Successful, innovative entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III believes so, and he’s on a mission to help both humans and these amazing creatures. Burns has created over 150 startups, but this multi-millionaire is much more than a business person: he’s a humanitarian at heart. Read more to find out about The Orca Project.
The Catalyst Behind the Mission
Burns, who live on the California coast became worried about the safety of his community and individuals worldwide as he increasingly noticed media coverage of unprovoked shark attacks on humans. There’s a reason why unprovoked attacks keep appearing in the news: based on the International Shark Attack Files, which is published by the Florida Museum of Natural History, these attacks have increasingly occurred over the past few decades. The chart below provides more details:
Clearly, human lives are at stake, but why does Burns believe that orcas can provide a beneficial solution?
“Apex Predators” Meet Their Match
An apex predator is a species at the top of its food chain. People often think of sharks, especially great whites, as apex predators with no natural enemies. However, research shows that this assessment is not quite correct.
According to a recent publication by Smithsonian, scientific studies have proven that a pod of orcas can drive great whites away from an area for months – even if the pod is only the area for a couple of hours. Based on the report by the Smithsonian, and other reputable publications such as National Geographic, great whites flee from orcas for good reason: orcas prey on these sharks.
Creating a “Win” for Everyone
Peter J. Burns III is not on a mission to eradicate great whites or other sharks by introducing pods of orcas into their territories. Instead, he is actively pursuing a new, green solution which will benefit humans and orcas without causing shark casualties. The Orca Project is based on the idea that great whites could be deterred from areas where humans frequently swim through the use of technology.
The Atlantic recently published an article which expressed that “orcas don’t actually have to kill any great whites to drive them away. Their mere presence—and most likely their scent—is enough.” (Yong, 2019) Burns believes that introducing the scent and sounds of orcas into waters frequented by beachgoers can help keep humans safe by driving away sharks and preventing attacks. Here are a few potential benefits to this plan:
Human swimmers are less likely to become prey – accidentally or otherwise – if sharks eschew coastal areas in favor of locations which are not frequented by people.
The project will spark further research and interest in these animals, whose populations are rapidly declining, according to the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington.
The Orca Project is a shark-friendly alternative to killing these animals. Furthermore, fewer shark attacks on people mean less “bad press” for the sharks, who are often vilified.
Become Involved in the Orca Project
If you are interested in contributing to The Orca Project or learning more about the mission, visit Burns’s site (www.peterjburnsiii.com), which gives details about this endeavor as well as other ongoing projects.
Serial entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III is on a humanitarian mission. According to recent reports, shark attacks are on the rise in the United States. Just how serious is this problem? Take a look at the chart below, which is based on the most recent data from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF).
Furthermore, the United States reports more unprovoked shark attacks on humans, annually, than any other nation. An unprovoked shark attack is an incident in which the human victim did nothing to encourage the shark to engage. While many attacks “result in minor bites or abrasions from small sharks,” other attacks are downright deadly (ISFA).
Note: Attack data gathered from ISAF; 2019 data refers to January — June of the corresponding year.
The title of this article sums up the situation: GREAT WHITE SHARKS INCLUDING 15-FOOT, 2,000 POUND BEHEMOTH ARE PATROLLING U.S. EAST COAST HUNTING PREY. The coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida draw great white sharks each fall as temperatures drop. However, the east coast is not the only U.S. location where great whites attack. California’s infamous “red triangle” is the location at which roughly one third of great white shark attacks happen in the United States. For more information about the “red triangle,” watch this video.
Great Whites Mean Great Danger
What really concerns Peter J. Burns III about this disturbing data is that very little is being done to remedy this scary situation. Burns’s desire to protect human lives drove him to further research how sharks could be deterred from hurting humans. Based on several new reports, like this National Geographic article, sharks have a real enemy: orca whales. Orcas eat sharks, including great whites. Peter J. Burns III sees orcas as a human ally with powerful potential, and he founded The Orca Project with their abilities in mind.
Orcas: Our Allies in the Ocean
Great white sharks can grow up to 20 feet in length, and weigh up to 6,600 pounds. This means that any predator that can take down one of these animals is quite impressive. Orcas can weigh up to 6 tons and in terms of great whites, these whales are quite a formidable foe. In fact, after orcas enter an area, great whites are so scared that they will not return to that location for months (Jorgensen, et al.). However, orca populations are in decline, as reported by sources such as Smithsonian magazine.
Orcas certainly need our help, and they are not known to attack humans. Peter J. Burns III knows that it is time to become serious about orca conservation, and he beliefs that helping orca populations to thrive will result in less shark attacks on humans. Furthermore, he sees a great research opportunity: if humans learn more about the signals that orcas give off to scare sharks away, we can use that information to protect our own kind.
Jorgensen, S., Anderson, S., Kanive , P., Moxley, J., Ferretti, F., Chapple, T., & Block, B. (n.d.). Killer whales redistribute white shark foraging pressure on seals. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39356-2.
Note: Article affiliated with Monterey Bay Aquarium; Department of Biology, Stanford University; Point Blue Conservation Science; Fish and Wildlife Management, Montana State University
I am both a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, and I am on a humanitarian mission to make beaches safer for people who would like to enjoy these natural spaces without having to fear violent, and often deadly, shark attacks. In terms of sharks, the great white is typically considered the epitome of an apex predator.
