Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

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. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Startup Angel Investor Technical Review 283

The Startup Magazine

MAY 26, 2024

For aspiring entrepreneurs, establishing a Montessori preschool not only addresses the growing demand for quality early childhood education but also offers a fulfilling business opportunity. Your business plan should include an executive summary, market analysis, organizational structure, marketing strategy, and financial projections.

Entrepreneur 147

Entrepreneur Business Plan Security Demand 147

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

In my experience as an angel investor for new startups, I’m always surprised by how many entrepreneurs are looking for funding without outside advisors. Especially if you are a first-time business owner, the payback for this initiative is well worth the effort and cost. Remember that people make a business, more often than a product.

Advisory Board 356

Advisory Board Bandwidth Cofounder Technical Review 356

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2023

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. Yet the process is eerily realistic, and every entrepreneur can glean some important lessons. There is no substitute for knowing your business.

Entrepreneur 279

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Due Diligence Silicon Valley 279

Up and Running

JANUARY 29, 2019

Though you may be tempted to immediately throw yourself into your new small business, don’t forget a crucial element: creating a business plan. Yes, the words “business plan” might trigger some dread about epic documents that take a ton of time to produce—but that’s not necessarily what a business plan needs to be.

Lean 64

Lean Business Plan Revenue Forecast 64

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves. Even if you feel that all is well, here are some thoughts and actions I would strongly recommend: Whole team must know the plan. The right answer is somewhere in between.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Angel Investor 380

Up and Running

MARCH 26, 2015

Unsure what kind of business plan you need? We get this question a lot, mainly because there are so many different things labelled as business plans: strategic plans, annual plans, operational plans, feasibility plans, and, of course, what most people think of, business plans for startups seeking investment.

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Lean Forecast Balance Sheet 60

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2019

Steve Blank via Flickr by jdlasica 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. These areas include market, process, and team transitions.

Startup 245

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 245

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 7, 2018

SkyCap Financial lends up to $10,000 in personal loans for any purpose, and personal funds, like home equity, personal savings and personal credit cards, are how many entrepreneurs capitalize their early-stage startups. But entrepreneurs should not necessarily be guided by expediency. Business incubators. Of course not.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Incubator Finance Canada 124

Up and Running

JULY 31, 2015

This week Peter and Jonathan talk to Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software, about lean business planning, strategy, tactics, specifics (milestones), and the forecast. Lean Business Planning by Tim Berry – (31:21). Preorder on Amazon.com – Lean Business Planning: Get What You Want From Your Business.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Forecast Software Review 60

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

One needs to evaluate their go-to-market strategy, distribution channels, scalability, execution team, and so on at this time. Pre-Seed New businesses, often known as startups, have just entered the very first stage of the investment process. An investor can make two types of investments in a startup: direct and indirect.

Seed Stage 148

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 148

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Most aspiring entrepreneurs understand that you can’t build a business if you won’t commit to delivering a product or service, but many are hesitant or refuse to commit to any financial forecasts. Yet every business requires revenue and volumes, as certainly as it requires a product to sell. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Forecast 290

Forecast Burn Rate Widget Business Plan 290

ReadWriteStart

MAY 24, 2023

It doesn’t take a lot to realize that around the world, young entrepreneurs have started talking compulsively about creating “the next big thing.” Their mission is to help every young entrepreneur build their business, fulfill their dreams, and excel in their career. Best of all. Getting press can be fun!

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Software Review Startup Artificial Inteligence 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. You may have heard that venture capitalists in Silicon Valley no longer read business plans. Budget time and dollars for each.

Business Plan 423

Business Plan Product Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 423

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

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Industry & market sizing. Marketing, sales, and partners.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

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

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008.

Business Model 334

Business Model Intellectual Property Angel Investor Channel 334

Up and Running

MAY 12, 2020

Remote work and home-based businesses have slowly become a regular aspect of the modern-day workforce. While many traditional jobs still can’t function remotely, or have difficulty adjusting, many entrepreneurs have found success in starting a business from home. Develop a Business Plan.

Software Review 153

Software Review Exit Strategy Technical Review Business Plan 153

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Industry & market sizing. Marketing, sales, and partners.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 12, 2022

As the global economic situation deteriorates amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and soaring energy costs, many aspiring entrepreneurs might be tempted to give up and wait for better days. Entrepreneurs — frugal innovation can be a powerful tool for growth. Hence it is critical to have a solid business plan before you start.

