Ben's Blog

MARCH 1, 2011

In my career, I have never seen a position in any industry with more varying criteria than General Partner at a venture capital firm. Some firms hire pure investors, some firms hire operators, some Wall Street analysts, some firms hire sales people, some firms hire lawyers, and others hire reporters.

Partner 78

Partner Technical Review Venture Capital Cofounder 78

NZ Entrepreneur

DECEMBER 1, 2022

These include seeing customers becoming more cost-conscious (43%), buying less (29%), and being more attracted by sales and discounts (22%). The best starting place is to consider your key cost centres, such as purchasing, sales, finance, and administration, for example. 1) TAKE A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH. 7) SEEK OUT AN EXPERT.

Cost 88

Cost Small Business New Zealand Technical Review 88

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

As your organization grows and you hire senior staff where you are no longer managing every employee directly the issue of how to manage people that are not your “direct&# reports arises. You’ll get sales information from your VP of Sales, marketing information from your VP Marketing, tech information from your CTO and so on.

CTO Hire 308

CTO Hire Management Technical Review Part-Time VPE 308

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2012

Trusted partners quit, personal friends become enemies, and staff management becomes a huge burden. The proactive solution is to hire sparingly, and spend the time and effort needed to hire existing experts in all cases. Probably 80% of the startups I know have found human resource issues to be the most treacherous.

Advisory Board 240

Advisory Board Forecast Early Stage Product Development 240

Up and Running

JULY 1, 2020

You may grow to tap new markets or increase sales in your current markets. It starts with a high-level strategy and continues all the way to market analysis, sales plans, operations planning, and financial modeling. Financial projections: You’ll need to forecast how the expansion will improve future profitability.

Business Plan 152

Business Plan Forecast Operations Dilution 152

Up and Running

MAY 21, 2020

You either partner with somebody, or take a job in that industry, or let it go. Don’t just hire a consultant; you need to do this first basic lean business plan by yourself. You were testing a business idea. If you don’t know enough about it to make this list, you have a dream but not a real business idea.

Lean 186

Lean Business Plan Software Review Angel Investor 186

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 22, 2017

When this has a few months’ history, it will be useful for forecasting future expenses or profits, as well as reviewing historical balances. A Sales Invoice File – Keep all your invoices together in one file. Hire Professional Services. Share the Load. Either take turns on a rota basis, or sit down together to do the work.

Software Review 100

Software Review Startup Vesting Forecast 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2011

Trusted partners quit, personal friends become enemies, and staff management becomes a huge burden. The proactive solution is to hire sparingly, and spend the time and effort needed to hire existing experts in all cases. Probably 80% of the startups I know have found human resource issues to be the most treacherous.

Advisory Board 232

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 232

Duct Tape Marketing

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Does that muddy up the forecasting, the models, or the accounting? [12:31] 15:59] What’s the first strategic sort of leadership hire that you think an agency needs? [17:07] Look, if you work in sales, wanna learn how to sell or just peek at the latest sales news. I'm gonna go hire 'em now they know.

CPA 71

CPA Technical Review Revenue Forecast 71

Up and Running

MAY 9, 2022

The audience for an internal business plan is typically your business partners and employees. Focus on forecasts and performance. One of the most important management tools at your disposal is a budget and forecast. Sales channels and marketing activities. From there, build out your financial forecasts and budgets.

Business Plan 160

Business Plan Forecast Lean Channel 160

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

Of partner? Of course it is super helpful if a VC can drop you in to important people for business development, recruiting, PR, sales and eventually M&A. Picking a VC is hard. You don’t really have much to go on to decide who would make a good fit. Reputation of firm? Deals done in your industry? Connections? Commitment.

Portfolio 364

Portfolio Chicago Sales Incubator 364

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 29, 2024

Start by defining your key resources, activities, and partners. Will you opt for direct sales, subscriptions, or a freemium model? Hiring the right people is critical, but it’s just the beginning. This involves careful budgeting, financial forecasting, and cash flow management.

Intellectual Property 158

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Bootstrapping 158

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

Outline your management team and any people you want to hire to help you launch your business. List any partners and resources you need to help you launch. Set your sales goals and create a budget for your expenses. Build a sales forecast. Build a cash flow forecast. Build an expense budget. Business Ratios.