The great white (scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias) can grow up to 20 feet in length, and weigh in at over 3 tons. weigh up to 6,600 pounds. These predators have serrated teeth which allow them to tear into the flesh of their prey. According to Oceana.org, these teeth can be as long as 6.6 inches. It’s no wonder that people do not want to get into the water with these animals.
The University of Florida’s 2018 International Shark Attack File (ISAF) provides further proof that these predators are to be avoided. The ISAF defines an “unprovoked attacks” by sharks as “incidents where an attack on a live human occurs in the shark’s natural habitat with no human provocation of the shark” (ISAF, 2019). Unprovoked attacks do not include situations in which humans attempt to touch, harm, or otherwise interact with sharks. The table below gives further details about last year’s attacks on humans.
Table from Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary by ISAF
The ISAF also reports that of all the countries in the world, the United States had the highest number of unprovoked shark attacks in 2018. These are scary statistics, but is there a solution?
Orcas may be the answer. A recent study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports provides strong proof that orcas seriously deter great whites. During the course of the study, researchers tracked great whites with electronic tags and found that these animals leave areas when orcas are present. In fact, orcas give great white such a fright that the sharks will not return to a zone for months after orcas have visited the area. A recently published National Geographic article provides insight into the sharks’ behavior: orcas actually feed on great whites.
Instead of avoiding our oceans, I believe that humans should further research great white and orca interactions and support orca conservation. The benefits are threefold:
Orcas populations will thrive as a result of increased conservation activity, understanding, and interest.
Human lives will be saved when orcas “do their part” as apex predators and naturally clear coastal areas of great whites.
A decreased amount of shark attacks on humans will benefit great whites because they will be less likely to be feared as villains who prey on humans.
I also see great potential for further research into the signals that orcas are giving off to great white sharks. I believe that if these signals are mimicked, humans can experienced increased safety in the water. This pioneering idea will allow both humans and marine life to benefit via a green solution.
To learn more about me and to get involved in the Orca Project, visit www.peterjburnsiii.com.
Jorgensen, S., Anderson, S., Kanive , P., Moxley, J., Ferretti, F., Chapple, T., & Block, B. (n.d.). Killer whales redistribute white shark foraging pressure on seals. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39356-2.
Note: Article affiliated with Monterey Bay Aquarium; Department of Biology, Stanford University; Point Blue Conservation Science; Fish and Wildlife Management, Montana State University
Take it from Peter J. Burns, III: entrepreneurship can be challenging. Burns has started over 150 successful businesses, and he has helped thousands of entrepreneurs through his mentorship, as well as through the financial support his business, Burn$ Funding, offers. He has also taught entrepreneurship to students at Arizona State University’s Barrett Honors College and Grand Canyon University.
After decades of experience as a serial startup entrepreneur and supporting others in the business community, Peter J. Burns, III has a great deal of knowledge about the obstacles entrepreneurs face, and how to deal with them.
This article reviews entrepreneurial challenges and provides tips about how to deal with them effectively.
1. Uncertainty
As an entrepreneur, you must take risks and prepare for the unexpected. It is important to remain flexible and to be willing to change course as needed. Brace yourself by expecting change and open your mind to new opportunities and tactics.
You should also prepare for unexpected financial circumstances by setting up an emergency fund. It is important to have a business emergency fund which is separate from your personal expenses. Peter J. Burns III offers banking options for entrepreneurs through Burn$ Funding. Your emergency fund should contain enough capital to propel your business for 2–3 months in the event of an unfortunate circumstance.
2. Time Management
One great benefit of being an entrepreneur is the ability to set your own schedule. Take advantage of this circumstance by actually setting a schedule. Decide when your “office hours” will be. Create a list of priorities for the week and focus on those.
You should not check your email around the clock. If you do not set boundaries, emails and calls will overwhelm you. It’s important to build in time for relaxation and your personal life.
If you do receive an important message, check the contents against your existing priority list for the week. Decide whether to shift your priorities or to save the new task for later.
3. Isolation
Entrepreneurs often work alone or on very small teams. Reach out to other entrepreneurs who can provide support, mentor you, and help to keep you from circling back to the same stagnant old ideas.
Working around others can also keep you motivated. Peter J. Burns, III often uses WeWork in La Jolla, CA as a workspace, and he finds it very rewarding to meet and work alongside fellow entrepreneurs. Also consider networking opportunities, or even create your own networking event or group.
Not all of your interactions with fellow entrepreneurs need to be in person. Reach out to other entrepreneurs online via sites like LinkedIn. (You can click here to connect to Peter J. Burns, III on LinkedIn.)
4. Funding Conundrums
Whether you are a successful founder with a team of employees, or you are just starting out on your own, you need growth capital. Be wary of scams and angel investors. Manage your credit and find the capital you need via a secure, established service from an entrepreneur-focused provider.
Burn$ Funding provides an array of opportunities for small businesses and individuals, including credit repair programs, blanket loans, and many more services, such as the Entrepreneur’s Credit Card Program. This program provides an unsecured credit line of up to $175,000 at 0% interest for 12 months. Furthermore, it will not damage your credit because you access and report your own credit score when you apply.
Remember that the benefits associated with being an entrepreneur can greatly outweigh the risks. Appreciate your freedom, stay positive, and reward yourself for your successes!
