How do you find business investment opportunities? They are everywhere. Whether you are looking for an existing company to invest in or a start-up in need of capital, there are business investment opportunities as close as your own town. If you want something more global, it is possible to fund entrepreneurs around the world almost as easily as a local company thanks to the use of the Internet for matching investors with entrepreneurs in need of funding.

How can you find opportunities to invest in local businesses? Start by joining the local Chamber of Commerce. Almost every city and town has one. This is an organization where local businesspeople meet to discuss how business is doing and to come up with ways to help boost the local economy. You will often hear about local companies in need of investment capital to purchase new equipment or expand their operations at Chamber meetings.

What if you are looking for global business investment opportunities? In that case, it is best to stick to the Internet. There are several websites that exist for the sole purpose of matching up entrepreneurs with investors. For example, just one of those sites currently has over 4800 venture capital companies listed as well as over 23,000 companies seeking capital to help their businesses grow.

Can you really make a difference by helping someone start a company in a third world country? Many investors have taken advantages of the services of Kiva.org to lend money to people in developing nations who want to start or expand an entrepreneurial endeavor. You can read stories on the website telling how the people who receive the loans have been positively impacted by receiving the money and because Kiva combines funds from more than one lender to fund a loan, it only takes $25 to be a part of making someone’s dream of entrepreneurship come true.

By: James Dempsey

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Tired of flicking pages trying to find the company you’re looking for? Here are 10 reasons to use an online local business directory to find them.

1. Online local business directories allow you to create a long list of businesses for what you need, which you can use as the starting point for choosing one.

2. Searching for these businesses couldn’t be easier or quicker. You simply type in what type of company you’re looking for and your location and it will bring up all matches in your area.

3. The best directories have extensive lists of businesses, so no matter whether you need a florist, plumber or even takeaways, you’ll find them online.

4. Many of the bigger online directories will have listings for anywhere in the country. For instance, if you need a Manchester gardener or Manchester electricians, you will find them easily.

5. You can sort your findings by name, distance from your post-code or even view them on a map, so you can get a good overview of what businesses are where. You can even filter your search by reducing the distance from your home, so if location is important, you can narrow your results accordingly.

6. If you need to whittle your long list down even further, the better online business directories will provide user reviews and ratings, so you can see what other people think of them.

7. If you know the name of the company you want, but need to know how close they are. Or, perhaps if you’re looking for the nearest Starbucks to your location, you can search for it quickly and find out where they are.

8. Local business directories will provide you will all the contact information you need, from phone numbers through to postal addresses and URLs, so you’ll be ready to contact them as soon as you’re ready.

9. As opposed to a paper directory, an online directory isn’t going to take up any room in the house. So, as long as you’re online, there’ll never be a need to have a hard copy of a directory again.

10. Because it’s all online, these directories are far more environmentally friendly than paper versions.

So, if you’re on the hunt for a Manchester builder, florist or electrician, a Manchester business directory could be exactly what you need.

By: Robert Berry-Smith

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