We work one of two ways:
Priority – If you want us to “Clear The Decks” put our heads down and get to work you'll honor us by paying a 1% fully earned, non-refundable commitment fee for our consulting services. The minimum fee is $2,500 and the maximum fee is $25,000 per project for six months of service. You may renew after that time.
When you hire us to work on a priority basis we thoroughly study your submission package to make sure that it complies with our recommended Road Map to Funding Success. Funding has always been about presentation. Those who present well are funded. Those who don't present well are not funded.
The key ingredients to funding success, in our experience, have been:
1.
A powerful Executive Summary of one to four pages.
2.
Bio's of key personnel.
3.
A detailed use of funds broken down monthly for the first year and quarterly thereafter.
4.
A 5-year proforma and written Exit Strategy.
Non-Priority – If you think that you've “nailed it” when preparing the four key ingredients to funding success, and you aren't in any hurry at all to fund and aren't quite ready to pay consultation fees then we'll take a look at your project when we can get to it. After we look at it we may need to send it back because you don't meet our requirements. (Priority Clients get major help from us in cleaning up their submission.) We'll return your calls and emails when we can: after all, priority clients come first.
We reserve the right to review each submission once, beyond that our consultation fee will be required. You had better complete the submission request correctly the first time or you better get familiar with our websites mentioned above. If you submit for free we can't spend a lot of time. It's not fair to us, our families, or our Priority Clients.
In our experience we can fund 1/3 of the files that cross our desks, 1/3 are DOA Dead on Arrival, and the final 1/3 are broken and need to go through some form of remediation which can take hours, days, weeks, months, or years.
We DO NOT GUARANTEE FUNDING. We work on a BEST EFFORTS BASIS.
With 33 years of Financial Services experience we may be uniquely qualified to serve you and those whom you choose to refer.
--
Venture Capital Intl., Thomas Duffy, CEO
Cell: 203.775.9999
Fax: 203.648.4942
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The purpose of Energy Restructure is to connect with the memories in your body that are keeping you stuck in emotion.. Even though you think you have let go, your body holds on in a physical way.
I use nine layers which are;
distraction, resistance, completion, withholding,love,nurturing,freedom,protection,truth.
Once you have identified and moved through this block you will be relieved on all levels.
All of a sudden your past will not haunt you and affect your life in a negative way.
Expect a miracle and you will get a miracle.
Retrain your thinking and actions take on a love for life.
for more info call me 860-350-4440
I use nine layers which are;
distraction, resistance, completion, withholding,love,nurturing,freedom,protection,truth.
Once you have identified and moved through this block you will be relieved on all levels.
All of a sudden your past will not haunt you and affect your life in a negative way.
Expect a miracle and you will get a miracle.
Retrain your thinking and actions take on a love for life.
for more info call me 860-350-4440
Friday, January 22, 2010
idea
it only takes one idea, one second in time, one friend, one dream, one leap of faith, to change everything, forever.
Just one!
http://tduffyllc.com
Just one!
http://tduffyllc.com
Thursday, January 21, 2010
advances
People pay advances to Solicitors (without any guarantee of success)..you pay advance fees to Hospitals ( not knowing if the Surgery will be successful)...you pay advances for other services ..not knowing the outcome... yet when it comes to making a token payment for an ( over valued ) business plan then suddenly seekers of capital dole out sob stories...of how some broker took a ( measly) advance and never delivered....Thanks to Google making search free..Project promoters believe that all that the broker does is to search a VC/PE on Google and forward the Business plan...presto the Investor flies down with a cheque book.. So why should he be paid a fat fee at all...
The hours of high-level discussions spent by the Intermediary with the Project promoter carries zero value.. the days and weeks of search and interactions with various investors understanding their preferences/ expectations is treated as free..because the promoter never saw him spend the time..
Most of the people who swore that they will not pay upfront..either did not have the cash to start the engagement or their business plan was only good on paper..it could not pass muster with investors...
Admitted there are several phony promoters as well as intermediaries..just because some project promoters conned investors does not mean PE/VCs will put a blanket ban on funding..
so too it is necessary for project promoters to whet the credentials of the Intermediary .. I believe if they can't judge the capabilities of a Consultant (for the 25 fee) then the project they are promoting is at higher risk..as the investments are 98% more..
Project promoters tend to think they are infallible, they cannot be questioned and their valuation expectations cannot be challenged..Investors should toe their line and not see any 'risk' in the business.. the financial intermediary is expected to sell the highly inflated forecasts ( and the NPV of the Free Cash flows) presented in the Excel sheet. If he reasons then the fee is in jeopardy.
Just because financial intermediaries are small and cannot fight legal battles, project promoters shamelessly circumvent them once a probable lender is identified by the intermediary. Thereafter promoters will do every trick under the sun to deny the intermediary a fee ( making noise about the terms, etc yet going to the same investor through devious route).
