7. "Look at all these written testimonials." This is harder to disprove because testimonials look so real -- even companies might be real. But unless testimonials, and companies, can be verified independently, I wouldn't trust them. And I'll lay odds that they cannot be verified independently.

There is one huge exception to this: ACE-Net (http://activecapital.org). This is more properly Access to Capital Electronic Network run by venture capitalists, institutional investors and individual accredited investors. It was developed by U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy to encourage creation of a national marketplace for investors to find and invest in equity offers by small companies.

ACE-Net isn't for all companies. Those seeking under $1 million will probably find paperwork daunting. Those seeking over $5 million won't qualify. There are special qualifications, and of course lots of forms to fill out -- but nothing like forms required for a formal initial public offering. But for those who do qualify, it's an amazing tool in raising financing. Spend some time with website and forms, and see if your local SBA office can put you in touch with another company that went through process.

As with any investor tool, don't rely exclusively on ACE-Net. Use it in conjunction with your personally developed targeted funding search. This, combined with an exceptional business plan, doesn't guarantee success but it places your company head and shoulders above all rest.

MaryAnn Shank www.businessplanmaster.com http://businessplanmaster.blogspot.com

When I try to mention this finding to people in my local business community I hear things like “who cares, it’s all a write off anyway” or “you should buy American”(as if these office superstores are all loaded with American made products.) These are both some of worst excuses for spending way too much money for no reason I have ever heard. It is all a write off but saving several hundred dollars a month on office products allows more flexibility in other areas of my business. As far as old “Buy American” thing, this one makes me laugh; I would literally have to hire a full time employee to determine what is made here and what isn’t. I usually just respond with something like “I’ll buy everything American if you start buying American gasoline or start riding your bicycle.” I am as American as next person whose ancestors came over on Mayflower but bottom line is that when I am done with my office supply purchases now I have a lot of money left over.

Don’t get me wrong, I still use office superstores for certain items when I don’t have time to go into a department store (they are convenient) and for one or two small items it is worth paying more. When I need to fill my supply cabinet, on other hand, I will surely take a trip to Wal-mart, K-mart or even Target to save literally a bundle of cash. I simply don’t care how neatly organized office goliaths are because with a little more effort you can find everything you need for your office and a little more while saving hundreds of dollars at a department store.

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