Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

In fact, I often have to tell aspiring entrepreneurs that their inventions have zero value, at least not until they are put in the context of a business plan, with qualified people committed to executing the plan. Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business. Don’t get me wrong.

Technical Review 391

Technical Review Intellectual Property Early Stage Global 391

Up and Running

JULY 1, 2020

You may grow to tap new markets or increase sales in your current markets. A good business plan is critical to starting a successful business. Creating a plan for business expansions is no less essential. How to use your business plan as a checklist. As the saying goes, haste makes waste.

Business Plan 152

Business Plan Forecast Operations Dilution 152

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves. Even if you feel that all is well, here are some thoughts and actions I would strongly recommend: Whole team must know the plan. Contact key vendors and existing customers.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Angel Investor 380

YoungUpstarts

MAY 12, 2020

Additionally, you’re not expected to excel at every single vertical of successfully managing the business. But it’s a lot harder to prepare a proper business plan unless you’re planning ahead of time and considering the additional resources, you will need help you with this endeavor. Or maybe with sales?

Vertical 264

Vertical Distribution Business Plan Software Development 264

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2020

Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. Focus is the art of limiting your scope to the key function that really matters for the majority of customers. It’s tough for an elephant to be agile.

Startup 424

Startup Bandwidth Distribution Agile 424

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Some entrepreneurs do very little to prepare for due diligence, assuming all the talking has already been done, and the business plan and results to-date tell the right story. Others schedule exhaustive training sessions for everyone on the team, including showcase customers, to make sure that everyone paints a consistent picture.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

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

Steve Blank

JUNE 26, 2014

We’re changing the order in which we teach the business model canvas and customer development to better-fit therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices. The Lean LaunchPad class uses the three “ Lean Startup ” principles: Alexander Osterwalders “ business model canvas ” to frame hypotheses.

Intellectual Property 290

Intellectual Property Lean IP Open Source 290

Steve Blank

JUNE 19, 2014

110 researchers and clinicians, and Principal Investigators got out of the lab and hospital, and talked to 2,355 customers, tested 947 hypotheses and invalidated 423 of them. clinical utility, customer, quality of data, reimbursement, what parts of the product are valuable, roles of CRO’s , and partners, etc.,)

Lean 277

Lean SBIR Intellectual Property Customer Development 277

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

MARCH 6, 2021

Don’t forget to add all pesky “overhead” costs, with fixed elements, like rent, insurance, and administration, and variable elements, like delivery, customer support, and commissions. If you expect payment in 30 days, many customers will stretch this period to 45 days or even 90. This difference will kill your profit margin.

Technical Review 379

Technical Review Finance Startup Salary 379

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

Many small businesses are turning to customer relationship management systems(CRM) to better understand customer wants and needs. CRM applications, often used in combination with data warehousing, eCommerce applications , and call centers, allow companies to gather and access customer information. What is CRM?

Management 116

Management Customer Software Review Technical Review 116

Steve Blank

MARCH 3, 2015

Berkeley Haas Business School is a leader in entrepreneurship education. It has replaced how to write a business plan with hands-on Lean Startup methods. The final deliverable for that class was a 30-page business plan. We had multiple business plan competitions. Today the U.C. And there it was.

Business Plan 120

Business Plan Silicon Valley Saudi Arabia Lean 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2021

The impact of a memorable story was highlighted for me recently as I reviewed the classic book, “ Sell With A Story ,” by Paul Smith, who is an expert trainer on increasing business results through storytelling. The words can be simple, like “I was meeting with a customer in Boston,” or “When my home was devastated by a tornado.”

Elevator Pitch 313

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Boston Sales 313

Up and Running

MARCH 8, 2022

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be a daunting process that takes weeks or months. Writing a plan just takes a little bit of preparation and a methodology that will guide you through the process, step-by-step. Can you really write a business plan in a day? Business plans can come in many shapes and sizes.

Business Plan 105

Business Plan Forecast Software Review Widget 105

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2019

Yet, in my experience as a small business advisor, they consistently tend to under-estimate or overlook a wealth of other costs that every business faces: Taxes and insurance payments. You find that you need to be near major customers, or employee transportation hubs, where rents are higher than you ever anticipated.

Cost 264

Cost Founder Software Review Startup 264

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 21, 2017

Rather, buyer behavior is rooted in their strategy — a combination of product thesis, their theory of their market’s evolution, how they need to position for customers and against competitors, their long-term brand development, geographic expansion plans, and so on. hundreds of millions of customers) and still growing fast.

Balance Sheet 242

Balance Sheet Vertical Acquisition Revenue 242

Up and Running

AUGUST 6, 2021

You’ve heard all the sales pitches and lofty claims before, and you’ve developed a snap reaction of disbelief. You can also focus on your brand mission , nonprofit efforts, the people behind your business , and even the way you make your products or services. They’re far more valuable as long-term customers.

