is a fire station, across the street is a hospital and a high school. The consumers are there, and at the moment have very few places where they can go to get coffee and something amazing on their way to work.
The competition is there, but serving very different things then what I have to offer. I have been doing craft fairs and did my first year at Renegade Craft Fair this year. I have been testing my products for the past 6 months and my product has met with praise at every turn.
I am looking for $30k to fund renovations in the space, fund payroll, purchase supplies, purchase a work vehicle for deliveries, as well as rent for the first month or so. The cost to run the business for 1 month with 1-3 employees is $8k.
The Posh Bake Shoppe will assist in revitalizing a community, the area has seen several business close down, one of which was a small convenience store. I will also be providing jobs. The bakery will be around the corner from Wicker Park area, and hopefully will draw in customers from that side of town, as well as encourage other boutiques and businesses to open on this street.
I believe I will turn a profit in 90 days, with aggressive marketing and going out into the neighborhood to make our presence known. I would like Friday nights to be open to local Dj’s providing a place for them to spin for friends and fans, it would be BYOB, with coffee and my products available for purchasing.
When I have the funding, the Landlord will allow me to take over the space in the back to renovate for meetings, cake tastings, or small events. I ran an Event Planning business for 5 years and would like to bring that back in and merge the two. Eventually hiring on an Event Planner to run that side of the business.
I am offering any investor a 15% stake in the company, open for negotiations, or I am willing to discuss profit sharing. I would like the option to buy back the stake in 5 years. Also in 3-5 years I would like to see a second Posh Bake Shoppe open. Which could lead to a longer investment relationship and higher profits for all involved. If you have any further questions please email me at shayna@poshcelebrations.com I have almost completed my business plan, there are a few numbers I need to work on. But would be willing to email you a copy if needed.
Thank you for your time and I hope I will be hearing from you soon!
Comment by Shana Box -
@Mark R. turn that into a spreadsheet and I am sure you will get funding somewhere.
Comment by Steve Holden -
Kyle Cavil said: My mother blew every dime she had saved over the last 2 years – NEVER REQUESTING ANYTHING FROM ANYONE!! We lost well over 1 million in assets.
Wow, why would she “blow” every dime she saved? That seems foolish.
Anyone who loses over one million dollars in assets must surely have more, right? The market is down, but only by 50ish percent. No prudent investor has lost everything or even close to it.
Comment by Matt R. -
Dear Mark Cuban Please Take a Look at our Complete Business Plan
at http://www.slideshare.net/tetonvalleyrecycling
questions or comments tetonvalleyrecyling@gmail.com
Comment by tetonvalleyrecycling -
Dear Mark Cuban Please Take a Look at our Complete Business Plan
Comment by tetonvalleyrecycling -
Mark, my plan is simple. Find an undeserved market (nuclear power) with a fast growing need that scales – additional services, international sales, and provide it with exceptional service and a great return for client investment in time and money. Cool Hand Nuke has been designed and is being developed to do just that. It will be a proof of concept which will allow for expansion into other under served markets when and where appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvhNGqHUQV0
Short version 50% of current U.S. nuclear workforce is retirement eligible within 10 years. 30 licenses for new plant construction submitted to the NRC. International growth opportunity is exceptional.
Cool Hand Nuke will be the premier online destination for the engaged nuclear professional. A true Web 2.0 community where they will be able to connect with like minded professionals while having all the latest and greatest in industry news, articles, scuttlebutt, jobs and conversation.
We are taking the 20th century concept of the job board and pushing it into the 21st century world of twitter, facebook and linkedin.
We are going to provide our users a premium in experience and content. In return we will develop a loyal base which we will charge employers to access via licenses for job postings, resume database access and targeted advert opportunities amongst other things. Our most recent valuation projection has us with at 3.5M come October 2011 and we believe this to be a fairly conservative estimate.
You will make money via a % return on your investment over a period of time, both to be negotiated.
However, I would suggest the 5-7 year time frame as we are based in New Orleans and you would be able to take advantage of the Zero Percent Capital Gains for Renewal Communities as well as the New Markets Tax Credit. Note you should consult with your tax people on this as I am by no means anything near a tax professional.
If you’re interested in exploring this further please let me know & thanks for your time.
Comment by jeff madison -
My husband, his friends, my friends, my friends children and my coworkers’ addiction to XBOX Live has inspired my idea. I would like to open up a online Gaming Place. I would charge a each person fee of $10/per game to enter. I would have a refreshment stand selling pizza/by the slice, sodas, chips, hot dogs, popcorn, and fried cheese sticks. The waiter/waitress would be accessed via intercom. I will have two rooms/per game. Each player would have his/her own gaming chair (IF THE VIBRATION FROM THE CONTROLLER COULD BE HOOKED UP TO THAT>>>THAT would be great!) and table. Each room will have large plasma televisions. Each player will have the choice to use their own online id or one that I WILL provide. If I have to provide an online id their will be an additional fee of $5.00. I plan on being opened Monday through Friday from 5PM-11PM and Saturday and Sundays from 10AM to 11PM.
Comment by Vicki -
I just poured my heart out to you for MY FAMILY and my Plan for them. Clearly you didn’t like it. I noticed my posts were up momentarily, then removed.
You were my last shot! Do you understand that my request was not about getting something for nothing!!! It was about SURVIVAL!! We are NOT a family of Leakers! We work hard! We’ve, my mother, have more than paid her dues as a single mother.
I am not some punk. I worked my entire HS Enrollment to earn and receive a FULL SCHOLARSHIP to play Division 1 FCS BALL!
What is happening to us, is happening to millions of Americans everyday!! THAT IS THE REAL BUSINESS PLAN!!
Why would you not want to invest in a WI family who is the face of our failed economy and Government Services.
My mother blew every dime she had saved over the last 2 years – NEVER REQUESTING ANYTHING FROM ANYONE!! We lost well over 1 million in assets. 90% of this country would have been lining up to Apply for SSID benefits the next day! Not my mother – NOT OUR FAMILY!!!
Isn’t it ironic how America works?? I am ashamed of our country!! How is it that a self sufficient single woman who always paid her dues and provided for her children independent is now punished and forced into a HOMELESS SHELTER because too many un-honest corrupt people have drained our SYSTEM DRY!!! People who rarely if ever contributed to the SSI FUND!!
Regardless of your political affiliation – this is a TRUE STORY and places a FACE TO the others that possessed too much dignity to ask for help – Why is it that the tax paying – consistent/productive contributors end up in a Shelter in Brown County, WI???
Maybe I’m not making myself clear enough – THERE IS NO ONE ELSE IN THE SHELTER!!! The county and State funds are consumed by LAZY LOSERS who are in it for a FREE RIDE!!! I will make this a PLAN – in fact, I am so disgusted and appalled by my personal experience that I vow I WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!
I will see to it that this “wealthy” discrimination is put to an end!
SHAME ON AMERICA!!!
Don’t worry MY FAMILY WILL RECOVER!!!
I would like to challenge your audience to consider a PLAN that will assist Americans – Open their eyes to what is really happening in our country. Our middle class and upper middle class is falling down and it is gaining more speed everyday!
God Bless America!
Comment by Kyle Cavil -
Services
Teton Valley Recycling, LLC is a service-based company that offers curbside recycling pickup in both the residential and commercial sectors of Teton County, Idaho. Contracts for service will be setup and the services will be delivered on a routine basis.
Service Description
Teton Valley Recycling, LLC will provide bins to new customers who are willing to return our brochure to the company for reuse. It will also make it easier for them to organize recyclable materials. We will also sell more bins to customers who are willing to recycle more materials. The materials will be scheduled for routine pickups twice a month. Materials available for monthly pickup include the following:
• Aluminum
• Plastic-Milk jugs, grocery bags, and bottles #1-7
• Glass-mixed/colors
• Newspaper
• Paper-Grey board, white board, mixed office stock/phonebooks , sorted magazines
• Corrugated Cardboard
• Tin cans
Basic monthly residential pickup of 100 pounds of recycling materials will cost the customer $19.99/mo with a one year contract. If customers are willing to sign up for a two year plan, then the price will drop down to $15.99/mo ($50 a year in savings). Customers also have the option of signing up for a VIP plan that will allow for the pickup of 200 pounds of recyclables per month, two free recycling bins, and free backdoor pickup service for $34.99/mo.
Commercial and group rates will cost $29.99/mo for the pickup of 200 pounds of recycling per month. $5/mo will be added on to the charge for every additional 100 pounds of recyclable materials. For example, if a neighborhood or a business wants to put all their recycling together and pay to have 400 pounds of materials hauled away per month, then the cost to them will be $39.99/mo. This does not include any backdoor service or free recycling bins. The commercial service is subject to further analysis and may require billing after services have been rendered as the weight of the materials being collected could change drastically with larger accounts.
Materials available for special/one-time pickup service include all of the above listed as well as the following:
• Metal-barbed wire, chain-link fence, cables, braided wires
• Large batteries-car, boat, etc.
• Electronic waste-computers, monitors, televisions
• Propane tanks
• Grass and yard trimmings (no wood)
• Brush and woody materials-stumps (clean of dirt and rocks)
• Dimensional lumber (clean)
• Appliances-washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers
• Fill material-rock and sod
The cost of picking up these materials is $25 per every 100 pounds.
Competitive Comparison
Teton Valley Recycling LLC is the only curbside recycling pickup service in Teton County, Idaho. In today’s world, many people are becoming more green-minded. We offer responsible solutions for reducing the amount of waste materials being deposited into landfills. Our basic annual service will cost $19.99/mo.with the opportunity to reduce that number by referring other paying customers, or by signing up for a longer service plan.
Our main competition is Vorhees Sanitation LLC, which charges $70.00 a month for trash removal. They do not offer recycling services and therefore deposit all waste into Idaho landfills. With the growing unpopularity of landfills due to adverse environmental effects directly related to them, we offer alternative services to help the local residents become part of the green movement.
Teton county residents also have the option to drive to the waste transfer station themselves and pay per pound to sort and dispose of their own recyclable materials. The transfer station is only open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. In turn, we offer the convenience to our customers of never having to leave their home while contributing to the green movement.
Fulfillment
TVR LLC will line up driving routes to make pickup of recycling materials as efficient as possible. A truck and trailer will be used to pickup and haul the loads.
Operating costs for each month will include the following:
• Gasoline-$500 (will be subject to change)
• Insurance-$600
• Equipment/Maintenance-$300
• Office (Computer/Internet/Phone)-$120
• Cell phones-$100
• Transfer Cost-$30 per ton (100 accounts will cost $150/mo)
Total: $1,770.00/mo (based on 100 accounts)
More detailed information is available in the Financial Plan.
Technology
The company will employ the help of modern technology to streamline the business and facilitate efficiency of its operations.
Customer Benefits of Technology
• Internet webpage and email will allow for potential customers to easily find information about the company and sign up for services.
• The internet will also allow for current customers to have a direct line of communication for suggestions, complaints, and pickup schedules, and will allow for us to disseminate emergency information (inclement weather conditions).
• Office LAN phone line will provide a central location for customer service and sales.
Company Benefits of Technology
• Computer with QuickBooks software will provide accounting service to the company.
• Cell phones with two-way, push-to-talk radios will keep communications simple and efficient amongst company workers.
• Office LAN phone line will provide a central location for customer service, sales, and voice mail to be reached by customers.
• Mapping software and GPS for locating new customers and tracking routes.
• Scale will weigh recycling to keep customers within limits and assist in tracking inventory.
• Yellow caution warning light on vehicle will assist in keeping employees safe while picking up recycling materials.
• Microsoft Word and Publisher will be used to produce an informational brochure
• Microsoft Office Access will be used to log sales reports, customer services, expense reports, billing reports, time cards, etc.
Future Services
It is our intention to grow into a community fixture that provides quality services and creates jobs. Some future services may include the placement of aluminum can disposal bins in various spots throughout the community. This will be a free service that will provide a place for used cans and will pay dividends to the company through advertising as well as collecting money from selling the aluminum to material collectors.
TVR will keep an open mind and awareness to the needs of the community as they arise.
Comment by Michael -
MC, you fund any type of business right? as long its profitable? what do you think about food business? I have my business plan and almost ready for you (it’s small kinda new and can spread like “roaches”) just curious cuz i noticed most of the peeps here are more tech enthusiast on their ideas (which is good) just wondering your thoughts about food business.
Thank you for your time.
Mark
Comment by Mark -
Commmnet to Gerald who commented on my posted blog, if you live or visit downtown on a weekly basis and if you survey like we have in front of our location. We are looking at a heavily populated, foot traffic area in front of our building. Again read my post, its 25 cents to travel on the dash, from any district in downtown. If you want to contact me directly my email address is guapo@onebox.com Thanks.
Comment by Emmanuel -
I have an idea for the backup/security market.
Intent is to partner with a RAID card manufacturer to re-write device drivers to allow nesting of RAID groups in a way that facilitates specific parts of a logical drive to be derived from separate RAID groups.
A typical windows workstation organizes files into four areas that really matter- windows directory (OS), documents and settings (user), program files (software) and the C:\ root.
The idea is cause the root and windows directory to be drawn from a separate drive or RAID group. At the driver level you assemble these drives/RAID groups into a single, logical system disk, making the backup system OS transparent. In the event of any sort of operating system failure, you merely cold boot to a backup of the drive/RAID group supplying your root and windows directory. One could cause the program files directory to also be swapped at the same time, effectively replacing every executable that matters in the entire machine in the length of time required by a shutdown and cold boot. As we are still using the original user settings in the docs and settings directory, the workstation user’s files, internet history, e-mail, etc would be intact after such a backup is utilized. Suddenly, critical computer systems experiencing any sort of virus or OS failure are able to be restored almost instantly by the USER, allowing IT to get to the failure at it’s leisure. Swapping of drives on a cold boot is simply a matter of throwing a switch that will remove power from the problem disk/RAID group, and apply it to the backup. A simple circuit requiring the machine to be powered off to affect the change in state to the power connections on your hard drives and a re-worked device driver would both be elegantly simple to design and produce. Many mission critical operations- law enforcement, military, medical, fire-rescue, homeland security, etc- would greatly benefit from enhanced security and increased uptime for a minimal per-workstation cost- Say a four drive RAID card and a couple of additional hard disk drives. A little more effort in driver design would likely produce a similar system that would work with drive partitions instead of physical disks, although this allows for the possibility of a boot sector virus. Imagine a large network with this system installed on 1,000 workstations infected with a serious virus- locate the vector and close it, and you are back to productivity in the amount of time it takes to cold boot. Very marketable, IMHO. Also, very fast to market, as implementing this on existing hardware is very easily accomplished. I have an engineering lead available to me for this project with twenty years of open source experience, most of which is centered around storage systems. Im told the modifications of which I speak are not prohibitively difficult to accomplish. The real trick is producing a board partner, the rest is easy.
Comment by Scott -
TourAlign is a golf alignment tool that is simple and effective to use. It is currently being used by many Tour Pros worldwide. We have the product in place already and we are currently selling TourAlign on the internet. We are seeking funding to run a 30 second commercial on the golfing channels and sports channels, to attend and present TourAlign at golf shows nationwide (PGA golf show in Las Vegas and many others that anticipate attendance to be in the thousands), to put together a complete marketing kit for buyers of big box retail stores, and to put together a marketing kit for high school and college golf teams. We know that with funding, we can make TourAlign sales increase exponentially. We also would like to increase our inventory to meet the demands that our increased marketing and advertising will generate. By being able to manufacture in greater quantities, we will be able to lower our cost per unit and increase profits. We also realize the need for expansion of product lines and have several other golf aids currently being researched and developed. Funding would assist with product expansion also. At this point we are the only true retailer and wholesaler of this product.
I believe that this project meets all the criteria for funding in the following ways:
1. It can be an existing business or a start up.
This is an existing business.
2. It can not be a business that generates any revenue from advertising. Why ? Because I want this to be a business where you sell something and get paid for it. Thats the only way to get and stay profitable in such a short period of time.
This is a real product that is sold for profit.
3. It MUST BE CASH FLOW BREAK EVEN within 60 days
It is currently cash flowing. We have product sales.
4. It must be profitable within 90 days.
With more market exposures, TourAlign will be profitable shortly.
5. Funding will be on a monthly basis. If you dont make your numbers, the funding stops
I understand the program rules.
6. You must demonstrate as part of your plan that you sell your product or service for more than what it costs you to produce, fully encumbered
I have all the cost breakdown of manufacturing, packaging, shipping, etc and we are profitable per unit sale now.
7. Everyone must work. The organization is completely flat. There are no employees reporting to managers. There is the founder/owners and everyone else
We are all working to generate sales and revenue at TourAlign.
8. You must post your business plan here, or you can post it on slideshare.com , scribd.com or google docs, all completely public for anyone to see and/or download
Posted summary here. I have more detailed information on golfers’ statistics, importance of proper alignment, competitors’ products, cost of manufacturing and delivery, wholesale and distributor pricing levels, etc.
9. I make no promises that if your business is profitable, that I will invest more money. Once you get the initial funding you are on your own
We anticipate only needing funding an initial time.
10. I will make no promises that I will be available to offer help. If I want to , I will. If not, I wont.
Your involvement would definitely be more exposure for TourAlign but it is understood that it is not part of the program offering.
11. If you do get money, it goes into a bank that I specify, and I have the ability to watch the funds flow and the opportunity to require that I cosign any outflows.
We understand the need for our accountability of any funds you designate to us. We will do everything to be in compliance.
12. In your business plan , make sure to specify how much equity I will receive or how I will get a return on my money.
We proposed a ROI of 15%. We seek an investment of 40,000.
13. No mult-level marketing programs (added 2/10/09 1pm)
NO MLM marketing involved in our marketing campaign.
Comment by Lee P -
Thanks for the new customer!:
“She loved them. Thanks again, and I will be telling my friends.
Just FYI, I found you guys on the Mark Cuban blog post about small business opportunities.”
Comment by Jeff -
Hi Mark,I am 24 years old and I have recently launched my own website that is called Swapish.com. It has been in development for about 8 months previous. I had a professional team of developers work on it and finally the final product has emerged. The whole just of the site is to allow users to sign onto the site and trade any items they may have lying around the house for anything else they see on the site. It incorporates the ability to social network and put a face to the person they are dealing with. The site’s idea I feel is a great site for todays economic crunch. I feel people are still a little scared to go out and spend money with fears of today’s insecurities! This is a way in which people can use their existing stuff they already own to maybe bargain/barter with another! The only cost involved would be the shipping and handling but other than that their is not cost for signing up or even using the site! I even created what is called a freebox because this way people could even donate or give stuff away they don’t need or want anymore to others than may want or need! Check out the site Mark! I feel it is a great time for this and hopefully this is a new revolutionary idea for the economy. Thank you. By the way, users have the ability to blog, IM and chat, email, upload videos, upload pics of their items, and we made the site really user friendly as well as fun!
PS- I met you recently at a Spurs vs Mavs game and it was a pleasure meeting you! You are truly a genuine man!Thanxs again.
Comment by Matthew Neie -
Emmanuel Guapo:
I don’t mean to be a kill-joy, but how do you plan to get people to want to drive to downtown to get to your site?
USC is not too far away, but UCLA and Cal State LA are across town (in opposite directions), and, in any event, all three colleges require a car-ride, usually on a crowded freeway, to get to where you are. That means you will be competing with other entertainment venues (especially for people coming from the West Side). Even the people who work downtown will need to go out of their way if they want to get to the Convention Center, since it is on the south west edge of the central business district.
What do you plan to do about parking? Downtown LA is a pain to find parking in unless you are willing to pay a lot of money, especially around the convention center.
It is also hard to get from the Convention Center to just about anywhere, including across the street. If you are there and can see it, you will see why — it’s surrounded by a big (pay) parking lot and is hard to get to by foot from all directions.
So people are going to have to plan if they want to go to your site. It’s not something one can just do spontaneously.
Comment by Gerald R. Lampton -
Dear Mark Cuban:
I have a friend who recently bought a building across from Staples Center (on the corner of Figueroa and Pico), it has a great roof top view of Staples, Nokia, LA Live and the beautiful skyscrapers of downtown. There is a 48 license to the building. What I’d like to do is have an interactive pool area for daytime and night time parties. Not the typical ‘walk around’ the pool with the suit and tie LA crowd, but have fun and get into the pool ala Hard Rock-Las Vegas style – great msuic, fun people and a lot of drinks, you are not coming into the place if you are not getting into the pool, especially during the daytime. If people would like to order food for delivery from the restaurant(s) in the same building or the surrounding areas, it is all very doable, we do not want to be in the food business. Flatscreen TV’s will be at the bars and we will screen local LA region sports games and popular boxing, UFC – matches.
We will be catering to 21 and over college students, USC, UCLA, Cal State LA, and Northridge and the 20-40 year old young business professionals who want to let loose on the weekend or on their day off and take advantage of the California sun without having to travel to the beach. Downtown LA hotel guests, LA convention center guests (we are just across the street) and San Fernando Valley visitors on the weekends will be a big plus also any of those guests can travel on the dash to the front of our location for only 25 cents.
Please contact me at guapo@onebox.com if this is of interest to you. Thank you for your time to read this, and continued good fortune. Cheers,
Emmanuel Guapo
Comment by Emmanuel -
Mark,
I have a Wide Format printing Sign Business I started almost 6 years ago. I started it out of a 10’x20′ Portable building for three years. I made and saved enough money to build a new house where I moved and setup my business in a 20″x46″ building in my house. I currently have 2 employees not including myself. I’m in the process to move my business into a full size retail building. I located a building I’m interested in. The building is $160k 5400Sqft built along the frontage road in a rapidly expanding city just 25 south of Dallas. This building is 4 times as large as are current building. I will average $180k a year at my current rate of sales. I do very little advertising due to my limited space and current situation. We are at 70% profit margins mainly because of the extremely low overhead. I have $0.00 business dept and all equipment is paid in full.
With a retail location I believe we would need to hire 2 more employees (1) artist and (1) production worker as well as an increase in advertising. I also believe that we will generate $360K+ in the first full year at the new location. Are profit margins would decrease by approx 6% due to the increase in overhead. In 1 to 2 years we would need to invest 65K in a new UV Flatbed wide format printer as well.
Mark, I’m a quadriplegic with very little finger movement. I was injured in a motocross accident in 1994 after racing a Pro Supercross event in Cali. I stopped on way home to Texas to ride on sand dunes where crashed I broke my neck. I’m currently in perfect health other than being paralyzed. I have built a profitable business with vast room for growth. If you are interested in helping with funding we can talk in more detail. I also way an awesome idea for an Iphone app that would be a interactive Guided travel Tour while driving to different towns. It would use the GPS location to detail pin points along the way as you drive. It would also display the Historical markers and allow for extremely detailed information about the town your driving through. Thank you for the opportunity to write you.
Comment by Chris R. -
“There is one that I have watched for almost three years, but I have not been able to raise the capital.” ($9500)
No offense, but anyone can raise $9500 in three years. I saved more than that each year I was in college. Sounds like a motivation problem to me.
Comment by Matt R -
I posted my blog on Feb 14. Since that date I have gathered more information in regards of expasion. It WOULD benefit you to take a closer look. The market is perfect with the economy as it is. If you’ll look at the information(facts) I will send it. But only if you’ll look!
The balls in your court now!
Jonathan
Comment by Jonathan Farnsworth -
@Dan Zemel: What website? Water purification is a done deal. I have a $150 thing I bought at REI that will make drinking water out of a mud puddle.
Comment by Matt R -
Water separation technology including Emergency response Trailers
for Purified Water.Industrial Recycle,House gray water recycle,
solar water purification please see the web site.
Comment by Dan Zemel -
Mark,
I posted last night and my post either never showed up or was deleted (for no reason I can think of).
I am very interested in Gloria P’s Disney character idea. I am a software developer experienced with inbound and outbound telephony apps and would love to help her get this done in exchange for an equity stake in the venture.
As I said in my other post, I wouldn’t be too quick to decide it can’t be done without a license. IP law leaves lots of room for doing this as long as there is no visual representation of the character. Do you think Elvis impersonators have to pay royalties to Graceland…? Nope. This needs a lawyer, not speculation.
Please pass my e-mail address to her. If she doesn’t contact me, I might just do this one myself. What a terrific idea!
Comment by Matt R -
Hi Mark,
I’ve got a business that I’m starting and while capital would be a big help, I’m simply not willing to share the details on such an open forum. I do appreciate what you’re doing here, though, and I hope you help some people get started and make some money doing it. I hope you’ll read my additional comment below.
“Gloria P” above had the idea of having Disney and other characters “call” children to persuade them to do their chores, eat their food, etc… You said the characters would have to be licensed but I’m not certain this is the case. Certainly the visible likeness of a character is copyrightable, but I don’t think a mere voice claiming to be Cinderella is. On another front, trademarks protect names, but only when associated with specific classes of goods and services. That is why, for example, there is a “Cinderella Shoe Company” that can exist with no permission or license from Disney. Disney doesn’t make shoes and doesn’t hold a trademark on the name for that class of goods. I might be wrong but I’d have an attorney look at this idea before concluding too quickly that a licensing deal would be necessary.
I am a software developer for a Fortune-500 and my background is in inbound and outbound telephony applications. What Gloria P has proposed is VERY doable in a short timeframe. Could you please pass my e-mail address along to her? I would be very interested in helping her with the technical aspects of this project in return for an equity stake. I even have several thousands of dollars worth of outbound dialing equipment gathering dust in my office closet – it could be put to work on a project like this. Gosh, talk about an idea. This thing could just sit in a computer rack and generate cash.
Comment by Matt R. -
Mark, I love the idea and have spent some time looking over the various proposals here. I might submit my own at some point but meanwhile I can’t help but take issue with this rule: “It can not be a business that generates any revenue from advertising. Why ? Because I want this to be a business where you sell something and get paid for it. Thats the only way to get and stay profitable in such a short period of time.”
You are of course entitled to your opinions and to set the rules for your investments but that last sentence is patently false. I have started a number of websites that were profitable in the first month and have remained so ever since. If you ever want to chat about this I’m game – otherwise, I’d love to see you go into more detail on this in a future blog post. Thanks!
Comment by Kurt K -
Video Improvement and Bandwidth Reduction Signal Processing:
Video Bandwidth Reduction:
Abstract: Small, Sweat Equity Based Technology Start-Up has developed a video bandwidth reduction technology:
– Compaction Technology: Video Signal Processing Technology that allows for 20% to 70% improvement in bandwidth reduction as seen on the network(MPEG-X, etc). Utilizes non-compression techniques and is lossless. Results with ‘proof of’ hardware show significant improvements on the network, after encoding, with MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 traffic being monitored. Requires ‘Compaction’ module on FrontEnd (or HeadEnd) and “de”-Compaction module, or “software” module on Subscriber side.
Project Status: both proof of concept and proto size circuit boards are fully functional at a discrete circuit level, capable of packaging at the semiconductor level or small, sealed module level. Hardware solution has a latency of 1/2uS per side, totalling 1uS for an end to end solution.
Goal: find commercialization partners who will integrate into their products, solving significant bandwidth deployment and cost issues.
Markets: Video Transmission in the Consumer, Medical, Military and Surveillance Space.
Schedule: A 60-90 day to profit schedule is reasonable if commercialization partners are found assuming goal is to sign licensing agreements with such partners. Integration into commercially available 3rd Party equipment will take standard New Product Introduction deployment times. If goal is to produce saleable product, via OEM or 3rd Party, schedules vary.
Video Improvement:
Abstract: Small, Sweat Equity Based Technology Start-Up has developed a video improvement technology which will improve 15 key areas of interest, including Colors, Blacks, Whites, Contrast, Detail, Resolution and others. Core is ability to resolve significantly more information in a video signal, thus allowing the following High-Level features:
– Consumer: ability to create a Standard Definition video experience that rivals Blue-Ray 1080p
– Medical: ability to resolve and clarify medical images and video allowing more information to be seen in X-Rays, Scopes, Microscopy, etc
– Surveillance: all of above AND the ability to resolve information lost in Dark Zones and Shadows, in otherwise highly lighted areas. Finding cars, people, etc in the shadows of building, doorways, etc. Also improves all night vision images and video as well.
Project Status: both proof of concept and proto size circuit boards are fully functional at a discrete circuit level, capable of packaging at the semiconductor level or small, sealed module level. Hardware solution has a latency of 2uS.
Goal: find commercialization partners who will integrate into their products.
Markets: Consumer, Military, Medical and Surveillance.
Schedule: A 60-90 day to profit schedule is reasonable if commercialization partners are found assuming goal is to sign licensing agreements with such partners. Integration into commercially available 3rd Party equipment will take standard New Product Introduction deployment times. If goal is to produce saleable product, via OEM or 3rd Party, schedules vary.
Many other R&D based projects in development, centered signal processing techniques. However, all are well outside of 6+ months before ‘poof-of’ can demo’d.
These projects are probably outside the scope of this initiative, however its worth posting in such difficult economic times. Percentage of ownership and other details are all negotiable. Several detailed discussions were underway with companies who are now focused on ‘right-sizing’ their organizations and cutting R&D budgets.
Comment by Mark F -
I inherited a small business on my last semester in college. It’s a small hobby & gaming store in Bangor, Maine that I had worked for previously years before. The first two years went well and we used the extra funds to fix up the business space which had problems like old paint jobs, bad lighting, torn-up rugs, rats and things such as that. The store is now something I look on and am proud of. However, since about September, things have been getting more difficult and tighter economically. The only people that use money from the account are me and my co-owner who’ve been doing all the work by ourselves these past years. We really do want the money to expand our business into more trades. We currently have the space to do such, but not the money.
Current business:
Hobby gaming store that sells collectible card game, trading card games, collectible miniature cards, board games, role playing books such as Dungeons & Dragons for an example, and merchandise for those games such as case, sleeves, binders, etc. We also carry of import and geek-themed merchandise such as geek and video game clothing, figures, DVD, plush, and other similar items. We hold officially ranked tournaments for games hosted by Wizards of the Coast, Upper Deck Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, and will be hosting official events for the HeroClix miniature game. We offer customers free table space to play games and involve other customers to play with them. Our backroom has been modified and is now a projector room with surround sound where customers can rent out time to watch movies or play online with the store’s XBox 360 or Nintendo Wii consoles.
