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We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies – we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth. MORE
Investors have spread the word that you can’t get “hockey-stick” growth without a large cash infusion. MORE
Present a “hockey-stick” financial growth model without sharing your numbers behind your numbers (a.k.a. If I had a nickel for every pitch I saw where the financial projections grow in the shape of a hockey stick, I could have funded my last startup! Are you pitching “hockey-stick” financial growth? MORE
We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies in The Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, France and Sweden– we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth. MORE
So if your numbers are here, going up in a hockey stick—and let’s just say this is your hockey stick—and your marketing expenses go up, and how do I do? So for me, what makes a sales forecast credible? It starts with product market fit. I want to understand the story of the need, and not necessarily big numbers, but who needs this and why. That’s the beginning. Is this really believable? That’s important. Beyond that, how the numbers grow. MORE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2018
Your goal is that magical breakeven point and hockey-stick profit-growth curve. Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. MORE
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup Founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above. MORE
There is no champagne-popping, no hockey stick growth, and no overnight success. I’ve just released a 2-hour audio documentary chronicling the story of building and launching my latest startup, Drip. Launch. A Startup Documentary was compiled and edited from 9 months of Skype calls between myself and my software developer, with an epilogue recorded 1-year later (about 2 weeks ago). MORE
Investors have spread the word that you can’t get “hockey-stick” growth without a large cash infusion. If you really want to start a business your way without a boss or professional investor hovering over you, then just fund it yourself or through friends and family, and grow it organically. It’s more possible to bootstrap today than a few years ago, as the cost of entry continues to go down. MORE
Traction is evidence that your product or service has started that “hockey- stick” adoption rate which implies a large market, a valid business model, and sustainable growth. A graph that shows a hockey-stick “up and to the right” curve with at least three data points per key indicator is a great visual assist. MORE
And there are others that people think are teeny little wannabes with a dozen or so employees…that have $25 million in highly profitable revenues with hockey stick growth and zero debt! Parts of the answer are that (a) there are enormous regulatory requirements relating to secondary markets, and (b) there are no analysts tracking private company stocks. MORE
When I ran Opsware, we had the non-linear quarter problem also known affectionately as the hockey stick. The hockey stick refers to the shape of the revenue graph over the course of a quarter. Our hockey stick was so bad that one quarter, we booked 90% of our new bookings on the last day of the quarter. Naturally, I was determined to straighten out the hockey stick and bring some sanity to the business. MORE
Here, you’ll learn what not to do when forecasting sales, and how to build a forecast on realistic sales projections—rather than the dreaded “hockey stick” forecast. When it comes to starting and managing a business, forecasting your sales is essential. Having a sales forecast can help you budget and manage your business’s funds, create a plan for expansion, and avoid unpleasant surprises. MORE
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall. This S-Curve, with no correction, can quickly lead to disaster. I’m not talking here about a small pivot. MORE
Virtually, every business plan that's ever been presented to the investor community, invariably, has that fabled "hockey stick growth" period where suddenly revenue jumps exponentially. So, while "hockey stick growth" might be something you're chasing, it may not be something you can manage. Hockey stick growth" is like going viral � good luck with that! Hockey stick growth" can happen�but so too can lightning strike in your driveway. MORE
Your goal is that magical breakeven point and hockey-stick profit-growth curve. Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. MORE
Products and services will be considered as related by the authorities if they are: Used together – hockey sticks and ice skates; Sold together – underwear and socks; Made with similar materials or ingredients – butter and cheese. MORE
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale. Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to scale. But what does that really mean? Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. MORE
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale. MORE
Your goal is that magical break even point and hockey-stick profit-growth curve. Cashflow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. MORE
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale. Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to scale. But what does that really mean? Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. MORE
In the accounting business, your revenue chart basically looks like a hockey stick,” says Ernie Mayhorn, owner of Capital Tax Solutions in Carson City, Nev., To even out the “hockey stick” revenue cycles, Ernie finds money-making opportunities for slow periods. by Aditya Narula, head of customer success at Kabbage. Just about every business has times when orders are coming in the door fast and furious, and other times when work slows to a crawl. MORE
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.”. That was so long ago that I had to ask him to explain the hockey stick metaphor. True story: I sat down for lunch with a friend, a Sand Hill Drive venture capitalist. MORE
We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, France and Sweden – we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth. MORE
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup Founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above. MORE
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
Your goal is that magical breakeven point and hockey-stick profit-growth curve. Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. MORE
