Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2020

They don’t realize that business projections with no third-party validation have no credibility with investors, and smart potential investors will walk away. Every good business plan needs an early section which sizes the total market opportunity, and then breaks down that total into the most relevant segments for your focus.

Business Plan 393

Business Plan Marketing SBA Venture Capital 393

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2019

If you want people to invest in your idea, then my best advice is first write a business plan, and keep it simple. Don't confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or the back of a napkin. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short. They think they can talk their way to a deal.

Business Plan 242

Business Plan Entrepreneur Exit Strategy Audience 242

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2018

If you are one of the new age of entrepreneurs who hates the thought of doing a business plan as a first step in starting your new venture you will love this message. In that context, it could be a social enterprise, or even a hobby, and a business plan may not be beneficial. Early perseverance pays off.

Business Plan 236

Business Plan Lean Matching Cost 236

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2022

Most business advisors I know will say that writing a business plan is the first step to starting your own business, but I believe that a better first step is to do a self-analysis of your real drivers, strengths, and assumptions before committing to this lifestyle. Every business is a work in progress.

Founder 262

Founder Intellectual Property Social Media Business Plan 262

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. You may have heard that venture capitalists in Silicon Valley no longer read business plans.

Business Plan 423

Business Plan Product Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 423

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

In reality, it is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of the business and the team. Some entrepreneurs do very little to prepare for due diligence, assuming all the talking has already been done, and the business plan and results to-date tell the right story.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

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. Don''t confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or the back of a napkin. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short. They think they can talk their way to a deal.

Business Plan 238

Business Plan Exit Strategy Audience Entrepreneur 238

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

If you are one of the new age of entrepreneurs who hates the thought of doing a business plan as a first step in starting your new venture you will love this message. In that context, it could be a social enterprise, or even a hobby, and a business plan may not be beneficial. Early perseverance pays off.

Business Plan 257

Business Plan Lean Matching Entrepreneur 257

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2019

Your business can’t be all things to all people, and excel at anything. Every entrepreneur and every business needs a strategy to keep them focused. In fact, in this new world of pervasive interactivity, it’s time to rethink even how to develop a strategy.

Business Plan 222

Business Plan Matching Government Employee 222

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2013

Every investor I know is frustrated with the poor quality of the business plans they get. This is sad, since “how to write a business plan” is a frequent topic found in every business journal, and a common title in the business section of every book store. What is the definition of a good business plan?

Business Plan 230

Business Plan Exit Strategy Partner Business Model 230

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

He nails the current key startup parameters, including the following: Crafting a lean business plan as your road map. The days of lengthy, text-heavy, business plan documents prepared by expensive experts are behind us.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Angel Groups Social Media 261

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

Others will work hard on a business plan, and then mail it indiscriminately to every potential investor they can find on the Internet. Attached is a copy of my full business plan for your review.” I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.”

Technical Review 310

Technical Review Angel Investor Business Plan Social Media 310

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. Don't confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or the back of a napkin. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short. They think they can talk their way to a deal.

Business Plan 254

Business Plan Exit Strategy Audience Search 254

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2016

If you are one of the new age of entrepreneurs who hates the thought of doing a business plan as a first step in starting your new venture you will love this message. In that context, it could be a social enterprise, or even a hobby, and a business plan may not be beneficial. Early perseverance pays off.

Business Plan 120

Business Plan Startup Lean Matching 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2011

Why is it that most of the business plans I see are really product plans? I define a product plan as a detailed description of your product or service, with a bit of business thrown in at the end. A business plan is a detailed description of your business, with a bit of product description thrown in near the front.

Business Plan 234

Business Plan Product Entrepreneur Differentiation 234

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Going public” (IPO) is another alternative, but not common.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2021

Serious investors expect founders to have their homework done before the first interaction – documented executive summary, business plan, and financial model. On the other hand, a great idea without a business plan is a non-starter. Investor negotiations. They expect prompt formal follow-up to questions.

Technical Review 333

Technical Review Startup Software Review Retention 333

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. Don't confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or the back of a napkin. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short. They think they can talk their way to a deal.

