Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines (AHN) – Philippine President Benigno Aquino III is back in the country from his first official visit to the United States. He brought with him 43,650 new jobs to be generated in the next three years through $2.4 billion investments Aquino secured.

Aquino, who arrived in Manila early Tuesday morning, also announced he secured a $434 million grant by the Millennium Challenge Corporation for the country’s social welfare programs.

To secure the new investments in various sectors such as power generation, consumer goods, business and knowledge process outsourcing, health care, garments and leather goods, Aquino and his team attended more than 40 meetings with American and Filipino political, business and civil society leaders.

The 43,650 new jobs include 4,500 construction-related jobs. Aquino estimated the new employment opportunities to be created by the investments would create another 200,000 more jobs based on the multiplier effect of the investments.

Among the firms that had committed to invest in the Philippines are power firm AES Corporation, which would expand the capacity of its Masinloc coal-fired power facility by up to 660 megawatts. The project, which would cost $1 billion, would last three to four years and create 1,500 jobs during the construction phase and more work when the plant expands its capacity.

Other companies that will invest in the country include soft drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola which will plough $1 billion to upgrade and replace equipment and create new products and processes, pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, IT firm Hewlett-Packard, bank JPMorgan Chase and manufacturer General Electric.

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Starting a small business has proven to be on e of the best ways to build wealth in America. Over 90% of all millionaires are small business owners. Taking the first step towards financial freedom is the most important thing you can do.

Now, financing your business venture can prove to be more difficult than many imagine. The good news is that there are thousands of grant programs available to people looking to start or expand a small business.

Many grant websites out there would like us to believe that it’s as easy as locating an obscure federal grant program and then sending them a letter and wait for the check in the mail. Furthermore, they’ll charge $59 for this info and provide no guidance on how to apply for the grant. It is important to realize:

(i) It is NOT that easy to get free money from the government
(ii)…but it IS absolutely possible, with a little research & work, to get truly free money from the government (or any one of several private foundations).

Now, most US government grants for businesses are targeted at larger corporations or non-profits organizations, particularly those specializing in education or medicine. The best-bet for getting money for a small-business is from private organizations and state agencies.

The process of finding a small business grant program to apply for and reviewing the requirements to getting is very time consuming. After conducting a two-week search for a medical publisher, I found the requirements to be very specific and difficult to meet.

Eligibility can be based on your location, and your business’ sales revenue to the application date, years in business, sex, race, and even for the purpose of funding. If your business sets out on a small business grant seeking mission there are some questions that you will have to answer which are:

1. Do you have the time and the resources available so that you can search for a small business grant program and apply for it?

2. Can you afford to hire a consultant if you are unsure of how to do it, or can you learn the grant application process by yourself?

3. Does your business need the money right now for expansion or can you wait up to a year?

If you want to take a look at the small business grants available, the best place to start is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). The CFDA lists thousands of grants from all government agencies for free. Many business grants will be geared towards minority business development or rural business opportunity grants. Do not overlook the other assistance programs available such as equipment and training.

When you do locate a small business program, you will need to be ready to go through the, approval process. Most beginners spend too much time searching for a grant program then not enough time preparing and writing the grant application. This is crucial to your success as getting grant money. Our goal is to help people spend less time finding grants and providing them with a detailed approach to preparing a successful grant application.

Here are some tips:

Small Business Grant Tips

- Provide the grant company with all of your complete and accurate information in the application. An incomplete application will likely not make the review process or it can add delay your grant form getting approved.

- Get to know your grant officer and their constraints, budget and concerns with approving your grant.

- Stand out among the crowd with a well-prepared business plan if required. You will have to demonstrate your understanding of the business. Show how the money will bring the benefit the government agency wants.

If you find that you are willing to go through the steps that will be needed in order for you to get your grant, then this will be your comprehensive guide to making it happen. Visit our website for some free resources such as state funding agencies and more grant writing resources.

Two years ago I went through the agonizing process of getting a grant to buy a local business. A lot of Grant sites out there will charge you $50+ for the info in this article… There are a couple of things to remember when shopping for a grant program. Let this article point you in the right direction and read more at http://www.OfficialGovernmentGrants.com

photo credit: JUCCCE

When we purchased Rockford Ball Bearing Corporation out of bankruptcy in 2006, the venture capital market was flush with cash. This spring we sought an additional round of funding for our expansion. Venture Capital is never easy to find, but especially during these difficult economic times it is getting harder. New strategies need to be implemented to find capital.

There are several ways to prepare for VC interviews for funding. Three steps should be implemented out of the gate. These are verifiable and true options:

First, explore your accounting records, tighten up the ship. Cut as many overhead items that are reasonable without gutting your research and development budget.

Next talk with your employees, make sure that their advice is being heard by management. VC firms will start by talking with your employees at all levels. They will rely more on this feedback than your managers may be.

Last, review your business plans, take an objective look. See it through your worst critic’s eyes. What would they change?

The founder of our company Joseph Malik sold Malik Bearing Company to The Harvey Family in 1975. Malik Bearing was renamed Rockford Ball Bearing in 1982 when The Harvey Family had to reorganize the company during the protracted recession of the 1980′s. The due diligence was dinner and a hand shake. Today’s VC firms spend much more investigative time talking with suppliers and customers, reading industry reports and analyzing your firm against industry benchmarks.

