David vs. Goliath - Battling Giants - How Startups can Competing Against FAANG - Part 1 - Facebook FB, Amazon AMZN, Apple AAP, Netflix NFLX; and Alphabet/Google GOOG

This is part one of a series we are doing on David vs. Goliath and battling giants. I will talk about how startups can compete against the FAANG companies and other major, well-funded, legacy competitors. The FAANG are Facebook FB, Amazon AMZN, Apple AAP, Netflix NFLX; and Alphabet/Google GOOG

The Original Story - David vs. Goliath 

Here are some excerpts from the Samuel 17, just in case you are unfamiliar with the bible story of David and Goliath.

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span [about 9 feet 9 inches]. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels [about 125 pounds or about 58 kilograms]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels [about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms].

He [David] took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

In Malcolm Gladwell's book David and Goliath, Gladwell points out that giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness. And the fact of being an underdog can change people in ways that we often fail to appreciate.

Battling Giants - Lesson 1 - Target a Specific Niche

David was properly equipped to battle Goliath. He wore no armor and used a deadly projectile weapon. He was fast and mobile. Goliath wore heavy armor and held a heavy weapon. He was slow and immobile. He was well equipped to go into a war leading a massive army. But he was not prepared to battle with a fast, single sharpshooter. Goliath didn't stand a chance.

Battling modern day giants with virtually unlimited resources requires you to focus on a specific niche. Otherwise, your marketing costs alone will likely bury before you get started.

Amazon launched in 1995 as a website that only sold books, founder Jeff Bezos had a vision for the company's explosive growth and eCommerce domination. He knew from the very beginning that he wanted Amazon to be "an everything store."

In 1997, Reed Hastings founded Netflix, a DVD-by-mail rental service at the time, in part after being frustrated with a $40 late fee from Blockbuster.

Mark Zuckerberg competed with MySpace by focusing on students at Harvard.

Notice a pattern? All of these FAANG companies started by attacking a very specific niche. Niches may include:

-Type of service or a subset of a service, e.g. Uber for eats

-Specific attribute of an existing business model, e.g. Free delivery 

-Geography, e.g. city or state
-Demographic, e.g. white females 25-35
-and more

Once you pick your specific niche, you can properly equip yourself for battle.

Are you looking for investors for your business, contact us today, funding@omegaaccelerator.com.  

Are you interested in angel investing and helping us fund early-stage businesses? Email info@OmegaAccelerator.com. 

Sources and Links
https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/2432/power-of-a-clear,-concise-vision
https://www.ocregister.com/2014/01/28/status-update-reddits-ohanian-motivated-by-rounding-error/
https://deanyeong.com/reading-note/david-and-goliath/
www.investopedia.com
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/536961-the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the-world-the-unreasonable
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+17&version=NIV
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/RenCarlton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ
https://omegalegacyacceleratorx.com/924-2/https://www.facebook.com/TheOmegaAccelerator/
https://www.instagram.com/omega.funding/
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html


Disclaimer: This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. We are not offering any legal, investment, tax, or medical advice. Please consult the appropriate professional before doing anything you learn from the content posted on any of our digital properties. All stories are based on true events, but are altered to protect the identity of the individuals involved.

How I Angel Invest - Ren Carlton Investment Criteria and Current Angel Investments

I literally receive thousands of pitches. Since I do not have unlimited time or capital, I use strategies to make the review process as efficient as possible. This includes investing and supporting companies that meet as much of my selection criteria as possible. 

Ren Carlton Investment Criteria

- Hot industry
- Scalable
- 10X potential return in 3-5 years
- Low downside risk
- Low regulation
- Avoid companies with legal risks, especially ones with risk of imprisonment
- Likable founders with skin in the game
- Low startup costs
- Not a lot of hard assets
- Access to capital
- Fast path to profitability and positive cash flow
- Ability to leverage technology
- Unfair advantage
- Moat to protect against competition
- Ability to compete with the FAANG companies if necessary, Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX); and Alphabet (GOOG) (formerly known as Google)
- Exit plan or path for me eventually to receive my Return on Investment (ROI)