Business Plan 261

Business Plan Exit Strategy Audience Search 261

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2023

In that spirit, I offer my perspective on ten common startup failure sources that rarely get admitted by entrepreneurs: Choose to skip the written business plan. A business plan is for you first, not investors. I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down.

Intellectual Property 312

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 312

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

By Mahesh Raj Mohan Writing a business plan can be a difficult process. you still have to write the plan for a particular audience. A loan officer, angel investor, and venture capitalist are all looking for different things in a business plan. Always keep in mind that a business plan is a “living document.”

Audience 243

Audience Business Plan Angel Investor Widget 243

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

JANUARY 31, 2015

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. A great business plan doesn’t have to be a book in length, with extensive financial statements.

Business Plan 120

Business Plan Silicon Valley Startup Exit Strategy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Going public” (IPO) is another alternative, but not common.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 21, 2012

Every investor I know is frustrated with the poor quality of the business plans they get. This is sad, since “how to write a business plan” is a frequent topic found in every business journal, and a common title in the business section of every book store. What is the definition of a good business plan?

Business Plan 240

Business Plan Exit Strategy Partner Business Model 240

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

In reality, it is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of the business and the team. Some entrepreneurs do very little to prepare for due diligence, assuming all the talking has already been done, and the business plan and results to-date tell the right story.

Technical Review 379

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 379

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Early in the relationship, every investor instinctively looks for some key indicators of the ability to get results, like the following: Communicates well in every business medium. Others send investors email and business plans in all uppercase or no punctuation. Message delivery must be customized for each investor.

Intellectual Property 278

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 278

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2021

Every time I challenge a business plan with little or no budget for marketing, I get the answer that they will be using “viral” marketing, which costs nothing. In a business plan these are only one of the many marketing campaigns which continue to rise in cost.

Viral 348

Viral Marketing SEM Campaign 348

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves. Even if you feel that all is well, here are some thoughts and actions I would strongly recommend: Whole team must know the plan. The right answer is somewhere in between.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Angel Investor 380

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

He nails the current key startup parameters, including the following: Crafting a lean business plan as your road map. The days of lengthy, text-heavy, business plan documents prepared by expensive experts are behind us.

Intellectual Property 404

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 404

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2010

By Akira Hirai The thought of preparing a business plan for the first time can be very intimidating. The task becomes much easier if you think of your plan in terms of four essential cornerstones that serve as the foundation of all business plans: Opportunity, Solution, Execution, and Outcomes.

Business Plan 228

Business Plan Balance Sheet Forecast Distribution 228

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. Don't confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or the back of a napkin. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short. They think they can talk their way to a deal.

Business Plan 232

Business Plan Exit Strategy Audience Entrepreneur 232

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

In that spirit, I offer my perspective on ten common startup failure sources that rarely get admitted by entrepreneurs: Choose to skip the written business plan. A business plan is for you first, not investors. I believe the old adage that you don’t know what you don’t know until you try to write it down.

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 436

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Others will work hard on a business plan, and then mail it indiscriminately to every potential investor they can find on the Internet. Attached is a copy of my full business plan for your review.” I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.” Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Entrepreneur Business Plan Angel Investor 299

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2023

If you are one of the new age of entrepreneurs who hates the thought of doing a business plan as a first step in starting your new venture you will love this message. In that context, it could be a social enterprise, or even a hobby, and a business plan may not be beneficial. Early perseverance pays off.

Business Plan 357

Business Plan Lean Matching Cost 357

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2012

Modern investors love to first read a two-page summary of your business plan, formatted like a glossy marketing collateral sheet, with text well laid out in columns and sidebars, and a couple of relevant graphics. This one had better grab their attention, or they won’t look further.

Business Plan 244

Business Plan Elevator Pitch Viral Lead Generation 244

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2023

When the team is at odds or confused, they need this steady force to keep them on track with the business plan. Visionaries typically don’t like running the day-to-day of the business on a long-term basis, and aren’t good at following through. Good integrators are fanatical about problem resolution and making decisions.

Partner 206

Partner Cofounder Startup Bandwidth 206

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2023

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. A great business plan doesn’t have to be a book in length, with extensive financial statements.

Silicon Valley 257

Silicon Valley Exit Strategy Startup Business Plan 257