ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

First is that there are, perhaps, a thousand people in the world of entrepreneurship who know what they are doing when it comes to dealing with issues like financing, positioning, market sizing, customer validation, customer acquisition and other seemingly obvious topics that all entrepreneurs need to deal with.

Silicon Valley 114

Silicon Valley Technical Review Startup Early Stage 114

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

And EVEN if you ARE an experienced entrepreneur, all but just a few VCs still want to see customer validation, business model validation and traction, before they will invest. Her main questions were around customer acquisition and financing. Next comes the topic of angels.

Cloud 115

Cloud Silicon Valley Incubator Finance 115

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 13, 2019

If you can prove a business model, traction, and potential for a tremendous scale with the right backing, you could be a ripe target to be acquired. . Whether a brand new bootstrapped startup or corporate giant, your altitude, sustainability, and traction has everything to do with your team. IP & Technology. Your Brand.

Intellectual Property 101

Intellectual Property IP Acquisition Startup 101

Tim Keane

MARCH 9, 2011

Can you bootstrap your way to positive cash flow?   If the answer is relatively soon, then bootstrapping is a very serious consideration.    Even if it isn’t soon, early bootstrapping can reduce risk and increase chances for success, resulting in more aligned interests for entrepreneurs and investors.

Finance 83

Finance Bootstrapping Startup Equity 83

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2018

At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. If you want to avoid all these stage and investment considerations, you can always bootstrap the business (fund it yourself, and grow organically). Congratulations!

Angel Investor 184

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 184

The Startup Toolkit

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

The company becomes valuable and someone buys the whole thing (acquisition). Within the second category, there are 3 types of acquisitions which each behave quite differently: The company has failed, but manages to sell off something of value (patents, team, etc) on the way out (asset sale or talent acquisition).

Dividend 50

Dividend Acquisition Founder Bootstrapping 50

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

Seed-stage, meanwhil e, is technically that critical period when you need funding to do solution- and business-model development, to prove that your new product or service works, before you try to sell it to customers. Most investors won’t touch a first-time entrepreneur at this stage. Here they are: A crowdfunding campaign.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Finance Early Stage Startup 120

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 12, 2018

But I’ve also dealt with many successful entrepreneurs who were exposed to that model for bootstrapping and trying new ventures through their parents and others close to them,” he adds. “I I think that’s helped many grapple realistically with the demanding aspects of business ownership, and also set them up for success.”.

Bootstrapping 140

Bootstrapping Acquisition Cloud Business Model 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. If you want to avoid all these stage and investment considerations, you can always bootstrap the business (fund it yourself, and grow organically). Congratulations!

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232

Tim Keane

OCTOBER 2, 2007

Is Business Model Analysis Important To You? Investors love entrepreneurs who understand their business model, and can describe it accurately. In my mind, a "business model" reveals the structure of the profit engine that underlies the venture. Is Business Model Analysis Important To You?

Business Model 60

Business Model Wisconsin Angel Investor Bootstrapping 60

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

At this point, most Angel investors and a few early-stage VCs will be happy to talk, assuming you have the business model validated, and a large opportunity. If you want to avoid all these stage and investment considerations, you can always bootstrap the business (fund it yourself, and grow organically). Congratulations!

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 1, 2012

Why the obsession with raising money, what if you don’t want a huge company, what if you want to bootstrap, don’t you know raising money isn’t a measure of correctness or success, … I agree! For example, the average cost of customer acquisition diminishes. You spend less on marketing/advertising/acquisition.

Customer 320

Customer Revenue Acquisition Cofounder 320

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching new business models in venture capital. According to Brian Parks, “Bigfoot provides RBI, term loans, and lines of credit to SaaS businesses with $500k+ ARR. Our wheelhouse is bootstrapped (or lightly capitalized) SMB SaaS. Bigfoot Capital.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2017

Subscription business models have been around for a pretty long time, but thanks to modern technology, this model has evolved from milk or newspapers delivery to a versatile eCommerce experience. As a starting entrepreneur, you might wonder: why on earth would I want to start a subscription (box) business? Conclusion.

