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5 Steps To Finding The Best Investor For Your Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. It’s no fun for either side.

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10 Common Startup Mistakes That Are Rarely Admitted

Startup Professionals Musings

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many strategies leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

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What Is a Business Model? Business Models Explained

Up and Running

Airbnb is a well-known example of the marketplace business model. Understanding the problem you are solving for your customers is undoubtedly the biggest challenge you’ll face when you’re starting a business. But, ensuring that your product fits the needs of the market is only one part of starting a successful business.

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Why Startups are Agile and Opportunistic – Pivoting the Business Model

Steve Blank

Startups are the search to find order in chaos. At a board meeting last week I watched as the young startup CEO delivered bad news. The Search for the Business Model. A startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. Pivoting the Business Model.

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Is a Venture Studio Right for You?

Steve Blank

Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. They do the most to de-risk the early stages of a startup. Reducing Startup Risk.

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9 Business Model Components For New Business Funding

Startup Professionals Musings

An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008. In my experience as a new business advisor, a business is nothing until people are aligned and work in sync. Key resources. Key partners.

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10 Business Model Components Required In Every Plan

Startup Professionals Musings

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. The most common failures are solutions looking for a problem, lack of a defined market, or an inadequate revenue model. Target market.