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Need some advice
GetAGrip
subscriber Posts: 14
I am writing for my father`s company today. We have had a family business for around 13 years called Universal Sports Lighting Mfg., Inc. Until 9/11 we were very succesfull and were ready to take on anything, however for the next two years or so, the government backed off of funding for schools and other government contract jobs which really hurt us, due to most of our jobs are for schools or city complex type fields. We have never been able to get back to where we need to be financially because throughout this time we had to borrow more money and seek whatever our banks could do for us. This has been a huge problem because now we are usually trying to play catch up most of the time.
My question for everyone here is, where do you look for individuals to invest in your company when your amount of jobs and business hasn`t changed, but you can`t get back to even to start over. We have a full job list and we are a worldwide company that is not going anywhere, we only have a couple of competitors who split about as many jobs as we do. Our website is www.uslnet.com</A>. We have done parks such as US Cellular Field(Whitesox), Tropicana Field (formerly Enron Field, Astros), all lighting for the winter Olympics when they were in the states, and we have recently in the last ear developed our own Universal Sports Lighting light fixture for sports fields and it is taking the industry by storm.
We just need some help to get caught up, we are not looking for any long term investors, only those interested in being paid back quickly. Thanks everyone in advance.
My question for everyone here is, where do you look for individuals to invest in your company when your amount of jobs and business hasn`t changed, but you can`t get back to even to start over. We have a full job list and we are a worldwide company that is not going anywhere, we only have a couple of competitors who split about as many jobs as we do. Our website is www.uslnet.com</A>. We have done parks such as US Cellular Field(Whitesox), Tropicana Field (formerly Enron Field, Astros), all lighting for the winter Olympics when they were in the states, and we have recently in the last ear developed our own Universal Sports Lighting light fixture for sports fields and it is taking the industry by storm.
We just need some help to get caught up, we are not looking for any long term investors, only those interested in being paid back quickly. Thanks everyone in advance.
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Comments
I would add that a "proactive" and "well thought out" SWOT analysis would have predicted those external threats that were on the horizon back then but now have placed the business in a "reactive" state.
Strengths and weaknesses are "internal" or about the company. AND a strength is something that a competitor can not duplicate very easily.
Opportunties and threats are "external" to the company. What`s happening to the economy, the industry we`re in, etc. Threat would have been the story above. Opportunites are new ways to overcome, new markets to venture into to make up for lost market share, etc.
Sorry for not responding sooner - but I just read your post.
Maybe I mis-read your post, but I got some mixed messages from it.
Do you want to restructure the company finances?
Are you moving in a new direction with your light fixture and need funds to exploit the initial momentum?
Do you need to "restart" the business and get back on a growth pattern?
I think any of these directions are possible.