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Doubloon: The below had me skeptical, but with today's news I think they mean it! I will bet that if any delay comes up, they will make sure the shareholders are informed. The last time I checked, they did not have a web site, but no big deal for now.
"Tandem expects to complete its financial audit and receive its independent engineering report, which will be issued according to SEC standards, within the next 75 days. At that time, the Company will file all necessary reports with the SEC to gain reporting company status, and immediately apply for a listing on the Nasdaq NMS exchange or AMEX with the goal of obtaining such a listing no later than the end of the third quarter of 2005."
Tightening up the spread, I wouldn't like to be an MM on this one! I doubt they will be willing to go short any length on time, they will find a seller before filling the buys, IMO.
Doubloon: These guys tell you what they are trying to do, then do it! How refreshing! Have to B-slap myself every now and then to try to keep emotions out of it! Looks like they got their ducks in a row, and are knocking them over one by one! LOL!
2 million float, day traders may show up soon as the word gets out, have to be careful with stop-loss if it gets volatile. I would bet most that are buying now are in for the long run because they know the principals.
Gd2Aussie3: Take the time to check this one out. This is the first Pink Sheet stock I ever bought, and unless they are lying, this sucker looks VERY good. 2 million float and 22 million restricted shares, I'm not betting the ranch, but this is the best stock opportunity I've seen in a long time. Doubloon has done a great job on DD.
News out: Tandem Energy Announces Execution of Term Sheet with Guaranty Bank for a Senior Debt Facility in the Initial Amount up to $35 Million
Tuesday April 19, 9:01 am ET
MIDLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2005--Tandem Energy Holdings Inc. (OTC:TDYH - News) today announced the execution of a term sheet for a secured senior debt facility with Guaranty Bank of Houston, Texas. The senior facility, which is expected to close by May 15, 2005, encompasses an initial oil and gas secured borrowing base of up to $35 million, coupled with a $5 million line of credit to be utilized for letters of credits, plugging and abandonment bonds and hedging strategies to be implemented by Tandem to provide downside protection against the possibility of declining oil and gas prices. The term of the senior loan is three years, and bears interest with both prime and libor options. The amount available on the credit facility may be increased on a semi-annual basis based upon the contemplated increase in reserves of Tandem as it completes its previously announced acquisition and drilling programs. The closing of this senior debt and line of credit are subject to completion of the final due diligence on the Tandem assets by the bank, which is presently ongoing.
Todd Yocham, CEO of Tandem, who negotiated the term sheet for the Company with Guaranty Bank stated: "We interviewed several lenders in search of the best strategic relationship we could find that would allow us to achieve our revenue goals over the next few years. After narrowing the prospective lenders to three institutions, we selected Guaranty Bank because of their responsiveness to our requests, and their unique understanding of the Company that we are building. We also believe that Guaranty Bank is committed to our success and will increase the debt facility to meet our needs as we continue to grow."
The debt facility will be utilized by the Company to refinance its existing acquisition debt, finance the Company's immediate acquisitions, provide working capital and drilling and completion proceeds for the Company's 2005 drilling program.
The Company has also held serious discussions with a number of institutional investors regarding the infusion of a substantial amount of long-term equity. Lance Duncan, Senior Vice President of the Company, who has been directly involved in these equity discussions stated: "The Company has been presented with several proposals for up to $100 million of equity in one form or another, which would have made this debt facility unnecessary. All of these proposals would have been based on a share price substantially in excess of our present price. However, Tandem's management decided that the adoption of blended capital structure combining senior debt and equity was in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders. We are now considering equity proposals in the range of $25 million, which should be more than sufficient to complete our immediate acquisitions and our 2005 drilling program, while giving us financial flexibility to pursue other opportunities as they arise." The Company contemplates a closing of the institutional equity placement at or around the time of the closing of the senior debt facility.
ABOUT TANDEM:
Tandem Energy Holdings, Inc. was formed to acquire 100% of the outstanding stock of Tandem Energy Corporation and to acquire other low-risk oil and gas properties located in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The Company combines principal shareholders with over 100 years of oil and gas experience, whose goal is to use their combined talents to build a major independent oil and gas company. Tandem expects to complete its financial audit and receive its independent engineering report, which will be issued according to SEC standards, within the next 75 days. At that time, the Company will file all necessary reports with the SEC to gain reporting company status, and immediately apply for a listing on the Nasdaq NMS exchange or AMEX with the goal of obtaining such a listing no later than the end of the third quarter of 2005.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as the term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Should events occur which materially affect any comments made within this press release, the Company will appropriately inform the public.
Tandem Energy Holdings Inc.
200 N. Loraine, Suite 500
Midland, Texas 79701
432-683-9700
Contact: Lance Duncan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Redwood Consultants
Jens Dalsgaard, 415-884-0348
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Tandem Energy Holdings Inc.