Startup 198

Startup Technical Review Ghana Guerilla 198

Steve Blank

MARCH 5, 2015

Starting this Monday, March 9 th 4-6pm Pacific Time I’ll be on the radio hosting the Bay Area Ventures program on Sirius XM radio Channel 111 – the Wharton Business Radio Channel. Over this program I’ll be talking to entrepreneurs, financial experts and academic leaders in the tech and biotech industries.

Channel 120

Channel Venture Capital Lean Business Model 120

The Startup Magazine

MAY 27, 2024

The market trends indicate a strong need for storage facilities that offer a variety of storage unit sizes and amenities, including business storage units at Lakeside Storage , to meet the diverse business needs of the community. Efficient customer service is another important aspect of facility management.

Security 88

Security Operations Finance Advertising 88

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Entrepreneurs and business owners stand to gain a lot. A business podcast for every entrepreneur. These discussions can vary from something broad, like podcasts about how to grow a business , to episodes that are much more specific, like how to acquire customers as an ecommerce brand through digital marketing channels.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Hosting Community Audio 101

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 26, 2016

In no small way, the success of your venture will depend on the details of your business plan. It should outline your business goals and how you will achieve them. Also, your business plan should incorporate risk-management tactics and financial projections. Develop a comprehensive marketing plan.

Business Plan 100

Business Plan Intellectual Property Social Media Small Business Administration 100

YoungUpstarts

MAY 21, 2020

You envision your business as the next Uber or Spotify, yourself as the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, reaching that prestigious ‘unicorn’ startup status in record time. Like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably mapped out the business plan, dreamed up the layout and you’re already snapping up domains and emailing developers with your plan.

Product 264

Product Cofounder Audience Product Development 264

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

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 30, 2012

Our goal– to inspire, educate and empower hundred’s of thousands of entrepreneurs and help create 10,000 startups. The class teaches founders how to dramatically reduce their failure rate through the combination of business model design, customer development and agile development using the Startup Owners Manual. How it Works.

Startup 335

Startup Lean Incubator Business Model 335

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2016

Things change so fast these days in business that your first priority as an entrepreneur is to stay current, by talking to customers, peers, and experts. Here are eight key principles I have learned from experience as a business advisor to keep you on the right track: Regularly realign your business vision and goals.

Social Media 120

Social Media Technical Review Metrics Channel 120

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

With fewer than 10 employees but almost $2-billion dollars in the bank, they plan on jumping right in. Most entrepreneurs today don’t remember the Dot-Com bubble of 1995 or the Dot-Com crash that followed in 2000. Startups wrote business plans, generated expansive 5-year forecasts and executed (hired, spent and built) to the plan.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

ReadWriteStart

MARCH 7, 2022

This also serves as a barrier to entry for startups and independent entrepreneurs; If marketing tools are too expensive, they’re not going to get used. The learning curve. Which tools are best? How do you use them? How do you change your strategy to adapt to consumers’ changing technological perspectives?

Marketing 198

Marketing Advertising Metrics Technical Review 198

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

Most aspiring entrepreneurs understand that you can’t build a business if you won’t commit to delivering a product or service, but many are hesitant or refuse to commit to any financial forecasts. Yet every business requires revenue and volumes, as certainly as it requires a product to sell. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Forecast 369

Forecast Burn Rate Startup Widget 369

Up and Running

MAY 1, 2014

You’ve reviewed what a business plan is , and why you need one to start and grow your business. It’s time to dig into the process of actually writing a business plan. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll take you through every stage of writing a business plan that will actually help you achieve your goals.

Business Plan 163

Business Plan Forecast Balance Sheet Distribution 163

Hearpreneur

OCTOBER 13, 2023

A well-constructed business model is a foundational element of a business plan and strategy. It provides clarity on how a company plans to succeed in the marketplace and is essential for attracting investors, partners, and customers. It's about preserving control, sharing the journey, and reaping the rewards together.

Business Model 133

Business Model Affiliate Jordan B2C 133

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Here are the key principles I recommend as an advisor to many entrepreneurs: Start your business in your own home. Use multiple social-media channels, blogging, email and voicemail to build the same image and responsiveness as larger competitors. Use your equity for key executives and business partners. Marty Zwilling

Equity 349

Equity Hockey Stick Bootstrapping Sweat Equity 349

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time. A business plan is for you first, not investors.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 31, 2019

Around 97 percent of consumers check online for reviews of local businesses and 8 in 10 people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. For those brick and mortar entrepreneurs, translating online attention and traffic to instore purchases is key to accessing the market (and vice versa).

Social Media 79

Social Media Startup Technical Review Channel 79