Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million-dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Funding or rollout stage.

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Startup Funding Organization Incubator 122

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs probably have long searched for that special idea that will catapult you and your startup to success. Yet, my experience as a business advisor and investor has convinced me that the magic is not the idea, but you and the execution. True entrepreneurs are born, not made.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Satisfaction 171

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. The result, called resourcefulness, allows entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the face of scarcity. Startups funded by rich uncles rarely think about productivity.

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Resource Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2023

Entrepreneurs who search for real pain points, and build solutions around them, have the best chance of changing the world. So why do I see some many funding requests for products along these lines? So why do I see some many funding requests for products along these lines? That’s the great thing about being an entrepreneur.

Ideas 118

Ideas Outsource Development Outsource Course 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2023

Every entrepreneur has an idea for transforming a market with innovative new technology, or transforming society with a new process. But unfortunately, most of these ideas fail at the execution level, or are not truly innovative. Ideas have to be implemented well to change a market, or the world. Failure is an option.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. m are not for crowdfunding, but actually are matchmaking sites between entrepreneurs and professional investors or banks, or incubators.

Funding 141

Funding Startup Outsource Development Satisfaction 141

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

After many years of working with angel investors seriously trying to find new ventures worthy of their hard-earned money, I find their frustration often exceeds that of entrepreneurs sincerely looking for financial help. Non-credible funding request or unreasonable valuation. Naïve expectations on funding terms and process.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 108

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue). Thus your startup maturity and growth stage is the primary key to success with potential funding sources. Marty Zwilling

Funding 125

Funding Startup Ideas Equity 125

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 -- Funding the Big Idea! TriTechs 3rd annual funding conference where businesses and entrepreneurs interact with investors and also get a chance to look into the mind of investors in order to find out what it takes to become investor ready. See [link].

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Ideas Funding Conference Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2021

An entrepreneur lifestyle that continues to gain in popularity these days is being a “social entrepreneur.” Whether the objective is to generate profits or social capital, the common element for all entrepreneurs is the recognition that there is a problem which needs solving, or there is an opportunity to improve the status quo.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Funding Invest Activity 138

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Get help with grant funding and incubator resources. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” In my opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader who can execute. Positive inspirational communication.

Ideas 101

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Resource 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2023

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. Yet the process is eerily realistic, and every entrepreneur can glean some important lessons. Investors invest in people, more than ideas.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Sample Ideas Customer 111

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Every business professional I know, or have met in my consulting role, has given serious thought to the alternative of switching to the entrepreneur lifestyle , pursuing a long-standing dream, and controlling their own destiny. Sometimes you need to focus on the next idea rather than saving the current one.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Ideas Satisfaction Customer 124

socalTECH

AUGUST 29, 2013

Can tapping the power of the crowd not only help you find customers and help fund your project, but also help you shape your startup idea and find funding? Dirk Ahlborn: We are coming out of the nonprofit incubator, the Girvan Institute of Technology, which has been around since 2002, and is funded by NASA Ames.

Ideas 178

Ideas Patents Funding Startup 178

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

One thing I have learned the hard way in business is that implementing new ideas is usually much more difficult than conceiving the idea in the first place. That’s why I caution my aspiring entrepreneur clients against proclaiming to investors that they are a great “idea” person. For example, I have a friend with a Ph.D.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” I always answer that there isn’t any magic, and contrary to the popular myth, nobody is waiting in the wings to throw money at you, just because you have a new and exciting business idea.

Funding 174

Funding Startup Equity Examples 174

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

A continuing question I hear from young entrepreneurs is whether a university degree is important to startup success, or just a distraction in achieving their purpose in the world. Most colleges have now added classes in entrepreneurship to include the necessary business focus to technical majors that usually drive innovative ideas.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2023

As an entrepreneur mentor and startup investor, I see with sadness the 50 to 90 percent that fail. If you ask them for a reason, most will insist that they couldn’t get funding, or they ran out of money too early. It’s tempting to believe that one more new platform will win for crowd funding or video games, like Indiegogo and Wii.

