Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2013

First, he says, the focus of an established firm is to execute an existing business model — to make sure it operates efficiently and satisfies customers. In contrast, the main job of a start-up is to search for a workable business model, to find the right match between customer needs and what the company can profitably offer.

Business Model 332

Business Model Technical Review Business Plan Search 332

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2023

A better approach is to first understand who these people are, why and how they invest, and then focus on the ones who are the best match for your particular startup stage, location and industry. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Accredited Investor Syndicate Syndication 265

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

Few investors these days have the time or patience to read a full business plan, so a better way to catch their eye is with a tightly written and well formatted two-page executive summary. Focus on a specific market segment to match your solution. Project revenues, costs and investment expectations.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Technical Review 120

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2013

First, he says, the focus of an established firm is to execute an existing business model — to make sure it operates efficiently and satisfies customers. In contrast, the main job of a start-up is to search for a workable business model, to find the right match between customer needs and what the company can profitably offer.

Business Model 224

Business Model Business Plan Technical Review Search 224

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 8, 2021

After launching a new startup, you’ll be interested in growing the business as quickly as possible, thus generating more revenue, securing more stability, and improving your reputation as well. Every business has potential productivity woes, but startups have some special issues unique to them, including: 1.Limited Uncertainty.

Employee 127

Employee Product Startup Software Review 127

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 16, 2010

You would think that would be enough to get wrong, but entrepreneurs and investors compound this problem by assuming that all startups grow and scale by executing the Revenue Plan. All discussion focused on “missing the revenue plan.”. Lets Try to Make the World Match Our Spreadsheet. They don’t. What went wrong?

Revenue 230

Revenue Balance Sheet Hockey Stick Burn Rate 230

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 29, 2019

The working capital loan is required to run a complete cycle of revenue-generating operations. However, funding involves the usual process of sharing the valuation details and business plan along with the project reports, which then determines the sanctioning of the loan.

Startup 96

Startup Government Valuation Technical Review 96

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

When it comes to running a business, it’s always important to have a plan in hand. Whether it is about how you intend to run the business (a business plan) or what your contingency plan, like should there be an unexpected interruption that can hinder your business. Security risks. Unturned Inventory.

Software Review 113

Software Review Stock Security Revenue 113

The Startup Magazine

JULY 20, 2018

It’s important to do research on successful consignment businesses when creating your own business plan. What are the common denominators among the businesses that you admire? Which are most like the business you would like to run? Your marketing, colors, and verbiage should all match in an overarching theme.

Revenue 75

Revenue Social Media Startup Curation 75

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

Their track record is dire, with only twelve percent of the companies in the Fortune 500 from fifty years ago still even in business today. There is no point incubating an innovative new venture if you don’t have the funds to launch and expect quick self-sustaining revenue.

Advisory Board 359

Advisory Board Incubator Dilution Agile 359

crowdSPRING Blog

NOVEMBER 17, 2014

Well, it’s been a while since we last explored the topic of business plans and plenty has changed. The age of the 80-page plan has passed and has been replaced with the 140-character attention span. Business Summary. Related posts: The Business Plan. That’s it – not go get started!

Business Plan 105

Business Plan Small Business Matching Balance Sheet 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

A better approach is to first understand who these people are, why and how they invest, and then focus on the ones who are the best match for your particular startup stage, location and industry. Here are eight key insights that will help you find a productive match: Angels want equity ownership, not causes.

Search 317

Search Accredited Investor Angel Investor Venture Capital 317

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

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 29, 2018

You should have included all your overheads and running costs in your original business plan, so revisit it and see how your predictions have turned out. Make sure you allow for any difference in revenue between what was predicted in your plan and what you are taking in reality.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review .Net Warrant Cost 100

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

Although you don’t want the sales line to match the detail of your accounting item by item, you do want the lines to match information you get from your accounting. Sales forecasting as management requires an easy way to track results and see how they match the plan. Writing a Business Plan'

Forecast 119

Forecast Sales Aggregator Software Review 119

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

Steve Blank

APRIL 4, 2011

The Agora team started the week wondering whether they were 1) a true marketplace for cloud computing, where they provide both matching and exchange capabilities for real-time trading. Or were they 2) an information exchange, providing matching services for cloud computing buyers and sellers, providing matching services.

Customer 234

Customer Business Model Nebraska Cloud 234

Steve Blank

APRIL 28, 2011

This week they were testing their hypotheses about Revenue Models: what are customers really willing to pay for? Are you generating transactional or recurring revenues? The team looked at the potential revenue and concluded that the outlook for this business with this customer segment was dismal. The Nine Teams Present.

Revenue 213

Revenue West Virginia Oklahoma Oklahoma City 213

YoungUpstarts

JULY 20, 2016

In order to make a splash in their industries, startups need a healthy flow of working capital and, when you’re just trying to get established, it’s often impossible to access a sustainable flow of working capital through revenue alone. Safeguarding Personal Assets.

Startup 100

Startup Technical Review Small Business Administration Revenue 100

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 I find myself constantly guilty of this disconnect.)