With the advent and proliferation of “growth hacking”, many products are launching with hopes of leveraging data, A/B tests, and viral loops to manufacture a hockey stick growth curve. It’s easy to think you can growth hack your way into an overnight success, but in practice it rarely works out that way. Instead, it looks more like this in the early days/months/years: Startups take off because the founders make them take off. MORE
We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, France and Sweden – we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth. MORE
The hockey stick doesn’t emerge quite like you thought it would. There is four times as much seed capital in the venture market this year as there was 1 year ago. Because of this, it’s easier to attract seed funding than it has been in the past. I’ve noticed a disturbing new trend and I think it’s related. Startups are “quitting” when the first year doesn’t go as planned. MORE
As you can see from the chart below Amazon has delivered on the proverbial hockey stick that startups put in their business plans, and they’ve done it at serious scale. Amazon just posted strong Q1 results and investors sent their share price up 11%. If you’ve been reading this blog for some time you will know I’m a huge admirer of the way Jeff Bezos has built his business. MORE
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Dave Power growth slowdown hockey stick s-curve MORE
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale. Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to scale. But what does that really mean? Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost. MORE
Hockey stick” shaped growth projections. This article is part of our Business Planning Guide —a curated list of our articles that will help you with the planning process! What are the most common mistakes when writing a business plan ? Here is my list of the ones to make sure you avoid. While including the necessary items in a business plan is important, you also want to make sure you don’t commit any of the following common business plan mistakes. Putting it off. MORE
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above. MORE
There is no champagne-popping, no hockey stick growth, and no overnight success. I’ve just released a 2-hour audio documentary chronicling the story of building and launching my latest startup, Drip. Launch. A Startup Documentary was compiled and edited from 9 months of Skype calls between myself and my software developer, with an epilogue recorded 1-year later (about 2 weeks ago). MORE
Why do entrepreneurs sometimes resort to the “hockey stick forecast,” especially when they pitch to investors? I first heard the term in the 1980s, at lunch with a venture capitalist friend, when he said he was “tired of all those hockey stick forecasts” he was getting from startups. The turn upward is like the bend in the hockey stick. But hockey stick projections are also always suspect. MORE
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup founders quandaries in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above. MORE
AirBnB has delivered on the proverbial hockey stick growth that I imagine they had in their pitch deck back in 2010. The chart above shows the number of guests AirBnB has hosted each summer for the last five years. It was on Techcrunch this morning. It’s an amazing chart. They’ve lived the dream. We can draw lessons for this for new startups. In particular for founders who plan to emulate the success of AirBnB. MORE
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall. This S-Curve, with no correction, can quickly lead to disaster. I’m not talking here about a small pivot. MORE
All investors want to see real evidence that the dogs will eat the dogfood before they give any credibility to your hockey-stick projection curves. Big-bang hard launches make sense for large enterprises like Apple or Microsoft, who are building on existing revenue streams and have the resources for lavish events, Superbowl ads and large inventory buildups. MORE
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall. This S-Curve, with no correction, can quickly lead to disaster. I’m not talking here about a small pivot. MORE
The "Hockey Stick" is a Great Story, Don't Get Me Wrong. The "hockey stick" is a pretty familiar visualization for startups. You have to be able to tell a good story. I mean that as a general rule. i'm a folklorist after all, right?). But when you're an entrepreneur, it's particularly important that you can craft a story to share with others, one that really encapsulates what you do and why you do it. MORE
Traction is evidence that your product or service has started that “hockey- stick” adoption rate which implies a large market, a valid business model, and sustainable growth. MORE
Hockey sticks. Initial indications showed that hockey sticks production and Prosthetics might be considered as “Gold mine” opportunities, while Drones and Bridges were defined as “Moon shots”. Based on this evaluation, the group recommended the startup to focus on hockey stick manufacturers and try to learn more about this market opportunity. The post CompPair- Finding the way from the Lab to the Market appeared first on Where to Play. MORE
Hockey Stick Related Topics 
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 20, 2020
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Dave Power growth slowdown hockey stick s-curve
Small Business Force
SEPTEMBER 7, 2013
Virtually, every business plan that's ever been presented to the investor community, invariably, has that fabled "hockey stick growth" period where suddenly revenue jumps exponentially. So, while "hockey stick growth" might be something you're chasing, it may not be something you can manage. Hockey stick growth" is like going viral � good luck with that! Hockey stick growth" can happen�but so too can lightning strike in your driveway.
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Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
Traction is evidence that your product or service has started that “hockey- stick” adoption rate which implies a large market, a valid business model, and sustainable growth.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 18, 2020
Investors have spread the word that you can’t get “hockey-stick” growth without a large cash infusion.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 19, 2020
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale.
The Next Web
JANUARY 16, 2017
We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies in The Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, France and Sweden– we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth.
The Next Web
FEBRUARY 20, 2017
We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, France and Sweden – we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth.
