Where to get advice

If this represents your ability to form a question, you should rethink the startup.

Book some time with a venture capitalist. They know lots about the business of startups.

If you expect advice from newsgroups like this, it would be good to ask an actual question.

Some of the info you get will be good info. Too bad you won't be able to differentiate it from all the crap that goes flying by.

As you seem to be in the UK, for business start-up aspects try

You cross-posted to alt.inventors, which suggests that you may be developing an invention. It may be possible to give further pointers if you could give some idea of what stage you are at and what field it is in.

(But if you might want to file a patent application, then please don't give any details of the actual invention itself. In the UK and most other countries, making the details public would render any future patent application invalid.)

You want advise, how about this one; Don't eat yellow snow!

There, some advise, but not related to business.

Ok How about this: Don't eat yellow snow near your business!

Happy new year!

Shaun

Depends on the questions... existing business owners will be able to handle some. A good accountant can be very useful for others etc. Can you be a bit more specific?

-- Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\ | Internode Ltd -

Let me guess mike - you're a failed wannabe? How sad.

I second this. I'm not sure about your part of the planet but AFAIK most state / local governments have business development centres with free advice.

Well, to be honest, if its a simple sole trader thing, then any accountant could help you out, anything major especially if its going to mean borrowing money, talk to a venture capitalist. I'd also throw in, never borrow money from a high street bank.. grin. Brian

Ok, what's your guess of the percentage of startups that fail? What's your guess at the signal to noise ratio of groups like these?

Failure rate is around 2 of 3 after a year. If anything the post was improving the SNR, hardly deserving of your ridicule.

Local chamber of commerce.

Thanks folks, maybe this is a good place to start. I'm trying to assess the value of an annual payment for life, ie how many times the annual payment is it worth. The annual payment is linked to property value, and I'd be the one being paid to quit accepting the payment. I cant decide what multiplier would best apply, and its not a sit round and haggle situation, I need to come up with a realistic valuation.

Pointers welcome!

NT

I think this may be an actuarial question as much as anything else. The answer will differ between a strapping, young 24 year old marathon runner and wheelchair-riding 96-year-old and that's apart from any shaking of the chicken entrails to predict the future of the property market. In the absence of any uk.insurance.actuarial that I can find, try uk.finance. uk.legal.moderated is a good one too because you can field any contractual implications etc etc.

Nick

Very true. OK, lets say from limited data I estimate remaining life expectancy of the person owing this payment, and for sake of example lets say its 30 years. I still can't decide what its worth to have it as a lump sum paid off now.

NT

That's where the chicken entrails come in.

Nick

In message , Nick Odell writes

I haven't really followed this thread but I believe it is common for agricultural valuers to use a factor of 10 when pricing land benefiting from an annual payment.

An example might be a field having a length of riverbank and fishing rights. The value might be based on what similar land sales have achieved locally plus 10 times the fishing rent.

Personally, I think this is too low.

regards

I do too in this case. 10x is what was initially on the table. It might be acceptable if the annual payment didnt increase year on year, but it does, and that to my mind changes the picture.

NT

that does sound like a "pants" opening offer .... tempting to come in hard "the other side" and see where it leads..

Sounds a bit similar to a divorce related question - re offsetting pension "rights" etc - As ever anyone you ask will have "an opinion" not "the answer" as "it" doesn't exist - just a spread of answers in a ballparky area grey touchy feely type way ;>))

Jim K

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yes :/ But I do need to get this as good as poss first time.

NT

marathon

why no negotiation?

Jim K