‘Silver surfer’ traders put youngsters in the shade

‘Silver surfer’ traders put youngsters in the shade

Vince Stanzione Reviews

Vince Stanzione has made £2m from internet gambling on market price movements.

Hi-tech messiah who wants to spread his betting secret

Vince Stanzione has made £2m from internet gambling on market price movements. Almost anyone could do the same, he tells Jill Insley

Metals have been good to Vince Stanzione this autumn. He stands to make at least £100,000 out of copper, and in September, he made £250,000 when the price of gold soared.
But Stanzione does not actually buy the shares or assets that are making him wealthy; his success with copper came from a bet on the price of mining company Antofagasta.
He epitomises a new breed of speculator who gambles on price movements through internet betting sites. He uses spread betting, one of several forms of speculation made accessible to the public by web-based technology. Stanzione was originally a City broker, but he believes people don't need any particular expertise to make money from the stock market.
'You just need common sense,' he says. He has been so successful at applying his own that he has made about £2 million in the five years he has been placing bets - a period that has included devastating price falls in share prices on 'real' markets. He's lost plenty, too - a quick look at last three months' records shows that he made more than £400,000 on four bets, but lost £57,000 on eight bets.
The knack, he says, is to ensure you stop the losing bets as soon as possible, but to let the winning ones run.
He doesn't pretend to know a lot about the firms, currencies or indices he bets on. He doesn't bother reading what the papers say, and checks price movements only once a day after the markets have closed.
He does not base 'investment decisions' on the fundamental information a fund manager would use. He is a speculator, pure and simple, betting on an asset only when its performance chart gives the right signals, indicating it has achieved momentum in one direction or the other.
'A chart is a picture of what the crowd is doing. You should never be the first in, and never the first out. This means you won't make the maximum possible money out of a share price movement - you make your money on the bit in the middle, because it's impossible to predict where the bottom is.'
He runs courses for people who want to follow suit. Chelsey Baker, an actress and model who went on the first course about four years ago, says she had no previous experience of shares, but often makes £1,000 a day.
'It took about five to six weeks to get to grips with it. It really doesn't take up much time - about half an hour a day, and maybe an hour on Fridays to do a more thorough updating of the markets,' Baker adds.
Wealth warning
Spread betting, the best known method of financial gambling, has a reputation for being the quickest, most efficient way to lose the shirt off your back. If your bet goes against you, you are likely to lose a lot more than your original stake, so it's not suitable for widows, orphans or anyone who is financially challenged. If you want to test Vince's methods at no risk, you can set up a virtual trading account with £20,000 of pretend money on the spread betting website http://www.winonmarkets.net/

Article : http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2003/nov/16/observercashsection.theobserver

Business Plan Help for the Overwhelmed Small Business Owner

If you are a small business owner who is struggling to write a business plan, help is here. 

Planning is one of the most important, yet often underestimated, parts of starting a business. In fact, many businesses fail from lack of research, goals and a thorough plan. 

The business planning process requires a lot of time, work and effort, though. It can be overwhelming for many small business owners.

This guide will explain why a business plan is a must-have, provide a shortcut to the business planning process, help you collect important background information, and get you started with a working business plan outline.

Do You Really Need a Business Plan?

Do you really need to spend time and effort developing a business plan? Should you even bother? The answer is: Yes, you need a plan. But, no, you may not need a 10-page, structured, traditional business plan.

In almost every case, having a business plan of some sort will help your small business succeed. A business plan gives you direction, helps you qualify your ideas and clarifies the path you intend to take with your business. This article will explain some of the most important reasons you should slow down and create a plan to guide your small business journey.

A Quick and Easy Business Planning Exercise

Okay, you're on board and ready to write a business plan. The good news: You're on the right track. The bad news: This is where you may start to feel stressed, overwhelmed and completely out of your league. Take a deep breath. This business plan shortcut is the perfect place to start. The exercise asks you a series of questions about your business, your goals and your future plans. Once you write down your answers, you will have a short, streamlined business plan. You will be able to use it as-is to get started with your business, or it can be a starting point for a more in-depth business plan.

What's Your Mission?

One of the questions asked in the simple business planning exercise above is: What is your mission? Your mission statement can guide your company from startup to established business, and keep you on track to reach your business goals. A mission statement is a great way to stay grounded and focused. This article outlines three important elements of an effective mission statement. It will help you clarify why you're starting your business and your overall goals.