Ren Carlton Current Angel Investments* 

-Asarasi - The future of water, sourced from trees
-Avenify - Marketplace lending platform for Income Share Agreements (ISAs)

-Bounty0x - Discover, track, manage and pay Influencers for sponsored content at scale

-Buff Bake - Adding healthy and nutritious benefits to traditional snacks
-CallingDr - Connecting doctors with patients anytime, anywhere
-Choose Health - Simple, affordable, at-home health testing

-Cloudastructure - Facial Recognition, AI, Machine Learning for Cloud-based Video Surveillance

-Delee - Blood testing device for early diagnosis of cancer and treatment monitoring

-Dented Brick Distillery - High capacity distilled spirits plant

-Dynamic Advisory Solutions - Outsourced CFO services
-Elite Amateur Fight League - The multi-billion dollar MMA industry's National Amateur Platform
-Elemeno Health - Empowering staff at the point of care: Improving safety, and fighting COVID
-Fleeting - Connecting commercial drivers with on-demand trucking jobs

-Genobank.io - incognito & encrypted DNA extraction kit - see their video on Meet the Drapers vimeo.com/404737658/d472095c35 

-HelloWoofy.com - Personal social media manager driven by artificial intelligence
-Hive - Global membership community working together to solve humanity’s greatest challenges

-Horizon Aeronautics Inc - Hover bikes, hover cars and augmented reality navigation systems https://register.omegadestiny.com/legendary-nfl-and-nba-athlete-tj-wrights-hover-bike

-Michigan Physicians Society - Help physicians maximize their earnings potential 

-Nada - Buy and sell your home online, pay nada
-NanoVMs - Upending 50 years of operating system hegemony, building a new OS to run linux apps faster/safer using unikernels.

-Omega Accelerator - Accelerating Financial Freedom Through Angel Investing
-PittMoss - A revolutionary new growing media

-Rencat - Digital sales and marketing agency

-Rocket Dollar - Self-directed retirement accounts for the active alternative asset investor

-SkillSoniq - Connecting companies with freelancers using AI

-Soar Robotics Cloud-connected robotic intelligence platform for drones

-Swipeby - SaaS+ platform turning restaurant into a virtual drive-thru with curbside pickup
-Upshift - Fractional car leasing service for low mileage drivers - republic.co/upshift
-Vessel Biosciences - Portable vein illumination device 

-Vivoo - Personal wellness advice through at-home urine sample analysis
-Zephyr Aerospace - A lie-flat airline seat for Economy Class travelers

Feel free to message me if you would like to learn more about any of the above opportunities.

This is intended to be a live document which will be updated periodically as the above information changes.

Are you looking for funding for an idea or business, send us your stuff and we will take a look, Funding@OmegaSeedFund.com

Are you interested in investing time or money into any of our businesses, Invest@omegaseedfund.com

Are you interested in promoting your product or service to our audience, contact Opportunities@OmegaSeedFund.com

Sources and Links
www.investopedia.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/RenCarlton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ
https://omegalegacyacceleratorx.com/924-2/https://www.facebook.com/TheOmegaAccelerator/
https://www.instagram.com/omega.funding/
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html

Disclaimer: This is only for informational and discussion purposes. This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. We are not offering any legal, investment, tax, or medical advice.Please consult the appropriate professional before doing anything you learn from the content posted on any of our digital properties. Stories shared are mostly based on true events, but may be altered to protect the identity of the parties involved. Any numbers or figures are possibly estimates based on assumptions that may be proven to be inaccurate or subject to change.

* Note: This list is incomplete, may not reflect recent trading activity, and is subject to change without notice. These angel investments may be owned by Ren Carlton directly or indirectly through trusts, separate legal entities, and/or warrants/options. 

Hunting Unicorns - Angel Investing vs. Other Investments, Risks vs, Rewards, Ren Carlton

How much volatility did your portfolio experience over the last few weeks?

