Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2012

That’s a burn rate of at least $10K per month that can be eliminated if you are handy with computers and Quickbooks. Do basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Marketing (SEM) yourself. Sales and marketing costs. Print your own collateral and marketing materials until the business is rolling. Technology costs.

Cost 255

Cost SEM Burn Rate Startup 255

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

That’s a burn rate of at least $10K per month that can be eliminated if you are handy with computers and Quickbooks. Do basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Marketing (SEM) yourself. Sales and marketing costs. Print your own collateral and marketing materials until the business is rolling. Technology costs.

Entrepreneur 235

Entrepreneur Burn Rate SEM Social Network 235

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2015

External investors will demand a financial forecast, but it’s equally valuable to you, even if bootstrapping. Project based on your market size how many widgets you will sell in every channel. Project your cash burn rate to keep at least 18 months between venture capital or angel investments. Quantify overhead costs.

Forecast 120

Forecast Entrepreneur Burn Rate Widget 120

Gust

JUNE 10, 2012

That’s a burn rate of at least $10K per month that can be eliminated if you are handy with computers and Quickbooks. Do basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Marketing (SEM), like cohort analysis , yourself. Sales and marketing costs. Print your own collateral and marketing materials until the business is rolling.

Cost 139

Cost Burn Rate SEM Startup 139

Mucker Lab

MARCH 8, 2016

Four years after founding and bootstrapping Mucker Capital , we are pleased to announce the close of a new $45 million fund, Mucker III. We’ve been doing Internet stuff our whole careers, since the graphical web became a mass-market, commercial medium in the 1990s. We’ve ridden the ups and downs of economic cycles.

Burn Rate 60

Burn Rate Limited Partner Portfolio Bootstrapping 60

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

That’s a burn rate of at least $10K per month that can be eliminated if you are handy with computers and Quickbooks. Do basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Marketing (SEM) yourself. Sales and marketing costs. Print your own collateral and marketing materials until the business is rolling. Technology costs.

SEM 125

SEM Burn Rate Social Network Angel Investor 125

Professor VC

JANUARY 27, 2011

I strongly believe (at least for very early stage technology ventures) that you will get diminishing returns and arguably negative returns once you get past an initial threshold of team, product, market and financial diligence. Bootstrapping 101. Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► September. (1). ► July. (1). ► May. (1).

Technical Review 31

Technical Review Due Diligence Silicon Valley San Jose 31

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 27, 2011

My read on the business is that it needs to go to market in a B-to-B mode, expanding the scope of gift registries on major sites like Macy's and Crate & Barrel. It certainly will be a better way to bootstrap the company. I also advised Andrew to greatly tighten his product and go-to-market strategy. Note, I said, validated.

Dilution 114

Dilution Revenue Finance Entrepreneur 114

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

However, liked the team, and Dennis Mink, FootFeeds CEO, convinced me of the value in check-ins as a white label service for brands to market to their customers. Bootstrapping 101. Im anti check-in and have been a conscienious objector in the whole category. Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► September. (1). ► July. (1).

Technical Review 38

Technical Review San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 38

K9 Ventures

MAY 28, 2015

And in order to do that they need to either raise capital to be able to hire a team by paying them real dollars or recruit co-founders who are willing to share the journey based on the equity stake and bootstrap the company. At this point you’ve started to see the tip of the iceberg of product market fit. That’s real money.

Revenue 48

Revenue Startup Burn Rate Cofounder 48

Professor VC

APRIL 7, 2011

3 comments: Marketing Services. Bootstrapping 101. If were not, lets go down on the ship together and hopefully stay out of those lawyer (I mean shark) infested waters.". Steve Bennet. at 1:33 PM. Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook. Labels: convertible debt , seed financing , series seed. ► September. (1).

San Jose 36

San Jose Technical Review Angel Investor Valuation 36

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

So what is about the business model that is so successful: Focus on your core target market - The original marketing plan for Bandon Dunes is as simple as they come - "Great golf + great food + great people = marketing plan". They have done a great job of serving the market. Bootstrapping 101. ► September. (1).

Oregon 28

Oregon San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

DECEMBER 18, 2008

Unforgettable treasures will provide micro-loans to third world crafts artists to enable them to build their business and will also market their wares through the Internet. Bootstrapping 101. She has developed a new twist on the micro-lending concept. She is planning on starting the business upon graduation. ► September. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Silicon Valley Technical Review Angel Investor 28

Professor VC

JUNE 6, 2008

It seems appropriate to have this discussion as Kent Desormeaux grabs Big Browns reins and goes after the Triple Crown tomorrow at Belmont.There is an age old debate in the venture business on whether it is better to bet on the horse (business/market) or the jockey (management team/founders). Bootstrapping 101. ► September. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Technical Review Norway Angel Investor 28

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 26, 2008

Challenge the Status Quo - StubHub entered an industry dominated by a couple of large players who had a vested interest to block the legality of their business of providing a marketplace for the sale of tickets in the secondary market. Bootstrapping 101. Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► September. (1). ► July. (1).