To learn more about Peter J. Burns, III, visit his site: www.peterjburnsiii.com. There, you will learn about his ongoing and new projects, as well as find ways to become involved via investment opportunities. Visit http://burnsfunding.com/ to read about all of the outstanding opportunities Burn$ Funding provides.
As a lifelong entrepreneur, Peter J. Burns III is a true business guru. Burns has started over 150 successful businesses during the past four decades, including Burn$ Funding. He started Burn$ Funding to provide other entrepreneurs with sound solutions to their financial and credit needs. According to Burns, your business absolutely needs to have good credit in order to be as effective and lucrative as possible.
What is business credit?
Business credit is built much like personal credit is built. However, business credit is tied to your employer identification number (EIN). While personal credit tells lenders if you are a reliable borrower, business credit tells lenders if your business is a trustworthy entity. When credit-reporting entities like Experian and Equifax consider your business credit score, they take several factors into account. These factors include the length of your credit history, your credit card utilization, your repayment history, and outstanding balances.
Why is business credit important?
Good business credit will make you more eligible for excellent financing opportunities.
Without good business credit, your chances of securing the capital you need for your company are limited. It is also important to know that the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) reports that businesses have between 10 and 100 times the credit capacity of individuals. If you want your company to grow, business credit is a must!
It is also important to consider that even if you do not need extra capital right now, you should always have an emergency fund in the event of an unexpected occurrence. Emergency business funds are of the utmost importance! For example, if you were unable to work for two months, you would still need to pay your employees.
2. Building business credit will help you protect your personal credit.
Never max out your personal credit card to pay for business expenses and always keep your business and personal credit separate. As previously mentioned, you will be able to access a much greater deal of credit as a business, as opposed to as an individual. Entrepreneurs like Peter J. Burns III know that is nearly, if not entirely impossible to run a business using only personal credit. In order to scale your business, you definitely to build your business credit.
3. Having a business credit card will help you to separate your expenses.
For accounting purposes, it is crucial to know where your money is going. Without using a business credit card, it is very difficult to separate personal expenses from business expenditures such as payroll. By tracking your business expenses carefully, you can make the right decisions about where to spend your organization’s money and where to “trim the fat.”
Furthermore, if you own an LLC or a corporation, you definitely need a shield between your personal assets and your business. A separate business account can help you to protect you from being personally liable for debt accrued by your company and legal fees incurred due to lawsuits.
4. Cost segregation opportunities should never be overlooked.
If you want to retain more of your money, it is absolutely essential that you take advantage of cost segregation. When you file your taxes, it is much easier to separate your personal and business assets if you use a business account for your company’s expenses. Maximize your tax saving by using a business credit card.
How do I build business credit?
First, incorporate your business or establish it as an LLC.
Obtain an employer identification number (EIN). This number is similar to your social security number, but it identifies your business (as opposed to you as an individual).
Open a bank account using your company’s legal name.
Apply for a business credit card, spend wisely, and repay your balance.
For financing solutions and opportunities to build your business credit, visit www.burnsfunding.com, which was established by Peter J. Burns III in order to help entrepreneurs and founders to manage their financing. There, you will find a variety of business-savvy tools to help you succeed. You can even apply for Peter J. Burns III’s Entrepreneur’s Credit Card. The card will allow you to receive up to $175,000 in unsecured credit and you will pay 0% interest for 12 months or longer.
Follow Burn$ Funding on LinkedIn here for more information and updates on the company’s special offers.
Entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III is making a “pawsitive” difference. His extremely impressive background includes starting over 150 businesses, teaching entrepreneurship to college students, and finding new humanitarian opportunities. You might be wondering what this has to do with pets.
It’s important to know that this seasoned business professional never consigns himself to one project or industry. Peter J. Burns III stands up for an array of deserving causes, from conservation to education. He is also an animal lover who knows just how much pets mean to their human families.
Burns, who is working alongside a caring and experienced dog-walker, Alexa Callister, noticed that other individuals in his La Jolla community were trusting strangers to walk and care for their animals. This concerned Burns because there are no real industry standards when it comes to this type of pet care. When the facts are considered, it’s easy to see why any pet person would be concerned about the reliability of pet sitters and dog-walkers.
Think about the facts facing you and your furry friend.
Your pet is like your child. You would not hire a babysitter from Craigslist to care for him or her.
A dog-walker assumes responsibility for the life of your pet. Someone who would distractedly text on a cell phone while walking your dog could allow your precious friend to get hit by a car or bitten by another animal.
Pet sitters usually visit the homes of their clients. When the wrong person is hired, the safety and security of a home and its inhabitants are at risk. Imagine giving a stranger a key to your home and belongings — you would not give just any random person access.
While the current state of the pet care industry sounds rather grim, it does not have to be. Based on the belief that pet care should be safe and high-quality, Peter J. Burns III began a new project. According to Burns, his new business will focus on the credentials, training, and background of your pet sitter or dog-walker.
In a recent radio interview, Burns explained how this business would revolutionize pet care by setting standards. (Note that this segment of the interview occurs during the last 5 minutes.) Peter J. Burns III has described that his pet professionals would be carefully trained to responsibly care for your animal, and each team member would receive a background check. This plan makes a lot of sense for “pet parents,” who deserve to protect their furry family members and homes. It is always best to hire a licensed and bonded business to perform any service, and Burns believes that the pet care industry is no exception.
