Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2016

There is an old saying in the startup investor community, “Smart investors invest in the team, not the idea.” As an angel investor, I’ve learned to believe in this approach, since I have seen great ideas go astray, due to poor execution and I have seen apparently marginal ideas make millions, managed by a savvy entrepreneur.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence Angel Investor 134

Up and Running

OCTOBER 4, 2017

Rose of Gust, roughly 1,500 startups get funded by venture capitalists, and 50,000 by angel investors in the United States each year. Since you’ll be operating in the tech world, you need to get on well with people in the niche. Many of these failed startups created a product nobody needed or wanted. According to David S.

Startup 115

Startup Estonia Poland Silicon Valley 115

OnlyOnce

JULY 9, 2013

Chapter 17: Creating a Company Operating System…Creating Company Rhythms, A Marathon? Chapter 18: Creating Your Operating Plan and Setting Goals…Turning Strategic Plans into Operating Plans, Financial Planning, Bringing Your Team into Alignment with Your Plans, Guidelines for Setting Goals. Part III: Execution. Or a Sprint?

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Startup Advisory Board Elevator Pitch Forecast 95

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

That’s the sales forecast, the spending forecast and the cash flow. I’m in my seventh year now as a leader and an angel investment group where we just announced an investment last Thursday, and I’m very familiar with how this works for angel investors. Tell your angel investors a story about need.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Video Software Review 60

Up and Running

OCTOBER 30, 2017

How will these affect day-to-day operations? Instead, your plan can follow a Lean Planning process that involves creating a pitch , forecasting your key business numbers, outlining key milestones you hope to achieve, and regular progress checks where you review and revise your plan. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?

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Venture Capital Business Plan Limited Liability Company Finance 166

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2017

As an angel investor and business advisor on new ventures, I expect to see five-year financial projections from every entrepreneur. As a rule of thumb, most new businesses need a margin above 50 percent, even on wholesale prices, to cover operational expenses and survive long-term as a business.

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Burn Rate Forecast Angel Investor Revenue 144

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

There’s nothing quite like being your own boss and running an operation the way you want to. There are many ways to seek funding, but one that seems to attract a lot of buzz is pitching to the investors on the TV show “ Shark Tank.” Many people dream of owning their own business. However, this dream comes with a big cost.

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Balance Sheet Business Plan Security Forecast 90

Gust

JANUARY 4, 2012

Many thanks to David Rose , Ilana Grossman , Justin Stanwix , and the whole Gust team for making the Gust Blog such a valuable platform and resource for entrepreneurs and angel investors. It’s often possible to “ design around ” a patent to operate a business that achieves similar results in different ways.)

Intellectual Property 143

Intellectual Property IP Startup United States 143

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 15, 2017

by Hal Shelton, SCORE mentor, angel investor, and author of “ The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan: A Pro Shares A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Plan That Gets Results “ Running a business without a plan is like running down the street with a blindfold on. Again, this is where a business plan comes in.

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Business Plan Angel Investor Audience Forecast 113

Up and Running

MAY 16, 2016

Home health care is unique in many ways, but the one thing it has in common with every other new business venture is that a lack of adequate planning and forecasting is a sure way to undercut its potential success. The most traditional routes are bank loans, small business loans, or angel investors.

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North America United States Technical Review America 95

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2018

All of these factors contribute to a scalable business model, which in turn, helps attract investors. Whether you are asking angel investors to fund your expansion or seeking a bank loan, you must know how much money you need. In fact, most investors (and zero banks) will fund your venture without a complete business plan.

SBA 84

SBA Angel Investor Technical Review Startup 84

Tim Keane

MARCH 9, 2011

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC. How to prepare a sales forecast for a business plan » March 09, 2011. Example one: Sustainable net operating income with some growth in a stable market. 

Finance 83

Finance Bootstrapping Startup Equity 83

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

While it’s useful to be able to have a sales forecast and expense budget early on, it’s not something you need until you’ve validated your idea. Later you will want to come back and create a proper sales forecast, cash flow forecast, and expense budget. Circle back and create a more detailed forecast.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Up and Running

AUGUST 1, 2017

Venture capitalists essentially buy equity in your brand, which means they now have a say in how you operate. While ideally those investors have deep experience and contacts in your industry, they also come with their own opinions about how you do things. If you really want financing, consider taking out a business loan instead.