EXPANSION:
I would like to expand the business in a number of ways. We have a great space for our business and a backroom that isn’t used to its fullest extent. I would like to see the store start to carry new and used video games and to better expand into our anime and imports as our area has no store that carries those goods aside from the DVD selection at Best Buy. The store could also benefit from a video game station, renting time on one of a number of XBox 360s, each hooked to a TV and connected together. That space would bring in additional traffic by running tournaments on those systems. Another mark that we’ve only begun to go into but only have the money to break even on is EBay. I currently pay someone around $150 a week to picture, post and mail out EBay orders through the store. Expanding the available funds to that, I know we would almost double what is put into it. A booster box of a card game at cost runs about $40-50 a piece. Even if you open a ‘bad’ box, you will always come out at least $10-20 ahead of your cost. The ‘good’ boxes will net $75-100 dependent on what the current game demands.
I have other ideas and I know my partner does, but the ideas stated above are those that I know will be the most profitable. Video game tournaments or stations have initial start-up costs to them with no upkeep aside from extended warranties. EBay costs can recycle back in from the profit made. This business has become an important part of me and my partner’s life, and while I have a college degree to fall back on, she does not and I worry about her. If we can really give the store the severe kick in the pants it needs, then I’ll be content.
Comment by Kirk Davis -
Proposal Summary:
RE: DIGITAL IMAGING and SHREDDING SERVICE
Inclusive Solutions is proposing a digital imaging and shredding service for local businesses. This would meet a need in the business community as well as give people with severe disabilities the training, experience, real pay and self-esteem that will result from this work. This will not be charity work but a real work experience in the community.
It meets the requirements you have outlined and I hope you will consider it.
If funded, each contract would be filled by a Work Team. Each Work Team consists of at least one Job Coach to provide direct support and quality control for an estimated 4-5 people with severe disabilities. Job Coaches work side-by-side with the people with disabilities. This is not a hierarchical system–just a team where people with different levels of skills and abilities complete a job. ie. Some members may need assistance with accommodations, modifications, as well as direct care in the bathrooms, eating lunch, staying on task….
Numbers of employees will increase as we generate new business and become profitable. By the end of 90 days, there could be 10-20 people working depending on the size of the contracts.
We are asking for:
1. The purchase/rental of one piece of digital imaging equipment and two commercial shredders; the cost varies depending on the type of business contract secured—medical, insurance, government agencies all have different requirements for record security, copying and disposal and this impacts the type of digital imaging machine required. (Bids will be secured if you are interested in this project, range rental/purchase from $3,000- 50,000);
2. Funding for 2-4 critical staff to go to Minnesota for two days to learn directly from the experts who have demonstrated this type of work can be profitable and successful for people with autism and other severe disabilities. (Approx. $3,000).
3. Salaries for the 2 Job Coaches and 8 people with severe disabilities who will be using the first 30 days for training. Job Coaches will make $18.00 – $20.00 an hour plus benefits, the 8 people with disabilities will be paid a “training wage” for this 30 day period based on their individual capabilities and production as allowed by federal and state law. (approx. $ 12,000)
TOTAL: $18,000 (including rental equipment) to $65,000 (including equipment purchase)
Day 1 – 30 would consist of:
1. We purchase/rent equipment and train the employees with severe disabilities using records from our company.
2. 2 Job Coaches and 2 Critical Staff visit the successful program in Minnesota to learn the modifications and accommodations as well as review their business model and sample contracts. See Minnesota with the Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Planning council http://www.MNcdd.org “Digital Imaging: The Changing Face of Technology”. The Minnesota experts are willing to continue as mentors and answer questions that may arise.
3. Hire 2 Job Coaches who will make approx. $18.00 – $20.00 an hour plus benefits based on experience, we have several people who are available for these positions and are threatened to be cut due to state budget constraints.
4. We find and sign contracts with local businesses/companies for our service. (Inclusive Solutions would provide an administrative person to secure the contracts at no cost to this project).
5. The employees with disabilities would be paid a “training wage” for the first 30 day period based on their individual production as allowed by federal and state law.
6. All administrative, facility, and transportation costs for the people with disabilities would be covered by Inclusive Solutions.
Day 31 – 60 we begin work on a contract with a local employer, either in their facility or use our own facility:
1. The first Work Team is trained. They begin the contract job and the people with severe disabilities are now paid at least minimum wage.
2. We work with this first business, meet the contract, and resolve any problems.
3. We begin looking for a second company and a second contract.
4. We train another Work Team to use the digital imaging and scanning equipment. (This will be accomplished using the profits from the first Work Team).
Day 61-90 the second Work Team begins a second business contract. We begin looking for a new contract for the first Work Team.
Day 91. We should now be making a profit and able to start repaying you for your investment.
Inclusive Solutions will document the progress of the start-up, write up a program evaluation each month, and give guidance to others who would want to replicate the business.
Thank you for your help on this important project. If we could get the initial start-up funds, this service would become profitable.
Comment by Mary E. Ulrich Ed.D. -
Hello Mark,
Thanks for this opportunity.Here is my business plan:
Road Trip Commodity Buying
Business Model
“Road Trip Commodity Buying” is the working name selected for the purpose of detailing the proposed business model.
It is a simple concept as old as business itself. Buy Low and Sell High.
In today’s business and personal finance worlds, possessions are becoming less important than liquidity. There are many contributing factors: 25 year stock market lows, record unemployment, savings and net worth incur massive losses, national debt at all time high and growing, to mention a few. Simply stated, individuals from all walks of life are finding themselves in a personal cash crunch. Banks are not lending, jobs are being lost at all levels, and economists are painting a dark picture for a slow recovery that will last for 24 to 48 months. Some economists are even predicting a depression. People from all walks of life are finding themselves in a personal financial cash shortage that has been sudden and unexpected. The result of this is a mass selling off of personal assets such as jewelry, coin collections, watches, scrap gold, silver, and platinum. This will continue and increase in numbers over the next 2 to 4 years.
Many companies are cashing in on this by advertising through expensive National TV and Radio ads for consumers to mail in their valuables and receive a check in the mail in a couple of weeks. “Cash 4 Gold” ran an ad, doing this, in the Super Bowl. It is remarkable to me that anyone would ship his or her valuables to an unknown company and wait for an unknown amount of money. People are desperate and doing it. The company “Cash 4 Gold “ is sending out 15,000+ packages a day.
Logic tells you there are 1000’s to 1 that will sell their items in person for immediate money, versus those who would trust to mail their items to an unknown source and wait for their unknown amount of money.
The facts stated above have led to “Road Trip Commodity Buying “. The plan is to visit towns with a population of 100,000 to 200,000 and buy. “Road Trip Commodity Buying” will run ads in the local newspapers, radio stations, flyers, and other media. This will blanket a community in the fact that “Road Trip Commodity Buying” is buying at a local hotel, in their community. People that have items to sell will come. The average individual has no idea where to sell their valuables to maximize their dollars. Small communities have few resources for those needing immediate funds. Many people have large collections of coins, watches, jewelry, and other items are too large or costly to mail to one of the mail-in buyers or sell to a local dealer. Therefore, in today’s economy, when given an opportunity, people will line up to sell their items.
The two principles involved in “Road Trip Commodity Buying” are seasoned professionals with a combined knowledge of over 75 years in the coin, gemstone, and jewelry business. Buying with knowledge will keep the average profit margin above 50% on every dollar spent. Existing contacts in the bulking and refining industry will allow an immediate return, within 24 hours, on all items purchased.
The time for this is now. The wealthy have gotten wealthier, throughout history, doing this very thing. For an Investor to have a further understanding of this project, structure of this venture, and the cash flow, it is best discussed in an interactive conversation.A spreadsheet and Powerpoint are also available. We are seeking $115,000 in funding and are negotiable on the package and exit stategy for the investor.
Thank You for your consideration.
Comment by Steven Parker -
Mark,
My idea is to start a sit-down and/or take-out restaurant here in Manhattan called “Ramen Shop”. The idea is to provide an entire menu of ONLY ramen noodles, at an extremely inexpensive price. The menu will have as many as 50 proprietary delicious organic spicy flavorings representing cultures all over the world, mixed in with fresh, basic hot steaming ramen noodles. For example, there will be spicy Mexican flavors represented, Indian curry variations, classic beef and chicken flavors, Asian, Russian, French, etc. etc. gourmet variations. I intend to develop these flavor formulas by reaching out to top NYC area chefs and my own experimentation and adaptations from traditionally popular recipes and flavors. The key here is to take advantage of the current recession by selling these dishes VERY cheaply – a gourmet Ramen dish will be on the menu for a flat price of $2.99 regardless of flavor. People in NYC love to eat out and be social, but even in the least expensive restaurants it’s very difficult to eat out without spending a lot of money. Ramen Shop will provide a fun, even a romantic atmosphere for people that want an inexpensive and unconventional date. One serving will be enough for a snack but many people who want a big meal or want to sample multiple flavors can order several in a sitting. Beef, chicken, and steak add-ons will be available for an additional $2.99 per serving. Take-out will be served in tall styrofoam drink cups filled to the brim with steaming flavored ramen. This will make it easy for people to eat and *slurp* their meal on the go without even requiring the use of utensils, which fits with the busy New York lifestyle. Future expansion opportunities include mobile carts/traileres that only serve the to-go cups, which can be placed around the city at strategic locations (or at sporting and music events, street fairs, etc., and future additional sit-down locations, and ultimately franchise-driven expansion into other cities and eventually other markets. Because this keys into the current recession, it should be very easy to get a lot of free advertising from local newspapers and television shows, maybe even Good Morning America (it’s an interesting twist and ready-made news item). This business could be launched very quickly with a $75,000 initial investment from you, the proceeds of which would be used to lease an appropriate location in downtown Manhattan, pay for restaurant equipment and furnishings, develop the flavoring menus, negotiate contract for importing high quality noodles in bulk from Japan, develop a simple but effective website, set up the necessary corporate and legal arrangements, and other setup expenses. By way of background, I have several years of experience in the restaurant business as both a cook and a waiter (from in my college days), both jobs I really enjoyed, and also have an extensive finance, accounting and legal background. I plan to run the daily operations myself and hire one server to start, with further hires as the business expands and traffic increases. In exchange for your $75,000 investment, I would offer you a 50% equity interest in the business. Because the variable costs are so low, I expect operational profitability almost immediately, and definitely within 2 months. I’m very excited about getting this off the ground and would love to discuss it with you further. Thanks.
Sam
P.S. Here’s a cool link about the cultural background of ramen and a glimpse of the potential “ramen craze” that could happen here; ramen could go from being a college student’s survival ration to a trendy cultural phenomenon overnight! Unlike the pricier ramen restaurants mentioned in this article, however, I intend to stay laser-focused on the frugal consumer and keeping the price low and taste high, while keeping the environment trendy and avoiding a “fast-food” feel in the restaurant (think Chipotle).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/31/AR2008073101858.html
Comment by Sam R. -
U-Paper
What:
Personalize wrapping paper through an interactive template on the web.
Continuous support directly to the consumer.
Photos, texts, animations, and default art can be uploaded to this website.
End product will be printed on semi-gloss, but, high quality paper that will accommodate consumer expectations.
This will increase the value of purchased items given to loved ones as gifts. (A great way to follow the economic curve)
Demand ensues all year-round (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Valentines, and the upcoming Mother’s Day for starters).
Technology will play an integral part in the successful growth and expansion of our model.
Additional products will emerge from within the company walls upon maturity of our business.
How:
Startup will include the acquisition of a large wide-format printer, packaging supplies, ink replacements, paper goods, and shipping cost.
These would be sought out through energy, or, Eco-friendly sources. (This will raise the bar for our company right from the jump)
In addition, there would be pre-controlled products leading to increased profitability by researching variable dimensions of box-sizes. (IE., After the product arrives to the consumer, an illustration displaying a how to wrap the object is supplied based on dimensions set by the consumer on the interactive website)
Where:
Test market will be right here in Dallas, TX.
When:
Immediate
Mark Cuban’s equity percentile is 40%…..:O
Comment by Larry Vulpo -
Almost 10 years ago I became ill with a form of Muscular Dystrophy (MD). After spending thousands seeing doctors and universities I left with no hope for a cure. I have a wife and 5 children so I could not give up. If I was going to die I might as well use my own body as a guinea pig to seek a cure. But after 3 years I was getting very bad off, then I stumbled on to the cause of the illness. Knowing the cause was half the battle because with MD the reason they have not found a cure is because they do not know the cause. I need funding to put together a research team to verify what I found, concerning the disease and cure, holds true for all terminal MD patients or at least a percentage. Then I need the funding to commercialize the cure (testing, trials, FDA verification and approval) . This is estimated to save over 50,000 lives a year. I feel, with the knowledge I have, I can get to a cure in less than a year and FDA approval in 3 years.
I realize this may be outside the arena you were expecting, but if I can get this going I think I can take this business to the next level and research other areas of medicine along the same lines (muscle & Nerve damage and perhaps arthritis).
Comment by Les Tarlton -
Enterprise software start-up, with exit potential > $68M revenue in 2013, seeks $2.25M funding. Executive Summary: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13189074/NWS-Executive-Summary-Mar2009
Overview: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13191282/NWS-Cuban-Stimulus-Plan
Having now spoken with many other entrepreneurs who have “applied” to the Mark Cuban Stimulus Plan, I understand much of the value can come from interested parties who respond to this posting. We absolutely are seeking investors and Mr. Cuban is invited to respond, but help in the form of potential sales partners, talented software developers, and venture-principals are welcome.
As a former MicroSolutions customer, I’ve been an enterprise information technology consumer here in Dallas for over 20 years now. In 1999, I recognized a software product opportunity which I began proto-typing in 2001. Still seeing no good alternative solutions in 2003, I struck-out full-time as Founder of Net Watch Solutions.
Beginning in 2004, we sought funding and had limited success with Brent Dunn of the Todd Wagner Foundation, the North Dallas Investment Group, STARTech and the Southwest Venture Forum. Being a novice and extremely unconnected to the start-up venture community, funding easily eluded us.
So, I’ve done it the hard way – working extremely long hours and successfully bootstrapping our software company into reality. By January 2005, we launched our enterprise software product and have closed customers like: The City of Plano, MetroPCS, The Staubach Company, Hunt Petroleum, Interstate Batteries, Shands Jacksonville Florida and DFW Airport. To date, we’ve generated $1.2M in revenue, while not the stellar revenue success that many service-oriented businesses show, it demonstrates my heritage of a break-even mentality.
We’ve attracted help from people like Brandon Cotter, but as we grew with little forward-operating cash in the bank, our team grew and contracted chaotically. As we closed more customers, we had months of profitability but became bandwidth constrained from the resulting obligations for user training, courseware development, account management, product support, and customer requests for additional products. Regretfully, we’d stop selling being so focused on delivering, and as you’d suspect, we’d be in a frenzy a few months later to obtain new customers.
In 2008, we succeeded in raising $500,000 from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, a laudable feat. This program has a follow-on requirement to obtain at least $500,000 from another investor in a Series A valuation round. We are currently seeking $2.25M in equity funding, $750,000 over 2009, and $1,500,000 in 2010.
Over the last years I’ve worked hard to “get connected”, having now been the immediate past president of the DFW Chapter of TeXchange, a member of SIM, TENG, and an option donor of the Entrepreneur’s Foundation of North Texas. I’ve had recent success pitching at Rice’s I.T. & Web 2.0 Venture Forum in November, and was invited in February as 1 of 16 start-up companies by the Texas Governor’s office to a private investment forum. It feels like we now have meaningful investor traction.
As for the market for our product, it materialized too as our company matured and is now recognized by Gartner as being a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) product. This market is 3 years old, is growing at 7% – 10% annually, but is 95% underserved. Being a technology play, I have no qualms posting our business plan as it has an inherent barrier to entry – many people other than potential customers don’t understand the products value. We now have direct competitors which are helping to mature the market, and I’m sure others will appear too. We have an innovative product that can’t be replicated overnight, pending patents and a head-start over anyone who would read this plan and decide to get started. I expect good than harm from this posting.
Mr. Cuban’s Stimulus Plan is ideal for Net Watch Solutions. We are cash flow positive, and with our low burn rate can remain profitable and can accept funding monthly. With funding of $750,000, we will create $1.2M in revenue and create 8 jobs in 2009.
An overview of our business is posted http://www.scribd.com/doc/13191282/NWS-Cuban-Stimulus-Plan. We anticipate an M&A exit in 2013 when revenues will be over $68M.
We offer Mr. Cuban equity on par with his investment to our pre-money valuation. Rather than making his investment all up front, Mr. Cuban suggests he would stop his monthly funding if sales / expense projections are not met; certainly a penalty. If however, Mr. Cuban decides to continue funding the deal after missing an objective, our plan provides an accelerator in valuation to his favor. Conversely, if revenue goals are exceeded, we propose the venture obtains a higher valuation and Mr. Cuban’s equity has a downward pro rata share.
As it stands now, we are currently ahead of plan!
Peter Beasley, Founder & CEO
Net Watch Solutions, Inc.
Comment by Peter Beasley -
test
Comment by Peter Beasley -
MC you are one hell of a fine line between Very smart and Cocky businessman. BTW i like the nigerian comment you have made.
Comment by Muki -
Hello my name is Michael Bush, I have a business ideal called Watch This. I was wondering if you could possibly help me get this started. Its uploading your resume through the television and applying for jobs at the same time. I will work with all the cable companies so we can store people’s information thru their receiver/satelite dish. I would have to buy a channel like 01 that would be funded by advertisements and customer’s who got hired thru Watch This. Much more on customer’s getting hired not ads. People looking for a job will contact Watch This so we can get all their information to send to their receiver/satelite. From there they can go to the channel and start their job hunt city,state,and job postings in their area. Employers would have an ID number to seek employees that may have apply at their business. I have everything mapped out, if you have any questions or concerns please do ask.
Comment by Mike Bush -
Investment not needed, but all questions answered. Something to consider as you proceed with Naked Pizza franchising investment, or any other investment with leased real estate. Management of critical dates, lease and property data and documents, franchise agreements, liquor licenses and other permits, facilities maintenance and more so dates or opportunities are not missed and dollars are paid per the terms of a lease, and not a dollar more results in an improved bottom line.
1. It can be an existing business or a start up:
It is existing business.
2. Can’t be advertising:
It is not.
3. It MUST BE CASH FLOW BREAK EVEN within 60 days:
Done.
4. It must be profitable within 90 days:
It is.
5. Funding will be on a monthly basis:
Investment not needed.
6. Sell your product or service for more than what it costs:
We do.
7. Everyone must work:
We all work hard and there are no “titles” assigned to include the founder/owners. We are a nationally certified women’s owned business enterprise.
8. You must post your business plan here:
Lease management services and web-based software for restaurant and retail tenants and multi-unit franchisees. Solutions are specifically designed to offer small to mid sized companies the tools and resources traditionally available only by the largest companies — industry leading lease management technology and a complete team of real estate professionals. Current client list includes over 42 different national brands, and management of over 5,500 properties globally.
9. I make no promises:
Got it.
10. I will make no promises:
Got it.
11. If you do get money, it goes into a bank that I specify:
Got it.
12. Specify how I get money:
Occupancy cost reductions and lowered corporate G&A for Naked Pizza franchise locations and any other retail or restaurant multi-unit tenants in which you invest. Lease administration impacts bottom line results. Our software and services protect profits. The tangible savings generated significantly offsets the cost of the services making the outsource program at the least very low cost, and at it’s best, a self-funding program.
Comment by Nancy Wood -
Hello Mr. Cuban and all others,
What I have in mind I will try to start in my community regardless of this competition. It is something everyone should do anyway. It strengthens communities and leaves virtually NO carbon footprint. Neighborhood farming.
It may seem a little tree huggy and dorky. But just think about it in real, applied form.
You grow tomatoes. Your neighbor grows corn, another grows broccoli, another asparagus, eggplant, celery, cauliflower. Or, each person involved grows 2 or 3 or 4 things. Once you pool your harvest no one has to go to the grocery store, ever again, for vegetables. Greenhouses can make some types of food available all year. Think of the backyard cookouts with your own home-grown food!
This would not take very much money at all. It would, typically, have a harvest within 3 months or so and would be self-sustaining for ever. All production would go back into the community and any food left over could be sold and put back into the cost of upkeep or donated. I would say, conservatively, $200 per household involved to start, 20 households per community: $4000. Then, if each household could sell their produce (even to each other at first!) within the 60-90 day parameter, it would have gotten off the ground within your time limit. After you get good at it, you can get chickens! Anyone anywhere can run with this and do it themselves. Now that it’s on your board they can anyway, and, hopefully do!
Thanks for the opportunity to express our ideas, Mr. Cuban.
G.P. Cole
Comment by Gerald P. Cole -
Becoming a mom not only changed my life but it is impacting education and raising awareness on an outrageous glitch in early education. I created my company at age 40 when my girls were ages 3 and 1 and I was trying to find something to help them get ready for school. I am not a teacher or educator, and yet I created a book used by schools. I didn’t create the alphabet, numbers, colors or shapes but found a way to repackage it for parents, kids and teachers. With a telephone and a computer, I created http://www.cedarvalleypublishing.com. 10% of all profits are donated back to literacy foundations and schools.
I am the author and publisher of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! & Let’s Get Ready For First Grade! Both books are award-winning, state-approved and used inside homes and schools across the nation. They are currently used in over 400 school districts from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon and in libraries and head start programs all across the country. Parents, kids and grandparents all love them because they are not storybooks or workbooks; they are books meant to be read over and over that cover the curriculum for Kindergarten and First Grade. I just released the highly anticipated Spanish/English edition of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! iA Prepararse Para Kindergarten! My kids think it is absolutely hilarious that I released a Spanish book without being able to read or write the language. As my 7 year-old says, “just hire a translator, duh, anyone can do anything.”
I am a mom inspired by Oprah to change education. This has become my passion! My mantra is if two brothers from Ohio can change the face of aviation, that why can’t a mom, inspired by Oprah change education at the core! Thirty-eight states are discussing all day 4 year-old Kindergarten because kids are not coming to school prepared. But where are the public service announcements telling parents the 7 things they need to know for Kindergarten testing: the alphabet all mixed up, numbers to 10 all mixed up, basic shapes, colors, coins, counting objects to 10 and how far they can count to 100? Schools purchase my books in bulk to help get parents, kids and teachers all get on the same page for Kindergarten and First Grade! After a television segment aired in Madison, WI a local college called and asked it I could create a workshop for parents, kids and teachers. So I did. Now I have a national platform speaking to educators, schools, parents and kids! But along the way, I have uncovered an alarming trend in my preschool and head start workshops nationwide: the majority of preschool and head start teachers that come to my workshops do not know what children are tested on in the first Kindergarten assessment test, so if they don’t know this information, how are parents and children suppose to know this information? In fact I recently tested my teachers at 3 conferences and the result: only 12 of 630 teachers got it correct!!! They failed!!! So when parents come to that first parent teacher conference and they are told that their child only knew 5 of 26 letters all mixed up or was only able to count to 35 on the way to 100; parents feel frustrated and at that point many feel if they can’t help their child in Kindergarten how are they suppose to help in First Grade, Second Grade and beyond! At that point, many opt out and let the “teachers” teach their children and become disengaged in the educational process. I am on a word-of-mouth grassroots mission to help us all come together and get on the same page starting at the core, Kindergarten!
I am in need of additional funding to translate and print Let’s Get Ready For First Grade into Spanish and release Let’s Get Ready For Second Grade! The long term dream is to also release my book series into 10 minute video blocks for schools to use during down time that reinforces counting objects, basic shapes and colors, etc. These 10 minute videos could easily become a 30 minute television series geared toward preschoolers!! I am building a brand with the Cedar Valley Kids to become the Good Night Moon of Kindergarten! Thank you for you time!
Comment by Stacey Kannenberg -
Hi Mark.
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=d45zbpf_116md49mvgz
Using $150,000 of our own money, friends and family we opened up our membership based salon/spa almost 3 years ago (3/27/09 is our birthday!).
The first month we tested selling memberships to our salon/spa we had 40 new subscriptions. We paused it immediately.
I decided to invest ahead of our growth curve and invest the money into our infrastructure, accounting and point of sale to handle our goals of having 1000 members at our store. I needed to make sure we could provide quality service without having a breakdown in our payment systems, staffing, etc…
We don’t need extra capital, but heck, you’re offering so why not? =] haha. j/k. We would consider allowing you to invest with us to scale, hire additional staffing and aggressively advertise for membership sales.
We can achieve break even within 60 days because we are in the beauty industry. Despite the bad economy, Women and Men spend a ton of cash on waxing, manicures & pedicures, and short clean haircuts.
We’ve been quietly testing and refining our systems and we are ready to take it to the next level. Our internal focus will be a source of sustainable competitive advantage.
You took over the Dallas Mavericks and said it was stupid not to invest in your players. Well, we all know the benefits of feeling good and getting pampered and the direct effects it has on corporate culture.
This is why our concept is capturing everyones imagination. It’s simple to understand, profitable and relatively recession proof.
So here, is our investment opportunity for you…We hope it will be a good fit for both of us =]
go here:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=d45zbpf_116md49mvgz
Good luck!
-Robert Luu
robluu@mac.com
PS “Biters will be eaten” -jabbawockeez
Comment by Robert L -
Mark:
I’ll get right to it –
Service Product: CSI Squared (but imagine a superscript 2) – a revolutionary Outplacement solution I’ve just launched this month to augment my firm’s retained search services.
Opportunity: The last mile of Outplacement and Transition Services…warm, qualified Networking introductions to hiring authorities in the displaced jobseeker’s target companies. This is the one element of most successful job searches which large Outplacement firms talk a lot about but stop short of providing.
Facts and Indicators:
– “Given that 65 to 85 percent of jobs are found through networking, it should be the focus of about 80 percent of your allotted search time.” – Harvard Business School
– “The average time it took an unemployed person to find a job – full time, part time or otherwise — in December (2008) was 19.7 weeks” – Department of Labor
– “Elite professionals feel least adept at getting meaningful introductions to key contacts (and) more adept at maintaining ongoing contact with key network members.” – Recent study by Pepperdine University and UpMo.com
– “We estimate about 3.5 million jobs will created (from President Obama’s stimulus plan) but it will be over a period of one to two years.” – Adecco North America
– “80 percent of companies offering some form of outplacement services, employees have come to expect assistance.” – Business First of Louisville
Solution: Think “Executive Search” but in reverse with the value add of best selling job search books, and web 2.0 tools, automation, assessments, collaboration resources and career counseling from a seasoned recruiting professional.
Pricing: somewhat less than the typical Outplacement fee currently paid by employers for mid level employees and significantly less than what they pay for senior executives being outplaced
Leadership: Me – 13 years of cross functional Retained Executive Search and Recruitment Process Outsourcing experience serving Fortune listed companies in several industries. I launched VerticalReach Consulting Group in February 2006.
Staff: Me (full desk), a research associate and an abundant supply of recently unemployed and under-employed Recruiting professionals working remotely (contract or W2)
Market: 8%+ unemployment (and growing) with white collar workers being among the largest segment hurt. 4 million unemployed since the recession began (according to some sources) and over 2mm in last 9 months. Barclay’s is predicting up to 133,000 more layoffs a month in 2009. Average job search taking over 5 months (any kind of job). Result – Outplacement is a growth sector (very unfortunately) that is sure to persist for quite some time as re-hiring will lag behind the future economic recovery that’s expected to occur sometime this decade.
Target Outplacement Recipient: Senior executives and upwardly mobile mid-career professionals ($100k and up).
Target Clients: Corporations desiring to give their displaced employees more than the typical Outplacement offering of a new resume and a sympathetic ear (and avert the growing backlash of negative public opinion regarding what “outplacement” has come to mean). Plus, mid level to executive level professionals willing to invest in first class job search assistance. I’m currently providing this service for both pay and pro bono to a number of individuals and have begun approaching major employers.
Competition: There are about 1,000 Outplacement firms in the U.S. Of these, about 500 belong to the Association of Career Firms North America (ACFNA) – ACFNA, September 2008. Providers range from large, multi-national Outplacement firms to resume writers, job posting aggregators, internal corporate recruiting departments-turned-outplacement consultants, and a few “search firms” that actually require the Candidate to pay a hefty fee up front and then pay more if they find them a job (ouch!).
Our Differentiation: Turning the old adage on it’s head, we believe it’s better to help the job seeker “dig the well” rather than just turn them loose with heavy duty earth moving equipment and an out of date owner’s manual. Put more succinctly, Executive Recruiters are “professional networkers” and specifically trained to source job leads, do research and quickly connect with relevant decision makers in any company. The typical job seeker is not.
Marketing Strategy: Direct phone sales (me), social networking – offering referral rewards, display advertising and direct mail to the Human Resources channel and web presence (Google Adwords, SHRM etc.). Advertising and Marketing firm suppliers have been identified – costs to be spread out over the first year.
Investment: $250,000 [Post-money of $2.5mm @ 10% ownership of CSI Squared – hey, you’re only chipping in for 3 months…maybe! 🙂 ]$125k for sales and marketing (overhaul website, sales collateral and 6 month advertising campaign), $62.5k for Executive Search Advocates (run rate for 3 months), $62.5k for research tools, GS&A and miscellaneous (to be itemized).
Modest (dumbed down) 3 Month Projection:
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3
Sales 16,800 50,400 100,800
People 10,000 20,800 27,733
Expenses 20,833 20,833 20,833 Gross Profit (14,033) 8,767 52,234
Exit Strategy: Management buyout once we hit $5mm of your puny 10% 😉 or spin off to a traditional Outplacement firm OR Search firm desiring an easy entry into the space.
Call me if this piques your interest. If not, I still applaud your entrepreneurial spirit.
In any event, many thanks for the free advertising!!
Corey
Shameless shout out – “Go Mavs!”
Comment by Corey Matthews -
Mr. Cuban,
Here is our business plan for OpentheHome.com. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13179492/Open-the-Home
Chris
chris@mycorporateblogger.com
Comment by lethebashar -
Mr. Cuban,
My business plan is for the Sports Fans Hall of Fame. All sports fans secretly dream they could be in the Hall of Fame. Now they can be. Anyone nominated to the Selection Committee receives entrance into the Sports Fans Hall of Fame. All sports and all levels are accepted. The start up funds are simply for a computer, printer, and hiring someone to create the website. The initial costs will be refunded to you with interest as profits are made. Please read on for further information.
Mission:
The mission of the Sports Fans Hall of Fame is to provide sports fans with a place to be recognized for their devotion to their respective teams and to provide them with a record they can proudly display. It will also serves as a social networking site for fans to interact.
Strategy:
The Sports Fans Hall of Fame will be using a low-cost producer strategy. The HOF will be run entirely on the computer. Nominations will be received through emails sent to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will accept all nominations and upload the Sports Fan’s information onto the website. This is all free of cost; however the sports fan also has the opportunity to purchase a certificate which will enable him/her to have physical evidence of their achievement. The fans will also be able to find and interact with other inductees that share their enthusiasm for their respective sport and/or team.
