Cool Book Of The Day

Pitch reporters with our up-to-date media databases:

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “34% of businesses were no longer in existence two years after their birth and more than half were gone within four years.” To what do most business owners attribute their “failure” to? Lack of capital. Solving the Capital Equation: Financing Solutions for Small Businesses provides the small business owner and those working with them with financing knowledge.

This book is targets small business owners whose companies generate revenues of $300,000 to $20 million. It discusses how to access capital for growth – hiring management, paying for marketing and advertising, purchasing equipment, etc. If you are considering starting a business or buying into a franchise, you too can benefit from understanding what options exist to grow a business. In addition, some of the sources referenced in the book can work well as sources of start-up capital. Finally, the book presents a number of financing options for those who are considering acquiring an existing business.

Q: What is the book about?
A: Solving the Capital Equation is unique. Lots of small business financing books write about bank financings and how to pursue it, and other fairly apparent finance sources. Solving the Capital Equation describes options in details. For example, in the book’s discussion of banks, it covers them all – from large central banks to regional to local to minority-owned – and when it makes more sense to choose one over the other. The book covers everything from factoring and equipment loans to going public via hedge funds.

Solving the Capital Equation’s real-life examples and easy-to-follow case studies take you through the process and provide step-by-step alternatives for financing your business. It provides actionable and practical advice for solving your financing issues and a roadmap through the potentially confusing process for securing capital for any company.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I have served as a business advisor to small to medium businesses with revenues of $500,000 to $80 Million and now provide interim management services to this same group. I have acquisition experience – I purchased one company, am pursuing other acquisitions, and advise on acquisitions. Over the last four years I have helped companies obtain over $20 Million in financing and over $31 Million in contracts and purchase orders. I also have an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In prior positions I evaluated and valued small companies and led investments in or purchases of small companies.

But the main reason I believe I am the best person to write this book is because I kept getting the same questions as well as seeing companies make the same mistakes over and over again, simply because they were not aware of all their alternatives. So I wrote the book.

The idea to write the book took seed when I created a Financial Roundtable Forum hosting expert speakers on a monthly basis to discuss the ins-and-outs of financing options. Once a year we produced multi-person debt panels and equity panels where experts fielded questions from the audience. I also spoke at a number of small business-related association meetings and conferences. Once again, I kept answering the same questions providing illustrations and examples to help elucidate the issues and alternatives to clients and audience members. I started writing down these answers, which evolved into writing Solving the Capital Equation: Financing Solutions for Small Businesses.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: Solving the Capital Equation: Financing Solutions for Small Businesses sets itself apart by presenting case studies to illustrate common problems and solutions to those problems. There are over 25 case studies of different types of companies – service, manufacturing, distribution – in various stages of maturity and growth. Another way the book distinguishes itself is by presenting various scenarios of when to use each financing option. In addition, a portion of the book is devoted to listing a variety of options to consider as the business matures and grows, given the type of business.

There are many books on the market that talk about approaching banks, pursuing grants, or using private placements to raise money. These all walk through the how-to but none address the when or why nor do they provide examples. Most business owners have not been in school for some time yet the finance books use a more academic approach. Those who are out there living what’s in books do best when presented with knowledge formatted in the way they live and learn. That’s what this book provides.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Solving the Capital Equation assists company leaders in finding answers to whom, what, when and how to finance their small- to medium-sized businesses. Straightforward and simple to understand, the book guides readers through complex issues in an intelligent and useful manner.

Pitch reporters with our up-to-date media databases:

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: The Lifestyle Financed: You are enjoying a lifestyle that is financed through debt, and you aren’t sure how you will ever live without credit.

The Career Trapped: You have a job and income, but would do something else if you thought you could afford to.

The Starting Out: You are just starting on your financial journey and want to get off on the right track

The Worried Wealthy: You are managing your assets, but don’t enjoy your wealth because you worry about losing your money.

Enlightened Wealth has been especially popular with women age 40 – 65, who have some money and want a better understanding about how money interacts with their life goals. They are looking for lifetime financial security.

