Tim Keane

JUNE 21, 2011

How to prepare a sales forecast for a business plan.   "How did you calculate the cost of goods?"   Think about having the same discussion in a different way - by preparing your sales forecast by making your assumptions explicit. Sales to segment A will be $500 per customer.  Why?

Forecast 68

Forecast Business Plan Sales Wisconsin 68

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

That’s the sales forecast, the spending forecast and the cash flow. You want to show that, and investors need to see the scale of a business that have to do with your sales forecast. They’re going to look first at the sales forecast. That’s a lean business plan. It is not a document.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Video Software Review 60

ReadWriteStart

JULY 18, 2011

Every company has a forecast for how it will get to an arbitrary $100 million in revenue and they all hit it on year five. The first stage is bootstrapping, where you raise between $50k and $100k and you try to make that money last as long as you can. That will come at the cost of another 20 to 25% of the company.

Investment Bankers 153

Investment Bankers Technical Review Cofounder Due Diligence 153

OnlyOnce

JULY 9, 2013

Chapter 2: Defining and Testing the Story…Start Out By Admitting You’re Wrong, A Lean Business Plan Template, Problem, Solution, Key Metrics, Unique Value Proposition and Unfair Advantages, Channels, Customer Segments, Cost Structure and Revenue Streams. What About Sales & Marketing?, Part II: Building the Company’s Human Capital.

Startup 95

Startup Advisory Board Elevator Pitch Forecast 95

www.entrepreneur.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Human Resources Play Video Shark Tanks Barbara Corcoran on Bootstrapping a Growing a Business (Video). Marketing Sales & Marketing Home Marketing Basics Sales Online Marketing Finding Customers Social Media Branding Social Media Does Your Companys Social Personality Need a Makeover? Sales & Marketing. Online Business.

Sweat Equity 55

Sweat Equity Equity Fractional CTO CTO 55

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

The software was sold based on installation cost running on local servers for enterprises—which was very, very expensive. In the tactics section, list your sales channels and describe how you will be selling your products. Later you will want to come back and create a proper sales forecast, cash flow forecast, and expense budget.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Up and Running

DECEMBER 4, 2014

This is true whether you’re a bootstrapped startup that’s funded with credit cards and loans from friends and family, or the next darling of Silicon Valley that’s sitting on a war chest of millions in venture capital funding. At a minimum, at this stage you’ll want to create a sales forecast, an expense budget, and a cash flow forecast.

Forecast 152

Forecast Elevator Pitch Lean Silicon Valley 152

The Entrepreneurial Mind

JANUARY 17, 2011

Most forecasts for 2011 are indicating little or modest growth in employment. With continuing weak sales, small-business owners remain unwilling to increase hiring. Until sales pick up, there is no pressing reason to hire, and job creation will remain slow," Dunkelberg said. And weak employment means weak consumer spending.

Small Business Administration 64

Small Business Administration Bootstrapping Washington Forecast 64

Tim Keane

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

(OVP Venture Partners) My own take on this is that a business plan with a bottom up forecast demonstrates an understanding of the potential market that investors love.  It welcomes feedback from potential customers and experts, reduces the cost and risk of the startup and can potentially drive success quickly. 

Marketing 116

Marketing Wisconsin Startup Angel Investor 116

Tim Keane

APRIL 14, 2008

As one example, think about forecasting sales based on market potential and competition, rather than simply on historical results by salesperson. If we see that our total accounts are underpenetrated in one market, can we test how much it costs and how long it takes to acquire new ones? Add another sales capability?

Ireland 60

Ireland Wisconsin Forecast Sales Cycle 60

Up and Running

MAY 22, 2017

There are tons of resources to help you launch a bootstrapped business. What overhead costs will the business have to deal with at launch? How will those costs change as the business grows? Market forecasters have predicted that the men’s personal care market will reach $166 billion globally by 2022. No problem.

