advertising plan for yess energy, inc. equity crowdfunding ... · raising money is hard. to be...

Advertising Plan For YESS Energy, Inc.Equity CrowdfundingCampaign

• So You Need To Raise $'s

• How To Get Started

• How We Can Help You

• It's All In The Video Stupid

• Did You Know That 2015…

• Did You Know That...

Raising money is hard. To be quite frank, it's the hardest part of your journey as an entrepreneur. Your chances of raising money from any given VC fund are less than 0.5 percent.

So you need to be able to stack the odds in your favor as much as possible. Michael Simpson and expert on this topic and the author of the new book, The Secret of Raising Money, explains what he calls as “The Five Mentalities You Need to Raise Money”, and this is what he shared in his book:

1. Willingness to walk away. Any time you are having a conversation with a potential investor, you must be willing to walk away. The best way to convey this willingness is by actually having a viable alternative, i.e. other investors who are prepared to give you money. If you don't have interest from other investors, then you must find a way to actively convince yourself that you are ok with not receiving money from the investor in question (regardless of how low on cash you actually are). As soon as the investor senses that you need him, the money is going to become almost impossible to close.

The concept that having a viable alternative gives you leverage is true in any negotiation. The course of action you will take if the discussions fall through is called a BATNA -"Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement". You should always have a satisfactory BATNA. And if you don't, you must make it appear that you do.

2. Inevitability. You must be able to look investors square in the eye and state with confidence that the problem you are solving is huge and growing. You must portray messianic belief in your idea and company. This unshakeable confidence and optimism is hugely attractive not only to investors, but also potential hires, customers and partners. It is one of the classic traits that compels others to follow you.

So You Need To Raise $'s ?

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3. Focus 100 percent on fundraising. Once you have decided to raise money, you must commit 100 percent. It should be your number one focus and priority at all times. Avoid the temptation to dip in your toe and 'test the market'.

Why is this important? Because the best way to speed up your raise is via competition within your round. And in order to generate competition you need to be having as many conversations as you possibly can, which takes considerable effort over a period of weeks or months. Investors are incentivized to retain optionality for as long as possible, and without competition for your deal, they have no reason to give you an answer immediately. This tactic is called creating 'scarcity'.

4. Look beyond the traditional paths like Crowdfunding. There are several ways to think outside the box and succeed in raising capital. The newest wave of funding raising is what is called Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is in its infancy as a means of raising money for your startup its popularity is rapidly increasing. Crowd funding takes it name from the fact that your project is funded by the public using their own personal funds. To start with, you propose the idea that you wish to see funded. People can then choose how much or how little they want to give you. Most crowdfunding sites currently use a reward base model where people who invest in a new business venture are given some form of reward such as the product that is going to be produced. However with the recent changes to US law your now allowed equity based crowdfunding that was created from the Jobs Act.

How To Get Started

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5. Angle Investors are looking for deals. After entrepreneurs have made their fortune many of them look to invest their funds back into startup businesses. These are known as angel investors. Some of the worlds largest businesses including Google, Facebook, Skype and Twitter have received angel investing.

The benefits of receiving angel investment go beyond the purely financial. The advice and connections that a good angel investor can offer can be equally as valuable. Angel investors are willing to take on the risk of a brand new startup. There are a number of angel investing networks which connect entrepreneurs and investors. Some of the biggest networks include Golden Seeds, Tech Coast Angels and Investors Circle.

6. Family and Friends a great place to start. Your family and friends want to see you succeed and may even want a stake in your potential goldmine for themselves. However using family and friends as a source of raising money can be problematic. It can create a strain that can ruin personal relationships. It is also worth remembering that over 50% of small businesses fail in their first five years often because of factors completely outside of the control of the owners. Make sure that you are not borrowing money that they can’t afford to lose. Put any lending agreement in writing with the terms clearly laid out even if it is a “friendly” loan.

A number of successful businesses have started out with a loan from friends and family, so don’t shoot this idea down, just be mindful about the pitfalls and burdens that may come about in turbulent times. The risk is high but so is the reward when you are able to grow not only your own wealth but friends and families along the way.

How To Get Started

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7. Credit Cards can jump start your raise. Credit cards should be viewed as a temporary measure between getting your business started and obtaining other financing such as a bank loan. Given the hefty 10 – 20% plus interest rates on many credit cards they are generally not a good source of loan term capital. That said credit cards have been used by many entrepreneurs when their was no other options available. In the mid 1990s the founders of Google initially funded the company using credit cards. While the founders maxed out their credit cards they used the funds wisely, purchasing second-hand computers instead of new ones and open source software instead of off the shelf.

8. Bank Credit Lines / Loans are very common. One of the most common ways that people raise capital for their small business is through a bank loan. Your banker may request that you have your loan guaranteed by the Small Business Association before approval. The SBA is a government agency who will guarantee up to 80% of the value of the loan for applicants which meet their criteria. Alternatively you may be able to offer some other form of security such as your home to get your loan approved.

9. Home Equity Lines are an option as home values rise. Second mortgages are also referred to as home equity lines of credit. These loans tap into the locked up equity you may have in your home. To calculate how much you may be able to borrow for a second mortgage take the value of your home and deduct the value of any outstanding mortgage. Be aware some lenders may only lend only up to 70 – 80% of the fair value of the home. One of the biggest advantages of using a second mortgage is that the interest rate tends to be lower than with others form of financing. This is because the bank knows it can always recover the value of the loan by foreclosing on your property if you are not able to meet your interest payments.

How To Get Started

©2016 SSL9 Agency

10. Venture Funds are more difficult and for the more experienced. Venture capitalists aim to invest in early stage businesses with high growth potential. Traditionally venture capitalists received equity in the business in exchange for funding it. However these days they typically demand a mixture of equity and debt financing.

The venture capital business is based on the idea of a few big wins making up for a lot of poor performers. In fact approximately 3 out of 4 businesses which receive venture capital fail. Because of this venture capitalists look for businesses which have a lot of growth potential. If the market for your business is more modest you may need to look elsewhere for funding.

11. Find a business partner. You might not have the money to get your business started but maybe you know someone who does. Of the top 500 businesses, 28% received seed funding from a co-founder.

When selecting a partner for your business you need to make sure that their own goals for the business are aligned with yours. As a business partner they will have control over the direction of the business. It is also a good idea to have a buy out agreement in place in case of a breakdown in the business relationship. This should stipulate that the other partner must agree to a proposed buyout within a set time frame or buyout the other partner themselves.

Finally it is worthwhile looking at the lesson of Facebook. CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg had seen how earlier dot com companies had been willing to give away almost all of their equity to venture capitalists in order to get funded. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake and never gave up equity lightly. His 28.1% stake is now worth $14.9 billion. Be careful to negotiate your own financing terms with equal tenacity even when all you have is a vision for the future. The difference may one day be worth millions.

How To Get Started

©2016 SSL9 Agency

Since we understand that raising money is hard and you probably are not very experienced in doing so we've put together a turn-key solution to fund your project . To cut to the chase traditional ways of raising money, launching your product then turning your success into monetary gain for you while keeping control is not only challenging but in many ways is rigged against you and here is why:

1. If you go the Angle Investor route. Angel investors expect a high rate of return – often 25 percent or more. Angel investors tend to be somewhat risk-averse, and will rarely make “follow-up” investments.

Depending on your “angel,” you might find yourself wrestling with your financier over key company decisions. After all, now that he or she is an investor, your angel can feel entitled to some control over your company’s future.

Definition of Venture Capital: Venture capitalists invest in startup companies that offer the possibility of profit but with no guarantee the company will make one. They tend to make higher volume investments than do angel investors, and may likely take a larger consulting and management role, as well.

2. If you go the Venture Capital route. Venture capital firms expect a big return on their investment dollar – much bigger than a typical angel investor. Expected rates of return can be as high as 50 percent annually. Venture investors are nothing if not diligent. Hence, they can take six months to a year before deciding to invest in your firm. Business owners who don’t possess the patience of a saint may find that wait excruciatingly frustrating.

They’ll ask for equity. Venture firms invest a lot of cash, and they’ll want a lot of control, as well. Often they get that by asking (and getting) a larger equity stake in your firm. Giving a VC firm to much of your firm’s equity could result in losing overall control of your company.

How We Can Help You

©2016 SSL9 Agency

There is no pure right or wrong way to find financing for your company however, if you choose either an angel investor or a venture capital firm, know what the stakes are going into the deal. Otherwise, you might get way more than you bargained for and is why we created SSL9, Inc.