Technical Review 28

Technical Review San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

JULY 31, 2008

A bill pending in Congress would require publishers to sell "unbundled" versions of the books and disclose book prices to faculty in their marketing materials. Bootstrapping 101. Both good steps, but competition, more choices (including online, subscription, rental and other new models) will do more than regulation. ► July. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Software Review Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 16, 2008

It did not show how many scores were on the list, but given the number of blackberrys in the market, it has to be a big number. Bootstrapping 101. The other interesting feature of the game is that you can submit your high score through the device and see where you rank on the list. My score was #471. Do they have jobs? ► July. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Technical Review Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Bootstrapping 101. I am still not certain about exactly what I would like to do for the next 30 years, but I am certain that it will have something to do with funding/valuing/investing in start-up companies." Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► September. (1). Survey says VC's invest on Gut Instinct. ► July. (1). ► May. (1).

San Jose 43

San Jose Silicon Valley Las Vegas Venture Capital 43

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 12, 2008

I first met Jeff about 8 years ago when he was finishing his first year at the Stanford GSB and was beginning to raise money for a business plan he developed for a secondary market ticket exchange. Bootstrapping 101. I liked the founders and considered making a personal investment, but ended up passing. ► October. (1).

San Jose 31

San Jose Technical Review Venture Capital Angel Investor 31

BeyondVC

JULY 6, 2006

The burn rate added to your company almost doubles overnight with these heavyweight sales guys with no leads to go after and no mature product to sell. What ends up being a situation where you expect to bring on a performance-oriented sales team becomes one which many of your new hires get guaranteed comp for a couple quarters.

Hiring 79

Hiring Sales Burn Rate Vertical 79

Professor VC

JANUARY 20, 2009

From first hand experience, we certainly felt the market conditions and the funding process was much more difficult than anticipated. Evaluate Business and Financing Needs - We initially went out seeking $10 million in financing, but listened to the prospective investors and watched the market. Bootstrapping 101. We drew $1.5

Venture Capital 28

Venture Capital Silicon Valley San Jose Bootstrapping 28

Professor VC

AUGUST 26, 2011

Do you understand the business and market? Of course, this is all hypothesis at this point, but you want to make sure that your assumptions are consistent with market realities for other SAAS companies. How should you include market comps? Bootstrapping 101. How do you think? What are the key drivers and metrics?

Silicon Valley 35

Silicon Valley San Jose Hockey Stick Venture Capital 35

Professor VC

MAY 30, 2009

With $10K, certainly cant have a marketing budget to do anything but guerrilla marketing. Labels: bootstrapping , business plans , entrepreneurship. Bootstrapping 101. Steve Bennet. at 11:09 AM. Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook. 2 comments: Dave. Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► September. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley Bootstrapping 28

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

Id break down into two separate pieces - financial analysis and business/market analysis. On the other side, you have Market Analysis (96%) followed by gut (67%). This brings up the age old question on whether you are investing in markets or teams. Bootstrapping 101. Lets get back to the topic of gut investing.

San Jose 33

San Jose Angel Investor Venture Capital Mezzanine 33

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

In corporate finance, students are taught that capital markets are efficient and this is an underlying assumption for valuing stocks, bonds and other financial instruments. Whether you buy this or not for public equities, the market for early stage private companies has always been wildly inefficient. Bootstrapping 101.

Angel Investor 28

Angel Investor Angel Groups San Jose Venture Capital 28

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 26, 2008

No companys future ever matches their projections and it is the assumptions and how the entrepreneur understands the market and sees the opportunity evolving that we care about. Bootstrapping 101. As I am quoted in the article, it is easy to pick holes in a business plan. Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► September. (1).

Angel Groups 28

Angel Groups San Jose Early Stage Angel Investor 28

dondodge.typepad.com

JANUARY 15, 2011

The investment market conditions change all the time. My next post will be about the importance of cash flow, keeping burn rates low, and how to avoid excessive equity dilution. In that case, VC money is used mainly for "acceleration" and not for bootstrapping. Every situation is different.

Equity 40

Equity Employee Dilution Valuation 40

Professor VC

JANUARY 19, 2012

I have this entrepreneurial mindset that I have to work at a start-up and do marketing, but every company I have applied to, whether it was a start-up or not, said they found someone more qualified or I didnt have enough experience." Bootstrapping 101. Watch Out for the Red W(h)ine. ► September. (1). ► July. (1).

Silicon Valley 28

Silicon Valley San Jose America Venture Capital 28