Watch Out For Snake Oil! How to Hire the Right Business Plan Writer
Snake oil refers to any product with questionable or unverifiable quality or benefit. By extension, a snake oil salesman is someone who knowingly sells fraudulent goods or who is himself or herself a fraud, quack, charlatan, and the like [via Wikipedia] Indulge me. Query “Hire a Business Plan Writer” into your favorite search engine. As […]
Ten Deadly Sins of Writing a Business Plan to Raise Capital
In order to launch a successful business and raise the capital needed to do so, a startup needs to consider several aspects of the business including the management team, the size of the opportunity, the product/service/technology, the market/sales/distribution channels, the competitive environment and several other factors. Another key factor is how these business concepts are […]
7 Critical Steps for Attracting Venture Funding
First and foremost, venture capital firms want to see an entrepreneur with passion and vision. Unfortunately, this usually isn’t enough to get them opening their pocket books. Some venture capital firms will have narrow criteria for the types of companies that they invest in while other will adopt a more broad portfolio and invest across […]
A Tech Company without a CTO is like a Bakery without a Chef
Every Tech Startup Needs a Chief Technical Officer Many entrepreneurs of successful tech-based companies do not come from tech backgrounds. However, the biggest mistake that a non-tech entrepreneur launching a tech business is to neglect bringing on a tech savvy co-founder on the management team. This is like a bakery or restaurant launching without a […]
Seed VC Funding in Silicon Valley On The Rise
Seed VC Funding in Bay Area on Pace for Record Year Seed funding in the San Francisco area appears to be on pace for another record year. Seed deals in 2013 have seen a massive push towards the mobile sector with a contraction to the online sector. Seed funding to both San Francisco and Silicon […]
Questions You Can Expect From Investors
The Most Common Questions Asked by Investors Statics show that investor receive thousands of plans a year and will only proceed to the next round with 10% of those at best. Regardless of the type of investor you are targeting (sophisticated individuals, angel groups or VC firms), it is important to be fully prepared to […]
Top Cities for Venture Capital Activity
Entrepreneurial Density and Venture Capital The chart below looks at the total amount of dollars spent by venture capital firms as well as the total number of deals on a per-capita basis. As we can see, Boulder came in third behind San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (AKA Silicon Valley) and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont. The map below provides a […]
The Importance of Differentiation
When asked about their product or service, most entrepreneurs could go on and on with the various features and advantages. However, once you ask them, “what makes your product or service desirably different?” their pitch begins to flounder. They begin to fall back on their key features or advantages over their competition. But, the question […]
Narrowing Your Addressable Market Down To Your Target Market
Before we go over some tips for narrowing your addressable market into a concise target market, lets first define these terms. Addressable Market The addressable market is the group of people (or businesses) whom might be interested in what you are selling. It is the broadest umbrella of potential customers that your target or service […]
America’s Health Craze Leads to Healthy Margins
Though America still tops the charts in diabetes, the country is increasingly becoming concerned with the negative health effects of certain foods. As a result, the food industry has seen an influx in healthier food options, both from new companies as well as large manufacturers. Higher Margins Given that health-conscious consumers are generally willing to […]