Burns’s “four-paw friendly” endeavor would begin with dog walking and expand to include a range of other services for which individuals would be trained, including:
Pet sitting for clients who need an honest and experienced person to care for and love their animal companions.
Feeding, brushing, and washing household pets.
Administering regular medication to pets as directed by your veterinarian.
Loving care for your feline, as well as canine, animal friend.
When it comes down to it, it’s very comforting to think about how healthy and happy your pet could be in the right hands, even when you are not able to provide that care yourself. Our animal friends bring us joy and depend upon us for protection and to meet virtually all of their needs. It’s time to set standards and to only hire loving and trained individuals with a “seal of approval” to provide for our pets. Thanks to Peter J. Burns III, that can become possible.
Burn$ Funding announced today the introduction of Cost Segregation Studies for Entrepreneurs, as a way to help entrepreneurs raise capital for their businesses.
Cost Segregation is a process through which a Certified Analyst appraises a commercial property and adjusts the scheduled depreciation life cycle of non-structural elements.”
— Peter J. Burns III
LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, August 29, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ — Countless entrepreneurs are watching their businesses languish on the vine because they have exhausted traditional funding sources and don’t know where else to turn.
That scenario is one of the main reasons why serial start-up entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III started Burn$ Funding earlier this year. As Burn$ Funding builds out its product offering, the company announced today the introduction of Cost Segregation Studies for Entrepreneurs, specifically to help entrepreneurs raise capital for their businesses.
What is a Cost Segregation study?
A Cost Segregation study identifies aspects of physical property that can be placed on accelerated depreciation life cycles, which can potentially result in huge tax savings for eligible property owners.
“One of the first questions that comes to mind when I tell a small-business owner about Cost Segregation is, ‘Is it legal?’,” said Burns. “Yes, Cost Segregation is perfectly legal and IRS-compliant. The IRS has even published guidelines for a proper Cost Segregation study on its website. Even better, it is an easy process for the property owner, with the help of an experienced professional.”
While the modern application of Cost Segregation can be traced most directly to two landmark 1997 court cases, Burns was the first to tie Cost Segregation studies to other business ventures back in 2005, while serving as an adjunct faculty member at the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University. Partnering with a student enrolled in his entrepreneurship-centric “Ready, Fire, Aim” course, Burns created a marketing company for Cost Segregation Studies and managed to generate over $180,000 of profit in only three months. Shortly thereafter, other opportunities beckoned, and Burns put Cost Segregation on the back burner.
But not for long. Burns soon devised a number of unique applications for the strategy of Cost Segregation and filed several provisional patent pending applications, one of which centered on charitable fundraising. Burns expanded on this application when he was invited two years ago to serve as a board member at an entrepreneurial center that is part of a major west coast university. Burns showed the board to how, by promoting Cost Segregation to donors, they could dramatically increase donations at essentially no cost to the donors. This is just one example, but the message is that Burn$ Funding knows that there is a tremendous opportunity for every 501c-3 charity to use Cost Segregation as a way to raise funds from donors who own eligible property.
Cost Segregation Studies and Their Application for the Entrepreneur
So what is Cost Segregation and how can it be useful in securing growth capital for your business?
Put simply, Cost Segregation is a process through which a Certified Analyst appraises a commercial property and adjusts the scheduled depreciation life cycle of non-structural elements, including items like fixtures, plumbing, appliances, roof, hardscape, etc. Since the default tax life on a commercial building is 39 years under standard straight-line depreciation, a Cost Segregation study identifies the myriad components of a property that can instead be placed on 5, 7, or 15-year depreciation terms. And there is an acceleration provision that can increase the depreciation schedule even further which expires at the end of 2019.
This depreciation acceleration often leads to huge tax savings in the early years of a property’s life, and allows property owners to retroactively catch up on any savings that result from the depreciation adjustment. Burns has commissioned hundreds of Cost Segregation studies himself and has observed the rule of thumb that typically, around six percent of the value of a building is returned immediately, in the form of tax benefits.
As mentioned above, the entire process is guided by IRS regulations, meaning any CPA should be able to take the results of a Cost Segregation study and safely use it for tax filing purposes. In fact, Cost Segregation should only be performed by experts who are part of the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals (ASCSP). The ASCSP is the only body in the US that certifies the qualifications of Cost Segregation professionals, and operates in accordance with a fully-fledged Code of Ethics.
While the ASCSP provides a directory of Cost Segregation professionals who are members of the organization, as few as five percent of the roughly 91 million eligible buildings have had a Cost Segregation study performed. By Burns’ estimates, that means that there are hundreds of billions of dollars in potential investment capital, operating capital, or charitable donations being left on the table.
About Burn$ Funding
Burn$ Funding is an emerging aggregator of non-traditional tools for securing growth capital. Three of those tools, in particular stand out. First, Burn$ Funding has institutionalized the bridge funding process to help clients reduce credit card debt and obtain a higher credit score. This allows Burn$ Funding clients to secure more capital at remarkably low interest rates, in some cases as low as zero percent for an introductory period of 12–21 months. Second, Burn$ Funding offers a market in shelf corporations, which are business entities that are no longer being used because their assets have been sold, typically through acquisition. However, these corporations are still viable because they have exemplary credit records. While these entities typically range in cost from $5,000 to $10,000, their clean record can help clients secure lines of credit for growth. Third, Burn$ Funding has pioneered the use of Cost Segregation to allow commercial real estate owners to generate capital (in the form of tax savings) based on a little-known IRS allowance. A cost segregation study identifies aspects of a property that can be placed on accelerated depreciation life cycles, typically resulting in huge tax savings for eligible property owners.
