Howard Helfant: Aspects to Consider When Investing in Small Businesses

Howard Helfant has been a venture capital investor for many years. Like many investors, he knows that where to focus attention is a significant consideration. There are thousands of small businesses and startups in the country, but gaining the necessary research on them can prove difficult.

“What makes one company deserving of interest differs from another business,” he says. “It’s important to understand some of the vital aspects to look out for.”

Some of these aspects are explained.

Profit margins

The margin is the difference between what it takes to produce a good or service and what it sells for on the market. Expressed as a ratio or percentage, margins allow the company to invest in other aspects that help get the product into the market (for example, marketing).

Margins vary by industry, and where gross margins are thin, it means there’s little room for error.

The strength of the brand

Assessing the brand strength is tough, but it’s something the investor has to consider. The question on their minds has to be, “Is there something unique about this brand?”

Customer surveys, third-party data and media presence are good ways to evaluate the strength of the brand.

Leadership

When you invest in a small business, you are investing in the company’s direction as much as you are in the idea or product offering. Howard Helfant knows there isn’t a standard formula for evaluating leadership, but you should endeavor to spend as much time with leadership and ask questions.

Comments

Howard Helfant: Beginner Tips for Starting a Wine Collection

For most of his life, Howard Helfant has collected wines from different regions of the world. He appreciates the process that goes into identifying a good wine and preserving it for years. His private cellar boasts some quality wine – the results of years of research and sound investment decisions. If you decide to start a wine collection, it’s important to have a clear objective? Are you collecting for personal consumption, or as an investment strategy? The latter has become popular with many people, as good wine falls in the collector market segment of valuables such as art and vintage cars. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Some wines age well, others don’t The real fun is in seeing how the wine develops over time, which requires you to do some research on which ones have aging potential. Invest in a proper cellar Wine requires delicate handling, which calls for a particular storage environment (a basement ). Cellars tend to be cool and h...

Boca Raton an Investment Base for Howard Helfant

Boca Raton, Florida is one of the wealthiest communities in the United States, and as such was recognized by Howard Helfant as a vital part of his venture capital investment efforts. Boca Raton is the corporate headquarters of Office Depot, ADT and the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. The relationship between Boca Raton and IBM, which began in 1967 with the building of the main complex gave Boca Raton an early reputation as a center for technological development. It gave birth to the IBM PC and later produced VoiceType Dictation, the OS/2 system and ViaVoice voice recognition software. IBM continues in Boca Raton today in its software development laboratory at Beacon Square. Howard Helfant also values Boca Raton as a center for public and private venture capitalists due to its value as a headquarters for a variety of corporations. The GEO Group, American Media, FriendFinder Networks, Luxury Resorts, Jarden, Vitacost and BMI Gaming are all based in Boca Raton. The...

Howard Helfant: A Lover Fisherman

Howard Helfant grew up fishing in the rivers of northern Pennsylvania but stopped for decades as his business career took off. He found himself spending more time in Los Angeles, where he started his first business, a restaurant, which now has locations in both New York City and Florida. When the time came that he could afford his own seaworthy boat, he took that opportunity to take his family out with him on the waves to catch larger fish than he had ever caught. Helfant was blessed with the ability to not get seasick, a skill that all fishermen have to possess, and he found himself adept at deep sea fishing. Howard Helfant even donates some of the fish he catches to local markets and even some food banks that accept fresh fish in his community in Miami. Helfant keeps some of the fish for himself, of course, and for delicious fish fillets for his family whenever possible. Helfant had to go through a long process to get all of his permits and licenses in order for his own smal...

Howard Helfant - Marketing Consultant

Search This Blog