Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2014

Two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology or money. Giving a co-founder a salary won’t get you the “fire in the belly” you want. Experience and connections in your business area.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

Up and Running

APRIL 9, 2019

Why add a SWOT analysis into your business plan and the strategic planning process? I believe in it because the SWOT phase was vital to my planning process as I grew Palo Alto Software from zero to over $5 million in annual sales. Just like the Lean Planning approach to business planning, less is more.

Business Plan 89

Business Plan Software Review Differentiation Framework 89

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2019

No matter how well you plan your financials, there’s no way for you to account for all the unknowns. Obviously, the more detailed your business plan, the better. It helps to also have your plan reviewed and critiqued by an experienced advisor in the same industry.

Cost 264

Cost Founder Software Review Startup 264

Steve Blank

MAY 17, 2010

Last week one of the schools I teach at invited me to judge a business plan contest. I suggested that they first might want to read my post on why business plans are a poor planning and execution tool for startups. At best I think business plan competitions are a waste of time.

Business Plan 312

Business Plan Business Model Customer Development Deal Flow 312

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2013

I challenge any startup to show me they have avoided all of these: One of the founders isn’t delivering. While everyone was busy building the product and business model you detailed in your business plan, early feedback from the field makes it clear that you were somewhat wrong. Marty Zwilling.

Founder 250

Founder Startup Software Developers Software Development 250

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2020

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. Giving a co-founder a salary won’t get you the “fire in the belly” you want.

Cofounder 435

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Equity Intellectual Property 435

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Here’s another from The Startup Magazine Founder Interview Series. We interviewed Mr. Abraham Gin, an entrepreneur, business coach, and CEO of Gin Consulting Group , which provides unique leadership development and training platforms. We love your insights and seeing the impact you are making on your clients and community.

Leadership 166

Leadership Founder Technical Review Entrepreneur 166

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 11, 2020

by Nemanja Zunic, founder and CEO of IdeaBuddy. “A goal without a plan is just a wish!” Every successful business idea had a strategically written business plan. To provide direction of business development or just to attract investors, a business plan is a roadmap toward a company’s success. .

Business Plan 264

Business Plan Balance Sheet Lean Forecast 264

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

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. But for founders who do their homework, the cost of entry is lower and the opportunity is higher than ever. The cost of social media done well is low.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Angel Groups Social Media 261

Up and Running

JULY 6, 2016

Often, a business plan introduces a new technology that requires some explaining. On one hand, as a reader of business plans for investors, I see way too many business plans that ask a reader to wade neck-deep through technology to get to the business. It’s a business plan, not a term paper or thesis.

Technical Review 72

Technical Review Software Review Business Plan Development Team Review 72

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

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. The Founder needs to remember that meetings up to this point have been primarily off-site, with staged demos, and managed personally by the CEO or a small team.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

We all want the best for our babies—and our business plans! Nearly all businesses, whether they are small or large, are comprised of intellectual property (IP) and trade secrets, which can serve as the foundation for commercial success. Examples of IP and trade secrets include but are not limited to: Business plans.

Intellectual Property 60

Intellectual Property Business Plan IP Early Stage 60

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

by Ross Kimbarovsky, founder of crowdSPRING. Many entrepreneurs and business owners make mistakes when they rush to start a business before considering important details. A great business plan can help you anticipate important issues and possible challenges before you start your business.

Business Plan 147

Business Plan Balance Sheet Non-Compete Forecast 147

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

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. But for founders who do their homework, the cost of entry is lower and the opportunity is higher than ever. The cost of social media done well is low.

Intellectual Property 404

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 404

Up and Running

JULY 3, 2015

Maybe it was the ex-hippie in me, but I think it happens to most founders, in most startups, and most small businesses. Organizational structure and structured reviews come later, after you’ve grown the business further. See Also An Overview of Lean Business Planning. The management magic of business planning.

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Management Software Review Lean 60

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

We recently had Tim Berry, Palo Alto Software founder and business planning expert, present our Bplans audience with his latest advice on lean business planning. It’s all about making your business life easier, doing what works best, getting the best results by tracking what works and always improving.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Video Software Review 60

Up and Running

JULY 31, 2015

This week Peter and Jonathan talk to Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software, about lean business planning, strategy, tactics, specifics (milestones), and the forecast. Lean Business Planning by Tim Berry – (31:21). Preorder on Amazon.com – Lean Business Planning: Get What You Want From Your Business.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Forecast Software Review 60

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

While you are working away on your business plan, looking for ways to raise capital, finding the right people to hire, etc., But have you ever had the opportunity to pick the brains of founders who created amazingly successful startups and companies like Envato , Backblaze , Simple , or Treehouse ? Find your niche.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Founder Startup Bootstrapping 164

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2020

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Technology experts tend to have a very deep level of knowledge, but not very wide.

