Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

External investors will demand a financial forecast, but it’s equally valuable to you, even if bootstrapping. 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

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 5, 2015

In his premier film appearance in the blaxploitation send-up “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” Chris Rock inadvertently addresses a key pricing challenge faced by most entrepreneurs. Watch this 93-second clip and see if you can identify the pricing pitfall addressed in this humorous snippet. Price = Value. How Much For A Rib?

Pricing 100

Pricing Product Startup Customer 100

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 11, 2021

million seed round, including investments from CRV, Abstract Ventures, Crossbeam (Ali Hamed), id8, Michael Ovitz (founder of CAA), Michael Bosstick, Diaspora Ventures and others. Snipfeed is free to set up, but if you make sales, the company takes 15% — this percentage is inclusive of any transaction fees.

Platform 286

Platform Commerce Startup Tool 286

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 23, 2020

The proposal sets out four big initiatives, including zero-emissions vehicle manufacturing, assembly and adoption; zero-emissions infrastructure investments; commitments to public transit investments; workforce development; and job training. There’s $25 billion in money set aside for public transit and $12.5

Southern California 261

Southern California Los Angeles Rosemead Incubator 261

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2016

In the world of on-demand driving�such as driving for Uber and Lyft--one of the biggest costs for drivers it the cost of owning, maintaning, fueling, and cleaning their vehicles. By doing this, and also by using primarily electric vehicles, we can provide this service at a price which is cheaper than using your own car.

Demand 100

Demand Los Angeles Inglewood Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Here is a summary of the key terms to expect on the term sheet, or the contract between the founder and investor: Consideration given for the money invested. For later investments, the price is equity, with a percentage of the owner stock to be assigned to the investor. Definition of investment delivery in "tranches."

Demand 105

Demand Startup Equity Invest 105

TechCrunch LA

MAY 3, 2022

She worked on Wall Street as an investment banker for a few years in New York before returning to Houston with a job in energy. Obviously, there’s a huge demand for it, and it shouldn’t be this difficult to access high-quality convenient hair solutions.”. The price a consumer pays depends on the stylist chosen.

Tool 179

Tool Customer Custom Marketing 179

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships.

Sales 147

Sales Metrics Guide Startup 147

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. If you hire 6 sales reps in January at $120,000 / year salary then you’ve taken on an extra $60,000 per month in costs yet these sales people might not close new business for 4-6 months. If you don’t, somebody else WILL!” ” The Details.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

When convertible debt first started being introduced as a “faster, cheaper way to get startups funded” they didn’t have pricing built into them. ” And some seed stage investors told me, “I prefer not to fight over price now. They’ll get priced soon enough by a VC.” Enter “the cap.”

Startup 354

Startup Pricing Equity Venture Capital 354

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. If you hire 6 senior sales reps in January at $120,000 / year salary then you’ve taken on an extra $60,000 per month in costs yet these sales people might not close new business 6 months. COGS” represents the amount that each sale costs you.

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

Xu says that overall, demand from consumers has dropped off considerably compared to a year ago. We do a lot of heavyweight lifting around inventory management, pricing and customer relations, and even HR management for wholesales and distributors.” It is currently is the company’s biggest customer.). and Canada.

Startup 249

Startup Platform Software Los Angeles 249

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. You can be pissed off, but I don’t set prices. That’s stupid.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

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. an investment in your company. I think there’s some truth in this.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

I recommend a trial run with an experiment or MVP (minimum viable product), at full price and cost, before the big bang launch, risking your investment money and a major time commitment. You need the funding and support, but venture capitalists can be very demanding, and set high targets. Needed help can be your biggest burden.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

My background is I was a sales rep in this industry for fourteen years, with Nikon. We've created an alternative, a hybrid microscope for the price of one. We got first place in that competition, and they followed up with a $2M investment in the form of a convertible note. So how was it you were able to ramp up sales so quickly?

Tech Coast Angels 124

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2022

You might sell one of two of your widgets for $1 million each, entering profitability immediately, but then die because you can’t grow sales at that price. When their deep pockets went empty, Facebook stepped in, but demanded revenue from ads. Identify the total investment required for profitability.

Platform 118

Platform Snapchat Startup Course 118

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on startup advice but also filed under my sales & marketing posts. You’ve invested $1 million in building the perfect application the meet a large market need. The only problem is that you can’t afford all of these expensive direct sales reps to go and sell it. Imagine this.

