Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever. The days of lengthy, text-heavy, business plan documents prepared by expensive experts are behind us. Angel groups, accelerators, and incubators are pervasive.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media News 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2021

A large portion of your competitive advantage and your potential value to investors is the size of your intellectual property portfolio. You need all these before you start looking for funding. You need all these before you start looking for funding. Here are the key elements: Company name.

Startup 145

Startup Patents IP Social Media 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2010

In my own effort to keep up with the times, I just finished a new book by Landy Chase, titled “ Competitive Selling: Out-Plan, Out-Think, Out-Sell to Win Every Time.” This concept applies equally well to convincing investors to fund you, employees to join you, or customers to buy from you. Establish the competitive playing field early.

Competition 92

Competition Entrepreneur Startup Customer 92

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

What used to be an “A” round in 2011 is now routinely called a Seed round and this has been so engrained that founders would rather take less money than to have to put the words “A round” in their legal documents. If we wanted to we could have sold > 2x the fund easily in the secondary markets with significant upside remaining.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2021

In fact, the process of organizing and documenting these elements is the best way to make sure you understand the answers yourself. It only takes a little extra work to make it a professional document, with a cover page, table of contents, headings, and page numbers.

Sample 137

Sample Writing Mentor Content 137

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

That might start with the CEO giving the investor pitch to the whole organization, and distributing the current business plan document to everyone. Make sure all business processes are documented and integrated. If everyone has a different view of reality, you have no reality. Take time to review and resolve any personnel distractions.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

Commit a source of internal or external seed funding. There is no point incubating an innovative new venture if you don’t have the funds to launch and expect quick self-sustaining revenue. A documented business plan for the new venture is critical here. Assemble an engaged new venture advisory board.

Incubator 143

Incubator Seed Funding Metrics Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

A business plan is the outward facing definition of the business you hope to drive with your hardware solution, with a hardware overview in the intro to highlight customer value and competitiveness. Call out your top competitors, highlighting your sustainable competitive advantage, including patents, trade secrets. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

socalTECH

DECEMBER 17, 2019

San Diego-based Trust & Will , a startup which offers up online services to help people create trusts, wills, and guardianships, has raised $6M in a new funding round, the company said on Tuesday. The startup had announced $2M in an earlier funding in January of 2019. READ MORE>>.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels San Diego Seed Funding Competition 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

On the other hand, everyone is doing it, so that means more competition, and the market and technology are changing faster than ever before. Co-mingling personal and business funds and accounts creates legal risk and tax liability, and makes your efforts look like a hobby. Prepare a pitch deck to document and share your plan.

Funding 73

Funding Social Media Slides Platform 73

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Since this document is outward facing, it is important to keep the terminology and tone consistent with that of your customer set, investors, and business partners. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment. Executives, marketing & sales, financial projections, and funding. Provide details on the business model.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2015

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Outsource Development 99

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

Finally you create and document your recipe (business plan). If you are already a celebrity chef like Emeril, meaning you have a record of success using your creativity despite the odds, you don’t even need your own money, and you only need to scratch your business plan on the back of a napkin to get funded. For now, get cooking!

Startup 112

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 112

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2022

You can’t predict big quality problems, funding shortfalls, and viral events that don’t work. Every startup needs to build and monitor their list of top competitive risks, and size the cost of a quick direction shift if the worst case happens. Document the ultimate goal, so people can work backward as well as forward.

Startup 98

Startup Entrepreneur Competition Mentor 98

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2020

In the competitive realm of business, you only get one chance to make a great first impression. Always include the key document elements of an opening, main body, and a conclusion. A badly formatted document, in all caps, mixed fonts, or all one paragraph will destroy even the best message. Use professional formatting.

Writing 125

Writing Entrepreneur Summary Email 125

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever. The days of lengthy, text-heavy, business plan documents prepared by expensive experts are behind us. Angel groups, accelerators, and incubators are pervasive.

Tips 161

Tips Startup Social Media News 161

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Every investor expects to see some business traction, both before and after a funding event. Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Now investors will pay attention, since scale-up funding is less risky and has a time frame.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Xconomy

MAY 11, 2018

The administration’s “American Patients First” plan, released via a speech and an accompanying 38-page “blueprint” document , laid out some relatively modest actions aimed at spurring generic competition, making it easier for Medicare (the government-funded health program for seniors) to manage high drug costs and negotiate discounts, making drug prices (..)

