You need to prepare a business plan for your company. Anxious to start, you immediately open your favorite word processing program. But now you're staring at a blank screen and a blinking cursor that appears to be mocking you. Not sure where to start or what to write first, you flip the computer off and decide that tomorrow is a much better day to work on your plan. After all, the weather is much too nice to be sitting inside on a day like today.

There is a very good chance that you are one of those people who visit our site who is already in business. You are running your own home-based or micro business already to supplement income or for the pure fun of it. Good for you, no sense working for the Man your whole life, right?

Many people without vision ask, ``Why bother trying to go overseas or across borders with your product or service?

Nathan Laurell
TECHnacity, LLC

By Mark Tack, Tack Point Group

So, you've made the decision to spend valuable time, and perhaps money, developing your investment package. Realizing that you need a complete set of documents to successfully present your business to investors, you may be asking yourself "where do I begin?" We have some suggestions for helping you create your investment packages.

There are thousands of franchisers who would be happy to sell you a franchise, provided you can pay the franchise and you have the personal net worth they require in a franchise owner. Franchise operations are a common way for American businesspeople to get started. This is mainly because franchisers (think of McDonalds, Kinko's, and Subway) help reduce the entreprenuer's risk of losing his or her investment in a new business. Franchisers provide market research, advertising schemes, employee training, site selection, basic business training for owners, etc.

It always sounds like the perfect way to get started in business. You simply buy somebody else's business. This may or not be a good way to go. To help you decide whether it is or not, we will talk briefly about some of the important issues involved.

List of Pros and Cons

Capital Equipment, furniture, buildings. Two things need to be determined. First, what is the market value of these items. Note that market value as used here means the price others would pay for these items, not what it would cost you to replace them. There may be large difference in these two prices. The second thing to be determined is whether these items are in good repair, capable of being fixed, or in need of replacement. Always get an independent appraisal of these goods.

Items Checklist

Investigation List for an Acquisition

A. CORPORATE MATTERS

1. Articles of Incorporation, and operating agreements or by-laws of the Company and Seller.

2. Corporate minute books and stock transfer records of the Company. Records of agreements between partners for a LLC or partnership.

Checklist for Asset Purchase Contract

1. Certificate from the selling business's home state and all states in which it does business that it is in good standing. 2. Representations and warranties from the selling corporation that: