Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2021

Every time I challenge a business plan with little or no budget for marketing, I get the answer that they will be using “viral” marketing, which costs nothing. At any rate, “buzz-worthy” and “viral” are marketing illusions that cost big money to create, and these are only the beginning. That’s a double death wish.

Viral 348

Viral Marketing SEM Campaign 348

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2014

buy out an entire company for its revenue and profits. Corporate business development and strategic partner executives are flocking to Silicon Valley to find these five types of innovation. Remember, the definition of a startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. (

Acquisition 334

Acquisition Intellectual Property Silicon Valley Startup 334

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2021

I’m sure all you accountants will agree that fixing the mistakes listed here does not require rocket science, but I’ve seen them so often that to be forewarned is to be forearmed: Failing to factor in fixed costs when pricing. Always use a break-even analysis to measure what volume and price are required to offset total costs.

Technical Review 379

Technical Review Finance Startup Salary 379

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. For example, when you think about distribution channels, revenue streams, or the relationship with the customer, ask customers what they expect.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Up and Running

JULY 1, 2020

A good business plan is critical to starting a successful business. Creating a plan for business expansions is no less essential. And using your business plan template to develop an expansion plan increases your odds of success and allows you to avoid bad investments.

Business Plan 152

Business Plan Forecast Operations Dilution 152

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

Before you jump into starting your own vacation rental business, you’ll need a business plan. This article will cover the steps to create your Airbnb business plan, along with some tips to run it successfully. How to write an Airbnb business plan. Why are you starting your Airbnb business?

Business Plan 110

Business Plan Software Review Technical Review Forecast 110

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Others will work hard on a business plan, and then mail it indiscriminately to every potential investor they can find on the Internet. Attached is a copy of my full business plan for your review.” I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.”

Entrepreneur 299

Entrepreneur Technical Review Business Plan Angel Investor 299

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. A great business often starts with one person, but it doesn’t end there.

Intellectual Property 281

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Sweat Equity CTO Hire 281

Up and Running

OCTOBER 3, 2017

This article is part of our “Business Planning Guide” —a curated list of our articles that will help you with the planning process! Start from the very beginning understanding that your business plan ought to be specific to your business needs and objectives. Build your plan, then organize it.

Business Plan 134

Business Plan Balance Sheet Forecast Lean 134

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2012

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. For example, when you think about distribution channels, revenue streams, or the relationship with the customer, ask customers what they expect.

Startup 296

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 296

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

When starting an online fitness business, one of the first key elements you must prepare is a business plan. For starters, it can set your business up for success from the start rather than down the line. How to write an online fitness business plan. Industry analysis.

Business Plan 81

Business Plan Software Review Demand Hiring 81

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

Every time I challenge a business plan with little or no budget for marketing, I get the answer that they will be using “viral” marketing, which costs nothing. At any rate, “buzz-worthy” and “viral” are marketing illusions that cost big money to create, and these are only the beginning. That’s a double death wish.

Viral 268

Viral Marketing SEM Campaign 268

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

Others will work hard on a business plan, and then mail it indiscriminately to every potential investor they can find on the Internet. Attached is a copy of my full business plan for your review.” I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.”

Technical Review 310

Technical Review Angel Investor Business Plan Social Media 310

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. For example, when you think about distribution channels, revenue streams, or the relationship with the customer, ask customers what they expect.

Startup 286

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 286

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. It’s hard to build a business without a plan, just like it’s hard to build a house without a blueprint. A great business often starts with one person, but it doesn’t end there.

Intellectual Property 260

Intellectual Property Sweat Equity CTO Hire Fractional CTO 260

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. For example, when you think about distribution channels, revenue streams, or the relationship with the customer, ask customers what they expect.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Startup Angel Investor Technical Review 283

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 21, 2017

Revenue multiples, profit multiples, premium over the previous financing — these are metrics used by sellers to help determine a minimum acceptable price. Even for startups, it takes years for a new product to become good enough to demand many millions of dollars in revenue.). Yet mobile advertising revenues were paltry.

Balance Sheet 242

Balance Sheet Vertical Acquisition Revenue 242

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

He refined his business plan and he got commitments for $150-200k but needed some lead angels to commit first. When he re-approached me he had a much better plan and he had a prototype! The CEO had 60-page Powerpoint presentations analyzing every micro detail of the business. But then something awesome happened.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Fractional CTO Technical Review CTO Hire 414

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever. But for founders who do their homework, the cost of entry is lower and the opportunity is higher than ever. The cost of social media done well is low.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Angel Groups Social Media 261

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2013

Every time I challenge a business plan with little or no budget for marketing, I get the answer that they will be using “viral” marketing, which costs nothing. At any rate, “buzz-worthy” and “viral” are marketing illusions that cost big money to create. entrepreneur startup marketing budget viral marketing business'

Viral 249

Viral Marketing Entrepreneur SEM 249

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2013

For starters, here is my selection of some key metrics that every six-sigma joint like GE tracks without thinking, but that too many small businesses haven’t yet formalized: Sales revenue. Sales data needs to be correlated to advertising campaigns, price changes, seasonal forces, competitive actions, and other costs of sales.

