Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article.

Business Plan 274

Business Plan Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence 274

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2022

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t make equity investments in nonprofit good causes. The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor.

Angel Investor 327

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 327

Up and Running

AUGUST 19, 2014

Got a question for one of the angel investors mentioned below? Today is Ask an Angel day! Tips from real angel investors about how to impress them and stand out from the crowd. Many angels are entrepreneurs themselves, or executives and business or community leaders. How Angels Invest.

Angel Investor 161

Angel Investor Technical Review Due Diligence Startup 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2015

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t make equity investments in non-profits. The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2023

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Intellectual Property 312

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 312

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Money allows entrepreneurs to execute a flawed business plan far too long, rather than stay focused on the market and adapt.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Exudes integrity, humility, and stability.

Intellectual Property 278

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 278

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that Venture Capital and Angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Exudes integrity, humility, and stability.

Angel Investor 268

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Early Stage 268

Up and Running

AUGUST 16, 2017

As a full-time editor and academic mentor at an academic writing service, I have read hundreds of business plans over the years. To help students and startups, I have compiled a list of reasons business plans are rejected or given a low grade. Of course, there are obvious reasons that business plans fail.

Business Plan 127

Business Plan Hockey Stick Cofounder Salary 127

Up and Running

DECEMBER 22, 2015

Angel investors can teach you a lot about money, whether or not you’re seeking funding from them. I’ve seen this over and over in my dealings as a member of a local angel investment group. What we do at the Willamette Angel Conference is the rule, not the exception. 5 Shark Tank Lessons for Entrepreneurs.

Angel Investor 60

Angel Investor IRR Software Review Startup 60

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 436

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. Teasing or spamming an investor is not the way to his pocketbook. Let me show you a demo rather than a business plan.”

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Entrepreneur Business Plan Angel Investor 299

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2010

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t invest in non-profits. The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor.

Angel Investor 143

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 143

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2022

In my experience as an angel investor to startups, goodwill disagreements are perhaps the most common reason that you will fail to close interested investors as an entrepreneur. The same goes for business deals that fail during acquisitions or when it is time for you to retire.

Valuation 368

Valuation Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor 368

Up and Running

MAY 20, 2019

Writing a business plan can help make sure Office Space doesn’t feel relatable [ source ]. If you’re coming up with a business plan for a new venture, there’s a good chance you can relate to this scene. Perhaps it represents what drove you to become an entrepreneur in the first place.

Business Plan 92

Business Plan Angel Investor Partner Naming 92

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

I have often been asked about Startup Funding by entrepreneurs. Here is Startup Funding, a Comprehensive Guide for Entrepreneurs. To secure your funding, you must establish the feasibility of your idea through proper planning and implementation. Equity investors. The third source of funding is from equity investors.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2014

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited Angel investors. The amounts from Angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range. How experienced is your team?

Angel Investor 266

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Venture Capital IRR 266

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary. Exudes integrity, humility, and stability.

Intellectual Property 316

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 316

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

In my experience as an angel investor for new startups, I’m always surprised by how many entrepreneurs are looking for funding without outside advisors. Especially if you are a first-time business owner, the payback for this initiative is well worth the effort and cost. Bandwidth is a constraint we all feel.

Advisory Board 356

Advisory Board Bandwidth Cofounder Technical Review 356

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. Teasing or spamming an investor is not the way to his pocketbook. Let me show you a demo rather than a business plan.”

Technical Review 310

Technical Review Angel Investor Business Plan Social Media 310

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. The reality is that angel investors are humans, and personal traits often make or break the relationship, even before the investment is considered.

Technical Review 294

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 294

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Thus the top priority of every entrepreneur who wants funding should be to build and highlight their “dream team” of co-founders, executives and advisers, to attract the biggest and best investors. Solo entrepreneurs rarely find an investor. Team members have investor relationships.

Sweat Equity 152

Sweat Equity Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Software Review 152

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

Angel investors and venture capitalists don’t make equity investments in nonprofit good causes. The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor.

Equity 235

Equity Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy 235

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Money allows entrepreneurs to execute a flawed business plan far too long, rather than stay focused on the market and adapt.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Startup Angel Investor Technical Review 283

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. The simple answer is that with all the staging of TV lights and billionaire investors, it’s nothing like Silicon Valley.

Entrepreneur 279

Entrepreneur Due Diligence Angel Investor Silicon Valley 279

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

If your startup is great enough to get a term sheet from angel investors or a venture capitalist, the next step for the investor is to complete the dreaded due diligence process. Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Angel Investor 380

Up and Running

AUGUST 30, 2021

The outdoor industry wasn’t helping itself, so he did what all entrepreneurs do: start a business to solve the problem. It’s difficult to be an entrepreneur — whether you’re a recent college graduate or have managed multiple companies. It’s why the average age of an entrepreneur is 42 years old. Solve the rest later.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Lean Colorado Engineer 132

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2021

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. There is no crowd of successful entrepreneurs. Written business plan. Pitch your company, not your product.

Elevator Pitch 390

Elevator Pitch Entrepreneur Due Diligence Angel Investor 390

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. The amounts from angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range. How experienced is your team?

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Entrepreneur IRR Valuation 314

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. Visit the university library for access to otherwise costly business reports.

Arizona 276

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Entrepreneur 276

Up and Running

JULY 6, 2016

Often, a business plan introduces a new technology that requires some explaining. On one hand, as a reader of business plans for investors, I see way too many business plans that ask a reader to wade neck-deep through technology to get to the business. Business plans aren’t all the same.

Technical Review 72

Technical Review Software Review Business Plan Development Team Review 72

Business Plan Blog

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Angel Investors vs. Angel Groups. What is an angel investor? It is a high net-worth individual who invests his or her own money directly into promising startup businesses in return for mostly equity share of the company. They decide together whether or not to invest in the presenting entrepreneur.

Angel Groups 51

Angel Groups Angel Investor Software Review Accredited Investor 51

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2019

Starting a new business is fraught with challenges, and none of us has the bandwidth to kill them all. I remember first seeing a good summary of these risk-reduction myths a while back in a classic book, “ How to Start a Business & Ignite Your Life ,” by Ernesto Sirolli, PhD. Sharing your business ownership increases the risk.

Bandwidth 246

Bandwidth Software Review Salary Angel Investor 246

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

If you have been working 20 hours a day, and spent your last dollar, but have no results to show, investors will be sympathetic, but will probably tell you that your dream doesn’t have wheels. I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2019

Steve Blank via Flickr by jdlasica I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. In my view, savvy “super angel” investors such as Mike Maples, Jr. ,

Startup 245

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 245

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2013

I’ve written about these before, but since I see them so often, I thought it might be worth reiterating: “Business plans are for dummies.” Some startups think business plans are only for investors. In reality, you should do a business plan primarily for yourself, as it forces you to think through all the elements.

Sweat Equity 277

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Viral 277

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 9, 2021

Funding Options for Your Business. You can start by charting out some of the most common and popular ways to fund a business. One of the most popular choices for startup entrepreneurs is working with a venture capitalist (VC). Angel investors. First, lay out the capital requirements of your business?

Angel Investor 117

Angel Investor Equity Small Business Administration Venture Capital 117