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8/13/2019

The Letter of Intent

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In the grant announcement you may find a request to submit a letter of intent prior to filling out the complete grant application. However, this is not a binding obligation by the applicant. Some grant makers use this letter to determine whether the program is even something that they may be interested in funding.  

If this letter is required, the grant maker will state that you must submit a letter of intent by such and such a date to be able to submit a full proposal. Only those submitting this letter of intent by the specific deadline will be eligible to apply for this grant. This letter should be short and to the point and no longer that one page unless otherwise indicated. Some grant makers will supply a form that you just complete and send in by the deadline.

You will then be notified to proceed with a full proposal to be submitted by the deadline, if you have peaked their interest. I have discovered through the years that the vast majority of grant makers want your entire proposal right upfront by a given time, but I did want to make you aware of other options.  Only send a letter of intent when it’s requested. Remember that if this letter is required, then submit it by the deadline for the complete proposal submission. 

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4/25/2019

Expertise of the Proposal Writer

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I have always believed that grant awards come to those writers who exhibit the following energetic and leadership image:

I must be the expert, totally believe in this project, think Win-Win at all times, a “Take Charge” Leader and know everything there is to know about this project. I have the expertise, confidence, honesty, perseverance, high energy and listening power. I possess effective communication and problem-solving skills to bring this proposal to successful fruition. 

One of the major dilemmas that I identified over the years is that there are proposals written that never get “off the ground”, much less submitted. I’m aware of organizations that have spent days and even months on developing a specific proposal, yet it never gets submitted. 

After investigating this predicament, I discovered that it occurs because of a simple omission. No specific person was assigned the leadership role of getting the proposal written and submitted. Many times, an organization will select team members because of their ability to write one specific section of the proposal. This is fine, except the problem here is that this proposal lacks the leader who is needed to pull all of the sections together and get it submitted in a timely fashion. 

I strongly recommend that to produce a successful proposal, someone must be clearly designated right up front as the team leader who is the sole person responsible for getting the proposal written and submitted on time. It’s as simple as that, yet many times, organizations do not designate a specific person for this role. Thus, the grant-writing process suffers because the proposal pieces are never gathered and assembled to meet the deadline.

When you are both the team leader and the key writer, immediately, let everyone know that you are ultimately the “boss” for getting this proposal submitted. It is vital that right up front, you let everyone know who you are and what your role entails.  Regardless of the others who contribute to the proposal, in the end, you are the one who is totally responsible for the success or failure of this grant proposal.  

You want to be first when it comes to a grant award because second best is no better than being last. In both cases, you come away without the “prize”. The keystone of a winning proposal is to be detail-intensive, generate an award-winning piece and most importantly, submit the proposal on time.
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Get Dr. Pat's comprehensive book on winning grants on Barnes and Noble or Amazon!

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4/9/2019

Why Do Businesses Succeed?

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​My ongoing research through the years includes why some of my entrepreneur graduates succeed in business and why others are less fortunate. Business success is defined in many ways, but the bottom line is profitability. 

Profit is considered the money remaining after a product or service is sold, earned revenue and paid out its cost of operating the business.  Costs are everything from buying supplies, paying employees, liability insurance and all of the overhead expenses incurred in the operation. 

If a business isn’t producing profits, then it means that more money is being spent than earned. Businesses can’t go on very long when operating at a deficit.  

There are many opinions by experts about why a business succeeds or fails. I have tracked my entrepreneur graduates for years and the ones who have succeeded in business demonstrate certain skills such as the following:
  • Target the right group of customers
  • Stay informed about whether or not they have enough customers 
  • Aware of their customers’ wants and needs
  • Have a clear purpose of their business in writing
  • Utilize an updated Business Plan
  • Have written specific goals and objectives
  • Keep abreast with their full operating costs
  • Familiar with their specific business expenses 
  • Adhere to their budget
  • Accumulate data about their competitors’ strengths and weaknesses
  • Aware of their own strengths and weaknesses
  • Carefully calculated their prices and continue to sell at a profit
  • Use effective leadership and management
  • Stay involved in professional groups and the community 
  • Bring in above-average profits due to exemplary planning
  • Maintain the image of a “winner”

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2/28/2019

How to Win At Grant Writing - Where to Begin

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Where do you begin?

I’m Dr. Pat and I have written hundreds of proposals and been awarded over fifty million dollars in grant funds. There are certain secrets that I will share with you if you want to succeed as a successful proposal writer.

The first thing that you must locate is the Request For Proposal (RFP) because without this, there is no reason to write a proposal.  This is a request for a proposal and states that the grant maker is seeking an organization that they will give grant money to in exchange for implementing a specific service or project. Without the RFP there is no reason to write your proposal.

I have always predicted that a grant is awarded to those writers who exhibit energetic and leadership skills that include being an expert in the field of interest that you want funding for, can accept challenges or problems as opportunities and be the “take charge" grant producer. Problem solvers and effective communicators tend to bring a proposal to successful fruition.

