Welcome to the 1st quarter 2005 edition of the Smart Growth Report from the Childs Company. I hope you find the information here useful in developing plans to meet your business or personal goals. Please contact me if there is anything we can do to facilitate implementing the ideas contained in this report. I would love to help you.

Best wishes for your success,
Matt Childs

Childs Company is a growth partner for emerging companies and entrepreneurs. We work with a limited number of small business owners who are serious about
growing their business.

Click here to learn more about Childs Company

Jim Childs

Jim Childs, former CEO of Impact Innovations, a $100 million IT services provider, and former Robinson Humphrey investment banker, has joined forces with Argonne Capital. Based in Atlanta, Argonne (www.argonnecapital.com), was founded by real estate entrepreneur Mike Klump and is a private investment firm which seeks to acquire controlling interests in companies that will benefit from its principals’ operating, finance and real estate backgrounds.

Jim started Impact Innovations in 1998 in an effort to build a regional information technology services provider focused primarily on serving middle market companies and the Federal government. In 1999, Jim partnered with Atlanta based private equity firm Cravey, Green and Wahlen and subsequently built Impact into a $100 million company with 750 employees and offices in Atlanta, Dallas and Washington, DC. Impact Innovations was named one of Atlanta’s fasted growing companies and was also named by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the best employers in the city among mid-sized firms. In September of 2004 , the firm was sold to Dynamics Research Corporation, a publicly traded company based in Boston for total proceeds in excess of $60 million.

Argonne Capital focuses on acquiring companies with real estate assets such as restaurant chains, franchises and retail but is also interested in more traditional venture and buyout opportunities in service industries. Argonne currently owns IHOP Texas, one of the largest IHOP franchisees in the nation. Unlike typical buyout funds, Argonne works with high net worth and institutional investors on specific opportunities and thus can hold its investments without the typical constraints that face private equity funds.

Visit the
Argonne Capital Group's
web site

About Childs Company

Business Publications
Business Week
Business 2.0
Business to Business
Catalyst
Entrepreneur
Fast Company
Forbes
Fortune Small Business
Fortune
Harvard Business Review
Inc.
Kiplinger's
Money
Smart Money
Strategy+Business
Sales & Marketing Management
Selling Power

This Quarter:

• Smart Marketing
• Smart Investing
• GA Economic Indicators: 4th Quarter 2004
• Business Partner Profile: Argonne Capital

From Entrepreneur Magazine "Think client testimonials are just icing on the cake? Think again...... "

Consider incorporating “mini case studies” as a core piece of all of your marketing efforts. Exceptional case studies weave a company’s products, services and solutions into a narrative that’s easy to digest and that immediately connects with prospects. More powerful than a brochure or canned presentation, the case study allows prospects to see that your company has solved real business problems for other clients. In addition, prospects gain tremendous confidence in knowing that you have been chosen by reputable companies to serve them.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the notion of creating a full-blown case study. While there may be a place for “white papers” in the sale of complex or long sales cycle items, a mini case study may be only two or three paragraphs and can be easily incorporated into your website, advertising, marketing literature and email marketing. Including quotes from satisfied customers as well as the customer’s logo will bring your story to life.

Click here to read the complete article

Does your company have a comprehensive sales and marketing plan for 2005? We can help. Click here to contact us.

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Is Your Portfolio Properly Position
for 2005?

Rebalancing your portfolio on a consistent basis is a key to the long-term health of your investment portfolio. Brian Frank, Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley, says “We meet with our clients throughout the year to review not only investment performance but also to review and update their personal financial situations and objectives. At least once per year, we evaluate the pros and cons of reallocating their assets to take advantage of changing market conditions.”

Items to consider for 2005:

• Small cap stocks have outperformed large caps in recent years. Consider maintaining or even reducing your allocation to small caps in 2005.
• Amid much uncertainty regarding U.S./domestic equities, consider increasing your allocation to international stocks.
• Consider introducing “alternative investments” into your portfolio. Investments in vehicles such as commodities, foreign currencies, etc typically perform independently of the equity markets and can be a good hedge against the risk of declining equity markets.
• Make sure that your bond or fixed income investments are such that you will not lose significant value in a rising interest rate environment.

Do you need help in evaluating your investments and allocating your assets to meet your long term financial objectives? We can provide a free, no obligation consultation. Click here to contact us.

 

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Reviewing the Numbers:

As in the nation as a whole, employment and per capita income in Georgia were slow to recover from the 2001 recession. However, both measures improved in 2004 vs. the prior year. Housing in Georgia experienced healthy gains in 2004, but some weakening was evident in the second half of the year. Most forecasts call for continued moderation in the housing market in 2005.

With the state’s large manufacturing industry stabilizing, business services expanding and real estate activity remaining at high levels, Georgia’s economy is on course for a stronger 2005.

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