Developing a Unique Selling Proposition

Another important part of the simple business plan exercise is your unique selling proposition (USP). You will use your USP throughout all of your future marketing activities, but it's also a useful tool in planning your business from the very beginning. A USP basically outlines how your business, product or service is different from your competition's. This may sound simple, but it can be difficult to identify. When you've created an effective USP, it can become an integral part of a successful business. This step-by-step exercise will help you write a USP for your business.

How to Incorporate Your Small Business in 7 Steps

Step 1: Choose Your Business Name

The first step is choosing a name for your business. An effective business name should fit what you do, how you do it and the audience you are trying to reach. It should be something people will understand and remember.

Once you create a business name, you should check with your state's corporate filing office as well as federal and state trademark registrars to see if it's available. It's also a good idea to come up with an alternate name in case your first choice is not available.

Step 2: Identify Your Location

Next, you need to select a state as your headquarters' location. This doesn't necessarily need to be where you live or even where you expect to do the majority of your business, although sticking with your home state may be an easier process.

Some factors to consider when choosing a state for incorporation include the cost to incorporate, taxation and corporate laws.

Step 3: Select the Type of Corporation

Now, it's time to decide what type of corporation you will form. You can incorporate your business as a C Corporation, an S Corporation or an LLC. Each of these types has their own advantages and disadvantages, so you should explore the explanations of each corporation type and consult a tax accountant for advice.

Step 4: Name the Company Directors

The next step involves selecting the directors. A corporation is required to have a board of directors who are effectively responsible for running the corporation. The selection of directors is a very important decision and can impact your business in many ways.

Step 5: Determine the Type of Shares

Next, you will select the type of shares your corporation will sell to stockholders. In many cases, corporations are private, limiting the availability of the shares to only a few individuals (your directors).

Step 6: Obtain a Certificate of Incorporation

You will then obtain and complete a Certificate of Incorporation, available from your state's corporate filing office. It will include your company name, purpose of the business, location and other information gathered in the previous steps.

Step 7: Process and File the Paperwork

The final step of incorporation involves submitting the articles of incorporation you prepared in the last step to the state, along with the required registration fee.

You have the option of filing the paperwork yourself, through your attorney or by using a third-party service. You should choose the option that you are most comfortable with and the one that works within your budget.

Choosing the structure of your business is not an easy or small decision to make. Take the time necessary to gather all of the information you need to make an informed decision.

Business consulting / Resources management

Our team of specialists are dedicated, seasoned professionals with many years experience of “world class” exposure. Experience gained and developed over many years with major blue chip and public sector organisations. We have honed the best practice techniques of Lean, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management and incorporated them into a sustainability package –Resources Management. Resources management ensures modern business practices are compliant with and compliment today’s tough environmental recycling and sustainability targets.

Our specialist key areas are;

• ·          e-Commerce
• ·         Environment
• ·          Project Management
• ·         Training & Recruitment
• ·         Production & Logistics Management
• ·          ISOe-Commerce

This is a real way to reduce cost and overhead in your business. We have the skills to maximise your e-commerce potential, either by designing and developing your in house e-commerce platform, or by our team managing the whole package on your behalf thereby benefitting from our lower cost base and greater resourcing ability.

The areas we can help you are;

• ·         Procurement
• ·         Sales
• ·         Marketing
• ·         Document Management & Storage
• Environment

So important for us all, and with the Environment Agency now gaining more regulatory powers it is ever more critical that systems and procedures are in place. We are licensed by the Environment Agency to provide an environmental recycling and refurbishment service allowing you to save cost by increasing sustainability and resource effectiveness.

• ·         Recycling
• ·         Refurbishment
• ·         Sustainability
• ·          Impact assessment
• ·          Environmental Management

About Management Consulting

Management Consulting is currently a popular and competitive career field. While we have seen an increase in the number of firms who are recruiting for management consulting at Cornell there are many excellent firms who do not recruit and who must be contacted directly or through networking contacts.  Basically there are two types of consulting positions--the generalist and the specialist. Specialists offer process or functional knowledge to clients. Not surprisingly the hottest specialist area for management consulting has been in information technology and many of the firms who recruited at Cornell were specifically interested in students with background and interest in technology. Accenture and CGI (was: AMS-CGI) are examples of such companies. Another consulting specialty that does well in recruiting at Cornell is human resource management. 

