Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many strategies leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 436

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Write your business plan and develop your business model with this in mind so you can avoid these issues. . You can choose from a few different types of business plans depending on your needs. If you’re seeking investment, you need a traditional business plan. Executive summary. Be specific.

Business Plan 154

Business Plan Technical Review Forecast Exit Strategy 154

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2022

Most business advisors I know will say that writing a business plan is the first step to starting your own business, but I believe that a better first step is to do a self-analysis of your real drivers, strengths, and assumptions before committing to this lifestyle. Every business is a work in progress.

Founder 262

Founder Intellectual Property Social Media Business Plan 262

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 8, 2019

Intellectual property (IP) is a primary business component for many entrepreneurs. However, intellectual property differs from other company assets in the way that it is not tangible. Since it is not a piece of physical property, many entrepreneurs neglect to realize its value. Develop An IP Strategy.

Intellectual Property 127

Intellectual Property IP Management Startup 127

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. What can companies learn from others’ failed efforts to integrate startups into large companies? The answer - there are two types of integration strategies, and they depend on where the startup is in its lifecycle. The Innovation Portfolio.

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones. Others send investors email and business plans in all uppercase or no punctuation.

Intellectual Property 316

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 316

Steve Blank

JUNE 26, 2014

. — Over the last three years the Lean LaunchPad class has started to replace the last century’s “how to write a business plan” classes as the foundation for entrepreneurial education. The Lean LaunchPad class uses the three “ Lean Startup ” principles: Alexander Osterwalders “ business model canvas ” to frame hypotheses.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Lean IP Open Source 281

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

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. Register some intellectual property. Become a visible expert.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

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. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so I see no equity value in the idea alone.

Equity 238

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 238

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. Register some intellectual property. Become a visible expert.

Intellectual Property 253

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 253

Up and Running

JULY 28, 2022

Check out the IRS tax requirements to determine what taxes your business structure deals with. Secure your intellectual property. Intellectual property (IP) is anything created by the human intellect that’s protected by the law from unauthorized use by other people. Correctly classify your workers.

Small Business 167

Small Business Intellectual Property Cofounder Software Review 167

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2016

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. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so I see no equity value in the idea alone.

Equity 120

Equity Cofounder Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property 120

Up and Running

AUGUST 28, 2018

If you’re thinking about starting an outpatient medical practice, one of the first things you should do is write a business plan. There are a few different types of business plans , depending on how you intend to use it. There are a few different types of business plans , depending on how you intend to use it.

Business Plan 72

Business Plan Technical Review Exit Strategy Oregon 72

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Based on my experience and data from the field, over seventy-five percent of new startups fail, even with venture backing. I say this not to discourage you from acting on your idea, but to encourage you to anticipate the work required to get you from inspiration to a sustainable and satisfying business.

Intellectual Property 235

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Harvest Technical Review 235

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

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. Register some intellectual property. Become a visible expert.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

All businesses have intellectual property. In order to protect your business’s IP, learn the four different categories. Yes, your business has intellectual property (IP). In fact, 100 percent of businesses have IP. Let’s take a deeper look into the four pillars of intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 112

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement IP Design 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2016

In my view, starting a new business has never been easier, and according to reports from the Kaufmann Foundation , the numbers are finally here to show it. The number of startups rose in 2015 for the first time in five years, with the largest year-over-year increase in two decades. Fundraising through online platforms and crowdfunding.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

Angel investors are still the lifeblood of early-stage startups, despite the surge of activity in crowdfunding and an increasing early interest from venture capitalists. A business needs technical, marketing, financial and many other skills. Create and highlight your intellectual property portfolio.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Angel Groups 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. As with most business and personal interactions, first impressions tend to become lasting ones. Others send investors email and business plans in all uppercase or no punctuation.

Angel Investor 268

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Early Stage 268

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many shortcuts leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

Yet, as an angel investor myself, I can attest that many potential entrepreneurs try to take shortcuts, or ignore the realities of business. I suggest the following sequence of startup preparation steps: Create a business entity early to isolate business efforts. Prepare a pitch deck to document and share your plan.

Technical Cofounder 184

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Silicon Valley LLC 184

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. The value in a startup is all about tangible results, so there is no equity value in the idea alone. Now comes the reality check.

Cofounder 261

Cofounder Stock Founder Technical Cofounder 261

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2020

Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to become the next unicorn. Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. Investors don’t invest in services startups. But what does that really mean?

Hockey Stick 386

Hockey Stick Intellectual Property Startup Non-Compete 386

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to see how the process works, several times from the startup side, and more recently from the angel perspective (as a member of an angel group selection committee). Define some intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2021

An underutilized, but valuable resource, every startup should investigate is a formal or informal connection to your alma mater, including any local university. Business plan assistance. Every university has entrepreneurial courses or evening classes that can provide assistance on creating your initial plan.

Arizona 432

Arizona Phoenix Intellectual Property Incubator 432

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

After considering about 200 investment opportunities over the past two years, we have established a decision making process to identify trophy entrepreneurs and startups. Unfortunately, we read far more poorly written business plans at Main Street than good ones. Repetition will kill an otherwise acceptable business plan.

Intellectual Property 265

Intellectual Property Balance Sheet Phoenix Arizona 265

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Even new entrepreneurs should be able to move from an idea to a legal entity within a couple of months, finalize their business plan in the new few months after that and have a prototype solution built within six more months. Very few individuals have the skills and energy to build a startup alone.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Preferred Stock Stealth 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2023

Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to become the next unicorn. Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. Investors don’t invest in services startups. But what does that really mean?

Hockey Stick 339

Hockey Stick Intellectual Property Non-Compete Business Model 339

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

I just spent a few weeks in Japan and China on a book tour for the Japanese and Chinese versions of the Startup Owners Manual. This left an open playing field for Chinese software startups as they “copy to China” existing U.S. business models. Intellectual property protection is great on paper and “limited” in practice.

China 323

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 323

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

As a startup advisor and investor, living in an area with several local universities, I’m continually surprised by how little many entrepreneurs know about the resources available from these institutions. Visit the university library for access to otherwise costly business reports. Access to intellectual property and current research.

Arizona 276

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Entrepreneur 276

Women Entrepreneurs Can

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

In the rush to get your business off the ground, you might neglect the need to protect your intellectual property. But if your intellectual property is original and differentiates you from your competition, it will be one of the most valuable parts of your business. Patent Your Innovations.

Intellectual Property 40

Intellectual Property Early Stage Startup Security 40

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 12, 2010

This is part 1 of the series: 5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches. Software patents are especially useless for small, bootstrapped startups. The landscape of successful startups is littered with people lacking post-graduate education. Innovative design and intellectual property are no longer long-term competitive advantages.

Intellectual Property 319

Intellectual Property Bootstrapping Software Review Open Source 319

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup.

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. First, no investor is interested in a startup that sets their sights so low. Sleeping giants do wake up.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Valuation Technical Review Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. Values intellectual property. entrepreneurs intestors startups characteristics business' Better yet, ask a real friend, who won’t just tell you what you want to hear.

Technical Review 273

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 273

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to see how the process works, several times from the startup side, and more recently from the angel perspective (as a member of an angel group selection committee). Define some intellectual property.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup.

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313