Where to Play
JULY 18, 2019
Hockey sticks. Initial indications showed that hockey sticks production and Prosthetics might be considered as “Gold mine” opportunities, while Drones and Bridges were defined as “Moon shots”. Based on this evaluation, the group recommended the startup to focus on hockey stick manufacturers and try to learn more about this market opportunity. The post CompPair- Finding the way from the Lab to the Market appeared first on Where to Play.
Up and Running
FEBRUARY 12, 2018
Why do entrepreneurs sometimes resort to the “hockey stick forecast,” especially when they pitch to investors? I first heard the term in the 1980s, at lunch with a venture capitalist friend, when he said he was “tired of all those hockey stick forecasts” he was getting from startups. The turn upward is like the bend in the hockey stick. But hockey stick projections are also always suspect.
The Next Web
NOVEMBER 28, 2016
We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies – we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth.
The Next Web
FEBRUARY 20, 2017
We asked these companies to tell us the data backed story on how key decisions were made, which growth hacks led to the much loved hockey stick curve, and how this impacted their company. In the lead-up to Tech5 2017 – the annual competition organized by TNW and Adyen which celebrates Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, France and Sweden – we’re launching a series of remarkable stories of businesses that experienced extreme growth.
Startup Professionals Musings
FEBRUARY 26, 2013
Traction is evidence that your product or service has started that “hockey- stick” adoption rate which implies a large market, a valid business model, and sustainable growth. A graph that shows a hockey-stick “up and to the right” curve with at least three data points per key indicator is a great visual assist.
The Next Web
APRIL 22, 2016
With the advent and proliferation of “growth hacking”, many products are launching with hopes of leveraging data, A/B tests, and viral loops to manufacture a hockey stick growth curve. It’s easy to think you can growth hack your way into an overnight success, but in practice it rarely works out that way. Instead, it looks more like this in the early days/months/years: Startups take off because the founders make them take off.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 23, 2019
In the accounting business, your revenue chart basically looks like a hockey stick,” says Ernie Mayhorn, owner of Capital Tax Solutions in Carson City, Nev., To even out the “hockey stick” revenue cycles, Ernie finds money-making opportunities for slow periods. by Aditya Narula, head of customer success at Kabbage. Just about every business has times when orders are coming in the door fast and furious, and other times when work slows to a crawl.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 10, 2019
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup founders quandaries in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above.
Software By Rob
DECEMBER 2, 2014
There is no champagne-popping, no hockey stick growth, and no overnight success. I’ve just released a 2-hour audio documentary chronicling the story of building and launching my latest startup, Drip. Launch. A Startup Documentary was compiled and edited from 9 months of Skype calls between myself and my software developer, with an epilogue recorded 1-year later (about 2 weeks ago).
ReadWriteStart
JULY 9, 2020
Products and services will be considered as related by the authorities if they are: Used together – hockey sticks and ice skates; Sold together – underwear and socks; Made with similar materials or ingredients – butter and cheese.
The Equity Kicker
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
AirBnB has delivered on the proverbial hockey stick growth that I imagine they had in their pitch deck back in 2010. The chart above shows the number of guests AirBnB has hosted each summer for the last five years. It was on Techcrunch this morning. It’s an amazing chart. They’ve lived the dream. We can draw lessons for this for new startups. In particular for founders who plan to emulate the success of AirBnB.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 29, 2018
Your goal is that magical breakeven point and hockey-stick profit-growth curve. Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.
David Cohen
JULY 29, 2015
The hockey stick doesn’t emerge quite like you thought it would. There is four times as much seed capital in the venture market this year as there was 1 year ago. Because of this, it’s easier to attract seed funding than it has been in the past. I’ve noticed a disturbing new trend and I think it’s related. Startups are “quitting” when the first year doesn’t go as planned.
Up and Running
APRIL 24, 2014
So if your numbers are here, going up in a hockey stick—and let’s just say this is your hockey stick—and your marketing expenses go up, and how do I do? So for me, what makes a sales forecast credible? It starts with product market fit. I want to understand the story of the need, and not necessarily big numbers, but who needs this and why. That’s the beginning. Is this really believable? That’s important. Beyond that, how the numbers grow.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
Your goal is that magical breakeven point and hockey-stick profit-growth curve. Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 1, 2015
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall. This S-Curve, with no correction, can quickly lead to disaster. I’m not talking here about a small pivot.
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.”. That was so long ago that I had to ask him to explain the hockey stick metaphor. True story: I sat down for lunch with a friend, a Sand Hill Drive venture capitalist.
