Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2019

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have no idea how dramatically your own role has to evolve as you develop a solution, start a business, and expect it to scale into a successful self-managed company. Here is an outline of the stages that we both see: Envision, implement, sell, and manage every step. Feel free to join us.

Leadership 248

Leadership Technical Review Cofounder Social Media 248

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Of course, I immediately gave him the whole spiel on Visible Networking and Steve was totally game to make our networking visible. I have about 11 years in the technology sector including roles doing market research, sales and product development. My focus has been marketing strategy and product development.

Los Angeles 179

Los Angeles Southern California Management Product 179

YoungUpstarts

MAY 6, 2019

These people exist and they are called ‘Serial entrepreneurs.’. Serial entrepreneurs are those who understand the complete concept of a startup lifecycle and benefit from that. They make money by starting a product from scratch and then selling it in thousands of dollars. Product development. Business plan.

Startup 113

Startup Technical Cofounder Merger Early Stage 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. After celebrating success at that level, they often find themselves ill-prepared to move to the next stage, for scaling their business into a high-performing enterprise. Switch your attention from product development to sales.

Mezzanine 368

Mezzanine Private Equity Bandwidth Metrics 368

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2016

Over 500,000 new businesses were created last year, or about one per minute of every day. Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever. Networking no longer is primarily a face-to-face serial activity.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 120

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 6, 2022

Founders Space was ranked the #1 incubator for overseas startups by Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazines. Steve is also the author of Surviving a Startup: Practical Strategies for Starting a Business, Overcoming Obstacles, and Coming Out on Top. More About Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network: Learn more here. Like this show?

San Francisco 96

San Francisco Technical Review Incubator Silicon Valley 96

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

I’ve been fortunate enough to be on both sides of the table, as an entrepreneur and a VC, and I’ve observed that most investors look for the same things I do when deciding whether to invest in a company. As an immigrant founder, I didn’t have the industry connections that entrepreneurs often rely on to be successful.

Technical Review 140

Technical Review Due Diligence Early Stage Differentiation 140

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. After celebrating success at that level, they often find themselves ill-prepared to move to the next stage, for scaling their business into a high-performing enterprise. Switch your attention from product development to sales.

Mezzanine 244

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 244

YoungUpstarts

MAY 28, 2013

If you are considering taking up the reins and becoming your own boss here are our top tips for female entrepreneurs. Get planning. If you’ve had an amazing idea swirling around in your mind for a while now, the first step to making it a reality is committing it to paper and writing a business plan.

Entrepreneur 191

Entrepreneur America Social Media Forecast 191

YoungUpstarts

MAY 16, 2018

Schramm, author of “ Burn the Business Plan: What Great Entrepreneurs Really Do “ If I asked you to describe the prototypical successful entrepreneur, you may share a story mythologized in our culture of a brilliant young man with an idea so good and so disruptive that he just can’t waste any time finishing college.

Silicon Valley 157

Silicon Valley Forecast Venture Capital Business Plan 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2014

In the US, many entrepreneurs see grants as “free money,” since they are not loans and don’t have to be repaid. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Extend your networking. entrepreneur funding grants startup' Marty Zwilling.

Seed Money 242

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 242

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 25, 2012

Winning at New Products: Accelerating the Process from Idea to Launch, Third Edition by Robert G. First published more than ten years ago, this book is regarded as a must-read for anyone in product development. Networking and Communication. The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun. The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun.

Merger 228

Merger Leadership Design Management 228

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan.

Startup 268

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 268

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

In the US, many entrepreneurs see grants as “free money,” since they are not loans and don’t have to be repaid. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Extend your networking. Pursue grants and investors in parallel.

Government 230

Government Equity Cost SBIR 230

Steve Blank

MAY 7, 2009

I hate business plan competitions. I Love Business Plan Competitions I had a breakfast with a friend who has founded a few companies in Thailand and started the New Ventures Program at one of their universities. For all the reasons why business plan competitions are wonderful for students from outside the U.S.,

Business Plan 152

Business Plan Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital 152

Up and Running

MAY 12, 2015

Have you considered asking a child what they think of your business pitch? If you’re an entrepreneur looking for funding, you know how important—and involved—the pitching process can be. I’ve also included advice from a few entrepreneurs, who shared what resources worked best for them. See Also Bplans Small Business Loan Finder.

Angel Investor 60

Angel Investor Software Review Technical Cofounder Due Diligence 60

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. After celebrating success at that level, they often find themselves ill-prepared to move to the next stage, for scaling their business into a high-performing enterprise. Switch your attention from product development to sales.