Q: What is this book about?
A: If it’s personal financial independence you’re looking for, Enlightened Wealth is where you start and where you return to throughout the wealth creation and management process. Change is uncomfortable – even if it’s for the better. In Enlightened Wealth, you will have a place to get clear on what’s really important to you and where you really want to go. The “Daily Review” section of the book is designed to help you see what’s happening to inspire you throughout the day, supporting your vision or things that could be improved. Its a tool to help you become accountable to your goals and to develop greater clarity about your true priorities.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?

A: I’m a Certified Financial Planner(R) professional with expertise in insurance, banking and investments. My career has spanned over 16 years in the financial industry. While working as a successful broker for one of Canada’s largest investment firms, I realized that the charts, graphs and rates of return weren’t helping my clients win in all areas of their financial lives. So I developed some day-to-day financial tools and processes to help explain financial success planning and coaching concepts to people who don’t want to become “money experts.”

My perspective also comes from both personal financial success as well as financial loss and the frustrations of starting over. A government tax audit forced my family into bankruptcy – it was applying the principles of MoneyMinding that brought us back from the brink. I’m proof that succeeding financially is not about sacrifice; it is about individual strategies based on universal facts about finance, success, and you!

Q: How is this book different from other books on the same topic?
A: This is a book about personal finances, but it also incorporates the success teachings that conventional financial planners miss. Instead of saying “save money and cut back”, Enlightened Wealth encourages you to Believe, Begin and Become – by determining your life goals and your “ideal budget”, then working out how to provide the ongoing income to meet those goals. Where other financial planners say “contract”, Enlightened Wealth encourages you to expand your possibilities, your imagination, and your chances for success – and gives you practical tools to do it.

Q: Is there anything else to know about this book?
A: Enlightened Wealth is currently available in two formats – a concise 80-page manual to use with your own journal, and a year-long journal where you can write your daily thoughts and progress.

Pitch reporters with our up-to-date media databases:

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Written with young adults in mind, Get Your Assets in Gear! Smart Money Strategies by Jan Dahlin Geiger, CFP, MBA is a guide for launching and maintaining a lifetime of wise money management practices. While we assumed individuals in their 20’s and 30’s would be our primary readers, people in their 40’s and 50’s have become our largest group of buyers.

Q: What is the book about?
A: At mid-life, many recognize the urgent need to get their finances on track!

Fortunately for our older audience, it’s not too late to make significant changes.

After more than 30 years in the financial services business, Jan can testify that getting rich is pretty easy: You simply have to learn what rich people do to become rich and then do the same.

Conveniently, the formula for becoming rich involves three basic steps:

1. Get out of debt and stay out of debt.

2. Save money automatically.

3. Learn to invest wisely.

Given such simple guidelines, why do so few people become rich?

The answer is attitude. If you believe you can do something, then you will work to make it happen. If you believe you can’t, then you will not take the first step forward. Because most people believe that getting rich is hard, they don’t bother to pursue the goal.

In addition to the basics, you’ll find several bonus chapters that cover topics rarely discussed in personal finance books:

• How to achieve financial harmony with your mate with concrete, step-by-step guidance for peaceful financial togetherness.
• How to buy cars and how to buy houses.
• How giving money to others in need attracts even more money back to you.
• How to address your mental attitude about money—the deciding factor between achieving success or ending in failure.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: Throughout this book, I repeatedly steer my readers away from get-rich-quick schemes. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Practitioner, I share tried and true practices as well as invaluable insights.

All in all, my gifts for making financial concepts clear-cut and for presenting them in a lighthearted manner have produced a book that is well-worth your time and money!

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: This powerful book shatters all the silly ideas that hold people back from believing they can become rich. Essential are the easy-to-understand, step-by-step guidelines:

• Presenting practical solutions for getting out of debt and remaining free of debt, several chapters delve into ways to increase income and decrease expenses to build savings.
• Other chapters walk the reader through investment basics so that your newfound savings earn profits.
• An especially powerful chapter discusses the critical importance of using a spending plan.

Think about it: the behaviors we measure are those we improve. Likewise, most people can’t save money because they have no idea where every dollar goes. When they begin tracking their spending, almost all grow free of debt and start saving money within two years.