Strengths:
•Most people are sports fans – large target market.
•Low costs in manufacturing and no cost for location
•Can make decisions quickly with few people involved
•Materials easy to obtain – certificates.
•Already own domain name http://www.sportsfanshalloffame.com
Weaknesses:
•No reputation in the market
•Employee has little skill with website management
Opportunities:
•Expansion through existing sporting good stores, kiosks in sporting venues (possible franchise for specific sports and teams) and shopping malls
•Global expansion through the internet to every country
•Partnerships with Sports Leagues
Threats:
•Competition from previously established individual fan clubs and/or halls of fame
Objectives
Financial:
•To break even in 60 days
•To make a profit in 90 days
•To pay back Mark Cuban
Strategic:
•Introduce customer feedback system and receive 95% positive feedback the first year.
•Set up business in the local mall by Christmas.
•Have 600 sports fans in the Hall of Fame in the first year.
Names of Top Management
•First Inductee and Manager- Robert Rogers
•Second Inductee and Financial Adviser – Katherine Rogers
Organizational Structure
Flat – everyone does work and no one reports to anyone else
Location and Geographical Information
The Sports Fans Hall of Fame will consist of one workplace located in Freeland, Pennsylvania. All business will be conducted on the computer, under the direction of Robert Rogers. The website will be used to showcase the Hall of Fame and be a means of contact with its members.
Company’s Products and Services
The Sports Fans Hall of Fame will offer an exclusive membership to all those who feel they are worthy fans of their favorite sport/team. The Hall of Fame will also produce Certificates that provide the inductee of evidence of their membership along with information and photograph on the website. The website also serves as social networking site where fans can interact with fellow fanatics.
Financial Considerations
•New computer and printer.
•Hiring someone to create the website.
•Purchasing Certificates
•Future Professional Licensing Costs
•Advertising Costs
The Target Market
Look at the globe.
Comment by Robert Rogers -
Mr. Cuban,
I would like to start an online school which could teach construction trades at first and possibly evolve to academic education as well. I am currently attending Ashford University and have a 4.0 GPA. It could also teach people how to be inspectors in the various applications.
As long as a school is accredited, the government will issue student loans for that university.
The tuition for Ashford is about $400.00 per credit hour.
This “University” would provide job skills to people looking to change career choices. I would recruit elctricians, carpenters, and various other trades to teach online.
The start up cost would be minimal. There would first have to be a web design and of course a web site.Advertising would be needed to spread the word.
The lessons could be as simple as powerpoint displays or as elaborate as video presentations.
In addition, Texas requires tradesmen to do continuous education. The school could provide such training. I currently have to go to a class for six hours a year to maintain my licenses. I would much rather be able to go to an online class/training session at my on pace. The cost of such training is $80.00 per person. There are thousands of people from each construction trade who are required to do training.
I am a master plumber and a Texas licensed plumbing inpsector.
Jay
Comment by Jay Parr -
Mark,
Create a mergers and aquisitions company to grow one electronics recycling company for the entire US. Then take it Public. Its going to happen but who is going to do it? I will.
Thank you for helping us keep the earth clean,
Gareth Amon
817 946 5655
Comment by Gareth Amon -
Hi Mark,
My idea involves becoming the metabolic specialist for the Dallas Mavericks. Do you have any research scientists on the Mavericks staff? I’m currently a PhD student at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and my thesis defense date is May 27. My belief is that training for athletic performance does not just include training from the outside-in (i.e. weightlifting, running and stretching), but, also, from the inside-out. What if your endogenous levels of oxidative stress (as measured in blood/urine) are high, should you modify your training to optimize your metabolic profile? If your oxidized LDL levels are high, thereby leading to increased atherosclerotic plaque, decreased blood flow and, to decreased athletic performance, wouldn’t it be important to know your oxidized LDL level? Studying metabolic changes as a function of time can minimize risk of disease, enhance performance, and as a consequence, lifespan. Unfortunately, currently existing clinical biochemistry/metabolomic companies do not care (believe me, I’ve tried) about optimizing metabolic status in professional athletes. Hopefully you’re interested in this idea and I’ll hear from you soon.
Thanks,
Mike Lustgarten
Comment by Michael Lustgarten -
To Everyone…Ok, for the last 36 hours since I came across Mark’s proposal – I was narrowly thinking of my own company, Buybak.com. I’ve re-read Mark’s initial proposal and I’ve been able to take the blinders off to what I believe he is trying to achieve and apply it to my company and assisting others by duplicating “seed” business efforts across the country.
Buybak provides “buyback” sites to online retailers/sellers to purchase directly from consumers their no longer wanted consumer media – DVDs, CDs and Video Games (and soon additional categories like consumer electronics), where in turn online retailers/sellers sell them online through online marketplaces like Amazon.com and others.
We currently provide free websites to online retailers who sell more than 10,000 units per month under a marketing program that they must execute. If they sell less than this threshold amount we charge around $10K for startup fees for a site. Under either scenario we charge 18% of the buyback price for each unit successfully received, plus $125/month for hosting.
A typical online seller will license a site from us and use Google Adwords, their own email or package insert marketing program to get consumers to their site to turn their no longer wanted inventory into cash. They receive orders from customers and verify the quality and quantity of each item. Once the check-in is completed the retailer pays the consumer via check or Paypal. Our clients receive a couple of thousand units per month to well over 10,000 units per month for resale – all with modest marketing. All of our clients who actively work their site have seen their initial investment returned within 6 months or less and profitable from that point forward.
This is our proposition. Buybak licenses an individual a buyback site (under this open funding stimulus effort) to purchase consumer media (DVDs, CDs and Video Games) with the startup cost of $1000 paid by MC (and/or open funding associates). That individual begins to market their site to friends, family, local schools, churches, non-profits and the general public at grocery stores (like the Girl Scouts) or have Buyback Parties at their home. They also can reach out to their email list (if appropriate), friends/associates on Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter and the like. They either collect the product themselves and put it through their Buybak licensed site or have their online contacts do it themselves through their site. The product is then sent to a receiving warehouse (Buybak Logistics) where it is checked in for quality and quantity. Once successfully checked in payment would be triggered by Buybak through a Citibank Visa debit card (virtually via email and/or through a Visa debit card sent through the mail that can be spent anywhere Visa is accepted or funds can be transferred to ones bank account) backed by centralized funds provided by MC (and/or open funding associates). Buybak Logistics would then prepare the acquired product (ensuring that the product is attributable to your licensed site) to be sent to Amazon.com for warehousing and pick, pack and ship by Amazon when sold on Amazon’s Marketplace. Once product is sold Amazon remits sale funds to a central bank account where monthly Buybak accounts for all sales that occurred with your product and remits to you monies after all fees are accounted for. If a site can generate buyback sales of 1000 units per month they could breakeven in 45 days and profit within 60 days and after an approximate ramp of period of 4-6 months have income of approximately $2,100 per month at this level (1000 units per month). Buybak would also provide an affiliate marketing program to each licensed site to reach out to 3rd party websites for advertising, paying them a commission when your site successfully received an order.
So what are the numbers? The average buyback price would be approximately $3.75 per unit, the average order bought back from consumers would comprise of 32-34 units to provide the consumer with around $100 to $125 per order (double this when consumer electronics are included, and double this total amount with a fuller breadth of buyback categories offer later this year). The net to the licensee would be around $2.00 to $2.70 per unit (assuming a buyback gross margin of 58%) with all fees accounted for, except the $125/month hosting. If a licensee would acquire 1000 units per month over a 4-6 month period through their offline efforts and/or through online efforts they would net ~$2,100 per month with the heavy lifting done by; 1) Mark Cuban (and/or associates) in Financing, 2) Buybak.com in Software and Receiving, 3) Amazon.com in Warehousing, Pick, Pack, Ship and Marketplace Sales and 4) Citibank/Visa in payment processing. We also project that any startup costs paid by Mark Cuban (and/or associates) would be paid out of the initial income received, these costs are estimated at $1000 per licensee (based on a test of 100 sites, this drops to $500 for 1000 site rollout).
So what does Mark (and/or associates) receive? They receive (projected by Buybak and not be assumed to be the final negotiated term or fees), fee for Financing the inventory of 2% or $0.08/unit, they receive an inventory risk (unsold inventory or spoilage) fee of 10% or $0.38 unit. After a period of time I would propose a rebate to the actual percentage of unsold inventory which historically would be between 6-7%. A 2% fee on inventory sold would produce a ROI of approximately 16% annually on committed funds of $500K (estimated funds anticipated to finance 100 sites ($100K), buyback product purchases ($375K) and margin of $25K). We anticipate that the investment of these funds would also be secured by the inventory of product acquired, inventoried by Amazon.com.
What does Buybak receive? Buybak would agree to reduce its seller startup fee from $10,000 to $1000 based on a commitment of 100 sites (this would be reduced to $500 for a plan rollout of 1000 sites) to be produced and licensed by Buybak. Buybak would receive “Per Unit Receive” fee of 18% or $0.67 per unit, a Buybak Logistics (receiving) flat fee of $0.75 per unit and an order payment fee of 1% or $0.09 per unit, and if our Affiliate Marketing Platform Program fee is implemented this would be a $100 upfront fee with a $0.80 unit fee successfully received based on referral fee commission paid of 6% or $0.22 per unit to third parties for advertising.
For a detail of all these proformas, fees, and margins, please see Scribd link… http://www.scribd.com/doc/13149125/Open-Source-Stimulus-Funding-Proforma-Buybak
What’s the potential economic impact if this was rolled out to 1000 individuals with Buybak sites?
For the individual licensee
Potential income: around $2,100 per month (based on 1000 units or 35 to 40 orders per month) after 4-6 months with breakeven in 45 days and profitable in 60 days. (Individual licensees may experience results lower or potentially higher than what is estimated/projected here). We believe this requires a minimum 20 hours per week to work your site.
For one thousand licensee’s, with a first year net income of $21,500 – an economic impact of a collective 1000 sites would be ~$22M per year.
For Consumers who sell…
For all the consumers who receive $125 per order on 40 orders per month across 1,000 Buybak sites per month would equate to $5,000,000 to the economy per month or $60M per year – per 1,000 sites.
The combined economic impact could easily exceed $100M for every 1000 sites licensed.
How real are these numbers and this plan? Very real. We’ve been doing this for a number of years and all data is from 7 years of experience across dozens of client sites. To that point Amazon.com last week launched their first buyback initiative on Amazon’s Marketplace where they are beta testing buying back video games. In addition, for many years over 1M individuals have made their livelihood off of eBay by going through estate sales, garage sales, store closings, etc. to obtain items to resale on eBay. The challenge has always been to 1) source resaleable product and 2) keep your overhead low enough to make money. This proposal accomplishes this. The only thing needed for this plan is a financial jumpstart to get this out to a test group of about a 100 and individual sweat equity. Once everything proves out correctly or modifications need to be made then multiple it by 10, then by 10 again and then by 10 again and we still would be shy of equaling what eBay spurred over these many years.
Summary
Mark said… “I was looking for an idea that hopefully could inspire people to create businesses that could quickly become self funding. Businesses that just needed a jump start to get the ball rolling and create jobs.”
Buybak – We believe we have put forth a plan that will be quickly self funding and with 1000 sites create over 1000 new jobs (some part-time some full-time – you get what you put into it).
Mark said… “If it’s a good idea and worth funding, we want it replicated elsewhere.”
Buybak – Test a 100 locations across the U.S. (rolling out to 1,000 or more after the initial test of 100)
Mark said… “The idea is not just to help you, but to figure out how to help the economy through hard work and ingenuity. If you come up with the idea and get funding, you have a head start. If you execute better than others, you could possibly make money at it. As you will see from the rules below, these are going to be businesses that are mostly driven by sweat equity.”
Buybak – MC (and/or open funding associates) provides the funding, Buybak provides the software platform and the reverse logistics to receive the product, Amazon provides the product warehousing, pick, pack & ship along with 70M+ visitors per month to their marketplace for the sales and Citibank Visa for payment processing. All that is left is your “sweat equity” to reach out to friends, family, associates, and consumers both locally and online!
Please comment on your thoughts or questions regarding this plan and if you would be potentially interested in participating!
Sincerely,
Buybak.com
Comment by Steve Bonneau -
We started a blog cover3.com a little over a month ago and while a lot of our income will be from advertising we are hoping to come up with methods of cross promotion with other business/website owners here that can help everyone…and I want to thank Mr. Cuban (one of the few billionaires who actually made money in 2008) for letting use his blog for this..contact me if interested
Thanks,
Sharad
sharwal@gmail.com
Comment by Sharad Agrawal -
Bavooka.com
The idea for Bavooka! was born when a group of experienced recruiting and outplacement professionals got together to design one of the most effective virtual job search experiences on the market.
Rather than joining the traditional job sites in what has become a crowded playing field, Bavooka! listened instead to the needs of job seeking professionals who demanded something far greater and more powerful to satisfy their needs.
The Bavooka! mission is to put today’s career professionals back in control of their own work-life destinies. To this end, Bavooka! has delivered an engaging and interactive solution that extends beyond the Internet and educates our members in self-analysis, performance improvement, relationship development, comprehensive job search training, and much more.
Our vision is to become the leader in a new market that leverages the growing capabilities of Web 2.0, maximizes video for more effective communication and engagement, and empowers individual career promotion. Our Ask a Recruiter functionality is just one example of how Bavooka! combines the virtualization of the Web with the personal touch of Recruiter Counseling.
Bavooka! is a self-funded, nationally certified woman-owned business enterprise and is part of one of the largest professional employment conglomerates in the nation. Since 1995, the members of Bavooka! have operated in the Executive Search, Contingent Workforce Placement, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing space for companies ranging from start-ups to large Fortune 500 organizations
Comment by matt meredith -
South Coast Clinical Trials, Inc.
Website: http://www.southcoastclinicaltrials.com
Title: Founder/Owner/Principal
Industry: Pharmaceutical
Year Founded: 2003
Legal Status: Corporation (S)
Location: Anaheim, CA (USA) San Bernardino, CA (USA)
Company Description:
We are a company that conducts clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms. We specialize in outpatient and inpatient studies in the areas of psychiatry and neurology. Our Anaheim site was established in 2003 and is profitable. Our San Bernardino,CA site was opened in 4th quarter of 2008, is currently conducting one study for schizophrenia, and will be profitable by May 2009. The plan is to open 2 more sites in the Southern California region within the next year, and then sell to a strategic buyer by January of 2011. We are currently working with 5 psychiatrists and 1 neurologist at our 2 sites. We employ 10 people presently.
Mark, for $500,000 I am willing to give you 20% of the shares. You can buy in gradually, getting a percentage of the stock as you invest more over time (up to 20%). I am open to your feedback and suggestions.
Please view entire business plan here:
http://www.slideshare.net/Dansfera/business-plan-south-coast-clinical-trials-inc
Comment by Dan Sfera -
Hi Mark,
My team at ClearSky Systems and I have created a groundbreaking piece of software that captures entire lectures and distributes them to students without any additional effort from the instructor. We call it SpeakerBox.
As recent students ourselves, we know there is a tremendous need for a better way to review what the instructor talked about during class. Right now, if you miss an important topic in class, you have to spend a significant amount of time reading the textbook or conducting research. If you’re up late studying for an exam the next day, this is a very unpleasant situation to be in.
With SpeakerBox, students can download entire lectures and watch them anytime, complete with the instructor’s audio and visual aids displayed in sequence. SpeakerBox requires no additional effort from the instructor and it’s available at no cost to schools. Other lecture recording systems, on the other hand, are incredibly difficult to set up and use, while costing the schools tens of thousands of dollars per year in licensing fees.
We released SpeakerBox to the general public in September 2008. It’s available as a free download from our website, http://www.clearsky-systems.com.
You can learn more about ClearSky via our 1-Page Executive Summary and our full 2009 Business Plan:
Executive Summary: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13142449/ClearSky-Systems-1Page-Executive-Summary31009
2009 Business Plan: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13143301/ClearSky-Systems-Business-Plan31009
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Grant Bookman
CEO, Co-Founder
ClearSky Systems
Comment by Grant Bookman -
Here’s the idea:
I must say, this can be done with you, Marc, funding is not enough, also publicity is needed for it to be popular fast:
Create a site, called Open Source Funding:
– People submit their simple business plans, here. And pay 10 USD for submitting.
– So people, watching it, comes and vote the ideas, and business plans.
– The most voted idea in a certain time gets the %X percent of the accumulated amount so far. (Doesn’t matter how the idea is stupid.)
Comment by Can -
UPDATE PRIOR PROPOSAL
PLAN: Trade leveraged CME Mini Stock Index Futures trading, utilizing both inter and intraday data, utilizing proprietary
genetic algorithm.** 100% quantitative.
Trading $capital since 2/9/2009; 94% winning trades; 50% per day avg. return on minimum day-trading margin per lot traded, i.e., $250 per $500 margin per lot CME Mini S&P 500, contract total worth approx. $34,000. All brokerage statements available.
Comment by SJ -
Hi Mark,
There are so many hurting people in America due to foreclosures, and people needing a place to live.
I want to help by renting my house to low income family or someone who is in need of a place to live.
I am asking for 3-4 thousand dollars to do some repairs that the house needs.
Your will see a 50% return on your money in monthly stallments begenning at the 90 day time period.
Your help is needed to maked this plan a reallity.
Gloria
Comment by Gloria -
Hi Mark,
There are hurting people because of foreclosures and the economy right now. I would like to rent to low income people. I need about 3 or 4 thousand dollars to rehab my house for low income people or families needing a place to live.
I intend to give you 50% of your return from this rental begenning on the 90 day time.
Gloria
Comment by Gloria -
Mr. Cuban,
Children are our Future Now!
If children are our future why not invest in them. Let’s start from the basics. We know that nutritious food is necessary for children to even perform at their highest level in School.But let me just add,a child needs nutritious food to help them in their day to day activities.Having the right nutrition must be essential in the way a child think.
I have notice that the schools in my city, mostly public schools feed the children breakfast however, it is loaded with sugar and then the teachers wants the child to sit down in school and learn. We give our children unhealthy and unsafe food and expect them to lead the country wisely. Only the mercy on God is helping them this far.
The parents need to educated and the general public needs to take a closer look also. I intend to help the children in the nutrition area and other ways starting with publication in the schools and homes etc.
I intend to open a center that would address the problem by offering nutritious meals at a center for children and also a catering service. Also I would like to speak to the School board in my community about the situation with the kind of food being offered in the schools.
Of course I will need funding from someone who believes with me that this is a problem that needs to be addressed.
I definitely agree to the terms you have listed from rule 1-13.
I am asking you Mark Cuban to stand with me and support this very worthy cause.
If children are our future why not invest in them now!
Thank You
Gloria
Comment by Gloria -
It is futile and counterproductive to develop additional financial rackets (e.g. a hedge fund for gasoline) to extract ourselves from this meltdown which was caused by the globalized Ponzi schemes of Greenspan, Paulson, Rubin, Clinton, Bush II, et al. The new Techno-religion is the breeding ground of false prophets as well. More video games, computer applications, playback devices and other infantile toys will only further delay our getting serious and back to real work (sorry, but the whole ‘Jetsons’ thing just ain’t gonna happen).
We need to get back to creating real wealth, not more hallucinated hologram wealth which will only lead to the next bubble. We can start by shutting down the dollar per day WalMart slave camps in Asia and bring the mfg. jobs back home. If we are to pull out of the suicide-pact fantasy economy of perpetual, exponential growth on a finite planet, it’s time to grow up and move on. more here: http://ehrlum.com/groundup/022709/
Comment by Gregg Brazel -
Mark,
I have been planning this venture for some years, and due to just recently being laid off, I now have the time to dedicate 100% to this Start Up Business. My business is a International Sourcing company. I myself have over 20 years experience in the Import Export Business, and the other person joining my has over 5 years experience. We have our plan in place:
I feel we will need a total of $125,000.00 to start the operation. This will be for the initial inventory or shipments, to cover some of the start up legal fees, and 2 to 3 months salary. I feel that we could have an even cash flow break in 60 days, and turn a profit in the first 90 days.
I have customers lined up to start, suppliers to start with, the logistics or transportation part in ready. I just need capitol to cover the first samples and shipments.
Basically, what I am doing is any type of cast parts, iron/steel etc, that a customer needs, specialty or not, I will source and deliver to their door. My Motto will be, “You need it, I will find it”
I will be based in Atlanta GA but will source world wide. This is NOT a franchise, this is my own brainchild and I will succeed.
I look forward to hearing from you to further pursue this opportunity.
Tamie Wahle
Comment by Tamie -
To all readers, since this is open source funding and stimulus effort, and our business is helping consumers turn their no longer wanted media items (soon other categories will be launched) into cash and assisting retailers in connecting with consumers to purchase their no longer wanted consumer media, we would like provide everyone with our own stimulus demo.
Check out http://www.BuybackDirect.com (powered by Buybak.com) to sell your no longer wanted consumer media directly, quickly and simply (Note: It will be faster if you enter the UPC of the product your looking to sell). For readers of Mark’s blog enter coupon code BBDMOTEN (when you checkout) to receive an additional 10% for your buyback sale. When you get your cash go out and spend it on something you need while helping the retailer (and its staff) you’re spending it through – thus doing your part to stimulate the economy.
Note: this is much simpler option than to sell your items one at a time online, but if you’re so inclined please do so – you may get more (or not) selling your items one at a time through eBay, Amazon or the like. Also the buyback prices are determined by figuring in all the fees associated with the purchase, receiving and sales through Amazon or other marketplaces – leaving the retailer who purchased the product with a decent margin for his/her risk, overhead and decent profit. No one, obviously, is under any obligation to sell anything.
Please let us know what you think since this is the basis of our effort and request for funding here.
Thank you,
Buybak.com
Comment by Steve Bonneau -
Mark,
Please use this Scribd link for Buybak’s Business Plan. The previous one is no longer available.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13116045/Buybak-Summary-Business-Plan
Thank you.
Buybak.com
Comment by Steve Bonneau -
Mark,
This is a follow on post to Buybak.com’s original posting (http://blogmaverick.com/2009/02/09/the-mark-cuban-stimulus-plan-open-source-funding/#comment-61614).
In addition to the Executive Summary – 3 pages (http://www.scribd.com/doc/13098891/Buybak-Executive-Summary) and the PowerPoint with audio narration (http://www.slideshare.net/sbonneau/buybak-executive-power-point-presentation-2009-presentation-906339), we’ve added a Buybak Business Plan at…http://www.scribd.com/doc/13114363/Buybak-Summary-Business-Plan for your consideration.
We also would like to mention that by funding Buybak you would be economically assisting 4 different groups (thus maximizing and stretching your stimulus investment dollars); 1) consumers who use our clients buyback sites turn their no longer wanted personal inventory into cash to assist their households, 2) retailers (and their employees) who are the recipient of these traded dollars from consumers who spend them, 3) retailers/online sellers (and their employees) who purchase from consumers their no longer wanted inventory and resell this acquired product to other consumers at a price point less than but equal in quality with similar new product, and; 4) the staff of Buybak.com which experiences accelerated growth through investment.
In addition, Buybak is green! For every used item bought back from consumers this is one less item that makes it to our land fills and subsequently this is one less new item that needs to be produced, which saves on the materials and energy required to produce that new item. All of these benefits while making a very attractive investment.
Lastly, our business model just received a significant marketplace validation from Amazon.com. Amazon just last week began the beta testing of purchasing (through a 3rd party retailer who sells on Amazon) consumers no longer wanted Video Games. See http://www.amazon.com/tradeingames.
Again, thank you for your consideration.
Comment by Steve Bonneau -
Mark-
I have been trying to launch the following for the past 3 years and believe this is the best way to allow entrepreneurs to bring back the economy while allowing people to still save money and spend money that is put to use on them. Please see below, I look forward to working with you in the future:
SPT (STRICKTLY PERSONAL TRAINING)
“WHERE WORKING OUT IS MORE THAN EXERCISE”
A ‘FUNCTIONAL TRAINING’ GYM THAT SELL MEMBERSHIPS TO TRAINERS AND ALLOWS THEM TO TRAIN THEIR OWN CLIENTS USING THE GYM AND ITS RESOURCES. FOR YEARS I HAVE HEARD COMPLAINTS OF CORPORATE GYMS WHO HIRE TRAINERS WHERE THEY MAKE AN HOUR WAGE AROUND 10-15 DOLLARS. TRAINERS ALSO CANT USE MOST GYMS TO TRAIN THEIR CLIENTS B/C OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST. AT STP, THEY CAN BRING THEIR CLIENTS TO MY GYM AND USE IT FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST. I AM JUST PROVIDING THE VEHICLE FOR THE ENTREPENUER (TRAINER). BEST PART IS, “FUNCTIONAL TRAINING” IS THE CUTTING EGDE OF WORKING OUT AND THE EQUIPMENT IS NOT BULKING OR EXPENSIVE (NO MACHINES).
I WILL BE OPENING UP LOCATIONS NEAR EVERY LA FITNESS (FLORIDA), DUE TO THE REASONS THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY RESEARCHED THE MARKET DATA FOR THE POPULATION AND ITS COMPETITION FOR THEIR TRAINERS.
MEMBERSHIP FEE
-$99 DOLLARS FOR THE MONTH NO CONTRACT NO DEPOSIT
OR
-$9 DOLLARS FOR ONE TIME WITH THEIR CLIENT
OR
-$1000 PER MONTH FOR INSTRUCTORS DOING GROUP CLASSES OR TRAINING (MAX 2 HOURS PER DAY)
START-UP COST-
$14,200 FOR ONE GYM (2000 SQUARE FEET) (TO INCLUDE FIRST, LAST AND SECURITY, BUILD OUT, GYM EQUIPMENT)
MONTHLY BREAKEVEN-
$3844 PER MONTH (ONE EMPLOYEE @ 4 DOLLARS PER HOUR PLUS WALK IN ARE SPLIT WITH THE GYM AND EMPLOYEE, 2500 PER MONTH RENT)
30 TRAINER MEMBERSHIPS AND ONE INSTRUCTOR MEMBERSHIP COVERS MY COST. I CURRENTLY HAVE TWO INSTRUCTORS AND 8 TRAINERS READY FOR ONE LOCATION, I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN MORE THAN ONE AT A TIME AND OFFER A FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY.
THERE WERE 278 TRAINERS LICENSED IN FLORIDA LAST MONTH, I AM SURE THEY WILL BE EXCITED TO KNOW I AM BACKED BY YOU, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR EMAIL.
AARON CAROTTA
Comment by Aaron Carotta -
Mark,
I recently submitted a business plan for your review using this comment box. I would like some feedback from you if this was the correct method of submission, and whether or not you have received it.
Much thanks for this opportunity.
Phil
Comment by Phil Vinton -
There are millions of people with the ability to write lyrics, music, scripts, and books who don’t have the means to get their works produced. I am in the beginning stages of starting a middle man website to connect writers with producers. How does it work? Writers post their pieces on the site, the producers then pay a fee to be able to view and purchase them. The start up costs would include legal fees, advertising, and a couple root beers to celebrate making our first million, well at least my first. This site would provide an opportunity for many people to make some good money selling their work, therefore benefiting more people then just you and I. I have owned my own small business and know the challenges they come with and I am ready to face them.
Comment by Jared -
Hello Mark,
Unfortunately this plan just helps America get back on it’s feet in regards to job creation, going off the grid, increasing disposable income, Homeland security safeguards. The profitable area comes with the development of our prototype Road Power that my nephew and I are working on.
National Emergency Energy Farming Lottery
To the American Citizens,
NATIONAL LOTTERY HISTORY as quoted by Scientific Games Lottery-Museum
http://www.scigames.com/sections/lottery-museum/
“For almost 400 years the lottery has played a significant role in American history. From 1612 to 1621, it provided the colonists at Jamestown about 8,000 pounds a year that helped them pay passage for many of the new settlers. In 1776, a lottery authorized by the Continental Congress brought in revenue that helped offset the high cost of the Revolutionary War.
Lotteries held during the decade following the war allowed Congress to repay foreign and domestic loans made to the United States in the interest of the Revolution. Before, during, and after the war, state legislatures authorized lotteries that paid for the construction of buildings at Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, and many other prestigious universities. In the 1790s lotteries subsidized state and private buildings in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York.
For the next century lotteries built roads, bridges, railroads, and schools, as well as helping the poor, elderly, and destitute. Although lotteries were banned in the first half of the twentieth century because of isolated cases of fraud and abuse, community leaders and citizens never lost sight of the potential benefits of the lottery. In 1964, the lottery, protected by stringent legislation, re-emerged and once again this recreational “voluntary tax” provides revenues for public education, senior citizens, transportation, roads, and parks.”
As you can see by our history, my proposal below isn’t so much new as just rejuvenating a system that has worked for us in the past. Let’s do it again!
VISION FOR NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ENERGY FARMING LOTTERY
GOAL:
To take 100 million structures off the grid (meaning reduced consumption-not batteries) in ten years and at same time have those same structures start producing back into the grid. A net difference of two. There are approximately 100-110 million homes. At 50 Million homes producing same amount or close to back into the grid would balance the other 50 Million homes thus taking us to a “Neutral” carbon footprint.
THE PLAN
It is a simple plan. Have a 24/7 $1 dollar national lottery ticket that would be run in all 50 states. The winners would be issued a $25,000 voucher which could be used for any energy generating product or “GREEN” appliances. Give it away. To a relative, friend or business. It doesn’t matter as long it goes “GREEN”. Would be fully transferable to any person or entity should the winner already have such items as: Solar, Wind, etc….
The Fed’s could help by some form of matching funds or tax credits.
Now, if $1 Billion tickets sold per week, (52.1 billion lottery tickets sold nationwide in 2008) it will generate 40,000 winners per week or 3.968 winners every minute. Every single week of the year, another 40,000 people would be “eliminating grid consumption”. 20.8 Million
Structures in 10 years effectively pumping electricity back into the grid, effectively dropping our carbon footprint at twice the speed to a neutral position. If we could get matching Federal Funds, we could double that number. Think of that! That’s 41.6 Million Structures. How many “GREEN” jobs would that create? Millions & Millions in all sectors of GREEN technologies.
The collection of monies will be fully 21st technology. After signing up On-Line; Phones, cell-phones, blackberries, TV sets, email would be but several ways of being notified upon winning. No store terminals will be required.
The day-to-day operations of the lottery would be run by a non-profit organization. For every $25,000 voucher, $10 would go for running operations and increase expansion of this non-profit organization. Therefore, the voucher would be $24,990. The organization purpose would be to help people with Disabilities, Veterans, Homeless, etc…get back on their feet.
