Up and Running

FEBRUARY 13, 2017

When I asked the standard “How are you,” he answered: “If I see another hockey stick forecast this week, I’m going to throw something at somebody.”. ” See Also: How to Forecast Sales. Sales forecasts should rest on assumptions. .” ” See Also: How to Forecast Sales. Growth is good.

Forecast 130

Forecast Hockey Stick Startup Sales 130

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

A great business plan can help you anticipate important issues and possible challenges before you start your business. In fact, studies show that entrepreneurs who take the time to write a business plan are 2.5 times more likely to follow through and get their business off the ground. This is a mistake.

Business Plan 147

Business Plan Balance Sheet Non-Compete Forecast 147

Up and Running

MARCH 6, 2019

As I write this in early 2019, I’m thinking back on more than 20 years of hearing business pitches as a judge of business plan competitions and as an angel investor. Next month I’ll have another round of it, judging both the University of Oregon New Venture Competition and the Rice Business Plan Competition.

Net Present Value 87

Net Present Value Forecast IRR Oregon 87

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

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Whether your business is brand new or it’s been around for a while, you’ve probably thought about putting together a financial forecast. Most lenders and investors will expect it to be part of your business plan. But how do you know if your forecast model is reliable? What is forecasting? March at Stanford.

Forecast 114

Forecast Hockey Stick Angel Investor Sales 114

Up and Running

AUGUST 24, 2011

What’s the difference between a marketing plan and a business plan? Doesn’t a business plan include a marketing plan? Cash flow is vital for a business plan, but not usually included in a marketing plan. Yes, a business plan almost always includes the marketing portion.

Business Plan 91

Business Plan Marketing Technical Review Forecast 91

Up and Running

MAY 14, 2020

Now it’s time to write a business plan to officially bring your style to the world. Is it really necessary to write a business plan for your retail clothing boutique? Think of it as a way of answering the question of why does the world need your small business? Every business plan must contain an executive summary.

Business Plan 154

Business Plan PR Differentiation Balance Sheet 154

Up and Running

DECEMBER 5, 2017

If you’ve been procrastinating when it comes to putting together your business plan, there are a few easy ways to jumpstart the process. Second, skip everything else you’ve heard people talk about and jump right into your sales forecast. A quick caveat: The process for creating this sales forecast was for just one product.

Forecast 84

Forecast Sales Advertising Social Media 84

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

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

With a CRM in place, you can simultaneously serve customers while learning more about them and why they are doing business with you. This can include data points like their purchase history, how they communicate with you , customer service interactions, and even notes from conversations.

Management 116

Management Customer Software Review Technical Review 116

Up and Running

JUNE 23, 2022

Ask what would have made a difference and which credit reporting agencies your bank used to get information about your business. As you do this, frame the conversation right. These are possibilities but generally, they are not very likely and you’ll need to convince your co-signer with your plan and possibly some collateral.

SBA 163

SBA Finance Balance Sheet Technical Review 163

Up and Running

APRIL 24, 2014

So for me, what makes a sales forecast credible? I want to see a sales forecast with drivers. Specifically, if you’re an app or an website for example, your drivers are going to have to do with search engine optimization, keywords, paper click, conversion rates. Well then, that helps makes a sales forecast credible.

Forecast 85

Forecast Hockey Stick Sales Business Plan 85

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

Plan for the future. Much like your sales and operational expenses, having a preliminary budget can help you forecast and set goals for the coming month, quarter, and year. If you plan to seek out funding , you’ll need to outline your marketing spend, as well as the channels and campaigns you intend to run. Pitch to investors.

Artificial Inteligence 142

Artificial Inteligence Marketing Channel Campaign 142

Gust

JUNE 19, 2012

One of my earliest excursions into market research was working for a research firm doing a 1979 forecast on ATMs. 10 Things I Look for When Reading a Business Plan. This seems like a good point to summarize here what I look for in a business plan. . Often this is part of a good forecast. Power Pitches.

Startup 180

Startup Forecast Angel Investor Software 180

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 26, 2012

If you’re starting a new business, do not take one more sip of coffee, one more step and spend one penny before you write your business plan. The executive summary is the first and most important part of your business plan. Here you put your market analysis into a conversation with your company’s goals.

Business Plan 207

Business Plan Forecast Viral Matching 207

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

Step 1: Start with a lean plan. Instead of sitting down to write a 40-page business plan, start with a one-page pitch. It’s the fastest way to get your idea onto paper, and it’s the very first step in the lean planning process, which is much easier and more iterative than traditional business planning methods.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Gust

MAY 29, 2012

It’s the end of May as I write this so I’ve just finished my annual April-May business plan marathon reading more than 100 business plans for my angel investment group and four different business plan contests. This seems like a good point to summarize here what I look for in a business plan. .

Business Plan 174

Business Plan Forecast Channel Cost 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2022

A while back in a blog article , I pointed out that none of these justify a startup business plan with little or no budget for marketing. All require planning, deliberate actions, and quality content and event creation which will likely absorb all the savings from reduced paid media campaigns.

