A Great International Financing Solution
April 30, 2013
As we work to assist our customers with all aspects of their business plan, the greatest challenge seems to be financing of their projects. Our customers are sometimes…
Category: Business Strategy & Finance
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Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery
April 24, 2013
We are living in an era where imitations and copycats are fact of life. Some of us are tempted to invest in a knockoff item if we perceive…
Gas is Great
April 16, 2013
In East Africa these days, there’s a lot of excitement about gas. Tanzania has upped its estimate of gas reserves to 33 trillion cubic feet (tcf)…
Visiting an Oilseed Crushing Plant…a Valuable Opportunity?
March 26, 2013
If a business person is interested in processing oilseeds such as soybeans, cottonseed, or canola seed, they should arrange for a visit to one or two oilseed facilities.…
Save Money on a Creative Protein Source
March 19, 2013
As protein ingredient options become more and more expensive, alternative ingredients are sought to control feed cost. One option has been the use of Urea as a source…
Annual Budgeting & Planning…Part 2.
March 12, 2013
The final step to the strategic planning process is setting the company’s annual tactics. This is where your strategy comes to life. The tactics are the specific action…
Crowdfunding: The Next Normal in Project Funding?
March 5, 2013
A Ghanaian crowdfunding start-up was one of the winners of this year’s Apps4Africa competition, sponsored by the World Bank and the U.S. government: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21513287. The company –…
Re-Investment for Partners in Food Solutions
January 30, 2013
I have blogged in the past about a sustainable business model as the long term answer to solving food issues around the world. Progress continues to be made…
Factors Influencing the Selection of an Extruder
January 23, 2013
Many feed or food related business owners that have realized the advantages of an extrusion system to their business can be faced with the decision of which extruder…
Saving Elephants with Extruders
January 2, 2013
In Africa, poaching wild animals has become like the drugs trade – ruthless, heavily armed, highly organized. 2011 broke the record of illegal ivory seized worldwide: 38.8 tons,…
Global Growth in Middle Class Will Drive Protein Needs
December 26, 2012
Recently, I wrote about attending the Soy and Grain Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, and discussed the topic of Non-GMO crops. The other information from the Summit that…
Focusing on Your Business
November 20, 2012
Recently, I visited one of the major poultry and swine producers in Central Russia. The company is very dynamic and growing rapidly. They have their own land where…
What Poor People Do
November 13, 2012
A couple of months ago, a West African banker told me, “Farming is what poor people do.” Well, I recently had the privilege of attending the World Food…
Non-GMO Beans: More People Are Talking
October 25, 2012
We attended the Soy and Grain Trade Summit in September and found the industry to be very active with many developments. One area that seemed to be a…
Sensitivity Analysis
October 16, 2012
The prospect of making a large capital investment is daunting for all businesses, regardless of size. There is inherent risk any time a business decides to devote a…
Knocking on the Dollar Door: 5 Do’s for Raising Project Finance
September 25, 2012
DO prepare a Business Plan. Have it written, or at least checked, by a professional. It is easy to overlook key items, or include basic mistakes, that your…
Strategic Focus: Needs of Market versus Company Strengths
September 18, 2012
In my last blog, I discussed the importance of defining “Where We Will Play” and “How We Will Win” when defining your strategic focus. Digging deeper into this approach…
Will My Feed Processing Plant be Profitable? – Part IV – Market Value of Output
September 6, 2012
We’ve already established three key variables which will determine the ultimate profitability of your feed processing plant: Feed formulation Raw material costs Market value of your output Today…