ADDENDUM: (2-20-09)
In giving the above paragraph some thought. Here is what I’m envisioning. It is only a concept.
Tickets would be bought via a dedicated web-site. Purchasers would have the option of having their bank accounts debited on an individual basis. $1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 max. per month. The money debited against your account turns into Lottery Voucher Credits. They would have the option of a “window” so if they wanted to play at 5:00 pm every day, week, month, etc…they would have the option provided that window is available. Remember, a drawing is approx. every minute for 3.96 winners.
Every time $25,000 is collected, a random drawing from 00001-24990 would issue the winning number.
Thus, this lottery would be a 24/7 operation. Every 3.96 minutes another winning number would be issued. Since each drawing is only 24,990 players, we would need a method of notifying players that they are in the next drawing of 24,990 players and their number is 00001-24990 to prevent confusion as to what game they are entered in, based upon when debit from account occurs, kinda like Keno.
Upon winning, a message would go out to every player announcing the winning number for that drawing. Email, Iphones, cell-phones, text messaging, TV, website, blackberries, Ipods, etc…would be involved based upon players sign-up on the website. Should they win, a message would come up “YOU ARE A WINNER” $24,990 has been deposited to your account.
We would have an “APPROVED VENDOR LIST” on the website. Winners would then go to web-site and buy Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Energy GREEN appliances, Hybrids, Solar Fans, etc…The company that they buy from would debit this account and ship product to the winners.
Since it’s fully transferable, this web-site account will have a method of transferring balance to another person, entity, corporation, etc…of their choosing provided they have an account on this web-site.
Since most people have a morbid curiosity of “how close” they came to winning, it would be fun to post the results as to how close they came. For example, I receive an email that says “your are number 12,345 the winner number was 12,347. You missed by two numbers. Please try again.
A TYPICAL SCENARIO IF I WON A $25,000 LOTTERY VOUCHER:
I would install Solar in my home which costs around $16,000. The balance of $9,000, I would buy “energy GREEN” appliances. A new Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Dryer, Freezer, Heating systems, etc…creating additional energy savings. The extra energy now generated would go directly back into the “Grid” creating additional credits to my account along with generating electricity nationwide back into the grid. The savings of approx. $3000-$6000/yr that I had been paying for monthly energy bills, I would probably buy a Hybrid because I could use my credits for charging my Hybrid. Now my home and vehicle/s would take us to a “0” carbon footprint for our home. As a side benefit of this proposal for Americans is with increased energy output nationwide, it should drive down cost per Kilowatt thus helping the Nation as a whole.
BENEFITS: (Why I would buy a lottery ticket)
1. Increases home values
2. Excess power creates “credits”. Approx. $0.09 cents per KWH ($avings) to homes
3. Increases disposable income by having minimum or no energy bills.
4. Starts to reduces carbon footprint immediately
5. No new power grid requirements
6. Get to buy new Energy GREEN appliances, bulbs, etc…
7. Use Balance for Hybrid purchase to create a “0” carbon footprint.
8. Spreads installation jobs evenly nationwide; installers, mfg’ers, sales
9. Increases energy GREEN jobs for American workers
10. Increases re-cycling of old “non-GREEN” appliances
11. Even distribution reduces risk of terrorist attach against our grid
12. Resistant to energy disruptions due to national disasters ie; Hurricane IKE
THE ODDS: (25,000 to 1) At 25,001 another lottery drawing is done, etc…
A billion per week is 40,000 winners, 3.96 winners every minute. Side Note: Approx. $1.04 Billion of yearly disposable income could be realized by elimination of monthly energy costs.
Winners Minute Winners Hour Winners Day Winners Week Winners Year
3.968 238.08 5,713.92 39,997.44 2,079,867
$99,200 $5,952,000 $142,848,000 $999,936,000 $51,996,672,000
HOMELAND SECURITY
The visions outlined above also defends against the possibility of terrorism regarding our energy grid. With a universal grid distribution, America disruption would be minimal due to the uniformity of energy being produced thru every home, apartments, mobile home parks, industrial complexes, local, state and federal buildings, etc…. nationwide.
CONCLUSION
I look forward to your next 8 years of Presidency. It should be an exciting time for Americans and the prospect of a greater mission for all Americans. Your inaugural speech inspired me to write this letter.
America is better than this. Honor and Integrity need to replace Greed and Immorality.
The mindset of corporations, institutions, government and the people needs to change.
In time of need, the American people have always stood together. This lottery would give the chance for the people to feel involved for a good cause to a new future.
By the People, for the People seems appropriate in this situation.
Even President Abraham Lincoln used lotteries to advance America’s destiny.
The spike in gasoline prices showed us how vulnerable the American people is when it comes to disposable income. We can’t keep the economy going if we don’t have any extra money to spend. When $800 billion leaves our economy for oil every year, it’s no wonder.
My proposals above would put substantial monies in your pockets. Instead of a tax rebate for a small amount, my plan would release that $300-$600 monthly electric bill every month allowing for a gradual influx of cash-flow back into the economy. More disposable income forever. Buy a Hybrid?
The visions outlined above would help America (and the world) in bringing about a cleaner environment and a new direction for the 21st Century.
I so hope you might give this some attention and support. The ripple effect of pumping $52 billion into our economy for GREEN jobs & products is self evident.
I am 57 years old and feel I’m starting to run out of time to effect positive influences on our planet as a whole. Let’s make the 21st Century a new beginning for us all. This will help.
God bless America,
God bless Planet Earth.
Sincerely,
Grass Valley, CA
Comment by Gary Fosburg -
Hi Mark,
Are you interested in investing outside US as well? If yes, then will you be willing to invest in Karachi – Pakistan? The idea is very simple… a website similar to alibaba.com. Revenue generation? $2/year for registeration for anyone who wants to list themselves which will initially be done on the spot and later online. If thats not enough we can try launching local versions of almost every major portals such as Yahoo and Msn and while we are at it we can also do something about bringing Ebay here. We still lack these major giants over here.
How Pakistanis respond to things? just look how quickly every tom dick and harry adopted using a cellphone… 50% of the entire population of pakistan!! A little marketing and persuasion can do wonders here and with banking and telecom a little played out the next boom here is gonna be in IT for sure!
Its all about just launching them here, sooner or later everyone will obviously come here… the major players i.e. and history has it, the sooner you enter a market which has got no competitors, you’ll ultimately become the leader in the future.
Comment by Dan Rash -
Mr. Cuban,
Thank you for the opportunity to present our company, Buybak.com to you for potential funding.
Buybak.com offers Retailers and Online Sellers a software platform as a service to purchase “No Longer Wanted” inventory from the over 100M consumer households and retailers, directly and simply without online auctions or marketplace listings.
Buybak.com’s mission is to become the Internet standard in online applications for retailers and online sellers to purchase (buyback) households “no longer wanted” personal inventory immediately and efficiently without person-to-person auctions or marketplaces listings.
Buybak offers retailers and online sellers the ability to purchase “no longer wanted” inventory directly from consumers through online “buyback” websites provided by the Company. Buybak will provide its clients the ability to purchase over 2.5M unique SKU’s of product directly from the largest inventory base in the world – consumers no longer wanted property. Buybak provides the capability to set buyback prices directly, via formula or thru sales data acquired by large marketplace sites like Amazon.com to ensure desirable and predictable resale margins. Buybak also provides the ability to check-in acquired product in a locatable warehouse setting, such that either in-store or online the retailer is able to efficiently to sell, pick and ship committed product either online or offline.
Buybak clients allow households the ability to sell their no longer wanted personal inventory immediately and in bulk to trusted retailers and online sellers for cash or credit versus the uncertainty and complexities associated with person-to-person auctions and fixed price marketplaces. Sellers “click” through their no longer wanted Consumer Entertainment, Electronics, Collectibles (soon), and other such product category (soon) inventory and in return are provided with “buyback” prices for their no longer wanted inventory. After the consumer/household elects to sell their no longer wanted inventory, they ship it to the retailer/online seller (MarketMaker). The MarketMaker receives the order, checks the product for quantity and quality, then remits payment to the consumer/household.
Company’s management is the most experienced in the “buyback” space having both developed and operated its own buyback sites for 7 years while supplying clients like Blockbuster, Musicland, Tower Records, Electronics Boutique, GameStop and top Amazon/eBay online sellers, plus many others with pre-owned product sourced directly or indirectly from U.S. consumers. Prior to 2006 the founder of the company owned and operated its own buyback site and sourced product directly from consumers. Management made the strategic decision in 2006 to move from the receiving and re-distribution of physical “buyback” product to providing retailers and online sellers with the technology and services to purchase directly from consumers themselves. In 2007, the Company successfully updated its technology and successfully began servicing clients through Buybak.com.
The Company is self funded, has numerous clients, revenue generating in 2008 and 2009 and breaks even on a cash flow basis.
The Company is seeking funding to accelerate both its technical development and business growth.
An Executive Power Point presentation (with accompanying audio) can be found at…
http://www.slideshare.net/sbonneau/buybak-executive-power-point-presentation-2009-presentation-906339
An Executive Summary can be found at…
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13098891/Buybak-Executive-Summary
Best,
Steve Bonneau
Founder, Buybak.com
Comment by Steve Bonneau -
Here’s another one, though the details are a lot more sketchy.
We’ve all seen those colleagues in school or business that we knew would be successful. This is a way to capitolize on those people to everyone’s benefit.
In principle, the idea is to create a stock market of sorts based on an individuals net potential worth.
Basically, an individual would at some point offer an IPO on their own self-worth and potential and investors would purchase stock (at various common/preferred status shares as need be). The value of the stock would be tied to the individual’s net worth, income, etc.
As an equity works with a corporate entity, the stock would be based on the value of that individual’s earning potential and annual performance, market based. As like any stock, the performance is based on market factors and performance. If the individual also held shares (or a majority) it would also set up elf-regulation de-facto standard).
What this concept would require is the set-up of a stock market equivalent, a number of professionals per industry (could be limited at first), and a system of rules and regulations for the individuals and investors.
The premise is solid and based on centuries old models of corporate equity and stock practices. This takes it further to the common internet-age model of personal branding and marketing/performance.
At this point, the concept is very rough, though I propose to start it in the industry that I know best, design. If you look at the potential lifetime revenue for a single designer ($1, 7320760 at an average salary of $57,693 based on 2008 core77.com 2008 salary results, not even including inflation or other factors), this potential dividend is high compared to what could be an initial IPO.
The business model would operate like a traditional IPO does. Individuals apply through a common web platform, or other service to create shares in “themselves”. The initial stock offering is based on a panel of experts that determines their potential and an agreement that gives the individual cash in exchange for a share of future earnings. Proportions to be determined.
Initial capital expenditure for this concept would be purely marketing, approx. $15,000. Dividends based on stock would be at a mutually agreeable percentage, depending on capital investment and dividends share.
Net investment is minimal and the investment is based on future rewards built on a model of low income professionals who have potential and need cash in order to proceed to future earnings.
Essentially a VC model, but for individuals. In my own industry (design), at least, I think this would be relatively easy to evaluate based on an interview and portfolio review, though perhaps in othr industries it may be more difficult.
R
Comment by Richard Kuchinsky -
Our company, Essential Elements, is a web based business software provider. We have developed a comprehensive solution for critical business functions including: accounting, payables, receivables, Inventory, communication, messaging, log books, labor, human resources, timekeeping, document storage, e-commerce and event planning. In addition, we have developed specific functions for the various industries we currently serve.
Our software is based on an organic approach to development for our customers, meaning our core software can be enhanced by participating companies. Those enhancements often lead to global solutions that are made available to all customers – without the high cost of upgrading. This gives each company the latitude to bring their own vision to Essential Elements, and build specific Business Intelligence tools like KPI (Key Performance Indicators), dashboards and reporting. In effect, we enable them to use the tools in our product to continue to run their company successfully rather than tell them how we think they should operate.
We have made the startup costs and monthly fees scalable for any sized business. Currently, our customers include multi-unit, complex corporations, as well as single-unit small businesses. To date, our largest customer base is in hospitality, but opportunities have pushed development into grocery, retail and construction.
Essential Elements originally began development several years ago under a parent company. We have had paying customers for just over 2 years. On July 1st of 2008 a separate LLC was formed establishing Essential Elements as an independent entity.
On behalf of a group of potential investors, partnership documents were completed, and a portion of the company was set aside for investing partners. Those investors, who had promised an initial outlay of $250K, fizzled out with the downturn in the economy.
This business is our passion. We have accomplished a lot with a small group of dedicated, multi-tasking people. Our income is derived from 3 basic services: 1.) Setup Fees. 2.) Monthly Usage Fees. 3) Custom Development Fees. The revenues are increasing. In January, we turned our first, very small, monthly profit. But, we need investment funds to increase our staff and grow our company. We have customers under contract now that we can’t get online fast enough. We need a minimum investment of $110K over the next quarter to hire more code writers and support personnel. We need funding for a sales & marketing campaign.
The downturn in the economy has forced every company on the planet to re-examine their current way of doing business. Essential Elements can make them more profitable. Your assistance will help our company grow, so we can help our customers bring more profit to their bottom line. That initial investment can either be a 5% ownership in the company, or a loan with terms. We are open for any discussions. Either way, your investment should bring you a strong ROI. We are a fully developed, functioning company, primed to hit the marketplace on a much larger scale.
Comment by Mike Burris -
Mark,
My idea is to have health insurance for our cars. People can’t afford a $750.00 bill from the car mechanic hitting them all at once with the economy so instead they would have a deductible and copay. This would also eliminate people being taken advantage of at the car repair places. You would need to start the business by getting a few of the chain auto repair places to partner with you (ie. Good Year and Pep Boys). Once the business became established smaller car repair places would get on board so that they didn’t lose their customer base. Then the company will have maximum charges for certain parts or labor on certain jobs just like they do with the doctor’s charges. The person would pay their copay and then the health insurance for their car would kick in. You would need to base the insurance premium on the model and year of the car.
If you were not able to have the car places partner with you, you could still have it where the people that purchase the insurance have to submit their own claims for reimbursement. This would be similar to what a lot of people need to do with secondary health insurance right now. This may be a more realistic starting point until it gains credibility.
Thanks for this opportunity to share!
Linnea
Comment by Linnea -
I can run a pest control business profitably with $25 fixed price per visit.
Comment by Chuck Jamshidi -
🙂 .. easy.
yiid.com – Your Internet ID
because it’s time for it.
We start last week and we are realy open.
Feel free to contact me if you like to know more.
We are based in Germany but you could write me in English or Italian 🙂
Marco
Comment by Marco -
Dear Mark,
For a very long time now I have had a great idea for an invention that no one has ever seen before. It is a keyboard for a computer that can both heat and cool. I think this is a very good idea because it is really practical and I believe that many people would want this. Just think next time when you are on the computer, and your hands are hot or cold then you will see the need for this product.
Lucas
Comment by Lucas Zacharias -
Mark,
Thanks in advance for taking a look…
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dwg7j9k_0hnrjpccj
Comment by Justin -
Mr. Mark Cuban,
My idea is to create a business corporation that seeks out and supports innovators and inventors from patenting and imaging of product concept up to the prototyping phase.
“InventHelp” charges from $15-20,000 to patent and create 3d images of the product concept. This is not a good deal.
My proposed company gets to choose which great new products to help up to prototyping (ie only those with potential to earn huge profits within a 6-12 month cycle; has potential for global marketing).
There are hundreds of innovators and inventors desperately seeking sources of funds to help push their product ideas up to sales and distribution. With your funding support more new globally attractive products will reach the market faster.
I know this is a doable new business venture.
Comment by Alpha Ace -
Mark,
Here is part of our executive summary (the full detailed equity request memo is on google docs and slide share – links below).
Baltic Ave, LLC (“Baltic”) is a company we have formed to take advantage of a specific niche within the financial institution/bank owned properties and the distressed real estate market in Las Vegas and Henderson Nevada.
Today, an unprecedented number of properties are owned by banks or other financial institutions which has created a significant opportunity to target and acquire properties at heavily discounted prices. The traditional “bank sales at the courthouse” are no longer effective due to the volume of transactions.
Baltic’s focus is to identify and acquire specific properties in targeted neighborhoods typically purchased in the $30,000 to $60,000 range (30-40% of previous loan values on the property) by leveraging cash offers on multiple properties with a 7 day close. Once acquired, cosmetic improvements based on a strict set of guidelines are made immediately after closing. During the improvement phase, the properties are being marketed to primary home buyers (mainly FHA qualified and first time buyers) with pricing increases of 30% to 50% above total costs. Baltic is responsible for managing the initial acquisition, overseeing the improvements, marketing/resale of the property and all aspects of the rental management for the properties that are not immediately sold. We perform a detailed analysis on targeted acquisitions and are involved in all aspects of Baltic Ave, LLC – from financial support to general business management.
The opportunity to purchase properties directly from the financial institutions on a “quick closing” basis has been created due to the reluctance of the banks to accept loan contingencies and longer closing periods from traditional buyers (they’re not in real estate, they’re banks). A typical low income primary home buyer will need to qualify for an FHA loan which will take between 30 and 90 days to close. Most financial institutions are looking for a 15-30 day closing period with no financing contingencies and are willing to take deep discounts in exchange for this – especially on the property profiles that Baltic targets.
One of Baltic’s key strategies is to purchase homes in this market segment directly from the banks which will allow these primary home buyers the time it takes to obtain the traditional FHA financing. In addition, based on recent legislation, many of these FHA qualified buyers will also receive tax incentives offered to first time home buyers which we believe will help sustain or even increase activity in the low end market as it is much more affordable for a FHA qualified buyer to purchase a $100K home than to rent.
Baltic will strictly focus on homes in this market segment while the banks can be motivated to discount the purchase price in exchange for a quick close, the sales activity remains steady and the rental rates remain extremely favorable in comparison to the overall cost of the homes. We believe the timing is favorable and the demand will support our model which has multiple strategies that range from strong cash flow opportunities via long term rentals, immediate sales (flips) that capture high returns and/or long term appreciation with substantial cash flow during he hold period.
Baltic Ave. is currently seeking $1,500,000 to fund the immediate acquisition and rehab of 25 homes in our phase 1 launch and a total of $12,000,000 to acquire 200 homes in Las Vegas (with an average all in cost of $60K per home after inprovements).
We believe there is a tremendous opportunity in todays low end housing market and that Baltic Ave has a scalable model that could be replicated in cities like Phoenix and San Diego where we plan to add 200 homes in each city (600 total homes) with incredible cash flow (the houses are paid for up front so the is no debt service) and tremendous long term appreciation potential (see proformas in the full summary).
This is a business that feeds or stimulates many different employment groups as the banks, escrow/title companies, realtors, property managers, contractors, laborors, retail material suppliers, home inspectors, exterminators, plummers, electricians and everyone else in the food chain all get back to work in a industry that is slowed to a grinding hault today.
The business also stimulates the credit markets as FHA and first time home buyers are incented to purchase new homes – which believe it or not are more affordable than renting. The monthly mortgage payment on a $100k home for a FHA qualified buyer is almost HALF of the current rental rate and since we improve the homes before they are put on the market, we provide a housing option to these families that they can take pride in (buyers or renters).
You can find the full Baltic Ave, LLC Equity Request Memo at the fillowing:
Google Docs: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.3a7e67b6-8ced-44db-97bb-3ff44228b7c5
Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/dfaddis/baltic-ave-equity-req-df-2-09
Thanks and I wish everyone the best in these challenging times. Keep working hard, keep an open mind, stay positive and focused…there are opportunities for all of us every single day in this great country that we are lucky enough to live in.
Doug Faddis
Comment by Doug Faddis -
“It’s All In The Sauce!”
This is not a restaurant, but a specialty fast food. More like Starbucks or Jamba Juice or Hot Dog On A Stick style of business, where people buy and leave.
Product Specialty: Sauce!
All different kinds and taste and from all over the world. Hot, spicy, mild, slimy, gory, etc. Sauce from Africa, Brazil, China, Ireland, etc.
The business actually sells specialty sauces. The sauce IS the product. Customers pick and choose the sauce they want.
Selections for sauces are in hot deep bowls (similar to ice scream shops where store clerks scoop the ice cream and place it in cups or cones).
But what goes with the sauce? Mainly chicken strips to be dipped in the sauce.
Target market: age 2 to 92.
Business name: Chicken Pronto!
Ideal Locations: Malls
Store Ambience: Cheerful and Sunny
What fun it is!
Thanks for reading, Mark.
Comment by Edgar Enriquez -
Mark, this is an opportunity to revolutionize the health-care industry, help save lives, and “make a difference” as you said.
Healthcare, as an industry, has been typically late to adopt useful and efficient business practices from other non healthcare-related industries. There are industry-leading business practices from the manufacturing, retail, and financial services industries which could be applied to the healthcare industry resulting in improved patient flow through crowded Emergency Departments, help save patient lives by ensuring the patient is receiving the correct medication and drug dosage, and applications to ensure hospitals are receiving full payment for their clinical and professional services. There is a significant opportunity to apply these types of industry-leading business practices to improve patient care, save lives, and help create a more efficient healthcare system.
For example, one industry-leading business practice in the manufacturing and retail industries is bar-coding. However, this type of technology is considered “new” within healthcare, but is certainly considered outdated within manufacturing and retail. This type of bar-coding technology has greatly improved patient safety throughout organizations where implemented, and should have been implemented many years ago. Bar-coding technology, when used in the medication administration process, has the capability of saving lives by reducing the number of preventable adverse drug events. Bar-coding ensures the patient is receiving the correct medication, in the right dose, at the right time, to the right patient. The error to Dennis Quaid’s twins out in California could have been avoided if this technology was in use.
Past Behavior in Healthcare
Unfortunately, operating margins at hospitals are small, even smaller now, and CFO’s never allocated capital towards the purchase of new and industry-leading technologies, like bar-coding. However, there has been significant progress in the past few years to understand how information technology can be used to enhance patient care, improve patient safety, and increase operating margins. Information technology is now seen as a critical tool in the everyday operations of a healthcare organization.
In the past, the healthcare industry never required detailed financial justification when considering a capital healthcare information technology (HIT) investment. Healthcare organizations viewed healthcare IT as an expense and never considered the financial benefits of an HIT application and never clearly identified the overall financial and operational impact of an HIT implementation to their organization. However, this type of financial justification is in everyday use in the financial services industry, and is now being recognized as a critical tool within the healthcare industry. The new stimulus package as applied to healthcare, and the adoption of an electronic medical record (EMR), is helping lead the way in using these types of financial services business processes.
The FiscalHealth Group
Our company, The FiscalHealth Group (FHG), was formed to assist healthcare organizations determine the overall financial and operational impact of various clinical and revenue cycle healthcare IT applications, in both the acute care and ambulatory environments. For example, we show the financial impact of a fully functioning bar-coding medication administration application, identify how improved patient flow and better clinical coding would increase Emergency Department revenue, improve patient care and throughput, or help physicians in their offices become more efficient and increase revenues through better coding and reduced operating expenses.
We provide the financial expertise to assist healthcare organizations understand the financial and operational impact of the HIT implementation to their organization. These organizations are now beginning to understand the importance of modeling the financial impact of these HIT applications, and we have completed over a 1,000 of these types of financial assessments.
Stimulus Bill
The Stimulus Bill, as applied to healthcare, will assist in increasing the adoption and use of an electronic medical record (EMR) within a hospital, and increase the adoption rate of using an EMR in a physician office. FHG would assist healthcare organizations and physician offices determine the financial impact of an EMR implementation, and determine whether their EMR adoption rate qualifies for a full or partial allocation of the stimulus bill funding.
FHG Goals
We intend to market our financial consulting services to hospitals, hospital systems, physician offices, and HIT vendors across the country. Our consulting services will help these organizations understand the impact of the EMR adoption process and help them determine whether they will receive a full or partial share of the stimulus bill funding. Most HIT vendors are not interested, or don’t have the capability, to show the financial impact of their IT implementation to a healthcare organization. And, HIT vendors certainly don’t have the capability to identify how the stimulus bill funding would impact a healthcare organization or physician office.
Healthcare organizations and physician offices are also wary of listening to HIT vendors and how they can assist in this stimulus bill adoption process and financial modeling, and would be more inclined to listen to an unbiased 3rd-party to help them better understand the stimulus bill funding impact to their organization.
We are the right company, at the right time in this time of need for healthcare organizations and HIT vendors across the country.
1. It can be an existing business or a start up.
The FiscalHealth Group (FHG), LLC. (www.fiscalhealthgroup.com) was formed in June 2007.
FHG Services
We assist healthcare organizations determine the overall financial and operational impact to their business when evaluating Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) applications. FHG creates financial assessments to confirm whether implemented applications, or applications under evaluation, meet an organization’s strategic and financial objectives. We have expertise in clinical and revenue cycle applications, in both the acute care and ambulatory environments.
When comparing the financial benefits of single, or multiple HIT applications among competing vendors, we help identify which HIT vendor provides better financial value. If we know the total cost of ownership (TCO) for each HIT vendor, we can identify the vendor which provides the better financial value, and identify potential cost savings opportunities for the hospital when making an HIT vendor selection.
Current Initiatives
We have performed consulting services for a number of healthcare organizations. We have been involved in several marketing initiatives, targeted at hospital CFO’s and administration, to help them understand the impact and use of our consulting services. We have given presentations at a national conference, HFMA (Healthcare Financial Management Association) chapters (hospital CFO members), and will begin giving webinars to national HFMA chapters. By showing the overall organizational financial and operational impact of these HIT investments, hospitals and physician offices will now be proactive and understand the impact of these HIT investments, and spend their time on managing patients and their care versus spending valuable resources to select the best HIT vendor for their organization.
Healthcare Stimulus Plan Impact
The federal government is providing significant funding to assist hospitals and physician offices increase the adoption of healthcare IT and adoption of electronic medical records (EMR). Once the HIT vendor becomes accredited through a federally mandated program, hospitals and physician offices must make a selection among competing HIT vendors, selecting the best clinical and financial applications for their organization.
Since FHG is vendor agnostic, we would assist hospitals and physician offices in their HIT vendor selection, identify which HIT vendors provide the best financial value, and show through the EMR adoption process whether the organization would receive full or partial funding from the stimulus package.
2. It cannot be a business that generates any revenue from advertising. Why ? Because I want this to be a business where you sell something and get paid for it. That’s the only way to get and stay profitable in such a short period of time.
– Any advertising we have done is targeted to hospital CFO’s to help them understand the operational and financial impact when purchasing HIT applications. In the past, hospital CFO’s have never recognized the financial impact of these HIT purchases, only focusing on the expense. Any advertising we have done is to help educate and help these CFO’s understand the financial benefits associated with an application, as well as identify the total cost of ownership (TCO). Once the financial benefits and TCO is identified for an application(s), we identify the financial value and show where cost savings opportunities might occur. We are in the process of trying to educate and communicate to an industry late to this type of financial modeling methodology.
3. It Must Be Cash-flow Break-Even Within 60 Days
– We were cash-flow positive after our initial customer. As a consulting company, we have limited overhead and capital requirements.
4. It Must Be Profitable Within 90 Days
– We were profitable after our initial customer.
5. Funding Will Be on a Monthly Basis. If You Don’t Make Your Numbers, The Funding Stops
– Any funding requirements we need would be used for marketing our services to hospitals and physician offices across the country. Any funding would be contingent upon these types of initiatives. Additionally, we would like to network with anyone you may know within the healthcare industry to help market our consulting services.
6. You Must Demonstrate As Part of Your Plan, That You Sell Your Product or Service For More Than What It Costs You to Produce, Fully Encumbered
– As a consulting company, we have already created the intellectual property required to perform these consulting services. Cost of a consulting engagement depends on the type of assessment required, and the number of HIT applications under review. We already have good margins and have limited operating expenses.
7. Everyone Must Work. The Organization is completely flat. There are no employees reporting to managers. There is the founder/owners and everyone else
– The principals all work to create these financial assessments. If we need additional employees for increased volume, we can easily identify potential employees who would be able to assist in completing the work.
8. You must post your business plan here, or you can post it on slideshare.com , scribd.com or google docs, all completely public for anyone to see and/or download
– We provide an overview of our consulting services here. If you require additional information about company background and consulting services, we are more than happy to talk live on the phone, or come in for a face-to-face meeting.
9. I make no promises that if your business is profitable, that I will invest more money. Once you get the initial funding, you are on your own
– Understood. We are really looking for a “push” to help us market our services to the healthcare industry, especially now with the new stimulus bill targeted to healthcare IT adoption. We would need funding to market our services in various healthcare-related forums, and any funding would be contingent upon these types of initiatives. Our target market is any hospital, hospital system, or physician office throughout the country.
10. I will make no promises that I will be available to offer help. If I want to, I will. If not, I won’t.
– Understood. However, we think you might be interested in helping us change an industry, and help save lives in the process! We need as much help as we can possibly get.
11. If you do get money, it goes into a bank that I specify, and I have the ability to watch the funds flow and the opportunity to require that I cosign any outflows
– Understood, and not a problem at all.
12. In your business plan , make sure to specify how much equity I will receive or how I will get a return on my money
– If interested in our proposal and consulting services, let’s talk about this item in more detail.
13. No multi-level marketing programs (added 2/10/09 1pm)
– We have already identified the type of marketing initiatives we feel would be needed to market our consulting services to healthcare organizations across the country.
Comment by Curt Magnuson -
MArk,
I love the NBA and Mavs. Dallas rocks. I enjoyed watching the mavs and miss watching them. I plan to living back in dallas and hope the team has more playoff runs.
Great plans for your NBA team would be this. Due to the poor economic cycle.
1. Offer really good low prices on season ticket seats or offer long-term season tickets seats for one great low price, but on the LT seats a person could have an option to purchase 10yr, 15yr, 20yr, maybe 30yr, which LT plan would be for a person who is a die hard basketball fan and they’d get these seats for whatever their term is. Signing a contract for a long term season ticket holder will enable someone to get first dibs on playoff and finals tickets and get some discounts off of MAVS products,venue goods, and discount off of certain places around DFW area. Discounts off of sponors who work with the mavs. This would be an benefit for being a mavs season holder.
Comment by Mikey Jenson -
Oh I’m averaging about 1-2 business ideas per day. I have a short list of the ones that I think would be the most fun and interesting but the one that I just posted is the only one that I don’t mind somebody else stealing, as it’s for the good of humanity!
