Mike Miller, a director at Symbiocracy Inc., will be a panelist during the Swedish–American Entrepreneurial Days in Goteborg, Sweden from Nov. 8 – 10, 2010. His panel’s topic is “”How to Sell to Americans – U.S. Business Culture.” Mike will post his presentation before he leaves for Sweden November 2.

The Swedish–American Entrepreneurial Days has become the most important trade and networking event in Sweden, providing an effective platform for trade and commerce between the U.S. and Sweden. Since 1997, the Entrepreneurial Days has enabled small, medium, and large companies to connect and develop new business. For the past thirteen years the Entrepreneurial Days has not only grown larger, but has also become global in scope with American business leaders networking with their Swedish counterparts. What makes this business-to-business event so worthwhile and successful is that it brings together entrepreneurs and experts from a variety of fields – all sharing their expertise and knowledge of American and EU markets.

For more information, see: http://sacc-edays.org/goteborg/speakers/#9

Mike spent fourteen years in corporate America with Bendix and Allied Signal corporations. Positions he held included divisional chief marketing officer, new product development manager, marketing channel manager, national sales manager, marketing communications manager and acquisition manager, . Since 1989, he has been in the consulting industry. Of Mike’s current clients, three are start up firms. He holds a B.S., Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA), and a M.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University, (Los Angeles, CA), and is certified by the Center for Creative Leadership (Greensboro, North Carolina) to conduct 360º leader assessment and development programs.

Over the last 20 years, one observation I have gained from working with startup companies, or any company, is the failure of management to assign the right talent for the right roles. A serial entrepreneur told me once, “You can take my ideas, money, computers, equipment, buildings and people and if you only let me have one back, I’ll take my people. I will then restart my business and make better and stronger. You can have the rest.”

So, it cannot be emphasized too strongly the purpose of a business plan is to first and foremost demonstrate you and your management team, Board of Directors and Advisors have the skills, experience and capabilities to start, launch and grow your company.

Through your Business Plan, you demonstrate your business has:

• A robust management team.
• Sufficient demand for our product.
• Sustainable competitive advantage.
• Realistic goals & objectives.
• Well thought out financials.
• The Business Plan also shows investors it has:
• Focus. Too many Business Plans promise too much, too soon.
• A well thought out roadmap to an exit strategy.
• Realistic financial forecasts that show acceptable return to your investors.
• Funding needs that support the forecast.

Some resources:

• Angel Investor Network www.angel-investor-network.com
• Capital Vector (Venture Capital directory) www.capitalvector.com
• Keiretsu Forum SoCal www.keiretsusocal.com
• Los Angeles Venture Association www.lava.org
• Maverick Angels www.maverickangels.com
• Pasadena Angels www.pasadenaangels.com
• Tech Coast Angels www.techcoastangels.com

Mike spent fourteen years in corporate America with Bendix and Allied Signal corporations. Positions he held included divisional chief marketing officer, new product development manager, marketing channel manager, national sales manager, marketing communications manager and acquisition manager, . Since 1989, he has been in the consulting industry. Of Mike’s current clients, three are start up firms. He holds a B.S., Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA), and a M.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University, (Los Angeles, CA), and is certified by the Center for Creative Leadership (Greensboro, North Carolina) to conduct 360º leader assessment and development programs.

Thinking of starting a social media platform to steal a piece of the pie from Facebook and Twitter? Not so fast. Consider the following before you do:

1. Don’t force it.  A one-sided conversation can be forced, but a real conversation will only happen organically.
2. Consider why people will participate in your particular niche. Not all topics deserve conversation.
3. People will conduct online conversations where it makes the most sense to them. Some of the most popular platforms don’t even advertise; they are promoted only through word-of-mouth (and I don’t mean radio ads).
4. Consider why the potential users of your social media platform will use your social media platform instead of one that already exists.
5. Be creative when you open the platform up to the public. Only so many people will initiate conversations to empty space.

Who benefits from well-planned social media platforms?

• The platform – strategic companies earn much more revenue when they really understand the value of their product.
• The users – people appreciate the value of interacting with others, learning from those who know more than them and teaching others about something in which they have expertise.
• Related companies – companies love to sell directly to their target audience.

Article inspired by a March 2, 2009, evening news report by Gordon Tokumatsu on NBC.

According to Bloomberg.com, “a record 19 million homes stood vacant at the end of 2008.” And, vacant homes are not only more difficult to sell, they are sold for less, can be costly to the homeowner and also bring down the value of the neighborhood.

Luckily, companies like Designer Home Tending stepped in and saw an opportunity to turn this into a win-win-win-win situation. They put pre-screened housesitters in the vacant homes, pay for the gardening, utilities, the interior and exterior property maintenance and lawn and pool care for the homeowner.

The housesitters pay a fraction of what they would otherwise pay to lease a similar property and provide all of the home furnishings and keep the place looking neat and clean so that it is always ready for a potential buyer to visit. The housesitter featured in the news report paid $1,100 per month for a property that would normally lease for about $3,000.

With the housesitter there, not only would the home owner pay less for their homeowner’s insurance, the home will also have a car in the driveway and lights on at night, decreasing the chance of a break in, and improving the appeal of the home to potential buyers.

Who benefits?

The homeowner – their house will be sold more quickly at a higher price. It is less likely that it would be vandalized, they will pay less for their homeowner’s insurance, and their home will be kept in good working order. And, all of this at no cost to the homeowner.

The housesitter – they get to live in a home at a fraction of what it would normally cost and get free house cleaning, gardening and utilities.

The neighbors – the vacant house won’t affect their property value or safety.

The company – the company offers a much-needed service and receives the rent paid by the housesitter, and in this economic condition, those housesitters will probably be paying rent to them for quite a while.