Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2017

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Nail the business model. Leverage your customer conversations to predict and validate your business model.

Startup 161

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 161

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

In previous posts I’ve talked about what the combination of Business Model Design, Customer Development and Agile Methodologies mean to startups and intrapreneurs in large companies; it’s the beginning of entrepreneurship as a science with its own rules and methodologies. Teaching In the Big Apple.

Customer Development 270

Customer Development Business Model Developer Design 270

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2012

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Nail the business model. Leverage your customer conversations to predict and validate your business model.

Startup 296

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 296

Steve Blank

MARCH 8, 2011

It was designed to bring together many of the new approaches to building a successful startup – customer development, agile development, business model generation and pivots. We were positing that 20 years of teaching “how to write a business plan” might be obsolete. This post is part one.

Lean 298

Lean Business Model Customer Development Guinea 298

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

" Today I had two conversations with early stage startups (see Free CTO Consulting ). Vision Synching in a Lean Startup The Fallacy of Customer Development Entrepreneurs, Lower Investors’ Risk by Validating your Start-up Company’s Business Proposition Lessons Learned: What is customer development? billion dollar mistake.

Customer 227

Customer Fractional CTO Viral Lean 227

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 17, 2021

Further education courses are usually home to a wonderful mix of individuals from countless different cultures and nationalities, and as you will probably be aware off if you own a business, networking is essential. This is partly down to the great number of resources that institutes of higher learning will often possess. Is it Worth it?

Analytics 173

Analytics Technical Review Social Media Software Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Nail the business model. Leverage your customer conversations to predict and validate your business model.

Startup 286

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 286

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 10, 2010

In fact, 3 of the 10 selected companies from the past two years has followed this business model. If there's a business plan less likely to succeed than a restaurant , this has to be it. What are other advantages or pitfalls of marketplace-style businesses? Leave a comment and join the conversation!

Business Model 310

Business Model Finder SEO Bootstrapping 310

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Conversely, relationship funnels concentrate on establishing long-term connections with clients through establishing trust and providing value. When writing your business plan , consider that customer relationships begin the moment a consumer learns about your company. Why do you need a relationship funnel?

Sales 152

Sales Audience Social Media Email 152

SoCal CTO

MARCH 11, 2010

Tim Berry has a great post on Why I Hate Those Huge Market Numbers tells us that he doesn’t like to see business plans with multi-billion market numbers used as the basis for projections. It’s the old – 5% of massive market gives us a big number. Give me granularity. Great stuff! Part of those questions are around Startup Metrics.

Metrics 159

Metrics Startup Retention Software Developers 159

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

More research and explanation is needed to understand how the business plan will be executed. Pitch it to someone with a startup or business related background, but who doesn’t have experience in your industry. Don’t describe a 100% theoretical business model. It was all hypothetical. We needed to be more specific.

Programming 124

Programming Chile B2B B2C 124

The Next Web

DECEMBER 4, 2013

As a startup, you’re working with limited resources and a lean business model. Maybe you identified your target audience and conversation through Twitter research, but discover a handful of forums or blogs that attract essential influencers. Ignore these pioneering risk-takers, and say goodbye to social channels of conversion.

Social Media 158

Social Media Media Viral Startup 158

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2023

Conversely, a huge marketing budget implies an intent to “spray and pray,” in hopes that something works. Professional investors always look for a proven business model and an existing revenue stream to minimize the risk. Then they look at the people behind the model, the execution status and how they might get their money back.

Elevator Pitch 228

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 228

Up and Running

APRIL 25, 2014

Since I’m in the business planning business , it was great to see billionaire investor Peter Gregory ask Richard, the entrepreneur and protagonist of the show, for his business plan. Dejected, Richard goes home and starts reading about business planning on Wikipedia. What do they do? Definitely not.

Silicon Valley 104

Silicon Valley Business Plan Entrepreneur Cap Table 104

Austin Startup

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

business model and team. I usually don’t back a business unless there are founders that can build, sell, and service the new solution that is being brought to market. Here are the ingredients: Business model : This is actually the most important ingredient of the five. Momentum has a way of building?—?and

Bootstrapping 52

Bootstrapping IPO Business Model Software Review 52

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2020

Conversely, a huge marketing budget implies an intent to “spray and pray,” in hopes that something works. Professional investors always look for a proven business model and an existing revenue stream to minimize the risk. Then they look at the people behind the model, the execution status and how they might get their money back.

Elevator Pitch 336

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 336

Up and Running

MAY 31, 2016

“But how can I write a business plan? ” He was one of my favorite students in the class I used to teach on starting a business. You don’t plan to pay your rent and other expenses? How you make money is at the heart of an artist’s business plan. I’m an artist.” I responded.

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Forecast Metrics Oregon 60

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2013

Why You Need a Business Plan Writer. So you want to get your business off to a great start and know you need a business plan. You may have started to research what is included in the business plan to start the writing process yourself.

Business Plan 63

Business Plan Hiring Business Model Conversion 63

The Next Web

JULY 20, 2013

They speak about how they love to help entrepreneurs build successful companies, yet when I ask them to give me feedback on my business plan or idea, they usually don’t even bother writing me back. And if they do, they complain about lack of global potential or misunderstand my product completely. “Do

Silicon Valley 124

Silicon Valley Mongolia Technical Cofounder Entrepreneur 124

Steve Blank

JUNE 12, 2020

And the trick is we use the same Lean LaunchPad / I-Corps curriculum — and kept the same class structure – experiential, hands-on, driven this time by a mission -model not a business model. Mission-driven entrepreneurship is the answer to students who say, “I want to give back. It Started with an Idea.

