Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

When an entrepreneur takes on investors who take equity (i.e. The board is where large equity investors get their representation. I’ve been on boards with independent directors who are hugely responsive, read important legal documents, get briefed by the CEO and company counsel and know the company’s financials.

Startup 187

Startup Writing Venture Capital Oracle 187

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2020

Just because you want to start a business doesn’t mean you are entitled to outside equity, loans, or crowdfunding. Understand and write down every expense, and budget for required costs, especially initial inventory and accounts receivable delays. Get in the habit of documenting all agreements and terms. Details are important.

Customer 125

Customer Custom Tool Writing 125

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

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. When sizing your funding request, be aware of the value of your startup today, since most investors expect an equity share for their contributions.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2016

I’m not suggesting that formal legal documents are always required, but agreements without some paper or email trail are easily forgotten or misconstrued. Trade secrets need to be documented and dated, and business plans labeled as confidential. Give away more equity than required to drive the business.

Startup 62

Startup Patents Entrepreneur Writing 62

Berkonomics

JANUARY 16, 2014

Example: salary, equity, joint venture, etc… Can the business afford it? It is highly recommended that legal document are created and/or reviewed by a business transaction attorney. All agreements should be in writing and signed by all parties involved. Compensation: What are compensation expectations?

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Startup Examples Metrics 204

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2019

I’ll put in the money, if you put in the sweat equity.” I’m not suggesting that co-founders should be equal contributors on both sides, but the parameters for “equality” better be well understood and well documented. Some people like to live just over the limit, while others have a high sense of integrity and morality.

Startup 70

Startup Satisfaction Writing Entrepreneur 70

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2015

Stegmaier recommends that you start by writing a regular blog, joining a few related campaigns, building a high-quality video, and completing up to a hundred additional lessons before you even launch your own project. Startups need to build a large passionate group of fans before the campaign.

Startup 53

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 53

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

After you have successfully attracted angels or venture capital with your business case, your million dollar product idea, and you have a signed term sheet, there is still one more hurdle to overcome before investors write the check. This is the dreaded “due diligence” process. For small teams, every team member will likely be interviewed.

Technical Review 94

Technical Review Startup Writing Competition 94

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

Fallacy: Third-party, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) representatives succeed once the sales process is defined, proven and documented. 5) Allow Partners To Write Your Agreements. Thus, I will let my Big Dumb Company (BDC) partner write our agreement. 2) Secure Your Intellectual Property Too Early. Fallacy: Yes.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2017

I’ll put in the money, if you put in the sweat equity.” I’m not suggesting that co-founders should be equal contributors on both sides, but the parameters for “equality” better be well understood and well documented. Some people like to live just over the limit, while others have a high sense of integrity and morality.

Startup 59

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 59

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2010

After you have successfully attracted angels or venture capital with your business case, your million dollar product idea, and you have a signed term sheet, there is still one more hurdle to overcome before investors write the check. This is the dreaded “due diligence” process. For small teams, every team member will likely be interviewed.

Technical Review 90

Technical Review Writing Competition Tips 90

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2013

I’ll put in the money, if you put in the sweat equity.” I’m not suggesting that co-founders should be equal contributors on both sides, but the parameters for “equality” better be well understood and well documented. Some people like to live just over the limit, while others have a high sense of integrity and morality. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 96

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Writing 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

I’ll put in the money, if you put in the sweat equity.” I’m not suggesting that co-founders should be equal contributors on both sides, but the parameters for “equality” better be well understood and well documented. Some people like to live just over the limit, while others have a high sense of integrity and morality.

Startup 97

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2016

Over the years, I have identified ten key principles and disciplines that every entrepreneur must understand and practice to minimize surprises and failures in this area: Failure to document cash flow projections is a disaster. If they are dealing with distributors, that wait can easily be four or five months.

Startup 64

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 64

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

I’ll put in the money, if you put in the sweat equity.” I’m not suggesting that co-founders should be equal contributors on both sides, but the parameters for “equality” better be well understood and well documented. Some people like to live just over the limit, while others have a high sense of integrity and morality.

Startup 95

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

When to get a lawyer - If you plan to be a venture or angel backed technology company (what I mostly write about) the best time to start meeting and getting to know lawyers is long before you ever start your company. I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. Many people start companies arse backwards.

Startup 318

Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2010

Most advisors will tell you to write the business plan first (20-30 pages), then distill the key points into a set of Microsoft PowerPoint slides for standup presentations to potential investors. What equity is the company willing to give in return for the investment? Here are the ten slides you need: Problem and market need.

Slides 94

Slides Competition Sample Sales 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint.

Startup 101

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2010

I’ll put in the money, if you put in the sweat equity.” I’m not suggesting that co-founders should be equal contributors on both sides, but the parameters for “equality” better be well understood and well documented. Some people like to live just over the limit, while others have a high sense of integrity and morality. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 82

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Writing 82

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Here are some tips which will signal traction to investors, as well as your team: Document your business plan. Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint.

Tips 88

Tips Startup CTO Hire Press 88

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2010

And how do you think the next person who’s thinking about writing you a check going to feel about that sort of cavalier attitude with their money? We’re going to put our product out there and fail fast!&# [note: business plan to me does not equal long Microsoft Word document. How does your brother-in-law feel about that?

Startup 308

Startup Entrepreneur Customer Custom 308

InfoChachkie

JUNE 25, 2009

Some startup attorneys will accept a portion of their initial fees in the form of equity. When you hit the inevitable bumps in the road, a lawyer who has an equity stake in your business is more likely to be flexible with respect to payment terms and more willing to give you quick, off-the-clock feedback and guidance.

Technical Advisors 124

Technical Advisors Technical Review IP Patents 124

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

500 Hats , January 10, 2010 Developing new startup ideas - Chris Dixon , March 14, 2010 Batch Processing Millions and Millions of Images - Code as Craft , July 9, 2010 jQuery Plugin: Give Your Characters a NobleCount - The Product Guy , March 23, 2010 How do the sample Series Seed financing documents differ from typical Series A financing documents?

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378