I was recently speaking to a software company CEO who was excited about having signed a big multi-year contract with a customer. He mentioned that this contract would significantly increase…
Why keep business records? When you’re passionate about your company, keeping accurate business records can seem like a boring chore. It’s not the most glamorous or engaging task, and it…
A call came into our office last week from a stressed out small business owner in Florida. He said that he needed a business plan right away that he could…
Mobile payment systems are sweeping the consumer landscape, offering speed and flexibility to both customer and retailer. Mobile payments include both systems that allow consumers to make payments with their…
Last week we received an inquiry from a young woman in North Carolina. She told me that she and her husband wanted to start a commercial landscaping business. She said…
I plan to publish a series of posts on mistakes I frequently see in financial forecasts (or pro-formas, or financial projections, or whatever you want to call them). I’ve segregated…
First-time Internet entrepreneurs often have unrealistic expectations regarding advertising revenue in their financial projections. It's not enough to say "hey, it worked for Facebook." Not only was Facebook a rare…
Cash is the fuel of every startup. Your burn rate is the rate at which that money is being spent, and allows an estimate of how long you can go…
Once you have a potential investor excited about your team, your product, and your company, the investor will inevitably ask “What is your company’s valuation?” Many entrepreneurs stumble at this…
Most entrepreneurs tend to avoid this area of the business, and as a result are badly surprised by cost realities, and investor expectations. They seem to think that financial projections…