Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

This time by the efforts of Adeo Ressi to introduce a new kind of structure called “ convertible equity.” My initial reaction to Adeo when we spoke was that while it may have solved some issues (debt versus equity) it didn’t solve the ones that I’ve been warning entrepreneurs about most loudly.

Startup 354

Startup Pricing Equity Venture Capital 354

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2022

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, costs, and tasks you don’t like. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales.

Startup 140

Startup Satisfaction Writing Entrepreneur 140

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2012

One of the first tough decisions that startup founders have to make is how to allocate or split the equity among co-founders. Another common “failure to start” situation I see is one where the “idea person” insists that the idea is 90% of the value (and 90% of the equity). Expertise can be marketing, technical, financial, or sales.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity CTO Hire 101

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

One of the first tough decisions that startup founders have to make is how to allocate or split the equity among co-founders. Another common “failure to start” situation I see is one where the “idea person” insists that the idea is 90% of the value (and 90% of the equity). Expertise can be marketing, technical, financial, or sales.

Equity 91

Equity Startup CTO Hire CTO Coach 91

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

If you’ve got the skills to be a strong entrepreneur then it shouldn’t be too difficult to find people who know a partner at a VC firm and if you can build relationship with them you can get introduced. Most entrepreneurs (and VCs raising from LPs) think this means progress. Some people find this elitist?—?I It doesn’t.

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 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. In sales there are also three rules: Qualify, qualify, qualify.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

If you do a capped note it’s bad for the entrepreneur. The trouble is, nobody has an incentive to agree to write the first check. ” If you remember the three rules of sales : it’s. Here is what I recommend very often – privately – to startup entrepreneurs for angel funding. why buy anything?

Pricing 294

Pricing Venture Capital Writing Equity 294

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

We not only have our Series A funds that can write $500k?—?$15 The advantage is that in many of our best deals we now have $50+ million invested so we can really support entrepreneurs as their businesses scale. As I tell our LPs, “if I’m not making you slightly uncomfortable when I’m writing my first check I’m not doing my job.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

I’m sitting at my computer now at 9.00pm writing this – which is an hour earlier than I normally write (there are about 8 women at my kitchen table having a book club (aka excuse to drink wine & gossip so I’m locked in another room writing. It sure wasn’t when I was a first-time entrepreneur.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

As an entrepreneur and startup investor, I have helped create companies which achieved two IPOs which collectively raised over $100 million, as well as two acquisitions which totaled $385 million. 1) Expect Independent Channel Sales Reps To Perform Missionary Sales. Rationale: I cannot afford to hire a direct sales force.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

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 really like it when independent directors write a check into the company. That way somebody who writes $25,000 gets $50,000 worth of stock plus warrants. obviously make an exception.

Startup 187

Startup Writing Venture Capital Oracle 187

InfoChachkie

JUNE 11, 2012

For many entrepreneurs, college has little appeal. Academia’s arbitrary, bureaucratic structure, combined with its predominant focus on theoretical issues, causes many entrepreneurs to depart college early. Entrepreneurs are misfits. Others, such as Walt Disney and Richard Branson never even enroll.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Education Entrepreneur 279

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Unless you are a serial entrepreneur with a string of successes behind you, you need a business plan to convince investors that you can build a business out of the dream that has been driving your passion to change the world. Marketing, sales, and customer experience. Current and past titles don’t convey this information.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2020

In reality, the opportunities are greater for starting with a micro-business , ideally from your special expertise or passion, with fewer than five employees, and just enough sales to comfortably support you and your team. Just because you want to start a business doesn’t mean you are entitled to outside equity, loans, or crowdfunding.

Customer 125

Customer Custom Tool Writing 125

Berkonomics

JANUARY 16, 2014

JJ is a successful entrepreneur and technologist giving back to the entrepreneurial. community in many ways, including his weekly Internet TV program on entrepreneurism, and participation in several mentoring programs. . Example: salary, equity, joint venture, etc… Can the business afford it? By JJ Richa. Is it by committee?