Pricing 62

Pricing Advertising Competition Report 62

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

It takes a long immersion in the marketplace for someone to be a true insider, understand the subtleties of the competitive landscape, recognize the people who are true assets (independent of titles), and look through the propaganda of technical collateral and PR campaigns. The industry veteran. The financial suit. The operations superstar.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 123

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2022

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity.

Outsource Development 110

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2023

Technologies are not solutions, but understanding a technology, in the context of a customer need, will result in more competitive and long-lasting solutions. The process of documenting what you think you know in a business plan, for the team and for investors, solidifies your own understanding of your new business.

Social Media 120

Social Media Startup Entrepreneur Education 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2018

The first page of the business plan better be an executive summary which gives the investor a taste of the financials, as well as opportunity, competition, and key executives. “I Don’t send investors documents and notes that would be rejected by any high-school teacher. I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.”

Funding 62

Funding Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 62

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2020

You can’t predict big quality problems, funding shortfalls, and viral events that don’t work. Every startup needs to build and monitor their list of top competitive risks, and size the cost of a quick direction shift if the worst case happens. Document the ultimate goal, so people can work backward as well as forward.

Startup 133

Startup Entrepreneur Competition Mentor 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2016

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Ideas 62

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Competition 62

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Finally you create and document your recipe (business plan). If you are already a celebrity chef like Emeril, meaning you have a record of success using your creativity despite the odds, you don’t even need your own money, and you only need to scratch your business plan on the back of a napkin to get funded. For now, get cooking!

Startup 156

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 156

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2010

In simple terms, it is a document which describes all the what, when, where, and how of your business for you, your cohorts, and potential investors. Finally, hone the result into a professional document. You really need a business plan for you own efforts, even if external funding is not a requirement. No problem.

Startup 91

Startup Funding Sample Writing 91

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

Find other situations that led to success, or explain why the environment, competition, or opportunity has changed to reduce the risk of failure. Here I recommend that you narrow your focus, if possible, and document specifics of impact, cost, and value. We don’t have the funding for any changes right now.

Ideas 116

Ideas Netflix Resource Customer 116

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2012

I often caution entrepreneurs about seeing too many VCs when you’re beginning your fund raising process both because information tends to leak and because if you see too many people who talk with each other you’ll soon have whispers amongst all of the VCs who “passed on you” and your deal will seem over-shopped and lacking in momentum.

Technical Review 316

Technical Review Venture Capital Customer Custom 316

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Since this document is outward facing, it is important to keep the terminology and tone consistent with that of your customer set, investors, and business partners. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment. Executives, marketing & sales, financial projections, and funding. Provide details on the business model.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of specifying and documenting “formal business processes.” Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Funding process. But having no process does not make you more competitive.

Startup 107

Startup Outsource Development Training Outsource 107

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2023

But not many of us have enough savings to live for a year or more without a salary, fund the startup, and still feed the family. Potential conflict of interest issues with a current employer should be explored openly, and resulting agreement documented, to preclude the possibility that you might lose everything later as your startup succeeds.

Startup 110

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Metrics 110

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

The first page of the business plan better be an executive summary which gives the investor a taste of the financials, as well as opportunity, competition, and key executives. “I Don’t send investors documents and notes that would be rejected by any high-school teacher. I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.”

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Statistics Startup Social Media 124

socalTECH

JULY 8, 2010

Whoever wins, these are some of the local firms in interesting markets--and their tough, well-backed head-to-head competition--worth watching. DocStoc, based in Santa Monica, is headed by Jason Nazar , and offers a way for people to share and purchase professional documents. Funding: Around $4.0M. Funding: $12.8M.

Southern California 124

Southern California Rustic Canyon SoCal Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2019

A large portion of your competitive advantage and your potential value to investors is the size of your intellectual property portfolio. You need all these before you start looking for funding. You need all these before you start looking for funding. Here are the key elements: Company name.

IP 93

IP Invest Patents Social Media 93

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

It takes a long immersion in the marketplace for someone to be a true insider, understand the subtleties of the competitive landscape, recognize the people who are true assets (independent of titles), and look through the propaganda of technical collateral and PR campaigns. The industry veteran. The financial suit. The operations superstar.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 123