Aaron Hoos

From passion to plan: How to create a strategy for your small business

Aaron Hoos — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:06:51 +0000

Many small businesses are fueled by passion: Entrepreneurs get a great idea (or they end up hating their manager) and they start their own business. The business itself is loosely assembled and operates somewhat haphazardly. Eventually, something has to happen. Either, the wheels fall off and the small business crashes and burns (which is pretty [...]

Crowdinvesting: The next step after crowdfunding

Aaron Hoos — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:00:16 +0000

When small business owners needed money to start and grow a business, they used to have three funding options: They could borrow against their own assets, could get a business loan or they could sell a portion of their business to family and friends. Then the web opened up new possibilities with crowdfunding — a [...]

Rules of the Scrappy Capitalist: Rule 6 — Be relentless

Aaron Hoos — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:30:55 +0000

Old school capitalists succeeded because they were well-connected in an exclusive “old boys network”. Whether they succeeded in business or in the capital or real estate markets, it was largely because of who they knew. But the internet changed everything. It levelled the playing field, making it possible for anyone to start a business or [...]

What I’m working on this week (May 14 – 19)

Aaron Hoos — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:30:00 +0000

What a great start to the week! I have a ton of work and a full cup of coffee. So awesome. Oh, and I reconfigured the office in my house so my wife can work in it too. (She’s launching her business next month). So here’s what I’m working on this week… Wrapping up some [...]

A key liquidity metric: Current ratio

Aaron Hoos — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:00:22 +0000

Businesses need to be liquid. They need cash to pay vendors and staff so they can sell their stuff; they need cash to make strategic investments in growth. Liquidity is huge. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run. For example… A big business (like a manufacturer) needs to pay for its raw materials [...]

Rules of the Scrappy Capitalist: Rule 5 – Take smart risks

Aaron Hoos — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:09:58 +0000

Until recently, business owners and investors had a deep, wide moat around their castle of success. They made money and then their money made money, and they sat around in mahogany-paneled rooms, smoking cigars. The internet changed everything. Easier access to markets and an ability to start profit-generating businesses in minutes (instead of months) has [...]

Using the 7 basic human emotions in your sales funnel: Surprise

Aaron Hoos — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:31:19 +0000

There are 7 basic human emotions: Anger, Fear, Disgust, Contempt, Joy, Sadness, Surprise. These are root emotions from which all other emotions spring. (Read more about them here). These 7 emotions are at the core of what drives our decision-making. If you understand these emotions and build your sales funnel around them, you can sell [...]