<b>Go East, Young Entrepreneur, Go East! The Money Is There</b>

Though Asia and the Orient are considered to be West of

North America, they long ago acquired the descriptive term,

The Far East. Without going into a lot of deep research, my

guess is that since England, in it's colonial expansion

centuries ago, had many ships sailing to those areas, the

concept of Far East made sense. They got there by sailing

around the tip of South Africa, proceeding east from there.

And by sail, that must have indeed seemed a very far voyage

eastward.



INVESTMENTS WESTWARD, NEW SOURCE OF

PROJECT FUNDING



China is currently very big in the daily news and likely to

remain so. Its huge population, rapid economic growth and

burgeoning military presence all claim a lot of media

attention. Much of that media is specifically investment

oriented and billions of dollars are being invested there.

That situation is going to expand in the future.



But what about investments reversing direction?



POTENTIAL GOLD MINE FOR ENTREPRENEURS



Hong Kong, for instance, has been a major financial center

for over 100 years. And since China has regained control of

it from the British in 1999, its influence in the Far East has

grown still further. And lately, with the onset of the EU and

other countries destroying any form of bank secrecy, more

billions of dollars have been heading for Hong Kong and

other Far East financial centers. As well, Asian millionaires

and billionaires, which is a fast-growing segment, are

choosing to place many of their investments "offshore"

(outside of China) for tax reasons, much as their Western

counterparts have been doing for the last generation or two.



My point?



Virtually every Canadian and US entrpreneur is already

delivering his business plans to Angel Investors and

Venture Capitalists located in those two countries. And only

about one in 10,000 of those submissions is likely to be

funded. Doesn't it make entrepreneurial sense to look

elsewhere, even if also submitting to those sources? Don't

creative entrepreneurs keep their eyes open for unusual

opportunities to benefit their projects?



FINANCIAL SERVICES AND FINANCIAL

CONSULTANTS



If you're a serious entrepreneur with a great package, a

question you must ask yourself is: What do I know about

finding funding? If you're honest with yourself, the answer

will probably be: "Next to nothng." Or: "Not any more than

most other entrepreneurs out there." With that sort of reality

check, shouldn't you also be looking for some help?



There are many financial services and consultants to be

found on the net. Beware, however, since many of them will

make the most fantastic promises, assure you that they can

get you the funding. They will also ask you for up front

monies. If you happen into any of those, run, do not walk, to

the nearest exit.



Unless you're asking them to do you some specific service,

such as rewriting your executive summary or business plan,

do NOT pay out a any fees.



However, if you feel they are very good and want to meet with

them for further due diligence on their knowledge and

contacts, you will be responsible for their travel and living

expenses during the trip, including a per diem allowance to

cover food and transportation cost. If they're really good at

what they do, it's money well spent.



GOT ASIAN CONTACTS?



If you are seeking Asian investors, you will need to find

consultants who have those specific connections. Doing

business with Asians is very different than doing the same

business with Canadians, Asians or Europeans. A good

consultant will be able to guide you in precisely what you

need to know. Procedures, attitudes, culture, all of these

are important. How you present yourself may be critical.



A TALE OF STUPIDITY AND ARROGANCE



Capital Funds Group works with just such an Asian

investment group. One client asked to meet with them and

offered a good quality Executive Summary. Beyond that, they

failed to ask a single question about the investors, assuring

us that "we've done over a hundred presentations." Though

I'd suggested he come in a day earlier to locate himself in

relation to the meeting hotel, he had ignored that advice and

arrived late the evening before and had no chance to identify

where he was in relation to the meeting hotel.



As a result, on the day of the meeting, he





1. Showed up 45 minutes late


2. Was wearing mismatched pants and slacks, badly in

need of a pressing


3. Wore an open throated shirt with no tie


4. And defended all this vigourously, saying that he'd have

had no problem if the meeting had been in the Silicon

Valley.



I tried, without success, to get through to him that the Asian

culture is very different, that his lateness upset a very tight

schedule on which the funder worked and that lateness, his

dress and his attitude were an insult to the investor.



Needless to say, he was not offered an investment...and

blamed me!



CONCLUSION?



If you're seeking funding for a major project, you'll have to

expand your ideas of where those monies might be found.

The Far East is the new contender. Contact us to find out

more.