Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2020

They don’t realize that business projections with no third-party validation have no credibility with investors, and smart potential investors will walk away. Every good business plan needs an early section which sizes the total market opportunity, and then breaks down that total into the most relevant segments for your focus.

Business Plan 393

Business Plan Marketing SBA Venture Capital 393

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 30, 2022

Of course this is why a lot of investors choose to hedge their bets and avoid having to make the tricky decisions regarding which startups to back themselves by putting their money into angel investment or venture capital (VC) funds. A good business plan and positive projections should provide confidence.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor Startup 134

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 4, 2023

In a perfect world, small businesses would have an endless stream of revenue coming in and there wouldn’t be need to worry about financing. Sometimes businesses have to get creative when it comes to their small business financing, especially when revenue is low. However, we all know that’s not the case.

Finance 108

Finance Revenue Small Business Bootstrapping 108

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Almost overnight the floodgates opened, and risk capital was available at scale from venture capital investors who rushed their startups toward public offerings. Startups wrote business plans, generated expansive 5-year forecasts and executed (hired, spent and built) to the plan. Then one day it was over.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 17, 2018

One thing that comes with being a venture capitalist is you see hundreds and hundreds of businesses. You get to have interesting conversations with founders and review business plans and then see how these businesses evolve over the years. Some even grow "bad" revenue just to show growth.

Founder 242

Founder Dilution Software Review Later Stage 242

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2011

I just read the Q1 2011 report from CB Insights , which shows venture capital is back. Your friends and family are really the only answer until you have a significant revenue stream. Back to VCs, Silicon Valley venture capital firms are still the most active. Overall, investors put $7.5 That represents a $1.5

Venture Capital 233

Venture Capital Revenue Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley 233

VC Cafe

JULY 26, 2020

“After the crash, venture capital was scarce to non-existent. In a capital scarce environment following the Dot Com crash, startups needed to do more with less and survive long enough to generate revenue. If things aren’t going the way you planned, consider what hypothesis needs changes.

Lean 214

Lean Seed Capital Startup Burn Rate 214

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Most aspiring entrepreneurs understand that you can’t build a business if you won’t commit to delivering a product or service, but many are hesitant or refuse to commit to any financial forecasts. Yet every business requires revenue and volumes, as certainly as it requires a product to sell. Quantify overhead costs.

Forecast 290

Forecast Burn Rate Widget Business Plan 290

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2023

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. By definition, angels are accredited investors, who invest their own money for a percentage of the business. Most share expertise as well as money.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Accredited Investor Syndicate Syndication 265

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 17, 2020

Many companies seek angel investors, venture capital and even family and friends’ money when they’re planning to start a company. Realistically, how much should a new business owner plan to have on hand before opening his or her doors? Financial intelligence is important to anyone starting a company.

Finance 217

Finance Forecast Balance Sheet Angel Investor 217

Up and Running

MARCH 4, 2022

The number fluctuates from year to year with businesses coming and going. If you want to remain profitable and thrive, you must have a plan to move forward. . A business plan does far more than help secure venture capital when you’re starting out. What does it take to write a strong business plan?

Business Plan 117

Business Plan Revenue Small Business Administration United States 117

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2023

The failure rate is just too high, and startups typically don’t have the assets or revenue stream to back up the loan. Here are some tips and rules of thumb to improve your odds and help you understand when a bank loan or line of credit is possible, and how to get it: Write a good business plan first. Marty Zwilling<

Silicon Valley 292

Silicon Valley CPA Small Business Administration Startup 292

Up and Running

MAY 30, 2022

One of the most important things you can do to increase your chances of success is to have a business plan. From attracting potential investors to keeping your business on track—a business plan helps you to achieve important milestones and grow in the right direction. And it’s not just for startups.

Business Plan 150

Business Plan Balance Sheet Revenue Metrics 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There are many things a VC is looking for in reviewing your business plan but beyond things the like the quality of revenue, margins, OPEX and CAPEX there’s a really simple rule I call, “Cash In, Cash Out, Milestones Achieved.” So it’s incumbent on you to know what a smart business plan and use of cash looks like.

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

buy out an entire company for its revenue and profits. Corporate business development and strategic partner executives are flocking to Silicon Valley to find these five types of innovation. Remember, the definition of a startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. (

Acquisition 332

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 332

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

Funding might be a need in some cases — but it’s not an absolute necessity. ? The business should be self-sustainable. The primary source of your funds should be your paying customers, i.e., your business should generate enough revenues and profits to fund the growth and expansion. Government programs.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million-dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Funding or rollout stage.

Incubator 305

Incubator Startup Exit Strategy Institutional Investors 305

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2023

They don’t realize that business projections with no third-party validation have no credibility with investors, and smart potential investors will walk away. Every good business plan needs an early section which sizes the total market opportunity, and then breaks down that total into the most relevant segments for your focus.

