I had been dreading to make the call for almost a week. I knew I needed to do it, but just didn’t have the courage. For seven years I worked my ass off in my company, raised over $1MM and grew my green retail stores into probably the largest in the country at that time. We had become an international sensation with media from all Read More »
In our experience, the following key factors heavily influence the results of many venture capital investments: Selection and on-boarding of high quality, high-performance-minded entrepreneurs Quality, speed, and convenience of high value interactions Attracting and retaining the right professional managers at the right time in the emerging growth company’s life cycle If you agree, then LinkedIn may be a solid approach to each of these attributes. Read More »
There is a common assumption that you have to raise money from outside sources to start a viable business. In fact, the vast majority of small businesses are launched solely on the owner’s dime and time. Some businesses seem to simply require outside investment, particularly if they call for expensive equipment, a substantial inventory, significant labor, or the like. However, most business ideas can be Read More »
The vast majority of new businesses are self-funded, but the second most common financing method is through friends and family. Typically, those closest to you are the most likely to believe in you and your startup idea, they know your capabilities, and they want to see you succeed. However, money issues have a tendency to cause rifts in even the closest relationships, so it is Read More »
Green technologies… an ambiguous term… it could imply the latest technical breakthroughs to save the environment or it could mean the hottest funding trends available to entrepreneurs who want to raise capital for their new Internet and software start-ups. The Internet removed barriers so companies and individuals could market their products and services directly to consumers. Social networking made it easy to approach consumers because Read More »
If your startup is looking for an Angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to a large flock of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. Or does it? I’ll come back to that later. One of the most common questions I get is “How do I find Angel investors?” With today’s access to the Internet, Read More »
Many of us believe that we have the next multi-million dollar idea that will revolutionize an industry. However, funding is usually the greatest obstacle in order to get a project off the ground. Raising capital is not an easy thing to do in any economy, much less an economy that is struggling. Elevator speeches and fancy poster board presentations will get you as far as Read More »