'THESE ARE THE SORTS OF IDEAS OTHERS WILL WISH THEY HAD THOUGHT OF'

I will get straight to the point. My name is Jim Storm and if you met me at a party I would tell you that I was a serial entrepreneur and a writer. For me there is nothing more exciting than starting or buying small to medium sized businesses – expanding them – and then selling them.

If the most important thing in property is ‘location, location, location’ then surely the most important thing in business is ‘ideas, ideas, ideas’. By ideas I don’t just mean ideas for businesses to launch or buy... I mean ideas to help a) expand an existing business, b) overcome problems and pitfalls, c) boost profits, d) improve efficiency and e) get the most out of the business.

This is why every month I personally edit a newsletter called New Global Opportunities. It is written partly by myself and partly by a team of business journalists and international traders. It is a unique publication, published on the web and packed with:

• New business ideas. The hottest new concepts and business opportunities
• Trade Leads. Our directory of buyers, sellers and agents worldwide.
• First class advice covering everything from raising money to marketing, from avoiding tax to technology, and from planning to legal issues.
• News and information
• Invaluable contacts

New Global Opportunities is aimed at:

1. People already in business, looking to grow their existing operation or start something news; and
2. People thinking of going into business, looking for ideas and support.
   
   

Before I say another word let me whet your appetite with details of just seven of the subjects we cover:

• A complete guide to raising money. This covers ‘free money’ (government and other grants), angel investors, bank finance, invoice discounting, and unsecured borrowing as well as showing you how to ‘bootstrap’ your business...that is to say get it started with little or no money at all.
  
  
• The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide. Dozens and dozens of free or inexpensive ways to promote you small business including a DIY public relations approach that guarantees you free media coverage.

• Tried and tested business plans for low-risk, high-return, recession proof service businesses including retirement care, domestic and commercial cleaning, employment, security, publishing, photography and catering.
  
  
• Everything you need to know to make a success of mail order including a directory of suppliers with suitable products at below wholesale prices and a complete advertising and marketing programme.
  
  
• New internet business concepts that you can start with as little as £500

Wouldn’t you agree that these are just the sorts of ideas that will have other people saying ‘I wish I had thought of that’?

• How to negotiate free rental deals on commercial property and then sell the deal on to a third party for a handsome profit. A business that involves no capital but does not require close attention to detail.
  
  
• TV, video and computer rental. An absolute cash cow. We will show you how to buy good-as-new equipment at rock bottom prices and then hire it out for so much money that after six months every penny of income will be 100% profit.

I should stress, by the way, that all the articles published in New Global Opportunities are written with action in mind and we include plenty of checklists and sources of further information to help you on your way.

Here are a just a few of the up-and-coming articles that no entrepreneur should miss:

• Close every sale. A master class in sales techniques
  
• Copyright-free legal letters. Professionally drawn up letter that every business can use. Why waste money on a solicitor when you can do it yourself for free.
• Database marketing. How to build up customer database and how to make money from it.
• Hate selling? Business ideas that get the customers coming to you
• 16 ways to radically improve advertising response
• 4 ways to get 100% free advertising in national newspapers!
• Complete guide to slashing costs. 43 ingenious ways to cut the cost of everything – premises, equipment, marketing, staff, professional services, and travel. Why pay a penny more than you have to.

I could go on! As you can see we are never short of fascinating and relevant topics. One of the reasons for this is that my colleagues and I are all involved in business ourselves. George Bernard Shaw famously remarked ‘if you can, do. If you can’t, teach.’

I have no time for business journalists who lay down the law or offer advice but who have never risked their own time and money starting up their own thing. (Of course, some members of our ‘Ask the Experts’ team are professionals such as accountants or IT boffins...but this is very different because the free advice they are offering is of a specialist nature). Indeed you may be interested to know what some of us are up to at the moment.

I am currently working on:

• Setting up self-storage units. Commercial property prices have been tumbling and I have just negotiated two years rent-free on a warehouse close to central London that I plan to use for self-storage units. I’ve even managed to negotiate a cash allowance from the landlord to cover conversion work. The result? My self-storage business will cost me absolutely nothing to start! I’ve even signed up my first 30 clients. How? I went to a local developer and suggested he offer 24 months free storage as an incentive to buyers of his new flats (you know how small flats are nowadays).
  
  
• At the same I am looking at another venture that takes the advantage of depressed commercial property prices. Empty office space is cheap to lease and can easily be converted in to small, short-let office units. Having been in this business before (I sold out for a handsome profit), I know the inside ‘tricks of the trade’. I believe the way to go is to attract niche businesses and my plan is to create a ‘media centre’ for fledgling advertising, marketing, film, TV and publishing start-ups. What they want is smart looking office space in a central location without commitment and without too much cost. They aren’t interested in secretarial services but they do want a nice boardroom when their clients come in.

• I’m also looking to go into business with my wife who is a chef. We’ve got two concepts on the go at present. The first is a mini-shop selling just freshly squeezed juices, sandwiches and soups. All the produce will be organic and by locating out outlets in other people’s space (I don’t want to give the concept away – let’s just say we’ll be attracting customers for people who need them), we don’t need to pay a penny in rent. The second is a fresh pasta business. The margins on this are unbelievable! We’ve sourced our machine from Italy, found a factory unit and have started to sign up restaurants interested in taking our products.

