SEJARAH KAMIR
Kamir, juga ditulis Khamir, adalah makanan khas Pemalang asal negara Arab. Kue ini terbuat dari adonan terigu, mentega, pisang ambon, tape dan telur. Kue kamir ada dua jenis, yaitu kamir beras dan kamir terigu. Dipasaran kota Pemalang lebih banyak kamir terigu karena yang tahan lama sedangkan kamir beras hanya berdasarkan pesanan. Beberapa orang menyebutnya dengan nama Samir.
Kue ini berbentuk bundar, pipih berwarna coklat dan hampir menyerupai kue apem atau serabi tetapi sedikit lebih besar dan bantet. Sedangkan ukurannya bervariasi, yang terbesar sampai sebesar lingkaran piring makan. Sedangkan terkecil sebesar lingkaran mangkok. Ukuran-ukuran itu tergantung pemesannya. Bahkan pernah akan dibuat ukuran raksasa tapi gagal karena tidak matang secara merata.
Menurut cerita, orang pertama yang membuat kue kamir adalah seorang warga Arab yang tinggal di Kelurahan Mulyoharjo, yang dikenal juga dengan sebutan Kampung Arab. Nama kamir itu sendiri tidak jelas berasal dari nama apa. Apakah berasal dari kata khamer (bahasa Arab) yang berarti memabukan atau dari nama orang keturunan Arab itu sendiri.
Tetapi yang mendekati kemungkinan adalah nama Kamir berasal dari kata Khamir yang dalam bahasa Arab berarti ragi, dalam proses pembuatan kue kamir ini sebelum dimasak, terlebih dahulu didiamkan semalam agar bisa mengembang dengan sempurna dan tejadinya proses fermentasi.
http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamir
4 R’s of Finding Investors for Your Business Project
Whether you are running a startup project or are extending your existing business get investors for your venture is always a challenge. It takes time, confidence, patience and luck to finally present your business plan in from of potential investors. And even then nothing is guaranteed.
Talking to professional VC firms and business consultants who help raising capital for business helped me to clarify the 4 R’s of getting closer to where money lives.
1. Research
Search Internet for local VC, angel investors, and private equity firms and check out their websites. Look for their investment preferences and most importantly explore their recent investments project (not something they invested in five years ago). Try finding the perfect match between what your project is about and what each specific company is most likely to invest into. For example some firms may state they are investing in software or Web 2.0. But as an entrepreneur seeking funding you should dig a little deeper and find out their exact investment specialization: whether they invest in software security or online gaming, or iPhone apps etc.
You also need to find the investment size match and the project stage match. For example some investors will not provide funding for a blank start-up idea, others will not invest below $10M, and some may just do seed investment of $10-50K.
You cannot do too much of research: investing firms come in all shapes and sizes and from diverse backgrounds. So make sure the company you choose meets your expectations of what the investor should bring to your business (along with the capital). For example, one investor might have been a serial entrepreneur and another one has come from investment banking. The investor with entrepreneurial background is more likely to be looking for a hands-on approach where he/she will play a significant role. While the investor with investment banking background is probably looking for a solid management team to be sure they can execute the business plan well.
Doing the research is never easy but this is the ground for the overall success and getting your business funded by professional investor.
2. Reach out
Once you have done the research, you can move to the reaching out part of the process. You can send out emails attaching the Executive Summary and/or Business Plan, network with investors during the events, conferences and exhibitions but the most efficient method is being introduced in person. So try finding right people who can introduce you to investors and whom they actually trust. In reality that means getting to know the professionals (accountants, corporate finance lawyers, private client stockbrokers, etc.) who circulate in that world of investors, and learn from them the best routes to go.
And it is perfect if your reputation goes ahead of you. The word of mouth could be spread by the people whom you have built professional relationship with: previous employers, business suppliers and partners, associations, committees, advisory boards, community functions etc.
Fund raising is a long run: it is about building a long-term relationship with investors and those who can introduce or recommend you. People invest in people (and only then in projects!). So the more investors trust you, the better.
3. Recruit
Now you should convince your investors that you put their best interest before your own success. You have to prove that not only you can turn the project successful but will put their returns above all. This does not necessarily mean giving up of control. But make the repayment procedure and possible exit strategy as clear as possible. This is much like being a good host and serving your guests first.
4. Repeat!
Do you really expect to hit your target from the first shot? You must be prepared to put your first 50 business plans in the dumpster and adjust your pitch to meet the interests of the investors before it actually plays out well. So do stay positive and keep your motivation and spirit high when you are on your money hunt. All the best luck.