Photo courtesy of Matt Larmand. A group of sharks spotted off Capistrano Beach in Dana Point
Great White Shark Interactions with Humans
In 2018, the International Shark Attack File investigated 130 incidents of alleged interactions between great white sharks and humans worldwide. Of these 130 incidents, 66 cases were confirmed to be unprovoked shark attacks on humans. 34 other remaining cases were confirmed to be provoked attacks on humans.
According to the Florida Museum, “unprovoked attacks” are incidents in which an attack on a human occurs within the shark’s natural habitat (typically coastal areas in the ocean around the world, or on the outskirts of shore waters) with no provocation of the shark by the human. A “provoked attack” is one in which the human initiates the interaction with the shark, (by way of harassment, attempting to feed the shark, unhooking a shark from a fishing net, etc.). Out of the rest of the world, the U.S. had the largest number of unprovoked shark attacks in 2018 with 32 confirmed cases.
As it turns out, there is a large correlation between the number of human-shark interactions and the number of humans spending time in the sea. Therefore, as human population continues to expand and interest in aquatic recreational activities increases, the amount of shark attacks is expected to continue to rise as well.
Effects of Shark Attacks on Coastal Communities
When shark attacks occur or sharks are sighted in local waters, both tourists as well as locals are scared away from going to the beach and participating in ocean leisure activities such as swimming, surfing, jet skiing, paddle boarding, etc. Many beaches have even posed closures on their waters due to shark sightings. In coastal towns of Southern California, Florida, Massachusetts as well as many other coastal states, beach tourism is a key component of and major driver of the economy. Therefore, if the amount of foot traffic is affected, coastal businesses and communities suffer as a result.
Photo by Jeff Antenore. Lifeguards at San Clemente’s Main Beach closed the water on a Sunday afternoon in May, 2017 after several great white sharks were sighted near shore.
In 2017 in San Clemente, California, where the motto of many beach dweller’s is “Surf. Eat. Sleep.”, local businesses such as the Nomads Hotel have felt the direct effects that shark attacks and sightings had on the number of customers they had. The week before Memorial Day which is usually a busy time for coastal businesses like Nomads Hotel, customers were cancelling their reservations.
This is just one of many examples of the direct ramifications this issue has had on local beach businesses and communities.
New Natural Predator to the Great White
The great white shark has long been considered to be the “top predator” of the ocean. Great whites are known to be able to detect a single drop of blood from three miles away and close in on their prey at 35 mph in short bursts.
Recently, a startling trend has been observed in which numerous mutilated carcasses of great white sharks have been washing up on the shores of beaches of South Africa.
Dyer Island Conservation Trust/ Marine Dynamics. Incident in which a mutilated carcass of a great white had washed ashore near Gansbaii, South Africa.
Among the top oceanic predators is also the Orca, or killer whale, which have been found to eat almost anything they can get a hold of.
After observing the size of the bite marks on the sharks which had washed up in South Africa, scientists have determined that the predator responsible for preying on the great whites is in fact, the killer whale. The orcas have been observed ramming into great white sharks, consequently, stunning them. This allows the orca to hook on to the dorsal fin of the shark with their jaw. The orca then violently shakes the shark and feeds on their liver, leaving the great white mutilated and left for dead.
Video: How Would Orca Attack and Kill a Great White? |Air Jaws: The Hunted| SHARK WEEK 2018
This video from Discovery UK documents the research that went into solving the mystery of the “mutilated and washed up sharks” that have been found on beaches after being brutally attacked and killed. A simulation shows exactly how the orcas actually hunt and kill the great whites. However, while undeniably deadly predators, orcas have not been found to be a threat to humans.
A Solution
So, what if there were a way to solve the rising issue of great white shark attacks on humans, while simultaneously helping coastal beach communities maintain their revenue from tourism and local foot traffic?
Serial entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III has come up with a brilliant solution for shark problem that is affecting so many coastal communities around the U.S. This plan involves locating/renting orcas and strategically placing them in waters around affected beach communities, allowing the orcas to “take care of” the great whites in those areas.
Another Possible Solution
Researchers examined waters off Southeast Farallon Island and Año Nuevo Island in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of San Francisco, California and observed a pod of orcas enter the great white hunting ground. Despite the abundance of food available in that area, the sharks fled. The study concluded that great white sharks actually abandon their “preferred hunting ground” whenever orcas begin populating the same area. They stated that, “even the hint of killer whales in their seal-rich hunting grounds will scare sharks away for a year, even if the orcas have left the area.”.
Burns has also thought up another possible way to rid local beach communities of their “great white shark problem”.
After analyzing this new finding, Burns thought of the idea to synthesize the smell or sound of the orca and broadcast it in waters around beach areas with heavy shark populations. If successful, this would create a natural “shark repellent”, diverting sharks away from local beach areas for up to a year at a time.
