Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2021

With PPC, the goal is for the search user to not only see your ad, but to click on it to get to your website (click-through), and buy your widget (conversion to sale). Keyword research and budget forecasting. Both have the same end goal of getting people to your website. Popular keywords have higher costs.

Search 385

Search Engineer PPC Widget 385

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2011

Missed milestones de-motivate the team, unrealistic financial projections will put you in crisis with investors, and you find you need to double every product development timeframe when talking to sales and marketing. The other side of this coin can be equally disastrous; the change of direction based on every customer or investor comment.

Advisory Board 232

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 232

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2013

Using your data, here are the basic elements of the projection process, which are measurable by milestones, and can be tracked to show when a re-forecast is required: Start with sizing per-unit profitability. Otherwise, sales, marketing, and operational costs will kill you. Next comes sales volume by channel.

Forecast 238

Forecast Business Plan Burn Rate .Net 238

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2019

This is essentially a series of interim forecasts not dissimilar from mile-markers in a marathon race that advise whether it’s time to pick up the pace or slow down to smell the roses. Long-term sales. We often talk about short-term sales and long-term relationships in mutually exclusive terms. Short-term wins.

Media 238

Media Cost Framework Social Media 238

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2017

With these, if you can paint a positive picture for your new venture, I assure you that investors will sit up and take notice, and you will also know how to drive yourself and your team: Determine your gross margin on sales. This should ideally be a “bottoms-up” commitment from your sales team, not your own optimistic guess.

Burn Rate 144

Burn Rate Forecast Angel Investor Revenue 144

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2010

Missed milestones de-motivate the team, unrealistic financial projections will put you in crisis with investors, and you find you need to double every product development timeframe when talking to sales and marketing. The other side of this coin can be equally disastrous; the change of direction based on every customer or investor comment.

Advisory Board 125

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 125

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2012

Ryan Blair, a serial entrepreneur who admits to his share of million dollar mistakes, as well as some multi-million dollar successes, sums these up nicely in his book “ Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain :” Don’t make wildly optimistic sales forecasts. Don’t under-forecast cash needs.

Entrepreneur 243

Entrepreneur Forecast Hiring Leadership 243

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

What are your specific marketing and sales plans? You need to identify pricing details, sales channels, strategic partners and a customized marketing plan consistent with your industry and target segment. What are your forecasts for revenue, expenses and cash flow? Quantify founder investments, both cash and sweat-equity.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Advisory Board Liquidity Event Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

This is essentially a series of interim forecasts not dissimilar from mile-markers in a marathon race that advise whether it’s time to pick up the pace or slow down to smell the roses. Long-term sales. We often talk about short-term sales and long-term relationships in mutually exclusive terms. Short-term wins.

Advertising 166

Advertising Marketing Startup Framework 166

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2014

Many cited a greater focus on cost cutting and efficiency as the number two step to achieving growth, with increasing sales still number one. If small businesses tackle these initiatives, we will be supporting economists’ forecast and moving the U.S. See where you can maximize this type of profit.

Small Business Administration 257

Small Business Administration SBA Forecast Government 257

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2013

This is essentially a series of interim forecasts not dissimilar from mile-markers in a marathon race that advise whether it’s time to pick up the pace or slow down to smell the roses. Long-term sales. We often talk about short-term sales and long-term relationships in mutually exclusive terms. Short-term wins.

Media 252

Media Marketing Startup Framework 252

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2011

Ryan Blair, a serial entrepreneur who admits to his share of million dollar mistakes, as well as some multi-million dollar successes, sums these up nicely in his current bestseller “ Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain :” Don’t make wildly optimistic sales forecasts. Don’t under-forecast cash needs.

Forecast 241

Forecast Startup Hiring Leadership 241

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2013

Otherwise, sales, marketing, and operational costs will kill you. Next comes sales volume by channel. This forecast is really their commitment. Holiday sales fluctuations eat cash. Sales surges means more inventory is required to cover the ups-and-downs.

Business Plan 215

Business Plan Venture Capital Demand Forecast 215

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

Here is my selection of ten key metrics that every six-sigma joint like GE tracks without thinking, but too many small businesses only monitor haphazardly, if at all: Sales revenue. Sales is simply defined as income from customer purchases of goods and services, minus the cost associated with things like returned or undeliverable merchandise.

Metrics 266

Metrics Retention Acquisition Salary 266

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe your market penetration strategy, sales channels, pricing, and strategic partnerships. Convince investors that you have lined up sales channels, strategic partners, and a viable marketing strategy. Financial forecast and metrics. See where your cashflow bottoms out.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Assign probabilities to active customer sales efforts, just as sales managers do in quantifying a salesman’s forecast. This is often called the market approach, and is similar to the common real estate appraisal concept that values your house for sale by comparing it to similar homes recently sold in your area.

Valuation 270

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 270

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

Customers may be attracted to your marketing message, but investors look harder at the startup team, seeking superior expertise in the key areas of growing a business, product domain, financial, marketing and sales. Specific elements of your marketing and sales plans. Projected revenues and expenses over the strategic period.

Product 120

Product Intellectual Property Liquidity Event Burn Rate 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

Investors look for sales at full price, to people you don’t know, to validate demand, price, and margin. Show an aggressive marketing and sales plan. Generate a 5-year financial forecast from opportunity data. Giving free beta copies of your solution to customers to elicit testimonials does not validate a business model.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

LBS data can not only give you information to drive the relationship, but you can also use it to identify your sales reps with similar interests and partner them with the prospect. During lead nurturing, you could use LBS data to better understanding your contacts’ interests and use that to your advantage.

