Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

I love good causes and social entrepreneurs, but a recent pitch to me about eliminating world hunger with a new product (harvesting algae at low cost) seemed to forget that really hungry people don’t have any money. Build a credible business implementation plan to quantify costs. Make the product or service come alive.

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Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Harvest Technical Review 235

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.

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Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.

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Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient.

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Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. 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.

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Business Model Intellectual Property Angel Investor Channel 334

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

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. Bypasses intellectual property as not worth the cost. Finish the product before marketing begins.

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Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

Here are some tips which will signal traction to investors, as well as your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. If you have a product description, that’s necessary, but not sufficient. Ship a minimum product now.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

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. Bypasses intellectual property as not worth the cost. Finish the product before marketing begins.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

Getting investors to trust you with their money is always a challenge, and it’s even more difficult in the early stages, where you don’t have a significant revenue stream, a few customers, or maybe even a product yet. Investors are looking to buy a chunk of the business, not the product. Lack of intellectual property.

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Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Seed Stage 308

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. 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.

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Intellectual Property Business Model Angel Investor Channel 250

Up and Running

MAY 1, 2014

You’ve reviewed what a business plan is , and why you need one to start and grow your business. It’s time to dig into the process of actually writing a business plan. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll take you through every stage of writing a business plan that will actually help you achieve your goals.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2010

That’s because a company’s value is a composite of all of the quantitative and qualitative factors that comprise a company: revenues, expenses, risks, growth prospects, quality of the management team, competitive advantages, strength of the intellectual property, and so forth. Detail isn’t important; tracking your progress is.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2014

But from my perspective in really helping entrepreneurs, both fall short on several counts: Focus too much on the product, not enough on the business model. The key success factors of the business model (how a business survives and grows), management expertise, and financial projections will likely get overlooked.

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Non-disclosure Agreement Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Equity 254

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

There are several different types of business plans that can help you stay on track. If you’re seeking a bank loan or outside investment, you probably need a traditional business plan. But if you’re writing a plan as an internal guide for strategic growth, you should consider a lighter version— a Lean Plan.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2017

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. 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.

Business Model 143

Business Model Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor 143

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2013

Here I’m talking about both the experience and track record of the founders in starting a business, as well as their experience and knowledge of the business domain. Like most professionals, when I get a business plan, I flip first to the founders section to see if it is a balanced team who has been there and done that.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2013

But from my perspective in really helping entrepreneurs, both fall short on several counts: Focus too much on the product, not enough on the business model. The key success factors of the business model (how a business survives and grows), management expertise, and financial projections will likely get overlooked.

Non-disclosure Agreement 266

Non-disclosure Agreement Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Equity 266

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2012

Here I’m talking about both the experience and track record of the founders in starting a business, as well as their experience and knowledge of the business domain. Like most professionals, when I get a business plan, I flip first to the founders section to see if it is a balanced team who has been there and done that.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2011

But from my perspective representing investors, this approach falls short on several counts: Focus is on the product, not the business model. The key success factors of the business model (how you make money), management expertise, and financial projections will likely get overlooked. Intellectual property is jeopardized.

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Non-disclosure Agreement Intellectual Property Startup Social Media 230

Gust

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

But from my perspective in really helping entrepreneurs, both fall short on several counts: Focus too much on the product, not enough on the business model. The key success factors of the business model (how a business survives and grows), management expertise, and financial projections will likely get overlooked.

Non-disclosure Agreement 160

Non-disclosure Agreement Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Equity 160

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

Here I’m talking about both the experience and track record of the founders in starting a business, as well as their experience and knowledge of the business domain. Like most professionals, when I get a business plan, I flip first to the founders section to see if it is a balanced team who has been there and done that.

Intellectual Property 223

Intellectual Property Mexico Startup China 223

Steve Blank

MARCH 11, 2010

Students formed 5-person teams, came up with a business idea then got out of the building to validate their business model. Our goal was not to teach the students to write a business plan nor were we trying to teach them how to give a pitch to VC’s. A Startup is a Search For A Business Model. Customer Discovery.

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Intellectual Property Business Model Customer Development Distribution 226

Up and Running

MARCH 1, 2016

Coming up with an idea or inventing a product is a process that takes commitment, dedication, and self-belief. If, on the other hand, you struggle to come up with ideas but still really want to be an inventor, read our guide on how to come up with hundreds of business ideas —it’s fool-proof. Step 5: Protect your idea.