The Equity Kicker
MAY 3, 2016
As you can see from the chart below Amazon has delivered on the proverbial hockey stick that startups put in their business plans, and they’ve done it at serious scale. Amazon just posted strong Q1 results and investors sent their share price up 11%. If you’ve been reading this blog for some time you will know I’m a huge admirer of the way Jeff Bezos has built his business.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 14, 2014
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup Founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above.
Startup Professionals Musings
JANUARY 11, 2015
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale. Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to scale. But what does that really mean? Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 5, 2014
Your goal is that magical break even point and hockey-stick profit-growth curve. Cashflow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Investors check your burn rate to assess your efficiency, and project your remaining runway before you run out of money and into a brick wall. Don’t wait until you are almost out of cash before managing every dollar spent, or looking for the next refueling from investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall. This S-Curve, with no correction, can quickly lead to disaster. I’m not talking here about a small pivot.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 3, 2018
Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall. This S-Curve, with no correction, can quickly lead to disaster. I’m not talking here about a small pivot.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 7, 2013
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale. Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to scale. But what does that really mean? Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost.
ReadWriteStart
NOVEMBER 11, 2010
The "Hockey Stick" is a Great Story, Don't Get Me Wrong. The "hockey stick" is a pretty familiar visualization for startups. You have to be able to tell a good story. I mean that as a general rule. i'm a folklorist after all, right?). But when you're an entrepreneur, it's particularly important that you can craft a story to share with others, one that really encapsulates what you do and why you do it.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 19, 2017
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above.
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
Present a “hockey-stick” financial growth model without sharing your numbers behind your numbers (a.k.a. If I had a nickel for every pitch I saw where the financial projections grow in the shape of a hockey stick, I could have funded my last startup! Are you pitching “hockey-stick” financial growth?
Software By Rob
DECEMBER 2, 2014
There is no champagne-popping, no hockey stick growth, and no overnight success. I’ve just released a 2-hour audio documentary chronicling the story of building and launching my latest startup, Drip. Launch. A Startup Documentary was compiled and edited from 9 months of Skype calls between myself and my software developer, with an epilogue recorded 1-year later (about 2 weeks ago).
Startup Professionals Musings
FEBRUARY 14, 2016
Organic growth (reinvesting profits only) will not allow you to build the “hockey stick” growth curve desired by premium buyers at exit, or financial analysts positioning you for public stock sale. Investors will tell you that they love to put money into startups that are scalable, and ready to scale. But what does that really mean? Simply stated, it means that your business has the potential to multiply revenue with minimal incremental cost.
Gust
NOVEMBER 15, 2012
And there are others that people think are teeny little wannabes with a dozen or so employees…that have $25 million in highly profitable revenues with hockey stick growth and zero debt! Parts of the answer are that (a) there are enormous regulatory requirements relating to secondary markets, and (b) there are no analysts tracking private company stocks.
Startup Professionals Musings
APRIL 6, 2016
Investors have spread the word that you can’t get “hockey-stick” growth without a large cash infusion. If you really want to start a business your way without a boss or professional investor hovering over you, then just fund it yourself or through friends and family, and grow it organically. It’s more possible to bootstrap today than a few years ago, as the cost of entry continues to go down.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 19, 2013
If you take investor money, expect a push for hockey-stick growth and a liquidity event, like going public (IPO) or sale (M&A), to get the payback. Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup Founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 27, 2015
All investors want to see real evidence that the dogs will eat the dogfood before they give any credibility to your hockey-stick projection curves. Big-bang hard launches make sense for large enterprises like Apple or Microsoft, who are building on existing revenue streams and have the resources for lavish events, Superbowl ads and large inventory buildups.
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Hockey stick” shaped growth projections. This article is part of our Business Planning Guide —a curated list of our articles that will help you with the planning process! What are the most common mistakes when writing a business plan ? Here is my list of the ones to make sure you avoid. While including the necessary items in a business plan is important, you also want to make sure you don’t commit any of the following common business plan mistakes. Putting it off.
Up and Running
APRIL 19, 2017
Here, you’ll learn what not to do when forecasting sales, and how to build a forecast on realistic sales projections—rather than the dreaded “hockey stick” forecast. When it comes to starting and managing a business, forecasting your sales is essential. Having a sales forecast can help you budget and manage your business’s funds, create a plan for expansion, and avoid unpleasant surprises.
Ben's Blog
JULY 20, 2011
When I ran Opsware, we had the non-linear quarter problem also known affectionately as the hockey stick. The hockey stick refers to the shape of the revenue graph over the course of a quarter. Our hockey stick was so bad that one quarter, we booked 90% of our new bookings on the last day of the quarter. Naturally, I was determined to straighten out the hockey stick and bring some sanity to the business.
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