B2B 210

B2B Angel Investor Forecast Global 210

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2015

This is essentially a series of interim forecasts not dissimilar from mile-markers in a marathon race that advise whether it’s time to pick up the pace or slow down to smell the roses. Long-term sales. We often talk about short-term sales and long-term relationships in mutually exclusive terms. Short-term wins.

Cost 120

Cost Social Media Marketing Framework 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe your market penetration strategy, sales channels, pricing, and strategic partnerships. Convince investors that you have lined up sales channels, strategic partners, and a viable marketing strategy. Financial forecast and metrics. See where your cashflow bottoms out.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2013

With PPC, the goal is for the search user to not only see your ad, but to click on it to get to your website (click-through), and buy your widget (conversion to sale). Keyword research and budget forecasting. Both have the same end goal of getting people to your website. Popular keywords have higher costs.

Search 226

Search PPC Widget SEO 226

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2011

Internet marketers see it as a better way to target consumers, and even retarget them to close a sale. LBS data can not only give you information to drive the relationship, but you can also use it to identify your sales reps with similar interests and partner them with the prospect.

B2B 227

B2B Startup Angel Investor Forecast 227

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2012

LBS data can not only give you information to drive the relationship, but you can also use it to identify your sales reps with similar interests and partner them with the prospect. During lead nurturing, you could use LBS data to better understanding your contacts’ interests and use that to your advantage.

B2B 206

B2B Angel Investor Mobile Forecast 206

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Assign probabilities to active customer sales efforts, just as sales managers do in quantifying a salesman’s forecast. This is often called the market approach, and is similar to the common real estate appraisal concept that values your house for sale by comparing it to similar homes recently sold in your area.

Pre-Money Valuation 246

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation NPV Intellectual Property 246

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2011

These initiatives, in concert with current findings, support economists’ forecast that the U.S. small business owners expect increased sales and profits in the next six months, with a brighter outlook for hiring full-time employees. One out of two U.S.

Small Business Administration 224

Small Business Administration SBA Japan Forecast 224

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2010

You can also use this space to keep track of innovators (R&D personnel) and rainmakers (sales & marketing personnel). Customers: A company’s only sustainable source of cash is sales, so you need to keep track of your business development efforts. His website is [link].

Intellectual Property 223

Intellectual Property .Net Valuation Distribution 223

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2013

Respondents cited a greater focus on cost cutting and efficiency as the number two step to achieving growth in 2013, only slightly behind increasing sales. These initiatives, in concert with current findings, support economists’ forecast that the U.S. Add new revenue streams, and more aggressive marketing. fiscal cliff.

Small Business Administration 195

Small Business Administration SBA Forecast Small Business 195

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2010

With SEM, the goal is for the search user to not only see your ad, but to click on it to get to your website (click-through), and buy your widget (conversion to sale). Keyword research and budget forecasting. Both have the same end goal of getting people to your website. Popular keywords have higher costs.

Search 225

Search Engineer SEM Widget 225

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Assign probabilities to active customer sales efforts, just as sales managers do in quantifying a salesman’s forecast. This is often called the market approach, and is similar to the common real estate appraisal concept that values your house for sale by comparing it to similar homes recently sold in your area.

Valuation 234

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation NPV Startup 234

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

Marketing, sales, and partners. Describe your market penetration strategy, sales channels, pricing, and strategic partnerships. Convince investors that you have lined up sales channels, strategic partners, and a viable marketing strategy. Financial forecast and metrics. See where your cashflow bottoms out.

Business Plan 186

Business Plan Exit Strategy Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 186

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2010

How will you generate awareness and close sales? Today's guest blog is by Akira Hirai, founder of Cayenne Consulting, a firm that helps entrepreneurs prepare for the fund raising process by developing strategies, business plans, financial forecasts, and presentation materials. How do you manufacture and distribute it?

Business Plan 228

Business Plan Balance Sheet Forecast Distribution 228

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2012

Using your data, here are the basic elements of the projection process, which are measurable by milestones, and can be tracked to show when a re-forecast is required: Start with sizing per-unit profitability. Otherwise, sales, marketing, and operational costs will kill you. Next comes sales volume by channel.

Forecast 238

Forecast Burn Rate .Net Business Model 238

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

It probably had more to do with the fact that they had doubled their sales annually for several years, and still managed to squeeze out a profit of $11M in their year of acquisition. Includes balanced and hard-hitting marketing and sales. Zappos, impressively, has given away 26 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 states.

Intellectual Property 48

Intellectual Property Initial Public Offering Merger Acquisition 48

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2011

Using your data, here are the basic elements of the projection process, which are measurable by milestones, and can be tracked to show when a re-forecast is required: Start with sizing per-unit profitability. Otherwise, sales, marketing, and operational costs will kill you. Next comes sales volume by channel.

Forecast 230

Forecast Burn Rate Startup .Net 230

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2020

In that context, I offer the following financial projection strategies, from my own experience: Forecast a business that has plenty of room to grow quickly. If you insist on projecting $100 million in sales the first year, smart investors will likely run for the nearest exit.

Liquidity Event 308

Liquidity Event Forecast Exit Strategy Bootstrapping 308

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2010

Otherwise, sales, marketing, and operational costs will kill you. Next comes sales volume by channel. This forecast is really their commitment. Initial forecasts should be aggressive for credibility, but don’t shoot for the moon. But a solid financial forecast is a required cornerstone for any business plan.

Forecast 151

Forecast Startup Burn Rate .Net 151