Oakland 301

Oakland Asia Lean Video 301

Up and Running

JANUARY 15, 2018

Once you’ve decided that you’re ready to start a small web design firm, you’ll need to develop a host of skills to help you run a successful business, including time management, sales and promotional strategies, and client acquisition. Create a Lean Business Plan.

Web 86

Web Design Software Review Elevator Pitch 86

Up and Running

MAY 3, 2012

From a young person’s perspective, with tight labour markets, decreasing barriers to entry, low capital-intensive business models and immediate free access to a global market, the appeal is also compelling. The signs to me are all too obvious from our conversations. What is there not to like?

Entrepreneur 82

Entrepreneur Technical Review Silicon Valley Lean 82

Growthink Blog

NOVEMBER 2, 2016

by more "prosaic" conversation around food, wine, travel, family, sports and more. Last week, I met for dinner with a longtime client as they traveled through Los Angeles on a stop-over on their way back to Europe. AND it was probably the most productive two hours any of us had all year.

Conversion 48

Conversion Los Angeles Europe Acquisition 48

www.forentrepreneurs.com

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Business Model I would like to propose that in addition to team, product, and market, there is actually a fourth, equally important, core element of startups, which is the need for a viable business model. Gross Margin should take into consideration any support, installation, and servicing costs.

Acquisition 103

Acquisition Cost Customer Entrepreneur 103

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

business models. There is a huge difference between the Chinese who have never left and those who went to school abroad, even for a few months – at least a difference in their ability to relate to me and have a conversation on the same wavelength. business models. Of course “copy” is too strong a word.

China 323

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 323

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2014

1:28: Using the Business Model Canvas. 4:24: No Business Plan Survives First Contact with Customers. 1:36: Customer Discovery is a Series of Conversations. Introduction, for Part 2 is here. Module 1, The Lean Method. 0:50: There are No Facts Inside Your Building — Get Outside. 2:44: What is a Pivot?

Intellectual Property 328

Intellectual Property Lean Customer Development Acquisition 328

Steve Blank

JUNE 2, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may allow venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Startups now understand what they should be doing in their early formative days is search for a business model. for a business model.

Silicon Valley 281

Silicon Valley Business Model Early Stage Venture Capital 281

Steve Blank

MARCH 11, 2015

I suggested the best place to start the conversation is with the 21 st century definition of a startup: A startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. That means in their core business, large companies have a series of knowns.

Widget 120

Widget Lean Business Model Metrics 120

ConversionXL

JANUARY 28, 2013

Usability testing is the black horse of boosting conversion. If your site is difficult to use or understand (= has usability problems), it kills conversions. Website usability testing helps you identify all the main sources of friction, and thus boost conversions. This in turn will also lead to increase in conversions.

Conversion 106

Conversion Silicon Valley Matching Design 106

Steve Blank

APRIL 14, 2013

business models. There is a huge difference between the Chinese who have never left and those who went to school abroad, even for a few months – at least a difference in their ability to relate to me and have a conversation on the same wavelength. business models. Of course “copy” is too strong a word.

China 215

China Silicon Valley Non-Compete Intellectual Property 215

Tim Keane

JUNE 21, 2011

How to prepare a sales forecast for a business plan. First develop a business model.   If you've been through a plan review with someone like a potential investor, think for a moment about the questions you get asked.  If the conversation goes in that direction it can be a bit of a problem.

Forecast 68

Forecast Business Plan Sales Wisconsin 68

Up and Running

MAY 10, 2017

We didn’t know anything about small business accounting or finance. We didn’t even know how to write a business plan. In hindsight, it’s understandable that friends and family were skeptical when we told them about our business. We also wanted to get our Spanish speaking skills from conversational to fluent.

Startup 119

Startup SEO Montana Argentina 119

Steve Blank

MAY 7, 2009

I hate business plan competitions. I Love Business Plan Competitions I had a breakfast with a friend who has founded a few companies in Thailand and started the New Ventures Program at one of their universities. For all the reasons why business plan competitions are wonderful for students from outside the U.S.,

Business Plan 140

Business Plan Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital 140

YoungUpstarts

MAY 26, 2017

Your pitch deck is the most important assets your business will have, arguably more than the business plan itself. Based off the “Pitch then Plan” template originated by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki, I believe in creating a strong pitch first and then building a business plan based on it.

Cofounder 185

Cofounder Silicon Valley Forecast Business Plan 185

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

It must be because they think they need to address every aspect of their business plan in one fell swoop, but doing so makes them seem anxious, tense, and nervous. Outline your business model. Your business model tells an investor how your idea will (or does) convert into being economically viable.

Sweat Equity 122

Sweat Equity Churn Rate Elevator Pitch Forecast 122

Steve Blank

JUNE 7, 2019

And the trick is we use the same Lean LaunchPad / I-Corps curriculum — and kept the same class structure – experiential, hands-on, driven this time by a mission -model not a business model. Mission-driven entrepreneurship is the answer to students who say, “I want to give back. It Started with an Idea. Team: IntelliSense.

Oakland 266

Oakland Lean SBIR Afghanistan 266

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2012

One of the biggest red flags I see in many Internet-related business plans today is advertising as the initial revenue stream, or a key part of it. This advertising model was added a few years ago to mitigate the risks of click fraud. The advertiser side is called cost per action (CPA) or cost per lead (CPL). Face reality.

Revenue 266

Revenue PPC Advertising CPA 266