Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. It’s important to learn from your own mistakes, but it’s even smarter to learn from someone else’s mistakes, without paying their high price in time lost, cost, and pain. Assume passion level defines business opportunity.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

As we prepared for the new Hacking for Defense class at Stanford, we had to stop and ask ourselves: How do we use the Business Model Canvas if the primary goal is not to earn money, but to fulfill a mission? In other words, how can we adapt the Business Model Canvas when the metrics of success for an organization is not revenue?

Business Model 120

Business Model Revenue Channel Community 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 7, 2012

In these days of rapid change, almost every startup has to adapt their solution, business model, or target customer. Don’t wait for the final production model to find out that your product has a weak link in one of the common environments. Basis for working with vendors to finalize costs, manufacturing, and marketing.

Startup 242

Startup Database Early Stage Distribution 242

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 1, 2023

During such times a firm should take measures that have historically been thought to safeguard it, such as cutting costs, lowering goals, and keeping an eye on cash flow to weather the impending storm. If possible, settle debts before being subject to inflationary costs for your business. 2- Create an emergency fund.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Software Review Technical Review Revenue 97

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Nice-to have” and “easier-to-use” products, or social ventures needing government support, are not likely to provide a financial return to investors. Undefined business model or very low gross margins. Here is my list of red flags that cause many investors to look elsewhere: No well-defined need or viable customer set.

Due Diligence 271

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Preferred Stock 271

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 30, 2024

Businesses can enhance transparency by implementing regular reporting on their operations, financials, and sustainability practices. Open communication channels , such as through social media and corporate websites, can also facilitate stakeholder engagement by providing timely and accurate information.

Reputation 141

Reputation Leadership Non-Compete Government 141

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

Thus it is always a question of what you qualify for, and what you are willing to give up, to turn your dream idea into a viable business. Here is my list of the ten most common sources of funding today, in reverse priority sequence, with some rules of thumb to channel your focus: Seek a bank loan or credit-card line-of-credit.

Equity 436

Equity Small Business Administration SBA Syndicate 436

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. It’s important to learn from your own mistakes, but it’s even smarter to learn from someone else’s mistakes, without paying their high price in time lost, cost, and pain. Assume passion level defines business opportunity.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

Steve Blank

JUNE 26, 2015

government to help them innovate faster– not just kind of fast, but 10x the number of initiatives in 1/5 the time. The first, the notion of the “ ambidextrous organization ” from O’Reilly and Tushman , posits that companies that want to do continuous innovation need to execute their core business model while innovating in parallel.

Lean 120

Lean Management Business Model Incubator 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2010

In these days of rapid change, almost every startup has to adapt their solution, business model, or target customer. Don’t wait for the final production model to find out that your product has a weak link in one of the common environments. Basis for working with vendors to finalize costs, manufacturing, and marketing.

Entrepreneur 236

Entrepreneur Database Early Stage Distribution 236

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

In very few specific cases, depending on the nature of the business, the business model might demand a considerable gestation period or extensive research and development. For these businesses, it is imperative to get funding from the start without which the company cannot be set up. Government programs.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

Nice-to have” and “easier-to-use” products, or social ventures needing government support, are not likely to provide a financial return to investors. Undefined business model or very low gross margins. Here is my list of red flags that cause many investors to look elsewhere: No well-defined need or viable customer set.

Due Diligence 308

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Startup 308

Austin Startup

OCTOBER 15, 2017

What seems to be the best way to create customers and revenue may result in a business model that is out of vogue with the investment world and shortchanges you on enterprise valuation. If you deliver exactly the same results at the same net cost to the customer via a SaaS product, you may get a tech multiple 10X higher.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Nevada Silicon Valley 48

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2018

Thus it is always a question of what you qualify for, and what you are willing to give up, to turn your dream idea into a viable business. Here is my list of the ten most common sources of funding today, in reverse priority sequence, with some rules of thumb to channel your focus: Seek a bank loan or credit-card line-of-credit.

Entrepreneur 240

Entrepreneur Equity Small Business Administration SBA 240

Steve Blank

JUNE 11, 2012

While many government agencies use Technology Readiness Levels to measure a projects technical maturity, there are no standards around Business Maturity Levels. It doesn’t replace private capital with government funds. I-Corps teams spent the class refining their business model and minimum viable product.

Lean 258

Lean Incubator Business Model Georgia 258

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 22, 2020

When it became clear that waiting for government funding and support would take weeks, if not months, Lenore instead looked to her community for both, using her experience with the layoffs and her expertise as a small business owner to solve two of the massive problems crashing over our society. Lenore Estrada : It was terrible.

San Francisco 60

San Francisco Government Technical Review Community 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2022

Having only a large capital base and distribution channels, with no innovation, is not a sustainable business model. Non-industrial large organizations cling to outdated business models. Government bail-outs do not promote innovation. The cost of entrepreneur entry is at an all-time low.

Artificial Inteligence 315

Artificial Inteligence Offshore Merger Technical Review 315

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2014

As soon as TrueCar started growing at a phenomenal pace and dealers who understood it was an amazing channel to acquire customers (they only pay a fee if TrueCar sells a the car) a few dealers in every area started sucking up all of the sales. Luddite dealers started petitioning state governments to make TrueCar illegal.

Turkey 338

Turkey Cloud Startup China 338

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Thus it is always a question of what you qualify for, and what you are willing to give up, to turn your dream idea into a viable business. Here is my list of the ten most common sources of funding today, in reverse priority sequence, with some rules of thumb to channel your focus: 10. Request a small business grant.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Small Business Administration 283

Steve Blank

MAY 3, 2011

(The concept of Partners , took some explanation as some teams confused partners with the Distribution Channel.). After a week of hectic customer discovery , the team further refined their new business model. Answer: The most cost effective wavelength is 800-900nm ~ $20/watt. Costs vs. ramp vs. product iteration?

