Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2021

Don’t waste time talking to VCs for requests less than $1M, or very early stage, and don’t expect professional investors to jump in if you have no “skin in the game.” The same thing goes for incorporating your company, having key hires lined up, and facilities arranged as required. Not doing due diligence on the funding source.

Software Review 307

Software Review Due Diligence Elevator Pitch Early Stage 307

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2014

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$$.

Startup 258

Startup Early Stage Technical Review .Net 258

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

“The final product works great, and all the early users love it.” You are now entering the rollout stage , with money required for marketing, hiring a full-time team, and a production process. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early 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

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

In addition to being the startup entrepreneur, there are other key roles where Boomers can be a force in driving successful startups, in concert with leaders from Gen-X and Gen-Y: Early-stage Angel investors. Often a little gray hair gives added credibility to their efforts, and provides a role model for other support roles.

Entrepreneur 266

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor 266

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2013

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$$.

Early Stage 264

Early Stage Entrepreneur Technical Review .Net 264

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2022

Change leadership is a critical competency in the early stages of a transformation. Hire the right team. Ask the right questions to identify the innate personality traits in potential new hires, regardless of level and function, to bring on board those most likely to succeed in and shape your organization.

Leadership 359

Leadership Early Stage Demand Hiring 359

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2022

As an entrepreneur, you need to start early to implement the discipline and business practices that will lead to success. Even though everyone has an opinion on good early stage practices, I was impressed with the actionable blueprint in the classic book by Scott Duffy, “ Launch! Never commingle personal and business funds.

Early Stage 307

Early Stage Bootstrapping Revenue Framework 307

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2011

In reality, very few executives or professional stars from large corporations thrive 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$$.

Startup 263

Startup Early Stage Technical Review .Net 263

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2012

The proactive solution is to hire sparingly, and spend the time and effort needed to hire existing experts in all cases. Don’t hire your friends and family, don’t assume they can learn on the job, and don’t assume that cheap is best. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Too slow or too fast to change.

Advisory Board 240

Advisory Board Forecast Early Stage Product Development 240

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2013

Don’t waste time talking to VCs for requests less than $1M, or very early stage, and don’t expect professional investors to jump in if you have no “skin in the game.” The same thing goes for incorporating your company, having key hires lined up, and facilities arranged as required. Not doing due diligence on the funding source.

Software Review 265

Software Review Due Diligence Elevator Pitch Startup 265

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. After celebrating success at that level, they often find themselves ill-prepared to move to the next stage, for scaling their business into a high-performing enterprise. Hire more help than helpers.

Mezzanine 368

Mezzanine Private Equity Bandwidth Metrics 368

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

“The final product works great, and all the early users love it.” You are now entering the rollout stage , with money required for marketing, hiring a full-time team, and a production process. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages. It’s time to scale up and I need money to keep up with demand.”

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2010

In reality, very few executives or professional stars from large corporations thrive 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$$.

Startup 238

Startup Early Stage Technical Review .Net 238

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2011

The proactive solution is to hire sparingly, and spend the time and effort needed to hire existing experts in all cases. Don’t hire your friends and family, don’t assume they can learn on the job, and don’t assume that cheap is best. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Too slow or too fast to change.

Advisory Board 232

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 232

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

For early-stage startups, the goodwill component can easily exceed the size of all the financial elements together, or can just as easily mark a company with good financials as not investable. In the investment community, these leadership elements are often called “goodwill.” Focus on talent and people growth.

Leadership 120

Leadership Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2012

Don’t waste time talking to VCs for requests less than $1M, or very early stage, and don’t expect professional investors to jump in if you have no “skin in the game.” The same thing goes for incorporating your company, having key hires lined up, and facilities arranged as required. Not doing due diligence on the funding source.

Software Review 250

Software Review Due Diligence Elevator Pitch Entrepreneur 250

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Just like you can hire investment brokers to find equity investors, you can hire grant writers and expeditors to help you through the process and improve your odds of success. In all cases, grants should be seen as primarily an early-stage development assist, and not the last step to commercialization.

SBIR 120

SBIR Equity Technical Review Early Stage 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2019

Change leadership is a critical competency in the early stages of a transformation. Hire the right team. Ask the right questions to identify the innate personality traits in potential new hires, regardless of level and function, to bring on board those most likely to succeed in and shape your organization.

Leadership 321

Leadership Early Stage Demand Hiring 321

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2019

As an entrepreneur, you need to start early to implement the discipline and business practices that will lead to success. Even though everyone has an opinion on good early stage practices, I was impressed with the actionable blueprint in the classic book by Scott Duffy, “ Launch! Never commingle personal and business funds.