This is on top of my other small businesses, which – doubtless you’ll hear about if you send off for your free trial issue!

The rest of the editorial panel are no less busy. For instance, Sue Waddington, our resident marketing guru is about to launch an instant shelving service. The demand for instant, inexpensive (but attractive) shelving is enormous. All Sue’s customers will have to do is call a freephone number and a ‘man in a van’ will come around and put up whatever shelving they require. She has seen this business in Canada and knows it is a real money-spinner.

Tom Martin, head of our research department, runs one-off, venue-based auctions. This is what my oldest son would call a ‘sweet’ little business. Tom takes household appliances on a sale or return basis from wholesalers, hires town halls or hotel rooms, and stages auctions. In every respect he runs it like a retail venture (he even sells warranty cover which is where the main profit is) with the difference that Tom probably does a week’s turnover for a typical store in three hours and he doesn’t have the overhead.

Mark Corchoran, who writes about import and export for us, is in the business himself. He has developed an incredible knack for putting together deals that don’t involve any cash requirement. For instance, a computer component manufacturer in Taiwan pays Mark five percent commission on all UK and EU sales and all Mark has to do is issue the invoices, check on deliveries and collect the money.

The point I am trying to make is that when we write about a business idea you can be certain it won’t be some pie in the sky concept that won’t work. We make our own livings from being in business – not from writing about it

Every month New Global Opportunities offers its readers a unique mixture of new business ideas, support, advice, contacts and information. Each issue contains:

• The Weather Report. Every month Jim Storm reports in detail successful businesses he has identified, innovative business ideas, gaps he has spotted in the market, ways in which an existing business might be expanded, acquisition opportunities, and interesting trends. Jim travels a great deal so he includes profitable concepts spotted overseas.
  
• World trade News.  A free bulletin from Wade World Trade bringing you news and opportunities in international trade that can make you money.

• Small Business News. Up-to-date news for the small to medium sized business. Keeps you informed on the latest government legislation, entrepreneur awards and initiatives and any relevant and recent information.
  
• Global Opportunities Listings. More than 2,500 international trade leads and contacts every year.

• Sue Waddington’s Sales and Marketing Column. Sue Waddington, one of the UK’s highest paid copywriters, contributes a column on sales and marketing advice. Her philosophy is that you don’t have to be good at selling to sell successfully. This is hands-on, inside advice from one of the best known names in advertising.

Not only will you be able to access your free trial issue for 30 days, so you can assess New Global Opportunities for yourself – but if you do decide to carry on with your subscription, we offer you a no quibble money back guarantee. If you aren’t happy at any point we will refund the unused part of your subscription in full.

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Perhaps most important of all, your subscription includes free access to our Ask the Experts service.

You can write, email or fax our panel of experts for confidential business advice as often as you wish. The panel includes entrepreneurs, journalists, professional researchers, a qualified accountant and a venture capitalist.

As a reader of New Global Opportunities, any time you have a business-related question you can ask our experts to help you out...without costing you a penny.

The service includes:

• Free research. We’ll source the information for you
• Free advice. We’ll help you with every stage of starting and managing your business
• Free support. We’ll do whatever we can – from writing advertising copy to introducing you to prospective customers or suppliers.

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Our website an invaluable business tool. Free to subscribers

Our website is updated monthly and contains a host of invaluable information and services including:

• In depth business reports
• News section
• Archive of the articles from back issues
• Online Ask the Experts service

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Receive these 5 free reports worth £31.90 when you become a full subscriber to New Global Opportunities:

• Jim Storm’s Top Ten
• How to Write a Business Plan
• How to Start a Successful Import-Export Agency
• Case Histories of Small Businesses
• Tax Tips for the Self-Employed

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Start reading action-orientated articles like these...

• How to establish a successful import/export business
• The 25 fastest growing/most successful small business concepts in the USA
• Get what you want. 16 winning negotiation tricks
• How a teenage entrepreneur made £48,000 last year from his part-time bouncy castle business and how you could do the same
• By and sell at auction. Take advantage of hard-to-find government, liquidation and ‘no reserve’ auction where cars, property, computers, stocks, clothes, antiques, wine and more change hands at rock bottom prices.
• Three property based business you can start without a penny in capital
• The most powerful advertising medium in the word: the classified column. How to exploit this inexpensive, highly profitable opportunity
• How to set up an internet art gallery
• How to launch a conference and seminar business
• Services for the ‘retiree’ market. Market survey with detailed business suggestions
• Ten businesses to run part-time from home
• Eastern promise – 27 things worth importing from Asia and the Far East. Includes a list of suppliers
• Industrial espionage. Is this the business of the decade?
• Fake a fortune. How to cash in on the trend of copying other people’s designs

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Why not sign-up online now for a free trial? This is what you’ll receive:

• 30 days of New Global Opportunities. The perfect way to see if this newsletter is for you without cost or obligation
• Free use of our 'Ask the Experts' service for 30 days
• Free access to our Subscribers' website for 30 days

If at any time during your free trial period, you aren’t satisfied just let us know. New Global Opportunities isn’t for everyone and we’ll quite understand. And I would also like to stress that you are always covered by our full money back guarantee!

If, on the other hand, you like what you read then you’ll be able to take advantage of out introductory offer:

You can then:

• Continue to enjoy free use of the 'Ask the Experts' service and free access to our website for the duration of your subscription.
• Receive 5 Free Business Reports worth £31.90