Startup 293

Startup Sales Marketing Product 293

Berkonomics

MAY 21, 2015

Incremental profits from companies that later sell for three to five times their original value at the time of their investment may be considered great successes for founders but relative failures for VCs, who must hit for the fences with every early stage investment. Angel investors are more tolerant of this than VCs.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Social Media Invest Marketing 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2015

External investors will demand a financial forecast, but it’s equally valuable to you, even if bootstrapping. 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

InfoChachkie

MARCH 2, 2019

Ruth had previously headed the company’s sales efforts, but she formally moved up to the CEO role upon Matson’s departure. In 1952, banks refused to loan Ruth the money needed to invest in a windup, music-box piano that she was convinced would be a hit. Ruth’s Big Innovation. million 2018 dollars.

Company 100

Company Companies Sales Sample 100

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

My background is I was a sales rep in this industry for fourteen years, with Nikon. We've created an alternative, a hybrid microscope for the price of one. We got first place in that competition, and they followed up with a $2M investment in the form of a convertible note. So how was it you were able to ramp up sales so quickly?

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships.

Startup 97

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. Be wary of crafty shysters who will flood your mailbox with official-looking mail offering to help for a fee, or demanding fees you forgot to pay. Look hard at the technology for feasibility and risk.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

socalTECH

MAY 30, 2019

I think, to be a great entrepreneur, you have to look at what is missing in the category that you will be playing in the industry, and figure what you can deploy with a little bit of strategy and technology to bring a better service and price. You've got to know best practices in demand generation. Your finance has to be world class.

Content 193

Content Social Network Coach Help 193

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

This financial leader could well have come through the finance org at another startup or at a larger company but they often also can come from strategy consulting (Bain, BCG or McKinsey) or through investment banking (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc.). and we were met with weak demand, slow growth and high costs.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Apparently with a physical storefront where it can convince customers of the wonders of on-demand mobility. As for what will happen at the store, Fifth Wall’s Adam Demuyakor tells me “There will be deployment of scooters, charging of scooters, and some sales of apparel and accessories that are related.

Santa Monica 221

Santa Monica Startup Technical Review Education 221

Tech.Co

JUNE 28, 2021

. “Marshmallow first began by providing car insurance cover for UK-based expats, a group who had historically been quoted insurance prices that were 51% higher than the market average. ” Sharper Startup Focuses Warrant Investment. After most lockdowns were lifted, demand for services like beauty treatments has skyrocketed.

Startup 104

Startup Ideas Venture Capital Course 104

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

My original thinking from Oct ’09 was, while I didn’t (and still don’t) have a crystal ball I worried that: consumers were over-stretched with debt (and make up 77% of the economy), unemployment would continue to rise, which in turn would drive the stock market south and cut the rate of M&A activity and VC investment even further.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 298

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

The math works out that the investor owns 25% of the company post deal ($1 million invested / $4 million valuation) and assuming 1 million shares, each share would be valued at $3 / share ($3,000,000 pre-money / 1 million shares = $3 / share). This states how the proceeds from a sale or dissolution of the company will be distributed.

Venture Capital 405

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Funding 405

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2013

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. Home prices are slowly coming back, and consumer spending reached a new high of almost $11 billion in May 2013. Venture capital investments are returning to startups.

Startup 86

Startup Tips Venture Capital Demand 86

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

Consider the situation in which the entrepreneur wants to accept a financially life-changing offer to sell her company which is vetoed by the investor because the price does not meet its minimal investment return criteria. For instance, in a company’s early stages, it might be prudent for a Founder to lead the company’s sales efforts.

Entrepreneur 253

Entrepreneur Google Invest RSS 253

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

The framework of his book has profoundly altered how I think about the technology market and affects how I thought about building my businesses and how I think about investing in venture capital. This is important because the customers they serve (the red line) demand a product that meets their complex requirements. So what did happen?

Startup 376

Startup Framework Marketing Customer 376

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

Fund raising (as is much of life) is a sale – pure and simple. As with any sales campaign you need to: Qualify your buyers early so you focus your scarce resources on people likely to buy your product. Partners make investment decisions. . Three rules in sales: Why buy anything? Do they have money to invest?

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Switch your attention from product development to sales. Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships.

Startup 108

Startup Sales Metrics Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

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. As a result, smart investors will tell you they invest in the jockey, not the horse (people, not ideas). Make the product or service come alive.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

By profit, I simply mean offering a product or service to customers for a price that exceeds the total costs associated with the solution, thus providing some basis for recovering sunk costs and generating a return for stakeholders. Investors look for sales at full price, to people you don’t know, to validate demand, price, and margin.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Ideas Pricing Customer 58