Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2022

It has less focus on financial forecasting and a greater focus on the big picture. They have to have some degree of faith and certainty about what customers are going to want in the future. Successful entrepreneurs do actually predict the future — they know what customers are going to want and when they’re going to want it.

Business Plan 83

Business Plan Lean Forecast Exit Strategy 83

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. This is not the place for a detailed product specification, but an explanation of how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Financial forecast and metrics. Solution and benefits.

Business Plan 283

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 283

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Investors want to hear about customers with money who have a painful problem that you can solve now. Investors are looking for a concise description of your product or service without technical jargon or fuzzy marketing terms with value quantified in customer terms. What are your forecasts for revenue, expenses and cash flow?

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Advisory Board Liquidity Event Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. This is not the place for a detailed product specification, but an explanation of how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Financial forecast and metrics. Solution and benefits.

Business Plan 290

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 290

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

By profit, I simply mean offering a product or service to customers for a price that exceeds the total costs associated with the solution, thus providing some basis for recovering sunk costs and generating a return for stakeholders. Solve a painful problem for customers who have money to spend.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. In every case, the relevant pitch needs to start by highlighting a real customer problem, then outlining a new solution, with all the features and disruptive technology.

Product 120

Product Intellectual Property Liquidity Event Burn Rate 120

Gust

AUGUST 5, 2012

Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. This is not the place for a detailed product specification, but an explanation of how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Financial forecast and metrics. Solution and benefits.

Business Plan 182

Business Plan Sweat Equity Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 182

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. This is not the place for a detailed product specification, but an explanation of how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Financial forecast and metrics. Solution and benefits.

Business Plan 186

Business Plan Exit Strategy Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 186

Growthink Blog

NOVEMBER 10, 2017

To better understand your customer. An in-depth customer analysis is essential to an effective business plan and to a successful business. What is the company's exit strategy? This definition allows you to succinctly describe the business and position the brand to customers, investors, and partners.

Business Plan 128

Business Plan Private Placement Exit Strategy Finance 128

Up and Running

MAY 1, 2014

Your business plan isn’t complete without a financial forecast. Every business is solving a problem for its customers and filling a need in the market. Who is your ideal customer? If you can show that your potential customers are already interested in—or perhaps already buying—your product or service, this is great to highlight.

Business Plan 163

Business Plan Forecast Balance Sheet Distribution 163

Up and Running

APRIL 28, 2015

This is a quick one sentence overview of your business and the value that you provide to your customers. Use this slide to expand on who your ideal customer is and how many of them there are. Describe how customers use your product and how it addresses the problems that you outlined on slide two. Keep it short and simple.

Forecast 60

Forecast Hockey Stick Exit Strategy Intellectual Property 60

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

A number of analysts have particular focus on serving the customers of technology companies, e.g., Gartner and 451 Research. Custom CRM solutions for PE/VC funds are offered by Altvia , Backstop Solutions , DealCloud , EquityTouch , SalesLogistix , Satuit , Sevanta Dealflow , Navatar , Salesforce , SalesforceIQ , and Touchstone.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Up and Running

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Keep customers at the forefront, and listen to them. “Let your mission, values, and customer happiness be the guiding force behind everything you do, and remember you are not the customer. If a taking on a customer means changing too many things, that client just might not be the right fit, Nelson says. Plan ahead.

Bootstrapping 107

Bootstrapping Cofounder Portland Burn Rate 107

Up and Running

AUGUST 20, 2018

While there are common components that are found in almost every business plan, such as sales forecasts and marketing strategy, business plan formats can be very different depending on the audience and the type of business. Are the needs, demographics, or preferences of potential customers changing in a notable way? Competition.

Business Plan 119

Business Plan Technical Review Lean Forecast 119

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 8, 2013

If you are pre-revenue then it will be difficult to portray market traction unless you have the budget to conduct customer surveys. Practicing Top-Down Sales Forecasting. Unrealistic Exit Strategy and Multiple. “We expect to be acquired by Microsoft for a 50X EBITDA multiple” is not a good exit strategy.

Business Plan 67

Business Plan NDA Exit Strategy Valuation 67

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 1, 2009

Sloan put in place GM’s management accounting system (borrowed from DuPont) that for the first time allowed the company to: 1) produce an annual operating forecast that compared each division’s forecast (revenue, costs, capital requirements and return on investment) with the company’s financial goals.

Silicon Valley 156

Silicon Valley United States RSS Customer Development 156

Up and Running

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Set a specific time each month to review it , comparing forecasts to actuals and revising as necessary. Then you’ll think through your ideal customer, your competition, and your opportunities for growth. This section of your business plan describes what services you provide and how they benefit your customers. Key customers.

El Paso 61

El Paso Business Plan Technical Review Forecast 61

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

Lots of new box companies have trouble ironing out the kinks in their process: their customer can’t easily unsubscribe, their boxes just aren’t exciting or well-curated, and more. Target market (intended customers). Creating a buyer persona puts you in the customer’s shoes to guide marketing and sales decisions. Key customers.

Business Plan 63

Business Plan Curation Balance Sheet Intellectual Property 63

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

FEBRUARY 11, 2011

In this post, I want to lay out the details involved in how I first realized the opportunity, the formation of the business idea, the search for my supplier, the establishment and growth of the business, problems encountered and lessons learned, as well as the exit strategy that resulted in the $250,000 sale of the business.

SEO 86

SEO PPC America Design 86

Up and Running

MAY 22, 2018

What is this one thing that keeps your customers coming back to you (that your competitors don’t have)? When you tell investors about your target market, use a customer persona (if not a real, anecdotal) to illustrate the details. Say what your customer is experiencing to set the stage for how your solution can help.

Exit Strategy 90

Exit Strategy Angel Investor Search Elevator Pitch 90

The Next Web

MAY 26, 2013

Many ideas sound good on paper but fail spectacularly when put in front of customers. Provide customer acquisition costs. Investors want to know how much it costs you to gain a customer. For example, you could say, “It costs us $5 per customer through ads, but $2 per customer through affiliate networks.”

Software 151

Software Forecast Startup Exit Strategy 151

Up and Running

AUGUST 16, 2017

Firms that want to innovate with a focus on customers often hold small meetings with the potential end users where they describe the project and then ask users for their opinions. Startups and small businesses can offer more customized salary packages than large multinational corporations. No exit strategy for firing lazy co-founders.

Business Plan 127

Business Plan Hockey Stick Cofounder Salary 127