OT: New board started on TDYH by Doubloon, check it out.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=3728
Doubloon: Thanks for starting this board! Have been buying for a couples of weeks now, looks like a winner. Have to read the board later when I get a chance, thanks again!
TRCPA: The OTC CEO's sign off, but no one goes after them. There is no political payoff for going after the small fry, especially when there is plenty of warnings out there for investors. I agree with you on Pink Sheet stocks, but I disagree with you using the word "investing". Pinks or OTC's are just short term gambles for the players with the greedy becoming the bagholders. The lure is a 1 cent stock can go to 3 cents short term which is a 300% gain. The bagholders start dreaming of 3000% and get burned. How many held here on the last FASC double? One poster said he was up $70,000 at 11 cents, but he was greedy and held (or didn't say otherwise).
OT: TRCPA, I agree with you somewhat on the larger exchanges. I think the difference is, the CEO's can go to jail because the SEC keeps a closer watch, plus big money investors (mutual funds) act when they get burned, and class action attorneys are quick to act on companies with money. Some of the OTC companies are nothing but crooks and they walk away with millions of dollars, no SEC and no lawsuits. If you follow the OTC at all, I'm sure you know of examples.
OT: techisbest, time will tell I guess on BIPH. Even if BIPH reaches an agreement with BSX, it could be several years to see any revenue and maybe not much. Great play, though, and I am very interested on how it trades Monday, even more interested in the OS increase in their next filing. I think BSX was able to get some cheap reseach with a little funding to BIPH and BIPH gets to use BSX to pump up the stock price and keep those healthy pay checks going. Mr. Weiner really should keep his mouth shut until he can name the partner, but he may have needed the quick pump and dump for the German deal funding. The OTC is certainly an interesting market and can be a quick money maker for the experienced player. Can also put major hurt on those that really believe the BS, need I name examples?
OT: Waitedg, BIPH PR released after the bell, not BSX and still more studies to go. I think they have been selling stock to fund the German deal.
"Biophan is currently working on combining Biophan-Europe's resonance technologies with Biophan's nanomagnetic thin-film coating technology to enable the production of improved, lower-profile stent devices. We believe this will ultimately provide the ideal solution for the stent industry," said Mr. Weiner.
OT: Waitedg, be very careful of BIPH. Good companies don't release pump PR's on a daily basis unless they are selling stock. The BIPH share price would go up on it's own as real contracts are announced, not just promised almost daily. If you do decide to "play" it, don't end up a bagholder. Good luck. Still watching your Pinkie, QLHC, I think at some time in the future they may "work" on the share price.
Sigh, lost another post. OK, guys, the company will be buying back millions of shares with the new revenue flowing in, IMO.
Is that conforming enough for all?
OT: Waitedg, you might find this interesting. Most positive write-up on Pink Sheets I've ever read.
Morningstar.com
Finding Bargains in the Market's Dark Corners
Wednesday April 13, 7:00 am ET
By Toan Tran
Of the countless things I've learned from Berkshire Hathaway (brk.a.A) (brk.b.A) chairman Warren Buffett, one of the most influential came from an interview he gave to BusinessWeek in 1999. In that interview, Buffett said, "If I was running $1 million today, or $10 million for that matter, I'd be fully invested. ... It's a huge structural advantage not to have a lot of money. I think I could make you 50% a year on $1 million. No, I know I could. I guarantee it."
While having billions of dollars to invest is a rather wonderful problem, Buffett is clearly handicapped by Berkshire's colossal size. His message to smaller investors is direct: If you want to achieve truly market-crushing returns, concentrate your research on the universe of small-capitalization stocks. Furthermore, as my colleague Curt Morrison pointed out in a recent article, illiquid stocks have outperformed liquid stocks by 2.1% annually over the past 40 years. These results, of course, make perfect sense. For various reasons, large investors cannot invest in small, illiquid stocks, and with fewer smart people looking at a stock there's a greater chance for mispricings. In my experience, the smallest and most illiquid stocks tend to trade on the pink sheets.
The 101-year-old pink sheets market, so named for the pink newsprint on which quotations used to be published, typically deals in the over-the-counter stocks of very small companies, and is the back alley of the stock market. Because companies trading on pink sheets are not required to file financial statements with the SEC or meet other regulatory obligations, the market is littered with all sorts of debris, including penny-stock frauds and the empty shells of bankrupt companies. Any recommendation of a pink-sheets stock, like the ones that may clutter your e-mail inbox, should immediately raise a red flag.