This debate can go on endlessly. However serious Consultants don't take up Assignments without an upfront fee.What works for Deloitte or PWC also works for Smaller credible entities.
Promoters should know that they can't build businesses by getting free advice. If not upfront, they could pay a retainer for 3 months or adjust the upfront/ retainer on success. If the deal fails at least they would have learnt some lessons with regard to the weakness in their plans or the investor expectations.
The hours of high-level discussions spent by the Intermediary with the Project promoter carries zero value.. the days and weeks of search and interactions with various investors understanding their preferences/ expectations is treated as free..because the promoter never saw him spend the time..
Most of the people who swore that they will not pay upfront..either did not have the cash to start the engagement or their business plan was only good on paper..it could not pass muster with investors...
Admitted there are several phony promoters as well as intermediaries..just because some project promoters conned investors does not mean PE/VCs will put a blanket ban on funding..
so too it is necessary for project promoters to whet the credentials of the Intermediary .. I believe if they can't judge the capabilities of a Consultant (for the 25 fee) then the project they are promoting is at higher risk..as the investments are 98% more..
Project promoters tend to think they are infallible, they cannot be questioned and their valuation expectations cannot be challenged..Investors should toe their line and not see any 'risk' in the business.. the financial intermediary is expected to sell the highly inflated forecasts ( and the NPV of the Free Cash flows) presented in the Excel sheet. If he reasons then the fee is in jeopardy.
Just because financial intermediaries are small and cannot fight legal battles, project promoters shamelessly circumvent them once a probable lender is identified by the intermediary. Thereafter promoters will do every trick under the sun to deny the intermediary a fee ( making noise about the terms, etc yet going to the same investor through devious route).
This debate can go on endlessly. However serious Consultants don't take up Assignments without an upfront fee.What works for Deloitte or PWC also works for Smaller credible entities.
Promoters should know that they can't build businesses by getting free advice. If not upfront, they could pay a retainer for 3 months or adjust the upfront/ retainer on success. If the deal fails at least they would have learnt some lessons with regard to the weakness in their plans or the investor expectations.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
SERVICES AVAILABLE
Primarily I'm a CFO to startups & growing companies - outsourced & part time. A typical company who is at the stage of needing me is either post funding and/or generating revenues, and I'm handling things such as investor relations, cash flow management, dashboard reporting, actuals vs. budget, playing bad cop on holding people accountable to the budget, growth strategy, constantly refining the financial model, etc.
Secondary, I truly enjoy helping out the true seed/idea/early stage startups who have the great idea in place, but need to get it down on paper, whether its a business plan, financial model, or both. The guys who don't know where to go next. That's what the original post was all about - looking to find any startups in need who want/need expert help to bring them to the next level and really light the fires to get things in motion.
While I used to be involved in raising capital, it's not something I actively do currently. For the few companies I CFO for, yes I do, but just as a stand alone project I don't. Reasons are many, mainly it is very time consuming, and very seldom does a hired gun/fund finder lure in investors. Investors want to talk to principles of the company, hence focusing on that endeavor when I'm onboard as the CFO and truly actively involved in growing the company, not just playing match maker.
That said, if you are a early/seed stage startup in need of a business plan/financials, let me know what you are about, if you have anything currently, and I'm happy to send along some samples and start the discussion. Just email me, tom@tuffyllc.com
Secondary, I truly enjoy helping out the true seed/idea/early stage startups who have the great idea in place, but need to get it down on paper, whether its a business plan, financial model, or both. The guys who don't know where to go next. That's what the original post was all about - looking to find any startups in need who want/need expert help to bring them to the next level and really light the fires to get things in motion.
While I used to be involved in raising capital, it's not something I actively do currently. For the few companies I CFO for, yes I do, but just as a stand alone project I don't. Reasons are many, mainly it is very time consuming, and very seldom does a hired gun/fund finder lure in investors. Investors want to talk to principles of the company, hence focusing on that endeavor when I'm onboard as the CFO and truly actively involved in growing the company, not just playing match maker.
That said, if you are a early/seed stage startup in need of a business plan/financials, let me know what you are about, if you have anything currently, and I'm happy to send along some samples and start the discussion. Just email me, tom@tuffyllc.com
Monday, January 18, 2010
sales
The Salesperson of The Future. Will They Truly Evolve and Be Different or Is it Just About Living It?
During a recent interview, I was asked, “What does the future hold for the work force, especially for salespeople? How will the salesperson of tomorrow change or be different to adapt to the times?”
Of course, my visceral reaction was to come up with something so transformational and insightful that it would reshape the landscape of professional selling and salesmanship. But after I paused and thought more about this question at a deeper level, I realized this may not be truly possible. After all, when it comes to selling, outside of the apparent changes in technology that continues to shape the Sales 2.0 evolution, what has changed over the years? Is there really a new definition for professional selling? If we were to look at the role, responsibility, skill set, behavior, attitude and overall disposition that makes a sales champion, is the anatomy of the top salesperson from 50 years ago to today and well into tomorrow really all that different?