Entrepreneur 125

Entrepreneur Netflix Social Media Startup 125

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. It forces you to bridge the gap between idea and execution. It forces you to bridge the gap between idea and execution. No startup or entrepreneur is an island.

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Funding Activity Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Being called a lifestyle entrepreneur should be a point of pride, not an insult. Of course, even lifestyle entrepreneurs want to be happy, and want their business to be “successful.” Startup funding comes from personal savings and family. Non-equity funding has to come from personal sources, or government grants, or bank loans.

Entrepreneur 148

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Course 148

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2022

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. If you have a good idea, but haven’t started yet, only friends, family and fools will likely be interested. Can you justify your use of funds to this investor? Marty Zwilling.

Funding 121

Funding Startup Equity Invest 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. are not for crowdfunding, but actually are matchmaking sites between entrepreneurs and professional investors or banks, or incubators.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Satisfaction Equity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2020

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Startup Competition 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2021

In the eyes of investors like me, to be an entrepreneur, it’s not enough to create an innovative solution – you need to convince me that you can build a profitable business. Able to move smoothly from idea to execution. Some people like to talk incessantly about their idea and possibilities.

Funding 152

Funding Startup Ideas Resource 152

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2012

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” In my humble opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader and a plan. Positive inspirational communication.

Ideas 103

Ideas Entrepreneur Startup Resource 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2020

As I was watching the investor show, Shark Tank , on TV the other night, I was struck by how quickly and how extensively the sharks focused on the background and character of the entrepreneurs, compared to time spent evaluating their products. Demonstrate social intelligence and concern. Always proclaim and deliver a positive attitude.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Mentor Metrics Customer 168

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

Fund raising. But it’s critical for your business, for you as a leader and people who excel at fund raising have an extreme advantage over those who do not. The best entrepreneurs in our industry focus on it year-round as opposed to just once every 18 months. It definitely has a “d” in it, as in it’s really not fun, raising.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs. Maybe it’s time to rethink your startup funding strategy.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

As a mentor to many aspiring entrepreneurs, I challenge them to think beyond what I call linear extensions to a current trend, such as another “easier-to-use” app for smartphones, a new dating site for pets, or another niche social network. Do you have the skills and interests to overcome problems, lead people, and find partners and funding?

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Ideas Resource Examples 126

Berkonomics

MARCH 30, 2012

You have enough in savings to get started, but how and where do you go to find additional funding sources? Here’s the new truth: It is rare to get anyone to invest in an idea these days. When searching for funding, one of your primary tasks should be to start where it is easier, and proceed from there. Your family is all for it.

Funding 192

Funding Entrepreneur Startup Invest 192

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2023

Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. Show focus and your understanding that your company is something more than just a good idea. Be concise as well as complete.

Equity 121

Equity Technical Advisors Funding Ideas 121

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges.

Ideas 109

Ideas Entrepreneur Patents Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. contributes more than $25 billion to fund 70,000 startups every year. Angels prefer strong teams to big ideas. Marty Zwilling.

Angel 126

Angel Funding Venture Capital Seed Funding 126

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

The road to becoming an entrepreneur is a journey , and it’s not a short trip. In my efforts of assist aspiring business owners like you, I find that too many see it as a short sprint to get over that one hurdle, like finding that innovative idea, or attracting an investor. The shift – break away from dreaming to action.

Entrepreneur 139

Entrepreneur Help Incubator Startup 139

InfoChachkie

MAY 7, 2012

Ideas are infinite, and in the absence of competent execution, they are worth nothing. Thus, if both ideas and money are abundant, what is the scarce constraint in the fundraising equation? Skilled entrepreneurs bring ideas and money together by building a bridge of trust.

Ideas 251

Ideas Venture Capital Education Entrepreneur 251

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. Too many entrepreneurs think that expert external advisors are suspect, or will slow them down.

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Startup Entrepreneur Examples Customer 131