Due Diligence 113

Due Diligence eCommerce Cofounder Bootstrapping 113

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 1, 2013

Hoping that sales will get better or that conditions will improve is the wimp’s approach. And when you’re bootstrapping a business, a mistake can be even more costly than not leveraging a chance for advancement. In my book, there’s the story of a salesperson who did extensive research on each sales lead she got.

Florida 182

Florida Cofounder Tampa Hiring 182

Up and Running

JULY 7, 2020

Product manufacturing costs and marketing expenses are what most entrepreneurs plan first, as they comprise a significant portion of the overall startup budget. But one major cost that often surprises new business owners and can make or break your business is the cost of shipping and fulfillment.

eCommerce 99

eCommerce Cost Forecast Operations 99

Small Business Force

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

If it was a manufacturing business, cost of goods sold (COGS) were critical. If it was a distribution business, shipping costs were critical. Costs are interrelated, either impacting other costs or revenue. Costs are interrelated, either impacting other costs or revenue. What are yours?

Finance 37

Finance Management Forecast Entrepreneur 37

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

It also assumes the entire value of the investment is captured for investors at a sale of the company in the time specified in the term-sheet.   In a bottom up approach, the forecast is built from actual user projections. This results in a range of sale prices; in this example from $118.6MM to $21MM.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2020

Even if you are bootstrapping the business, and not looking for outside investors, the “rules of thumb” that smart investors look for should be the same ones that you use to assess your own risks and set reasonable expectations for progress and success. Assume margins and prices that are realistic in your target market.

Liquidity Event 308

Liquidity Event Forecast Exit Strategy Bootstrapping 308

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2018

This means being able to increase profits without increasing costs at an equal (or higher) rate. Use a billing software to record the sales and invest in a relationship with a tax professional only when needed. Your business plan also needs to have a realistic financial forecast. Bootstrapping or self-funding.

SBA 84

SBA Angel Investor Technical Review Startup 84

K9 Ventures

JULY 21, 2016

Expensive iterations: Depending on the product doing a new rev of the hardware may cost thousands of dollars or more and could also take weeks if not at least several days. Forecasting production quantities, planning for how many parts you will need and when, accounting for the lead times on those parts is all a complicated endeavour.

Software Review 48

Software Review Forecast Portfolio Distribution 48

Tim Keane

JUNE 13, 2006

What it costs if it does; 4. What it will cost? This cost and timing can easily be laid out in a matrix that may yield to testing easily. Timing relates to cost and I’d like a sense of the total cost of each of those 100 orders. This includes selling costs, marketing costs, and so forth.

Wisconsin 60

Wisconsin Entrepreneur Startup Angel Investor 60

Up and Running

OCTOBER 21, 2014

Part of the reason we spent a full day researching and figuring out location, has to do with what it will cost you to start. If you’re working from home and not seeing clients, you may find your startup costs are limited to marketing, stationery and legal. Startup costs. A sales forecast. An expense budget.

Elevator Pitch 166

Elevator Pitch Software Review SBA Business Plan 166

YoungUpstarts

MAY 8, 2014

Sometimes that sabotage might cost you ‘only’ a customer or a sale… but over time, a few customers here and a few dollars there can lead to your closing your doors forever. As a small business owner, of course you’re going to try to cut costs and stretch the budget wherever possible. Holding resources in reserve.

Technical Review 254

Technical Review Entrepreneur Florida Cofounder 254

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2019

This year, Martin Cove Brewing Company will gross $520,000 in sales. For Falling Sky, that includes a strategic decision to focus on location sales instead of wider distribution. Friends and family are the most common backers, and many startups bootstrap. Cash must be available to cover costs and offset delays.

Oregon 24

Oregon Jordan Software Review Distribution 24

Up and Running

OCTOBER 3, 2011

Several plans I read recently neglected to include any personnel costs. This is fine if you are bootstrapping the business, but this needs to be explained clearly in the supporting text. On the flip side, don’t discuss plans for a sales team and then neglect to include the costs of that team in your personnel plan.

Business Plan 158

Business Plan Elevator Pitch Forecast Bootstrapping 158