Comment by Christopher Vigliotti -
Yo Mark. This is a more of a non-profit type of thing, as the goal of this idea is to make it easy for charities to raise money and have some fun connecting with friends.
elevator pitch
social network. twitter meets micro-payments meets charitable donations meets gaming
company and website name
TBD
tag line
changing the world fifty cents at a time
why?
charitable donations are down at a time when charities really need money. make donating to charity an affordable, fun, social experience.
donations
fifty cents (or more)
user interface
twitter-like main bar, side bar that contains (1) user overview, (2) “donate $.50 now” button (3) list of charity/charities they support, (4) badge board
features
140 character posts ala twitter, add friends, import contacts from gmail etc.
other features
iphone app, facebook app, sms hooks, desktop notification
people that you get to donate
also create accounts and are considered your recruits. you get badge rewards for their accomplishments as well
badge board?
ala x-box badges. a badge board displays icons that represent a user’s achievements. charity-specific badges, and also badges that are awarded as prizes from fund raising competitions.
badges for…
beta tester
for reaching X dollar limit
charity-specific badges
for every X dollars that your recruits collect
others TBD
why me?
good networking skills, developer + project manager for 10 years, friendly, creative, loud
why it will work
startup costs will be small, i know some really awesome software developer resources that would love to help out
funding
from united way, red cross, habitat, a web hosting company, mark cuban, others
follow-up
screen mock-ups available upon request (give me a few days to sketch them out).
Comment by Christopher Vigliotti -
Existing business currently engaged with select NBA & NHL teams (among other teams and leagues). Simple concept – we help teams create a private label brand of retail and promotional merchandise and apparel, using a little capitalized on “local license exception” most teams don’t maximize. Putting more money in owner’s pockets, not the league office or licensees. Have had great success with teams we’re engaged with, looking for investment/partners to fuel dramatic new growth to other teams, leagues and new opportunities opening in collegiate sports. Small staff, flat organization, no building or equipment, break-even now, profitable within 60 days…and a value-prop that will resonate now more than ever with team owners – create and sell quality team merchandise at low fan-friendly price points, and generate much more gross dollar margins in the process.
Please see more at:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhqm246r_2hmsts6g4
Comment by Bob DeMasse/Greg Bennett -
Mr. Cuban,
You have replied to my post twice, we are an operating C corporation over two years old, Federal Trademarks, etc. Since my first post on February 11, 2009 @ 11:01 am, we have done 39,434.00, collected on 12,252.00 and our accounts receivables rarely goes beyond 30 days.
We are going to expand to one corporate office in every state (in stages). Hiring at least 3 people for every state, 144 people back to work, two vehicles for every office 96 vehicles sold, one building for every state, 48 commercial real estate sales.
We have a real opportunity to put people back to work, help the auto dealers with sales, not to mention the real estate transactions.
What better way to help stimulate the economy by taking advantage of the three hardest hit sectors, Employment, Auto Sales and Real Estate transactions.
What most people see as gloom, I see as an advantage. We will not find a better time to expand, being able to work the best real estate deals, auto prices and there is an abundance workers right now.
I look forward to hearing from you, in any event this will be my last post.
Sincerely,
DM
Comment by DM -
A movie pitch based on a trilogy of unpublished novels from personal experiences ripped directly from today’s headlines. First hand knowledge and experience with alleged large-scale fraudulent investment companies and the boom and bust of the real estate/construction industry. The first 97,000 word manuscript is currently being copyrighted.
In the Enron-era of the 1990’s, I practiced as a Mergers & Acquisitions attorney in Houston where I represented a Mexican-national controlled financial conglomerate (banking, insurance, mortgage co. and other investments) alleged to have bilked investors of nearly $1 Billion. For 10 years during the height of the Texas construction boom and bust market, I ran the operations of a large scale construction contracting company with branches across the State of Texas. This legitimate corporation was used to smuggle more than $700 Million in illegal narcotics into the United States. I have based my 97,000 word novel on my own personal experiences where I interacted on a daily basis with genteel Houston high society and a labor force consisting of “coyotes,” “gun-runners,” illegal immigrants and naturalized US citizens of Mexican heritage all seeking the elusive “American Dream.”
Comment by Tom -
Dear Mark Cuban,
Superstarcase.org and Superstarcase.com are essentially “two
sides of the same coin”. I have been in the entertainment business for all of adult life and part of my pre-adult life. I have worked with the craft in several places around the world, engaging several several performers prior to their success.
My programs are designed to be highly profitable and they occur online as well as offline in a manner that is towards the efforts to combine international artists talent performances as well as,the creation of productions and consumer product by content creators that is salable to a world market (various countries simultaneously).
Our projected audience is well in excess of 1 billion people.
Taking into account that only about 1/4 of the world’s population has access to the internet, growth potential is great over the course of the next 10 years or more with product line expanding during the process (see http://www.internetworldstats.com). I have been refining the concept and process for more than ten years (necessary because of the size and scope) and have a “unique copyright” from the Library of Congress which took over a year to obtain. This was because of the innovative layout and design of program, process and content(Library of Congress does not normally copyright business proposals. They copyright literary works only).
Plenty of material created to substantiate all claims and to
give all background, pertinence and relative information pertaining to many aspects of the programs. More than sure that after viewing each site and additional materials you will have a complete,clear an concise understanding of all that is on offer. The below listed links are provided for your edification and enlightenment.
http://superstarcase.blogspot.com
superstarcase.org
superstarcase.com
Kenny Beck
kennybek@superstarcase.org
Comment by Kenny beck -
Dear Mark Cuban,
Superstarcase.org and Superstarcase.com are essentially “two
sides of the same coin”. I have been in the entertainment business for all of adult life and part of my pre-adult life. I have worked with the craft in several places around the world, engaging several several performers prior to their success.
My programs are designed to be highly profitable and they occur online as well as offline in a manner that is towards the efforts to combine international artists talent performances as well as,the creation of productions and consumer product by content creators that is salable to a world market (various countries simultaneously).
Our projected audience is well in excess of 1 billion people.
Taking into account that only about 1/4 of the world’s population has access to the internet, growth potential is great over the course of the next 10 years or more with product line expanding during the process (see http://www.internetworldstats.com). I have been refiningthe concept and process for more than ten years (necessary because of the size and scope) and have a “unique copyright” from the Library of Congress which took over a year to obtain. This was because of the innovative layout and design of program, process and content(Library of Congress does not normally copyright business proposals. They copyright literary works only).
Plenty of material created to substantiate all claims and to
give all background, pertinence and relative information pertaining to many aspects of the programs. More than sure that after viewing each site and additional materials you will have a complete,clear an concise understanding of all that is on offer. The below listed links are provided for your edification and enlightenment.
http://superstarcase.blogspot.com
superstarcase.org
superstarcase.com
Kenny Beck
kennybek@superstarcase.org
Comment by Kenny beck -
Early Stage Business seeking equity investment and or working Partners….
It’s nice to see this kind of a posting once in a while if for no other reason than to see that there are other people out there like myself.
I can say without doubt that I have the opportunity that if more people knew about it would crawl over each other to get at it. I realize that this statement is sort of over the top and raises questions which are ordinarily hard to answer, but, not in this case.
A few months ago I stumbled across a new patented invention in the Telecommunications industry. No one else has this device, it does not belong to MaBell, Verizon, T-Mobile or any other monster telecom company. In fact as Jeff Levy of KTLA radio said, “Ma Bell will quiver in their boots when they hear about it!”. We call the device the ICT and what it does is allow you to….
Make calls from your existing cell phone to anywhere …from anywhere anytime for pennies instead of dollars.
You do not have to be in a hot spot or near your computer, in fact you do not even need a computer.
This innovation in the telecom industry is the only one of its kind, it is unique. It can be sold to anyone that owns a land line phone or cellular/wireless phone anywhere in the world. The market therefore consists of over 4 Billion customers of which we would be ecstatic with one half of one percent. It can be sold to individual consumers, to businesses of any size and be sold through almost any medium.
It is affordable, PROFITABLE and feasible. It offers a shelf product and a service residual. It will allow the cheapest local calling rates, cheapest long distance rates and the cheapest international rates as compared to any product on the market today. The device is completely prepaid & contract free.
At present I am licensed as the sole Master International Distributor. Additionally there are many other interesting features, benefits and marketing developments that I know you will be interested in. So it is my hope that you will contact us to discuss how we could work together to develop the device to its full potential.
Comment by Rick C -
Missionary Coffee is at this moment a “ministry” not a “business”. But the idea has always been for it to evolve into a philanthropic business helping qualified causes around the world. Right now, Missionary Coffee is a small batch coffee Roaster that roasts coffee from some of the best coffee regions in the world (Nicaragua, Honduras, and Vera Cruz). For the past 5 years, we have roasted between 4,000 – 5,000 pounds of coffee per year. 100% of the profit is split between qualified organizations who sell our coffee as a fundraiser, and missions/humanitarian efforts in the poverty stricken regions where the coffee is grown. Groups like Garland Independant School District, Mothers of Preschoolers, Church Youth Groups, Cheerleading Squads, Little League Football Teams, etc. have sold our coffee as a fundraiser. If they sell 100 bags of our coffee (offered in 8 different flavors – Snickerdoodle, Tiramisu Cream, and Mocha Swiss Almond are among the best sellers), then they keep 45% of the money right off the top. They pre-sell it with a color catalogue, then send us their order along with the remaining 55%. Then we roast their coffee and ship it to them for distribution to their buyers. The 55% Missonary Coffee keeps is used to buy our coffee beans to roast, and then used to buy clothing, medicines, and toys for children in the coffee growing regions, as well as help to defray some of the cost of the people who volunteer to delivery it all personally. We own a small 5 acre coffee plantation in the Northern Mountains of Nicaragua, right in the heart of a community we have adopted to receive our help.
My dream is to get the help we need to make Missionary Coffee a national brand, landing it in grocery stores, specialty food stores and anywhere else coffee is sold. Of course, the economic plan would have to change, but it would still be known as a Great Coffee for a Great Cause. We would like to expand our philanthropic efforts to include any qualifying need (eg-American Heart Association, Homeless Shelters, Susan G. Coleman Breast Cancer Awarness Groups, etc.)These groups would ofcourse have to apply for our help, and be granted access to funds by a small board of directors.
The hook is, when you buy Missionary Coffee you know that 30% of your money is going to help one or more of our qualified causes. During this downturn in our Economy, people may be more hesitant to give money to these great causes, but if they are buying something they normally buy and know that at the same time they are donating to these wonderful causes, everyone wins!
The remaining 70% would be used to run the business side of Missionary Coffee. Right now, all of our helpers are volunteers. If Missionary Coffee could get help to move to the next level however, I’m sure there would be the need to hire a small staff to help with distribution, advertising, clerical issues.
At our small size now, we have contributed well over $75,000 to the groups who have sold our coffee as well as the very needy coffee workers in the coffee regions themselves. We like to think that Missionary Coffee is “better than fair trade” coffee because the hard working coffee growers and those who actually pick the beans themselves are being helped in a real and practical way.
Thanks Mark for your consideration and your generosity to help enterprising business get a leg up. Please consider Missionary Coffee so we can do more for people all over the world who need one too.
Comment by Max Kennedy -
Ian-
Please contact me about your idea (lithium0073 (at) yahoo (dot) com).
Mark-
The story of Southwest Airlines hedging fuel costs and turning a profit while its competitors struggled to survive is well known. So why don’t businesses with a fleet of trucks or cab drivers or even normal people that have a long commute every morning have the ability to hedge the cost of gas?
Well actually they can really easily. There are a few ETFs out there that track the price movement of oil and gasoline in the US. The only problem is that people don’t know they this exists or don’t know how to do it. We can work with businesses and individuals to help them come up with a hedge that is right for them based on how much they drive and how much exposure to gas prices they want. We can then buy them the securities that suit their needs and take a normal mutual fund fee off the top.
From MC> I think its a great idea, but i need to see a business plan and capital requirements
Comment by Ian — February 10, 2009 @ 8:35 pm
Comment by Brian -
Is this thread done?
I haven’t seen a MC response since Feb 23rd. Has this run its course?
Comment by Benjamin -
http://inpursuitofworlddomiintion.blogspot.com/
thanx
Comment by Denton -
Pingback: Exchanging Thoughts
Sounds kul. That’s how the HTML got started. Only the Geeks will post. Everyone else who wants privacy are greedy capitalist. They only seek $$. Geeks seek Fame.
Comment by sydnar -
Well established fully accredited university (10 years) expanding into distance / online education from sunny Costa Rica. Looking for funding. U.S. schools credit per hour cost are non competitive in current cash crunch. Students can obtain same quality education without huge debt loads.
Comment by david ben rubi -
Here’s my plan Mark.
Photochromic dyes.These are speacial dyes that reversibly change from colorless to a colour upon exposure to ultraviolet sources,such as sunlight.These dyes are aplied to plastics,lences,and sunglasses.My idea is to apply this dye on a clear tint so the windshields on cars can transition.To this point a have’nt seen any automobile with this technology.I need about 1,000 to buy the materials.If this works 50% goes to the buisness and 25/25 for us.
Comment by Antonio -
Doh! “Thus commissions of $7500 to $100,000.” should be “Thus commissions of $7500 to $50,000″ (I’ll need to budget in an editor for the book”
Comment by Chris Keaveny -
Mark,
Driving a semi-truck for a living provides one ample time to think. Here is the fruit of my thought while steerin’ and gearin’ this week.
Franchise brokers typically receive 50% of the franchise fee as commission for introducing the buyer to the franchisor. Single unit franchise fee is usually in the $15K range and master franchise agreements are around $100k. Thus commissions of $7500 to $100,000. I want to sell a book via infomercial (think Tony Robbins)that offers a 25% discount on buying a franchise (rebate half the commission) on franchises sold. The book “2009 Business Ideas for 2009”, or something more brandable, will have tons of free business ideas divided into different categories by industry, start-up cost, desired income level, etc. and the franchise section is where we make our money (in addition to the $19.95 price of the book.) In order to receive their discount they must register on website with a code/serial # of the book. Additional revenue can be generated through referral income from entire business start-up/entrepreneur support industry. ie. coaching services, web builders, etc. etc. If you want to break or change rule #2 that would open up an additional revenue stream but it is not necessary. That’s it in a nutshell.
1. Write book. (I bet I could bang it out with 2 weeks of highly caffienated obsessive behavior)
2. Sell book with infomercial.
3. Automate process to “register” clients and introduce to franchisors.
4. Rinse and repeat with updated version at least annually.
Scientific wild ass guess on numbers:
Sell a million books at $19.95. $19,950,000
1% of readers buy a franchise 10,000 x $3,750= $37,500,000
First year sales $57,450,000
First year jobs created at least 10,000
I realize this is over-simplified. I bet it would be a big hit though. Lots of people looking for jobs or dreaming of starting businesses. Keep up the good work Mark.
I monitor channel 19 on the cb or 608-873-9000
Comment by Chris Keaveny -
Candles that burn with different “designer” color flames.
Red White & Blue flames on the candelabra for the 4th of July Party. Green Red and White candle flames on the mantle for the XMas party. Your kid’s favorite color in the candle flames on the B-day cake, etc.
I’m not a chemical engineer. But I know that candles burn wax. Maybe there is a ChemE/PHD type out there w/enough experience working w/fireworks or other burning things to formulate candle wax compounds and/or wick treatments that affect the color of the flame on the wick? And do so without creating a candle that will kill your dog if he ate it?
Comment by Chris Almond -
My wife Kathleen and I have a custom wedding invitation business that we are currently executing on part-time (we both have full-time jobs). She is the artistic talent and the face of the organization, and I handle the website and the accounting. We are partners with Envelopments paper products and with a local printer.
We are currently profitable, and have clients booked through the summer. We have booked clients from around the world through our unique “movie poster” invitation offerings. You can check out her work at http://www.plushpaper.com
We would like to expand more into products rather than operating wholly as a services business, and we would also like to be able to hire some people to do the invitation assembly so we can focus more around the core business. We would also like to utilize technology to be able to have customers customize a stock invitation that would feature their names and details at non-custom price. These are all things we simply cannot do with a day job monopolizing the time we would need to execute on this expansion, and we feel like her talent and eye for design separates our brand from the competition, as evidenced by our many client bookings in a short period of time.
What we are really looking for is 60-90 days of funding that would include compensation for the lost revenue from her day job, and some additional monies for development tools and basic small-scale advertising expenses to drive greater local revenue as we build a larger web presence.
I would be happy to submit a business plan if you find this idea intriguing. We feel like with hard work and a little luck we can build Plush into a national brand via the web, offering high-end, customizable invitations and stationery at reasonable prices.
Comment by Rich -
I’ve always had an idea to make a drink place. But something I haven’t personally seen. It wouldn’t be a coffee place as Starbucks has that hammered down at the moment.
I, personally, am picky about my ice. Ice can make or break a drink for me so I thought that customers can pick the ice of their choice. Crushed, cubed, small, large whatever they want and we offer. I also think this is good because Ice is something that you don’t have to re-buy.
Expanding on that idea, I thought of not only choosing your ice, but maybe choosing a flavor of ice. Say you ordered a strawberry drink and mango ice. Your drink starts out mostly strawberry (with a hint of mango) As the ice melts you have yourself a strawberry mango drink. Once your finished with the liquid you can munch down on the ice to finish up. 3 kinds of flavor in one drink.
In addition I’d sell snacks and a few food items for increased revenue.
Drinks are one of the most profitable items for restaurants and eateries. And I would offer an array of choices. Soft drinks, malts, shakes, smoothies, health drinks, anything that you can drink. I would start at one place and branch out accordingly if it’s profitable.
Thanks for your time.
Adam
Comment by Adam -
This is a follow-up on Freddy Lakers’ suggestion made at least once a couple of years ago about expanding the use of tugs at airports. The present system is that a plane starts its engines at the gate, gets pushed back, and taxis to the runway under its own power. If the tug takes the plane to the takeoff waiting area, starting the engines a few minutes before takeoff conserves fuel. I’ll split the fuel savings with you and the airline 20-20-20, with govt taking the rest in taxes/fees.
Some logistics:
1. Determine the amount of time required for cockpit crew to follow the starting checklist and schedule ahead of takeoff as necessary.
2. Test concept at a low-volume airport.
3. Fit any additional APU equipment onto tugs as necessary. This may take the bulk of time to break-even or profitability.
4. Modify tugs to pull planes at taxi speed, possibly in a phase II.
5. Place APU-equipped tugs at the takeoff area for engine start. High-speed tugs return to terminal, possibly with a landed plane — assuming the plane can shut down its engines following exit to taxiway.
The cabin environment control unit is operating as now.
A plane waiting in line behind others can save a significant amount of fuel if delaying engine start until needed. Present technology makes engines reliable to the extent that failure to start is hardly a consideration, but of course provision needs to be made for tugging the plane back to the gate as necessary.
At the concept airport the initial expense is the purchase of additional tugs for transport and takeoff threshold engine start.
Benefits:
1. Fuel savings
2. Engine exhaust pollution reduction
3. PR advantage of actually DOING SOMETHING about “going green” and hardships of fuel costs.
Everybody works?
Hire additional tug drivers with taxi licenses. (Someone meets this requirement already, to retrieve disabled aircraft and to tow planes to maintenance hangars.) Designate these new persons “stimulus employees.”
Hire a recordkeeper for accounting and to ensure honesty on the part of airlines.
Hire a full-time advocate to address modifications to laws, airport procedures, and tax revenue replacement.
Hire an artist to paint the special tugs for PR value.
Hire a planning team for expansion to more-sophisticated airports as the concept proves out.
Comment by Charles Moncrief -
Mark,
I must admit, I play on the net all the time and spend everyday on a computer yet have never blogged … I have read your last post and the original post concerning your stimulous plan and breezed through some of the other post as well … its now past kinda late or I would have read more, will tomorrrow … I understand completely your requests and stipulations … its funny I cross this catching up on my Mavs info trying to wind my day down and go to sleep!! … I’ve spent the last 6 months solid looking for capital after an intial investor backed out on pre-planned funding 8 months ago for a start up company that I’ve spent the last two years developing. After doing considerable industry research in field(s) that I have extensive knowledge in and 15 years of related experiance … I decided at the end of last summer after realizing the full potential of the venture was not only a reality, it had/has industry changing capabilities that had to be done … I’m not one to shy away from entrepreneural opportunities in my life … everyone whom I spoke to about the business, who is in the business responded the same … stating its a no brainer resulting in a list of individuals that are waiting in line to participate … be honest with you till just recently I have been literally shocked it hadn’t been done and may HAVE spent more time than nessisary making sure of its compliance with industry regulations because of my disbelief … there is a true need for this company, it provides way more than I can explain in a email … it really quite simple and developed through a natural “abritrage” … between industries that have been very unsucessful in intergrating product and service that go hand in hand, been tried for years … its not a exactly a secrit but for what ever reason has not been realized anywhere remotely close to its potential or quite franky properly … its affect to the bottom line income for an individual or to large companies is substaintial and realative … literally providing income charateristics the other lacks … such as what stocks and bond do for one an other … the company will have a huge affect on an industry already filled with entrepreneural people … its work flows already existing and performed daily … and as you mention in your post this is an industry that I love!! … one that many in my family eat, sleeps and breaths … I have no doubt you have heard or been pitched the old “next big thing” story so many times its not even funny … and I’m also quite sure at some point you knew with out a shadow of a doubt broadcast.com of potential well before it was ever realized maybe even just after its inception … I’m there now with HarborLife … I wouldn’t never, ever suggest results similar to broadcast.com but its potential is clearly in that realm … its going to happen … it makes so much since and provides so much for so many people its almost unthinkable that what we are about to do what hasnt been done ( in this application )or at least I thought till the last few weeks … I finally found a competitor that provides a similar service/ platform if you will thats has experianced substansial growth, to #6 in production nationally for a privately held company in specific area of our focus … the inception of this company is only a few years … finding this company only strengthens my understand and beliefs in what we are doing … our platform takes things to a whole new level and developed with same recongnition just from the other side of the isle where the business originates … funny our paths are very similiar in thought process that ultimately defined the business … I been to banks, family, friends and even got approach by a private equity firm that got wind of what I’m doing that wasted 6 weeks of time when they shelved there postion in the 11th hour of getting a deal done during October and Novermber of last year … its been a chore … yet for me no matter what it takes, one way or another I’ll get this done … all that being said I do have one problem … I do not exactly want my business plan placed on the internet for all to see … at least not with out a reason or incentive … if you have an interest I’ll gladly further explain, I think you’ll like and see its innovation immediately … its toatlly against the grain form old school idea … maybe we can work things out let me know … im not exactly seeing a business plan on these post anyway … I have a full business plan prepaired and update monthly while identifying goals … its time to do for this month now … I personally built the web-site as I taught myself how to build through Ibuilt.net that came out pretty good, I will get some prfessional help to finaize and expand for the business / recruiting side of the company which I already have something else in works utlizing the same concept applying to internet based production … the sites only for the operational side as of today or the wigit if you will … it needs some modifications … 90 days profitable with debt service not a prblem ??? its there now … its generating income today … you mention you have a standard plan ??? do you mind further explaining … I need been telling some of my buddies for very little capital … im talking about less than 6 figures … the company is closing to launch its programs now besides already generating services
Thanks
Dan
Comment by Dan -
Hey Mark, love the website and the open source idea…
Clearly energy drinks, bottled water and other soft drinks are products dominated by global brands. More recently, there has been a huge shift towards healthier options (natural juices, vitamin water, etc). What about bottled coolers with all-natural juice inputs. We’ve seen all sorts of new developments in the beverage industry but not much innovation in the bottled booze segment. So, I’m thinking bottled coolers, natural juice with no additives coupled with cheap, domestically produced vodka (entirely outsourced).
I really appreciate any advice/criticism you have on this idea.
Thanks,
Robbie
Comment by Robbie -
G’Day Mark,
I hope your project is global, cause here’s a pitch from Down Under.
http://www.slideshare.net/guest4229ad/startup-pitch-easy-bpay#stats-bottom
Needed AU$2000 (~US$1100)
I’m sure we can be cashflow positive in 90 days.
Cheers,
Comment by Gaurav -
Mark,
My idea is to make a television show about this process and all of the great ideas and businesses that will likely flourish as a result. This show would have many of the good qualities of the Apprentice, however the reward would be to run the business of your dreams rather than work for a one of Trump’s bankrupted businesses. You could take as large or small of a role in the show, frankly I think it could be successful either way. If one could ink a deal with a major network the venture could be more than profitable within 60 days.
Ben
Comment by Ben -
Take over and refurb. closed manufacturing plants and/or warehouses for indoor sports facilities in the N.East for kids and adults to play soccer,b-ball,lax, etc.
Recession proof as parents will always pay for their kids to play sports
Comment by JM -
A Starbucks like Indian Tea & Coffee Shop, also selling Bollywood Movies & Music
The Bay Area, CA is teaming with many Indian- Americas who are very affluent, well educated, have strong ties with Indian culture & traditions and have shaped the Silicon Valley landscape with many successful startups. This crowd along with their colleagues would love to hang out in such a place for meetings, social or business.
Startup investment is less than $100K with 24.8% returns in less than 3 months. I have the knowhow, the connections, the network and the enthusiasm to build one such. Just need to have the funding!
Comment by Dj Das -
Mark
Here is a link to my slideshow on a business geared towards heping people who are sick get control of their lives.
http://www.slideshare.net/rickfree/rick-freeman-business-plan
Rick Freeman
412-561-4752
Comment by Rick Freeman -
The Internet is broken!
If I want to search for software engineering jobs (or just any other types of jobs), I have to search through a number of different sites (career builder, yahoo hot jobs, dice, monster,…). I don’t think the need for employment justifies the amount of I spend on those sites, dealing with typing queries, struggling with broken/non-intuitive UIs and much more pain.
Sometimes I even use more generic search engines (like google) because not all job sites have every job opening.
We need a search engine for Jobs. In other words, all the different job sites need to submit their job feeds to a search engine that users will then use to look for jobs.
In fact, other broken areas might benefit from specialized search engines.
If we don’t currently have that, I’d like to work on it.
As far as the revenue model goes, this is profitable in so many ways!
Comment by Wagz -
The Internet is broken!
And today I’d like to talk about the “job search” area. It’s one of the broken areas that have a viable solution, and not just a temporary patch.
If I want to look for Software Engineer jobs, I have to search through a number of different sites (e.g. Career Builder, Yahoo Hot Jobs, Dice, Monster, …). I don’t think the need to find employment justifies the amount of time I spend on those various sites typing search queries, dealing with broken/non-intuitive UIs, and so many other broken parts.
We need to apply the same thing that [more general] search engines are doing to Job Search. In other words, all those different job sites need to submit their feed URLs to a “Job Search Engine”. And job seekers would then use the job search engine.
It’s that simple. Maybe it’s being done already. If not, then this is something that I’d like to work on.
I don’t think I even need to talk about the revenue model; this is profitable in so many ways!
wlucdor at gmail dot com
Comment by Wagz -
Contrarian Play. Creating the nation’s largest “green” contractor to install and market “green” products to the end user where there currently is none.
02:04 PM CST on Monday, February 16, 2009
By ELIZABETH SOUDER / The Dallas Morning News esouder@dallasnews.com
Oncor will pay cash to homeowners and businesses that install solar panels: Solar Energy Gains Ground in Texas
“In just talking to customers, there’s a lot of interest in solar water heating and solar photovoltaics, from people that sold the technology and customers that wanted it. But there’s no middle piece, the people to actually install it, market it to end customers, etc.,” said Michael Stockard, director of energy efficiency programs for Oncor.
Comment by DFW Genius -
Pingback: There’s No Replacement for Hard Work | Adam McFarland's Blog - Musings of a Balding 26 Year Old Entrepreneur
thanx for all the interest in Dinner & a Movie “Delivered” ya’ll…if you have any more questions here is my email
deanmalibu@gmail.com
Comment by Denton -
Mark
Thanks for leaving me hanging and hung out to dry on my concept
of cops vs xcons. Never a single response out of you and way to
waste my time,your blog has been useless to me!
Comment by Marshall -
The 2008 crisis has caused damage much deeper than what is perceived.
The credit freeze and threat of a series of bankruptcies of US companies are issues requiring immediate attention and swift solution.
The US and world governments as well as innovative American business owners and entrepreneurs are trying everything in their powers to get us out of this mess.
Hopefully the turnaround will come sooner rather than later. However even after the economy starts its recovery and asset prices start a long and slow ascend there will be one group of Americans that has been affected beyond repair.
Pensioners and retirees are facing their worst fears. Anyone that retired since 2008 and millions of people that were planning to retire in the next 5 years or so are pretty much stuck with nothing.
401k and other equity related savings and retirement plans have been eradicated. Plunging home prices coupled with a very thin housing market and complete lack of credit have deemed any plans of cashing out on home equity unfeasible. Hundreds of thousands of retirees were planning to sell their homes and move to retirement communities in Florida. Hundreds of thousands of advanced age employees about to retire face the harsh reality of having to extend their work life. Even worst numerous advanced age employees have lost their jobs and face the daunting task of finding a new job amidst 10% unemployment and having to compete against much younger and better qualified candidates. Many of these plans are not feasible any more.
To complete the nightmare, we have a faulty healthcare system that only sees rate hikes on annual basis along with shrinking coverage as healthcare companies try to maximize their profits.
A large percentage of people over 55 and their relatives find themselves in the position of having to overcome an enormous obstacle.
The idea here is to fill in the gap and employee many of these Americans across the country. They will be employed at rates well below current market rates. Employment will be part time but will provide with some much needed income. These seniors will be employed as call center representatives directly competing against cheap labor in India.
It will be a simple 5 step process: 1) program application 2) set-up 3) 2 week training session 4) 4 week trial period 5) employment
1) A simple application process with a form to be submitted either on-line or via fax
2) Upon approval set up of home PC via in-mail kit (for large communities set up of hub is possible)
3) Two week training program to get accustomed with software and policies of client
4) Four week trial period when with the help of supervisors agents get accustomed to process
5) Part time employment begins with a contract rolling on monthly basis
The benefit to US companies using this service will be cheap domestic labor, ease of set up and scalability. Most importantly however the benefit will come from a
“patriotic/American” profile for the companies and from better quality of service.
Clients will be much happier conversing with middle aged Americans than any “Abraham” or “Marry” with an Indian accent that in many cases is incomprehensible. All that while these companies are “supporting” senior American citizens.
Set up is easy though existing technology that is cheap, flexible and scalable (see ticker SAAS). Clients will pay fee per head.
Set up cost structure can be done in a couple different ways. Either by set-up fee charged to clients or to potential employees. Wi-Fi hot spots can be set up in senior citizen communities giving economies of scale.
