...Angel Money

OK! some of us are running ragged looking for the right folks that perhaps take an interest in our projects and fund them, with hopefully, continued support through proftable dialog and genuine interest in the whole-unique-project.

I have four fellows who are unique growers, some own six-hundred to nine-hundred-ninety-five acres of organic fruit, and are looking for untraditional ways in agriculture, that will return to them the needed investment dollars, plus their percentage share, and most notably, a cut in the business. Sure, let's see, they are patient individuals but they too want a successful start-up and stable mezzanine or growth oriented-curve that has a robust future based on pre-assessments, including statistical, quantitative and other creative tactical analysis.

Sounds good, doesn't it?!

Let's look a little closer and examine the goings on before we commit, OK!

What should you be on the lookout for?

Marketing: Who owns what-do we all own it?

Technology: Again, who own's what-or is it better to manage this as a partnership, where we'll all have a say (a full circle-deal) but unlike a heirchical structure, with its up and down management.

Financial Management: By all means, use this tool until we're blue in the face, but let's not be blinded by figures only. There are intangibles that somehow, just don't get to be in some analysis. This is criminal. How can anyone make educated decisions based on equations that lack the "soft" issues of intangibles, vs. only having a myopic vision of using just "accounting" measures. The future is built on several hundred "risky" visions coming into play or not. How do you cope with those "soft" issues of the future?

Strategic and Tactical focus: How we deal with these issues, takes an unprecedented way of presentation. Bonus structures should be built upon a foundation of innovation and creativity, where no one is parroting anyone, but truly bringing to the table of negotiation, true facts and research for divisional, departmental, sections, and/or company wide profits. Truly, it is the beast of 'best practices' to understand that a true vision be built on 'cash flow(s)'.

What am I on the lookout for?

My real question: What's the win-win structure for this situation? Let me know!

Project Management and Processess

Project Management and Processess-most of us use it, understand it, but many of us do not do it any justice.

Case study: Project Managers assigned to Construction sites, (Doesn't really know what to do).
Communication: Many down-hill don't get the messages.
Promises made-promises broken.

Costs that eat away at profits are now mounting-but who cares-it is a tangible equation and monetararily damaging figure, if you want to know about it. If you don't, it gets swept under the rug. Question: Does your accounting system capture these tangible (yet intangible amounts?).

Lost To You: You are the executive in charge, and still don't have a clear picture of what's going down around you, as to this project and other similar projects.

History: Today, a programmer and a (controls engineer), went to a site, specifically to set-up controls. Contacts were previously made with electrical people to have a specific area, powered-up to accept our controls. Upon arriving to the site, no power!

Continued History: Early part of this week, two programmers go to the same site, to inspect, and communicate their needs for the controls set-up date. All involved say its a GO and everyone understands everybodies needs. What happened!

Insert Other History: Now we get detailed in our research and find that we and others have 'touched' this project, so our costs are rising, right up to the GM and VP.

Equation: Calculate wages, benefits, lost time, lost time from other projects, the list goes on. What I find to be catostrophic, is the amount of $$$, that went to the " just wasted" barrel. The most insane point, I wish to focus on, is that nobody knows, or worst yet, cares!!!

Has this HAPPENED TO YOU?! Let me know...

Penny Wise; Pound Foolish

...yes it's still around and is the standard way of doing business. In fact, the common belief to save money by not recognizing savings within technology is mind-boggling, frustrating and down-right full of risk.

Let me try to explain:

A firm does business with pen and pencil. Forms are printed, data is manually entered.
Well, you get the picture.

Why don't the owners get the total picture?
Why are they blind to technology when it can save them 10's of thousands of dollars?

Let me know, if you see a similar problem.