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Lean Forecast Balance Sheet 60

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

They can be everywhere—between departments, such as the marketing and sales department, or within departments. Silos also exist between external partners, such as agencies and consultancies. As for breaking down silos with external partners, I recommend condensing the number of agencies you’re using down to one, if possible.

Metrics 132

Metrics Campaign Channel Advertising 132

Up and Running

MAY 12, 2020

With fill in the blank templates, powerful financial forecasting tools, and lender approved pitch designs you’ll go from template to a full business plan in no time. . Point of Sale system (if necessary). Find good business partners and people who will refer you. Feature discounts, special sales, or limited-time offerings.

Software Review 153

Software Review Exit Strategy Technical Review Business Plan 153

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

They focus more on increasing their sales without making preparations for the envisaged increase. So, as you work towards increasing your sales, you should also begin to work on the scalability of your business. Start with a growth forecast. Check your growth rate, and use it to forecast what it will be in 5 years.

Forecast 147

Forecast Demand Technology Employee 147

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Getting the first meeting with a VC isn’t easy because each partner at a VC firm gets so many requests for meetings that he/she couldn’t possibly take them all so they tend to prioritize people that were introduced from high-quality sources. For starters you have to realize that fund-raising is a sales process.

Cap Table 336

Cap Table Due Diligence Forecast Churn Rate 336

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. Strategy, Tactics, Specifics, and the Forecast – (11:45). “Here’s our forecast.” Tweet at us: @Bplans (include the hashtag #BCast).

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Forecast Software Review 60

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 17, 2013

But trust me, there are many benefits to taking the time to do a half-year review right now — before time runs out to adjust to the market and make conquest sales to improve your bottom line. Do it while your competitors are sitting on their hands, and there will be conquest sales and a bigger payoff for you and your business.

.Net 178

.Net Harvest Employee Leadership 178

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2010

Trusted partners quit, personal friends become enemies, and staff management becomes a huge burden. The proactive solution is to hire sparingly, and spend the time and effort needed to hire existing experts in all cases. Probably 80% of the startups I know have found human resource issues to be the most treacherous.

Advisory Board 125

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 125

ReadWriteStart

FEBRUARY 27, 2018

Like most functions in today’s businesses, sales is currently undergoing a transformation. Lead generation , customer acquisition, and sales resources are being approached differently. Companies now replace the cold call with new sales tools and tactics that are changing results for the better. Employing Digital Sales Tools.

Sales 71

Sales Artificial Inteligence Lead Generation B2B 71

Up and Running

AUGUST 28, 2018

Revisit and update it regularly by comparing your forecasts to your actuals and adjusting as necessary. Components of this section include: Your marketing and sales plan. Marketing and sales plan. Sometimes you can increase sales by upselling and cross-selling , or offering complementary services. Your operations plan.

Business Plan 72

Business Plan Technical Review Exit Strategy Oregon 72

OnlyOnce

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

Post 4 of 4 in the series of Scaling CPO’s- the other posts are, When to Hire your First Chief People Officer , What does Great Look like in a Chief Privacy Officer and Signs your Chief Privacy Officer isn’t Scalin g. I guess that’s walking the walk, not just talking. That means everybody in the room was in the know as well.

Leadership 77

Leadership Forecast Employee Hosting 77

VC Cafe

MAY 5, 2020

In his opinion column on the Financial Times titled “ The business world can never go back to the way things were “, famed Sequoia partner Michael Moritz articulates what he believes are the winners and losers in the wake of the “New Normal” post Covid-19 lockdown. all conduct their business over the internet).

Forecast 145

Forecast Venture Capital Cloud Demand 145

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2012

Ryan Blair, a serial entrepreneur who admits to his share of million dollar mistakes, as well as some multi-million dollar successes, sums these up nicely in his book “ Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain :” Don’t make wildly optimistic sales forecasts. Don’t hire people who like your ideas all the time.

Entrepreneur 243

Entrepreneur Forecast Hiring Leadership 243

Up and Running

AUGUST 30, 2017

This description should basically be an elevator pitch for potential partners and business investors to get excited about what you’re offering and your unique location, philosophy, and approach. What criteria will you use in hiring staff? Having a solid marketing plan will help you get clear on your sales strategy.

