Guerrilla Billionaire™

10 People Who Got Rich During the Depression

Today CNN has ten short profiles of people who did well during the depression.

10 People Who Got Rich During the Depression

Why we haven't hit the bottom: Alt-A and Option ARM Mortgage Resets are coming - The Coming Wave

Brace yourselves for the next wave of mortgage defaults. Alt-A and Option Arm mortgages begin resetting shortly. Monthly payments on many of these will double over night. According to the experts, we're only half way through mortgage debacle.

On the bright side, there's a business opportunity in clearing out houses for the banks.

Depression Startup Financing

How to Close the Deal with Angel Investors

The new "Closing Angel Investors" tool is finally finished and on sale at a low introductory price.

You're best to start off reading here before clicking the above link:  Deal-Killers: How to Turn Off Angels Investors. This article will describe why you are not succeeding in getting an angel investor to pull out his or her check book.

How to Survive the Depression and Emerge Victorious

Umair Haque on Constructive Capitalism

This is a one hour talk by Umair Haque titled "Constructive Capitalism" which he gave at Daytona. Since the website is in Swedish, my best guess is that it's the Swedish version of TED. The talk is very interesting because Umair outlines emerging ways of doing business which are starting to eclipse the old paradigm and will, hopefully, replace it entirely.  Right now there are hundreds of blogs recycling the same tired old lists of what to sell in a recession (e.g., booze, cancersticks, and cheap escapism).

In contrast, Umair offers up some refreshingly new ideas which can not only help your business to survive the recession (depression?), but prosper after the recovery as well.

If you're strapped for time watch the first twelve minutes to decide if it's worth the entire hour of your life. My guess is that it will be if you're curious about the direction in which the economy is headed.

Things are changing.

Dramatically.

You can also read Umair's blog at the Harvard blogging site.

Depression Proof Jobs

The consulting life is about to get much tougher than it already is as a result of the depression/recession.

How to Finance a Business in a Depression

If you're looking at launching a new business amidst this economic meltdown, there's a new resource for you on how to finance a startup in a depression.

And here's billionaire Jim Rogers on why use of the "depression" word is no longer hyperbole.

Depression Proof Business Ideas: Industry trends in recessions

McKinsey's Industry trends in recessions

If you're looking to start up a business next year, it pays to know what people spend their money on during a recession (or depression) as well as what they will reduce household expenditures on. The McKinsey Quarterly just published a graph which answers these two questions.

(Click to embiggen)

You can find the article at Industry trends in recessions.

One of the big takeaways for me here is that world doesn't need another Facebook/Myspace clone.

Learn How to Buy a Business or Businesses

 Learn How to Buy a Business or Businesses

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2) If you want information on the Billionaire Strategies course on buying businesses, just send a blank email here to subscribe. You will begin receiving details immediately.

*WARNING: If you don't click on the link in the confirmation email, you won't receive any information.

Predictions for 2009: The vital Trends, Risks, and Red Herrings you must know

Just stumbled across an interesting new use of mind maps for predicting trends.

I'll quote Ross Dawson here who is one of the principals in the company creating these:

To pick out just a few noteworthy elements of the trend map:

CORE THEMES include:
Uncertainy
Ageing
Global Connectivity
Anxiety
Power Shift Eastwards

SUBJECT THEMES include:
SOCIETY: Search for control, enoughism
TECHNOLOGY: Simplicity, Telepresence, Gesture based computing
ECONOMY: De-leveraging, 2-speed economies, Shorter product lifecycles
ENVIRONMENT: Bio fuel backlash, Negawatts, Nuclear power
POLITICS: Virtual protests, Globalisation in retreat, Immigration backlash
BUSINESS: Networked risk, Transparency, Asset price uncertainty
FAMILY: Debt stress, Allowable luxuries, Middle class unrest
MEDIA: Flight to quality, Facebook fatigue, Skimming, Micro boredom

POSSIBLE RED HERRINGS include:
Climate change crisis
Fall of US Empire
Nuclear power
Device convergence

GLOBAL RISKS include:
Major Internet failure
Influenza pandemic
Major earthquake in economic centre
Obesity
Electricity shortages
People taking trend maps too seriously

To view the above mind map in full size, open up this pdf Trend Blend 2009: A map of Time and Tide

You can find more of these at Future Exploration Network.

This is definitely of interest to anyone looking for the billion dollar opportunity.

The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class

Dr. Elizabeth Warren of Harvard uses statistical data to compare families from 30 years ago to today's. Back then they had it far better off even though there was only one income earner in the vast majority of instances. My initial plan was to summarize the key points for you but there turned out to be just too many of them. Start watching at 4:45 and go for ten minutes. You won't be able to stop at that point. The talk's title is most definitely not hyperbole.

While the picture is grim it will provide you with an explanation of why you and your family are under such financial pressure. Recognizing and understanding the root causes of a problem is half the battle.