Business plan & funding advice - Atlanta area

I recently wrote this article on my blog. The article is titled, "Top 10 Websites to Find Angel Investors"

There are a number of online resources for entrepreneurs seeking angel investment for their start up. Although many deals still end with numerous face-to-face meetings, for many small business owners the process is now starting through online angel investor communities. Although there are dozens if not hundreds of angel investor networks across the country, the following list of 10 are some of the most active and promising online angel investor communities and resources. In no particular order:

1. http://angelsoft.net - Angelsoft boasts that it is used by 1,000's of start-ups every month, its system provides entrepreneurs a way to reach the 450+ VCs and Angel Groups that utilize the Angelsoft platform. Angelsoft is a business planning and funding platform that has been used by 20,000+ investors to manage their end-to-end deal flow of their early equity investments.

2. www.angelcapitalassociation.org/directory/ - Although this is not actually an online community for entrepreneurs to submit proposals to angel investors, it is probably the leading directory of active angel investor networks in North America. The link above takes you to their state by state directory of angel investor networks.

3. http://www.angelcapitaleducation.org/listing-of-groups/ - Again this site is not an online community for entrepreneurs and angel investors to meet; however, it has an excellent directory of active angel investor networks across the country. It also provides a number of resources for both angel investors and entrepreneurs in the process of securing angel investment.

4. www.gobignetwork.com/ - This website claims to be the "biggest" community of startup investors. It is not clear if that has been validated by an outside source; however, the site is clearly active. Users can search for startups seeking funding, investors looking to provide funding, service providers for small businesses, and experts in various fields.

5. www.fundinguniverse.com/ - Over 100,000 entrepreneurs have already joined this network. This site was recently recognized as one of the Inc. 500 top 500 fastest growing companies in the United States. They will analyze all possible funding options to find your best match, create your path to funding, and connect you with active funding sources according to their website.

6. www.thefunded.com/ - TheFunded.com is an online community of over 14,500 CEOs, Founders and entrepreneurs to discuss fundraising, rate and review investors, and discuss strategies to grow a start-up business. This website will provide reviews of angel investor networks and individual angel investors to help the entrepreneur seek out the best potential investors for their business.

7. www.angeldeals.com - Angel Deals will assist entrepreneurs in learning about the angel investment process, create a powerful business plan and executive summary, develop a compelling presentation, and open doors to potential investors. There is an annual fee for this service, but it was only $29 at last check.

8. www.go4funding.com/ - This is a typical platform that attempts to match entrepreneurs with investors. Its purpose is to bring entrepreneurs, business owners and investors (angel investors and venture capitalists) closer together. The site is strictly intended for existing business owners and entrepreneurs to post their capital needs. Investors can browse through various investment opportunities as well.

9. http://www.fundfindr.com/ - This is an intriguing new site that is based on small business owners posting video elevator pitches that investors can browse through and then determine whether or not to pursue an investment opportunity. This is unique because it allows the entrepreneur to make that deeper connection through a video with an unlimited number of potential investors.

10. www.ideacrossing.org/ - IdeaCrossing is a free online community that connects Entrepreneurs with Angel Investors or Venture Capital firms. IdeaCrossing can also connect Entrepreneurs with Business Mentors willing to offer pro bono business assistance. The most compelling and unique offering of this community is the potential to find business mentors willing to offer free services and coaching.

There are many more resources for entrepreneurs in search or angel investor funding, but these 10 resources will certainly provide you with a great start in your search for capital.

There is some great information at StartupLounge.com. It's mostly specific to the Atlanta market.

If you haven't already taken a look at the Microsoft Small Business Center site, I'd like to point it out as a resource. No registration is required, and there are some great sections on everything from available services to a good learning section that will walk people through the start-up process, from how to write a good business plan to financing to launch.

Also try www.angelsoft.net it's free and when you fill in your profile it automatically creates a great executive summary and gives you pointers on how to answer questions.

My best advice after doing this for a while now..DO NOT write a complete business plan.

3 Things you need to raise funds from Angels/Institutional source: - Presentation Deck - Exec Summary - Financial Spreadsheet

We paid someone big bucks early to write us a business plan, what a waste of $$. No investors ever wanted to see it, and it is outdated as can be a year later.

Good luck!