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Non-disclosure Agreement NDA Non-Compete Naming 60

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Writing A Business Plan. Running A Home-Based Business. Naming a Business. Financing a Small Business. Buying a Small Business. RUNNING A BUSINESS. Internet and Online Business. Business Software. Intellectual Property. Running a Business >. Deluxe for Business.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2010

But from my perspective representing investors, this approach falls short on several counts: Focus is on the product, not the business model. The key success factors of the business model (how you make money), management expertise, and financial projections will likely get overlooked. Intellectual property is jeopardized.

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Non-disclosure Agreement Intellectual Property Startup Social Media 149

Business Plan Blog

JULY 9, 2013

Many entrepreneurs begin their pitch discussing their product/service advantages and/or their competitive advantages. When developing a business plan and business model, it is important to look beyond the product/service/competitive advantages and try to establish advantages that are truly sustainable.

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Intellectual Property Differentiation Distribution Business Plan 45

Up and Running

APRIL 24, 2018

For example, having flexible work hours means you can hire talented candidates from different time zones, which will increase your productivity while keeping the costs down. Your health startup business plan should be a tool to guide your growth. At first, you need to focus on developing your business model and validating it.

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SBIR Startup Artificial Inteligence Intellectual Property 73

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Writing A Business Plan. Running A Home-Based Business. Naming a Business. Financing a Small Business. Buying a Small Business. RUNNING A BUSINESS. Internet and Online Business. Business Software. Intellectual Property. Deluxe for Business. Email address: Home.

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Up and Running

AUGUST 3, 2015

In many ways, starting an online business is similar to starting a brick-and-mortar store. You’ll plan your business, organize your funding, produce your product, and get to work. But, there are unique aspects of running an online-only business that would-be entrepreneurs need to consider. Write your business plan.

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eCommerce Intellectual Property SBA Lean 60

Steve Blank

JUNE 8, 2009

Customer Development by Vertical - Click to Enlarge (As a reminder, the Customer Development process says your business plan is just a series of untested hypothesis (unless you’re a domain expert.) You take your product vision and get out of your building to turn your hypothesis into facts. would look in each of the verticals.

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Tim Keane

OCTOBER 3, 2012

.  That is, when we think a company primarily has "execution risk," do we mean that they're facing scientific and technical hurdles to achieve results, or do we mean that they are facing the risk of selling to their market, or of delivering a product to customers who've bought? Think "Porter's Five Forces." 

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Technology Marketing Intellectual Property Montana 74

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2021

As a long-time advisor to entrepreneurs and occasional angel investor, I often see and hear innovative product pitches that sound exciting, but are missing one or more of the key business elements that investors deem critical for funding consideration. Identify your intellectual property or “secret sauce.”

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Gust

OCTOBER 20, 2011

million, indicating a somewhat normal distribution. Product/Technology 0-15%. Some are surprised to find that investor rankings of product and technology are below those of the management team and the size of the opportunity. Product/Technology. TARGETCOMPANY.

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Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Technical Review 146

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

But, the good news is, if all these people could start a brewery, then you can too—as long as you know what you’re getting into and have a solid business plan for your brewery. What type of brewery will you be: production brewery or brewpub? You want locally oriented people, people who want a good product, made local.”.

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Oregon Jordan SBA Cofounder 60

news.ycombinator.com

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

However you get to a good product is how you need to get to a good product. If youre in a market like pharmaceuticals, where all user testing can be done in a lab, execution in a bubble makes sense, but if your startup is a web product it sounds like hubris. Idea (A) is just a broad concept of a new product.

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Stealth Technical Review Startup Software Review 41

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2019

But, the good news is, if all those people could start a brewery, then you can too—as long as you know what you’re getting into and have a solid business plan for your brewery. The Hughes brothers developed a solid business plan and built a core team to bring their vision to reality. Review your business plan regularly.

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Oregon Jordan Software Review Distribution 24

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Automation allows you to spend less time on tedious tasks and will help boost productivity, especially within a small marketing team. Russell Rothstein, Founder and CEO, IT Central Station , a product review site, said, “We see VCs on our site very often. They read reviews of the products of target investments.

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