The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) has been designed by the UK Government to encourage private investment into small, high risk trading companies by offering a range of tax incentives.

Providing the underlying investments made by the EIS are held for at least three years (for Income Tax relief and tax free growth), the current tax reliefs available for UK investors are:

30% upfront Income Tax relief up to maximum investment of £1 million, which can be carried back to the previous tax year

100% Inheritance Tax relief (provided the investments have been held for at least 2 years at time of death)

Capital gains tax deferral for the life of the investment

Tax-free growth

Tax relief from investment losses

If you are looking to invest across a range of EIS managers and would like a simple way of administering your investments, the scheme has been designed with you in mind.

EIS may be right for you if any of the following statements apply:

· You have significant savings and want to diversify your investments while benefiting from the tax incentives

· You are keen to benefit from the growth potential offered by investment in smaller companies

· You would like to reduce the potential Inheritance Tax due on your estate

· You would like to reduce your Income Tax liability

· You want to defer a capital gain

· You have a significant pension fund but are now exposed to the Annual Pension and/or Lifetime Allowance

· You have elected for Pension Enhanced Protection or Fixed Protection

· You want a tax efficient savings vehicle without the restrictions attached to pensions

· You are a UK resident non domicile and would like to remit overseas income and capital gains tax free

We believe that EIS/SEIS portfolios are the investment of choice if you want to make larger contributions to fund your retirement in a tax efficient manner.

However, the tax benefits of investing should be your secondary and not primary reason for investing. EIS (and SEIS) is designed to provide an excellent investment opportunity in its own right.

Direct Application:

Investors can choose to invest via an offer to purchase new shares directly into an EIS qualifying company. The biggest benefit of this option is that the investor has direct control over the investment. However, not many people have the skills needed to carry out the necessary due diligence needed and the lack of thorough due diligence carries exceptionally high risk.

Investors who are seeking a more diverse portfolio may find this investment option a little less attractive as “all their eggs will be in one basket”. Additionally, the same benefit (more control) can also be a drawback as investors will not have the benefits of working with professional advisers.

A discretionary service:

This option allows investors to invest their EIS/SEIS money through a discretionary manager. For most investors the attractive aspect of this option is access to professional advice and information via trained and qualified personnel and recommended by a financial adviser. An adviser will likely simplify the investment process by handling special paperwork and dealing with other details.

However, as with a direct investment, the client is likely to be invested in a small number of companies and very exposed to the fluctuation in valuation

A platform:

You can use a platform offering EIS/SEIS solutions for EIS/SEIS investors, helping to simplify the EIS investment process. From those looking at longer term investment (perhaps for those considering inheritance tax (IHT)) to those looking for more “asset focused” investments, to those considering Seed EIS investment.

With the availability of a wide range of managers, clients and advisers can significantly reduce risk with greater diversification all within one application form.

If you tried to think of people involved in product creation, who would come to mind? You may think of Edison, Franklin, or maybe Henry Ford. Would you ever think of yourself as someone who can create a quality product? Product creation is actually relatively easy and product launching is not that tough either! If you follow a few easy to understand steps, you could be starting the product creation and product launching process sooner than you think.

The first step in creating your information product is to know and understand your market. This can be very time-consuming, especially if you are unsure of what to do or where to look to know your market. Studying your niche market and understanding the buzz words and buying patterns can ease the process dramatically. Personally, I would recommend networking with someone who has had success in the niche market you are considering and learn from their results. If they are into product creation and not very business savvy expect some hesitation. If they only sell products and have nothing to do with product launching or product creation you may your first affiliate (sales person)! Something else you can use to find hot trends is with the Google Trends tool.

The second step is the product creation process. Take your niche market and brainstorm ideas and topics relating to it. There are a lot of product launching contests going on recently relating to a newly created internet marketing tool. There are so many aspects to the mentioned niche that literally, and unfortunately, anything can be considered an Internet Marketing tool. The reason that anyone can basically create an Internet Marketing tool is because of something called Private Label Rights products.

What I use private label rights products for, and highly recommend them in this specific manner, is to cure writer’s block especially when it is lingering. Many people base their entire product creation and product launching on a private label rights product. This is where you can start to shine and build a strong brand for yourself. If you set goals for yourself, short-term goals to be exact, you can see your product creation come into being much faster and there is a good chance with less revision needed. If you keep hitting time restraint road blocks; however there is nothing wrong with a slow and steady approach, you can consider outsourcing portions of your project. Outsourcing can be an extremely huge benefit or just as great of a disaster.