More specifics (cash flows, projections, cost analysis, IRRs, etc) available upon request.
Comment by Dimitris Kavalekas -
Topless gentlemens clubs at every major hub airport. Expensive alcohol.
Called “LANDING STRIPS”
INSTANT cashflow…
INSTANT profitability….
… the next “Hooters”
The logo is hot. The branding is hot. The women will be too.
No need for me to post a PPM, executive summary, or anything like that. You already know it’s a winner. Two experienced, successful IT entrepreneurs at your service. Regardless of the time of day, no matter what the airport or concourse – we’ll have all the people and discretionary spending.
Dave Segal
York, PA
Comment by Dave Segal -
Hello Mark,
Thanks for the chance to persent my plan. Since there was no comment I assume your not interested and that’s fine. However, do you know of anyone else in your circle of friends that is interested in stimulating the economy as you are?
Thanks again,
Comment by Bryan Smith -
Mr. Cuban,
My idea is simple and will be profitable. In addition it will eliminate one of the nastiest and costliest mistakes people are currently making. I would like to buy the pay-day loan debt people have and set them up on short term (6 Month), 10-15%, loans to pay these outrageous loan sharks off.
How will we make sure they pay? Of course you cannot make sure they will pay you off but you can take a look at their budget and their current situation and make an educated guess of their ability to pay.
How will we make sure they use the cash to pay off the pay day loan? I will pay off the loan with them. I will take a personal interest in making sure they pay off the loan and are on the right track to taking over their finances.
This business will work and will make a change in some peoples lives. I would like to have the opportunity to make a difference.
Thank you and thanks for making this a possibility.
Comment by Mike Richardson -
Mark,
I did forget to mention your ROI on the Eastside Sports Arena project. Twenty percent (20%) per year of the annual Net Income or an estimated $400,000 per Arena location. With 20 Arenas planned by 2015, an estimated $8,000,000 annual ROI.
Thanks again for your consideration and please let us know if you have other questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
J. Mark Carpenter, Chairman
Eastside Sports Arena Project
Mesa, Arizona
(602)518-5553
Comment by J. Mark Carpenter -
Mark,
A note regarding our above proposed Sports Arena, it could also be named after a sponsor, ie. HDNet Sports Arena. Or, it could always be named Cuban Sports Arena. Bet Robert Sarver would love that! Wouldn’t that be funny since he has never returned any of our calls?
As we expand and build these Youth League Arenas nationwide, the Arena name(s) could change in each city or remain the same. Just a thought…
Anyway, thanks again Mark for reviewing our plan. It would be amazing to get this built for all the kids that will get the chance to play basketball, volleyball and soccer indoors…and maybe someday become Dallas Mavericks themselves.
Sincerely,
J. Mark Carpenter, Chairman
Eastside Sports Arena Project
jmarkcarpenter@yahoo.com
Comment by J. Mark Carpenter -
Dear Mr. Cuban,
I am the Chairman of the Eastside Sports Arena project in Mesa Arizona.
The Eastside Sports Arena (ESA) is a $11 million complex housing 10 indoor basketball courts, 3 indoor soccer fields, 1 outdoor covered soccer field, 3 indoor batting cages, a sports themed arcade, an athletic apparel retail store, a sports lobby and PC media center, a game film room, concessions, snack bar, and more…
ESA is a HIGH END, UPSCALE sports arena featuring water fountains, sculptures, sports art, plasma TV screens, state of the art scoreboards…all climate controlled, ALL INDOORS! This 139,000 sq. foot structure will be home to over 20,000 youth sports league athletes from across the entire South East Phoenix metropolitan area.
The ESA would be built, pending funding, the summer 2009 in the city of Mesa, Arizona. An existing building at 1235 S. Power Rd. in Mesa, formerly a Costco, is proposed to be converted into the 10 court complex, one of the largest indoor Youth Sports Arena’s in the United States.
With three of the fastest growing cities in America located in the East Valley, as well as being located in one of the fastest growing counties (Maricopa) in the country, the ESA has the location and population base to emerge as a cutting edge frontrunner in the ever expanding “family sports and recreational fitness” market.
ESA was created to embrace and promote youth league team and individual sports, health and fitness, and family values….
Currently, over 80,000 East Valley children ages 4 through 12th grade, participate in area youth sports leagues2. Additionally, MAG Interim Socioeconomic Projections3 indicated that by 2030, Maricopa County is projected to more than double in population over the 2000 base population of 3.07, with an anticipated total of 6.24 million people. That means that the region will experience growth of approximately one million people during each decade, or 100,000 per year. That’s an estimated 160,000 youth sports athletes in the East Valley who will be seeking out sports leagues and facilities capable of providing adequate training, practice and game facilities and same level competition.
While there are a dozen or more youth soccer and basketball leagues in the East Valley that offer individual or team sport participation for youth ages 4 to 12th grade, none offer indoor practice times, few offer indoor game facilities, and none provide trained and certified coaches and/or referees. Most of these leagues are poorly run as a “part time business”. Very unorganized, very unprofessional, poor officiating AND they usually fail to communicate with their paying parents and athletes.
Typically, assigned league coaches (ie. parent volunteers!) must go out and find an outside court or field within the community where they can hold team practices and even play games. And the parent’s must sit and watch their child athlete practice for an hour or two each week, in the sun, with nothing to do and nowhere to go! The same applies for games. Until now…
With 80,000 current child athletes and their approximate 145,000 parents and 120,000 siblings all longing for a trusted place they can go to learn, play, compete and have fun…the time to build a youth league driven Multi-Sports Complex in the East Valley has never been better.
And, the times when the facility is not being used by full paying youth league participants and parents on evenings and weekends (during school year), ESA will provide it’s facilities to non-profit groups such as the Special Olympics, Muscular Dystrophy, Make-a-Wish Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Diabetes Foundation, Children’s Cancer Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Muscular Dystrophy Association, and many other state licensed and nationally recognized charitable groups specializing in children’s needs and services.
In addition, youth athletes who have transportation challenges, are provide free transportation to and from the ESA complex via ESA’s self-administered Pick-Me-Up arena bus and van services.
ESA will set the standard for programs designed and created exclusively for young athletes in America, providing the opportunity for all children regardless of race, income or ability, to participate and compete in an environment that celebrates their effort, their health, and most importantly, their happiness.
How the ESA Leagues, Sports Academies and Arena Facilities generate income is simple.
Parents enroll their children into one or more of the Eastside Sports Arena’s sports leagues and/or academies. Membership is much like a typical Sports Club, YMCA or Fitness Center. Parents start by selecting one or more sports or activities for each of their children to participate in for each quarter/season. A selection card offers two sports leagues (basketball and soccer), batting cage time, private lessons for four sports (football training held on soccer fields), individual or team training and sports camps. These are all options of which a player can choose one or more sports per ‘season’. Any child can play one or more sports each quarter or enroll in other Spots related programs as long as that sport has not sold out. Seasons run quarterly and the two sports leagues (basketball and soccer) offer a season ending playoff or tournament with medals and trophies.
Once an athlete is enrolled in his/her sport(s), the parents can also enroll for THEIR own sport(s) or activity which includes summer and Sunday adult leagues and personal training or private lessons. And, while their children are at their weekly one hour of practice time (per sport) or private lesson, Mom and/or Dad can hang out in the Sports Lobby or Media Center, answer emails, surf the internet, grab a snack, or spend time with their other children in the All Sorts of Sports arcade. ESA will be a “home away from home” for families and athletes who participate in any of our year round ESA youth sports leagues or events.
In addition, various citywide, regional, state and national tournaments will be regularly held at ESA resulting in up to 7,000 players, parents and ‘fans’ per day at ESA. These events, along with our regular league play schedule, will result in millions of dollars of revenue for the city of Mesa and the State of Arizona as well as over 100 jobs at ESA for Phoenix area residents.
Future plans to expand ESA into other markets such as the Phoenix west valley, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Atlanta, San Diego and Dallas will be implemented once ESA shows steady and substantial profits. This is likely to occur at the end of operational year one.
The Arena is estimated to profit over $2,000,000 anually with a minimal ramp up period due to this being the only multi-court indoor Arena in Arizona.
I have all the financials including budgeting in a 40 page report if you would like more details. I also have letters of recommendation from the City of Mesa, the State of Arizona and the Arizona Sports Commission. Everyone would love to have this Arena built we just have not been able to obtain the funding.
Thank you so much Mark for reviewing this and for your consideration of this project.
J. Mark Carpenter, Chairman
Eastside Sports Arena Project
Mesa, Arizona
(602) 518-5553
Comment by J. Mark Carpenter -
Mark – thanks for this opportunity.
My name is Tony Ross.
We manufacture the “only” in home 3D Gaming and Movie Player/Media Server available “today”. As you know, 3D is quickly becoming a hot topic and yet a niche market.
Our technology is proven and currently selling today. We have several major strategic technology partners supporting our market push.
It would be a pleasure for us to have you and your team to visit our office and demo the technology. The movie and gaming scenes come right off the screen. Feel free to visit our website http://www.glaciermediasystems.com.
We currently have shared office space, manufacturing facilities, and administrative services with a couple of all supporting partners. They believe in our product and have extended their support.
Our organization is totally flat, with everyone wearing multiple hats (sales, support, manufacturing, admin, etc.)
As with everyone else our problem is lack of operating capital and investors. Our investment thus far has come from personal saving, credit cards, and sweat equity.
We seek $50k – $75k per month investment.
This will be used to pay employees and for marketing.
Our systems and services are design to meet the requirements of all consumers. We believe establishing a brand name me early around 3D will be the key to our long-term and short-term success. The name is currently up for grabs, and we have created a little bit of a buzz in the market today. Google us…
Target Audience:
1. All Consumers
2. CEDIA Dealers
3. Retail Electronic Stores
4. Commercial Business
Products and Services:
1. Home Entertainment Media Servers (Music, Movies, Photos, etc.)
2. 3D Gaming and Movies Systems
3. Digital Home Lifestyle
We do it for Middle-America:
1. Our systems and services are design to meet the requirements of all consumers.
Why do our customers/clients care?
1. Our customers and clients want a user friendly product that makes home entertainment easy.
2. They are tired of the guest work and difficulty of integrating several different manufacturer products in order to delivery mediocre home entertainment.
3. We have developed an ALL-IN-ONE Home Theater server solution that delivers ease of use, a high quality system, and at an unbelievable price.
What does our company do?
1. We provide an affordable home entertain system solutions for the digital lifestyle for all consumers and incomes.
Why is our company different?
1. Our company has merged the best of Custom Audio Video techniques with Basic Information Technology creating an affordable experience like none other.
What is our company?
1. We are media server manufacturer, who is focus is on bringing entertainment technology into the home with reliability, ease of use, and a bit of Wow!
What environment is our company operating within?
1. We operate in both the CEDIA and Retail sales channel. The challenge is to offer a high quality product at a highly competitive price point that delivers that “WOW” factor.
What single thing does our company do better than any other?
1. We are the best in the industry at innovating and delivering best-of-breed products and services at a price no one else can match.
Overview:
1. We are 1 of 15 companies that are Gold Certified Microsoft partners
2. 3D Ready server providing solutions for both movies and gaming
3. Our systems are Dolby True HD & DTS HD certified
4. We have dynamic strategic relationships with key partners: Microsoft, Mitsubishi, NVIDIA, Seagate, ADM, Intel, Cortexa, Eparts, and Aspen Media Products, etc.
Comment by Tony Ross -
Mark,
Create a ticket marketplace for the Mavericks like the San Diego Padres have and then sell the idea to the other team owners. Low cost and big returns both quantitative and qualitative.
Why can’t teams become a reseller of second hand tickets if a season ticket holder can’t or isn’t going to attend a game? I worked in San Diego for a year and I would go to the Padres marketplace online and buy tickets from season ticket holders who couldn’t attend and print the tickets at my desk. The seller could list for a fixed price or auction but I never had to meet them in person since the Padres sponsored it and I could just print the tickets. I attended once every couple weeks because I could get good tickets near first base that otherwise would be unused. If I went to the ticket counter they would stick me way out in the outfield because they couldn’t access these tickets. This is a much better model than StubHub and as I am sure you noticed it doesn’t benefit anyone when seats go unfilled and it’s lost value. Why can’t all teams in all pro sports do this? Why would I go to any third party site if I could go to the Mavericks marketplace to buy my Dall Mavericks tickets. Your allowing StubHub to exist and profit off of your hard work. Not to mention wealthy season ticket holders won’t go through the work to list tickets there. They just won’t go.
Bottom Line
If a season ticket holder doesn’t want to attend they should be able to quickly tell the team and the team lists the ticket and the ability to print online. The ticket holder gets a credit and the ability to donate all or some of the proceeds to charity. The team coordinates maximizing profits and filling the stadium. most tickets should never go unused! Fill the stadium with fans that will inspire your team to win. How can you give 110% when the lower level is sparsely filled?
Benefit
(1) Maximize profits via resale of tickets and increased concessions (2) build fan loyalty and (3) win a few more games as a result of thrilled fans cheering the team to victory.
Comment by Brian -
Hello Mark, and thanks for the opportunity. I’d love to read your feedback on my idea, even if nothing else comes of this.
My idea centers around one central act that is a big focus and priority for most humans: Sex. Specifically, the porn industry.
Right now the porn industry is in the worst shape it has ever been in. The industry is being forced to “grow up” and become a legitimate sector and face the problems of legitimate businesses. It’s no longer a place where fly by night companies can swoop in, make a killing, and bail out. Not only is the industry suffering from economic problems, it’s also now facing a dilemma similar to what the music industry faced with Napster and file sharing communities (porn is dealing with sites like PornTube, PornHub, and other porn “tube” sites profiting from unlicensed copyrighted material). Some people think of this as a great time to completely avoid this sector, but I disagree. Naturally, the porn industry is not going to dissapear. Instead, the problems facing it will define the strong companies and remove the weak ones. In the meantime, it will provide a great bargain-basement acquisition shopping ground for companies ahead of the technological curve and ready to expand in troubled times.
How am I so sure? I’m the founder of a rapidly expanding porn company, with a strong focus on ‘new technology,’ that has been seeing consistantly increasing numbers throughout it’s existence. We’re not a huge company, we’re rather small actually. We have, however, grown very “grass roots style” over the last 4yrs, won awards, developed a great reputation, expanded our distribution to reach a worldwide audience (in both digital and brick and mortar sales), and expanded our business with very little outside funding and a whole lot of blood and sweat. Now, the company’s media and video unit produces original adult motion pictures that are distributed worldwide on DVD, video on demand services, and premium movie channels. The company owns thousands of hours of digital content, some acquired in buyouts and some produced in-house, and partners with more than 50 cross-platform distributors to provide the most exciting variety of adult entertainment available today. The company’s direct-to-consumer unit derives revenue primarily through subscriptions to its consumer-oriented adult websites. Content for the websites is obtained from our media division, or through licensing agreements with third party partners and content providers. Traffic to our consumer websites is primarily generated through either a targeted network of affiliates that earn a referral fee from us when diverted traffic converts into paying members, or “type-in” traffic in which users navigate directly to the sites by typing the addresses into their web browsers or search engine.
What I would like to do is take advantage of this economic down time to rapidly increase our market share and acquire a relatively small number of profitable but under-funded and under-marketed entities in the industry. These range from website operations to full fledged production studios, but all of the target entities provide exceptional value for the company in both revenue as well as additional content for worldwide sales and marketing. In addition, the acquisitions would provide great PR and solidify the general feeling that our company is here for the long run and capitalizing in a downtime (thus increasing both vendor and consumer confidence).
The key to these acquisitions, of course, would be cost-reduction. As I suggested before, this industry has encouraged and rewarded reckless business management for too long. The ability to reward such behavior is gone now, so the true businessmen are beginning to shine though and the industry is shaking up. I believe the key to success right now, for any industry really, is cost management. The amount of well known and well branded companies unable to survive in my industry alone, for no reason other than a lack of cost and growth management, is mind boggling. By successfully consolidating a number of companies in the adult industry under one umbrella, an across-the-board reduction in costs is inevitable, and the long term revenue inherited via the increased market share as porn becomes more and more mainstream would would be priceless.
I am confident my plan would be profitable within 90 days, and break even within 60. I am confident enough that I would bet my stake in my company on it, and more. As I mentioned before, the company has a well established brand, a great fan base, award winning products, and great distribution. Thanks to that, I will continue growing it regardless of your response, but if this is something you are interested in please do let me know (via email or public response, whichever works best for you) and I will forward you a prospectus immediately. I also understand many people may not be comfortable with my company, our industry, or an investment related to either one, and I completely understand if that removes this plan from eligibility.
Thanks for your time!
Comment by NonAbsolute -
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Thank you for being the wonderful person that you are,
We are all apart of the existence of one totality that transcends all human knowledge and all human comprehension. The existence of one totality is myths’ eternal fire, and will always inspire those who are lucky enough to have the energy, space, and time to ponder it. No two eyes have perfect sight. However, with the tools and senses we do possess, we may still find some valuable insights into the existence of one totality. No individual is always wrong or right. However, with the logic and intuition we possess we may speculate intelligently and converge upon ideas about the existence of one totality that best satisfy our common need and aspiration to achieve and maintain health and happiness. No individual wins in every fight. However, with the courage and wisdom we possess we may yet conquer our own ignorance, and come to a fuller, richer understanding of our place in this magnificent world.
Happiness is a balance of the emotional forces of the mind. Balance is a state of equilibrium reached by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces. Force is the capacity to cause change. Our thoughts, beliefs, and expectations about the existence of one totality are forces acting upon our emotions. Our emotions in turn are forces acting upon our bodies causing release of hormones, increase or decrease of our heart rates, shunting of blood flows and causing other physiological responses. To achieve and maintain health requires that our happiness be achieved and maintained and vice versa.
Scientists in various fields of study have found much to say about the theory that happiness leads to better health and behavior. There are completely new fields of scientific research that address the relationship between emotions and physical health. This scientific research seems to affirm the theory that optimistic thoughts, beliefs, and expectations about the existence of one totality have a positive influence on our health. Our optimistic thoughts, beliefs, and expectations about the existence of one totality are believed by scientists to improve our various health behaviors, our immune functions, and our biochemical functions in ways that make our bodies more resistant to illness and better able to recover from existing disease.
An infinite number, diversity and variety of myths about the existence of one totality only limited by our creative abilities and powers of imagination; are made possible by the existence of discovery and the existence of mystery. I think, believe and expect that optimistic thoughts, beliefs and expectations about the existence of one totality improve my health behaviors, immune functions, and biochemical functions in ways that make my body more resistant to illness and better able to recover from existing disease. A capacity to produce the most optimistic thoughts, beliefs and expectations about the existence of one totality; is the basis for choosing a belief in the one myth that enables me; to have the highest esteem of the existence of one totality; and is the basis for not choosing a belief in all other myths about the existence of one totality that are made possible by the existence of discovery and the existence of mystery. It is on the basis; of producing the most optimistic thoughts, beliefs and expectations about the existence of one totality; that I suggest belief in a most optimistic myth about the existence of one totality to others.
The House of Ideology is a model of the existence of one totality that we build within our minds to orient self towards the world and or to explain the world to self. I choose to build in my mind with ideas that are both possible and imaginable a model of the existence of one totality that enables me to have the highest esteem of self and the highest esteem of world. I am the High Ideologue of the House of Ideology: I am the authority that makes up my mind about self and all that I find: I am the architect of The House of Ideology that I build within my mind to orient myself towards the world and explain the world to myself. I build a foundation of truth and knowledge of theory based on scientifically reproducible discovery and derive from this foundation a standard of conduct that if and when adhered to by me is most likely to produce the most powerful physiological responses of health possible. I choose to add to this foundation of truth and knowledge of theory based on scientifically reproducible discovery, a framework of myth and fantasy based on mystery that if and when believed to be true enables me to have the highest esteem of the existence of one totality. I combine my foundation of truth and knowledge of theory based on scientifically reproducible discovery with my framework of myth and fantasy based on mystery to build a house of ideology that enables me to devote energy, space, and time to the most optimistic thoughts, beliefs, and expectations about the existence of one totality. Doing so enables me to produce in my mind the most powerful emotional responses of joy, faith and love imaginable and thereby balance the powerful emotional responses of sorrow, fear and anger that follow from the discovery of the impending disease and death of my seed body. This balance of emotional responses in my mind produces happiness. In this way, I converge upon a standard of conduct that best produces happiness and health.
Many of the life forms in our body consuming biosphere naturally build a model of the existence of one totality and use this in the process of orienting self towards the world and explaining the world to self. Out of an awareness of this fact and a desire to pursue happiness and health came to me the idea of founding the House of Ideology, a community of faithful believers. Through this community of faithful believers I challenge us to have the highest esteem of the existence of one totality; and to converge upon a standard of conduct that best produces happiness and health. The House of Ideology welcomes the active participation of anyone who wishes to join me in this effort.
The product of the House of Ideology is spiritual education, entertainment, and leadership. This product is currently packaged in the form of a book entitled the House of Ideology Manifesto; and posted on my official website located on the Internet @ http://www.4iam.info/Manifesto.htm. Chapter Eleven of the House of Ideology Manifesto offers a description of polity. Polity is the internal organizational framework, patterns of association, cooperation and governance, the structures that any given community of faithful believers uses to implement a doctrine and live out a commitment. Organization determines the relationship between local units and more general, coordinating bodies. Polity assigns content to different roles persons play in the community of faithful believers, as well as its affiliated agencies. I created this organizational framework in an effort to qualify for a tax exemption as a religious organization and failed to do so because I was unable to produce proof that there exists a meeting place devoted to providing spiritual education, entertainment and leadership to a regular congregation as is required. The reason for this was simply a lack of funds.
In the market place of ideas, people tend to vote with their money. If you invest in the House of Ideology, then I expect you will eventually get more than your money back because this is a great concept for a business that also has the potential to be tax exempt. Revenue streams could be generated from sales of spiritual education, entertainment and leadership experiences open to the general public. Additional revenue streams could be generated from sales of drug rehabilitation and life coaching services. Many people live by a habit of making oneself happy by thinking happy thoughts. Unfortunately, unpleasant life events, conditions, and circumstances may challenge and threaten ones’ ability to cope emotionally. It is at these times of crisis that one may turn to authorities for help. Some of these authorities may offer ideas that lead to emotional responses of joy, faith, and love and or physiological responses of health. Ideas are thoughts, beliefs, and expectations about existence. Doctors, clergy, philosophers, psychologists, self-help guru’s, scientologists, scientists, swami’s, hypnotherapists, entertainers, politicians, poets, and songwriters are some of the many who are interested in helping themselves by helping others ‘get back on the right track’ in the pursuit of health and happiness. Indeed, this is one of my goals as well: to help myself by helping others.
I am the High Ideologue of the House of Ideology,
Kevin Michael McDaniel
Comment by Kevin Michael McDaniel -
Mr. Cuban,
Below is the link to my business plan. Thank you for your time and consideration.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcjczdqs_12c9rfqt
Respectfully,
Jason Conley
Comment by Jason -
My parents started a company producing automotive floor mats. With credit being so difficult to get and car prices being what they are, many people are choosing to “refurbish” and upgrade their current rides. We do all of our own work, there are no “managers”. My father does the books, my mother runs the office, I take care of the website, marketing and supervising. My oldest son does our graphic designing. Currently we have three other employees, who manufacture our product. Our marketing budget in non-existant. I believe that if people knew we were here and what we do, this business would literally explode with business. We are barely a blip on the map right now, but the room for growth is astronomical. We have done custom mats for designers that work with Chip Foose, West Coast Customs, and Chrome Shop Mafia. I would be thrilled to share anything about our business, but I’m not sure where to start. Please ask questions that maybe more informative. Investing in our company will give you an oppertunity like no other. How are we different than our competitors? Check out our website … http://www.SuperiorMats.com. Thank you foryour consideration. Cindy
Comment by Cindy Walker -
Non-profit school for children with dyslexia needs your help!!!!!
During the 2008-2009 school year 5 students were given ½ financial aid based on a grant that is typically received for $40,000.00 during the beginning of the school year.
This year we did not receive the grant.
Also, 3 of our family’s fathers lost their job. The parents are unable to pay tuition; however, we feel we cannot dismiss the children from the school. So, we are talking about another $30,000.00.
We are financial $70,000.00 in need to pay out the remainder of our year, teacher’s salaries, etc. through July. At that point we would break even.
Our teacher training unit begins in June and continues in July, and those monies have supplemented the school year.
****The return on your money would be saving “The Mind of a Child”. We also would allow you the opportunity to become involved with our campus, and would even consider renaming our campus in your honor. We are housed in portables, and would love to be able to purchase a space to move the school into during the 2009-2010 school year. (We have looked at spaces that range from $700,000.00 to $900,000.00). We would like for you to consider investing in us, our dream, and the lives of the dyslexic child.
Beverly Dooley, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Comment by Beverly Dooley -
Mr. Cuban
I submitted my plans on Feb. 14 @ 2:53 A.M. & 3:18 A.M. and would like a response from you, that would be priceless to me. Thanks in advance.
Comment by S. West -
Mr. Cuban,
I have made one previous post, but I don’t think you got it because it does not appear on the comments, so I’d like to leave you another.
I’m sure you can tell by my website that the business I want to open is a laundromat. I belive that you will see from my business plan, which is on my web site, that I meet all of your criteria. There is also a floor plan, an equipment list and a Proforma for you to see. A demographic study has also been comnpleted and is available upon request. I have taken out the specific address of the laundromat because I do not want anyone to take the location that I want. I have no problem with anyone duplicating my ideas I’d just like them to do it far from where my laundromat will be!
Laundromats have been around for over half a century and one of the best things about a laundromat is that it is virtually recession proof. In fact, during recessions business actually picks up (according to the CLA, Coin Laundry Association). It is a cash only business, so there are no receivables.
If you choose to finance my laundromat then you will be strenthing the economy in my area by providing at least three to five people with jobs including me.
I am the mother of four active boys and I have a wonderful husband who I’ve been married to for over 17 years now. My husband speaks fluent Spanish, which will be an asset to our Hispanic customers, and has worked in the field of Information Technology for over eight years, so he will be active in setting up and maintaining all computers and electronic equipment. He has a BS in Behavioral Science and Health.
I have an AA in English and Speech and have worked part time most of our marriage in the Health Care field in Customer Service.
It has always been our dream to own our own business. It was about seven or eight years ago when I realized that I could do a very good job owning and operating a laundromat. I am a homeowner, but I do have to go to the laundromat about once a month to wash our comforters, area rugs, sleeping bags, etc. that won’t fit in my washing maching at home. I do not like going to the laundromat because all of the laundromats in my area are small, old and not very clean. There are always several machines out of order and there is always a wait for the big machines.
I noticed that the customers who have children with them often become very frustrated by the time they are done doing laundry because there is nothing for the children to do while mom or dad get the laundry done. Also, there is nothing for the adults to do either except read one of the magazines from 2007 that are lying around.
About a year ago I was in the laundromat and had to wait over an hour just to start my laundry because there are only three big machines in this laundromat and I had to wait for them to become available. So I’m sitting in this laundromat reading the same magazine that I’d read the last time I was there, and I was watching a little girl about three and her brother who was about five or six, run around this small laundromat while their mother tried to keep them contained and try to do her laundry at the same time. The mom was getting more and more frustrated by the minute and I was getting more and more frustrated by the minute too. Not because of the children, but because of the inefficency of this laundromat. I thought, “They really should have a place for these kids to play so that their mother can do her laundry. It would also be nice if I had something to do while I was waiting for my laundry.”
The wheels in my head started spinning and when I got home (four hours later, it should never take that long to do a couple loads of laundry at a laundromat)I told my husband that I’d had it and that I was going to open up a laundromat in our area that offered all of the amenities that the customers needed and wanted: A children’s play area, several large TV’s, free Wi-Fi, tables and chairs for people to sit comfortably to read or write or work while their laundry is being done, state of the art washing machines that use less water, gas, electricity and most of all TIME, than the dinosours that are currently in the laundromats in my area. Any I was going to have the cleanest most eco friendly laundromat in my state!
I began doing research on the Internet and after researching several manufacturers I decided to use Speed Queen machines because of their long histroy, quality, durability and energy efficiency. I’ve met with my local Speed Queen representative five times over the past year and developed a business plan and floor plan of the perfect laundromat. I have an amazing piece of land in the perfect spot in my area and have met with the owner/realtor twice and talked to him on the phone several times. He is giving me a fantastic deal on this piece of property.
I have been to two SBA seminars and taken most of their on-line courses regarding starting and running a small business.
Mr. Cuban, I am ready to begin construction tomorrow!! I am anxious and excited about this opportunity and would so very much appreciate your financial assistance.
I know this is probably different than what you were planning on financing. My one laundromat will not have a huge impact on our local ecomony, but it WILL have a huge impact on me and my family. You will essentially be making a dream come true for a little lady from Oklahoma who thought that her dream of owning her own business would never be a reality, especially in this economy.
It will have a huge impact on those customers who come to our laundromat to be able to finally do their laundry in a clean and pleasant environment.
Please take the time to look over my business plan and other information and seriously consider choosing me and my laundromat, Laura’s Laundromat, as one of the business that you would like to assist.
Thank you for your time.
Laura R.
Comment by Laura Ridley -
Mark,
I am posting another blog of another idea that hopefully will catch your eye. Like Kirkwood, the great lane of Indiana University, Broadripple, IN is a street full of life and color. Known famous for it’s bars, stores,late nights,and food, entering the fast food market with a brand new store would make a fortune. Now, my parents grew up around a growing burger joint called Maid-Rite and came up with the idea that we should put a Maid-Rite on the Broad ripple strip. This idea to start this business has been running through the heads of our entire family but the initial funding for this idea just isn’t there. We would make it a slogan, Late Night Made Rite and be open for all the drunk happy people from the Broadripple bars. If you know anything about a Made-Rite burger you know they are just absolutely delicious and If you know anything about Broadripple, which I am sure you are familiar with kirkwood, you would know it is a fantastic idea. I look forward to hopefully hearing from you. Much Respect,
Nate Wiersema
Comment by Nathan Wiersema -
I would like to open literacy centers to offer the special reading programs that children with dyslexia need to learn to read adequately. The public schools do not offer these programs without lots of legal fighting, labelling a child, and animosity. Moreover, when the child finally receives the instruction from the school it is often in a group setting and it is not always adequate. I would like parents of children who have dyslexia to have a private place to take their children and a resource for them to help them through their difficult journey. I have identified the reading program and the knowledge. I have the professional expertise. I need the start up funding.
Comment by annkent -
hello mr. mark.
here’s my cool concept.