SBA 300

SBA Venture Capital Business Plan Social Media 300

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. Venture capital. An investment from a venture capital firm is usually expensive, in equity and control. If you go for venture capital, don’t expect a quick fix, so prepare to spend at least six months searching for and closing the deal.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

The failure rate is just too high, and startups typically don’t have the assets or revenue stream to back up the loan. Here are some tips and rules of thumb to improve your odds and help you understand when a bank loan or line of credit is possible, and how to get it: Write a good business plan first. Marty Zwilling.

Silicon Valley 431

Silicon Valley CPA Small Business Administration SBA 431

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2021

In my experience, here are the most common issues that cause funding requests for potentially viable businesses to be rejected, in priority order: Inadequate business plan. Some investors say half the ideas pitched to them don’t have any plan at all, even though some have great potential. Don’t take this shortcut.

Intellectual Property 429

Intellectual Property Bootstrapping Venture Capital Revenue 429

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

Most aspiring entrepreneurs understand that you can’t build a business if you won’t commit to delivering a product or service, but many are hesitant or refuse to commit to any financial forecasts. Yet every business requires revenue and volumes, as certainly as it requires a product to sell. Quantify overhead costs.

Forecast 369

Forecast Burn Rate Startup Widget 369

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2023

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. The amounts from angels start as low as $25K, while minimum venture capital amounts usually start in the $2M range. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite.

Angel Investor 246

Angel Investor IRR Venture Capital Valuation 246

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

The most common failures are solutions looking for a problem, lack of a defined market, or an inadequate revenue model. Revenue model. The key here is to explain to yourself and to investors how your pricing and revenue stream will cover all costs, including overhead and support, and still leave a good return. Cost structure.

Business Model 256

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 256

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. Different types of investors tend to specialize in capitalizing on businesses at different stages. It’s time to scale up and I need money to keep up with demand.”

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2018

Whether you are hoping to expand a small business with a loan or going for a round of venture capital, you will need a scalable business model. Investors in particular want to fund only scalable or ready to scale businesses. Your business idea itself needs to be scalable. Write a business plan.

SBA 84

SBA Angel Investor Technical Review Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Funding or rollout stage.

Incubator 429

Incubator Startup Exit Strategy Institutional Investors 429

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

— Unremarked and unheralded, the balance of power between startup CEOs and their investors has radically changed: IPOs/M&A without a profit (or at times revenue) have become the norm. Typically, this caliber of bankers wouldn’t talk to you unless your company had five profitable quarters of increasing revenue.

Founder 245

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 245

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2011

Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. Venture capital. An investment from a venture capital firm is usually expensive, in equity and control. If you go for venture capital, don’t expect a quick fix, so prepare to spend at least six months searching for and closing the deal.

Technical Review 233

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 233

Gust

MARCH 19, 2014

The most important is that venture capital firms simply do not fund business plans. But I wish you luck with your venture! Invested Interests business plan entrepreneurs startups US venture capital firms visa' They fund companies. original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

Venture Capital 122

Venture Capital Business Plan Green Entrepreneur 122

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2021

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. By definition, angels are accredited investors, who invest their own money for a percentage of the business. Most share expertise as well as money.

Search 317

Search Accredited Investor Angel Investor Venture Capital 317

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2010

Last week at an angel investor forum I was privileged to meet Stephanie Spong, who is a Principal with EPIC Ventures, an increasingly rare early stage VC firm. Marty: What events led you to your commitment to venture capital investing? Tags: entrepreneurs Stephanie Spong venture capital business.

Venture Capital 164

Venture Capital New Mexico Mexico Early Stage 164

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

All of our SWOT analysis examples are based on real businesses that we’ve featured in our gallery of free example business plans. See Also: The Complete Sedibeng Breweries Business Plan. See Also: The Complete Botanical Bounty Business Plan. See Also: The Complete UPer Crust Pies Business Plan.

Botswana 148

Botswana Business Plan Oregon Distribution 148

Up and Running

JUNE 23, 2022

As mentioned before, angel investment and venture capital, and even peer-to-peer lending are also great options. There are also more traditional alternatives such as leasing to reduce capital expenditures, receivables, and inventory financing. Change your business plan. To review and revise your business plan.

SBA 163

SBA Finance Balance Sheet Technical Review 163

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2021

In startup business plans, a bubble is too many entrepreneurs and too many investors chasing the latest “next big thing,” like Google search engine, Facebook social network, or Amazon e-commerce site. The focus should always be on execution, revenue, and profits. In all these cases, a bust is inevitable, and everyone may lose.

Demand 362

Demand Government Venture Capital Valuation 362

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

In times when venture capital is hard to get, investors extract high costs for failure (down-rounds, cram downs , new management teams, shut down the company.) Sales people cost money, and when they’re not bringing in revenue, their wandering in the woods is time consuming, cash-draining and demoralizing. Something else?

Lean 244

Lean Silicon Valley Startup RSS 244