Though armed with workable, researched advice, I hesitated considerably before writing this book. After all, thousands of personal finance books are available. What persuaded me to put pen to paper was the feedback from people who attended my seminars. Individuals of all ages and backgrounds told me that I had to share my rare gift for explaining money basics.

Not only is my approach straightforward so that anyone can “get it,” but my style is positive and engaging. People respond to me. They are motivated to let go of limiting beliefs and, instead, accept this powerful idea that becoming rich is possible and easy.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Since publishing the book, I have received encouraging feedback from my readers:

“You really didn’t say a lot that I didn’t already know, but you are the first who said it in a way that made me WANT to take action.“

“I read your book cover to cover and never got bored. I can hardly wait to dive in and get started.”

“My husband is great with money but I have never been. Your book is the first one I have read in 10 years that I enjoyed, and for the first time, I actually want to cooperate with my husband in building wealth rather than being angry with him for saving instead of spending.”

“Usually when I read money books, I feel terrible about myself and need some retail therapy to get over it! Your book is so empowering. You make me feel terrific about myself and you make me believe I really can do this!”

“Jan, you’re the first person I’ve ever met who makes money fun!”

The last comment about making money “fun” highlights the crucial difference between my book and others. Presenting money management in an enjoyable, interesting, optimistic format empowers readers to take action.

Most people feel terrible about their financial predicaments. They don’t need to focus on scolding commentary. On the other hand, words from a “you-can-do-this” coach are extremely beneficial:

“This is so easy!”

“Real people with really tough challenges are utterly successful with this process; there’s no reason why you cannot achieve the same great results!”

“Rather than fret about the past, be grateful for your mistakes—they have taught you what things not to do!”

“You can do it! Simply imitate those who have already achieved their goals.”

“It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.”

Pitch reporters with our up-to-date media databases:

Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Senior managers and executives, human resources professionals, and anyone interested in understanding their financial personality

Q: What is the book about?
A: The book develops a new approach to analyzing the impact of financial decisions by executives and shows that all individuals have personal financial traits that express themselves through our financial decisions in characteristic ways. The expression of these traits reflects a Financial Signature® that each individual possesses. There are nine Financial Signatures and each of these will lead to a characteristic impact on financial performance reflected in the valuation outcome of an organization. By understanding our Financial Signature we can improve our financial performance and that of our organizations and align ourselves more closely with the valuation target of the organization we work within.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I have an extensive operating background at the CEO and Chairman level in both public and private companies so I have experience at the coal face on why people make or lose money. I have numerous publications in the area of leadership, human resources, management, strategy and technology and am a frequent speaker at industry conferences. I consult to CEOs, boards and senior executives on leadership and its impact on corporate financial performance and valuation. I am also the CEO and Founder of the Perth Leadership Institute, which works with senior executives to implement the Financial Signature concept at top US companies.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: The 3 Financial Styles of Very Successful Leaders delivers a unique approach which draws a direct link between behavior and the financial bottom line, something that other leadership books and models have thus far not been able to do. In fact, it opens up a new area of research within behavioral finance – a relatively new field of study which aims to explain the previously under-appreciated impact of behavior on financial decision-making. The book develops the concept of a Financial Signature possessed by all leaders and executives that drives the financial performance and outcome of the organization they lead. This book shows that the personal financial traits of leaders impact their organizations through predictable financial decisions and strategies. This issue is one that is being researched extensively by the Perth Leadership Institute and opens up a totally new perspective on leadership.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A: Our Financial Signature approach has practical consequences and implications in real life. Coupled with our leadership assessments it enables us to predict the valuation consequences for a company of their particular leader. Armed with this knowledge we can show how strategies can be modified to increase company valuation and performance against competitors. This is a new and unique service that is possessed by no other company in the financial analysis or leadership areas. In addition, the book has been published in both traditional and simplified Chinese, and recently received an award as ‘one of the best imported books in China in 2006’, alongside notable books such as The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman and The Toyota Way Field Book. For more information, visit www.perthleadership.org.