Now is a great time to evaluate your investment strategy and consider angel investing. When comparing angel investing to other forms of investments, here are a few things to consider:
- Liquidity, Startups are typically not liquid compared to other investments. If you need your cash quickly, this is probably not a good option for you.
- Risk of Loss, When you invest in early-stage businesses, you can lose your entire investment. This is why experienced angel investors typically have a portfolio of startups.
- Impact of Global Events and Black Swans - This varies wildly, some startups benefit during changing times, others are destroyed.
- Control and Influence - Most founders welcome help from their investors.
- Potential for Extraordinarily High Returns - It is not outside the realm of possibility for a startup investment to produce an ROI of 10X, 100X, or even more.

Potential High Risks, Potential High Rewards

Let's assume a well-balanced portfolio of startup investments is targeted to yield of an IRR (internal rate of return) of 25%. This is a cash-on-cash return of approximately 3X over 5 years, 9X over 10 years. Again, obviously returns are never guaranteed and it is possible to lose all your investment.

Let's also assume you invest $5,000 and let it sit untouched for 30 years. There is a huge difference in your potential ROI:
Bank, 1% = $6,739
CDs, Money Markets, Bonds, 5% = $21,610
S&P 500, Large Cap Stocks, 10% = $87,000
Real Estate, 15% = $331,000

Angel Investments, 25% = $4 million

Here are some examples of unicorns and their returns:

$250,000 invested in Google in 1998, worth $1.6 billion in 2019
$10,000 investment in Uber in 2010, worth $127 million in 2015
$100 investment in Bitcoin in 2010, worth $28 million in 2017

My fear of missing out on these types of returns far outweighs my fear of loss.

Are you looking for funding for an idea or business, send us your stuff and we will take a look, Funding@OmegaSeedFund.com

Are you interested in investing time or money into any of our businesses, Invest@omegaseedfund.com

Are you interested in promoting your product or service to our audience, contact Opportunities@OmegaSeedFund.com

Sources and Links
https://metrostart.org/blog/2016/07/11/260-return-on-startup-investments/
https://techcrunch.com/2012/10/13/angel-investors-make-2-5x-returns-overall/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/RenCarlton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ
https://omegalegacyacceleratorx.com/924-2/https://www.facebook.com/TheOmegaAccelerator/
https://www.instagram.com/omega.funding/
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html

Disclaimer: This is only for informational and discussion purposes. This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. We are not offering any legal, investment, tax, or medical advice.Please consult the appropriate professional before doing anything you learn from the content posted on any of our digital properties. Stories shared are mostly based on true events, but may be altered to protect the identity of the parties involved. Any numbers or figures are possibly estimates based on assumptions that may be proven to be inaccurate or subject to change.

Is Now a Good Time to Invest? Angel Investing and More During Corona Virus, COVID-19, Ren Cartlon

Is Now a Good Time to Invest? 

Most investment advisors will tell you it is impossible to time the market.

The efficient market hypothesis states that all stocks are always perfectly priced because of the availability of information. Today, this is mostly because of the internet. 

Are their investment deals out there?

Here are my thoughts.

-Real estate, based on my research, pricing has not been greatly affected yet. This may be due to a combination of the time-of-year and stimulus money. I think there will be some interesting real estate investment opportunities coming soon.

-Restaurants, I heard that anywhere from 10%-30% of restaurants are expected to close because of the Covid-19 quarantine. Once things return back to normal, it may be time to purchase one of these businesses if you dreamed about owning a restaurant.

-Sports and entertainment, I think it will be a while before any large groups of people pack into any close-quarter venue. 

-Startups are being greatly impacted. Corona will likely serve a death blow to businesses already on the brink of failing. 

One of the worst stories I have heard so far is from a company that raised over $300,000 from over 1,000 investors on a crowdfunding platform before Corona hit. Because of the impact of Covid-19 impact on this business, the crowdfunding platform refused to release the money and has suggested that they may have to give the money back. 

The Good News?

Survivors will likely be rewarded by the elimination of competitors.

We are also promoting our White-Knight Accelerator to help good businesses that are being struggling because of Covid 19. Contact us today for more information or if you would like to be involved.

As always If you like this content, please share this with three friends and smash that like button.

Contact us today if you want to raise capital for your business, funding@omegaaccelerator.com.  

