Tag Archives: VentureTips

Being Small is Not a Strategy for Beating Your Competition

Posted on September 2, 2014 by

A meaningful percentage of my startup clients have no respect for their competition.  Too many first-time founders have bought the story that big existing companies in their space are too slow to be a competitive threat.  Or that “existing competitors aren’t as … Continue reading →

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The Four Seasons of Your Start-Up…Autumn Begins! (reprise)

Posted on September 23, 2013 by

(Originally posted in 2012…thought of it as I picked my last tomato of the season yesterday!) The temperature outside my window last night dipped to 44, the crickets have stopped chirping and my wife told me that she “can’t manage … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Planning, Entrepreneurial Advice, Seed/Venture Capital, Tech Based Economic Development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Assessing Your Competitive Landscape…It’s a Forest Out There

Posted on September 16, 2013 by

I’m finally going to get a business plan pet peeve off my chest and onto your shoulders.  I’ve decided that I’ve read my last business plan with a “Competition” section that blithely lists a few direct competitors and a factoid … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Planning, Entrepreneurial Advice, Seed/Venture Capital | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Scalawags, Scoundrels, and Other Corporate Partners

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

If you only quickly scan this post, you may get the impression I’m suggesting that relationships with companies larger than your start-up are not a good idea.  If you are getting that impression, please keep reading.  For almost all B-to-B … Continue reading →

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VentureTips: In Defense of the Downtrodden Business Plan

Posted on August 14, 2012 by

The recent consensus from investors and experts on business plans is…don’t do them.  Most often I’m hearing that founders have not written a business plan document.  They’ve prepared executive summaries, powerpoint pitches and filled out forms at online pitch sites. … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Planning, Entrepreneurial Advice, Seed/Venture Capital | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Let Us Begin with the Beginning

Posted on June 19, 2012 by

And so, in conclusion, we project that our exit will occur on July 30, 2019. Perhaps the only aspect of your business’s future that is less certain than your 3rd year EBITDA, is the financial exit that you and your … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurial Advice, Tech Based Economic Development, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

VentureTips…Make Your Business About Your Customers, Not About Your Technology

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

A founder came to see me yesterday to give me an update on how 2011 went and to bounce some ideas off of me for where to take the company next.  The company is a small business that is approaching … Continue reading →

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Every Top 10 List Deserves a Few Cautions

Posted on November 28, 2011 by

Martin Zwilling’s recent post discussing “10 Clues That It May Be Time To Start Your Own Business”  is only partly useful.  It provides a checklist of feelings or observations that, if you experience them, may help you recognize that you … Continue reading →

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Should VC’s Be More Like Lumberjacks?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by

According to this Small Business Trends post, only 10% of all VC investment goes into seed and early stage companies.  That is up from only about 5% in the mid-2000’s, but well below the 15-25% range that existed between 1980 … Continue reading →

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VentureTips…Wise Beyond Their Years

Posted on July 19, 2011 by

Ah, youth.  Early signs of future success sometimes appear to be obvious, but so many do not live up to their potential.  Like the highly recruited college athlete who appears to be the “next one”, early promise can fizzle or … Continue reading →

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