Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

Thus, financial projections for up to five years are a necessary element in every business plan. There is no black magic involved in predicting the future, if you use these four simple steps, with my basic rules of thumb to keep you on the right track: Determine your margin on sales. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Startup 147

Startup Pricing Sales Statistics 147

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Here are five good reasons for setting the strategy early, as summarized by Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy in their new book “ Now, Build a Great Business! Although their book is written for businesses of all sizes, I believe the principles apply especially to startups as follows: To increase return on equity invested.

Startup 92

Startup Competition IP Patents 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

A smart investor will take an independent final reading in the market on barriers to entry, active competition, demographics, and price sensitivity. Sales and distribution channel activity will be analyzed, as well as cost of customer acquisition, to make an independent assessment of your financial projections.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Berkonomics

JANUARY 26, 2017

The most striking example was the one hundred–million–dollar purchase of one of my companies by a New York private equity investor using only five million of its cash. Just think of the second tool, terms, you can use creatively to bridge that gap, whether driven by seller’s ego or competitive necessity. What power!

Pricing 120

Pricing Sales Tool Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

A smart investor will take an independent final reading in the market on barriers to entry, active competition, demographics, and price sensitivity. Sales and distribution channel activity will be analyzed, as well as cost of customer acquisition, to make an independent assessment of your financial projections.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

This is also the place to first mention patents and any other differentiators that put you ahead of competition. Every new offering has competition and alternatives, so it’s not credible to claim no competitors. What are your specific marketing and sales plans? How big is the funding request, and how much equity will you give?

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

The most important advice I could give you before you set out in fund raising mode is to understand that fund-raising a sales & marketing process and needs to be managed. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them. In sales there are also three rules: Qualify, qualify, qualify.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2017

As an angel investor and business advisor on new ventures, I expect to see five-year financial projections from every entrepreneur. Does this entrepreneur understand the basics of business costs in the selected business domain, growth dynamics, and the competitive environment? Quantify overhead and growth costs.

Pricing 57

Pricing Startup Entrepreneur Invest 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

Potential investors love to see gross margins in the fifty percent range or greater, with recurring revenue through subscriptions, follow-on sales, or services. Intellectual property and sustainable competitive advantage. Customized marketing strategy and realistic sales plans. “If

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

Competition and sustainable advantage. List and position your competition, or alternatives available to the customer. Highlight your sustainable competitive advantages, and barriers to entry. Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe marketing strategy, sales plan, licensing, and partnership plans. Exit strategy.

Slides 99

Slides Competition Sample Sales 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, and then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath. Competition and sustainable advantage. List and describe your competition, direct and indirect, including customer alternatives. Asserting you have no competition is not credible.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Even non-profits need money to scale, but their pitch should be to philanthropists, not equity investors. Sales projections are less than one percent market penetration. Secondly, this projection usually comes with an assertion that everyone on the planet needs this, so less than one percent in five years is still a huge number.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

Competitor positioning and sustainable competitive advantage. Customers may be attracted to your marketing message, but investors look harder at the startup team, seeking superior expertise in the key areas of growing a business, product domain, financial, marketing and sales. Specific elements of your marketing and sales plans.

Product 103

Product Slides Custom Customer 103

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2012

Here are five good reasons for setting the strategy early, as summarized by Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy in their recent book “ Now, Build a Great Business! Although their book is written for businesses of all sizes, I believe the principles apply especially to startups as follows: Increase return on equity invested.

Startup 99

Startup Competition IP Patents 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2015

Thus, financial projections for up to five years are a necessary element in every business plan. There is no black magic involved in predicting the future, if you use these four simple steps, with my basic rules of thumb to keep you on the right track: Determine your margin on sales. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Pricing Sales 102

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, and then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath. Competition and sustainable advantage. List and describe your competition, direct and indirect, including customer alternatives. Asserting you have no competition is not credible.

Competition 116

Competition Metrics Startup Sales 116

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

1) Expect Independent Channel Sales Reps To Perform Missionary Sales. Rationale: I cannot afford to hire a direct sales force. Fallacy: Third-party, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) representatives succeed once the sales process is defined, proven and documented. Public relations at a startup is a sales process.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

Competition and sustainable advantage. List and position your competition, or alternatives available to the customer. Highlight your sustainable competitive advantages, and barriers to entry. Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe marketing strategy, sales plan, licensing, and partnership plans. Exit strategy.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2010

Competition and sustainable advantage. List and position your competition, or alternatives available to the customer. Highlight your sustainable competitive advantages, and barriers to entry. Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe marketing strategy, sales plan, licensing, and partnership plans. Exit strategy.