Most students who ask about management consulting are interested in the generalist firms such as Bain,McKinsey and Mercer. These firms offer advice to corporate clients on to operating more efficiently, or opening new markets, etc.They generally only hire experienced candidates or MBA's for the positions that lead to partnership within the firm. Typically they hire undergraduates to act as research analysts and assume that these "associate consultants" or "business analysts" will leave after two years to pursue an MBA.  If you are seriously interested in a career in management consulting, you must make the effort to learn as much about it as possible and demonstrate your resourcefulness in researching both the consulting industry and the individual consulting firms. Remember, the firm needs to hire the type of individual who can demonstrate the ability to research thoroughly and articulate succinctly. In your first contact with a firm you should demonstrate as much knowledge about the firm as you would eventually be able to demonstrate about the firm's clients.  

Upstart Business Consulting

Upstart Business Consulting Group provides comprehensive Business Plan books that help individuals start a profitable company with an initial capital requirement of $10,000 or less. Each business plan is researched and written by successful entrepreneurs for products and services across a broad range of industries. “New entrepreneurs may not have the necessary knowledge or experience that is required when developing a business plan,” says Tim Roncevich, the co-founder and award-winning business plan writer. “We saw an opportunity to help other entrepreneurs start a small business. After all, small businesses are the foundation of the American economy.”

Working with successful entrepreneurs in their specific industry, Upstart Business Consulting Group has unveiled business plans in the following industries: 

·           Business Services

·             Arts & Crafts

·             Children

·             Education & Instruction

·             Entertainment & Events

·             Food

·             Healthcare & Medical

·             Home Products & Services

·             Maintenance

·             Manufacturing

·             Pet

·             Plants & Agriculture

·             Real Estate

·             Retail Businesses

·             Security

·             Travel & Recreation

In addition to selling business plan books, Upstart Business Consulting Group also provides free business templates. Perhaps the greatest resource this business plan kit provides is the ability for you to e-mail your questions to professional business consultants and entrepreneurs from Upstart Business Consulting Group. Whatever your question may be, you will find a competent resource available to help you. Upstart Business Consulting Group is committed to your success, because when you succeed, we succeed.

Also, Upstart Business Consulting Group offers a free e-newsletter that is full of useful information for budding entrepreneurs and includes financial, legal, marketing, and business plan writing tips. Additionally, new business plan books and discounts will be announced through the newsletter.

“This book, and the series that it is a part of, is an excellent and practical guide for individuals seeking to learn more about business start-up in general and particular areas of opportunity,” says P.K. Shukla, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Entrepreneurship at Chapman University. “The tips offered in the financial planning review section are very valuable for readers to act upon.”

Steven Primm, CPA and co-founder of Upstart Business Consulting Group, was instrumental in developing the financial planning section of the business plan. Most small business consultants and lenders consider the financial projections of a business plan the most important section when determining whether a business is viable or not. Instead of spending hundreds of hours developing and researching your business idea, our pickup one of our small biz books will help you save time and money getting from initial idea to opening your doors.

As entrepreneurship continues to gain in popularity, the [business plans] from Upstart Business Consulting Group fill the gap between the entrepreneur’s initial idea and actual start-up. A very popular type of business to open now is a mobile business. Business plans continue to be vital to all businesses, not only as a necessity to obtain financing, but also as a roadmap for future courses of action. In fact, a business is more likely to fail in the first year if the entrepreneur did not write a business plan. It does not matter if you are a recent college graduate, a employee trying to make ends meet and save for retirement, a burned out mid-level manager trying to climb the corporate ladder, or a retiring baby boomer, there is no better time than now to become an entrepreneur.

Upstart Business Consulting Group provides much more than a generic business plan. They provide detailed business plan kits, including helpful information from initial start-up to daily operations, for many businesses in various industries. Additionally, Upstart Business Consulting Group offers various small business services including website design, marketing and advertising consulting, bookkeeping, SEO, and much more.

About Upstart Business Consulting Group 

Upstart Business Consulting Group was founded by graduates from one of the top ranked business schools for entrepreneurship in the United States, Chapman University. Upstart Business Consulting Group was founded with one goal in mind; bring entrepreneurship to everyone. The founders have over a decade of combined experience with two of the largest consulting firms in the world. The founders have various consulting experience including mergers and acquisitions, financial analysis, business process improvement, and information technology. Additionally, one founder is an award winning business plan writer and successful entrepreneur.