Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

Even when your startup is a one-man show and lots of fun, a “business” needs some discipline and controls to keep it from being defined as a hobby by investors, and assure some financial return. Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of specifying and documenting “formal business processes.” Funding process.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2011

Money to build the business is the number one challenge for most startups. A large percentage of startups never apply to either. You need to explore more common and more productive approaches for getting your startup moving forward. Self-funding is the preferred source of cash for your startup – if you can do it.

Technical Review 233

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 233

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2014

In my experience, that’s actually the worst way to start, for reasons I will outline here, and also the least common way, according to an authoritative survey of new startups. Entrepreneurs who plan to complete a business plan the first month, find an investor the second, and roll out a product the third month are just kidding themselves.

Bootstrapping 276

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Burn Rate 276

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs.

New York City 202

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 202

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2016

Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs.

New York City 120

New York City Silicon Valley Startup Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2017

One of the most common complaints I hear from new business owners and startups is about the pain and difficulty raising capital. Based on my experience with startups, I’m a strong believer that there are far better alternatives available, if you think outside the box. Prepare properly for meeting and closing with investors.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Accredited Investor Due Diligence Equity 220

YoungUpstarts

MAY 6, 2019

by Arsalan Sajid, startup community manager at Cloudways. Life is not a box of chocolates and startups are not always easy to start. There is a complete process that governs the startup lifecycle including inception to exit. This startup stage starts from the day you decide to work on a startup idea.

Startup 113

Startup Technical Cofounder Merger Early Stage 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Money to build the business is the number one challenge for most startups. A large percentage of startups never apply to either. You need to explore more common and more productive approaches for getting your startup moving forward. Self-funding is the preferred source of cash for your startup – if you can do it.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2015

For a non-profit, bootstrapping is self-funding from donations and fund-raising. Government grants. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. donation equity grant investment non-profit philantropy startup' That’s a higher calling.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup. Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Angel Investor 370

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 370

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2014

Yet everyone has limits, and every investor implicitly has similar limits on what makes a startup investable, or one to avoid at all costs. Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs.

New York City 254

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 254

Up and Running

MAY 15, 2018

Innovative products and business models are the foundations of a promising startup. From jewelry to dog food to SaaS (software as a service) products, startups are popping up in virtually every field around the world, despite the risks. Build a business model that works; don’t rely on using your competitor’s model.

SBA 84

SBA Angel Investor Technical Review Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 1, 2010

Money to build the business is the number one challenge for most startups. In reality, there are multiple more productive approaches you should explore in getting your startup moving forward. Yet, I find that startup founders often fixate on one or two sources, often to the detriment of their business.

Technical Review 149

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 149

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup. Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Angel Investor 313

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 313

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

I favor the more cautious approach, and would offer the following insights to help you make the right decisions: Join a startup or take a role in an existing business. Working in a business, especially a startup , is all about predicting the future, and responding to unanticipated changes, or new entrants.

Silicon Valley 286

Silicon Valley Angel Investor LLC Incubator 286

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2021

For the rest of us, I’ve accumulated the following additional practical strategies for surviving the scale-up challenges, and making your business profitable and sustainable: Enlist an experienced advisor to project real costs. Build your plan around resources you know. Join a startup accelerator or structured peer group.

Dilution 404

Dilution Incubator Bootstrapping Government 404

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Most healthy businesses need business financing at some point. Startups have to deal with starting costs and ongoing businesses have to finance growth and working capital. Financing options depend on what kind of business you have. Are you a startup or ongoing business? The role of the business plan.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

Gust

DECEMBER 7, 2014

In my experience, that’s actually the worst way to start, for reasons I will outline here, and also the least common way, according to an authoritative survey of new startups. Entrepreneurs who plan to complete a business plan the first month, find an investor the second, and roll out a product the third month are just kidding themselves.

Bootstrapping 191

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Burn Rate 191

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

For a nonprofit, bootstrapping is self-funding from donations and fund-raising. Government grants. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. Individual and institutional philanthropy.