One of the major dilemmas that I have found over the years is that there are great proposals written that “never get off the ground". Many times an organization seeking a grant award will gather together several talented individuals who comprise the proposal-writing team. I usually find that they have omitted one winning factor; they lack the leader whose job is to pull all of the proposal sections together and to get the proposal submitted by the deadline. 

I strongly recommend that to produce an award-winning proposal, one person must be clearly designated as the team leader whose sole responsibility is to get the proposal written, assembled and submitted on time. It’s as simple as that, yet many times, organizations do no have that specific person and the grant-writing process fails. More of my winning secrets can be found in my book called “How To Win At Grant Writing" found on Amazon or Barnes & Noble sites.

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2/11/2019

The First Impression is the Only Impression

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Frequently, I meet aspiring entrepreneurs who are in the midst of developing their Business Plan to start a business and become their own boss. They have identified a great product or service and know that their customers can’t live without it, so they are now ready to launch their operations.

Right upfront is the time for every budding entrepreneur to establish their winning image of success in the eyes of the public and especially their customers. Your image must radiate success from day one and give the impression that your operation is indeed successful!  This is accomplished through different strategies, depending on whether you are home-based or located in a busy mall. If you are going to start your business by being based at home, then your public image must be reflected in fine business cards, letterhead stationary, a sharp logo and unique signage on your business vehicle.  You will need to identify an outside site to meet with customers that is classy, elegant and reflects that you are a successful business owner.

I often say that the first impression is the only impression a customer will make about your business image and it will be either poor or great.  You have no second chance on a first impression. Your business image is wrapped up in your packaging. This means that the major visible sign that you first portray must be one of wealth, prosperity and unquestionable success. You have to appear that you are “flying with the winners".

I remained home-based for three years in order to save money so that one day I could open the finest office. Until that time, my business cards were elegant, I walked and talked the part of success and no one knew the difference. In my customers’ eyes they firmly believed that I was successful!  I met with my customer’s downtown in an elegant hotel and conference center. In order to pull this off, I talked the hotel manager into giving me the use of an elegant small conference room whenever I needed it, in return for two free stress workshops a year for her employees. This arrangement continued until I had sufficient money from my profits to lease one of their beautiful offices.

Yes, I opened with the indisputable image of a highly successful business right in the heart of the city where I remain to this day! One of my original entrepreneur students, who went on to become a successful interior designer, decorated our site that brought fabulous reviews at our Grand Opening. My entire operation continues to reflect success and this has made us truly a successful business.


In addition to securing your site, you must consider all of your initial start-up costs. These expenses are what it takes to start-up a first-class business operation. I shopped around and my initial office furnishings were acquired from a business that closed. I purchased these at seventy per cent of the original costs and they all looked like new. Initially, I leased my office equipment because money was tight and these expenses were spread out over time. The maintenance fees were also included in my equipment lease and it also covered any unexpected repair costs. I have found that leasing major equipment has been cost effective throughout the years by doing comparison cost studies.

​Start-up expenses include lease costs, computer hardware and software, office supplies, your telephone and computer system, liability insurance costs, signage, legal fees, costs of any licenses, loan repayments and initial advertisement costs are only a few of your financial outlays. Identify these costs before you even open your doors to ensure that you have the funds to effectively start-up your operations because when you start-up there is no time for additional concerns.

If you want more of my start-up secrets you can find these in Unlock the American Dream found on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

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1/29/2019

The Business Plan

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Starting your own business will change your thinking and your life forever! Whether you plan on opening a gift shop, pizzeria, cleaning service or a high tech shop, you should take specific actions before you start selling your products or promoting your services. 

I have discovered in my entrepreneur training sessions that successful entrepreneurs are not ordinary people, but extraordinary individuals who use unique qualities and skills to create a profitable business venture. Winning entrepreneurs follow the basics rules for developing their Business Plan that becomes their “road map” to success. 

You may be thinking, why should I take the time to create my Business Plan?  When others read your plan it gives them a profile of your anticipated business and lends credibility on whether or not your venture will be successful.  The Business Plan you create becomes your business profile and gives you an official document to give to anyone who may need to know more about your operation. 

The Business Plan is your communication tool when you go to the financial institution for start-up or expansion funds because the loan officer expects to see a fully developed plan. It must show that you are a strong and focused business leader and manager. While developing your plan, it gives you practice in thinking about competitive conditions, opportunities, threats, your ongoing cash flow status and situations that can make you a “Giant” in the business world of tomorrow.         

There are resources online, in libraries, business workshops and seminars that can get you started with your business planning, but you can also follow my article posts and read my books to discover ideas and hints for starting your own business.

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    Dr. Patricia Laino

    Dr. Patricia Laino earned a Baccalaureate in Science and a Master of Science from SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica, New York.  She was awarded a Certificate of Advanced Study from SUNY Cortland, New York and earned a Doctorate in Business Organization, Administration, Research and Policy from Buffalo State University of New York. She has been a presenter of “How To Win At Writing Grants” at numerous colleges.

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"To win, you must find a need and satisfy it." 
--Conrad Hilton
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