It may surprise you, then, that Warren Buffett has been known to shop in the pink sheets. In fact, any investor willing to look hard enough will find many fine businesses among the weeds, and when small capitalizations, illiquidity, and the stigma associated with the pink sheets intersect, they form a trinity of market inefficiency. The resulting mispricings can sometimes be glorious. If you think Google (NasdaqNM:GOOG - News) has done well, I know of a sleepy 112-year-old California citrus grower whose shares closed on the pink sheets at $73.50 on the date of Google's IPO (Aug. 19, 2004). Most recently the shares changed hands at $217, or a 195% return versus Google's 128% gain since its IPO. If that return figure piques your interest, here are a few tips to find potential bargains in the overlooked corners of the market.
Starting Your Search
Although it may sound quaint, the best way I've found to screen for pink sheets stocks is by flipping through the pages of a stock manual. Published annually, Walker's Manual of Unlisted Stocks contains financial summaries on 500 of the leading pink sheets stocks. The manual is an excellent resource because it filters out the stock scams and other rubbish. In addition, because financial information for these stocks is scarce, having condensed financial statements in one location greatly speeds up the research process. After finding a stock worthy of further research, your next challenge is obtaining full and audited financial statements. Some companies will publicly release their financials, but many will only share results with shareholders. In the latter case, your only shot at getting a look at the books may be to purchase a nominal number of shares.
The Value of Scuttlebutt
"Scuttlebutt" is legendary investor Phil Fisher's term for the proprietary insights you can gain about a business by doing your research legwork. Obtaining scuttlebutt is much easier with small companies, and your insights will often be a great deal more valuable. For example, digging up useful scuttlebutt about General Electric (NYSE:GE - News) is almost impossible. Unless you are a major investor, GE's management isn't likely to grant you access to the company. And if you do uncover something that thousands of other investors have strangely missed, it would have to be one amazing insight to move the needle at a company with $150 billion of sales and multiple unrelated business divisions. On the other hand, the heads of many small companies are happy to answer questions, even from small investors (you may be one of a handful of people to ever ask about their businesses). Moreover, your insights do not have to be particularly blinding to make you a lot of money. The stock of the California citrus grower I mentioned earlier likely did not rise because the economics of oranges have improved; it's probably because growing oranges is no longer the highest and best use of the company's land. (Orange County, Calif.--home to some valuable real estate--is so named because it used to be covered with orange groves).
Purchasing Shares
When you're ready to make a purchase, it pays to be extremely patient. The bid/ask spreads on the pink sheets are often jaw-dropping, so a market order is almost always a mistake. Unless you believe time is of the essence, you will be better served by putting up a limit order at the bid price and waiting for willing sellers. It may you many weeks or months to accumulate a position, but you'll avoid paying bid/ask spreads that can amount to a significant percentage of the stock's price. As always, you should only make a purchase if prices offer a margin of safety to your intrinsic value estimate.
Have an Owner Mentality
Warren Buffett has often said that he would be happy to hold his stocks even if the market were to close for the next 10 years. You should adopt the same mentality not only because it makes sense, but also because with pink sheets stocks the market may actually close for the next 10 years. Many stocks on the pink sheets lack an active market, so trading in and out is not possible. I own a stock that has not traded in over a year, but that hardly concerns me. The company's results show me that intrinsic value continues to grow at a steady clip and the dividends clear just fine. I don't have the excitement of a daily quote, but I do own a piece of a valuable business obtained at a bargain price. Although it may take a few years, the return on my investment will take care of itself.
Illiquid Stocks on Major Exchanges
Investing in the pink sheets is not for every investor. Unless you have the time and inclination to thoroughly research your investments, it's best to stick to companies trading on major exchanges with regulatory oversight. Fortunately, even stocks that trade on the NYSE or NASDAQ can suffer the same pricing inefficiency due to small size and illiquid shares. For example, the opening paragraph of our Analyst Report on Student Loan (NYSE:STU - News) should be music to the ears of many investors: "Although it's lightly traded and lacks a Wall Street following, Student Loan is a great business and has strong prospects." It is not surprising, then, that shares of Student Loan have appreciated significantly since it had a 5-star Morningstar Rating last fall. If you'd like to find the next stock that's been overlooked by the market, Morningstar's list of 5-star stocks is a good place to start.
(Note, the Morningstar Rating for stocks is a benefit of Premium Membership. If you're not a Premium Member, sign up for a 14-day free trial.)
Get Morningstar's portfolio tools, data, and editorial insight, plus Analyst Reports on 1,450 stocks and 2,000 funds. Start your free 14-day trial today.
OT: Waitedg, PR out on your Pinkie:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050414/145355.html?.v=1
OT: beischens: Interesting comments on Nukes. If Mexico and Canada were smart, they would build nuclear power and oil refineries and sell the energy and products to the USA! I guess they have their own tree and cactus (ouch!) huggers too.
When the lights don't go on when the switch is thrown, we may see some progress. I'll have to do some DD on nuclear to see who's doing what. Thanks for you input.