Angel Investor 132

Angel Investor Equity Technical Review Exit Strategy 132

Gust

JUNE 17, 2012

Money to build the business is the number one challenge for most startups. A large percentage of startups never apply to either. You need to explore more common and more productive approaches for getting your startup moving forward. Self-funding is the preferred source of cash for your startup – if you can do it.

Technical Review 164

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 164

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2013

For a non-profit, bootstrapping is self-funding from donations and fund-raising. Government grants. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. Individual and institutional donations.

Equity 207

Equity Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy 207

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones.

Incubator 236

Incubator Exit Strategy Institutional Investors Angel Investor 236

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

For a non-profit, bootstrapping is self-funding from donations and fund-raising. Government grants. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. Individual and institutional donations.

Angel Investor 218

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 218

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2011

For a non-profit, bootstrapping is self-funding from donations and fund-raising. Government grants. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. Individual and institutional donations.

Angel Investor 238

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 238

Steve Blank

MAY 26, 2009

The best entrepreneurship textbooks and blogs assume that advice to startups is generalizable. But as I learned from my students this “one-size-fits-all” approach does not work for all startups. Different market opportunities present radically different startup risks and costs.

Vertical 151

Vertical Silicon Valley Intellectual Property RSS 151

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

Even when your startup is a one-man show and lots of fun, a “business” needs some discipline and controls to keep it from being defined as a hobby by investors, and assure some financial return. Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of specifying and documenting “formal business processes.” Funding process.

Startup 268

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 268

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones.

Incubator 120

Incubator Startup Exit Strategy Institutional Investors 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2012

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones.

Incubator 237

Incubator Startup Exit Strategy Institutional Investors 237

Up and Running

JULY 28, 2020

Typically, they also offer more attractive terms and less severe penalties which can be beneficial for startups that are just starting to navigate their financial needs. With these forms of loans, it is important that you have a solid business plan in place before applying. Bootstrapping. Pitch competitions.

Small Business 118

Small Business SBA Bootstrapping Venture Capital 118

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

When I came to Paris in 2006, I had a well-developed idea for a startup and nothing else. In that time, I've discovered that the startup scene is infused with passion, energy and a strong spirit of collaboration. Pamela Poole is a blogger, translator and tech writer, and founder of Francophilia.com , a social startup for Francophiles.

France 163

France Technical Review Incubator Early Stage 163

Up and Running

OCTOBER 21, 2014

Depending on the the type of business you register as, you could write off a number of your expenses including travel, telephone bills, food, portions of repayments on things like cars and so on. And, depending on the business you start, there may also be various government incentives. Startup costs. A sales forecast.

Elevator Pitch 166

Elevator Pitch Software Review SBA Business Plan 166

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2010

For a non-profit, bootstrapping is self-funding from donations and fund-raising. Government grants. You still start the process with a business plan, but then you look for a philanthropist rather than an investor. Tags: entrepreneur startup angel investors business. Individual and institutional donations.

Angel Investor 143

Angel Investor Technical Review Exit Strategy Equity 143

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 11, 2010

This is Part 5 of the 5-part series: 5 lessons from 150 startup pitches. Ask a technical founder about his startup, and he'll proudly describe his stunning software — simple, compelling, useful, fun. The obvious problem is that every new startup on Earth says exactly these things. Infection built-in, not bolt-on.

Software Review 261

Software Review Technical Review Viral Software Developers 261

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 29, 2021

Starting a business during a global pandemic is certainly challenging but with the right mindset and approach, there’s no reason that your venture can’t be successful. Many people have found that due to government restrictions on movement, they have been spending more time at home looking for ways to pass the day.

Bootstrapping 104

Bootstrapping Social Media Business Plan Audience 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2011

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones.

Incubator 230

Incubator Startup Exit Strategy Institutional Investors 230

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2013

In my experience, that’s actually the worst way to start, for reasons I will outline here, and also the least common way, according to a recent survey of new startups. Based on the latest Startup Environment Index from the Kauffman Foundation and LegalZoom, personal money, or bootstrapping, continued to be the primary startup funding in 2012.

Startup 264

Startup Burn Rate Bootstrapping Valuation 264

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2014

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup. Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Angel Investor 232

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers Private Equity 232