Early Stage 317

Early Stage Bootstrapping Revenue Framework 317

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2022

This early stage is often called the idea stage, best populated by people who see the need for change early, or always have a vision for unmet opportunities, or a better way to do things. Assess your satisfaction and ability for this type of work. Enablement: provide support and human capital.

Metrics 272

Metrics Early Stage Finance Programming 272

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2011

Don’t waste time talking to VCs for requests less than $1M, or very early stage, and don’t expect professional investors to jump in if you have no “skin in the game.” The same thing goes for incorporating your company, having key hires lined up, and facilities arranged as required. Not doing due diligence on the funding source.

Software Review 246

Software Review Due Diligence Elevator Pitch Early Stage 246

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2016

Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup. Every startup should have at least a couple of outside advisors who are not major investors or family members, anxious to talk to new investors and key new hires. Think twice before you jump in.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2022

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In her book, Jan devotes a whole chapter to speaking to the media, as a key aspect of public speaking.

Marketing 283

Marketing Early Stage Lead Generation Hosting 283

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2015

Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup. Every startup should have at least a couple of outside advisors who are not major investors or family members, anxious to talk to new investors and key new hires. Think twice before you jump in.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2010

Don’t waste time talking to VCs for requests less than $1M, or very early stage, and don’t expect professional investors to jump in if you have no “skin in the game.” The same thing goes for incorporating your company, having key hires lined up, and facilities arranged as required. Not doing due diligence on the funding source.

Software Review 239

Software Review Due Diligence Elevator Pitch Startup 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2010

You’ll find that your company – no matter how small or early stage you may be – can benefit greatly from hiring an intern – and has plenty to offer the intern in return. Confidence vs. Questions.

Startup 241

Startup Technical Review Bandwidth Early Stage 241

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2010

The proactive solution is to hire sparingly, and spend the time and effort needed to hire existing experts in all cases. Don’t hire your friends and family, don’t assume they can learn on the job, and don’t assume that cheap is best. Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Too slow or too fast to change.

Advisory Board 125

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 125

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. After celebrating success at that level, they often find themselves ill-prepared to move to the next stage, for scaling their business into a high-performing enterprise. Hire more help than helpers.

Mezzanine 244

Mezzanine Private Equity Startup Bandwidth 244

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Hire an attorney to make sure the terms are fair. The vehicle of choice is most often a convertible note, which is really a loan with a specified duration and interest, with an option to convert it to equity when professional investors come in later. This shows respect and professionalism. Let people see your own investment and commitment.

Sweat Equity 274

Sweat Equity Elevator Pitch Startup Equity 274

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

“The final product works great, and all the early users love it.” You are now entering the rollout stage , with money required for marketing, hiring a full-time team, and a production process. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages. It’s time to scale up and I need money to keep up with demand.”

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2018

As an entrepreneur, you need to start early to implement the discipline and business practices that will lead to success. Even though everyone has an opinion on good early stage practices, I was impressed with the actionable blueprint in the classic book by Scott Duffy, “ Launch! Never commingle personal and business funds.

Early Stage 158

Early Stage Bootstrapping Revenue Framework 158

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2014

As an entrepreneur, you need to start early to implement the discipline and business practices that will lead to success. Even though everyone has an opinion on good early stage practices, I was impressed with the actionable blueprint in a new book by Scott Duffy, “ Launch! Neither of these approaches bodes well for success.

Entrepreneur 265

Entrepreneur Early Stage Bootstrapping Revenue 265

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2017

Change leadership is a critical competency in the early stages of a transformation. Hire the right team. Ask the right questions to identify the innate personality traits in potential new hires, regardless of level and function, to bring on board those most likely to succeed in and shape your organization.

Leadership 147

Leadership Early Stage Demand Hiring 147

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2019

Image via Wikipedia As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. As your company grows, you have to host customer seminars.

Early Stage 218

Early Stage Lead Generation Hosting Entrepreneur 218

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

“The final product works great, and all the early users love it.” You are now entering the rollout stage , with money required for marketing, hiring a full-time team, and a production process. Future opportunity size doesn’t count in the early stages. It’s time to scale up and I need money to keep up with demand.”

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2014

Change leadership is a critical competency in the early stages of a transformation. Hire the right team. Ask the right questions to identify the innate personality traits in potential new hires, regardless of level and function, to bring on board those most likely to succeed in and shape your organization.

Leadership 227

Leadership Early Stage Demand Hiring 227

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2017

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In her book, Jan devotes a whole chapter to speaking to the media, as a key aspect of public speaking.

Early Stage 242

Early Stage Lead Generation Hosting Entrepreneur 242