Everyone Wins
Burns has begun actively reaching out to the Orca Conservatory to get them involved in this project.
Upon successful completion of this project, beach dwellers will be able to feel at ease about continuing to enjoy taking part in their favorite beach activities, and both local businesses and beach communities can continue to thrive and perform their day-to-day operations as normal.
This would truly be a win-win solution for everyone.
Peter’s blog as well as details about his many other ventures and new projects can be found on his website, http://peterjburnsiii.com/
Note: Previously published by Peter J. Burns III on Medium (2019)
Across four decades of creating and growing businesses in an array of fields, Peter J. Burns III has learned a multitude of facts and lessons about entrepreneurship. Chief among them is that access to cold, hard cash is the essential ingredient to every successful venture. That “gas in the tank” is what propels entrepreneurs past the starting line and onto the figurative track. This understanding fueled an idea that has rapidly evolved over two years and has allowed the innovative Burn$ Funding to help aspiring entrepreneurs and existing businesses to flourish with a capital injection strategy that other funding sources have ignored.
“Money is necessary for starting a business, yet for years, it was a challenge for entrepreneurs to get that money,” Burns said. “Banks are utterly useless to the start-up entrepreneur. Finding an angel investor for a start-up is possible, but it’s highly unlikely for the fledgling entrepreneur. Burn$ Funding was created to provide start-up entrepreneurs and existing small business owners alike with money at attractive rates.”
Burns debuted Burn$ Funding motivated by the mission of spearheading the growth of America’s small and medium-sized businesses. Countless entrepreneurs are watching their business languish, he explained, because they have exhausted traditional funding sources and have no idea where else to turn.
Burn$ Funding is a financial service aggregating company that secures attractive financing on behalf of individuals. One option it offers is revolving primary credit lines, from 6 months to 5 years old, of up to $20,000. The company also provides business owners with three additional innovative programs:
· A bridge loan process that, when paired with the work of reputable credit repair companies, can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in low-interest funding based on one’s personal credit.
· A partnership with an aggregator of shelf corporations, which are entities that are no longer being used because their assets have been sold, usually through acquisition. When purchased at a cost generally ranging from $2,000 to $4,000, these corporations are viable because they have exemplary credit records. This means the new owner of the corporation can easily secure lines of credit.
· A cost segregation study that is IRS compliant and identifies aspects of property that can be placed on accelerated depreciation life cycles, potentially resulting in huge tax savings for eligible property owners. Cost segregation studies help business owners obtain growth capital by giving people (like friends and family members) access to money to invest they otherwise would not have without the tax benefits.
Burns has started and built more than 150 enterprises over his professional career that began when he started the first moped rental business in America on Nantucket Island when he was a teen-age college student at the University of Virginia’s esteemed McIntire School of Commerce. Among the ventures that followed include the nation’s first college for entrepreneurship at Grand Canyon University in Arizona and a travel company that spawned a partnership with the nation of Vietnam, yielding him a share on revenue of every travel dollar spent and every VISA issued to tourists.
“My experience as an entrepreneur inspired me to build Burn$ Funding,” Burns said. “Over the years, countless people have reached out to tell me about a great business idea they have, but they can’t get the funding. Most of the time, it’s because they don’t have the personal funds and no means to get those funds.
“What we have done at Burns Funding is institutionalized the bridge funding process. We have brought in companies that are willing to make the kind of loans necessary to get substantial relief from the credit problems; or if they are an entrepreneur, meaningful funding for their business,” Burns added. “We have also partnered with some of the country’s most reputable credit repair companies, which gives these lending companies even more piece of mind.”
The roots of Burn$ Funding are traced to Entrepreneur’s Credit Card (www.entcreditcard.com), which Burns introduced in 2016 with business partner Bruce Blechman, the New York Times best-selling author of Guerrilla Financing and Founder of Entrepreneurs Capital Corporation (EEC), a financing advisory firm. They established a concept to provided flexible start-up funding for entrepreneurs through a pre-approved credit card product, allowing applicants with FICO score of 700+ to get $100,000 in unsecured credit for their new business.
Not long after launching the Entrepreneurs Credit Card, Burns discovered that 90 percent of the applicants were turned down because of credit issues. That prompted the founding of Entrepreneur Credit Repair to help individuals who do not qualify make the necessary improvements to their financial situation so they can gain access to capital.
The Entrepreneur’s Credit Card is now one of the array of tools offered by Burn$ Funding. Through the company’s credit repair partners, people in need can take the steps to improve their finances and qualify. Response to Burns Funding has further escalated Burns’ commitment to “doing well by doing good” through his own ventures that deliver a positive impact on society and by helping others accomplish their goal of financial freedom as a business owner. As far as Burns knows, he is the only entrepreneur who provides funding for entrepreneurs.
“I’m not fond of traditional banks. They weren’t supportive when I was a fledgling entrepreneur,” Burns said. “Every other funding company of which I’m aware is staffed by people with a financial background without experience in starting and operating a business.
“I take JFK’s proclamation ‘Of which much is given, much is expected’ to heart. Helping empower people to become independent financially through my mentorship, connections, and resources is my mission of giving back,” Burns said. “This (Burn$ Funding) is the first company to offer a vertical integration approach of repairing credit and providing fresh new debt capital at rates and terms that benefit everyone involved.”
