Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

Over the past 20+ years, as an angel investor, former venture capitalist and private equity investor, and serial entrepreneur, I have seen and written, a wide variety of pitch decks and business plans. Beyond discussing facing adversity and overcoming obstacles, many of them have shared their business plans with me.

Business Plan 124

Business Plan Elevator Pitch Equity Private Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2015

My bottom-line recommendation and theirs is that every visionary entrepreneur needs to be matched with a cofounder or key team member who has the required execution attributes. When the team is at odds or confused, they need this steady force to keep them on track with the business plan.

Cofounder 120

Cofounder Bandwidth Matching Leadership 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2021

Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was actually more effective than his business plan predicted. Very rare case.

Initial Public Offering 317

Initial Public Offering California .Net Business Plan 317

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2021

More features and inventory added early will be wasted as you will need to pivot to match the real market. Many entrepreneurs insist on making every decision, and spend too much time working in the business, rather than on the business. Hire real help and learn to delegate. Poor or too many business processes.

Startup 404

Startup Lean Metrics Matching 404

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 28, 2022

But these concerns should not stand in the way of your business plans because you can achieve success with good planning and strategy. You only need to innovate to gain a winning advantage, streamline operations, and deliver quality products that match consumer expectations. Hire a qualified team.

Entrepreneur 136

Entrepreneur Operations Hiring Employee 136

Up and Running

OCTOBER 30, 2017

In order to start a successful business, passion alone isn’t enough. You need to plan, set goals, and above all, know yourself. How will these affect day-to-day operations? Use this time to make sure that you are matching the business you want to start to your personal aspirations. What are your strengths?

Venture Capital 166

Venture Capital Business Plan Limited Liability Company Finance 166

Up and Running

JANUARY 22, 2014

As a new business owner, you’ve got a lot on your plate. From creating a business plan to hiring employees , your to-do list is a hefty one. But while you’re juggling startup tasks, you’ll also want to think about how taxes will impact your business. Hiring employees vs. hiring subcontractors.

Entrepreneur 123

Entrepreneur Software Review Security Employee 123

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2013

Otherwise, sales, marketing, and operational costs will kill you. If you try to vary the number of employees to match, that costs even more cash for hiring, and later resizing. As I suggested in the beginning, the business year has been a good one so far, and the coming holiday season has the potential to make it even better.

Business Plan 215

Business Plan Venture Capital Demand Forecast 215

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2019

Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was actually more effective than his business plan predicted. Very rare case.

Initial Public Offering 277

Initial Public Offering Startup California .Net 277

YoungUpstarts

JULY 20, 2016

Because of this, startups traditionally look to outside funding solutions, but, unfortunately, obtaining capital from a bank can be challenging without an upfront investment, a solid business plan, a great credit score and a dash of luck. Startups need funds to pay for their early operations and gain a foothold in their industry.

Startup 100

Startup Technical Review Small Business Administration Revenue 100

crowdSPRING Blog

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

If you want to take the plunge and start your own photography business, there is a lot to consider. Here’s a complete, 10 step guide on how to start a photography business. Write a business plan. Decide your legal business structure. Purchase business insurance. Create a sales plan.

Business Plan 64

Business Plan Small Business Administration Hiring Social Media 64

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 21, 2009

In the last post I beat you to death about ditching your business plan but failed to provide an alternative. Evidence" means emails and Tweets and testimonials that use those words exactly; otherwise you're likely interpreting their feedback to match your expectations. (I Which of your business operations do you hate?

Startup 315

Startup Revenue Cofounder Sales 315

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.

Business Plan 163

Business Plan Forecast Balance Sheet Distribution 163

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Somebody asks whether you plan to set up 401k’s and do contribution matching. But “he didn’t have the budget to hire a developer until he had raised money!&#. He refined his business plan and he got commitments for $150-200k but needed some lead angels to commit first. He looked stunned.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Fractional CTO Technical Review CTO Hire 414

Women Entrepreneurs Can

JUNE 30, 2020

During times of economic uncertainty, it’s vital to cut back where you can in order to save some cash reserves, which will allow you to return to your usual operations in full once lockdown restrictions have subsided. Run your business more efficiently and conservatively, and cut back in any areas that seem risky. Upskill Your Staff.

Small Business 52

Small Business eCommerce Technical Review Green 52

Up and Running

AUGUST 29, 2014

A venture feasibility study analyzes an idea from several perspectives: market opportunity, competition, resources available, resource gaps, financial viability, operational issues, intellectual property rights, development timeline and technology needs. Do I need to hire a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for my small business?

Small Business 87

Small Business CPA Government North America 87

Up and Running

MAY 22, 2014

In a sense, this constitutes a very short-term, interest-free loan and it could help your operations significantly. Weiss says, “I love small businesses because they think with two parts of their brain. In running a business, don’t do anything differently.” Which type of lender is your best match?

Forecast 98

Forecast Finance .Net Software Review 98

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. We shared all of this with our attorney before she helped us write our Operating Agreement (OA), so we assumed we were in good hands.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

OnlyOnce

JULY 9, 2013

Chapter 2: Defining and Testing the Story…Start Out By Admitting You’re Wrong, A Lean Business Plan Template, Problem, Solution, Key Metrics, Unique Value Proposition and Unfair Advantages, Channels, Customer Segments, Cost Structure and Revenue Streams. Chapter 3: Telling the Story to Your Investors…The Business Plan is Dead.

