Advice for women entrepreneurs on ins and outs of financing

Financing entrepreneurial ventures is always a tough sell, but in today’s bleak economy the task is even more difficult.
However, understanding of the ins and outs of financing goes a long way in increasing the chances of success.
At an upcoming Ivey Women Entrepreneurs Connect event, experienced entrepreneurs and finance specialists will share their expertise and concerns related to business financing.
The event takes place Wednesday, June 10 starting at 6 p.m. at Verity Club in Toronto.
Organized by the Richard Ivey School of Business and KPMG Enterprise, the session will open with a presentation by Jacoline Loewen, Partner with Loewen & Partners Inc. and a best-selling author, on venture financing and what options and strategies to consider to find the best financing fit. A private equity expert, Loewen has raised more than $100 million for companies and shares her insights in her latest book Money Magnet: How to Attract Investors to Your Business.
A panel session will follow with Sarah (Whatmough) Thomson, Founder and President of Women’s Post; Colleen Falls, Senior Vice President of KPMG Corporate Finance and Jen Kluger, Co-Founder of Foxy Originals, a Toronto-based jewelry design company. Beth Wilson, Canadian Managing Partner with KPMG Enterprise, will moderate the panel.
“Economic conditions may have changed the investment environment, yet history has shown that many successful businesses are born in recessionary times so it’s well worth pursuing an entrepreneurial vision,” said Stewart Thornhill, Executive Director, Pierre L. Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship at Ivey Business School. “The best way to manoeuvre in this challenging landscape is to broaden your knowledge and contact base.”
Event: Ivey Women Entrepreneurs Connect (including cocktail reception & networking)
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Location: Verity Club, 111-D Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario
To purchase tickets, please contact Ellen Brown at 519-661-4236, mailto:embrown@ivey.uwo.caor click here: Purchase tickets
Media interested in attending, please contact Dawn Milne, 519-850-2536, dmilne@ivey.ca About the Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario The Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario (http://www.ivey.ca/default.htm) offers undergraduate (HBA) and graduate (MBA, Executive MBA and PhD) degree programs in addition to non-degree Executive Development programs. Ivey has campuses in London

An Entrepreneur who made it to the other side

It is inspiring to listen to entrepreneurs who have succeeded in taking their idea from start up, over the chasm and managed to get to the other side. Their stories can teach other early stage entrepreneurs a great deal but also inspire them to take the risks to get to the other side.

Ron Close is such an entrepreneur. He sold his company to AT&T and is now sharing his lessons with Ivey MBA students and MaRS entrepreneurs.
When you hear Ron's comments on how he lead his company through the ups and downs, it becomes clear that he was always someone who cared very strongly about the people. I particularly liked his comment that he knew his staff were smart and would act if given the information. It is tough being a boss but believing your staff might be able to surprise you means that they will - and often.

It is great to see nice guys finish first. Thanks, Ron.

To Listen to Entrepreneurship, Ron Close, MaRS, Ivey: Financial Post Executive.

Do check out the MaRS blog and Twitter.

What Private Equity Does For Your Business

For those of you who missed our recent CEO Roundtable, you can listen to the podcasts with the main speakers. Loewen & Partners and the Richard Ivey School of Business recorded interviews exclusively for the Financial Post Executive by BusinessCast (http://www.businesscast.ca/).
First up is McKinsey chatting about how they see private equity working for business owners and why this leap frogs bank money:
The Financial Post Executive: What Private Equity Does for Your Business - Sacha Ghai, McKinsey & Company
Then we have an entrepreneur who made his fortune and is now entrepreneur-in-residence with MaRS which incubates about 400 companies.
The Financial Post Executive: How Entrepreneurs Can Make the Leap - Ron Close, MaRS

Housing impact on the public markets

Not all private equity firms are White Knights

A cookie company crumbled with its private equity firm now piled high with law suites. It is a great example of how only 20% private equity firms actually add all the huge value you read about in the media.
Here is a case with a bad private equity firm in the NYT by J. Crosswell. To all business owners out there, be very careful how you pick your private equity partners. Loewen & Partners works with business owners to match them with ethical partners and we know these players who take advantage of bank leverage.
Here's what the company had to say:

“What soured me on this experience is that these private equity firms that come in and buy companies don’t look at a company to grow it. Whether it sinks or swims doesn’t really matter to them,” Mr. Pfeifer said. “They don’t think about the people whose livelihoods depend on that company. I hope I never have to go through that again.”

And here is a quote I got from Catterton's website to sum it all up:

Establishing a close working relationship with the management team of a portfolio company is a critical element in our operating philosophy and a key driver of our success. As a rule, we do not involve ourselves in the day-to-day operations of a portfolio company. Rather, we seek to create equity value in a company by assisting management in identifying the key strategic, operating, and financial priorities, and the resources needed to successfully execute against those priorities. We generally hold at least one seat on the Board of Directors and on key sub-committees of the Board.