The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 15, 2022

In many cases, your advisor will identify key employees and create a business plan to help you find a buyer and negotiate the best price possible. When selling your startup with a mergers and acquisitions advisor, it’s essential to identify the key employees who have made the most valuable contributions to the business.

Merger 158

Merger Acquisition Due Diligence Valuation 158

Steve Blank

AUGUST 31, 2009

After 20 years of working in startups, I decided to take a step back and look at the product development model I had been following and see why it usually failed to provide useful guidance in activities outside the building – sales, marketing and business development. So what’s wrong the product development model?

Customer Development 242

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 242

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

To create this first year in business checklist, I turned to our in-house experts here at Palo Alto Software: Sabrina Parsons, CEO; Noah Parsons, COO; Josh Cochrane, Vice President of Product Development; and Josh Fegles, Academic and Government Channel Sales Director, and founder of gluten-free cookie company Jude’s Foods.

Forecast 60

Forecast Software Review Lean Finance 60

Up and Running

APRIL 12, 2018

First, understand your finances. Objectively reviewing your finances is important, and this is a prerequisite to creating a forecast. Your business also has fluctuating expenses. Things like product development, materials and packaging, performance-based bonuses, and more. Consequences of your plan.

Forecast 77

Forecast Early Stage Software Review Technical Review 77

Up and Running

JULY 3, 2014

Pick the one that works best for you, keeping in mind that you can shorten the analysis while keeping the major components of the plan intact. The back-of-the-napkin export business plan (suitable for born-global entrepreneurs). The traditional-export business plan. The Laurel export business plan.

Business Plan 74

Business Plan Widget France Global 74

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Very few startups are cash-rich enough to self-finance aggressive second-stage growth. They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. Of course, that means a new level of risk, giving up some control, and a new business plan. There is no free lunch.

Mezzanine 244

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 244

Up and Running

OCTOBER 18, 2015

I’ve spent a lot of years as theoretically being my own boss, including more than 10 years as sole proprietor business planning consultant, working on my own with clients; and more than 10 years building a company, as founder and owner, working with employees. In a business, the health of the business is your boss.

Cleveland 60

Cleveland Software Review Bandwidth Technical Review 60

Up and Running

OCTOBER 10, 2018

This article is part of our Business Planning Guide —a curated list of our articles that will help you with the planning process! Business advisors, experienced entrepreneurs, bankers, and investors generally agree that you should develop a business plan before you start a business.

Startup 114

Startup Forecast Lean Balance Sheet 114

Steve Blank

MARCH 4, 2014

Product management tools like Stage-Gate ® emerged to systematically manage Waterfall product development. The product management process assumes that product/market fit is known, and the products can get spec’d and then implemented in a linear fashion. StageGate Process. This is a big idea.

IRR 335

IRR Startup Business Model Agile 335

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

We had personally invested $70,000 of our own money at this point, and we were hoping to raise at least another $250,000 to help us hire a team, launch our company, and begin to build our product. of our company in exchange for the $300K, and my business partner and I each diluted from 50% ownership down to 33.3%

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

Up and Running

JUNE 14, 2017

Some believe in the all-in approach to product development: build an advanced app. Furthermore, as I was proving the viability of Recycler Spotter through the free version, I could have pre-sold the paid membership at a discount for another layer of validation that would have also helped finance product development.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Distribution Redemption Demand 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Very few startups are cash-rich enough to self-finance aggressive second-stage growth. They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. Of course, that means a new level of risk, giving up some control, and a new business plan. There is no free lunch.

Mezzanine 141

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 141

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

Very few startups are cash-rich enough to self-finance aggressive second-stage growth. They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. Of course, that means a new level of risk, giving up some control, and a new business plan. There is no free lunch.

Mezzanine 240

Mezzanine Private Equity Bandwidth Metrics 240

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 also look for a robust business model and product/market fit. To secure funding, a startup must have a viable business plan and a functioning business model.

Venture Capital 52

Venture Capital Early Stage Liquidity Event SEC 52

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Very few startups are cash-rich enough to self-finance aggressive second-stage growth. They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. Of course, that means a new level of risk, giving up some control, and a new business plan. There is no free lunch.

Mezzanine 120

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 120

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 6, 2018

Creating a Business Plan. Don’t create your business plan entirely from scratch. Once you’re in, huddle with mentors to refine your plan. Product Development. They’re essential, in fact. But that doesn’t mean they can’t stand to shed a few pounds.

CPA 124

CPA Bandwidth Lean Startup 124

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

Every day I become more aware of the importance of stories as the drivers of business planning and business success. Too often we think of business planning as full of arcane details, but the details mean nothing without the core stories. Here are three stories a business should never do without. .

Business Plan 86

Business Plan Campaign Finance Product Development 86

Growthink Blog

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

And as they do, sometimes even unknowingly that beautiful dream of a business exit and financial windfall recedes depressingly into the sunset. Putting out there as to what our financial results will be , and why - in the form of well-documented and reasoned financial forecasts.

Harvest 48

Harvest IP Software Review Forecast 48

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 17, 2014

For a few months, a team of mentors with expertise in sales, financing, business planning, marketing, product development, website design and many other fields will coach an entrepreneur to help create a successful launch and structured plan for future growth.

