Near-Death Experience Inspires Entrepreneur to Launch Coffee Roasting Business

New small-business owner uses 401(k) funds to finance his dream

Bellevue, Wash. (October 24, 2007) – During a 1998 humanitarian trip to Guatemala, Roger Varner of Hocking Hills, Ohio, collapsed alone on a jungle tour. After being found by locals, he was flown semi-conscious to Guatemala City, where he underwent emergency surgery to save his life. His near-death experience forced Varner to reexamine his life and to seriously pursue a dream that had been brewing for many years.

Before his life-changing experience, Varner had been traveling over the course of several years to Guatemala and other Central and South American countries to support numerous hands-on humanitarian projects. During some of his visits, Varner worked with coffee bean farmers to help bring new wealth and jobs into impoverished communities.

“I was working in the villages where the farmers were picking and roasting the beans, and I got to really connect [with them],” he says. “Coffee is directly connected to the people who grow it and, since my passion is working with people in underdeveloped countries, I thought it would be wonderful if I could someday have a business that opened a pathway to visiting these countries and connecting with the companies that are growing these beans.”

To read more about Roger Varner and Hocking Hills Roasters, click here.

Guidant Financial Group Named the 6th Fastest-Growing Private Company in Washington State

Bellevue, Wash. (October 25, 2007) – Guidant Financial Group, a leading provider of self-directed IRA and business-funding services, was named by the Puget Sound Business Journal as the 6th fastest- growing private company in Washington State.

The weekly publication’s current issue includes a list of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the state, a list it has compiled since 1995. On October 18, representatives of all 100 companies attended a banquet at Qwest Field where the rankings were announced.

To read more about Guidant's ranking as the 6th fastest growing company in Washington State, click here.

Great New Information on Guidant's Website!

As of this week, Guidant is hosting articles from NuWire Investor on its website.

NuWire Investor is an unbiased online source for articles and data on investments outside the stock market. Self-directed IRA holders are typically ahead of the curve when it comes to the kinds of investments they consider for their retirement accounts, yet gaining additional information on these kinds of investment opportunities is not not easily found. In partnering with a resource like NuWire, Guidant is now providing its clients with up-to-date information on investment trends and the data needed to make good choices about what kinds of investments to consider.

The NuWire articles can be found on Guidant's homepage.

To see this exciting new content on Guidant's site, click here.

Guidant Financial Group and Acquireo Join Forces to Educate Prospective Business Owners

Bellevue, Wash. and Fontana, Calif. (October 16, 2007) – Guidant Financial Group and Acquireo announced today that they will be joining efforts to create a more robust source of educational materials to be available on both companies’ websites.

“We get a lot of calls from people wanting to purchase a business, but are uncertain of where to begin looking,” says David Nilssen, President and CEO of Guidant, a leading provider of self-directed IRA services and business-funding solutions. “By tapping into the experience and resources Acquireo has acquired over the years, we can better educate our prospective clients about the processes involved in buying a business.”

Guidant’s website includes audio and video about self-directed investing, a glossary of investment-related terms and a newsletter posted quarterly. Says Nilssen, “The inclusion of Acquireo content will help fill a gap in our curriculum.”

To read more about this exciting relationship, click here.

Self-Directed IRAs Fill Gap Created by Increasingly Elusive Home Equity Loans for Small Business Financing

With the credit crunch threatening to squelch small-business starts, more buyers are bypassing HELOCs to tap into IRAs for financing

Bellevue, Wash. (October 15, 2007) – In today’s economy, small business entrepreneurs are finding Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC) both harder to come by and less lucrative. The shaky housing market has left lenders distrustful of home appreciation values, and those homes that have appreciated over the years are less likely to command the prices they once did. Consequently, many borrowers are shut out of HELOCs, and entrepreneurs are being forced to look elsewhere for capital to fund new businesses.

An increasing number of would-be business owners are turning to a relatively unknown source of funding: IRAs and 401(k)s. By using a variation of what are known in the industry as a self-directed IRA or real estate IRA, retirement account holders can access their own retirement money before retirement age to purchase a business without paying early distribution taxes or penalties or subjecting themselves to high-interest loan payments.

“Business funding via retirement funds rather than HELOCs is an exciting and fast-tracked route into business and for many, greater success,” says David Nilssen, president and CEO of Guidant Financial Group, a leading provider of self-directed IRA services based in Bellevue, Wash. “Given the current credit crunch, I fully expect the growing trend of entrepreneurs using retirement funds to continue its torrid growth pace.”

Investing in a privately held company requires the retirement plan to be structured as a customized 401(k) and that the stock of the business also be structured in a specific way. Nilssen points out that there are many benefits to such structures. “First, you are investing in a business you control. Second, your 401(k) will grow in value as the business grows. Lastly, depending on the size of your retirement account, you may be able to buy the business without using any debt.”

Even those with limited retirement funds can use their IRA money to reduce the amount of debt incurred, use funds to qualify for SBA loans, or combine it with capital from other business partners. Depending on each unique situation, tapping into IRA funds for business ventures may be the funding option that “fills the gap” for entrepreneurs.

Laid-Off Corporate Worker Invests Retirement Funds in Entrepreneurial Endeavor

Guidant Financial Group Enables Entrepreneurs to tap into IRA and 401(k)s for More Advantageous Business Ventures

Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) October 1, 2007 -- A former manager of customer service and implementation, Tony Capobianco, found himself laid off in May 2005 after 18 years in corporate America. Yet he's not shedding any tears about it; in fact, quite the opposite. "I get up every morning now with a smile -- and sometimes glue -- on my face," he says. "I've gone from wingtips to sneakers, and I'm loving every minute of it."

Capobianco, of Tampa, Fla., is one of a growing number of laid-off (or simply rat-race-weary) workers who have left the corporate world to embrace new lives as self-employed entrepreneurs. "I never thought that it would be feasible until circumstances made it a feasibility."

Click here to read more about how Tony financed his business.

Slow Housing Market Has Little Effect on Investment

Bellevue, Wash. (October 8, 2007) – Guidant Financial Group, a leading provider of self-directed IRA services, recently conducted a survey that provided valuable data on self-directed investment trends. Results gave insight into which investments are getting the most traction in this niche market, given the current economic situation.

The survey was completed by nearly 1000 self-directed IRA holders and individuals actively seeking self-directed IRAs across the country. Respondents were asked, among other things, what types of investments they were considering with a self-directed 401k. Despite the housing market experiencing its first downturn in several years, Guidant’s survey results reveal that investors still consider real estate as their top investment option.

Click here to read more about Guidant's Survey.