OT: beischens: I think we'll see nuclear power pick up again in the future in the USA, if we can cut the planning costs on site approval. The smaller plants in Europe always worked well, but we have the high cost of initial site approval resulting in larger plants (and larger problems). Do you have any suggestions from an investment standpoint long term? Mining or equipment?
bobsnook66: Just trying to make sense out of why no production news. If you have better clues, please post.
This has gone from HAL requiring KDS' all over the world to no word on the plant that was supposedly built. If HAL is selling Zeolite cement formulations, they are buying it from someone.
Nothing on the Zeolite plant? I have a feeling the 4(?) partners couldn't agree on who was going to pay the utility bills until the HAL cash starts rolling in. Or they finally figured out it cost more to mine and process than what HAL was going to pay. I think HAL already has a dependable supplier if they are serious about their business for Zeolite cement.
LOL! My post didn't last long, is that a record? Lot's of luck, guys.
Sam: Don't worry, OTC's don't PR bad news, just put it in the filings! LOL! The MM's keep doing this, raise the price on low volume to suck in some buyers, then drop on the dump. They must have the orders beforehand, IMO.
Sam: Viagra and FASC can make you go blind! $1 or $10? I hope you mortgaged the house and bought FASC!
TRCPA: Looks like your $37 cleared! LOL! 1000 shares!
OT: Gd2Aussie3: Just trying to keep it real on the delusion board. It's getting down to the wire there and they don't have a clue.
TRCPA: Here's a thought, maybe you should start an OTC stock newsletter.
How to turn your hobby into a successful business
Thursday March 31, 6:00 am ET
Jenny McCune
From hobby to business sounds like a dream come true: Do what you love and get paid for it. The recreational skier becomes an instructor. The quilt maker quits her day job to sell hand-stitched coverlets. The gourmet turns food caterer.
But that dream can become a nightmare if you're not careful. Before you quit your day job, check out these six steps to help turn your hobby into a career:
Step 1: Research your market
Step 2: Create a business plan
Step 3: Take stock of your business sense
Step 4: Be realistic about how it will affect your life
Step 5: Decide how committed you want to be
Step 6: Find an innovative business angle
Step 1: Research your business idea.
You have to determine whether you can make money by turning your hobby into a business. Start by answering these questions:
Will someone pay me for my product or service?
If so, will a buyer pay enough so I can make a profit?
Will enough people buy my product or service so that I can make a living?
Is there an economical way to distribute and sell my product or service?
To answer those questions, do market research. Use sources such as your public library and the Internet. Quiz fellow hobbyists about your idea. If you have the funds, hire a consultant. Talk to would-be mentors or take a course to help determine if this is the right move for you.
In the case of fine-food lover Mary McCarthy, founder and CEO of Tutta California, a producer of California-produced olive oil and cabernet wine vinegar, she took a course in sensory evaluation of olive oil at a local university. In addition to learning about her topic, she also quizzed her professor about her business idea. Based on those discussions as well as many industry players, McCarthy found that small boutique players dominate the U.S. domestic olive oil industry. There was plenty of room for her company to become the first national producer of olive oil in the United States.
Step 2: Create a business plan.
A good way to get a sense of whether you have a money-making business proposition on your hands is to draw up a business plan and financial forecasts for the next five years, says Bob Klein, a Newport Beach, Calif., certified public accountant and certified financial planner. There are books on the subject or hire a business consultant to advise you.
Here is what your number crunching should tell you:
What sort of capital do I need to start the business?
When can I expect to make a profit?
How much income can I expect within a year, two years and up to five years down the road?
"You have to figure out how much you'll be spending to produce this hobby or item or whatever, what you can sell it for, and how much time is involved," sums up Janet Attard, found of the Business Know-How Small Business Resource Center on the Internet.
Don't do you homework and you could find yourself losing rather than making money. Stephen Fairley, for example, found that Entrepreneur magazine rated personal coaching as one of the fastest growing forms of self-employment. That sounded promising, but in researching his own book, "Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching," Fairley learned that 73 percent of all coaches make less than $10,000 in their first year and that 53 percent of all coaches make less than $20,000 a year.
That didn't dissuade Fairley from coaching, but it did show him that anybody going into coaching had to find a way to make more money than the average coach. Fairley's method for boosting his profits: coaching coaches and writing books.
Step 3: Take stock of your business sense.
In addition to doing strict statistical research, you also need to look inward and take stock of your own abilities:
Do you have what it takes to run a business?
Can you have your business and the lifestyle you want?
Will you still love your hobby when it's a business?
"Many times we love to do something, but that doesn't mean we love the process we have to go through to enable us to do that thing and make money," says Leslie Ungar, executive coach and founder of Electric Impulse Inc./Igniting Careers in Akron, Ohio.