Startup 95

Startup Advisory Board Elevator Pitch Forecast 95

Steve Blank

MARCH 5, 2012

One of the confusing things to entrepreneurs, investors and educators is the relationship between customer development and business model design and business planning and execution. When does a new venture focus on customer development and business models ? And when do business planning and execution come into play?

Search 320

Search Business Model Customer Development Agile 320

Growthink Blog

JULY 17, 2012

According to Dun & Bradstreet, the primary cause is lack of business planning. Yes, entrepreneurs and business owners don't plan to fail. Rather, they fail to plan (which causes them to fail). In my view, there are two types of business plans. Rather, the focus of this plan is strategy.

Business Plan 76

Business Plan Channel Matching Operations 76

YoungUpstarts

MAY 15, 2014

If you’re interested in owning your own business and have a passion for seeking out the best merchandise, a thrift store might be right for you. Getting Started: Establish Business Plan and Budget. The first step to owning a business of any kind is to establish a business plan and a budget.

United States 278

United States Stock Operations Sales 278

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2013

Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Amazon''s initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was actually more effective than his business plan predicted. Very rare case.

Initial Public Offering 297

Initial Public Offering Startup California .Net 297

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2016

Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was actually more effective than his business plan predicted. Very rare case.

Initial Public Offering 148

Initial Public Offering California .Net Business Plan 148

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

Hiring is a chapter unto itself, but it deserves to lead off any discussion of context. You can conduct group interviews, get your candidate “liquored up” (not a recommendation), and even have a trial period on the job to see if there’s a good match. Compensation decisions obviously affect hiring and retention.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Cap Table Securities and Exchange Commission 48

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2014

More features and inventory added early will be wasted as you will need to pivot to match the real market. Many entrepreneurs insist on making every decision, and spend too much time working in the business, rather than on the business. Hire real help and learn to delegate. Poor or too many business processes.

Entrepreneur 287

Entrepreneur Lean Metrics Matching 287

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2012

Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was actually more effective than his business plan predicted. Very rare case.

Entrepreneur 263

Entrepreneur Initial Public Offering California .Net 263

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2011

Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was actually more effective than his business plan predicted. Very rare case.

Initial Public Offering 295

Initial Public Offering California .Net Business Plan 295

Up and Running

JULY 11, 2017

Most successful business plans entail launching a new product, service, or distribution outlet that attacks existing market competitors on what military planners would term an exposed flank. A smart commander will mass forces against this flank, just as an astute business leader will pour resources into their flanking effort.

Technical Review 80

Technical Review Development Team Review Differentiation Leadership 80

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2018

More features and inventory added early will be wasted as you will need to pivot to match the real market. Many entrepreneurs insist on making every decision, and spend too much time working in the business, rather than on the business. Hire real help and learn to delegate. Poor or too many business processes.

Lean 130

Lean Metrics Matching Small Business 130

www.inc.com

JULY 9, 2010

500|5000 Conference Honorees Resources Press Apply 2011 ); Topics > Leadership and Managing > Human Resources > Recruiting and Hiring Employees > How to Attract Talent to Your Start-Up At a start-up, you need employees that are in it for the long haul and fit your unique culture. People would only get paid if the candidates got hired.

Intellectual Property 55

Intellectual Property Los Angeles San Francisco New York 55

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

” I want to do the best deals wherever they are, but I thought, most VCs I met didn’t have very good operational experience, so I thought, “Well, what if I created a blog called Both Sides of the Table and could emphasize the fact that I used to sit on your side of the table? .” Should I hire or not hire this person?

Cofounder 337

Cofounder Technical Cofounder San Diego Startup 337

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2012

One of the biggest myths I still see in the community of new entrepreneurs is the assumption that “All I need is a good idea, and some investor will give me the big money I need to build the business.” In reality, investors fund good business plans, not big dreams. Match your business to your passion.

Bandwidth 236

Bandwidth Bootstrapping Equity Startup 236

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

It typically takes multiple iterations and pivots to find product/market fit – the match between what you’re building and who will buy it. Unfortunately as you hire more people, the casual, informal “do what it takes” culture, which worked so well at less than 40 people, becomes chaotic and less effective.

Startup 120

Startup Lean Venture Capital Advisory Board 120

Up and Running

OCTOBER 3, 2018

What they don’t usually show on screen on shows like Flip or Flop is that writing a business plan is a must. If you’re thinking about starting a business that buys up homes, fixes them up and then re-sells them at a profit, the first step is to write a business plan. It serves as a mini version of your entire plan.

El Paso 61

El Paso Business Plan Technical Review Forecast 61

Up and Running

AUGUST 1, 2016

To start, check out our article on starting a daycare business, which will walk you through all the steps you’ll need to go through to get your business up and running. In a similar vein, if you love caring for animals, consider setting up a doggy daycare business. In-home dog care. Resume building. Programming.

Design 60

Design Demand Finder Cost 60

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2010

Six years later, he managed to land a contract with IBM to provide their IBM PC base operating system. Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was actually more effective than his business plan predicted. Very rare case.

Initial Public Offering 221

Initial Public Offering Startup California .Net 221