Note: Previously published by Peter J. Burns III on Medium (2019)
More than five decades have passed, yet Peter J. Burns III vividly remembers the story. The warm childhood memories still evoke a smile, and the experience played a pivotal role in shaping a young boy’s future path while paving opportunities for many others to achieve their dreams.
The oldest of four children, Burns was raised by well-established parents — first in the exclusive Chicago suburb of Barrington Hills, and then in affluent New Canaan, Ct. The family summered on Nantucket Island and wintered at Sanibel Island (Fla.), and when they were home, Burns’ father spent ample time playing golf at a country club. It was there that Peter made his first dollar at the Biltmore Country Club.
“I retrieved golf balls that golfers hit into water hazards and sold them back with a glass of lemonade,” said Burns, who was 6 at the time. “It didn’t take long for my venture to be shut down, but I made $50 that day, compared to my $2 a week allowance.”
“I never forgot that lesson, and it inspires me to this day,” Burns added. “By thinking of an idea, and implementing it, I provided a service that was in demand and was generously rewarded with what I earned. That implanted the concept in my mind that ‘what one can conceive, one can achieve.’”
Life is a series of evolving chapters. For the now 62-year-old Burns, those chapters have featured one constant theme — a thirst for launching and growing business ventures. The serial start-up entrepreneur has started, operated, sold and/or expanded 150-plus companies in an array of industries.
He started the first moped rental business in America as well as the nation’s first college for entrepreneurship as well as a travel company that spawned a partnership with the nation of Vietnam, yielding him a share on revenue of every travel dollar spent and every VISA issued to tourists. These are only a sampling of the aforementioned 150-plus enterprises.
His affection for spearheading new enterprises remains, and it is complemented by a passion for offering funding and guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs in fields as diverse as his own roster of ventures.
Burns first embarked on an endeavor to help aspiring and existing business owners gain access to capital when he created the Entrepreneur’s Credit Card in 2016. Success from that idea sparked one of his newest endeavors — the development of Burns Funding (www.burnsfunding.com), an innovative financial services firm that offers primary credit lines, bridge loans and shelf corporations. Through the company’s credit repair partners, people in need can take the steps to improve their finances and qualify.
“Doing Well by Doing Good”
Response to Burns Funding has further escalated Burns’ commitment to “doing well by doing good” through his own ventures that deliver a positive impact on society and by helping others accomplish their goal of financial freedom as a business owner. As far as Burns knows, he is the only entrepreneur who provides funding for entrepreneurs.
“I’m not fond of traditional banks. They weren’t supportive when I was a fledgling entrepreneur,” Burns said. “Every other funding company of which I’m aware is staffed by people with a financial background without experience in starting and operating a business.
“I’ve lived and breathed the life of an entrepreneur for four decades,” Burns added. “I understand how to raise capital for start-ups and growing businesses, and I’m genuinely passionate about providing guidance so they succeed.”
The Entrepreneurial Chapters Begin
Burns’ personal story of forging a career as a lifelong entrepreneur inspires the fledgling business owners with whom he works.
After serving in the U.S. Army, Burns received an appointment to the United State Military Academy at West Point, attended West Point Prep and gained a four-year Army ROTC scholarship to the University of Virginia. It was there where his first official business was hatched. Burns was freshman at the renowned McIntire School of Commerce, and he enrolled in an “Entrepreneurship” course typically reserved for seniors.
“We are assigned to write a business plan for a real business, and my plan focused on importing mopeds to the U.S. from Europe and renting them to tourists at U.S. resorts,” Burns explained. “When the class was over, I implemented the plan on Nantucket Island and made $55,000 in 10 weeks. That was a substantial sum for a college kid, and my entrepreneurial fire was fueled.”
Unlike his brothers, who he calls “titans” in the entertainment and finance industries, Burns says he has never worked in a “job” where his earnings and freedom are defined and limited. Following his time at the University of Virginia, and the vibrant moped rental business, he started more ventures and graduated from the Harvard Business School’s Owners and Presidents Management Program. At 29, he was the youngest student admitted since Harvard created the program in 1972, a claim he still holds today.
Time after time, Burns has demonstrated a keen eye for creating innovative businesses and partnerships. Some of these ventures have flourished, some have struggled and others have seen modest success. After the moped rental business, Burns started dozens of companies over the next two decades. There was the nation’s first “Dolphin Tour” business using jet boats on guided tours through wild dolphin habitats and the first franchised rental chain of bicycles, mopeds, Harley-Davidsons, exotic cars, water sports equipment among other endeavors.
A New Millennium Brings a New Home and Mission
When the new millennium arrived, Burns relocated to the Phoenix area, brimming with anticipation about his next chapter. A self-made millionaire from his multitude of prosperous enterprises, he accepted a pro bono role as an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University’s Barrett Honors College. The school — and many universities, for that matter, Burns believed — needed a program exclusively focused on entrepreneurship. Across town, Grand Canyon University’s entrepreneurial-spirited founder Brent Richardson was enticed by Burns’ idea, and the duo spearheaded the country’s first College of Entrepreneurship.
“Arizona State was not interested in a program specifically for entrepreneurs. Brent and Grand Canyon were,” Burns said. “There are multiple layers to becoming a successful entrepreneur, just as there are for becoming a physician, a nurse, an accountant and a professor. I think that entrepreneurship programs and degrees should be commonly found at universities because small businesses, and small business owners, are the backbone of our country and our economy.”