Churn Rate 149

Churn Rate eCommerce Business Model Bootstrapping 149

Hearpreneur

DECEMBER 8, 2019

On the heels of seeing the 10% influencer base increase the referrals process yielded, the team at Intellifluence pushed to create a brand-to-brand referral program as well, intent on creating user acquisition flywheels wherever possible. What makes me really proud though is we’ve been 100% bootstrapped for our 3.5

Entrepreneur 115

Entrepreneur Technical Review Vertical Las Vegas 115

The Next Web

AUGUST 5, 2013

B: No, the business is bootstrapped. Talent acquisition. What’s crazy about this is that the guy who’s actually making money is being laughed at — it’s just so much better to have a gazillion eyeballs (and no business model). B: I’m working on a SaaS tool that foos bars. A: Oh cool, where are you guys based?

Chile 122

Chile Canada Bootstrapping IPO 122

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

A business like that will just have a really hard time raising money at the early stages, and if that’s feedback you are getting from at least 2 people, you may want to consider adjusting your plan and raise from angels and/or bootstrap for a long time. It just means VCs will shy away from it.

Sales Cycle 54

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 54

Hippoland

AUGUST 8, 2018

One thing I’ve noticed is that almost every repeat, previously-successful-founder focuses on the same thing for their respective startups: customer acquisition. In other words, if you can get 1000 people to come to your website consistently for under $5, then this business model works for you.

Founder 48

Founder Sales Cycle Affiliate Retention 48

Hippoland

AUGUST 8, 2018

One thing I’ve noticed is that almost every repeat, previously-successful-founder focuses on the same thing for their respective startups: customer acquisition. In other words, if you can get 1000 people to come to your website consistently for under $5, then this business model works for you.

Founder 48

Founder Sales Cycle Affiliate Retention 48

Hippoland

AUGUST 16, 2018

A business like that will just have a really hard time raising money at the early stages, and if that’s feedback you are getting from at least 2 people, you may want to consider adjusting your plan and raise from angels and/or bootstrap for a long time. It just means VCs will shy away from it.

Sales Cycle 48

Sales Cycle Differentiation Early Stage Bootstrapping 48

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 27, 2011

Persistent is breaking out of the mold of labor arbitrage, and looking at new and exciting business models. My friend Tony Scott did an outstanding interview with Anand Deshpande , their CEO recently in which Anand discussed his vision for where he wants to take the OPD business. SOCO Games. Brainscape. Note, I said, validated.

Dilution 114

Dilution Revenue Finance Entrepreneur 114

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

In the trailer below, Brad Pitt in describing the new player acquisition philosophy, says "we are card counters at the blackjack table were going to turn the odds at the casino" I look forward to checking out the movie and seeing if RSCM can exploit the odds on early stage investing. ► September. (1). Bootstrapping 101.

Technical Review 38

Technical Review Early Stage San Jose Angel Investor 38

Tim Keane

JUNE 21, 2011

How to prepare a sales forecast for a business plan. First develop a business model. your ability to scale your sales efforts, future costs in acquisition, product, etc., Listed below are links to weblogs that reference How to prepare a sales forecast for a business plan : Comments. First develop a business model.

Forecast 68

Forecast Business Plan Sales Wisconsin 68

Hippoland

OCTOBER 16, 2016

But, you need to be growing FAST. (But you should at least be able to articulate a high level plan around the future monetization.) So, you’ll want to show that you are making progress on optimizing your free customer acquisition funnel (e.g. In the beginning, this may not be a problem — you can bootstrap. I mean REALLY HARD.

Startup 48

Startup Vertical Early Stage Bootstrapping 48

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

What matters is proving the viability of the company’s business model, what investors call “traction.&# Of course this is not at all true of many profitable small businesses, but they are not what I mean by startups.) People talk about funding funding funding, bootstrapping, etc.,

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Tim Keane

OCTOBER 3, 2007

« Is Business Model Analysis Important To You? It means that the entrepreneur hasnt done the hard work of figuring out a business model at a detailed level, nor allocated the total investment required to achieve their goals. If its click rates, or purchases per hour, or acquisition costs, give it a try.