Business Plan 93

Business Plan SBA Software Review Advisory Board 93

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

DataRails , the financial analysis and reporting software startup, has announced the hiring of David Rosenberg as the company’s new VP of customer success. Goori herself came on board in October 2021, when DataRails significantly bolstered its executive team with a string of high-profile hires. DataRails has already raised $53.5

Hiring 172

Hiring Software Review Customer 172

David Teten

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017

PEVCTech is partnering with Blue Future Partners to run the first large-scale survey of VCs’ technology stack. Johann Kratzer of Blue Future Partners , a fund of funds, observed, “The majority of the hundreds of funds we’ve diligenced rely predominantly on their relationships to source deals. Greylock Partners.

Private Equity 60

Private Equity Venture Capital Equity Technical Review 60

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

I got an email recently from my friend & fellow VC, Jeff Bussgang from Flybridge Capital Partners in Boston. Jeff (also an HBS alum) co-teaches the LTV course with Professor Eisenmann about a student of theirs who had written a blog post about sales taking on some of my previous assertions. Specifically, 1.

Startup 319

Startup Early Stage Sales Cofounder 319

OnlyOnce

MAY 26, 2022

Post 4 of 4 in the series on Scaling CFOs – other posts are How to Engage with Your CFO , When it is Time to Hire Your First Chief Financial Officer , and What Does “Great” Look Like in a CFO? ). Do they spend time in-market with customers, partners, or vendors? Other Signs Your CFO Isn’t Scaling.

Cap Table 62

Cap Table Forecast Finance Metrics 62

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2011

Ryan Blair, a serial entrepreneur who admits to his share of million dollar mistakes, as well as some multi-million dollar successes, sums these up nicely in his current bestseller “ Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain :” Don’t make wildly optimistic sales forecasts. Don’t hire people who like your ideas all the time.

Forecast 241

Forecast Startup Hiring Leadership 241

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2022

It has less focus on financial forecasting and a greater focus on the big picture. They’re a waste of time because they typically follow the same format as a traditional business plan, where you are asked to project sales, expenses, and cash flow 5 and 10 years into the future. Let’s be real. They’re just fantasy.

Business Plan 83

Business Plan Lean Forecast Exit Strategy 83

Up and Running

OCTOBER 30, 2017

While you might use your business plan as part of your pitch to investors and banks , and to attract potential partners and board members, you will primarily use it to define your strategy , tactics, and specific activities for execution, including key milestones, deadlines and budgets, and cash flow. Marketing and Sales Plan.

Venture Capital 166

Venture Capital Business Plan Limited Liability Company Finance 166

Austin Startup

MAY 26, 2019

I was hit with rejection left and right: rejection from investors, rejection from closing big deals, rejection from hiring great talent, rejection from support. As a result, we had thousands and thousands of orders delayed because our fulfillment partner couldn’t keep up. I became numb. Money suddenly got really tight.

Spain 50

Spain Email Dallas Conversion 50

www.entrepreneur.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Marketing Sales & Marketing Home Marketing Basics Sales Online Marketing Finding Customers Social Media Branding Social Media Does Your Companys Social Personality Need a Makeover? Market value doesn't equal the sum of sweat equity invested by you and your partners. Financing Some Jobs Act Proposals Make Headway.

Sweat Equity 55

Sweat Equity Equity Fractional CTO CTO 55

Gust

OCTOBER 14, 2012

Don’t make wildly optimistic sales forecasts. Don’t hire people who like your ideas all the time. Do not fraternize with your employees, and choose your partners wisely. Be quick to fire and slow to hire. Pull the trigger fast when a new hire isn’t working, but don’t forget to be human and follow all the steps.

Entrepreneur 174

Entrepreneur Forecast Hiring Leadership 174

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Investors want to hear about your first customers, other investments put into the company (including your own sweat equity), key media placement, signed letters of intent (LOI) to purchase/partner, product and customer milestones , key hires, and so on. Address competition head-on. 1,000 new leads captured per month.

Sweat Equity 122

Sweat Equity Churn Rate Elevator Pitch Forecast 122