Gust

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New Early Stage Financing Options for Entrepreneurs

Gust

The good news is that he is all about helping early-stage startups. Early-stage startup. Every startup is early-stage to someone. For a startup founder, this stage is when the “big idea” has become a passion for him, but he hasn’t written anything down yet.

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Public Company Executives Rarely Adapt To A Startup

Gust

In reality, very few executives or professional stars from large corporations survive in the early-stage startup environment. This attitude sows division and mistrust at exactly the early stages when the business most needs to build precious esprit de corps. Never cover your a$$.

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Is gust.com a difficult platform to replicate?

Gust

As I’ve discussed elsewhere, Gust’s long-term goal is to serve as the infrastructure platform for the entire global, early stage finance industry. Instead, it is our eight years of indefatigable relationship and customer building with large segments of the world’s early stage finance industry.

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A Startup Advisory Board Dream Team is Priceless

Gust

I recommend that every early-stage startup find three Advisory Board members. Potential to meet new partners, customers, and friends. These should be carefully selected, with a proven track record, willing and available to help, and be completely trustworthy. Make sure they are willing to check their egos at the door.

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Nuts & Bolts of Intellectual Property for New Startups

Gust

It’s possible to have a company with literally millions of customers (users) that employs only a handful of people, working in a small rented office, with hardware and software costing in the tens of thousands rather than millions of dollars. Most of our early-stage startup clients fit this description.

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The 10 Best Sources of Cash to Start Your Business

Gust

After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups. Use this approach before you have a real valuation, a real product, or any real customers. Commit to a major customer. Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. Friends and family.

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Intellectual Property for Startups in the Real World

Gust

In general, IP protection will do nothing to prevent others from independently developing something similar, copying the overall business model, targeting similar customers or end users, and perhaps even mimicking the product’s look and feel. The amount of investment in IP in any direct sense is generally small for early stage startups.