Venture Capital 113

Venture Capital Cofounder Finance Security 113

Up and Running

AUGUST 12, 2015

I am here to talk about LivePlan and give you some big picture information on business planning, forecasting, how to really kick your business off in the best possible way. Budgeting and forecasting, it’s not rocket science. You can’t forecast. I don’t know how to forecast. Good morning.

Forecast 60

Forecast Video Business Plan United States 60

Tim Keane

APRIL 14, 2008

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC. As one example, think about forecasting sales based on market potential and competition, rather than simply on historical results by salesperson. Trust but Verify.or Are You Ready to be Quantitative?

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Ireland Wisconsin Forecast Sales Cycle 60

Up and Running

JUNE 25, 2014

But the other thing I would encourage people to do, it’s becoming more and more prevalent in communities across the United States is that people are forming angel groups and putting together LLC funds with a group of investors all together. Does it matter if you need it for an asset versus just operational to run the business?

Small Business 89

Small Business SBA Finance Bankruptcy 89

Up and Running

OCTOBER 21, 2014

According to the SBA, 52% of all small businesses are home-based and of the 28 million small businesses in the US, 22 million of those are operated by people who consider themselves self-employed (they have no employees and no additional payroll). A sales forecast. You can do it even if you start from home. You get tax benefits.

Elevator Pitch 166

Elevator Pitch Software Review SBA Business Plan 166

Up and Running

MAY 21, 2015

When small business owners talk about taking on an additional investor, they typically say something nondescript like, “We’re taking on an angel investor.” What they don’t discuss are the many of ways in which that investor can actually invest. Structure of the investment.

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Covenant Liquidation Preference Ratchet Dilution 60

Business Plan Blog

DECEMBER 26, 2013

10 Steps to Success With Angel Investors. Raising funds from business angels may be difficult, time consuming and even frustrating but for the right founder with the right project it may be the preferred option. Establish a group of angels who have indicated an interest in investing the opportunity to form an angel group.

Angel Investor 51

Angel Investor Due Diligence Pre-Money Valuation Angel Groups 51

ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 28, 2022

A reasonably accurate forecast of these characteristics serves as the foundation for a reasonably accurate value of the asset. Make forecasts about the company’s performance. A prediction based only on the present financial statements of the business is not a solid forecast. Select an appropriate valuation method.

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Valuation Equity Warrant Common Stock 108

Small Business Force

JUNE 11, 2010

This is why, in the early going, you should bootstrap your operation the best you can. If you've been in operation for a while, but are now running out of cash, this is exactly the wrong time to raise outside capital. Investors, especially professional ones, can smell "blood in the water" like sharks.

Entrepreneur 30

Entrepreneur Institutional Investors Angel Investor Business Model 30

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2019

Backed by a team of private local investors , ColdFire gained access to additional capital through an SBA loan. While Dan heads up operations, his brother Stephen is head brewer, and their team also includes directors of finance and brand, respectively. The ColdFire Brewing team meets to plan marketing. Watch your finances.

Oregon 24

Oregon Jordan Software Review Distribution 24

Up and Running

MAY 22, 2018

Your MVP’s success will be a key component of your investor pitch deck. Angel investors and VC funders are truly investing in your good idea, but your passion and commitment are important too. You can try to fake them, but don’t—remember that it’s an investor’s job to verify that they’re solid. Demonstrate your passion.

Exit Strategy 90

Exit Strategy Angel Investor Search Elevator Pitch 90

David Teten

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

Angel investors earn higher returns than small VCs, who in turn earn higher returns than large VCs, let alone most other asset classes. By spending more money, investors can justify managing more money, which in turn increases their fees. There is an inevitable tension between size and returns in asset management.

Management 114

Management Pre-Money Valuation Venture Capital New Hampshire 114

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

Welcome to the Lost Decade (for Entrepreneurs, IPO’s and VC’s) - Steve Blank , July 15, 2010 If you take funding from a venture capital firm or angel investor and want to build a large, enduring company (rather than sell it to the highest bidder), this isn’t the decade to do it. We have the most features. Silly, right?

Software Review 217

Software Review Startup Venture Capital Technical Review 217