Express Your Vision so Investors Can See the Light
Presenting your startup vision as a founder to a potential investor, or presenting an idea as an employee to an executive, requires that you effectively communicate, or “translate”, the value…
Business Plans Posts
Develop a Winning 10-Slide Pitch Deck
As a member of the local Angel group selection committee, I’ve seen a lot of startup presentations to investors, and I’ve never seen one that was too short - maybe…
Business Plans Must Cover 10 Essentials
People ask me if they really need ANY business plan when they aren't looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors,…
The Business Plan is Your Recipe for Success
I realized a while back that creating a new company for the first time is a lot like whipping up a great dinner entree for the first time – you…
Don’t Bug Investors With Your Idea Before It’s a Plan
Every investor gets pitched with at least ten “hot ideas” for every one actual “plan” for a viable business. That’s why I often say that ideas are worth nothing until…
Ten (More) Common Business Plan Mistakes
After laboring to create your business plan for months, every entrepreneur likes to think that their document is inspirational and will inspire someone who is smart enough to see the…
Six Executive Summary Essentials
What is an Executive Summary? The executive summary is the first section of your business plan. As the name implies, its purpose is to give the reader a brief overview…
Do You Have a Viable Business Opportunity?
You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. There…
You Can’t Achieve Goals If You Don’t Set Them First
Before you, as an entrepreneur, can hope to successfully start a new business, you need to set some goals and milestones to lead the way. It’s easy to talk in…
The Path to Funding Begins With Small Steps
Some entrepreneurs start pitching venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. That’s like trying to sell part of something to a stranger for…