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Startup Examples Metrics 204

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

The startup has already secured a seed investment from Maveron and CRV, TechCrunch has learned, and will receive another $150,000 in exchange for 7% equity upon entering YC next year. Podfund , for example, writes checks sized between $25,000 to $50,000 to emerging podcasters. million Series A led by Puma Private Equity, a U.K.-focused

Platform 170

Platform Marketing Tool Venture Capital 170

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

I get paid (well) for interesting people to come in and tell me how they want to change the world – Being an entrepreneur is like having blinders on. At least for the best entrepreneurs. Some people do the conference circuit too much, get involved in lots of side projects and attend every entrepreneur dinner. I love it.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2013

Most entrepreneurs think first of bank loans as the primary source of money, only to find out that banks are really the least likely benefactors for startups. She plumbs the range of possibilities she has gained through personal experience as an entrepreneur, and as the “queen of business financing” in the financial industry.

Startup 97

Startup Entrepreneur Equity Examples 97

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

In many ways I think general purpose writing & thinking skills are as valuable as math skills. We talked about how business school historically hasn’t positioned entrepreneurs well for success. I wrote about that before in a post about “ whether MBAs are necessary for entrepreneurs. Then there is a royalty rate.

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2019

Image via Pixabay Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales.

Startup 70

Startup Satisfaction Writing Entrepreneur 70

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2010

a loan) that is later converted to equity at the time of the next financing. If no financing happened then this “note&# may not be converted and thus would be senior to the equity of the company in the case of a bankruptcy or asset sale. So my view is that VCs and entrepreneurs need to make tougher choices.

Startup 290

Startup Funding Venture Capital Pricing 290

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

I recently read a post over on VentureHacks titled, “ Top Ten Reasons Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers &# written by Scott Walker (who blogs on legal issues for entrepreneurs ). I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. Shame about not getting it in legal writing that you owned the original IP.

Startup 318

Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2016

In the new business world, many entrepreneurs are so excited with large initial orders that they don’t anticipate the cash flow challenges that can quickly kill their startup. Of course, you can’t predict everything, but writing down what you know will identify existing problems sooner, and allow other team members to help.

Startup 64

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 64

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 96

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Writing 96

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2017

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 59

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 59

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.” I’m just pointing out that it’s not for most people. ” The punch line from this post was “angel yourself.” He still has the dream.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital IP 150

socalTECH

AUGUST 4, 2011

Every so often--particularly in Southern California--you run into a serial entrepreneur, with multiple successes and great track record-- yet, who very few people are aware of. Instead, after a private equity firm offered to buy YLighting, we negotiated to keep the technology that we had developed. We sold it to a private equity group.

Startup 210

Startup Marketing Customer Custom 210

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 97

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 97

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

We have built SocialStay for scale so I think the ‘chasm’ is both a function of time and sales. Do you have any advice for emerging entrepreneurs regarding how they can be frugal without compromising their company’s value prop? You don’t need much… But what you do need is sales. Write it down….

Startup 233

Startup Design Mobile Social Network 233

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2012

…” I’ll write soon on my views of why I believe Instagram took off as a social network and what I think comes next. ” In this week’s discussion with entrepreneurs I think the word impending wasn’t used often enough. You are either bought for stock or for equity. Christin goes on.

Venture Capital 316

Venture Capital Pricing Social Network Acquisition 316

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

agreeing whether or not to top up a founder’s equity. As a result I’ve really resisted writing about negotiations. If I forget to write, “Don’t Negotiation Piecemeal” after that then remind me. ” As a VC I’m required to negotiate constantly. submitting term sheets. This is the first.

Pricing 305

Pricing Startup Examples Writing 305

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

In a world where the economy only heads in one direction (read: 2009-2014) most investors & entrepreneurs forget to pay attention to gross burn. Gross margin (GM) is the amount of profit you make per sale of your product or service taking into account your total costs of selling that product or service.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

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. Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe marketing strategy, sales plan, licensing, and partnership plans. Exit strategy.

Slides 94

Slides Competition Sample Sales 94

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs. I will write more about this in the next 2 weeks. So here is what I have been telling entrepreneurs privately for the past 6 months. What a bubble means for each entrepreneur. I believe that. But it will end.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2014

By the way, I also strongly advise that entrepreneurs reference VCs. In this instance my personal style is to have entrepreneurs in whom I’m considering investing to call my good references and those where we have gone through some tough times so in that sense I end up in the 0.05% but I tell entrepreneurs I’m doing this and why.

Startup 302

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Report 302

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 95

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 95

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. So, whether an entrepreneur raises money or not, they have to have a long-term vision. Groupon raised seven series of private equity before going public.

Venture Capital 45

Venture Capital Capital Anthem Startup 45