For example, you may love practicing yoga and have the skills to be a great yoga teacher, but if you don't like selling -- placing advertisements, convincing people to take your classes, glad-handing at trade shows -- then yoga should probably remain your hobby.
"You may love your hobby, but ask yourself if you will love the marketing you will need to do to enable you to 'do' your hobby?" Ungar asks.
Ungar also reminds would-be entrepreneurs that when a hobby becomes a business, the approach to the activity changes. "Will it still be a passion when you have to work at it?" she asks.
A bike-frame manufacturer learned such a lesson. All went well until he decided to open a bicycle store. While he loved designing and crafting bike frames, he hated managing people at the store and dealing with retail customers. Two years after the store opened, the entrepreneur closed the doors to again focus strictly on manufacturing. "I've never seen him happier," says a friend.
Step 4: Be realistic about how it will affect your life.
You also have to consider what impact your entrepreneurial venture will have on your family. Keep in mind that to turn a hobby into a business requires a lot of work, including late nights and weekends.
"You have to do a lot of soul searching before you go ahead," says Klein, who also is president of Designing Your Financial Future. "What effect will having a business have on your family and your long-term financial goals? Does it really make sense?"
If you have small children who require a lot of care and attention, you might want to reconsider plans to become an entrepreneur. But if your children are grown and you're close to retirement, now may be the perfect time to start your own business.
Similarly, if your spouse has a steady job it may makes sense for you to dabble with turning your hobby into a business. But if you're the family's sole wage earner, taking the entrepreneurial route could be a road to disaster.
Step 5: Decide how committed you want to be.
The answers you arrive at in Step 4 will in large part determine whether you turn your hobby into a full-time business or make it a part-time venture. Either choice has pros and cons.
The advantage of going full-throttle is that you've got a powerful incentive to succeed and you'll be able to devote the time necessary to allow your venture to grow. A part-time venture, by contrast, may never really succeed because you're not allocating enough time and resources to it, says CPA Klein.
The disadvantage of chucking it all for a new business is that you have no parachute. If your business dream takes flight, fine. If it crashes, you're going down with it.
Starting off slow by keeping your job and starting a business part-time can help reduce the amount of capital necessary. Your exposure is also less; if your business fails, you still have steady income from your other job.
Step 6: Find an innovative business angle.
Once you get (or give yourself) the green light to turn your hobby into a business, you have to figure out the twist that will turn recreation into income.
"Just because a hobby is fun doesn't mean they'll pay you to do it," says Chris Cameron, a train collector who turned his passion into a business. "One obvious thing I could have done was buy a bunch of trains and sell them. Not a good idea. You collect what you love and sell what you hate."
So instead merely selling model trains, Cameron found an unmet need. Hobbyists want to know how much train sets and their parts are selling for; pricing can fluctuate widely and it was nearly impossible for people to keep track on their own. Cameron, who knows something about software programming, found a partner and they designed a program that tracks pricing in the model train market.
Ways to transform a hobby into a profitable business include:
Solve a problem. Amateur guitar players have to learn chords and scales. Chords are relatively easy to learn. Scales require fingering, a difficult and time-consuming skill to master. So Rusty Shaffer, guitar player and inventor, created a computer-powered guitar that fingers the instrument for learning players. He now sells his invention through his business, Optek Music Systems of New Hampshire.
Teach others. Almost any hobby, from mahjong to martial arts, can be taught in classes for which can charge.
Sell the raw materials. Suzanne Colon and Cameron Hildreth love knitting. Lucky for them, it's a hobby that's been gaining in popularity. (Last year, reports the Washington Post, Americans spent an estimated $450 million on yarn and other knitting essentials up from $400 million from five years ago.) So Colon and Hildreth opened Stix, a Bozeman, Mont., store where other knitters and crocheters gather to exchange tips, take classes or buy fine yarns. Although Stix is an actual retail location, don't overlook the possibility of selling your hobby's essential materials via an Internet shop.
Expand into related services. Charlotte Reed owns Two Dogs & A Goat Inc., a pet care service in Manhattan and Hampton, Long Island. If Reed operated solely as an individual dog walker, she probably wouldn't be making enough money to suit her. But her pet-care empire offers dog walking, exercise programs, grooming, training and sitting services for dogs, cats, birds, fish and other small animals.
Train enthusiast Cameron compares a successful hobby-based business to a military operation. "It's like the Marines," he says. "They improve, adapt and overcome. You have to do the same with your hobby-turned-business."
TRCPA: Here's a thought, maybe you should start an OTC stock newsletter.
How to turn your hobby into a successful business
Thursday March 31, 6:00 am ET
Jenny McCune
From hobby to business sounds like a dream come true: Do what you love and get paid for it. The recreational skier becomes an instructor. The quilt maker quits her day job to sell hand-stitched coverlets. The gourmet turns food caterer.