Are you interested in helping businesses while enjoying the potential high returns of angel investing? Email info@OmegaAccelerator.com. 

Click here if you would like me to consider investing in your business. If I do not personally invest, I will give you specific tips for finding funding. Unlimited follow-up meetings. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html

Sources and Links
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/04/022004.asp
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/RenCarlton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ
https://omegalegacyacceleratorx.com/924-2/https://www.facebook.com/TheOmegaAccelerator/
https://www.instagram.com/omega.funding/
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html


Disclaimer: This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. We are not offering any legal, investment, tax, or medical advice. Please consult the appropriate professional before doing anything you learn from the content posted on any of our digital properties. All stories are based on true events, but are altered to protect the identity of the individuals involved.

How Your Business Can Thrive During Crisis - The Art of the Pivot - Corona Virus, COVID-19, and Ren Carlton

What do Starbucks, Twitter and Nintendo all have in common?

They all pivoted

-Starbucks started out selling espresso machines
-Twitter was a platform for finding podcasts
-Nintendo produced vacuum cleaners


Pivoting means changing your focus or strategy. There are a number of reasons to consider pivoting your business, including:

1. Introduction of new opportunities and restrictions: In today's Corona Virus environment, quarantine and stimulus money are two things that should be investigated. I


2. Pivoting can create opportunities to expand revenue.

Whether it’s exploring new markets, services or products, pivoting can help create opportunities to expand revenue. Research and analysis are key here.


3. It’s easier to stay relevant.

A services company may realize X service is no longer in demand, unlike Y service which is. Remember, business is about finding a need and filling it. Pivot toward the more relevant service.


4. Some of the best ideas come from testing different ideas.

I subscribe to the lean startup approach to building businesses. Entrepreneurs must investigate, experiment, test, and iterate as they develop. 

5. It can reinvigorate the business.

Pivoting is a great way to bring new life to the business. All businesses must evolve if they want to stay current with their audience and competitive within their industry. Being stagnant is boring and uninspired. 

One of the biggest competitive advantages for small businesses is the ability to pivot quickly. You need to be ready to do this early and often. The art of the pivot is knowing when to be persistent and when to pivot

- Persistent: Continue operating the current business model The art of the pivot is knowing when to be persistent and when to pivot

- Persistent: Continue operating the current business model 

- Pivot: Abandon or pause the current business model to pursue new opportunities that may be better

Contact us today if you want to raise capital for your business, funding@omegaaccelerator.com.  

Are you interested in helping businesses while enjoying the potential high returns of angel investing? Email info@OmegaAccelerator.com. 

Click here if you would like me to consider investing in your business. If I do not personally invest, I will give you specific tips for finding funding. Unlimited follow-up meetings. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html

Sources and Links
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238253
https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Lean-startup
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/RenCarlton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ
https://omegalegacyacceleratorx.com/924-2/https://www.facebook.com/TheOmegaAccelerator/
https://www.instagram.com/omega.funding/
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html


Disclaimer: This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. We are not offering any legal, investment, tax, or medical advice. Please consult the appropriate professional before doing anything you learn from the content posted on any of our digital properties. All stories are based on true events, but are altered to protect the identity of the individuals involved.

Find your First Investor – True Story on How I Found one of my Lead Investors - Calamari Story Continued

In my previous article, I discussed how I found my lead investor with an idea and a plate of calamari. 

Was it really that simple? Yes and no.

Today I am going to describe some of the details to help you your find investor. 

Proper environment - I was at a country club. Was I there to do business? No, I was there to play golf and eat my appetizer. it just happened. The more often you can put yourself in the right environment to make connections, the better. How do you pick the right environment? Analyze your target market. For example, if you are selling business insurance, chamber of commerce card exchanges. If you are a pharmaceutical rep, maybe medical society events?

Focus - Abandoning the calamari... One of my clients told me a story about how he was at a trade show and his competitors were busy shoveling chicken fingers down their throats while they were closing deals. My personal rule for networking events is not to eat until I’m done making connections unless it would be socially awkward not to eat. I have hosted several events where I didn’t even taste the food because I was so busy.

