Where are the Angels?

[ARKANSAWYER]

  I have recieved several e-mails from people who have read this post as a guest and told me how they have been ripped off by some of these "Angel Investor Firms".  One of the worst is GoBig and Funded is not far behind.  Just take a line from the Koran:  "Trust in GOD put tie up your camel".
  When you look at the site they are really helping people.  When you try to find the businesses most are out of business or do not exist at all.  Then there are some and when you call them they have never heard of the Angel Investor company you are asking about.  I just want my brothers and sisters to becareful out there.  As soon as the Widow gets with her barrister I have some money comming to the US and all will be good.   ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Not directly related to this thread, but I'm saying it anyway. :D When you think about it, when we invest in Wall Street or Toronto stock exchange it's helping that region and not your own (assuming you don't live in Toronto or NYC). Even our own government didn't invest it's pension money in NB, it's in the above two exchanges. When we don't invest in our own region than no one has much grounds to complain. ;) When the government here in NB throws money at a dying business it only prolongs the inevitable. I can't recall too many successes because the recipient didn't loose their money, it was the tax payers. A little different when you have to worry about your own dimes. ;)

If you don't believe there are some prosperous companies not on them exchanges and in NB just look at two $multi-billion companies that are not even on those exchanges, privately held. 1) McCain and 2) Irving.

Citizens Irving

[stavebuyer]

Do you have any other mills in the area that you can re-sell logs to? It's not uncommon here for some of the larger grade mills to buy a tally. It wouldn't cover the logs you keep, but would allow you to buy the whole load without fronting the money for the logs you don't have immediate lumber sales for. I have done very well just buying, sorting, and re-selling logs. Most loggers don't do a very good job merchandising logs. As you have noted...logs are a cash business..if you can turn your log inventory over every week; even at only a .05 margin..you'll soon be able to hold enough to saw. I say this from experience as I was a salaried log buyer until sept 2009. A victim of the market crash myself I was laid off and started out with a cell-phone, a 98 nissan pickup with 150k miles, and 3k in my checking account. I bought and sold over 2 million bd ft of logs last year. Nine months into it I helped finance a used frick mill for a guy that contracts yarding logs for me. I now finance his tie logs and take payment back in sawn crossties.  There's angels out there..I had one help me and I guess I am paying it forward. Your angel won't be found at the bank or on wall street. Look closely at you current suppliers, customers, and people already in the wood business and propose something that will in some way aid or enhance their business in order to get your operating capital.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Here we had 5 large mills in the area and are now down to just 1 large mill and a guy and his wife with an LT40 who do mostly custom sawing, a 70+ man with a manual mill and LeeB when he is home doing mobile sawing and me.  Some of the older loggers just parked their equipment and two younger ones are trying to hold on.  The large mill still standing does 90% of his own logging.  There are no other mills in the area that even saw pine.  Fifty miles away in two different directions are cedar mills and both of them are just getting by and have plenty of logs but are not interested in helping any competition.  I can sell logs to either one of them but with hauling fees and no real mark up on the logs it is a losing deal.
  I am however getting phone calls from people who have lost their suppliers because they went out of business.  One man from Little Rock said he called 25 sawmills and 18 had numbers no longer in service  and out of the others I was the only one who called him back on his order.  Some of those may have switched to cell phones but either way they are missing business.

[LeeB]

I haven't sawn for money in months. Haven't really done any kind of sawing in months. Been laying low so the guys that need the work can get it. I have a good paying job and saw becauase I like to. I have been sawing some walnut 50/50 with a friend just because he has it and I don't have any.