Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors invest in the jockey, more than the horse.

Entrepreneur 119

Entrepreneur Technical Review Statistics Startup 119

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors invest in the jockey, more than the horse.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Statistics Startup Social Media 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

As an aspiring entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need is a memorable “ elevator pitch ,” to communicate your startup value proposition and leave a great first impression on friends, investors, employees, and future customers. Customers still buy from people, and investors invest in you and your team, more than the solution.

Sample 127

Sample Summary Startup Slides 127

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Build a prototype product. A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest. Build an investor presentation and summary. Close at least one initial customer.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. Sure, there are examples of founders who have survived and prospered, such as Bill Gates and Larry Page, but these guys are the exception, not the rule. Consider the recent example of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Startup Report Summary 95

InfoChachkie

JULY 21, 2011

Paige is a gifted communicator and my summary does not do him justice. He offers a number of worthwhile tips and tricks that I was not able to capture in the textual summary, so the 14-minute audio file is well worth your time. What follows is a summary which paraphrases Paige’s responses. Click here to listen to the Audio File.

Summary 246

Summary Tips Sales Entrepreneur 246

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2012

After struggling to create your business plan for months, every entrepreneur likes to think that their document is inspirational and will reach someone who is smart enough to see the brilliance of the idea, intuitive enough to recognize their business acumen, and enthusiastic enough to offer the money required to make it happen.

Summary 97

Summary Technical Review .Net Ideas 97

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2013

If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. You can cover everything you need to convey in 20 pages of text. The one-page Oprah plan is a good executive summary, but it’s not enough to get the investment. Use page breaks to separate sections.

Writing 95

Writing Content Summary Entrepreneur 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2015

Blogging is one of the best ways to do this and build a brand, even before you have a product or service. In this age of relationships, you, the entrepreneur, are a very important element of your new brand, and it’s never too early to start marketing the value of your expertise, insights and ideas. Let that ideal co-founder find you.

Blogging 110

Blogging Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media 110

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2011

I took the opportunity this past week to publish summary notes of some of the VCs and entrepreneurs I had interviewed on This Week in VC. One of my goals in doing the show was not only to educate entrepreneurs but also to put a human face on many of the VCs in our industry as VCs can be hard to get to know. Thank you. (if

Capital 265

Capital Venture Capital Veoh Startup 265

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 19, 2017

If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. You can cover everything you need to convey in 20 pages of text. The one-page Oprah plan is a good executive summary, but it’s not enough to get the investment. Use page breaks to separate sections.

Writing 56

Writing Tips Content Summary 56

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2011

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. Sure, there are examples of founders who have survived and prospered, such as Bill Gates and Larry Page, but these guys are the exception, not the rule. Increasing government regulations. Loss of control.

Startup 94

Startup Entrepreneur Report Summary 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

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

Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors invest in the jockey, more than the horse.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Statistics 109

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

After struggling to create your business plan for months, every entrepreneur likes to think that their document is inspirational and will reach someone who is smart enough to see the brilliance of the idea, intuitive enough to recognize their business acumen, and enthusiastic enough to offer the money required to make it happen.

Summary 97

Summary Technical Review .Net Ideas 97

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2012

If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. You can cover everything you need to convey in 20 pages of text. The one-page Oprah plan is a good executive summary, but it’s not enough to get the investment. Use page breaks to separate sections.

Tips 101

Tips Writing Content Summary 101

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

But many entrepreneurs don’t realize that Angels are also extremely discerning in the projects that they will invest in, rejecting approximately 97% of the proposals submitted to them, according to the California Investment Network. Build a prototype product. Build an investor presentation and summary.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. For reference, here is a quick summary of key elements which most investors include in their due diligence process: Key personnel review.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2018

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. Investors invest in the jockey, more than the horse.

Funding 62

Funding Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 62

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2011

If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. You can cover everything you need to convey in 20 pages of text. The one-page Oprah plan is a good executive summary, but it’s not enough to get the investment. Use page breaks to separate sections.

Writing 104

Writing Content Summary Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2010

If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. For minimum content, see my article “ Ten Tips to an Investment-Grade Business Plan.” You can cover everything you need to convey in 20 pages of text. Use page breaks to separate sections. It won’t work.

Tips 93

Tips Writing Content Summary 93

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Every plan must start with the problem you are solving, not a description of your company and product. You can bolster this position by including a Letter of Intent (LOI), contract summaries, or even testimonials.

Invest 74

Invest Tips Competition Metrics 74

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

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. Link has a summary of his argument plus a great video). But it wasn’t to be.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. Sure, there are examples of Founders who have survived and prospered, such as Bill Gates and Larry Page, but these guys are the exception, not the rule. business entrepreneur exit founder IPO startup' Loss of control.

Startup 89

Startup Entrepreneur Report Summary 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Build a prototype product. A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest. Build an investor presentation and summary. Close at least one initial customer.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Every plan must start with the problem you are solving, not a description of your company and product. You can bolster this position by including a Letter of Intent (LOI), contract summaries, or even testimonials.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

In the latest book by business guru Joe Wozny, “ The Digital Dollar: Sustainable Strategies for Online Success ,” I found a good summary of some great strategies, with some practical advice on how to implement them: Understand what’s in a name on the Internet. entrepreneur failure odds online startup strategies'

Social Media 93

Social Media Content Startup Web 93

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. You’ve got 20 slides and we’re only on page 3. Can we do a really quick run through your deck so that we save tons of time for a product demo & questions at the end?&#.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

Things that make it investment-grade for outside investors will also benefit you, since you are the ultimate investor. Every plan must start with the problem you are solving, not a description of your company and product. You can bolster this position by including a Letter of Intent (LOI), contract summaries, or even testimonials.

Competition 116

Competition Metrics Startup Sales 116

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more. You need both to survive.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

The promised to follow up with: calls, using your product, talking to customers or “noodle on things.&# Will they? I like to tell entrepreneurs to treat it like a sales campaign. Don’t be surprised if your logs don’t show that the partner has been using your product. ENTREPRENEUR NEXT STEPS.

Venture Capital 277

Venture Capital Startup Email News 277

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 9, 2014

I’m hoping this will help to save entrepreneurs time in their hunt for success, whilst adding some more meaning to their businesses. Having a clear focus means it’s easier to communicate what your product is and who it’s for. Here are two examples. People who focus exclusively on efforts that matter, succeed. It’s that simple.”

Startup 78

Startup Design Customer Custom 78

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2010

The Venture Value Scorecard is a one-page summary of your company’s achievements and assets: the factors that contribute to the value of your organization. Products: You obviously can’t create value without a viable product (or service) to sell. Detail isn’t important; tracking your progress is. His website is [link].

.Net 89

.Net Metrics Competition Template 89

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

Summary notes, as always, provide below. The idea actually came to him from the Yellow Pages business. He was a life-long entrepreneur and the first business he created out of college (actually, he founded it while he was at Caltech) was a company that manufactured high quality audio speakers. Insider Pages. Shopping.com.

Competition 350

Competition Idealab Product CitySearch 350

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2019

In my work with new and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most struggle with putting together a written business plan, often pointing out that someone they know started a business without anything written down. You really need at least a prototype product or customer to make the video come alive. Make it light, but factual.

Ideas 126

Ideas Slides Sample Examples 126

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

If you don’t want to read that post, the summary is: Open source computing drove computing costs down 90%, which spurred innovation in technology. Some have moved into later stage investments in an effort to “put logos on their websites.&# Surprisinly, this strategy works well with many entrepreneurs. .&#

Venture Capital 296

Venture Capital Capital Software Startup 296