Trusted advisors - My attorneys pointed out the flaws in the purchase agreement, where the opposing counsel neglected to include a non-compete. I have saved tens of thousands of dollars in taxes because I hire CPAs that aggressively look for legal, tax saving strategies

Contact us today if you want to raise capital for your business, funding@omegaaccelerator.com.  

Are you interested in helping businesses while enjoying the potential high returns of angel investing? Email info@OmegaAccelerator.com. 

Click here if you would like me to consider investing in your business. If I do not personally invest, I will give you specific tips for finding funding. Unlimited follow-up meetings. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html

Sources and Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/RenCarlton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ
https://omegalegacyacceleratorx.com/924-2/https://www.facebook.com/TheOmegaAccelerator/
https://www.instagram.com/omega.funding/
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html


Disclaimer: This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. We are not offering any legal, investment, tax, or medical advice. Please consult the appropriate professional before doing anything you learn from the content posted on any of our digital properties. All stories are based on true events, but are altered to protect the identity of the individuals involved.

Covid-19 Help for Small Business - Calculate Your Stimulus Check - Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - Stimulus Check Calculator

President Donald Trump has signed legislation that Congress approved this week that will allocate a massive amount in funding to support the U.S. economy and workers through the coronavirus outbreak.

Covid-19 Assistance - Stimulus Check Calculator - $2.2 trillion rescue package

The hallmark of the $2 trillion stimulus package were one-time $1,200 direct payments to adults making up to $75,000.

Click here to use the online calculator to find out how much you could get from the federal government as part of the relief package.

Covid-19 Help for Small Business

A $350 billion forgivable loan program designed to ensure that small businesses do not lay off employees

A 50% refundable payroll tax credit on worker wages will further incentivize businesses, including ones with fewer than 500 employees, to retain workers

Looser net operating loss-reduction rules that will allow businesses to offset more

A delay in employer-side payroll taxes for Social Security until 2021 and 2022

Sole proprietors and other self-employed workers could be eligible for the expanded unemployment-insurance benefits the bill provides

A portion of the $425 billion in funds appropriated for the Federal Reserve’s credit facilities will target small businesses

Click here to learn about some of the tax relief available for both businesses and individuals.

Click here to apply for disaster relief loans.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

Click here to read F.A.Q. on Stimulus Checks, Unemployment and the Coronavirus Plan.

Click here to read the $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill - Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

What Appears to be Missing From the Federal Disaster Package

Independent contractors and gig economy workers may not be able to delay payments on self-employment taxes.

It appears there are no benefits specifically for helping healthcare workers. There is also nothing included specifically designed to help people start new businesses.

Am I Missing Anything?

Is there other money out there designed to help small business? If so, message me so I can add it to this article.

Are you looking for investors for your business, contact us today, funding@omegaaccelerator.com.  

Are you interested in angel investing and helping us fund early-stage businesses? Email info@OmegaAccelerator.com. 

Click here if you would like me to personally consider investing in your business. If I do not personally invest, I will give you specific tips for finding funding. Unlimited follow-up meetings. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/820759545/read-2-trillion-coronavirus-relief-bill
https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/online-stimulus-calculator
https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-stimulus-package-questions-answers.html
https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/congress-passes-trump-signs-2-2t-coronavirus-stimulus-package
https://www.sba.gov/disaster/apply-for-disaster-loan/index.html
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-what-the-historic-2-trillion-coronavirus-stimulus-package-will-do-to-help-small-businesses-2020-03-26
https://www.fastcompany.com/90482750/applying-for-a-small-business-disaster-loan-what-to-know-about-the-covid-19-stimulus-package

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/RenCarlton
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ
https://omegalegacyacceleratorx.com/924-2/https://www.facebook.com/TheOmegaAccelerator/
https://www.instagram.com/omega.funding/
https://rencarlton.blogspot.com/2019/09/funding-session-with-ren-carlton.html


Disclaimer: This does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security or any other product or service. We are not offering any legal, investment, tax, or medical advice. Please consult the appropriate professional before doing anything you learn from the content posted on any of our digital properties. All stories are based on true events, but are altered to protect the identity of the individuals involved.