Cofounder 171

Cofounder Incubator Programming IPO 171

Early Growth Financial Services

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

You don’t need to have financing to build a strong company, at least not in the early stages. Sure financing can help accelerate your time to market, focus on product development, and ability to execute to scale. I’ve seen so many successful companies (including … Continue reading → Business Planning'

Early Stage 53

Early Stage Startup Finance Business Plan 53

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. Waterfall, Agile, Lean?

Vertical 123

Vertical Silicon Valley RSS Marketing 123

Business Plan Blog

DECEMBER 10, 2013

Below are the milestones that you will need to achieve in order to attract seed investment from Angels: Business Plan. A major piece of the business plan will be your capitalization strategy demonstrating the milestone timeline discussed above as well as the effects of accomplished milestones on the company’s future valuation.

Angel Investor 55

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Seed Capital Advisory Board 55

Up and Running

JANUARY 30, 2014

Choosing an accelerator depends entirely on you, your business, and what you want out of the experience. Some accelerators have themes or focus on certain business sectors such as education, healthcare, or finance. Starting a Business Writing a Business Plan' What do you think?

Incubator 105

Incubator New York City Venture Capital Startup 105

Growthink Blog

MAY 10, 2012

Mezzanine Financing Most companies that raise equity capital and are eventually acquired or go public receive multiple rounds of financing first. No right or wrong answer here, but if this is your vision then it's important to consider when negotiating deal terms on earlier stage financing rounds. Seed Funding 3. read more.

Equity 88

Equity Mezzanine Later Stage Venture Capital 88

Growthink Blog

AUGUST 31, 2016

Here are four critical business domains - financing, sales, organization design and goal setting where the high-flyers get it right: Financing. Speed of product development, of brand-building, of customer acquisition, of team-building and talent aggregation. For as long as they are in business. read more.

SCRUM 48

SCRUM Finance Aggregator Acquisition 48

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

Messy cap tables can come back to haunt you when you do a financing or sell the company. Your original business plan will probably go out the window when you land your first customer. 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

MARCH 20, 2012

They were able to recruit a top-notch programmer, who got their core mobile product developed quickly. That was fantastic because it helped us attract other quality developers to join our team.” Speaking of business plans, Caroline says “Our business plan has been the compass for the ship we’re building.

Oregon 87

Oregon Chad United States Angel Investor 87

Growthink Blog

FEBRUARY 21, 2018

Whether that advice and assistance pertains to marketing, sales, branding, IT, new product development, finance, company culture, strategy, exit planning, and everything and anything in between.

Norway 48

Norway Russia Colorado Finance 48

Duct Tape Marketing

DECEMBER 5, 2014

When you’re a small business owner, it’s imperative to take on a lot of the tasks yourself, especially in the early stages of running a business. How many of us have found ourselves needing to do a little bit of finance, customer service, marketing or product development at any given point?

Small Business 75

Small Business Early Stage Hiring Stock 75

Up and Running

JULY 24, 2015

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. Product development. They can help with development and licensing, too.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Small Business Administration SBA Pennsylvania 60

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Unfortunately in early stage startups the drive for financing hijacks the corporate DNA and becomes the raison d’etre of the company. Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. Is there a profitable business model? What are Early Stage VC’s Really Asking?

Customer Development 266

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 266

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 4, 2013

If you have a technical background and you are focused on product development, consider a co-founder with a sales and marketing background that can focus on selling your world class product. Rather, give titles such as VP of Engineering, Product/Technology, Sales, Marketing, Finance, etc.

Part-Time VPE 79

Part-Time VPE Fractional VPE Cofounder CTO Hire 79

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

Step 1: Start with a lean plan. Instead of sitting down to write a 40-page business plan, start with a one-page pitch. It’s the fastest way to get your idea onto paper, and it’s the very first step in the lean planning process, which is much easier and more iterative than traditional business planning methods.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 6, 2011

Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on “validated learning,” rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want.

Lean 167

Lean Startup Metrics Private Equity 167

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

No Business Plan Survives First Contact With A Customer – The 5.2 Finance, IT, Legal). Risk-takers and Strategists: Jeremiah Owyang on Long-Term Social Media Planning - ReadWriteStart , November 10, 2010 Two years ago, 93% of Americans believed companies should have a social media presence. billion dollar mistake.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Technology Product CTO Hire 175

Tim Keane

APRIL 24, 2006

Last night, Bob Zieserl, Venture Capitalist, and general partner at Stratus Ventures, was the keynote speaker at the Marquette University Business Plan Competition. A clear point of view on how the business will achieve significant increases in value.) The product development cycle was excellent.

Wisconsin 60

Wisconsin Angel Investor Bootstrapping Venture Capital 60

Growthink Blog

NOVEMBER 2, 2016

It was both by design and natural inclination of all involved, a working dinner where the main topic of conversation was the client's business model in all its permutations - new market penetration and geographies, new product development, prospective new hires, growth-by-acquisition opportunities, establishing Newcos to house new technologies, discussing (..)

Conversion 48

Conversion Los Angeles Europe Acquisition 48