This Issue: The Only Low-Risk Way to Become an Entrepreneur

It’s no big news that there are a lot of single people in the world hoping to hook up with that special someone. Some of them join dating services. Some go online. Some ask friends to fix them up on blind dates.

A group of lonely Welsh farmers came up with an interesting idea. They put singles ads on milk cartons with their photos and the slogan, “Fancy a farmer?”

The single farmers say that they don’t meet many people of the opposite sex. It’s no wonder. They spend their days out in the countryside feeding, milking and cleaning up after cows.

I hope they meet Mr. or Ms. Right. But I also applaud them from a business perspective for coming up with a unique marketing angle. They saw a way to get their message out there and they ran with it.

It just goes to show that not all business ideas have to be hatched in the boardroom. You can take basic principles and put them to work in any field - even if it’s literally a pasture.

For the farmers, their marketing plan is getting attention. Now let’s see if it gets them dates.

Donald J. Trump, Chairman of Trump University, recommends the life-changing course, The Art of Buying a Business.

Do a simple experiment this morning. Go to the search engine of your choice and search for the term “businesses for sale.”

You are going to be astonished by what you find. Businesses are changing hands at an amazing rate in virtually every area of the United States, and thousands of attractive businesses are available. There are publishing companies, bicycle shops, Internet service providers, restaurants and just about any other kind of enterprise you can name. Many of them are available at very attractive prices.

But let me give you a word of caution. Before you pick up the phone and ask about one of the businesses that are available, you need to first take a close look at our course, The Art of Buying a Business.

Because despite all the opportunities that are inherent in buying a business, you still need to know how to minimize the risks. You need to:

• Negotiate the lowest price you can for the business.
• Make certain that the sellers have not “cooked the books” to fool prospective buyers.
• Speak with the business’s customers to make sure they will stay with you if you become proprietor.
• Negotiate with suppliers to be sure they will be with you if you become the proprietor.

Enthusiasm is important, but it is not enough. You also need knowledge and skills. Once all those pieces are in place, buying a business can be the wisest entrepreneurial decision you will ever make. The Art of Buying a Business from Trump University is the place to begin.

If you have any desire to be in business for yourself, then now’s the time to make your move! In fact, there has never been a better time to take that step. So this year, buy yourself the greatest gift of all - a business of your own!

Over the past year, I’ve met and spoken with thousands of people worldwide who have reached the point where they’ve said, “enough is enough!” Most hate their jobs. They are terribly uncertain about the future. They’re tired of busting their butts with little or no thanks and they’ve finally realized that controlling their own destiny is what they truly want from their career.

In prior times, when mass layoffs took place, displaced workers simply adopted the strategy of looking for another job. Unfortunately, jobs are not plentiful today. If you’ve spent any time looking for one, you know how frustrating, humiliating and time-consuming the process can be, often with no results.

If you are one of the lucky ones to still be employed, instead of waiting around for your company to let you go because they had one bad quarter and now want to save costs at your expense, take control of your future and fire your boss! This is going to be YOUR year, because the market for entrepreneurs is exploding, regardless of what the so-called “experts” may say about the economy.

Take Control of Your Future

Many people wrongly believe that acquiring a business is a risky investment. Personally, I think that putting your fate in someone else’s hands has a heck of a lot more risk to it. While there is some inherent risk buying a business, much, if not all, can be eliminated simply by doing your research beforehand on any business you consider purchasing.

I can assure you from my own personal experience that if you have the desire to be your own boss, it’s something that is within your reach. Moreover, with a few well-planned moves, you’ll accomplish your goal within six months or so.

And the best way I know of is to get involved in The Art of Buying a Business, the unique and powerful program I developed for Trump University.

When buying a business, you can and should expect to make a return of at least 25 to 33 percent on your cash investment within the first year. Plus, you will have the opportunity to produce a steady personal cash flow, and you’ll be building value that will pay you handsomely when the day arrives to sell the business.

So don’t remain stuck in the middle of a pack of other people who don’t know how to take control of their financial destiny. That’s a one-way ticket nowhere. You can set everything in place right now and, with a few simple steps, you’ll be on the road to success.

Is your company healthy or unhealthy?

One of the easiest, most effective ways to answer that question is to create a classic balance sheet for your company’s business plan. It is a simple document to put together, yet it can reveal small “illnesses” in your business that will lead to larger problems later on.

A balance sheet is really a snapshot that shows the financial condition of your company, as expressed by its net worth:

The net worth of your business = Assets - Liabilities

Assets are everything that is owned by your business, plus everything that is owed to you. Assets include property owned, equipment and machinery, company vehicles, cash, accounts receivable, inventory and supplies, short-term investments and all other current and future assets.

Liabilities are everything that your business owes. Liabilities include long-term debt load, loans and notes payable, payroll owed, accounts payable and deferred income taxes.

Net worth is what your business is worth after all the liabilities have been satisfied. It is also referred to as your equity or book value.

The healthiest enterprises have robust assets and net worth - and minimal liabilities. The weakest are just the opposite, with skimpy assets and net worth and life-threatening liabilities.

So, is your business healthy or not? As a rule of thumb, the ratio of your current assets to your total current liabilities (sometimes called your current ratio) should be greater than 2. For another perspective, your ratio of total liabilities to net worth (your debt to equity ratio) should remain below 1.

Create a projected balance sheet for the way your company will look a year from now too. That will be a revealing exercise indeed. And remember, the smallest steps you take today to increase your assets and reduce your liabilities will determine how robust your enterprise will become in the years and decades to come.

This blog post is adapted from Dr. Gordon’s new book Trump University Entrepreneurship 101.