Loan Request for StartUp Company - Essay Example

[Mentor's [Mr./Ms. Mentor] As we had discussed earlier, I have been involved in negotiations to secure funding for Hope University, our new venture into online learning. As you indicated at the time, you would be willing to help guide me through this very difficult stage. I have arranged to make a presentation to Capital Ventures on Tuesday November 14 at 9:00 AM. I wanted to give you some of my initial thoughts about the upcoming meeting and would appreciate any feedback that you could offer me.

The meeting will take place in their offices and will be attended by CEO Hans Buser and the CFO Janet McSwain. In addition, they have requested to have some outside consultants who are experts in the educational field attend the presentation. I've had the opportunity to work with Mr. Buser on another project in the recent past. He has a no-nonsense type of leadership style and relies heavily on his staff. He makes the decisions and then turns over the responsibility to his people. I've never met Ms.

McSwain, though I managed to find an interview she did recently in a local business magazine. She comes across as a very progressive risk taker that is not afraid to try new approaches. However, she is very meticulous about the numbers. I hope to convey the point that Online Education is a fast growing field that offers the investor some unique opportunities. I want to make the case that it is a profitable business and that we have a solid, well thought out, business plan. More importantly, I want to impress Mr.

Buser with the fact that we have covered all the angles on the product, its quality, and our ability to deliver it. I see the presentation as having the twin motives of selling the product to Mr. Buser, and convincing Ms. McSwain that our business plan is flawless.I plan to make a brief introduction and give them time to meet John Lennox from our IT department. He will be accompanying me to address any technical issues that may arise. After the introduction, I will do a formal presentation accompanied with a PowerPoint slide show.

I have chosen PowerPoint because it offers me the flexibility I need to present the differing types of information I need to convey. I need to show screen shots, charts, graphs, and text to a small number of people. Max, from our office, is a PowerPoint guru and has agreed to help me with the slides. After the presentation we will be open to discussion or questions.I plan to initially show some industry information on the rising rates of online enrollment and who some of the current competitors are.

I'll have some slides that show their profit margins as well as some projections from some industry analysts. I want to sell Mr. Buser, the decision-maker, right up front. I then have a segment that lays out our business plan that is primarily aimed at Ms. McSwain. It will highlight our startup costs, low overhead, and high profit margins. The financial portion will be followed by a look at the product, its quality, as well as the technical requirements to deliver it to the user. John will then make a short presentation on our plan to facilitate future expansions.

I want to make a good impression on Capital Ventures based on our company's merits. I plan to wear a conservative business suit without a lot of accessories, as I want the product to be the show, not me. I want to show that I am meticulous and successful without giving them the feeling that I'm already spending their money. I have purchased a new briefcase for the meeting, as I didn't want to tip my hand as to how desperate we are for funding. I want to leave them knowing that we have a viable product, a well thought out plan, and other investors to approach.

I would greatly appreciate any insight you might have as to ways I can present my case without being overbearing. They have allowed us an hour for the meeting of which about half will be the formal presentation. That should give us ample time for the introduction and a question and answer period. Thank you for your attention and your valuable time.