Marketing 319

Marketing Framework Social Media Metrics 319

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 30, 2012

It’s the end of May as I write this so I’ve just finished my annual April-May business plan marathon reading more than 100 business plans for my angel investment group and four different business plan contests. This seems like a good point to summarize here what I look for in a business plan.

Business Plan 145

Business Plan Forecast Channel Cost 145

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 12, 2010

Listening to first-time entrepreneurs talk about their competitive advantages is as predictably invalid as the local weatherman's 10-day forecast. It should be part of your business plan that other people will copy you. Leave a comment and join the conversation. Almost anything can be copied. Are these assertions unfair?

Intellectual Property 319

Intellectual Property Bootstrapping Software Review Open Source 319

Up and Running

APRIL 27, 2016

Writing a business plan can seem intimidating. You’re committing your great idea to paper and fleshing out the details of how you’re actually going to start and grow your business. For over 15 years, I’ve been writing business plans, reading plans for major business plan competitions, and raising money for startups.

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Forecast Angel Investor Entrepreneur 60

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

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

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

A financial plan with a Sales Forecast, Profit & Loss , Cash Flow Forecast , and Balance Sheet. An action plan with milestones scheduled and accountability. Performance tracking to compare ACTUAL financial results with your planned financials and other key metrics.

Lean 83

Lean Small Business Forecast Technical Review 83

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 9, 2011

One of the best principles of business planning is that it’s built on assumptions, and assumptions change. So one of the best ways to watch your plan is to list your assumptions where you can see them, and review them regularly. Not understanding assumptions is one of the most common mistakes in business planning.

Business Plan 93

Business Plan China Forecast Cofounder 93

Up and Running

MAY 16, 2014

Do everything you can to present that unique value proposition to your market so you can capture a market share and begin building your conversion rates. To publicize your brand and set yourself apart, you will also need to step up your marketing plan and use as many venues as possible to present your brand to the public.

Small Business 157

Small Business Leadership Demand Small Business Administration 157

Up and Running

OCTOBER 21, 2014

Day 5: Start ‘business planning’ not the ‘business plan’. Coming from someone who works for a company that makes business planning software , that may sound odd. The truth is, you’re going to do the ‘official plan’ a bit later, in week 2 when it comes time to sort out where your funding is coming from.

Elevator Pitch 166

Elevator Pitch Software Review SBA Business Plan 166

Up and Running

APRIL 20, 2012

We have written what we think is a bullet-proof business plan. Our business plan showed that there was a solid target market with a rosy sales forecast. We followed our business plan exactly and executed on-time and on-budget. We have to start out by acknowledging that all business plans are wrong.

Business Plan 93

Business Plan Forecast Lean Metrics 93

Up and Running

AUGUST 21, 2014

What a lot of companies or startups don’t realize is when you put up forecast together, it’s difficult if you’re a startup. What a lot of companies or startups don’t realize is when you put up forecast together, it’s difficult if you’re a startup. Those things are all really hard to just get.

Metrics 84

Metrics Startup Churn Rate Forecast 84

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

It’s actually a very good idea to have multiple budgets and financial forecasts developed in your business plan so that you can address three different growth models for scaling your business. #6 If you could scale, how much less funding and what would you be sacrificing as a result?

Software Review 147

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Exit Strategy 147

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2019

A while back in a blog article , I pointed out that none of these justify a startup business plan with little or no budget for marketing. All require planning, deliberate actions, and quality content and event creation which will likely absorb all the savings from reduced paid media campaigns.

Media 238

Media Cost Framework Social Media 238

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

YoungUpstarts

MAY 9, 2017

With each task, project, email, drive-by conversation, meeting, etc., As Lean influencer Mary Poppendieck says: “Lean development is the art and discipline of basing commitments on facts rather than forecasts. It’s unsurprising that most teams struggle to meet productivity goals in environments where.

Lean 124

Lean Agile Technical Review Dilution 124

Up and Running

MAY 3, 2012

Sean Seton-Rogers of PROfounders Capital recently claimed that of the more than 3,500 business plans they had received, his London, U.K. The signs to me are all too obvious from our conversations. Some entrepreneurs ask me whether we have a business plan for an “internet business”, as if there’s a secret recipe they could use.

Entrepreneur 82

Entrepreneur Technical Review Silicon Valley Lean 82

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 8, 2013

Ten Deadly Business Plan Writing Sins for Raising Capital. Another key factor is how these business concepts are portrayed in the startup’s business plan. All good business plans put considerable attention on the competition for several reasons. Practicing Top-Down Sales Forecasting.

Business Plan 67

Business Plan NDA Exit Strategy Valuation 67

Up and Running

MAY 9, 2016

Whether you want to be your area’s next big general contractor, or you believe you can build a successful small construction company in a specific niche, getting into the construction business is a process. What will you need in your business plan? A construction company is a capital-intensive business. But fear not.

SBA 60

SBA Demand Forecast Balance Sheet 60