Named Businessperson of the Year by the Arizona chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America, Burns founded the Institute for Entrepreneurship with the intention to license entrepreneurship programs at other colleges, and he started Club Entrepreneur, which was designed to bring entrepreneurs together in an “open source entrepreneurship” platform. The Phoenix chapter grew to 10,000 members. Club E was difficult to monetize, though. Burns opted to embark on his next journey.
“Any serial entrepreneur will tell you that not every business is a home run,” Burns said. “Ultimately, the ventures that have not thrived as expected have taught me as much as the companies that have flourished. I recognized that among my best strengths is connecting the dots and connecting people for profit.”
New Chapters Lead to Ethiopia, La Jolla and Vietnam
Burns opened his book to another new chapter. Prompted by his brother, Burns served as a volunteer for a non-governmental organization in Ethiopia, providing assistance to residents in the impoverished third-world nation. He served for six months in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa as the NGO’s de facto Entrepreneur-In-Residence.
“As a lifelong entrepreneur, I was amazed at the significant business opportunities that abounded in this newly capitalistic country,” Burns said. “I vowed to return to Ethiopia and start much needed businesses there in numerous fields.”
When he returned to the United States, Burns immersed himself in identifying opportunities to bolster the vitality of Ethiopia. That gave birth to Ethiopian Capital Partners, the world’s first capital fund serving the country of Ethiopia. Ethiopian Capital Partners strives to bring quality medical technology, cancer treatment clinics and dialysis centers as part of its social commitment to improve the quality of medical care in Ethiopia while establishing new medical technology careers and services.
Yearning for a change of scenery, Burns drifted from California to Las Vegas, and then to New Hampshire and the Hamptons. The odyssey generated an idea for a business that monetizes empty time in multi-million dollar vacation villas.
“I was approached by a successful airline travel provider headquartered in San Diego, and he lived in La Jolla. He wanted to partner with me on the idea, and I decided to stay in La Jolla long term after we launched Avia Travel Services,” Burns said.
Avia Travel Services gave Burns access to more than one million hotels and other services in the travel and hospitality industry. In a separate project, he collaborated with HI-TEK Inc., a longtime Vietnamese-American owned technology partner with the nation of Vietnam.
This led to the partnership with the nation of Vietnam, which is how Burns receives a share on revenue of every travel dollar spent and every VISA issued to tourists (www.travel.vn and www.vietnamvisa.com) for 10 years. Stimulated by a deep interest in travel, tourism and real estate, Burns followed that by starting companies centered around luxury villas, luxury charter air travel and even a charter air travel business for people and their pets.
“I remain inspired to create by observing problems or non-apparent relationships between seemingly unrelated components that, when joined, create profit,” Burns said. “All my life, I’ve had an uncanny ability to recognize patterns and opportunities that of which no one else is aware. It’s my nature to act rather than just talk about it.”
Burn$ Funding is a prime example of his initiative. Burns is not the first person to think of the idea to use a bridge loan to reduce credit card debt and gain a higher credit score. Yet the premise is generally attributed to shady companies charging exorbitant rates with the intention of making money off hard-working consumers. Motivated by the dozens of daily requests for financial help from existing aspiring business owners, Burns developed a platform where consumers struggling with credit card debt and small business owners eager for capital can unlock more money at better rates.
Identify a Problem, Implement a Solution
Entrepreneurs Credit Card and Entrepreneur Credit Repair led to the idea for Burn$ Funding, and all three ventures illustrate Burns’ commitment to creating profitable ventures that have a lasting positive affect on people.
“Fortunately, I have a particularly good skill set of recognizing opportunities early in the process and being able to fund almost any enterprise with creative financing techniques I’ve learned over my career,” Burns said. “This (Burn$ Funding) is the first company to offer a vertical integration approach of repairing credit and providing fresh new debt capital at rates and terms that benefit everyone involved.”
The mind of a serial entrepreneur is always percolating with an interest in creating new enterprises. Moved by a commitment to help owners of luxury villas reap tax mitigation benefits while benefitting charitable organizations, he crafted a cost segregation program (www.hlcostseg.com). His facilitation of BurnS Funding has resulted in forays that include a company that helps “vetrepreneurs” transition from the military and into business ownership, and a business that funds and develops the careers of talented independent musicians and artists.
He is currently exploring a project that will seem outlandish to some, but to Burns, it represents the chance to offer a solution to a problem, help people and earn a profit. Shark attacks in beach towns that rely heavily on tourism represents millions of dollars in lost revenue. Multiple reports in recent months have shown that Orca whales are a predator to sharks, and sharks leave any area occupied by the Orcas, which are not a threat to humans. Why not form a venture where captive Orcas can be saved and humanely relocated to areas prone to shark attacks?
“I spent a lot of time on Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard as a child, and shark incidents there is what inspired the book and the movie, ‘Jaws.’” Burns said. “It would be a beneficial venture to purchase Orcas that are in captivity and have them moved to your beachfront community since they do not harm humans, and end the shark problem. What a perfect example of finding a problem, implementing a solution and making a difference for humankind.”
Note: Previously published by Peter J. Burns III on Medium (2019)