Mezzanine 240

Mezzanine Private Equity Bandwidth Metrics 240

Up and Running

JULY 24, 2015

This list is broken into categories and is meant to be a one-stop-shop for aspiring entrepreneurs. Business planning. To start your business, you’ll need a sound business plan. But here at Bplans, we make an effort to provide entrepreneurs with the resources they need to start and run successful businesses.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Small Business Administration SBA Pennsylvania 60

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. After celebrating success at that level, they often find themselves ill-prepared to move to the next stage, for scaling their business into a high-performing enterprise. Switch your attention from product development to sales.

Mezzanine 141

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 141

Gust

MAY 11, 2014

In the US, many entrepreneurs see grants as “free money,” since they are not loans and don’t have to be repaid. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Extend your networking. Invested Interests entrepreneur grants startup'

Seed Money 164

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 164

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2013

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan.

Institutional Investors 230

Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping Database 230

Women Entrepreneurs Can

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

These firms can provide various services, including financing and business advice. They can also help you develop your product and sales channels. They may also provide a mentorship network. VC funding is best suited for businesses with high growth potential. Seed Rounds.

Venture Capital 52

Venture Capital Early Stage Liquidity Event SEC 52

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2011

In the US, many entrepreneurs see grants as “free money,” since they are not loans and don’t have to be repaid. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Extend your networking. Pursue grants and investors in parallel.

Government 221

Government SBIR Dilution Database 221

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan.

Startup 255

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 255

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 3, 2009

This post describes how the traditional product development model distorts startup sales, marketing and business development. While these objectives provide an illusion of progress, in reality they do little to validate the business plan hypotheses about customers and what they will buy.

Customer Development 227

Customer Development Developer Silicon Valley Customer 227

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2010

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan.

Startup 239

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 239

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. After celebrating success at that level, they often find themselves ill-prepared to move to the next stage, for scaling their business into a high-performing enterprise. Switch your attention from product development to sales.

Mezzanine 120

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 120

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 30, 2010

So when I get notes like this, it kind of makes me cringe a little—but I understand where too many entrepreneurs are coming from. “We wanted to check with you in advance to let you know that we are working on development of our latest. Here's an area where I think entrepreneurs could make more productive use of LinkedIn.

Technical Review 113

Technical Review Due Diligence Venture Capital Later Stage 113

Up and Running

JUNE 12, 2014

The life cycle of a product is associated with marketing and management decisions within businesses, and all products go through five primary stages: development, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. Development. The product development stage is often referred to as “the valley of death.”

Product 80

Product Intellectual Property Oregon Revenue 80

Up and Running

MARCH 20, 2012

A few years ago, LivePlan customer Caroline Cummings considered herself an “entrepreneur in recovery.” “I’m an entrepreneur at heart, so I knew I’d eventually jump back onto the start-up saddle, but I needed some time in-between to sort things out.”

Oregon 87

Oregon Chad United States Angel Investor 87

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

Your original business plan will probably go out the window when you land your first customer. Keep a close eye on your competitors but also on your peer entrepreneurs in your town; they provide the context relevant to you. Your Product Plan must fit into context of your overall business mission.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Cap Table Securities and Exchange Commission 48

Up and Running

JANUARY 30, 2014

Marketing the site and creating a business behind the product proved much more challenging. To thrust our venture forward, gain business skills quickly, and increase our chances of raising capital, we searched for an accelerator program. Accelerators are short entrepreneur training programs designed to jump-start new businesses.

Incubator 105

Incubator New York City Venture Capital Startup 105

Up and Running

JUNE 23, 2014

You are NEVER too old to start a business, least of all when you are still in your twenties. I’m only going to mention a few, but there are hundreds of famous entrepreneurs that got their start late in life. Josh Cochrane – VP of Product Development. Colonel Harland Sanders – founder of KFC (age 65).

Kentucky 126

Kentucky Silicon Valley Founder Startup 126

Growthink Blog

FEBRUARY 21, 2018

And wouldn’t it be great to perform as executives and entrepreneurs at that kind of “ultra-peak” level? Arguably the #1 factor in gaining those tiny, critical slivers of business competitive advantage, just as it is for Olympic athletes , is the quality of our team and network of advisors, consultants, coaches, and helpers.

Norway 48

Norway Russia Colorado Finance 48

Up and Running

JUNE 17, 2015

Some of the most common advice for new entrepreneurs is to “find a mentor.”. A mentor is a teacher, a trusted advisor that a budding entrepreneur can turn to with questions and get valuable advice, tailored directly to their industry and specific business situation. Where to start your search: Look to your own network first.

Incubator 60

Incubator LLC Networking Kansas City 60

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

aka: An Open Letter to the Next Big Social Network) - 500 Hats , November 1, 2010 I've held off writing this post for a long time, because I couldn't quite get my head around all the issues. love to find great products and services made by entrepreneurs who are trying to change the world. but: Something is Still Missing.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Technology Product CTO Hire 175