Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. Congratulations!

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

It’s equally easy to go online and incorporate your new entity, register some intellectual property and have some fun with social media for marketing and interacting with customers. Most new teams are geographically dispersed these days anyway, so paying rent for an office should be differed to later stages when revenue is plentiful.

Equity 349

Equity Hockey Stick Bootstrapping Sweat Equity 349

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Define some intellectual property. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. They must amplify your “elevator pitch” to investors, as well as key points from the business plan and the financial model. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

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. A great business often starts with one person, but it doesn’t end there.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2020

It’s equally easy to go online and incorporate your new entity, register some intellectual property and have some fun with social media for marketing and interacting with customers. Most new teams are geographically dispersed these days anyway, so paying rent for an office should be differed to later stages when revenue is plentiful.

Hockey Stick 423

Hockey Stick Bootstrapping Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 423

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. Congratulations!

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

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. A great business often starts with one person, but it doesn’t end there. Only real results count.

Intellectual Property 222

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 222

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Define some intellectual property. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. They must amplify your “elevator pitch” to investors, as well as key points from the business plan and the financial model. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2016

Who would not want to joint the unicorns (recent startups with a current valuation of over $1 billion)? He nails the current key startup parameters, including the following: Crafting a lean business plan as your road map. The days of lengthy, text-heavy, business plan documents prepared by expensive experts are behind us.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

That approach may work for an entrepreneur who just sold a successful business for a huge profit, but it doesn’t work for the rest of us who are not proven successes yet, or don’t even have a business yet. Non-credible funding request or unreasonable valuation. Future unproven projections don’t set today’s valuation.

Due Diligence 308

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Seed Stage 308

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. Congratulations!

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Term-sheets and Valuations: Thinking about Negotiations.   I’ve sat down with entrepreneurs and a copy of a term sheet guide I like [ “Term Sheets & Valuations - A Line by Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations ” by Alex Wilmerding, Aspatore Press.] The Valuation Question.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Gust

AUGUST 5, 2012

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 182

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 182

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

In that context, I offer you my list of ten top startup failure causes, seen over and over again: No written plan. Don’t believe the old urban legend that a business plan isn’t worth the effort. The discipline of writing down a plan is the best way to make sure you actually understand how to transform your idea into a business.

Intellectual Property 251

Intellectual Property Startup Viral Early Stage 251

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Do describe your intellectual property and “secret sauce”.

Business Plan 186

Business Plan Exit Strategy Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 186

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

Define some intellectual property. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. They must amplify your “elevator pitch” to investors, as well as key points from the business plan and the financial model. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 260

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. Congratulations!

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2012

In that context, I offer you my list of ten top startup failure causes, seen over and over again: No written plan. Don’t believe the old urban legend that a business plan isn’t worth the effort. The discipline of writing down a plan is the best way to make sure you actually understand how to transform your idea into a business.

Intellectual Property 274

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Viral Early Stage 274

Gust

OCTOBER 20, 2011

In 2011, the valuation of pre-revenue, start-up companies is typically in the range of $1.5–$2.5 Scorecard Valuation Methodology. Such comparisons can only be made for companies at the same stage of development, in this case, for pre-revenue startup ventures. The range of the data is from a low pre-money valuation of $0.8

Valuation 146

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Intellectual Property Technical Review 146

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.

Intellectual Property 223

Intellectual Property .Net Valuation Distribution 223

YoungUpstarts

MAY 14, 2018

To safeguard your team from getting emotionally over-committed to a specific business, carefully balance the price being offered for the target, the strategic problem or opportunity it addresses, the likely near-term cash flow of the target, the integration strategy, the inherent risks and the deal structure. Obtaining the Funding.

Acquisition 124

Acquisition Finance Raleigh Mezzanine 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. Congratulations!

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

Gust

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

In that context, I offer you my list of ten top startup failure causes, seen over and over again: No written plan. Don’t believe the old urban legend that a business plan isn’t worth the effort. The discipline of writing down a plan is the best way to make sure you actually understand how to transform your idea into a business.

Intellectual Property 183

Intellectual Property Startup Viral Early Stage 183

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2016

It’s equally easy to go online and incorporate your new entity, register some intellectual property and have some fun with social media for marketing and interacting with customers. Most new teams are geographically dispersed these days anyway, so paying rent for an office should be differed to later stages when revenue is plentiful.

Bootstrapping 120

Bootstrapping Hockey Stick Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 120

Gust

DECEMBER 16, 2012

Define some intellectual property. File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. They must amplify your “elevator pitch” to investors, as well as key points from the business plan and the financial model. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Angel Investor 179

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 179

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2016

This approach has tax implications you won’t like, since the IRS will tax your founder’s shares immediately at the valuation you give investors. Reveal “secret sauce” before filing intellectual property. Trade secrets need to be documented and dated, and business plans labeled as confidential.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Due Diligence Non-Compete Startup 120

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. Sales & Marketing | Wednesdays. Email address: Home.

Arizona 40

Arizona Equity Iowa Venture Capital 40

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

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Lean Case provides standard business models & metrics, so you can apply a standard approach to business planning, modeling, and profitability tracking. Lighter Capital, a Revenue Based Investing VC, offers a Cost of Capital Calculator. Similarly, Corsis uses benchmarking data to understand technology spend patterns.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Up and Running

AUGUST 19, 2014

If you’re lucky, and an angel’s (investors or groups) interest is piqued by your initial short pitch, they will want to schedule more time with you to get to know you and your team, and to dig deeper into your business plan (i.e. I am after all, a layman with respect to their business—and my time is valuable.”

Angel Investor 161

Angel Investor Technical Review Due Diligence Startup 161

Up and Running

DECEMBER 29, 2015

In an earlier post here on Bplans, I suggested that investors offer a useful filtering process for businesses: The investment process works as a filter, sorting business plans, pushing some to the top and others out of the way. If they’d edited their business plan better, or made it longer, or shorter, or added more appendices.

Bootstrapping 92

Bootstrapping Intellectual Property Venture Capital Angel Investor 92

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. Patrick sees his role not just as analyzing a business plan or crunching numbers. There’s no one model—or one business plan—for breweries.

Oregon 60

Oregon Jordan SBA Cofounder 60

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

This is a good plan for someone with kids, because it takes mostof the risk out of starting a startup. There never has to be atime when you have no revenues. Risk and reward are usuallyproportionate, however: you should expect a plan that cuts the riskof starting a startup also to cut the average return. Better how?

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76

www.paulgraham.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Some angels, especially those with technology backgrounds, may be satisfied with a demo and a verbal description of what you plan to do. But many will want a copy of your business plan, if only toremind themselves what they invested in. Our angels asked for one, and looking back, Im amazed how muchworry it caused me.

Startup 105

Startup Cofounder Software Stock 105