But that dream can become a nightmare if you're not careful. Before you quit your day job, check out these six steps to help turn your hobby into a career:
Step 1: Research your market
Step 2: Create a business plan
Step 3: Take stock of your business sense
Step 4: Be realistic about how it will affect your life
Step 5: Decide how committed you want to be
Step 6: Find an innovative business angle
Step 1: Research your business idea.
You have to determine whether you can make money by turning your hobby into a business. Start by answering these questions:
Will someone pay me for my product or service?
If so, will a buyer pay enough so I can make a profit?
Will enough people buy my product or service so that I can make a living?
Is there an economical way to distribute and sell my product or service?
To answer those questions, do market research. Use sources such as your public library and the Internet. Quiz fellow hobbyists about your idea. If you have the funds, hire a consultant. Talk to would-be mentors or take a course to help determine if this is the right move for you.
In the case of fine-food lover Mary McCarthy, founder and CEO of Tutta California, a producer of California-produced olive oil and cabernet wine vinegar, she took a course in sensory evaluation of olive oil at a local university. In addition to learning about her topic, she also quizzed her professor about her business idea. Based on those discussions as well as many industry players, McCarthy found that small boutique players dominate the U.S. domestic olive oil industry. There was plenty of room for her company to become the first national producer of olive oil in the United States.
Step 2: Create a business plan.
A good way to get a sense of whether you have a money-making business proposition on your hands is to draw up a business plan and financial forecasts for the next five years, says Bob Klein, a Newport Beach, Calif., certified public accountant and certified financial planner. There are books on the subject or hire a business consultant to advise you.
Here is what your number crunching should tell you:
What sort of capital do I need to start the business?
When can I expect to make a profit?
How much income can I expect within a year, two years and up to five years down the road?
"You have to figure out how much you'll be spending to produce this hobby or item or whatever, what you can sell it for, and how much time is involved," sums up Janet Attard, found of the Business Know-How Small Business Resource Center on the Internet.
Don't do you homework and you could find yourself losing rather than making money. Stephen Fairley, for example, found that Entrepreneur magazine rated personal coaching as one of the fastest growing forms of self-employment. That sounded promising, but in researching his own book, "Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching," Fairley learned that 73 percent of all coaches make less than $10,000 in their first year and that 53 percent of all coaches make less than $20,000 a year.
That didn't dissuade Fairley from coaching, but it did show him that anybody going into coaching had to find a way to make more money than the average coach. Fairley's method for boosting his profits: coaching coaches and writing books.
Step 3: Take stock of your business sense.
In addition to doing strict statistical research, you also need to look inward and take stock of your own abilities:
Do you have what it takes to run a business?
Can you have your business and the lifestyle you want?
Will you still love your hobby when it's a business?
"Many times we love to do something, but that doesn't mean we love the process we have to go through to enable us to do that thing and make money," says Leslie Ungar, executive coach and founder of Electric Impulse Inc./Igniting Careers in Akron, Ohio.
For example, you may love practicing yoga and have the skills to be a great yoga teacher, but if you don't like selling -- placing advertisements, convincing people to take your classes, glad-handing at trade shows -- then yoga should probably remain your hobby.
"You may love your hobby, but ask yourself if you will love the marketing you will need to do to enable you to 'do' your hobby?" Ungar asks.
Ungar also reminds would-be entrepreneurs that when a hobby becomes a business, the approach to the activity changes. "Will it still be a passion when you have to work at it?" she asks.
A bike-frame manufacturer learned such a lesson. All went well until he decided to open a bicycle store. While he loved designing and crafting bike frames, he hated managing people at the store and dealing with retail customers. Two years after the store opened, the entrepreneur closed the doors to again focus strictly on manufacturing. "I've never seen him happier," says a friend.
Step 4: Be realistic about how it will affect your life.
You also have to consider what impact your entrepreneurial venture will have on your family. Keep in mind that to turn a hobby into a business requires a lot of work, including late nights and weekends.
"You have to do a lot of soul searching before you go ahead," says Klein, who also is president of Designing Your Financial Future. "What effect will having a business have on your family and your long-term financial goals? Does it really make sense?"
If you have small children who require a lot of care and attention, you might want to reconsider plans to become an entrepreneur. But if your children are grown and you're close to retirement, now may be the perfect time to start your own business.
Similarly, if your spouse has a steady job it may makes sense for you to dabble with turning your hobby into a business. But if you're the family's sole wage earner, taking the entrepreneurial route could be a road to disaster.
Step 5: Decide how committed you want to be.
The answers you arrive at in Step 4 will in large part determine whether you turn your hobby into a full-time business or make it a part-time venture. Either choice has pros and cons.