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dckb6dkw_85cdz94xfj
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dckb6dkw_165gzhrjnc4
thank you for your consideration.
Comment by sean kimmel -
Hi Mark,
This is an awsome thing you are doing. I could’t believe what I was reading at first!
My idea is to open a salon that will cater to people who are underpriviledge and can’t afford to pay regular prices to look nice.
I want to open a salon for people who are trying to find a job and do not have the finance dress approipreate for job interviews. In my city we have welfare to work programs, that states people must work when their children is of age. I want to help them to look and feel good about themselves when going on job interviews by opening up a salon to provide dress etiquetts starting with proper hair styles and clothing.
I would also extend services to people with health issues. Appearances could also help them to feel better about life.
I am requesting 35,ooo to help purchase and renovate the building this would also buy supplies.
I will perpose to pay a 15% return upon said deadline.
Thank You
Gloria
Comment by Gloria -
Mr. Cuban
I am fellow Hoosier and Entrepreneurship major who is always thinking big. I am a very social person and think that if I were to run a Men’s Day spa with the focus and theme around sports men would feel more comfortable about taking care of themselves. Offer a cigar lounge with lots of T.V’s and a bar great food messages, manicures, pedicures, everything that Men would love to do to even hangout and getaway. I think it would be a huge hit in upper class cities where people are willing to throw some doe. With your name behind it as well, it would be the best Men’s Sports Spa out there. People need to slow down and relax and that would be the best way to do it. I would take the risk to run this business with the help of your funding. Let me know what you think!
Comment by Nate Wiersema -
Here is what I propose:
Get a cell phone company to partner up with a medical health record company who has a program that is currently being used in hospitals.
Offer a low rate of cell phone service for the floor nurses of the hospital, give them a cell phone that be used to collect patient data, include the ability to enter chart notes by the nurse, the nurse uses the cell phone network to update the patient information, the upload will be a destructive upload in that once the send function is implemented the cell phone would then empty itself of the data, make the monthly charge of the cell service tax deductible, and make sure the software on the phone is open source to better facilitate troubleshooting and also enabling incremental improvement in the functions of the cell phone, allowing each nurse to customize the features of the phone depending on the type of nursing being done, provide the training to program features on the phone to any nurses who want to lean how to do that, kind of like a widget, set up a website to sell the widgets for a small fee, I’m thinking of under five bucks, give a percentage of the sale to the nurse who wrote the widget or program, use the rest to fund the running of the website. The cell phone should have some kind of full keyboard that can be used easily.
This would cause the nurses to get invested in the electronic health record use, it would enable the nurse to begin the process of learning how to improve the device and be compensated for the effort in learning to program them, the company whose electronic health record program could then rapidly improve its product, the cell phone company would make money, the doctors would become more interested in the electronic health record, and communication would be improved throughout the hospital setting as many patients in the hospital bring cell phones with them they could easily get their nurse on the phone. My hope would be that it would decrease the response time to requests from the patients. One difficulty I can see right away is confidentiality, a nurse may leave the hospital without uploading all of the information entered in to the phone, this might be solved by having some GPS capability, so that the phone could automatically upload the information if the phone is a certain distance from the hospital.
One thing that has held back the use of an electronic health record is the reluctance of the doctors to embrace the idea of a computer record. If the doctors see the nurses using these devices that most all doctors already have, they would be easier to persuade to use technology to keep their info easier to enter and access.
I also think the doctors might see that if nurses can program these devices to their liking and then sell that program, and make money from using the device, they might want to do the same.
The hospital benefits by reducing potential errors, the nurses benefit be having a phone that they are allowed to use for their personal use as well as for work, allowing for the tax deduction, the cell phone companies benefit by enlarging market share and customer usage of the service provided, the doctors benefit by having a device that quickly and accurately provides patient data in a simply operated cell phone, and the patient benefits by having their records available quickly.
I am not sure how this would be accomplished but I see google has a good phone that uses open source software, as far as I understand it, I don’t know which EHR company would be willing to do this, and I am not sure how the phones could be programmed, but Sourceforge is an ideal repository for a model of archiving programs, the payment model would be something like I-tunes. And the website could be something like a google homepage. The thing that would need to be understood is that the information should be as visual as possible. Pulling up a patient’s page should allow an almost instant Gestalt of the patient’s current condition and should allow for a highlighting of poor lab results, or a quick assessment of trends over time using many of the principles of envisioning information as codified by Edward Tufte.
I have no background in finance, so I would need lots of help with monitizing this idea, and I would also need help in partnering with an EHR company, a cell phone company, and a company who could put up a secure website to keep trak of the programs and patient information pages.
My e-mail address for anyone who would like to help me with these ideas is:
Karendotgarrettasteriskcomcastdotnet
Comment by patrick garrett -
What it is:
I have an existing business, Redema, LLC, selling my newly-patented Redema Ottoman Footrest. My motto is “Redema your soles and more with the most versatile ottoman footrest.” The name “Redema” comes from a combination of the words “relieve” and “edema,” or swelling. It is the most adjustable, portable, supportive and lightweight footrest or ottoman available. It is simply easier to call it a Redema instead of the previous sentence!
The response to this product has been consistently enthusiastic.
Those who suffer with pain, circulation issues, swelling (edema), those who are recovering from an injury or surgery or are just frustrated by sitting because they have short legs have claimed to have greatly benefited from use of the Redema Ottoman Footrest.
The Redema Ottoman Footrest is useful for public events, such as sports events, concerts, expos, conferences, theme parks and meetings. It is also pleasant to have outdoors for tailgating, camping, lounging by the pool and RV use. However, most people purchase a Redema for use in their homes, offices or while traveling by air. From sports players to senior citizens, the Redema is a hit!
The Redema Ottoman Footrest has been introduced all over the globe in each major continent since its debut in 2007. As of now, not a single one has been returned that has been used. The challenge remains to get the word out and to physically get it where it is wanted at an affordable cost.
I have sold it between 3-5 times the cost of manufacturing, packaging and shipping from China.
What I need:
I have invested everything I have to get this going up to the first run on manufacturing. To be profitable, I would need approximately 300K to cover current cost and allow more extensive promotion and manufacturing to occur over the next 90 days.
I would greatly prefer that the manufacturing be done this next round in the US (as opposed to China where my first run was done), but the expenses would be significantly be higher. With this approach, I would expect the need to be closer to 450K. Yet, I would be more than proud to have this product marked “Made in America,” knowing I could help keep a few more of us hardworking Americans at a paying job normally sent abroad.
What Mark receives in return:
The bigger the manufacturing run + the more extensive the promotion –> the better the sales + the bigger the profit in customers feeling better physically, Americans working, and for us monetarily. I will gladly return 25% of all financial profit as my “Thank You, Mark,” for your generous investment.
Comment by Karen Tinsley-Kim -
BIG! BIG! BIG! Business idea. I know it does not qualify for this plan. But if you’re interested in funding an idea that is truly unique but at the same time draws from markets that have already proven to be profitable. This idea can generate thousands of jobs. Support, stimulate & revitalize several different business markets. idea & plan is for You Eyes Only!
Comment by MIKE MURRAY -
Linda Macon
Essie Mehtab
March 2, 2009
Mark Cuban
Dallas Texas
RE: HELP PROVIDING & FINANCING FOR NEW AND PROFITABLE IDEAS
Dear Mr. Cuban,
I was very enlightened to hear your generous offer to help out the less fortunate by offering to help people out with any type of business idea that they cannot afford to pursue. Mine is in relevance to a patent that I submitted around August 2008. Although, I haven’t received any response on it, I don’t have the finances to put it on market or bring the plan into fruition. The basic idea I am trying to portray and have patented is for all sports attire-pop warner through the professional leagues. This concept is to make clothing attire such as caps, hats, sweats, jerseys, t-shirts, sneakers, socks, etc. that embodies the colors and logos of more than one team with some having home and away colors.
For ex: T-shirt (front side) Dallas Mavs Logo & color (back side) Dallas Cowboys Logo & Color or Texas Rangers (front side) Logo & Color with Dallas Stars (back side) Logo & Color. This concept will be applicable for every city and state in the USA. Another ex:(Starter Jacket) New York Yankees Logo & Colors (front side) and N.Y. Giants Logo & Colors (back side) with – N.Y. Knicks (right side) N.Y. Jets (left side).
Some attire may only contain two teams with their Colors & Logos; others may have a catch phrase instead of another team on back side. Such as: Game Over, “Get Your Popcorn Ready”, No Haters, Defense, Play Hard, Play to win, Play Like a Champ, etc. This idea can also be event specific such as: Final 4, Super Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, World Series, NBA Championships, State Championships, etc. Ex: Two Super Bowl teams such as Pittsburg Steelers & Arizona Cardinals Colors & Logos. This is applicable for all sports attire including making some caps double bibbed, (front side) with team Colors & Logos (back side) with “away” Colors & Logo or with catch phrase.
Ex: Dallas Mavs Logo & Colors (front side), catch phrase or “away” Colors & Logo (back side) or Dallas Mavs Logo & Colors (front side) & 2nd team Logo & Colors (back side)-Dallas Cowboys.
Another Ex: One sweat leg (front side) might be Pittsburg Steelers Color & Logo with the other leg possibly being the Philadelphia Seventy Sixters colors & logo with the backside having Pittsburgh Pirates colors & logo on One leg (backside) & Philadelphia Eagles on other leg (back side) or catch phrase or Philadelphia Seventy Sixters might be on front side & play like a champ as a (catch phrase) on back side. More examples are: Washington Redskins Colors & Logo (front side) and Washington Wizards Colors & Logo or Washington Nationals (back side).
Page 2
Also, this will include any and all high schools throughout the nation. Ex: Lincoln High School Tigers Respective Color & Logo (front side) with a catch phrase on (back side). I am aware that I will need authorization from the commissioner of each league (for probably a percentage of sales). Mr. Cuban, I know this will be a profitable business & you have the expertise, finances, and knowledge to make this idea successful! The entire line of sportswear will be called or named “The Mehtab Collection”. Thanks in advance for your willingness to assist me in this matter.
Sincerely,
Linda Macon
Essie Mehtab
Comment by Essie Mehtab -
Well, spoke too soon. My posts are back up sans comments. I’ll keep checking my e-mails, but it seems like the Wonka’s Golden Ticket has eluded me. Go Mavs!
Comment by Scott Powers -
Link and intro disappeared; is this a good sign?
Comment by Scott Powers -
Wow, this did pay of, nearly 2000 comments.
I wish I read that post yesterday, yesterday I just started an Initiative to help bloggers publicize their blogs faster than you can imagine.
I decided to start it without any investments at all at a small range.
Will post details on my blog soon, it started paying of already 😉
Comment by Shadi Philip -
Folks,
I get the feeling that anything I write here is blocked. I’ve submitted my business ideas three times for the last two days and I still don’t see it here. Am I missing something???
Would anyone let me know.
Comment by Hirecules -
Mr. Cuban –
I have a proposal that is extremely lucrative already and will become more lucrative if and when real estate prices fall further.
THE OPPORTUNITY
My proposal is a bank that lends to customers that have rationally decided to walk away from their underwater mortgages. In exchange for a large up front payment, our bank will guarantee a line of credit and a pre-qualified mortgage to homeowners that want to voluntarily walk away from their mortgage if they had high credit scores previously.
This is a lucrative niche. Millions of homeowners who still have the cash flow to easily pay their existing mortgage would prefer to walk from those mortgages in order to lock in a lower house price on a new purchase. Even though almost all mortgages are non-recourse, these homeowners are deterred from this path because their FICO score would be decimated and they would not be able to get a new mortgage.
Our bank will work with these homeowners to extend them an offer for credit before they let their current bank to foreclose on the mortgage. Our fee will be an upfront fee of about 3% of the total credit we guarantee to them. They will happily pay 3% because it will enable them to lock in property prices that have fallen 25% or more and leave their bank holding the large loss on their old house.
The 3% upfront will enable us to break-even within the first quarter of operations but we will generate additional profits over time from the above-market interest rate we will charge. After 7 years when the default ages out of their credit score we will also be able to sell these mortgages as prime mortgages.
If you like, you could further magnify the returns by shorting house price indexes or buying default swaps on the regions we heavily target or shorting the banks that have significant exposure in those regions as we would be increasing their default rate (note – need to investigate the short aspect for legality).
YOUR ROLE
As this is a highly capital intensive plan you would probably want to be a lead investor but not the sole investor. With a moderate investment we could start lending immediately after clearing basic regulatory hurdles. However, with your investment we would also have the credibility to approach a number of pension and private equity funds. Many of these investors are keen to invest in the banking sector but are looking for banks that do not have overhang from mortgages issued at the peak of the boom. We would be extremely attractive to them.
INVESTMENT REQUIRED
The minimum investment would be approximately $600K to enable us clear the regulatory hurdles and hire an experienced banking compliance lawyer and engage an auditor. If you would broker introductions to other large potential investors, your investment would be much more effective and you could get a quicker assurance that this is a viable business plan.
YOUR RETURN
100% of the equity. You may choose to give up some of this as we line up other investors, but you start as the 100% owner and have complete control how much you decide to dilute that stake in return for expanding our capital base and hence the amount we can lend. (Note we will still be able issue non-voting preferred shares for ordinary capital raises).
100% equity will make it easy for you to ultimately sell the business if it proves profitable or dispose of if it does not meet your expectations. Why mess around with these illiquid 20-30% stakes others are offering?
Why would I give you 100% equity? Simple – if this project succeeds my involvement will be adequate compensation and this success will give me the credibility to raise capital for other businesses down the road. I’m young and have plenty of time left to leverage this success in the future.
If you would feel more comfortable with me investing along side you, I am willing to do that as well. I will also work for free for the first 6 months.
If this of interest, I will make a more complete pro forma available along with a more detailed presentation.
Alex
Comment by Alex F -
Mark,
I doubt you’ll see this, but I’m going to make this one short but sweet.
I’m sure this can be tweaked, but here’s the general pitch:
HOT TUB RENTAL business aimed directly at COLLEGE KIDS.
I’m a college kid myself, and I know this is something there is a high demand for.
I PERSONALLY surveyed 50 random students at 3 of the 4 Universities I would be providing this service to. (as we build, I could easily branch out to others also)
There was a overwhelmingly HIGH DEMAND for this service.
Listen, we party, we drink, we try and have sex as much as possible, and we’d like to do all of those things in a HOT TUB. And most of us either live with 3-5 other people, or have plenty of friends that can pitch in for this service with NO problem.
I will advertise through word of mouth (free), provide all of my friends with T-shirts promoting the service. ($50-$100)
Once I pay off the first tub and trailer, I could bump of the marketing campaign (I’m a Sales & Marketing Major, Web Developer)
-They can CALL ME or go on the WEB SITE to make their rental order. There will be a calendar that allows them to pick ONLY available dates.
– They can PAY ME in person or thru the Web site.
-8-12 person hot tub will be dropped off on a platform Trailer, pre-filled & heated. (possible with propane heater) The trailer will be customized with steps and railings for safety. And if we wanted to get flashy, we could implement a sound system,fridge, television’s, etc…..
-I will charge them a rental fee. I will offer HOURLY, Daily, Full Week, Weekend rates.
-They will sign a WAIVER/CONTRACT that state we are not responsible for any damages, injury.
-Will also require a DEPOSIT.
-I will be the ONLY employee until I PAY OFF THE FIRST TWO HOT TUBS. I will: design/create/operate the website, track the accounting, drop off/wash/fill the tubs.
-I can start off with ONE hot tub until initial investment and interest is paid off. Then I could take it from there.
– I wouldn’t need that much to start, maybe like 8k-12k, which could EASILY be made back within the 90 days. My goal would be to generate $1k per week which is a realistic under-estimate.
-The only upkeep cost of this business would be:
Hot tub repair (the product is under warranty during the time of your investment)
water to fill/wash
gas for the vehicle hauling the trailer (almost any with a hitch, but I have a Explorer)
chemicals (usually come with a large supply when hot tub is purchased)
BOTTOM LINE:
I wish someone would just give me a trial period to show them I could make some serious money from this service. I’m popular(not to sound egotistical, but knowing people will help me boom), in college,smart, and business-minded and all of these things will help me succeed in this aspect.
If you think this is a idea that you could entertain, or seriously invest in, I’d be more than willing to come up with a more concrete,detailed business plan.
If ANYBODY sees this and has any comments/suggestions, feel free to email me at jru2[at]uakron[dot com]
Comment by Justin Urich -
MY NAME IS GLENN MACLEAY AND I HAVE DEVELOPED AN INVESTMENT PLAN THAT DEMONSTRATES AN INVESTMENT PLAN THAT GENERATES 10-20% RETURN IN ANY MARKET USING PAIRED ETFS. IT REQUIRES 5-10 MINUTES A DAY OF TRADING AND MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO SMALL OR LARGE INVESTORS LOOKING TO SUPPLEMENT A WORKING INCOME WITH THEIR INVESTMENTS. IN THIS WAY, IT COULD BE A GREAT BENEFIT TO WORKING MOTHERS, FATHERS OR STRUGGLING PEOPLE. I NEED VERY LITTLE CAPITAL AT PRESENT AS I HAVE PUT MOST OF THE MONEY IN MYSELF AND THE WEBSITE IS READY TO GET GOING. I NEED THE CAPITAL FOR MARKETING, ADVERTISING, AND PROMOTING MY E-BOOK AND IN DEVELOPING MY OWN TRADING AND TRADING BLOG WITH THIS SYSTEM. COULD YOU HELP? I AM A SPURS FAN THOUGH! FROM SAN ANTONIO TEXAS. I WOULD NEED SOME TIME TO REPAY THE LOAN, BUT WOULD STRUCTURE THE LOAN AS A PROMISSORY NOTE IN THE AMOUNT OF $200,000 AND WOULD REPAY YOU AT 8.5% INTEREST. THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS PRODUCT IS THAT THERE ARE NO COSTS BEYOND THE MARKETING THAT I HAVE DESCRIBED AND IT WILL BE PROFITABLE IN A VERY SHORT TIME.
THANKS,
GLENN MACLEAY
PHIL. 4:13 I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.
Comment by GLENN MACLEAY -
Mark-
First off, thanks to you for giving companies like mine an alternate source for financing during this period in history. Too many banks and individuals are running scared, and hiding under the table, waiting for the storm to blow over. Most of them fail to realize that storms dont just destroy, they can also clear the way for new building and new opportunity.
My company is called A/V armor and we are one of those opportunities. We manufacture weather-resistant and theft resistant enclosures, mounts, and devices for the audio visual industry. We are a relatively new company, but already making a name for ourselves. We fit all of your requirments for investment and are teetering on profitable, as we sit, after only a couple of months in business. The investment money would be used to take our products national, hurtling us past the growth barrier we are at right now.
The below link is to a brief outline of our company that I posted on Googledocs for your review. If you would like further information, my contact info is at the end of the outline.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcx3kcdr_0cgvvq3dh
Thanks again for your time!
Comment by A/V armor, Ron Birkla -
Mark,
I actually have three pitches; all viable:
1) I began my own consulting business in mid 2008. (The Small BizNest LLC)
I work with start-ups and small businesses to take their sales/marketing/business development efforts to the next level. The consulting work is a short term revenue generator as I build my website into a destination/community for business owners where they can find free information on all aspects of running a business. The site will generate revenue from strategic partners like Intuit, FedEx, etc. (revenue share and not advertising).
I need about $20K to finish the site, launch and promote the site, and to market my consulting services and secure at least 6 months worth of consulting business to maintain cash flow.
I will pay a 20% return on any investment.
2) I just got a trademark this week for a brand of apparel (t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc) that will resonate with two audiences, a) anyone who needs to laugh at the difficult times we’re all facing and b) sports fans who love promoting their favorite rivalries. I plan to implement an element of crowd-sourcing like http://www.threadless.com but offer better revenue sharing to the artist community.
I need $40K to build a website, promote the site/brand, print inventory, marketing budget for pitching retail partners.
I will pay a 20% return on any investment.
3) This is a non-profit play. I’m interested in getting involved with the political process in this country like I never have before. The current state of affairs in this country is simply unacceptable and I know I’m not the only American who is fed up. I created http://buckthegovernment.wordpress.com with the goal of raising funds (a “buck” from everyone who cares)that to launch a social/web 2.0/crowd-sourcing/PR wildfire that can not be ignored. Equally as important as the funds would be the stories from frustrated taxpayers.
I need $10K to quickly drive awareness/traffic and build community/raise funds. The more funds we raise, the more noise we make; the more noise we make, the quicker we enact change. If the Obama administration is so “wired” and listening to the people, we shouldn’t have any trouble getting their attention.
I will pay 10% on any investment.
Thank you for your time and feel free to contact me with any questions.
Regards,
– John
Comment by thesmallbiznest -
BACKGROUND
NATURE OF BUSINESS
We are considering the purchase of an existing business that currently has $1.2 million in revenues and provides healthcare exclusively for women. This business was started 25 years ago by a Doctor that still owns and runs the business. We are in a position to purchase this already-profitable business from the Doctor for approximately $1.5 million.
Presently, the facility employees three doctors, including myself for the last six months. Since, I have started working at this facility I have been able to see all aspects of the business including how it is doing financially. With my 35 years of experience in the medical field (specializing in women’s healthcare) and previously owning another similar medical facility I have been able to assess the financial stability and this opportunity for investment.
In 100% of the cases, payment is rendered at time services are provided and payment consists of the following: 80% Cash and 20% Credit Card. Business is NOT dependent upon any insurance (i.e. PPO, HMO), Medicare/Medicaid or any other governmental programs. As such, there is NO Accounts Receivable. Most of the services provided are specialized and unique, similar to lasik or plastic surgery. Therefore, insurance rarely covers these services.
The current patient mix consists of 40% that are recurring. Approximately 25% of the patients come from physician referrals.
This referral network is one in which I am very familiar with and is well respected within this group. It should be noted that many of the referring doctors consult with me on a recurring basis.
MARKETING PLAN
We will continue with the yellow page advertising that is currently being employed, in the Dallas/Forth Worth Market and ads in smaller surrounding communities in North Texas and Oklahoma.
In the age of the Internet, we will make maximum use of getting our name out in the marketplace. We have contacts to a web design company to host our website. This Company works exclusively with Women’s Clinic only throughout the United States. This advertising medium is growing rapidly and is not currently being utilized by existing ownership.
Additionally, we will advertise in the Hispanic marketplace utilizing yellow pages and Hispanic TV network.
DISCUSSION OF P&L
In FY 2008, this facility had total revenues of approximately $1.2 million. This current revenue base is derived from a pricing structure that has not been updated (i.e. increased) in over 3 years. Since I have started working at this facility I have noted that there is tremendous opportunity to both increase revenue (by improving existing services and adding additional services) and cutting expenditures (by improved purchasing decisions and careful management of labor). The business currently has 20 workers in various capacities (i.e. doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and front office staff).
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
If we buy this business outright the cost will be $1.5 million, which is not fully negotiated, as result it may be less. It is an already profitable business thus the only investment needed is up-front purchase cost. Immediate return on investment can occur from DAY ONE.
We are prepared to payback the investment in a timely manner with reasonable interest and/or offer an equity position in the company. We have full P&L’s for 3 years compiled which include repayment options on the investment that will be discussed in person with you.
Comment by J.S. Walia -
Mark
With the economic downturn and with the potential of years to recover. More and more families and people are staying home to be entertained.
In addition, everybody thinks they are an expert on music and movies and sports.
This idea can be adopted either on a national basis or locally as tastes vary as you go across this country and around the world.
Create a website that everyone can create their own compliation collection of songs or video or movie bits and once completed the creator would get a percentage of the sale.
You would provide the web servers and connections to entertainment industry and copyrights rules.
In particular, I am an expert on Detroit rock from the 70’s, my music collection would contain music from bands like MC5, Mitch Rider, J Gelles Band, Amboy Dukes, and Bob Seger.
Another example is movie clips on Bill Murray, his famous Caddyshack Cinderella story clip along with his speech from Stripes on what it means to be an American and the classic scene as Hunter Thompson doing the Super Bowl in a Miami hotel room.
People purchase the Detroit rock or Bill Murray collection, MPAA gets their cut, then a cut for you amd cut for me.
Everyone could propose their collection and eventually once everyone is hooked then charge a fee based on return of investment or don’t charge a fee.
These sites can be created by anyone, anywhere so the potential is there for lots of people around the country to profit.
With your connections, the entertainment industry might also loosely their purse strings to generate an extra stream of income that they are currently missing. Maybe even open up the NOT list of songs and movies clips not currently available, like Led Zepplin and the Disney classics
This model can be adopted at every age level, even young kids can propose a collection of clips from their favorite Jones Brothers moments.
Obviously, rules will be set in place to stop porn, nudity or other items against public trust. YouTube already has lots of clips for free, but this could contain extended versions and even comments from the people involved. Similar to the info-mercial
on TV but without having to watch Don Rickles for 30 minutes explain about who was on the Dean Martin roast that week.
I already have the webdesigner and of course the expert tastes
in music, movies and TV and only need the expertise that you provide in copyright rules and entertainment industry.
Whether you pursue this idea or not, I hope that everyone sees this and develops their own websites to make them richer instead of going to ITunes and making Steven Jobs richer.
Comment by Larry Visconti -
Hi Mark,
I submitted the idea for the online education website. I checked my personal finances and have enough for 6 months. That means that all the money I borrow will be used for the company. I’ll forgo the trip to Vegas. I’ll pay 20% APR and will have the loan repaid by the end of the year. Schools start in September, so my customer base will increase then. The account will be at your bank. There will be 3 major needs, money for teachers to edit it, 6 laptops for people I’m employing as well as their monthly pay, and the website itself. I need to get 3 bids on that.
Dave
Comment by dave eastwood -
Mark,
I am the VP of Operations for ScavengrNET.com and we launched on 2 Feb 09. The purpose of our site is to bring together targeted marketing, social networking and gaming to one site. The concept is simple: create “Hunts” that bring the desired content to the Hunter. The “Hunts” are mulitple choice questions about that particular site or specific page, utilizing whatever content resides on that page. We have developed the concept so social networking sites and the infinite contact within it are maximized by allowing players to invite friends, blog and more. Additionally, we are developing an IPhone application that will allow a version of our game to be played on it. The gaming aspect brings competition and reward; the games requires both speed and accuracy (without sacrificing the message presented). The possibilities are endless and while we are not a search engine we do a very cheap alternative to any Pay-Per-Click model or search engine optimization. Why pay outrageous fees in hopes of that random search when you can pay 75% less, reach the same audience with what YOU want them to see or learn about? I can create a demo that shows not only the current capabilities but what it can do in the future. Check out our site and I would love to hear your feedback.
Comment by Brian Riffey -
Mark
I forgot investor gets 100 percent of profit until initial investment is paid back and the 45% percent over the next 4 years. I have no escape clause because I feel that is the first sign of doubt in your business.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddh6cph3_1dh7c4ksr
if you have ANY questions I have the answers.
Comment by Denton -
Mark ,
Here’s the idea. Simple, little to no over head, and quick turnaround on investment.
Partner with staffing agencies who have a ton of candidates coming to them for openings. There aren’t enough positions (obviously). I would offer career counseling services including resume writing, online career assesments, interviewing skills, etc branded other their company name and offered thru their national offices and company websites. The staffing agency benefits by profiting from candidates they can’t place and my team handles referrals.
Costs associated with developing of website should be south of $20,000. This is a direct sell is to the corporate ops of staffing agencies. Your stake is 25%. Once sell made, easily/ quickly recoup investment.
Comment by Matt Lo -
PS. My students use no calculators to do logarithms or any other math. It’s all mental. Dave
Comment by dave eastwood -
Hi Mark,
Off the top of your head, what’s the log of 400 and log of 200? Now add them. My 8th graders could do that after 2 hours. Oh, yeah, subtract them.
I’m a math teacher and author. I’ve written the files for 2nd grade to algebra and now I just need a website. I want to employ 4 recent college grads upfront as well as others to expand the courses to science.
Everybody complains that american kids don’t know anything. Well, I did something about. I started this in my remedial math class and I’ve expanded it.
First, I’ll meet with a rep from your company to show it works. If it works out there, I’ll move to Dallas. (I’m single) I lived in Austin and like Texas.
How much? 25k. This isn’t a cheap website. I’m aiming to support 10,000 student upfront. Marketing? First unit in each course is free. If the student likes it, $5.95 to finish it. That’s $60k if everybody takes 1 class, but people will take more classes and I can expand.
It’s not just for kids. Older people, prisoners, etc. The more classes, the more possibilities.
I used my method when I substituted for algebra 2. They had bombed the test after 2 weeks of work. I taught them for 20 minutes and the kids told me they learned more in 20 minutes than in the 2 weeks.
You want to make a difference. Make a difference in the classroom, whether it’s home school or public.
David Eastwood
Comment by dave eastwood -
My “business” is actually a charity…albeit unique!
When disaters strike, who responds? Volunteers! People from all walks of life, all areas of expertise, all there to help their fellow Americans.
Where do they stay? Initially, many will be in tents, makeshift bunkhouses and the like. But widespread destruction requires long-term commitments. How many days and nights would you spend volunteering if you had decent housing?
Heavenly Housing was created for this single purpose…to provide decent long term loding for volunteers. Here is how it works:
1. disaster strikes
2. Heavenly Housing volunteer responds to area and makes a land purchase, secures building permits, etc.
3. pre-framed housing package is purchased from New Hope Construction ( TN ) which is ready to ship in 21 days!
4. home is contructed with volunteer and paid labor support.
5. home is available within 90 days for the long-term recovery of the disaster area to volunteers of any organization with a donation of $10/day.
6. moneys generated pay for utilities, insurance, etc.
Heavenly Housing has established a budget of $125,000/ home and sees a need for homes in MS, KS, LA, TX, CA….
Rebuilding and revitalizing neighborhoods with volunteer labor is essential to re-establishing the communities and the economies of those communities. No real profit here, other than the investment into American lives!
Comment by Lauren Brasile -
Mark,
This proposal meets your criteria.
We are an existing, established Open Source computer company, eRacks Open Source Systems, which is marketing-constrained.
We are self-funded, privately owned, and therefore have no previous venture or investment-capital ownership.
We are already roughly break even (although it varies by month and time of year, the average is roughly break-even, which includes debt service).
Our products range from rackmount servers with preconfigured Open Source certified application stacks, such as webservers, mailservers, firewalls, to qualified and tested Linux and BSD-based rackmounts, to QuietByDesign(tm) and Short-Depth rackmounts, to fill Studio, Broadcast, and Home-Theater applications.