Startup 315

Startup Revenue Cofounder Sales 315

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2020

The right person can make any idea a business success, and the wrong one will always struggle. If you show me a written business plan, I can assess it from a technical perspective, but that doesn’t tell me if you are the right person to create the business. If you are not motivated, you won’t succeed.

Entrepreneur 379

Entrepreneur Matching Finance Revenue 379

ConversionXL

AUGUST 11, 2021

This will help sponsors quickly identify if your audience matches their target market. However, matching demographics alone doesn’t guarantee ROI. This is basically a business plan—and snapshot of the benefits of your property [assets]. Start with demographic data. Best, Chris. This will demonstrate brand awareness.

Audience 139

Audience Social Media Email Ruby 139

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

The answer to the age-old question of whether your business should be trying to make money or raise money is almost universally the latter. Generating solid revenue streams early on will make many of the fundraising problems much easier to handle later on. 4 Reasons to Focus on Revenue Before Fundraising. More Independence.

Startup 130

Startup Revenue Cofounder Angel Investor 130

Up and Running

JULY 7, 2014

Here are a few things you’ll want to do before you open your shop: Make a business plan. No business can function properly without a business plan. You need a roadmap, a document that will guide your business to success. On the accounting side, you’ll need a program to track your revenue and expenses.

Philadelphia 140

Philadelphia Dallas Social Media Business Plan 140

Up and Running

DECEMBER 18, 2013

Instead of looking at your credit score or asking you for your business’s detailed financial statements, Kabbage asks you for your UPS, PayPal, Amazon, Square, eBay, and/or Quickbooks accounts, and then uses the data it gathers from those accounts to determine your sales revenue and cash flow itself.

Kenya 119

Kenya Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review 119

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

For example, cfds trading is seeing an enormous boom due to its low investment-high return revenue model despite some inherent risks. This pursuit of customer-focused creative innovation forms the basis of their success, and that of virtually every successful business entity. Certain uncertainty. Staying the course.

Leadership 237

Leadership Matching Demand Revenue 237

Steve Blank

MAY 6, 2015

It’s a really big idea because what you build needs to match the hypothesis you want to test. revenue streams generated by the value proposition(s). activities necessary to implement the business model. cost structure resulting from the business model. customer segments, such as users and payers or moms or teens.

Lean 120

Lean Agile Business Model Customer Development 120

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Somebody asks whether you plan to set up 401k’s and do contribution matching. He refined his business plan and he got commitments for $150-200k but needed some lead angels to commit first. When he re-approached me he had a much better plan and he had a prototype! I think this paralyzes many people.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Fractional CTO Technical Review CTO Hire 414

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2018

It’s great to start with a big dream as you contemplate a new business, but finding the money you need takes more than dreaming. For example, I just read an otherwise impressive business plan last week from a first-timer who asked for $10 million to get started. Tie investment return to revenue rather than a fixed date.

Elevator Pitch 215

Elevator Pitch Equity Revenue Differentiation 215

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

This essay is part of a series on alternative VC: I: Revenue-Based Investing: a new option for founders who care about control. II: Who are the major Revenue-Based Investing VCs? III: Why are Revenue-Based VCs investing in so many women and underrepresented founders? IV: Should your new VC fund use Revenue-Based Investing?

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

The idea of a Business Model competition first emerged when I realized that Business Plan writing ought to be taught in English Departments – as they’re the best example of creative writing entrepreneurs will ever do. The Business Plan ?- And your revenue plan is something more than a hallucination.

Business Model 263

Business Model Customer Development Utah Business Plan 263

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

The answer to the age-old question of whether your business should be trying to make money or raise money is almost universally the latter. Generating solid revenue streams early on will make many of the fundraising problems much easier to handle later on. 4 Reasons to Focus on Revenue Before Fundraising. More Independence.

Startup 78

Startup Revenue Cofounder Angel Investor 78

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

3) Following a one-size-fits-all approach to writing a business plan, creating a social media strategy, raising capital or finding a co-founder is the #1 cause of frustration and failure in entrepreneurship. Those around him cautioned him to take it slow, get lots of advice and write a business plan.

Business Plan 80

Business Plan Flash Matching Cofounder 80

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

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2014

Equally important, you need to make these projections first as goals for your own use, to convince the team as well as investors that you have a business which is achievable. Aggressive revenue projections and growth rate. Revenue in the fifth year should be at least $20 million, with a growth rate average of 100% per year.

Liquidity Event 249

Liquidity Event Equity Venture Capital Merger 249

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2013

I recommend a simple set of guidelines, which work for at least 80% of the business plans I see. In reality, you need to make these projections first as goals for your own use, to convince the team as well as investors that you have a business which is achievable. Aggressive revenue projections and growth rate.

Liquidity Event 243

Liquidity Event Startup Equity Venture Capital 243

Up and Running

AUGUST 29, 2014

Consider a venture feasibility study as a start on a business plan if the idea looks profitable. This assurance can be beneficial if the business is seeking loans or investment funding. CPA’s also can represent clients in case of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit.

Small Business 87

Small Business CPA Government North America 87