Posts Tagged ‘Marty Zwilling’
Don’t Forget Grants If You Need Early Seed Money
In the US, many entrepreneurs see grants as “free money,” since they are not loans and don’t have to be repaid. A grant is not an equity investment, so the entrepreneur doesn’t have to give up a stake in the company either. Typically they can be used to fund product development and commercialization that would otherwise require outside investors.
Read More Why Some Innovative Leaders Get Exceptional Results
How is it that only a few business leaders and entrepreneurs seem to drive exceptional results and disruptive innovation in this rapidly changing market economy (marketquake)?
Read More The Correct Answer to “How Will You Use My Money?”
Entrepreneurs looking for investor funding often fail to realize that all money comes with strings. For example, if you have watched the Shark Tank TV series, you probably noticed that the Sharks always ask the entrepreneurs for their intended “use of funds.”
Read More Don’t Let Investors Conclude Your Startup is a Hobby
Even when your startup is a one-man show and lots of fun, a “business” needs some discipline and controls to keep it from being defined as a hobby by investors, and assure some financial return.
Read More Is the Ideal Entrepreneur Right Brain or Left Brain?
Traditionally, the majority of entrepreneurs have been logical thinkers, problem solvers, and pay attention to details. These are the stereotypical left-brain engineers. Yet I see a big shift from the knowledge age, with its left-brain foundation, to a critical focus today on visualization, creativity, relationships, and collaboration, which are more in the domain of right-brainers.
Read More 8 Guidelines for Friends and Family Startup Funding
Friends and family will likely not expect the same level of sophistication on the business model and financials as a professional investor, but they do expect to see certain things. Here is a summary of some key items to think about as an entrepreneur before approaching friends, family, or even fools.
Read More A Founder’s First Key Decision is the Business Name
First things first – your startup needs a name! This may seem a silly and frivolous task, but it may be the most important decision you make. The name of your business has a tremendous impact on how customers and investors view you, and in today’s small world, it’s a world-wide decision.
Read More Some Entrepreneurs Get Big Value from an Incubator
More and more entrepreneurs are hearing about the successful graduates and investors queued behind a few well-known startup incubators, including Y Combinator, TechStars, and the Founder Institute.
Read More How to Size Your Marketing Budget for Funding
It’s not uncommon for me to see a startup business plan “mission” to be the “premier brand” for their product, yet their marketing budget in the financials is trivial. This combination will almost certainly get your plan tossed by potential investors.
Read More 10 Top Traits of the Boss You Always Wanted
Everyone can recognize a great manager a mile away, so why is it so hard to find one? We all remember a few that are “legends in their own mind,” but that doesn’t do it. In fact, the clue here is that the view in your mind is the only one that matters, rather than the other way around.
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