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10 Creativity Mistakes Jeopardize Long-Term Survival

Startup Professionals Musings

There is nothing wrong with a focus on making the current business model work better. Typical incentives give percentages of quarterly revenues and contribution as rewards for success. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company.

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Why a Company Can’t “Be More Like a Startup”

Steve Blank

Initially, a startup has no business model and no market share to defend. Its employees and investors don’t depend on an existing revenue stream. If they select a business model that targets industry incumbents, they don’t have to worry about upsetting existing customers, partners or distribution channels.

Startup 306
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Is the Lean Startup Dead?

Steve Blank

Tech IPO prices exploded and subsequent trading prices rose to dizzying heights as the stock prices became disconnected from the traditional metrics of revenue and profits. Startups wrote business plans, generated expansive 5-year forecasts and executed (hired, spent and built) to the plan.

Lean 335
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10 Realities Today Cause Startups To Bypass An IPO

Startup Professionals Musings

The reasons are a lot more complex than the meltdown of key investment banks in the US a few years ago, so don’t expect a big change in the numbers soon, even with recent stock market rallies. In addition, huge amounts of executive time are required, as well as hits to key operational, accounting, and communication processes.

IPO 210
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Why the Future of Tesla May Depend on Knowing What Happened to Billy Durant

Steve Blank

A version of this article appeared in the Harvard Business Review. The entrepreneur who founded and grew the largest startup in the world to $10 billion in revenue and got fired is someone you have probably never heard of. Elon Musk, Alfred Sloan, and entrepreneurship in the automobile industry.

Michigan 301
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Revenue-Based Investing: A New Option for Founders who Care About Control

David Teten

A new wave of Revenue-Based Investors are emerging who are using creative investing structures with some of the upside of traditional VC, but some of the downside protection of debt. I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching new business models in venture capital. So what is Revenue Based Investing?

Revenue 60
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10 Negatives That Still Make Going Public A High Risk

Startup Professionals Musings

The reasons are a lot more complex than the meltdown of key investment banks in the US a few years ago, so don’t expect a big change in the numbers soon, even with recent stock market rallies. In addition, huge amounts of executive time are required, as well as hits to key operational, accounting, and communication processes.

IPO 218