Slides 94

Slides Competition Sample Sales 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, and then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath. Competition and sustainable advantage. List and describe your competition, direct and indirect, including customer alternatives. Asserting you have no competition is not credible.

Invest 74

Invest Tips Competition Metrics 74

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

A smart investor will take an independent final reading in the market on barriers to entry, active competition, demographics, and price sensitivity. Sales and distribution channel activity will be analyzed, as well as cost of customer acquisition, to make an independent assessment of your financial projections.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

For two years, it was a mentorship program, that worked with twenty three different companies, but did not have a fund, did not have an office, and didn't take any equity. Forbes ranked us number five in the country. We don't get excited about derivative businesses, like yet another daily deal site, or another niche flash sales site.

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 4, 2015

The industry’s competitive dynamics. Do you see the overlap with the factors that come into play for equity valuations? Recent equity sales i.e., comparables. For the IRS, it means “at least five years of relevant experience.”. What impacts a company’s 409A valuation: Company milestones. Strategic partnerships.

IP 40

IP Equity Examples Guide 40

socalTECH

MAY 23, 2012

Bauckhage talks about the firm's recent funding from DFJ Espirit, T-Venture, Grazia Equity, and others, and how the company has been helping studios like Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Disney and Paramount market their upcoming releases. We started about four or five years ago. What is the idea behind Moviepilot?

Startup 164

Startup Paramount Netflix Entertainment 164

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Five years later he co-founded Audio.net, which was initially focused on creating a portable device for receiving satellite broadcasts of sporting events. "Sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is. " The timing of the sale of Broadcast.com was impeccable. free weekly Infochachkie articles! Do the work."

Tips 274

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Ideas 274

From the Venture Trenches

MARCH 27, 2013

Yet despite his ability to raise over $1 billion of private equity and to build an organization that is worth $5 billion as of this writing, Mason was shown the door. Many service businesses or eTailers can quickly grow to five or ten million in revenues but struggle to expand further. Is outside capital really required?

Venture Capital 45

Venture Capital Capital Anthem Startup 45

socalTECH

MAY 21, 2013

I had also spent five years at Overture and Yahoo, going back to the Goto.com days. We also know we''re not a startup, and don''t have equity to offer. On the other side, we had incredible high ranking search results when we were baked off against the competition. What''s your background and how did you end up at YP?

Technical Review 223

Technical Review Glendale Advertising Google 223

socalTECH

MAY 21, 2013

I had also spent five years at Overture and Yahoo, going back to the Goto.com days. We also know we''re not a startup, and don''t have equity to offer. ON the other side, we had incredible high ranking search results when we were baked off against the competition. What''s your background and how did you end up at YP.com?

Technical Review 211

Technical Review Glendale Advertising Google 211

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

We brought together Peter Cowen of Groundwork Equity , Mark Suster of GRP Partners , Rick Smith of Crosscut Ventures , and Richard Yen of Saban Ventures -- all of who will be on the judging panel for the Tech Coast Angel's Fast Pitch on February 24th, to give us a their hints and tips about pitching to venture capitalists.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Ideas Entrepreneur Invest 100

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 13, 2010

SXSWi is five days of presentations and panel discussions from some of the biggest thought leaders in Interactive digital media space. Bootstrapping enterprise, marketing, Sales. . In 2009 my art blog www.johntunger.com earned $188,138 in gross sales from 205,839 unique visitors. Avoid Freeloaders, Go For The Enterprise Gold.

Guide 69

Guide Startup Venture Capital Entrepreneur 69

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

equity debate. The right way to position against competition - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , August 23, 2010 This is Part 4 of the series: 5 lessons from 150 startup pitches.?? There is no competition. So Alice, Mark and Nick are going to hire ten people over the next five (now four) weeks.

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2016

For example, at any given moment in your business, you may be limited by development, marketing, or sales. Of course, they all prefer cash, but some may work for future revenue or startup equity. Smart entrepreneurs make these five steps an iterative process and a way of life, attacking one growth constraint after another.

Startup 56

Startup Outsource Development Organization Outsource 56