The advantage of going full-throttle is that you've got a powerful incentive to succeed and you'll be able to devote the time necessary to allow your venture to grow. A part-time venture, by contrast, may never really succeed because you're not allocating enough time and resources to it, says CPA Klein.
The disadvantage of chucking it all for a new business is that you have no parachute. If your business dream takes flight, fine. If it crashes, you're going down with it.
Starting off slow by keeping your job and starting a business part-time can help reduce the amount of capital necessary. Your exposure is also less; if your business fails, you still have steady income from your other job.
Step 6: Find an innovative business angle.
Once you get (or give yourself) the green light to turn your hobby into a business, you have to figure out the twist that will turn recreation into income.
"Just because a hobby is fun doesn't mean they'll pay you to do it," says Chris Cameron, a train collector who turned his passion into a business. "One obvious thing I could have done was buy a bunch of trains and sell them. Not a good idea. You collect what you love and sell what you hate."
So instead merely selling model trains, Cameron found an unmet need. Hobbyists want to know how much train sets and their parts are selling for; pricing can fluctuate widely and it was nearly impossible for people to keep track on their own. Cameron, who knows something about software programming, found a partner and they designed a program that tracks pricing in the model train market.
Ways to transform a hobby into a profitable business include:
Solve a problem. Amateur guitar players have to learn chords and scales. Chords are relatively easy to learn. Scales require fingering, a difficult and time-consuming skill to master. So Rusty Shaffer, guitar player and inventor, created a computer-powered guitar that fingers the instrument for learning players. He now sells his invention through his business, Optek Music Systems of New Hampshire.
Teach others. Almost any hobby, from mahjong to martial arts, can be taught in classes for which can charge.
Sell the raw materials. Suzanne Colon and Cameron Hildreth love knitting. Lucky for them, it's a hobby that's been gaining in popularity. (Last year, reports the Washington Post, Americans spent an estimated $450 million on yarn and other knitting essentials up from $400 million from five years ago.) So Colon and Hildreth opened Stix, a Bozeman, Mont., store where other knitters and crocheters gather to exchange tips, take classes or buy fine yarns. Although Stix is an actual retail location, don't overlook the possibility of selling your hobby's essential materials via an Internet shop.
Expand into related services. Charlotte Reed owns Two Dogs & A Goat Inc., a pet care service in Manhattan and Hampton, Long Island. If Reed operated solely as an individual dog walker, she probably wouldn't be making enough money to suit her. But her pet-care empire offers dog walking, exercise programs, grooming, training and sitting services for dogs, cats, birds, fish and other small animals.
Train enthusiast Cameron compares a successful hobby-based business to a military operation. "It's like the Marines," he says. "They improve, adapt and overcome. You have to do the same with your hobby-turned-business."
Next Generation Energy conference:
http://www.merrimanco.com/MCF/content/conferences/energyconference2005/presenting.php
TRCPA: Don't forget another little thing, testing (wink, wink). The machine is being built? What did they do, order the iron ore for the steel?
There's a little thing called research, design and engineering that had to take place before the new machine was built, along with about $500K in funding.
The wait for all that is over, as the machine is currently being built.
WRAP hasn't even picked the site yet? LOL!
TRCPA: Crystal ball not required here, common sense is all that's needed.
techisbest: What is status of new machine? AP used the old machines, if the new machine solved all problems, why wasn't it built right away and installed at AP? It seems to be always "down the road" with this company, and the bonuses paid last year could have been used to build the new machine. Don't you go Hmmmmmmmm once in a while? LOL!
TRCPA: Sorry, not sexy enough to fly with the OTC nano, biotechs, gold, and oil. Oyster shells? Sorry, I think not.
They will be out of shares before any decent revenue props it up, if there ever is any decent revenue.
Too little too late, no interest generated from last PR.
"Modern Day MONEY CHANGERS" -by David Ravenhill.
I’m convinced that the carnal, cunning, conniving, crooked crooks that Jesus drove out of the Temple are still among us today. These modern day moneychangers are forever devising new and deceptive doctrines to defraud God’s people out of His/their money. These masters of deceit have now set up their changing tables throughout the Christian television industry.
I’m absolutely certain that if Jesus returned today He would walk into the vast majority of these television studios and overthrow the cameras, lights, monitors, and soundboards. He would unplug the microphones and scatter the makeup colors around as He went about destroying the stages and backdrops.
Several years ago now, a nationally know prophetic voice was told by the Lord, “I’m sick and tired of the prosperity message”. If that was true then, how much more today. As far back as 1986, the top seven media evangelists took in over 750 million dollars. Now with the increased manipulation of ‘seed faith teaching’ that amount has no doubt been dwarfed by comparison.