Wisconsin 60

Wisconsin Marketing Business Model IP 60

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 26, 2008

Besides the natural fit with eBay, he wanted the buyer to feel good following the acquisition and certainly the investors in StubHub were happy. Bootstrapping 101. I take CFO roles in early stage companies and participate on the management team during the early financings and business model development phases.

Technical Review 28

Technical Review San Jose Angel Investor Silicon Valley 28

Professor VC

JUNE 20, 2011

I took a look back at our original financial model we presented to VCs in 2004. The business model (OEM through broadband and home security companies for mass distribution) if not specific product functionality has remained largely the same. Bootstrapping 101. Survey says VC's invest on Gut Instinct. ► July. (1).

San Jose 28

San Jose Angel Investor Term Sheet Venture Capital 28

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 11, 2014

Edwin: Oh sorry, so the business model. Edwin: The business model is that the organizer has to pay. And standing out to a company that got $10 million dollars in funding even before they started Asana is going to be very hard if you bootstrap it with your savings. Jason: That’s called bootstrapping, right.

Technical Cofounder 220

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Review Management 220

Hearpreneur

OCTOBER 23, 2019

Also my business’s growth gives me the opportunity to pull other flailing business people in my industry a leg up through acquisitions. Even though it expands my territory in terms of business, other members of the community of businesspeople benefit and their families prosper as well.

Entrepreneur 67

Entrepreneur Employee Community LLC 67

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

2) What is the business model and the potential unit economics? Certain investors tend to gravitate towards certain business models. When you’re talking with an investor, I’d say in general, he/she has biases towards the customer acquisition methods that has made him/her money before. Or in between?

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

Hippoland

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

2) What is the business model and the potential unit economics? Certain investors tend to gravitate towards certain business models. When you’re talking with an investor, I’d say in general, he/she has biases towards the customer acquisition methods that has made him/her money before. Or in between?

Seed Stage 48

Seed Stage Business Model B2B Email 48

Professor VC

FEBRUARY 18, 2011

The LinkedIn acquisition of CardMunch a few weeks ago caught my attention. Techcrunch called it one of the " most like-minded and forward-thinking acquisitions I’ve ever seen " I met with the founders of CardMunch several months ago when they were out raising their Series Seed round. Bootstrapping 101. ► July. (1).

Acquisition 31

Acquisition San Jose Angel Investor IPO 31

Austin Startup

MARCH 2, 2019

I’m a very risk adverse entrepreneur as a result of bootstrapping my first three businesses, almost failing on the fourth (Coremetrics) due to market timing (I was too early and didn’t predict the dot-com bust) and its overcapitalization, and being a mostly customer funded and very capital efficient on the fifth (Bazaarvoice).

Advisory Board 51

Advisory Board Cofounder Greece Bootstrapping 51

Tim Keane

JUNE 13, 2006

This takes a lot of risk out of the business process. In our first startup, my partners and I built a customer acquisition model and tested it. By the time we were done, we proved the model and gained enough new business that we didn’t need venture capital for almost a decade. Bootstrapping. October 2010.

Wisconsin 60

Wisconsin Entrepreneur Startup Angel Investor 60

Professor VC

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

always focus on the business model and assumptions, but there are too many unknowns to put much faith in the future cash flow projections. Blink starts with the anecdote of the Getty Museums $10 million acquisition of a rare Greek statue dating from the 6th century BC. Bootstrapping 101. ► July. (1). ► May. (1).

San Jose 33

San Jose Angel Investor Venture Capital Mezzanine 33

Professor VC

JULY 22, 2009

When he receives a lowball acquisition offer, he must decide between protecting his hide and leaving his team hanging or rejecting the offer and rolling the dice on a better outcome. Bootstrapping 101. Survey says VC's invest on Gut Instinct. ▼ July. (1). ► May. (1). Can you start a company on $10K? ► March. (1).

Burn Rate 28

Burn Rate San Jose Silicon Valley Angel Investor 28