South Dakota 232

South Dakota Business Model Lean United States 232

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

Among its many implications, the digital office means that jobs don’t necessarily need to be done in-person, and today’s startup leaders are realizing that many projects can be done at a lower cost remotely, without any drop in quality. Still, COVID-19 helped tip the balance towards a globally distributed model.

Distribution 145

Distribution Global Agile Startup 145

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

Thus it is always a question of what you qualify for, and what you are willing to give up, to turn your dream idea into a viable business. Here is my list of the ten most common sources of funding today, in reverse priority sequence, with some rules of thumb to channel your focus: Seek a bank loan or credit-card line-of-credit.

Equity 120

Equity Small Business Administration SBA Syndicate 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2016

Nice-to have” and “easier-to-use” products, or social ventures needing government support, are not likely to provide a financial return to investors. Undefined business model or very low gross margins. Here is my list of shortcomings that cause many investors to look elsewhere: No well-defined need or viable customer set.

Due Diligence 120

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Seed Stage 120

Steve Blank

JANUARY 26, 2016

Today these potential adversaries are able to harness the power of social networks, encryption, GPS, low-cost drones, 3D printers, simpler design and manufacturing processes, agile and lean methodologies, ubiquitous Internet and smartphones. North Korea. DF-21 and Islands in the South China Sea. We’re Our Own Worst Enemy.

Silicon Valley 120

Silicon Valley North Korea Agile Lean 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

Having only a large capital base and distribution channels, with no innovation, is not a sustainable business model. Non-industrial large organizations cling to outdated business models. Government bail-outs do not promote innovation. The cost of entrepreneur entry is at an all-time low.

Engineer 219

Engineer Entrepreneur Offshore Merger 219

Steve Blank

AUGUST 5, 2010

Fairchild Semiconductor became the progenitor of a flood of Silicon Valley chip companies and at the same time the adoption of the limited partnership as the model for Venture Firms gave VC’s their own profitable business model. One could argue that there’s nothing new here, as Internet distibution models started in 1995.

Lean 263

Lean Internet Silicon Valley Venture Capital 263

Growthink Blog

MAY 30, 2018

And with fund-raising, there naturally follows an evaluation of a business’ scalability, its ability to grow revenues at a faster rate than variable costs - marketing, sales, customer fulfillment, etc. new employees to police the site’s various bad actors - nefarious foreign governments, hackers, snoopers, et al.

Balance Sheet 48

Balance Sheet Artificial Inteligence Business Model Acquisition 48

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 23, 2013

The dominant channel by which we reach customers is the Internet, whether you''re a small local restaurant on Yelp or a global maker of tissue paper. Unfortunately, as founders, we''re so enthusiastic, so governed by our reality distortion field, that we often run the experiment and then find the results we want.

Analytics 167

Analytics Lean Widget Metrics 167

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

No matter who occupies the White House, entrepreneurial small business owners will have to rely on who we’ve always relied on to be successful: ourselves, our employees, and our customers. Whoever heads up our government will have only a minimal impact on the small businesses that form the backbone of our nation.

Small Business 210

Small Business Retention Government Distribution 210

The Equity Kicker

JULY 8, 2019

Most investors thought of their job as picking good companies and making sure governance was strong. This is what brings us to the second big difference: the cost of Applied Venture is too large to finance from a standard VC management fee. . Business model. Low handicaps weren’t good! And what’s holding it back?

Portfolio 84

Portfolio LP Venture Capital Partner 84

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2021

Of course, you can find these elements embodied in many of the business plan templates and tools out there, such as the Business Model Canvas. The business proposals I see often target multiple unrelated segments, such as consumers, enterprises, and government. Show a cost margin of at least fifty percent.

Intellectual Property 332

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Channel 332

Occam's Razor

MAY 2, 2017

What if you are a tiny local business in a narrow niche, should you use the same approach as Betabrand? Always adapt to what’s most important and sensible for you (and remember that nothing is free, every measurement decision you make has a cost!). Though we have looked at only a couple, I hope you are starting to see the patterns.

Metrics 141

Metrics Acquisition eCommerce Analytics 141

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2013

Having only a large capital base and distribution channels, with no innovation, is not a sustainable business model. Non-industrial large organizations cling to outdated business models. Government bail-outs do not promote innovation. The cost of entrepreneur entry is at an all-time low.

Entrepreneur 263

Entrepreneur Offshore Merger Technical Review 263

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

Having only a large capital base and distribution channels, with no innovation, is not a sustainable business model. Non-industrial large organizations cling to outdated business models. Government bail-outs do not promote innovation. The cost of entrepreneur entry is at an all-time low.

Offshore 139

Offshore Merger Technical Review Distribution 139

The Next Web

AUGUST 19, 2013

This post is about choosing the right sales strategy and channels for your startup from the start. There were no sales people in the USSR – the government just decided what to produce and in which quantities, – so I pretty much have an anti-­sales­-and­-marketing background. Step 2: Choose your sales channels. LTV ­ CAC = ROI.

Belarus 137

Belarus Viral Channel Startup 137

Up and Running

MAY 1, 2014

If your business model (i.e., “how If you are raising money to start or grow your business, you need to include the details of what you need in the executive summary. Deciding on your price can feel more like an art than a science, but there are some basic rules that you should follow: Your pricing should cover your costs.

Business Plan 163

Business Plan Forecast Balance Sheet Distribution 163

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

Having only a large capital base and distribution channels, with no innovation, is not a sustainable business model. Non-industrial large organizations cling to outdated business models. Government bail-outs do not promote innovation. The cost of entrepreneur entry is at an all-time low.

Offshore 120

Offshore Startup Merger Technical Review 120