You can find someone to outsource work to at a freelance site such as Guru.com or eLance.com. When reviewing proposals it is almost mandatory you perform a background check on them as you are in essence hiring them. Doing a background check on freelancers is as easy as asking for samples of their work and reviewing feedback on the freelance site from previous customers. Depending on the size and requirements of your project this can add up to a decent sized investment, so caution is very important. One tip I always recommend to people looking to hire an individual is to ask them what they can provide you that no one else can. This simple question gives them a chance to “toot their own horn” and acknowledge where they feel most competent as far as their skill set.

The final portion of the product creation and product launching formula is the launch. This can literally make or break the effort, time, and maybe (if you invested) money you put in to your project. There are numerous aspects to product launching and although their relevance is debated in terms to their effect, experts agree all must be followed. The person in your field who you asked for product advice from can help you substantially if you have kept in touch. If not, the first thing you need to do is to create a visually appealing website with flawless design work.

I also mentioned outsourcing before, this is one aspect of product launching I have little strength in and I always outsource this portion. The website does not have to be large however the content (ad copy in Internet Marketing) must be stellar and as perfect as possible. This is where advertising knowledge or experience is beneficial. When the site is set up you now put a lead capture form on your website.

I put two lead capture pages on all products I create on the internet and is one of the best methods of getting a solid start when you are in the product launching stage. When you gain information from a prospect or someone looking to get paid for referring sales you are able to provide them updates or specials. Many people abuse their prospect or affiliate lists by in turn emailing them with a new product daily and I find the recommendations to be totally unrelated to their original need, problem, or interest.

Another stage in the product launching stage is creating a free report or demo version of your product to entice the product to sign up to your email list. Using proper follow up with this can help generate numerous sales for you. One thing you need to ensure is that your free product completely relates to your main product that you are looking to sell.

You are now ready to advertise your product launching to customers as well as the opportunity to sell for affiliates. This is the single aspect that many product creations and launches fail on. It is actually not entirely difficult. One thing you can do is write articles (and a good amount of them) on topics relating to your product. I am a huge advocate of giving a solution in forums. When you join a forum you are normally offered the opportunity to create a signature. In your signature, you should enter the link to your opt-in or lead capture page. When you respond to posts, you are advertising your opportunity.

It is not impossible to create a product and it does not have to take a long time. You need to setup a plan and stick to it. If you get stuck, look at similar and successful products to your own and try and see how they did it. When you sit down and brainstorm you will be surprised with what you can imagine.

There are many factors which contribute to the success of any home business opportunity. However, there are instances that where people could fail even though they put in all their efforts. In order to make your home based business opportunity a success, you need to play your cards right and avoid making any wrong decisions or improper planning.Failure and disappointment arises due to not choosing the right opportunity. There are many people who fail even after choosing the right opportunity simple because they lack dedication and determination.You can thus, minimize and eliminate mistakes in our home based business if you follow a few suggestions:1) Not an easy way to earn fast money: First of all, you need to stop thinking that a home based business opportunity is the easiest way to earn fast money. Nothing comes easy and we need to work hard and apply strategies until we succeed. Lack of dedication and motivation are two main reasons for not making your home business successful. You should not lose faith in your business and learn how to self motivate yourself in both good and bad conditions. You may gather online information to understand the finer points which you may have missed out on.2) Research the market: Most home business opportunities are new in the market and they need time to establish. You need to research the market and business opportunities thoroughly so that you do not make any error while choosing your home based business. After finding the right venture, research more about the company, its growth, its capital, the compensation, its plan, the process of payment, competitors, incentives etc. This will help you decide if the venture is right for you or not.3) Create proper planning and strategies: You need to take enough time to document your ideas and goals before you start your home based business. Well-documented planning will help you to move further with your business smoothly without making any haste decisions. This will also help you in determining the business concepts, estimated costs, sales prediction and controlling risks. 4) Needs of the customer: You need to pick up the most effective way to promote your home based business. This mainly depends on what works for your business and what doesn’t. This can be done if you define the needs of the consumer first before developing a product and work on those lines. 5) Marketing plan: The integral part of your business plan is the marketing plan. It will highlight the direction in which you want to take your business and then achieve success. You will need to accurately analyze and eliminate the errors of your marketing operations.Understanding the factors which are important to minimize and eliminating errors in your business opportunities will help you to identify your weaknesses as well. You will realize that it is not the quantity of work you do, but rather the quality of work that produces a successful home based business opportunity for you.