Founder 429

Founder Startup Angel Investor Demand 429

Up and Running

JULY 18, 2017

Bailey, of George Washington University School of Business and the Centre for Management Development, London Business School. As a founder, you’ve probably been focused on writing your business plan , building out your financial forecasts to position yourself to get funding, and managing the day-to-day minutia of running a business.

Founder 115

Founder United Kingdom Leadership Washington 115

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2016

Due to founder visibility, the team is so tuned in to the visionary and current direction that every turn to the right to pursue a new idea turns the whole team to the right. When the team is at odds or confused, they need this steady force to keep them on track with the business plan. Cause organizational whiplash.

Cofounder 120

Cofounder Founder Entrepreneur Startup 120

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. Accept uncertainty as the norm.

Business Plan 236

Business Plan Lean Matching Cost 236

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 30, 2022

A good business plan and positive projections should provide confidence. A well constructed business plan , which not only shows ambition, but demonstrates that the founders have an understanding of the market pressures they have to overcome and the kinds of customers they are hoping to win, is a must.

Technical Review 136

Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor Startup 136

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

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

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 7, 2024

Guest Author: Danish Ahmed, Founder of startuptools.ai. However, the utility of AI goes beyond that; it proves beneficial even in the pre-launch phase of a business. Nowadays, they can leverage AI solutions to create a business plan. The pivotal step lies in selecting the right AI platform tailored to your specific needs.

Artificial Inteligence 119

Artificial Inteligence Entrepreneur Algorithm Cofounder 119

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

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 27, 2023

Startup founders have a seemingly never-ending list of things to do, whether it’s growing sales, hiring new team members, or marketing your latest product. While there is no correct number or percentage, you should have enough invested that founders will see it is more than just a passing interest.

Startup 105

Startup Technical Review Reputation Hiring 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

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. The Founder needs to remember that meetings up to this point have been primarily off-site, with staged demos, and managed personally by the CEO or a small team.

Technical Review 379

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 379

View from Seed

APRIL 21, 2015

On the heels of our research on HBS entrepreneurs , NextView’s Dimitri Dadiomov (HBS ’15) interviewed several top founders on the early stages of their companies. Matt Prince , Co-Founder and CEO, CloudFlare (Web performance and security to protect and accelerate websites; $72.1 Prince: Business History.

Founder 120

Founder Las Vegas Entrepreneur Cofounder 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

I always tell entrepreneurs that two heads are better than one, so the first task in many startups is finding a co-founder or two. You need to find the skills or experience you don’t have in business, technology, or money. Giving a co-founder a salary won’t get you the “fire in the belly” you want.

Equity 238

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 238

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

With a little forethought and business sense, all these mistakes can be turned into opportunities for you to be remembered. All it takes is the same diligence that every entrepreneur puts into solution development, their business plan and investor presentation.

Due Diligence 321

Due Diligence Founder Angel Investor Affiliate 321

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2023

Building a new business is quite different from an executive role in a mature company, so people from these backgrounds are often a liability. Value is embodied in previous success with investors, proven problem-solving ability, and having built and executed a business plan with minimal resources.

Technical Cofounder 247

Technical Cofounder Equity Distribution Cofounder 247

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

Here are some key reasons why I believe every entrepreneur should create a formal Advisory Board or Board of Directors before they ask for funding, or even build their business plan: We all need a bit of reality to balance our passion. Building and managing a business is a wholly different world from building an innovative solution.

Advisory Board 356

Advisory Board Bandwidth Cofounder Technical Review 356

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

How to evaluate New Businesses at Their Infancy, Their Early Stages, and Their Growth Stages Evaluating a new business venture involves elements of both art and science. Pre-Seed New businesses, often known as startups, have just entered the very first stage of the investment process.

Seed Stage 126

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 126

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2023

Due to founder visibility, the team is so tuned in to the visionary and current direction that every turn to the right to pursue a new idea turns the whole team to the right. When the team is at odds or confused, they need this steady force to keep them on track with the business plan. Cause organizational whiplash.

Partner 206

Partner Cofounder Startup Bandwidth 206

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