Metrics 252

Metrics Technical Review Retention Acquisition 252

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2012

I’m sure all you accountants will agree that fixing the mistakes listed here does not require rocket science, but I’ve seen them so often that to be forewarned is to be forearmed: Failing to factor in fixed costs when pricing. Always use a break-even analysis to measure what volume and price are required to offset total costs.

Technical Review 273

Technical Review Startup Finance Cost 273

Steve Blank

MARCH 8, 2011

We were positing that 20 years of teaching “how to write a business plan” might be obsolete. Startups, are not about executing a plan where the product, customers, channel are known. Startups are in fact only temporary organizations, organized to search –not execute–for a scalable and repeatable business model.

Lean 307

Lean Business Model Customer Development Guinea 307

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

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. The result?

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2019

Steve Blank via Flickr by jdlasica I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Don’t forget a viable financial model of costs, margins, customer acquisition, and break-even.

Startup 245

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 245

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Just don’t quit your day job before your new company is producing revenue. A related company may see the value of your product as complementary to theirs, and be willing to advance funding, which can be repaid when you develop your revenue stream. Friends and family. Consider licensing and “white labeling.” Commit to a major customer.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

I’m sure all you accountants will agree that fixing the mistakes listed here does not require rocket science, but I’ve seen them so often that to be forewarned is to be forearmed: Failing to factor in fixed costs when pricing. Always use a break-even analysis to measure what volume and price are required to offset total costs.

Technical Review 251

Technical Review Entrepreneur Salary Finance 251

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2020

The norm for entrepreneurs is to be optimistic on revenue projections, and miserly on funding needs. The key here is to plan ahead, nurture a relationship with your favorite venture capitalists, and leverage the growth and assets you already have with other lending and funding organizations.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Due Diligence Startup Acquisition 306

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2020

Some analysts argue that revenue drives growth, while others say user growth drives revenue. Google reached $1B in revenue within five years of incorporation, and now has a market capitalization of over $1 trillion. A business only achieved critical mass by becoming cash-flow positive. Both have worked.

Revenue 434

Revenue Valuation Viral Retention 434

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

— Unremarked and unheralded, the balance of power between startup CEOs and their investors has radically changed: IPOs/M&A without a profit (or at times revenue) have become the norm. Typically, this caliber of bankers wouldn’t talk to you unless your company had five profitable quarters of increasing revenue. The founders.

Founder 281

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 281

Up and Running

APRIL 22, 2020

Maintaining your business through the coronavirus crisis has likely led you to cut costs, revise your sales projections, and potentially seek out a loan to help you stay afloat. Many startups are small, local businesses with hopes of eventually rapidly scaling—but they’re still establishing a track record. Risky industry.

SBA 139

SBA Forecast Software Review Business Plan 139

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 17, 2020

While every type of business has its own financial requirements, (i.e. an entrepreneur should have about 6 months worth of fixed costs on hand at the beginning. Additionally, take time to plan your costs and don’t underestimate expenses – they will likely increase as your business grows.

Finance 217

Finance Forecast Balance Sheet Angel Investor 217

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 6, 2020

Writing a business plan is an important step for any entrepreneur. But, if you’re starting a SaaS busines s, the business plan plays an outsized role because the money required to fuel growth can be much more than you would guess. marketing) and the financial plan. . Customer acquisition plan. Cash is king.

Business Plan 87

Business Plan Forecast Churn Rate Acquisition 87

VC Cafe

JULY 26, 2020

In a capital scarce environment following the Dot Com crash, startups needed to do more with less and survive long enough to generate revenue. Most principles of Lean Startup remain true, as described by Steve Blank in The Lean Startup Changes Everything : Business Plans are dead: Startups a series of hypothesis that need to be tested.

Lean 214

Lean Seed Capital Startup Burn Rate 214

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2017

As a starting entrepreneur, you might wonder: why on earth would I want to start a subscription (box) business? Subscription business brings recurring revenue. There are not many business models that provide such freedom and steady growth as a sub-segment of eCommerce – subscription business.

Churn Rate 149

Churn Rate eCommerce Business Model Bootstrapping 149

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2020

They don’t realize that business projections with no third-party validation have no credibility with investors, and smart potential investors will walk away. Every good business plan needs an early section which sizes the total market opportunity, and then breaks down that total into the most relevant segments for your focus.

Business Plan 393

Business Plan Marketing SBA Venture Capital 393

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

Now is the time to be an entrepreneur and create a business from your passion. The cost of rolling out a business has never been lower – it only takes a few hundred dollars to incorporate a Limited Liability Corp (LLC) online, create your own website, use social media to get attention, and you are in business.

Technical Cofounder 184

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Silicon Valley LLC 184