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7 Scenarios Where A Business Plan Is Still An Asset

Startup Professionals Musings

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans take too much time, are inaccurate, and rarely add value. The size of the document should be based on your style, but 10-20 pages or slides are usually more than adequate to outline even a complex business.

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6 Steps To Move From Inspiration To Business Reality

Startup Professionals Musings

Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea. I suggest you use social media, blogging, crowdfunding, or documented research to quantify a real demand from people who can afford it, and don’t have a better alternative already out there.

Ideas 94
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Start Business Planning Now For The Holiday Season

Startup Professionals Musings

Yet you can never forget the seasonal business cash flow and activity demands that are approaching, so to be prepared – you need to start the planning now. Even though these last few years have not been great financially for entrepreneurs, it always helps to look at the cup as half full, rather than half empty.

Startup 86
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Understanding the Underbelly of Online Marketing & Why You’ll Lose if You Don’t

Both Sides of the Table

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize. But being best-in-class at online marketing is also a sine qua non to standout from your peer group.

Marketing 379
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Why We’re Looking to Fund Stuff With More Meaning

Both Sides of the Table

As is often said if you don’t get at least a few fellow VCs (and entrepreneurs) scratching their heads you may not be funding ideas with enough upside. This was certainly the case when I invested in a small YouTube video production company called Maker Studios that recently sold to Disney for just shy of $1 billion.

Funding 362
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A Perspective On When A Business Plan Adds Value

Startup Professionals Musings

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article. You need money, and plan to do crowdfunding.

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Do you Suffer from the Urgency Addiction? It’s More Common Than you Think

Both Sides of the Table

It’s as good as it gets in personal productivity / life reflection. I know that would be surprising to many readers since keeping a blog somehow convinces people that I’m a time management or productivity ninja. That’s why productivity wasn’t tough for me as a CEO. I’m not. I couldn’t.

Slides 374