Today I read an article written by a woman who spent her professional career taking care of the elderly just before they died. Helping them prepare for death.

In these last weeks of life they would go through any combination of these emotional experiences: denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance.

She found people mature very quickly when confronted with death!

The author identified the top regrets these seniors came to terms with in their last days on earth. Regrets like:

• not having the courage to say what they really felt
• losing touch with their close friends and family members
• not staying true to themselves, instead living a life others expected of them
• not allowing themselves to be happier

But the most significant for me that she identified was their regret for working too hard.

Their working life was mostly about making money to pay bills for things they thought they needed and sometimes struggled to afford. So they would buckle down and worked harder.

Usually though, the more one earns, the more one spends. Hence the rat race.

The average entrepreneur is no different. Especially when it comes to finances.

They get sucked into needing more money to grow, to expand, to build. And to become profitable.

Really?

Many times entrepreneurs of this type measure their success on how they think others view them:

• How profitable are they
• How quickly are their sales growing
• How much money have they raised in investment capital
• How many new locations can they open in a year
• How many “friends” do they have on Facebook
• How current are their electronic gadgets

The list goes on.

And what these entrepreneurs don’t do is take the time to contemplate what success really means to them. What does “growth” mean to them.

I know, because I used to be one of them. When I was younger I took my company into bankruptcy and lost millions of my investors and other stakeholders money in the process.

The key to being a truly successful entrepreneur is about stopping long enough to check in.

Check in about what you are doing. Why you are doing it. What your definition of success is. What has to happen to know you’ve achieved it. How large you want your company to get. How much time and energy you want to invest.

Smart Capital is all about this. It isn’t about how quickly or how much capital you can raise to finance your business. It isn’t about how quickly you can grow the company.

It IS about creating a kick ass strategy. It is about thinking through these questions for yourself and defining what they truly mean for you and your business.

After all, most of us became entrepreneurs to get away from working for the man. On his ideas. And under his terms, conditions and timelines.

We became entrepreneurs because we believe in our own ideas and ways of doing things.

Remember this. Always.

Remember that to get smart about capital takes thinking, doing and certainly Being UnReasonable.

UnReasonable about how you will create your success. The positive impact your business and life will have on the planet and community.

And the positive impact it will have on you.

This is what Smart Capital really means.

So when the time comes for you to look back on the life you’ve lived, you will be at peace with the road you chose.

Action Steps for the Week:

When was the last time you took a hard look at why you are doing what you are doing?

If more than 12 months, answer the following:

• What is my definition of success in my company?
• How big do I want to grow this baby?
• How will I know when I’ve gotten there?
• What does Smart Capital mean to me?

Understand your answers will most likely change as you move ahead. That’s part of the game of life.

Just remember to have a blast growing your business. After all, that is point of being an entrepreneur, isn’t it?

Hope you’re about to have an UnReasonable Thanksgiving!

In case you were not able to make our call earlier this month, we’re doing it again.  We had almost 300 signups, so we figured it was important for some entrepreneurs.

Next Friday, December 2^nd, at 12noon PST, 3PM EST, we’re holding a teleseminar Smart Funding– Entrepreneurs Don’t Need Wall Street!

Marissa Feinberg* from Green Spaces will interview me on:

• Why Wall Street and banks are not equipped to fund small businesses
• What are the five crucial components that do into a smart capital raise
• How entrepreneurs can take matters into their own hands for getting funded
• What are the key stumbling blocks to raising capital and how to avoid them
• What goes into an action plan for raising smart capital
• Tips to keep focused and held accountable to raising capital while running your business

Interested in learning more and signing onto the call: Smart Funding Teleclass:  Why Entrepreneurs Don’t Need Wall Street!

Hope you can make it.  And until then, always be UnReasonable!

Stefan

PS:  Know others who may want to join us to learn about smart capital, feel free to:

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*– Marissa Feinberg– if you are not familiar with her, is a major player here in NYC for green small business owners.

Ever since I was a small child I remember my grandmother being there for me during many of my most challenging moments.  From typical childhood stuff like not doing well in school or a girl I had a crush on rejecting me to more intense things later in life like when I took company #2 into bankruptcy or divorcing of my first wife.

The message was always the same, “Stefan, never give up!”

She should know.

Oma (German for grandma) was born and raised in Munich just before WWI.  And by her early 30’s she watched her life tear apart, piece-by-piece.

During the early part of WWII, Oma and Opa (my grandfather) helped hide and get their Jewish friends out of Nazi Germany.   In 1942, during the second bombing they had endured since the beginning of the war, Opa was killed.  It was also the second time she had lost virtually everything they owned.  Oma told me she is glad Opa died that way because she was sure he would have ended up in a concentration camp for refusing the Nazis’ request for using his thriving business to supply German troops on the eastern front. (Read more…)

We’ve been overwhelmed with responses and thanks for your patience as we put together the details for the Smart Capital Mastermind Group program starting January 10^th, 2012.

As we mentioned last week on the teleclass, we can only take 24 kick-butt entrepreneurs that are really ready to build their capital infrastructure… smartly.

Remember, smart capital is way beyond just raising money.  As we discussed on the packed call last week, it is about thinking way outside the box!

The Smart Capital program might be a good fit for you if:

You don’t just want capital.

You want the right amount.

From the right sources.

Under the right terms.

… and you want it ASAP!

To see if the program is a fit, just check out the Smart Capital Mastermind Group program page.

Then to see if you’re eligible after reviewing the details, just fill out the application by clicking the “apply now” button at the bottom of the page.

We’ll get back to you within 24 hours with next steps as soon as we get your application.

That’s it!

For now, just click here to check out the program details and determine if you’d like to apply.

And remember, always Be UnReasonable!

Stefan Doering
Founder/CEO
BEST coaches, Inc.

PS:  Remember, we’re only taking 24 like-minded entrepreneurs in the program. Just click here to see if it is a fit.

Last week we had a great call with close to 300 signups!

Smart Funding-Entrepreneurs Don’t Need Wall Street

During the interview, we covered:

• Why Wall Street and banks are not equipped to fund small businesses
• What are the five crucial components that go into a smart capital raise
• How entrepreneurs can take matters into their own hands for getting funded
• What are the key stumbling blocks to raising capital and how to avoid them
• What goes into an action plan for raising smart capital
• Tips to keep focused and held accountable to raising capital while running your business

Click Here to listen to the 75 minute recording

Learn exactly what to do to take matters into your own hands to capitalize your company… smartly!

Stefan Doering
Founder
BEST coaches, Inc.

I remember being in a real bind with one of my companies.  The business was growing rapidly and I needed a delivery van.

But not just any delivery van.

It needed to fit our green retail store theme, so I wanted it to run on alternative energy.  But in 1994 that was an expensive concept.

The specialized van needed to run on natural gas, the only technology (barely) available for transportation at that time.

$30K to get it.

Yet I could not raise the money.  Totally exhausted from reaching out to everyone I could think of, no one seemed to “get it” or have the capital for me.

Finally, in frustration and desperation, I picked up the phone and called the only guys in town that sold CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) that I knew I would ultimately need to use for fueling my vehicle.

And I asked them if they could help.

Brooklyn Union Gas, now part of National Grid, jumped at the opportunity.

(Read more…)