The ball bearing industry is a tough business, as tough as the balls we mill. The margins are tight. Venture Capitalists seek the highest and best return for their investment dollars, and it matters not which industry they deploy their currency into. Leverage is a friend to returns of rising businesses but the enemy of gamblers who treat a manufacturing company as a casino. The Harvey Family over leveraged Malik Bearing Company and had to lower debts to get back on a positive stable business path again.

The Venture Capitalists knew this history and we worked hard to offer a better road forward for our business, they agreed and funded us $42 million for our expansion plans.

Michael Malik has run Rockford Ball Bearing Corporation since 2004, he has a MBA from Harvard University and has been a venture capitalist and business development executive in numerous industries.

photo credit: Ctrl+Alt+Canc

Tradable tax credits have historically been part of state and federal programs aimed primary for real estate development, including historic structures rehabilitation, energy, and other activities that stimulate economic growth.

With film projects, Production companies earn a transferable tax credit on the total eligible production costs, and wage expenses. That can translate to 20% – 30 % of the total production cost for a film, in the form of a tax credit issued directly to the production company. It can be used to offset state tax liability, or sold to another taxpayer.

In Illinois, a 20% tax credit based on “Illinois Production Spending” plus an additional 15% tax credit based on Illinois labor expenditures generated by the employment of residents of geographic areas of high poverty or high unemployment is available. New Jersey offers filmmakers a 20% tax credit for productions that film at least 60% in the state, as well as a 30% loan guarantee from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

In Connecticut, film makers can earn a tax credit worth 30% of their eligible Connecticut production costs, and in Massachusetts, productions with a minimum expenditure of $250,000 earn 20% and 25% for production expenses and labor expenses, respectively, when at least 50% is shot within the Commonwealth. Note: in MA, pending regulations propose a flat 25% combined tax credit, a minimum spend of $50,000, and removal of per-project cap.

In CT., the 4 new bills are being debated in the legislature, and the expected result in June will be a combination bill. Rhode Island offers a 25% tax credit to productions with a minimum eligible expenditure of $350,000, when 51% of the total budget is spent within the State. For more information about qualifying for each states’ tax credit, contact Tax Credits, LLC.In Pueto Rico, A tax credit is granted to the investors in a Film Project equivalent to 40% of budget items paid to Puerto Rico residents, up to 50% of the cash invested as equity in the project. 50% of the tax credit granted to the investor may be made available to the investor upon investment if a completion bond or a letter of credit is obtained, including the Puerto Rico Secretary of the Treasury as one of the beneficiaries.

Tradable tax credits allow production companies earning credits to sell their credits to companies and/or high net worth investors who have a tax liability within the state, where the credit was earned. The tax credits are sold at a discount for cash, garnering the seller cash to lower their net production expense.

Any company may take advantage of these “Financial Assistance Programs” to reduce their state tax liability. Purchased credits can typically be used for any year in which a tax return has not been filed. In general, credits may be used to offset any, or all, of the following: Individual Income Tax, Corporate Business Tax, Franchise Tax, Premium Tax, and Utility Tax (qualified taxes allowed for offset vary by State).

Large corporations and high net worth investors with a significant state tax liability can benefit from the purchase of film production tax credits, as they are able to purchase a dollar’s worth of tax credit at a discount.

NJ, RI, CT and MA film credits provide the buyer with the right to carry the tax credits forward for at least 3 years, which protects the buyer from investing significant dollars in tax credits that they cannot immediately use. In Illinois, tax credits can be carried forward for 5 years. The tradable, and thus marketable aspect of these state-issued tax credits means that tax credit investors can also retain an equity position in a film or a slate of films.

For example, lets say that a tax credit investor has $3,000,000 in tax credits he needs to purchase. While normally the final tax credit amount is calculated after a film’s production, he decides to benefit from the upside in potential profits and receive his tax credits.

So if a film has a budget of $6,000,000, 50% of the budget is equity ($3,000,000) and 25% is tax credits, an investor/tax credit buyer will receive benefits of $1,500,000 and 50% equity in the total international film profits and revenues.

But what happens to the other $1,500,000 he still needs to receive as tax credits?

Well if his or a company’s film investment was part of a film package, that amount is rolled over to another film that can be shot in a state or province where there may actually be a higher tax credit incentive which would be transferable back to him and any other investors on a pari pasu basis. For multinational firms and investors, this can also be leveraged and cross-collateralized to a multple country and territory transaction where there is a significant tax credit incentives such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Spain, Hungary, UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and others.

Another option would be to leverage the initial tax credit investment with a direct equity co-investment and set up several additional tranches of debt for a larger film fund.

To find out how a tax credit investment can also turn into a film investment that would hedge the risk and revenues across multiple films, please contact yuri@noci.com

Yuri Rutman is a visionary entrepreneur who has seen his lifelong passion to make movies and break into Hollywood slowly manifest itself into a reality. From his childhood days as an immigrant, he believed in the American dream through perseverance, certainty, focus, and overcoming any obstacles. After spending more than ten years cultivating industry relationships, Yuri Rutman raised money online from an Angel Investor in San Francisco whom he never physically met until after “Mr. Id was produced. On the strength of the initial business plan, the Investor wired money to finance the project a few weeks later. He currently has an innovative principal protected film fund and tax credit investment fund for accredited investors, institutions, etc. He is skilled in investor risk minimization, private equity, exit strategies, global film finance, and creative endeavors. Please visit http://www.noci.com