SSL9 is a fist of its kind turn-key social media crowdfunding machine designed to create and execute a successful online marketing campaign that will get you the funding outcome you've been looking for. Best part of an online campaign to raise money is you don't have to sell or meet anyone as the entire campaign is done online with social media. Our campaigns are very integrated using the very latest social outreaches that penetrate all the online internet noise and gets your message to people who are looking for your product or service and would like to sponsor and invest your success.

SSL9 is a video-centric advertising agency as video is the key to your online success. If it were five years in the future, would you be reading this overview or would you be watching it? As online video continues its inimitable rise, it's an interesting question to ponder.

By 2017, video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic, according to Cisco. Video-on-demand traffic alone will have almost trebled. Leafing through a swathe of statistics on the subject, You would be hard pressed to find any indicator that doesn't suggest rapid growth.

With online video quickly becoming a key means for people to satisfy their information and entertainment needs, small businesses that fail to include it in their internet marketing strategies will do so at their peril.

It's All In The Video Stupid !!!

©2016 SSL9 Agency

Did You Know That 2015...

©2016 SSL9 Agency

Lets face it, video is an online phenomenon, PERIOD. Today, it's just not all cute babiesand weird animals anymore. The fact is video is a Powerful, Untapped, Direct Channelof Content Marketing just perfect for reaching new investors and new clients. Here's why you should focus on video marketing to reach New Investors while reachingNew Customers and developing social brand awareness all in the same campaign.

Was Considered The Year Of

?

Video is the future of content marketing. That is, if it's not the here and now. Various studies show more than half of companies are already making use of the medium – a figure that's predicted to rise as more and more realise the possibilities. Nielsen claims 64% of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in the near future. It's not difficult to see why.

When it comes to potential reach, video is peerless. YouTube receives more than one billion unique visitors every month – that's more than any other channel, apart from Facebook. One in three Britons view at least one online video a week – that's a weekly audience of more than 20 million people in the UK alone. Video can give you access to all this. Video done well can give you a slice of it. What other form of content can do the same?

The success stories of videos that have gone viral are legend. A recent campaign from Volkswagen, for example, saw a trio of its videos viewed a combined 155 million times. If such numbers seem out of reach for companies without 12-figure revenue streams, they at least demonstrate video's inherent shareability. Engage viewers and they will share the video with others. They will spend longer on your website and more time interacting with your brand. For any social media campaign, any SEO exercise, video is without doubt one of the best tools in the kit.

It is naturally engaging and, in an age of information overload, it's vital for small businesses to offer content that is easy to digest; if not, consumers will simply move on. Video does this very well. If a picture paints 1,000 words then one minute of video is worth 1.8 million, so say Forrester's researchers. Little wonder then that Axonn Research found seven in 10 people view brands in a more positive light after watching interesting video content from them.

Did You Know That...

©2016 SSL9 Agency

But is video really possible for small businesses? Absolutely. Production costs have fallen significantly in recent years and you no longer need to be a technical whiz to work out how to use it. Apps such as Twitter's Vine, with its six-second maximum clip length, have dramatically increased the opportunity for businesses on a limited budget to get stuck in. Nevertheless, if you're to realize a decent return on your investment, you will need to bear the following in mind.

Always consider the audience you are trying to reach and ensure the video is relevant to them. If it's not the most appropriate means of getting your message across, you are probably wasting your time.

Do not neglect social media and be sure to promote across multiple channels. If you want to fully realise video's potential, you must make it easy for users to find and share it. Don't neglect mobile either. Ooyala has claimed a tenth of all video plays happen on mobiles and tablets, and it's an increasingly important segment, with mobile phones holding 41% more share of video consumption at the end of June 2013 than at the start of that year.

Finally, be creative, not only with the videos themselves but in the campaign strategy you build around them. As my head of marketing likes to say, creativity wins over the cost of production every time. Get that bit right and video won't just be the future of content marketing, it'll be the future of content marketing for you.

The way we produce and distribute your video though paid traffic targeting your customer and/or potential investor is the key to success in any Crowdfunding campaign and that is just the facts of online marketing and a successful Crowdfunding campaign.

Did You Know That...

©2016 SSL9 Agency

Advertising Plan For YESS POD, Inc.Equity CrowdfundingCampaign

Start Your Online Video Crowdfunding Campaign TODAY!

©2016 SSL9 Agency

advertising plan for yess energy, inc. equity crowdfunding ... · raising money is hard. to be...

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