Only a few days ago I was appalled as I watched and listened as Pastor Steve__________ zealously twisted and distorted the Scriptures to his own advantage. This ‘brother’ dared to distort the most sacred truth of all Scripture. He used The Day Of Atonement, that day when Jesus Christ the Lamb of God shed His blood for the sins of the world, to teach that how we give financially determines how God will respond to us throughout the coming year. My blood boiled as I listened. This ‘brother’ had finally crossed the line and was now on the verge of blaspheming the atoning work of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not to mention lining his own pockets with the proceeds. He might as well have been selling indulgences by inferring that God’s favor toward us was based on our giving rather than God’s unmerited grace and forgiveness through the gift of His Son. What made matters worse was that this same ‘charlatan’ was the guest of one of the nation’s best known charismatic personalities. Within a day or so he was teaching the same message on a local Christian telethon. Neither the evangelist nor the network sought to correct his aberrant teaching – after all, the show must go on and that takes money, so how you raise it doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
Why does almost every single Christian program have to end with some type of ‘seed faith teaching’? If these men and women of faith really believed what they taught, they would practice what they preach and teach; after all what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Imagine how shocked you would be if your favorite televangelist and covenant partner were to send you a check in their next mailing for the amount of $1,000.00 with a personal note telling you he/she just wanted to sow into your life. Perhaps then I could believe that these men/women really believe and practice what they teach. Not only that, but they would never have to appeal for money again as God’s return to them would result in a hundredfold increase. At least that’s what they would have us to believe.
On a recent ministry trip to the Northwest, I was told by a pastor friend that his church had received a call from a well known and anointed teacher in the Body of Christ. The caller was asking them for a contribution towards the purchase of a jet for their ministry. What a far cry from what the Apostle Paul taught when he prefaced his teaching on ‘sowing and reaping’ with these words; “ For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality.” (II Cor. 8:13-14)
Many pastors measure their success in terms of numbers –the larger the church the more successful their ministry. Itinerant ministries, not being able to brag about size, seem to fall for the notion that having one’s own jet is how success is determined. (Once it was the Rolex watch). By the way, if you love and appreciate this fine teacher, pray that he won’t get the desires of his heart - it will only lead to the leanness of his soul.
This is one man’s attempt to appeal to the Body of Christ. Stop pandering to these moneychangers. These men and women live like kings while spending your money to buy mansions and jets for themselves. They dine in the finest restaurants, wear the latest designer fashions and then have the audacity to tell you that you can live the same way as long as you give to their ministry.
I opened my Bible the other day to Zechariah’s wonderful prophecy concerning the first coming of Jesus, our great and glorious King. Listen to his words; ‘Behold your King is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt the foal of a donkey.’( Zechariah 9:9 ) What a far cry from the televangelist who comes high and mighty and traveling on his own jet!
If you are as sick and tired as I am about this waste of God’s money, then for heaven’s sake STOP SUPPORTING THESE PEOPLE. Give your money to your local church. There are tens of thousands of needy missionaries who barely have enough support to keep themselves alive. They are laboring long and hard under some of the most difficult and trying conditions. They would rejoice at the thought of an extra $10-30 dollars a month support. These are the real heroes of whom the world is not worthy. Help put these MONEY LOVING TELEVANGELISTS OUT OF BUSINESS and save another MISSIONARY FROM EXTINCTION. Together we can make it happen. Please forward this to as many people as you know.
Thanks.
-David Ravenhill.
"On my recent visits to southeast Asia, including Japan, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Philippines and Hong Kong,......"
Nice work if you can get it! Maybe the KDS sale at least paid for the trip! I think those efforts deserve a bonus! LOL!
Good luck all, at least some new DD is available!
Naked short on the OTC: If I buy 10,000 shares of FASC at 5 cents from Scottrade and they "get" them from an MM, I show 10,000 shares in my account. If the MM didn't have the shares to begin with, they are "naked shorting" and betting the FASC shares will drop. If FASC drops to 3 cents and I sell, the MM made 2 cents a share without ever having the shares. The MM risk is, the price goes to 7 cents and I sell. It may be sold to a different MM though, and the original MM I bought from had to cover somehow from another seller, I guess. All very confusing.
Naked shorting: If I short 100 HD at $50 in my Scottrade account, I am borrowing the shares from Scottrade. If Scottrade really doesn't have the HD shares to lend me, it is a naked short. If HD drops to $40 and I cover, I make $1000. Scottrade has to credit me the $1000 in my account, where do they get the $1000 to put in my account?
The "progress" so far this year explains why they grabbed the bonuses last year.
TRCPA: I also ignored the past projects you don't bother to list any more.
TRCPA: I think you feel FASC is "severely undervalued" because you are comparing it with severely overvalued OTC stocks. Based on FASC performance, management greed, fundamentals, and number of "start-up" years, I think it is priced about right or a bit high.