Posts Tagged ‘Startups’
How Well Versed Are You in Startup Investor Jargon?
Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. I’m not recommending that you saturate your discussions with lingo, but responding with a blank stare once-too-often won’t convince anyone that you can build the next world-changing business or…
Read MoreYour Startup May Need a Surety Bond
Many new, first-time business owners don’t know about surety bonds until they find out they are required to have them—usually as part of the licensing process. Typically, a government agency in your state or county will require you to have a surety bond. So, if you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur, chances are that…
Read MoreHow to Do Due Diligence on Investors
This is my Quora answer to “How do I perform due diligence on investors?” Choose an Investor Like You Would a Spouse I’m so glad you asked this question, because it’s really important and vastly underemphasized. You should choose an investor like you choose a spouse. Due diligence is essential. First, tell this person you…
Read MoreHow to Start a Business on $200
Knot & Bow founder Erin Ozer talks organic growth, hiring tipping points, and the importance of risk. Opportunity is all about perspective. Some people look at $200 and see a flight to somewhere warm. Erin Ozer, founder of the Brooklyn-based gift and party supplies company Knot & Bow, saw a business. Having quit her job…
Read More3 Creative Ways to Fund Your Ideas
You’ve gotta spend money to make money. It might be a tired old cliche, but when it comes to small businesses and startups, it still rings true. These days it’s very hard to get anything or anywhere on goodwill, thus if you are in the midst of building your business, you are going to need…
Read More5 Ways Unknown Founders Can Draw Interest from Investors
There’s no better time to be an entrepreneur than right now. Not only is there a low barrier to entry for the business world, startups now have access to what is estimated as a trillion dollar pool of capital. But apart from crowdfunding portals that make money more accessible, fundraising can still be a painful and time-consuming process. In fact,…
Read More7 Ways to Bootstrap Your Business to Success
Most first-time entrepreneurs seem to believe the myth that they need a minimum of a half a million dollars to start a business. At least that is usually the lowest number I see requested from our local angel investment group. In reality, over 80 percent of successful new businesses are self-funded for much less—often as little as…
Read More5 Venture Capital Tips for Hardware Startups: It’s More Than Just the Product
Hardware startups, like every startup, need capital to get off the ground. But when it comes to getting started, it’s hard to point to a standard operating manual, because the world of hardware startups is so new—startups have been able to approach this space only recently due to low-cost components and digital fabrication. For years,…
Read MoreDear Young Entrepreneurs: They’re Lying to You
All over the web, on Q&A sites, blog posts, and so on, in panels and conferences, and in the occasional book, know-it-all alleged experts are lying to young entrepreneurs about the value of education. They sprout clichés that are unrealistic, impractical, and that when taken to an extreme, are even tragic. Lie: A startup is better than…
Read More7 Indicators of Business Traction You Should Celebrate
Every entrepreneur is quick to tell friends and potential investors about his or her vision of changing the world, about all the customers who have expressed an interest, and about all the other investors who are lining up to get a piece of the action. As an angel investor, I really prefer to hear evidence…
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