Gust

AUGUST 22, 2012

There is an ample supply of labor; a relative scarcity of challenging, career-building jobs for recent graduates of technical institutes and universities; and a dramatically lower cost structure for many initiatives as a result. Perhaps most importantly, IT and Internet business are simply a breed of their own.

Technical Review 172

Technical Review Egypt Morocco Russia 172

Gust

MAY 11, 2014

But before you conclude that your funding problems are solved with grants, you should consider the direct and indirect costs of grant funding: Grant applications are bureaucratic. Professional help costs money. Grants start as small a few thousand dollars, but can provide millions of dollars in capital to new ventures.

Seed Money 164

Seed Money SBIR Dilution Government 164

Gust

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

But why not learn as well from the mistakes of others, without suffering their cost, time, and pain? Even a non-profit has to generate revenue (or donations) to offset operating costs. Even viral marketing costs real money and time. Don’t believe the old urban legend that a business plan isn’t worth the effort.

Intellectual Property 183

Intellectual Property Startup Viral Early Stage 183

Gust

JULY 5, 2012

Investors are putting their money behind an entrepreneur and his/her particular vision, team, and operating skills. While that may sound simplistic, it’s actually accurate. It is important to look at questions like this holistically. although that’s just because I’ve always wanted to be in a rock band.

Warrant 127

Warrant Startup New York Cost 127

Gust

DECEMBER 29, 2013

In almost every state, you can incorporate as an LLC with a minimal effort, and a cost in the hundred dollar range. Carrying a non-performing employee probably triples the costs, since you are paying two people to do the job, and at least one other is de-motivated by the inequity. The simple answer is to do something, and start simple.

Startup 183

Startup Intellectual Property LLC Burn Rate 183

Gust

MARCH 8, 2014

While it sounds tautological, the most important thing a law firm brings to the startup table is… a knowledge of the law surrounding everything having to do with founding, financing and operating a startup! But while obvious, that doesn’t make it any less important.

Warrant 156

Warrant Startup Valuation Finance 156

Gust

OCTOBER 11, 2012

But if you have a completed product with traction (such as a million monthly unique visitors with rapidly growing conversion rates to paying customers) you will find investors falling all over themselves to meet you, even if you are operating as a one man show out of a shack on the beach.

Delaware 122

Delaware Stock Options Cofounder Stock 122

Gust

JULY 8, 2012

This term is replacing “startup incubator,” which is a facility provided by an individual, university, or local community for any new startups to congregate for almost no cost, with the hope of learning from each other. Business accelerator. Incremental investment may follow. Lean startup.

Early Stage 177

Early Stage Finance Seed Stage Entrepreneur 177

Gust

JULY 29, 2012

Even though the cost of commercial office space is down, you still need to sign long-term contracts, make payments up front, outfit the space, and staff it. Operating without a plan is a sure way to spend lots of money. With a good website built in your basement, your business can look big, and be small. Build a low-budget plan.

Bandwidth 155

Bandwidth Bootstrapping Equity Startup 155

Gust

DECEMBER 8, 2011

Form a legal entity to operate the business (we’ll use a Delaware corporation as an example for Newco). The next category is more promising for those who aspire to the corporate legal equivalent of the Homebrew Computer Club : Common Operating Documents. Appoint Newco’s initial Board of Directors. Offer letters for employees.

Intellectual Property 139

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Delaware Stock 139

Gust

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Second – timely, cost-effective customer acquisition is a matter of life-or-death to most startups. Whether you need it to actually fund your operations or to hit milestones for investors and other stakeholders, acquisition and CPA are the things that keep most marketing people awake at night.

Acquisition 87

Acquisition Marketing CPA PPC 87

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2012

The expectation is that in an era of increasing technology and decreasing costs, you will be bringing them an operating company with at least some traction. This is the case for two reasons: first, because the bare fact is that investors simply do not fund ideas.

Software Review 164

Software Review Term Sheet Technical Review Angel Investor 164

Gust

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

The “system” as it existed at the time broke down, with every point of failure costing innocent lives. A startup that has found product-market fit needs to transition quickly into that category, with operational excellence taking precedence over bursts of creative brilliance.

Startup 98

Startup Silicon Valley Reputation Community 98

Gust

DECEMBER 22, 2013

You will be operating independently, making all the decisions, and shouldering all the responsibility. Each of these has a cost in time an effort. The real secrets of any business are not in textbooks, and you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet. Experience is the best teacher.

Entrepreneur 184

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Bootstrapping Venture Capital 184

Gust

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Coding, design, production, sales, finance, operations, marketing, and the like are all execution skills, and without great execution, success will be very hard to come by. Similarly, a crackerjack CTO might be in the mid six figures, but a kid doing inside sales may start at the opposite end of the spectrum. Bottom line?

Coder 147

Coder Web Startup Salary 147