All fans of.........Part 4
RE: Some Questions.
I received these answers.
-The founder Collardeau is the only 10% shareholder
-Most of the start up Capital came from the founder
-The site still gets about a half a million page hits per month.
Membership numbers they haven't released yet
Since you reached a pretty harsh and damning conclusions without
doing any substantive research, you are opening yourself up to MAJOR liability.
Like I told you previously your coverage didn't understand the business model and didn't account for the OUTSOURCED affiliations that this company has formed
A company can't wantonly use names and falsely associated themselves with the likes of Dow Jones, Unz & Co, D&B, and Rare Medium without opening themselves up to major litigation.
RE: Some of Dave's responsibilities
Dave is going to put together a newsletter. If I remember correctly this is going to be a monthly newsletter that will be discussing significant developments at PNL as well as pertinent and member trade news.
This newsletter will be mailed to members and available on the Version 3.0 website in front of the "wall" ie without membership.
version 3.0 will have a lot more information in front of the "wall" like corporate information.
Please also note that Dave helped to develop the Unz website. Though Dave was a VP at Unz, he was a little frustrated with this PNL partner because Unz has been a little slow to understand and utilize the potential of the internet. Dave thus moved to PNL and took on the risk of being part of a start-up because of the excitement and opportunity that PNL provided him.
RE: Common misconception about PNL
Per Jason Anders article many investors and critics were given the wrong impression that PNL was trying to "replace" freight forwarders...
This is the text of Anders's article that gave that false impression....
"...Mr. Collardeau sees the following as one possible scenario: A broker in New York wants to move rice from a supplier in Thailand to a customer in Nigeria. He logs in to ProNetLink, fills out a form detailing his needs, and lists the price he's willing to pay. Instantly, ProNetLink sends out a quote request by fax or e-mail to the companies in its massive database that can do the job (regardless of whether or not they are ProNetLink subscribers). Within an hour, the New York broker gets responses.
At that point, ProNetLink will help the two sides fill out the necessary paperwork, find suitable transportation for the product and arrange financing. The company says it has arrangements with a number of banks, but declines to name them.
But analysts caution trading with foreign companies can be tricky business.
"There are a lot of complexities involved, a lot of nuances," says Harry Baumes, senior vice president of agricultural services at the WEFA Group, a firm that researches international trade. "Foreign companies and governments want to deal with people who they know ... who can take care of the behind-the-scenes things with minimal hassle."
Those behind-the-scenes things include everything from what type of boat the cargo will be shipped on to exactly where, when, and by whom it will be unloaded.
Mr. Baumes points out that moving rice from Thailand to Nigeria may be relatively easy, but he says moving rice from China or another more restrictive country usually takes experienced traders with relationships in those areas. And pointing to China, where import and export rules can change frequently, he questions how feasible it is to maintain a database on regulations."
In realty PNL works with Freight Forwarders. Providing freight forwarders leads.
Dave, who has 20 years of trading experience, also noted that the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA, the organization that has formed an alliance with PNL, represents the "best" freight forwarders. This is the top 600 out of 6000 located, I believe, worldwide.
Now when a PNL form is faxed to PNL it is sent to the freight forwarder in the area that the form came from who helps to execute the transaction. The forwarder contacts the person who sent the fax.
The execution is expedited because the 80% of forms that are typically used are available or will be available on PNL's site, and have been filled out at the same as contacting the freight forwarder. The freight forwarder really helps out a lot with all the idiosyncratic forms that are specific to each forwarder's specific region.
So again PNL was never intended to replace forwarders as can easily be misconstrued by the WSJ article. PNL makes a forwarders job quicker and easier by facilitating the paper work while also providing the forwarder with numerous leads
from which the forwarder profits.
Also note as per what GZ and DW have said, importers/exporters have been using the Version 2.0 already for business.
What do Freight Forwarders do?
ncbfaa.org
Freight Forwarder: Transport Architect
The international freight forwarder is popularly known as the "Transport Architect." Ocean freight forwarders are licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). International air cargo agents are accredited by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA).
The freight forwarding professional advises clients of the best rates, routings and modes of transporting goods to or from any area in the world. Using the vast resources at their disposal, forwarders find the "right match" of services available so that products are moved by the most timely and cost-effective means. The large volume of freight handled by forwarders gives them advantages not always available to either individual shippers or integrated carriers.
The professional forwarder is also aware of the ever-changing regulations affecting cargo movements, such as foreign documentation requirements, hazardous materials rules, U.S. government regulations, special packaging or handling restrictions, and any applicable licensing provisions.
"Customized" services to fit the clients' operational needs are the forwarder's specialty. Forwarders coordinate arrangements for storage, pick-and-pack operations, consolidations or full-container movements as well as inland transportation to provide clients with true door-to-door service. From assisting with initial quotations or preparation of pro-forma invoices, the banking clients' documents for collection, the full-service, professional freight forwarder is the most reliable partner one can have in international trade. ncbfaa.org
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