Small Business 149

Small Business Customer Social Media Channel 149

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

None of this was law, and nothing in writing required this; this was just how these firms did business to protect their large institutional customers who would buy the stock. This required a repeatable and scalable sales process, which required a professional sales staff and a product stable enough that customers wouldn’t return it.

Founder 281

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 281

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. Businesses require an equally elegant business model, with the right price, messaging and delivery channel to the right target customers to keep the dream alive and growing.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review Business Model 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2023

Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. Focus is the art of limiting your scope to the key function that really matters for the majority of customers. It’s tough for an elephant to be agile.

Startup 287

Startup Bandwidth Distribution Agile 287

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Sales is all about how to get more customers, and relationship funnels prioritize establishing a genuine connection with your customers. To boost customer engagement and prepare them so that they can be presented with your offer, which will be the ideal answer to their problem at the ideal time.

Sales 152

Sales Audience Social Media Email 152

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2014

In fact, I often have to tell aspiring entrepreneurs that their inventions have zero value, at least not until they are put in the context of a business plan, with qualified people committed to executing the plan. Of course, it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business.

Technical Review 266

Technical Review Intellectual Property Early Stage Global 266

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2014

Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. Focus is the art of limiting your scope to the key function that really matters for the majority of customers. It’s tough for an elephant to be agile.

Bandwidth 262

Bandwidth Distribution Agile Social Media 262

Up and Running

DECEMBER 18, 2020

But one of the less obvious and more costly reasons is utilizing marketing that doesn’t connect with your customers. You can have a great product or service, an obvious opportunity and still be wasting money on customers that simply don’t appear. Defining an opportunity, what problem you solve, and turning it into an actionable plan.

Framework 130

Framework Customer Sales Product 130

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 17, 2018

One thing that comes with being a venture capitalist is you see hundreds and hundreds of businesses. You get to have interesting conversations with founders and review business plans and then see how these businesses evolve over the years. Payback periods on customer acquisition way more important to you in the near-term.

Founder 242

Founder Dilution Software Review Later Stage 242

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2018

The impact of a memorable story was highlighted for me recently as I reviewed the classic book, “ Sell With A Story ,” by Paul Smith, who is an expert trainer on increasing business results through storytelling. The words can be simple, like “I was meeting with a customer in Boston,” or “When my home was devastated by a tornado.”

Elevator Pitch 211

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Boston Sales 211

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 7, 2024

Value Report from Remodeling Magazine, siding replacement is among the top renovations that homeowners invest in, with costs recouped upon a home’s sale being 78% for fiber-cement and 75% for vinyl siding. Develop a Solid Business Plan A detailed business plan is crucial for any startup.

Software Review 157

Software Review United States Social Media Advertising 157

YoungUpstarts

JULY 7, 2020

Here are tips on how to start on this business: Have a business plan. When starting a business, the first thing most entrepreneurs work on is how to distinguish it from other business. In the aluminium joinery business, there are few options available on how to develop your brand. Know your location.

Reputation 237

Reputation B2B Technical Review Social Media 237

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 9, 2020

Ask that same CEO if they want “sales” and the answer will be far simpler… and more enthusiastic. But often smaller, less mature businesses will have a junior resource in the marketing role and one of their most senior resources in the sales role. Develop a Map to New Customers. Content is digital fuel.

Developer 214

Developer San Francisco Technical Review Sales 214

Up and Running

MAY 12, 2020

Develop a Business Plan. It’s been proven that planning makes you more successful. Beyond writing a business plan to acquire funding (if that’s what you need), a business plan can help keep you on track to meet your milestones and goals. Determine what type of business plan is right for you .

Software Review 153

Software Review Exit Strategy Technical Review Business Plan 153

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

controlling your psychology ) you no doubt have heard me say that raising capital is a sales & marketing process. Building models to evaluate the deal and/or reviewing customer files, company financials, business plans, etc. This is Sales 101.

Technical Review 314

Technical Review Due Diligence Partner Term Sheet 314

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

Up and Running

JUNE 25, 2020

And while generating new business and growing your customer base is necessary to succeed, it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes effective planning, strategy, and the willingness to get creative. If your sales have recently hit a plateau, check out these 10 proven methods to continue growing your business.

Small Business 180

Small Business Hosting Social Media Community 180

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2018

In fact, I often have to tell aspiring entrepreneurs that their inventions have zero value, at least not until they are put in the context of a business plan, with qualified people committed to executing the plan. Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business. Don’t get me wrong.

Technical Review 215

Technical Review Intellectual Property Early Stage Global 215

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

In my experience, the key steps I look for always include the following: Testing the idea against customers who have money to spend. Just because you think it’s a great idea doesn’t mean there is a business opportunity. Prepare your marketing story for customers and investors. Make sure your solution is defensible and unique.

Intellectual Property 235

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Harvest Technical Review 235