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December 2008

A number of our clients have been asking about the state of the markets and how that will impact on their Australian Small Scale Offerings Board listings. Given the turmoil of listed markets at present, smart investors are returning to fundamentals and invest in companies whose products they use and management they know and are not impacted by the volatility of the markets. And with the credit squeeze continuing, there will be a larger role for equity as a means of funding business growth as debt funding will be much harder to obtain. Just this week we’ve had $390K placed by investors over 2 matters – the smart investors are looking for solid, well priced opportunities.

As I read recently in Antill: “If you have a hot idea, the economy is unlikely to deter you. If you’re a young venture, you just might need to bootstrap a little harder...If you’re a more established venture, you’d be mad to not start working on your next big thing now (because innovation takes time and you want to be ready for the next upturn).

In last month’s ASSOB newsletter it was noted that at the same time that there were unprecedented losses in the stock market in the US and Australia...that “during the same period, 52% of companies with offers listed on ASSOB have completed Round 1 or both their Rounds 1 and 2 capital raising. It seems that investment capital is still very much out there, though perhaps not in the places where the media is focused.”

Stepping Up Program

Alchemy will be providing a Sydney Metropolitan and Regional NSW Stepping Up – Capital Raising program in early February. Receive a $7,500 Government grant to help Your Company raise up to $5M in equity capital. There will be an information evening held at the MLC building, Level 47 on Wednesday 28 January at 5.30pm. If you think your company could benefit from participating in this program click here for more information.

This is the second year of running the Stepping Up – Capital Raising program and over the past 6 months Alchemy has been providing a mentor service for 6 companies with a focus on preparing their business case for capital raising. One of the participant’s feedback:

“As so often happens when you are developing a very complex and innovative software product…. it becomes really confusing as to which business model you should be following, what your strategic future plans should be, and how you are going to bring your product to market. At our very first meeting you brought immediate clarity to our dilemma……The 'Stepping Up' process that we have been 'forced' through has been logical, thought-provoking and absolutely necessary.”

Marketing Mistakes Businesses Make When Times Are Tough

Carolyn Stafford, author of Small Business Big Brand, presents her Top 10 Marketing Mistakes.

Mistake #1: They lose sight of the big vision – for their life and their business
Mistake #2: They don’t follow a plan and take a ‘scattergun’ approach to marketing
Mistake #3: They slash (or even wipe out) the marketing budget
Mistake #4: They take an “any client will do” approach
Mistake #5: They reduce staff numbers to cut costs
Mistake #6: They communicate poorly with the people that matter most to their business
Mistake #7: They don’t seek professional support or help until it’s too late
Mistake #8: They stop networking and building business relationships
Mistake #9: They stop being creative and innovative and are slow to adapt to the environment
Mistake#10: They reduce investment in technology and the internet.

Connect Marketing are mounting a 2009 SMALL BUSINESS BIG BRAND 30 DAY MARKETING CHALLENGE.

Attend Two Events + Get a Marketing Plan + Mentoring + Get Connected to 20 Elite Business Owners + WIN $5000 of Connect Services + Get PR for YOUR Business + Much More. Click here for more information.