While I believe there are some inherent changes we will see within the workforce when it comes to redefining the role of the traditional salesperson, the real difference will be evident in those companies who truly embrace and implement these changes and actually model this definition of sales mastery, as opposed to those who simply know about it but don’t do anything measurable to change. The economy over last two years has certainly done a wonderful job validating and exemplifying this ever widening gap. Consequently, this exposes the real opportunity for us and the timeless distinction between knowing it and doing it.
We are a society that is knowledge rich but execution scarce. While we are wealthy in wisdom and information, we are often lacking in seeing new ideas, strategies and activities through to completion and implementing the new behavior, thinking or technology to the point that it produces the desired change we’re looking for. After all, intention without action is still a diversionary tactic. (The real evolution will take place with the sales manager, who needs to become a sales coach to ensure these changes are, in fact made, but that’s a different blog and a different book ;-)
Regardless, I do have my view of tomorrow’s salesperson and this is the transformation I envision that salespeople must not only understand and embrace but put into practice so that it truly becomes part of their DNA.
The salesperson of tomorrow will continue to evolve beyond their traditional role and become more embedded into their customer’s business and the decisions that affect every facet of their operation.
The true sales professional will be relied upon as a valuable resource and a trusted, consultative adviser throughout the entire selling process; and beyond. This doesn’t mean focusing solely on relationship selling because those salespeople who are doing so are the ones who are struggling today. Great relationships don’t always equate to more sales. While additional time must be spent fostering stronger relationships with key clients, this isn’t about calling them just to ‘check in’ but having a more strategic set of timely questions that will help you better understand how the current economic climate has affected the way they do business and make purchasing decisions.
This will help us accurately connect to what the true meaning of value is to our customers, as opposed to what we generically assume it to be and as such, enable us to deliver on this at a much deeper, more significant level.
We need to take a closer and more holistic look at ourselves from the inside out while challenging our customers, the media and status quo. Therein lies the opportunity to elevate yourself and become the champion you know you can be.
During a recent interview, I was asked, “What does the future hold for the work force, especially for salespeople? How will the salesperson of tomorrow change or be different to adapt to the times?”
Of course, my visceral reaction was to come up with something so transformational and insightful that it would reshape the landscape of professional selling and salesmanship. But after I paused and thought more about this question at a deeper level, I realized this may not be truly possible. After all, when it comes to selling, outside of the apparent changes in technology that continues to shape the Sales 2.0 evolution, what has changed over the years? Is there really a new definition for professional selling? If we were to look at the role, responsibility, skill set, behavior, attitude and overall disposition that makes a sales champion, is the anatomy of the top salesperson from 50 years ago to today and well into tomorrow really all that different?
While I believe there are some inherent changes we will see within the workforce when it comes to redefining the role of the traditional salesperson, the real difference will be evident in those companies who truly embrace and implement these changes and actually model this definition of sales mastery, as opposed to those who simply know about it but don’t do anything measurable to change. The economy over last two years has certainly done a wonderful job validating and exemplifying this ever widening gap. Consequently, this exposes the real opportunity for us and the timeless distinction between knowing it and doing it.
We are a society that is knowledge rich but execution scarce. While we are wealthy in wisdom and information, we are often lacking in seeing new ideas, strategies and activities through to completion and implementing the new behavior, thinking or technology to the point that it produces the desired change we’re looking for. After all, intention without action is still a diversionary tactic. (The real evolution will take place with the sales manager, who needs to become a sales coach to ensure these changes are, in fact made, but that’s a different blog and a different book ;-)
Regardless, I do have my view of tomorrow’s salesperson and this is the transformation I envision that salespeople must not only understand and embrace but put into practice so that it truly becomes part of their DNA.
The salesperson of tomorrow will continue to evolve beyond their traditional role and become more embedded into their customer’s business and the decisions that affect every facet of their operation.
The true sales professional will be relied upon as a valuable resource and a trusted, consultative adviser throughout the entire selling process; and beyond. This doesn’t mean focusing solely on relationship selling because those salespeople who are doing so are the ones who are struggling today. Great relationships don’t always equate to more sales. While additional time must be spent fostering stronger relationships with key clients, this isn’t about calling them just to ‘check in’ but having a more strategic set of timely questions that will help you better understand how the current economic climate has affected the way they do business and make purchasing decisions.
This will help us accurately connect to what the true meaning of value is to our customers, as opposed to what we generically assume it to be and as such, enable us to deliver on this at a much deeper, more significant level.
We need to take a closer and more holistic look at ourselves from the inside out while challenging our customers, the media and status quo. Therein lies the opportunity to elevate yourself and become the champion you know you can be.
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