We are also seeing significantly increased demand of late for Linux-based desktops, laptops, and Netbooks – especially as more corporations and governments roll out programs to migrate portions of their infrastructure to Open Source.
Your description of “Jump start” is exactly what we need.
We seek capital for growing and expanding our business, primarily for Marketing (including Branding and PR), but also for debt repayment, to start with a clean slate. (Over the years, we have accumulated a debt load which currently eats the profits – We would be moderately profitable already, without our debt load.)
As an Open Source company, we are perfectly positioned right now, for growth and expansion –
Several recent articles in the Information Technology media have talked about how the sentiment and attitude towards Open Source and the framing of questions have shifted from “Should we look at open Source?” to “When do we get started, how much can we save, and by when?”.
We are already well-known in the Open Source space, and we are the only rackmount server company (or general computer system vendor, for that matter) listed in the prestigious “Open Source 50″: http://www.thevarguy.com/the-open-source-50
So, our marketing campaign needs to shift our target audience from the current sysadmins who already know they want open source, to a get-the-word-out message to the general public, targeting former fence-sitters, now Open Source adopters.
Now is the *perfect* time, due to both the current economic conditions as well as the changing role and rapidly growing acceptance of OSS, to do this.
The payback and ROI for you, can be in one of three ways:
– Equity in the company (exact % TBD depending on investment)
– Debt payback (interest % rate / payback schedule TBD)
– A combination of both
Another additional benefit to you, is a steady supply of discounted rackmount servers to your various needs, businesses, home theater applications, other portfolio companies, and so forth.
Note that an Open Source media server, opens a lot of doors for capabilities not supported by proprietary, closed-source mediacenter-based servers.
We have spreadsheets showing various levels of investments, and how far a given investment level would take us. We’ll be happy to post one or more of these for collaboration and discussion on request. They show initial investment, followed by rapid payback for the advertising and marketing funds, and a break-even cashflow in 60 days, and a growing profit curve in 90 days afer funding, as required.
“Open Source Funding for an Open Source Company” – it has a nice ring to it.
We look forward to hearing from you, and from the other commenters on the blog.
Comment by Joe -
hoodiepeople.com – fresh hoodies for everyone
hoodiepeople.com is an online retailer focused exclusively on hooded sweatshirts from leading Action Sport, Urban, Solid, Couture, and Team apparel brands. hoodiepeeople.com will be for hoodies what zappos.com is to shoes and what amazon is to books.
We launched the site on a shoestring budget in late October and have seen strong increases in traffic and sales, and have been adding new brands each month.
We compete with many of the largest retailers in each retail lifestyle niche, for example karmaloop.com in the urban market, and pacsun.com in the surf/skate market.
Here is a traffic graph from compete.com of the major competitor sites: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/pacsun.com+urbanoutfitters.com+drjays.com+karmaloop.com+dogfunk.com/?pid=29261&metric=uv
We have a unique advantage of 100% focus on one popular product category and broad horizontal category growth.
We have been extremely successful in SEO and are seeking funds to expand the business and grab some of the larger apparel companies such as LRG, Billabong, Volcom, as well as many smaller niche brands.
We are currently cash flow profitable on a month to month basis but need additional funds to grow.
Why would anyone invest in retail in this economy you ask?
With some many store closings, the large retailers are in retreat, we can use this downturn to establish hoodiepeople.com as the go to site for hoodies and eat their lunch. We will be well positioned when the economy rebounds in 12-18 months and will be profitable along the way.
We are seeking $150,000 in equity financing to continue expanding the product selection, team, and brand.
Please contact me to learn more about this opportunity.
Haasan Luongo co-founder / ceo
hasan {@} hoodiepeople.com / 707 477 3990
Also please see a recent article about hoodiepeople on examiner.com: http://tinyurl.com/arqlfp
Comment by Hasan Luongo -
Mr. Cuban,
I will repost the site with a bit better explanation. My idea is to do to teacher training seminars what you have done to attending a basketball game. My idea is to treat teachers like professionals, and offer them training that will engage the students and revitalize teacher creativity. It is not a test-training exercise, but rather collaborative, interdisciplinary lesson development. Teachers will learn to find common threads in their teachings, and use them across content areas to strengthen learning and resonate in students’ minds throughout the day. Teachers will be treated to a day off campus, in a nice facility such as a hotel or restaurant banquet hall, and engage in interactive, cross-discipline workshops that will challenge and entertain them. Please read the plan; it’s pretty cheap, and the teachers and students of Texas and the nation are hungry for it.
Comment by Scott Powers -
Website focused on selling eco-solutions / green products. Will take $500 to start up web site, then need start-up to mass market website globally. Can break-even in less than 60 days and add on services to install such products for additional revenue opportunities. Eco-solutions are emerging market, thus lots of growth.
Comment by Pamela Stevenson -
I’ve come up with a new home improvement invention (an affordable, durable and attractive window covering) and have been trying to get the business off the ground for the past several years. I have a pending patent and just need some start up capital to get going. Thank you for your time.
My business plan:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd3tr3hn_7t45sdsd5&hl=en
Comment by Debbie Wade -
Pingback: Unified Studies
Non-profit idea which may lead to profitable ideas and opportunities. Launching organization which focuses on innovation in pre-teens and teens. Searching right now for Board of Advisors. Filing non-profit forms for the organization (should get this wrapped up by Summer). Plan to launch organization formally in Q3 2009 with initial Board of Advisors meeting combined with submission of grant applications.
http://www.inventiveyouth.com
Comment by Pamela Stevenson -
A friend of mine and I have a patent application we are working on for a new type of laptop bag (cannot disclose as of yet due to status of patent application).
Once patent approved, need start-up funds to get manufacturing agreement on the item, website to sell the item, then mass marketing to market the item to big chains such as Macy’s, etc.
This is a middle to high end product geared initially for women “road warriors” who must travel with laptops in airports. Meets all new airport regulations for travel bags plus a special, unique feature which women will love! Would like to discuss offline. Market opportunity is big in this space!
Comment by Pamela Stevenson -
Idea: Centralized program office services, contract program and project management resources, industry-based business process improvement consulting services.
Website secured.
Market demand showing increase in need for contract labor due to # of companies downsizing employees. More project work now opening up and available.
Need start-up funds to launch business – get the message out to companies – organize events to bring in customers locally and globally.
Expect first contract to sign in first 60 days which will enable a break-even opportunity with the right market approach.
Business is based on labor-based services and setup of net30 to net45 payments terms.
Been in PM business for past 10 years, ran my own IT consulting business in late 90’s (sold in 2000), have been working for global outsourcing company since 2000. Have extensive leadership capability to launch this business. Just need a bit of financial help to make the move out of my company and launch this new business.
This will put a lot of PMs back to work and help solve the clients solution needs.
First 30 days – mass marketing push – online and local events – recruiting activities for contract labor.
Next 30 days – push for first contract.
Next 30 days – submit first invoice and begin collecting revenue.
Breakeven target 90 days.
Comment by Pamela Stevenson -
I am working on business plan, but wanted to get my idea on the table. I am a dog groomer. I had my own business for 4 years, and had to sell because of separation from spouse. I propose a drive thru dog grooming (hopefully) chain. Where you have the ability to order off a menu like a fast food and drop your dog off at window/door. We come out to get pet and provide service and then owner returns at specified time. This service will be offered at a reasonable price and offer more conveinance for consumers, ie, no making appointment, no getting out of car. Everyone works, you need order taker/receptionist, bathers, and groomers. My daughter is bather and will help in this new venture. I have a very catchy name and titles to the packages. In high traffic areas it should be break even in 60 days. I propose Huntersville/Lake Norman area of North Carolina. Hope you like it, this is a wonderful idea. Thanks for the opportunity!
Comment by Marcy -
How does one get a response from this? Does anyone? Have any of these ideas recieved funding? Granted, there is a vast spectrum of ideas ranging from brilliant to bullshit…but will any of us truely see the opportunity to pursue our aspirations?
Cuban! Have you invested in anything here? Did this get too big to thoroughly investigate any one idea? How unreasonable am I to hope that my basic concept has been read over and perhaps considered by any individual in the position to put ideas in motion?
Is this just another dry well?
Comment by Richard Trayer -
Hi Mark,
I am a Celebrity Chef….. Chef Beck and I am in Georgia helping a couple that took over a Bed and Breakfast. I have been working with them to start a private exclusive club for upscale clients. ..people of high caliber that like their lives private but also like to have fun….
This type of club is very profitable and I have done a great deal of research in it. They have until March 31st to come up with the money to buy the house. They put down 20.000. They have good credit but the banks arent loaning any money and Rick owns 8 Cicis Pizza franchises and over a million in realestate..and malls.
They are looking for a silent partner who also can come here any time and stay. We are having a party Saturday the 27th and 28th and in the summer we will be having a Celebrity Social.
It takes time to build a buiness and I have only been here one month and have busted my chops trying to find investors. I have run a Bed and Breakfast before and can run this one…they have turned it over to me to run for them. They need a handup like so many do now with the economy so bad. If you can help or know anyone who can loan private money or partner up email us:
hilltopgardensuites@gmail.com
Comment by B.B.Russo -
I was wondering if you might be open to the idea of a loan where I could pay you back so I could start a lawn service business.Please e-mail me back with a reply.
Thank You,F.R.
Comment by Frank -
I have been tirelessly reading some of these blogs. I can’t imagine, Mr. Cuban what you are doing with all the ideas. I wasn’t going to submit one, but when I read the post script from ‘MY’….I decided to. This idea is in the conceptual stage and may be way beyond what is feasible for your offer. I am the daughter of a former NFL football player. We are a sports oriented family in Fort Worth. My fiance’ is a league hockey player. My idea stems from the endless trek he has to make…along with the rest of us, to public ice skate, or particitpate in league play. Fort Worth does not have an ice rink. We are in the process of designing, with the help of my brother-in-law, David Brehm, an ice skating rink, to facilitate public and team skating here in Fort Worth and the surrounding areas. David, is the Creative Director for HKS Architects, and is on the design team for the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlignton. He will be a featured speaker at the VisMasters, Design Modeling and Visualization Conference in San Francisco, in April. http://dmvc.vismasters.com/speakers.html . The closest ice facililty is at the Parks Mall in Arlington. We are not opposed to a free standing structure, but we are first proposing our idea to the corporation that owns the Hulen Mall for this venture. Probably would be a ground lease, and would be considered a tenant of the mall. The mall has ample parking. Should someone steal this idea, it would be most appreciated. We have all the confidence that this would spurn the growth of our area. The amenities that would be included with the proposal….pro shop, heated conference room, rentals, locker rooms, snack bar, facilities for birthday parties and a great sound system for music… would enhance the visibilty of the rink. Uses for the rink include, but are not limited to; private parties, public skate, adult no-check leagues, childrens leagues, figure skating etc. An investment return on such a project, would indeed be calculated at the end of our field study. Our on-going research includes, NYTEX (formerly Blue Line, in North Richland Hills), now owned by a company in New York, and The Ice, at the Parks Mall. We are studying guidelines for such a structure attached to a public place. This may be a project for many investors, but just wanted to get it out there for all to see.
It wouldn’t be the NHL, but…”if you build it they will come.”
Robin A.
Comment by Robin Abel -
http://www.geocities.com/sjkpowers@verizon.net/OverheadTransparency.doc
I hope this link works, and I hoipe you value the project idea.
Scott Powers
Comment by Scott Powers -
Mr. Cuban,
I know it is late in the game, but is this still where you’d like the business ideas to be posted? I have been sitting on the fence on this, but all signs now say “go.” It will be ready to present later today, I just want to be sure this is where it can be seen. Nice win last night, tough SA loss. Glad you stayed above the Riverwalk.
Comment by Scott Powers -
Introduction
Goodlite Products, Inc. is a family business that specializes in packaging and distribution of non-prescription pharmaceuticals to the Sundries Merchant Wholesalers Industry. We have been in business for over 30 years with a strong customer base and 1.7 million in sales for 2008. With proper capital we expect to easily exceed our financial forecasts through increased sales.
The Company
Goodlite Products, Inc. mission is to be the leader in packaging, distribution and customer service to the market. Through close customer contact and excellent relationships, we will meet the needs of our customers wherever we can.
Goodlite Products Inc. is a privately-held Texas corporation and maintains an office and warehouse in a mixed-use area of Dallas, Texas.
Barbara H., the founder and CEO has both entrepreneurial and industry experience. Ashley M. brings operational management skills to the company. 12 other employees run the day-to-day operations ranging from shipping, packaging, processing and accounting. The founder and CEO, Barbara H. has an excellent personal credit rating and Goodlite Products, Inc. has above average D&B rating.
The Products
Goodlite Products has multiple product lines, each with our brand packaging. Our products line includes:
Johnson and Johnson Products: Tylenol, Tylenol ES, Tylenol PM, Tylenol Cold, Tylenol Sinus, Tylenol Allergy, Tylenol Rapid Release, Benadryl, Motrin, Pepcid Berry and Imodium
Proctor and Gamble Products: Dayquil, Nyquil, Pepto Bismol, Pepto Bismol Original Liquid, Pepto Bismol Max Liquid, Dayquil Original Liquid, Nyquil Original Liquid, Nyquil Cherry Liquid, Vicks Vaborub, Scope Original, Scope Peppermint, Secret Invisible Solid Powder, Old Spice AP/DO Invisible, Crest TB Regular and Gillette Foam Shave Cream
Bayer Products: Aleve, Alka Seltzer, Alka Seltzer Plus, Bayer, and Midol
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Products: Excedrin, Excedrin Tension, Excedrin Sinus, Excedrin Back and Body and No Doz.
Weyth Products: Advil, Advil PM, Advil Liquid Gels, Chapstick Regular, Chapstick Cherry, Chapstick Strawberry
Insight Pharmaceuticals Product: Anacin
Boehringer Product: Zantac
Carter Wallace: Trojan Red, Trojan Blue, Trojan Gold, Trojan Black Magnum, Trojan Purple, Trojan Navy, Trojan Green
Medtec Product: Clear Eyes
Most of our products are purchased in bulk from the above companies and then repackaged into 25, 30 and 50 count boxes with the exception of Johnson and Johnson products that come packaged in their own boxes. Goodlite Products, Inc. houses their products in our own warehouse to be distributed with other products to fill customer orders.
The Market and Competition
The Sundries non-prescription pharmaceuticals industry is a multi billion-dollar industry. Goodlite Products has found a niche in the 2 pack 25, 30 and 50 count boxes.
Our competition:
Select Distributors: 2008 sales of 10,000,000.00
Lil’ Drug Store: 2007 Sales of 15,000,000.00
Sessions Wholesale: 2007 sales of 13,000,000.00
Eagle Distributors: 2007 sales of 10,000,000.00
Financial Considerations
The Company has an investment capital need of a $300,000.00 line of credit. All investment capital will be used to acquire inventory from above listed pharmaceutical companies. Inventory control is always our top priority so that product flows in and out of the docks with minimal cash in inventory on the warehouse floor. Administrative expenses will come from bottom line profits that are accrued from the sale of products. Our accounts receivables have a 25-day payment history with a strong and loyal customer base. We currently have $90,000.00 in sales we cannot fill with $57,000.00 in accounts receivables.
We project our monthly break-even will by roughly $20,000.00 or $120,000.00 in sales. Our sales with inventory in stock will easily exceed our break-even point. We expect to generate $430,000 of net profit on $ 3 million worth of sales in 2009 with proper inventory levels.
1.1 Objectives
Goodlite Products, Inc objectives for fiscal 2009 are:
· Produce website to directly sell to small retailers and increase profit margin.
· Aggressively market to industry leaders in retail.
· Achieve $3,000,000.00 in sales
For the following two years our growth objectives are:
· Grow our revenues by 30% each year.
· Increase margin by 5%
1.2 Mission
Goodlite Products, Inc mission is to be the leader in bringing quality packaging and service to the market. Through close customer contact and excellent relationships, we will meet the needs of our customers wherever we can. Goodlite Products, Inc. will secure sufficient profits from free cash flow from operations to sustain its stability and finance future growth. We will add value to our community by maintaining a friendly, familiar work environment.
1.3 Keys to Success
As an existing company, we must be focused and work hard to create acceptance for ourselves and our products within the marketplace. The keys to our success are:
1. Quality support and service recognizing Goodlite Products, Inc. success depends most critically on the relationships it’s able to create.
2. Innovative, quality products that are able to both expand existing markets and create new ones for our customers.
3. Steady, disciplined pattern of growth.
4. Our customers and keeping them happy.
R.O.I.
Mr. Cubans return on investment can be one or two or three options:
10% return on cash used accrued at a yearly rate paid monthly.
Equity stake in the business.
5% return on investment with equity stake in the business.
Comment by Barbara H -
I don’t have any such big plans.. Its the small one.. I want to be a designer..:)
Comment by Delphi Software Development -
Mark,
I am going to make this like a girls skirt, long enough to cover the material, short enough to keep it interesting.
The gift card industry in a billion dollar industry. All the gift cards have a fee and you are not always given gift cards to a store you want.
So the business would be to buy and manage gift cards, and have them bought back directly by the issuer. (Think Best Buy, Wal-mart, Starbucks, etc.) Ex. I get a $25 gift card to Starbucks. I register it (over the phone or on the website) and I have an opportunity to convert the gift card into cash. Say the Cash offer is $20. Our company would take $2.50 and Starbucks would buy the gift card from us for $22.50 (amounts changeable, multiplied by millions of transactions). Advanatage for Starbucks is that these liabilities on their balance sheet from having to deliever on these gift cards would be reduced.
So the company would take a small management fee for hosting the gift cards and then recieve a portion of the money saved from buying the gift card and immediately selling it back to the issuer.
Thanks for reading.
MY
P.S. Buy a hockey team, the NHL needs you.
Comment by Matthew -
American Style T Shirts, Polo Shirts and Baseball hats for European Soccer teams.
The popularity of soccer worldwide is unexplainable. I have traveled all over the world and have noticed that most people wear their favorite team’s jerseys and colors everywhere. However, most of these teams only sell jerseys or jersey like t shirts which are very expensive and very difficult for the average fan to afford. There are no cheap soccer team shirts or hats like the sports teams in the US have. Like the team apparel that you see at the local Footlocker, Champs, Ross, Sports Chalet, Dillard’s, etc. type stores. I just started a sports apparel company that incorporates an American flavor to sports wear in Europe. The first country that I will target is Turkey. I chose Turkey because most soccer fans in all of Turkey support one of the “big 3” teams and they are all in Istanbul. These three teams are The Lions, Eagles and Canaries. I have designed shirts and hats that incorporate American style logos with the European teams. For example for the Lions I would have four images on the shirt. One on the front (One team is Galatasary so I would use a Green Bay Packer G logo), one on each sleeve (A lion paw on the right sleeve and an outline of a lion similar to the Detroit Lions logo on the left sleeve) and a logo on the back (A lion with a crown on his head roaring). I would make a sample of one t shirt, one polo shirt (A red shirt with a lion outline) and one hat (A red hat with a Green Bay G and a lion on the back) of each team and first try and sell the designs to the teams. If the teams reject the idea then my plan would be to sell the shirts to stores by introducing the clothing line by having a fashion show and have famous Turkish celebrities and models wear the team that they support and of course have the media cover the event. I would sell the shirts at a cheaper price anywhere from $10.00 to $15.00 for the t shirts, $30.00 for the polo shirts and $20.00 for the hats so that all fans could afford the clothing line. As you know manufacturing this type of clothing is fairly inexpensive and quite profitable.
Comment by Saran -
It’s a great time to buy, but a tough time to sell! Why not buy a new construction home now and sell your old home later.
If you purchase a new home from a partner builder, Marketplace Homes will offer a guaranteed lease on your existing home so you can move today. We guarantee rent payments, maintenance and upkeep so you can enjoy your new home with out worry about the old. We pay for maintenance, repairs and even pay rent if the tenant doesn’t!
Experience – Company is profitable was started after leaving a large national builder. Recently bought out partners with hopes to take company to more markets.
Target Market – 25 to 34 year olds that are newly married or have children between the ages of 0 to 4. In Michigan many families are upside down on homes, yet families continue to live life, get married and have children. Those that bought a small starter home or condo often feel trapped. We offer a great solution that allows their family to have the life style they deserve without selling at a loss and without having to foreclose.
Marketing – Builders help market our program at point of sale locations in model homes. Often we receive customers after they have purchased but can not close because the old home didn’t sell. We are able to sell our lease program and help the builder close the transaction.
Business Model – We are paid upfront by the builder prior to having to put out any of our cash to manage any property. This makes each deal profitable immediately and makes our cash flow strong. We contract out all work and only employ 2 employees directly. The builders pay our costs as we help bring them more clients and we are able to convert clients they already have. We fill our homes with renters in days as the rental market continues to get hotter due to increase in people who can not qualify for a mortgage.
Competition – No one in Michigan is working with builders in our capacity. Realtors often try but generally are not willing to put their money on the line if a renter fails to pay. Property management companies exist, but not as a marketing company for big builders.
We are not afraid to offer our idea out to the community here as we know how challenging each transaction is for us to put together. I have been able to script all of our presentations and have refined our program over the years to be profitable by making all of the mistakes already.
The opportunity for Mark – This is a profitable model that works. It’s not just an idea. We believe a screaming need exists to help manage property now on a national level. The time is now to expand to other markets! We can sell builders on covering many of the costs associated with taking our business to other markets, but we’re just a small business that has worked hard to build our model. We would benefit from financial bonding that makes builders feel comfortable with us. In our world of real estate, it’s not so much an amount as it is a feeling of confidence. You would be a name that would provide that confidence.
I believe that the value of having bonding from Mark Cuban would be enough for us to convince large national builders that we can help increase sales. I believe that if you view each of our deals you would have the confidence to back us.
I’m open to offering any type of compensation that makes sense for you and for us and I’m happy to provide any and all details you may need.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Mike Kalis
Comment by Mike Kalis -
Estimado Sr Mark Cuban
dicho proyecto consiste en establecer un centro de acopio, selección y exportación a los EEUU, hortalizas orgánicas producidas mediante sistemas de cultivo basadas en técnicas ancestrales, aplicadas por agricultores pero bajo la dirección y organización de la empresa, lo que nos da la característica diferencial principal de productos sanos con firma ecuatoriana en un marco de progreso equitativo entre empresa, productores y sociedad.
Se ha identificado una creciente demanda insatisfecha de consumir alimentos sanos, debido a un sin numero de enfermedades causadas por la comercialización de productos sin la debida normativa entre ellas se puede mencionar la fiebre aviar, el síndrome de las vacas locas, lo que genero inclinación por el consumo de alimentos certificados como orgánicos, especialmente vegetales por lo que nos enfocamos a satisfacer ese requerimiento ofertando productos libres de residuos químicos nocivos para la salud.
El proyecto es para El Ecuador, provincia del Carchi zona donde presenta las condiciones idóneas para la producción de esta clase de cultivos, se determino como producto inicial a exportar la cebolla perla, pues su demanda y precios son muy interesantes y mejor aun los producidos orgánicamente los cuales incluso llegan a triplicar su valor a los producidos tradicionalmente, la meta esta en diversificar nuestra oferta hortícola orgánica a partir del segundo año con productos como la zanahoria, ajo, pimiento, tomate, que también representan interesantes rubros de exportación, a fin de cubrir mayor demanda y mercado, la empresa no será productora directa, seremos los comercializadores pero para obtener el producto que reúna las normativas de calidad, consistencia, cantidad y sobre todo parámetros de cultivo que necesitamos para exportar, vamos a brindar asesoramiento técnico a los productores que decidan asociarse a nosotros, a fin de estandarizar los procesos desde la producción hasta que el producto llegue a nuestros clientes se ha hecho reuniones con gremios como Asociación Agropecuaria Bolívar, quienes han expresado su predisposición en realizar este tipo de cultivo
Se definió como mercado objetivo a los EEUU por el tamaño poblacional (aproximadamente 300 millones de consumidores con tendencia al consumo orgánico) y donde aprovechando el buen precio promedio que se consigue hace muy atractiva esta plaza, además los estudios demuestran el auge en la demanda actual y la poca oferta disponible de este tipo de productos
Para la ejecución del proyecto se requiere una inversión que alcanza los de 400000 Usd destinados a cubrir la adquisición de maquinaria y otros activos fijos, además de los costos operativos mientras se empieza a exportar las primeras cosechas a fines del primer año de haber constituido la empresa.
Se proyecto un volumen de ventas anuales que bordea1´380.000,oo Usd el primer año duplicando este volumen en el tercer año con una rentabilidad neta sobre ventas del 35%
Desafortunadamente no cuento con los recursos necesarios para poder emprender solo un proyecto de esta magnitud, no así la experiencia y los conocimientos necesarios pues mi desempeño por 10 años dentro de empresas exportadoras de rosas, sumado a la preparación académica en el Área de Negocios Internacionales y sobre todo el grado de compromiso con la ejecución del proyecto me avalan para poder consolidar la empresa que propongo, respaldadas por investigaciones previas que por alrededor de un año llevo realizando, me permiten pronosticar la atractiva rentabilidad que este mercado en expansión propone
Realmente espero que el resumen de mi proyecto de negocios que le envío pueda en cierta forma despertar su interés por apoyarlo, pues estoy convencido de su viabilidad y de que es el momento oportuno para emprenderlo, pues la alimentación sana es una necesidad impostergable aun en épocas de recesión, asi que de ser factible que podamos llegar a algun tipo de negociacion, le agradecería me lo haga saber.
A la expectativa de su pronta respuesta y augurándole éxitos me despido.
Saludos cordiales
Jorge Campos
Comment by Jorge Campos -
Hi Mark,
My idea involves helping with college housing. I have the land in mind and all the companies and people in place. There’s a great need in the community and this project of mine would provide housing, employment and empowerment for the community. As you know the percentage of college attendance has increased and through student loans plus federal aid, payments will be made on time. Just my idea from a student in need!!!
Comment by Desmond Donahue -
http://sites.google.com/site/paginadata/_/rsrc/1232130223556/Home/para%20correos%202.jpg
Comment by Federico Dassatti -
We are building a very GREEN Eco-friendly “Boutique” Lodge-hotel and Restaurant with huge deck overlooking a very popular lake. Nothing like this around here!
“Dine, Play & Stay” is our slogan.
In addition to the accommodation and dining/banqueting facilities offered, there are 3 major draws [attractions] for corporate, schools and family groups.
It’s a year-round business with many special events planned to continually build the revenue stream. Close to 750K residents and many corporate HQs.
This is an undeveloped pristine location [location, location], surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens and waterfalls. Open to the public to view.
There are 3 profit centers:
Revenue projected $4.2M – Split: 39/29/32% – Income B4 Int. & Dep. 46.2%
I’ve been offered up to $2.2M from local investments, but can’t secure a bank to write the commercial mortgage for the buildings, etc. I don’t think they can see the wood for the trees. Pun intended!
I’m hoping more private funds can be found from others wanting a share. This GREEN business will create 75 much needed jobs with innovative and groundbreaking designs and features.
For additional measure, the whole project is subject of a documentary TV show (from Day 1 to doors opening) because of all the green features being encompassed in to a business like this.
Comments and suggestions very welcome.
Comment by Graham Ross -
PLANO TRADING COMPANY
4409 PALMDALE DRIVE
PLANO TX 75024
We invite you to partner with us in crude oil trading. Our focus will be to buy bonny light crude oil and PDVSA crude oil and sell to refineries in USA.
1. We apply to NNPC and PDVSA for offical oil allocation.
2. We get two refineries to be the end users of the the crude oil allocated to our organization.
3. We charter two crude oil vessels to pick up our monthly allocation from Nigeria and Venezuela and deliver to the refineries in USA. This will take 30 days to pick up the crude oil, deliver and get paid.
4. The inital expenses are flight tickets and hotel accomodation.
5. After the first delivery and the refineries pay for the crude oil the company can run herself.
6. Suppose we delivered 2 million barrels to each refinery and the net profit per delivery is $3 million. We stand to make $6 million net every month.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely
Ehi Borha
469 254 9932
Comment by Ehi Borha -
Mark,
A partner and I have started a business last year as a side venture. We are at the point now where we cannot grow anymore due to our main jobs. Yet we do not have the money to go out and make it work. We have a computer service business that has 12 monthly customers that we perform maintenance on. We have calls coming in all the time to pickup new ones but we cannot take on more. If we could get some startup funding we could make this thing profitable in 60 days due to our low overhead. All we need is a office space and that comes in at $300 a month, all utilities paid. We also need phones and internet hook up, that is an aditional $100. We are also looking for a salary cover for us till we bring it into profit. The total we have figured to need to start up is $150,000. That would hold us for awhile. We are currently bringing in $2,000.00 a month and with a ver low sales volume of 3 customers a week in 3 months we can be bringing in a total of $3,800.00 a month in maintenance not counting service calls. If we continued ou projected sales, in one years time this business will be bringing in $92,400.00. I appreciate your stimulus.
Comment by Brent -
I don’t have an item to sell to someone that they will buy and never use again. What I want to do is something for the community. I want to keep our kids off the streets. I want to do something for our younger generation who will be our leaders very soon (after or during the recovery of our country). They, too, need the self-confidence, humbleness and the focus of a TEAM, as our current leader [Obama] possesses. I believe paving the way to a healthy future has to start with protecting the morals and strength in our children. I want to create a place for our children to go where education is promoted and turning to “the streets” can be eliminated. That with my mom’s idea of teaching Latin dancing to kids will give them exercise and boost confidence. I want to also teach the children the competitiveness of the “grown up” world and industries, we can have several different competitions related to education, business, dance. I don’t know what you mean about “advertising” but I will get the kids in the building and money generated if I can just get up and running in a location that is central and visible. (I have a couple of ideas about location). Let me know what you think. This hasn’t been completely thought through because a window of opportunity has never been opened. I can get whatever details you may need if you’re interested. Thanks for your time in reading my post.
Comment by Paula -
Can anyone tell me why my business idea was pulled off of the site? One day it was there, then some unusual links showed up on the bottom of my post. The links took me to a site that made no sense to me. I have no idea how they arrived there because I had nothing to do with them.
Now the post is gone all together. My business plan met all of Mr. Cuban’s requirements for a business. Can anyone enlighten me?
Comment by Dale Grinstead -
One more thing, not only does our business model provide jobs internally, it is a platform for people who are unemployed or simply want/need extra cash to become independent entrepreneurs by selling or promoting on intheglo. Cash-in your closet, garage, attic or get creative and sell handmade goods, are you available to babysit? tutor? write papers? the list is infinite. Sell yourself!
Comment by Lindsey Port -