How are you doing today? How about this week, this month, or this quarter? When it comes to your early stage business, knowing how your company is doing in several distinct respects is essential for the survival, profitability, and growth of your company. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are the vital signs that measure the health […] Read more “5 Key Performance Indicators for Start-Ups”
Category: Entrepreneurs
Every few years it seems, a new technological innovation emerges which promises to revolutionize the way businesses operate. What is now familiar and fundamental — email, cloud computing and storage, collaborative project management platforms – were once alien and often intimidating before they were universally adopted. Today, the revolution turns to “blockchain.” You may have […] Read more “Blockchain: What is It? Why Should You Care?”
Remember the good ol’ days, like 2016, when the focus on alternative funding for start-ups was on the revolutionary avenues of crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending? Well, 2017 saw the rise of yet another way early-stage companies can get the capital they need to grow and thrive. The Initial Coin Offering (ICO), through which companies use […] Read more “3 Questions About Start-Up Funding Through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)”
If you don’t think hacking and other cyber-threats pose a huge risk for small businesses, think about this: a polarized Congress seemingly unable to agree on anything actually passed a bipartisan bill about it. As reported in The Hill, the Senate approved legislation in late September which would require the federal government to offer more […] Read more “5 Critical Cyber-Security Steps Your Small Business Can Take Immediately”
Is hiring a part-time CFO or accounting freelancer a viable option for your business? Entrepreneurs by nature are overachievers. They believe in what they are doing and believe that they can do it all. But the reality is that once an early stage company gets some traction, all the entrepreneurial spirit, talent, and energy drinks […] Read more “5 Reasons to Outsource Your Start-Up’s Finance & Accounting Teams”
If you’re an entrepreneur or a start-up founder, no matter what industry or field you are in, you are also a salesperson. You are selling investors on your idea and you are selling potential partners and c-suite colleagues on your vision. Let’s face it, sales is important for any startup. You may also be the […] Read more “4 Tips for Building a Powerful Start-Up Sales Team”
There may be safety in numbers, but for many startups, there is also wisdom in numbers, complementary talents and skill sets in numbers, and credibility in numbers. Having a number of people with the experience and insight to help your early stage company navigate challenges, avoid mistakes, and build a foundation for future success can […] Read more “5 Tips for Building an Effective Start-Up Advisory Board”
There was a time when borrowing money to start a business meant one thing: a bank and its often byzantine and bureaucratic approval process. But markets change, as does technology, and early stage companies seeking capital no longer have to turn to skeptical and onerous loan committees to get the funding they need to get […] Read more “5 Alternative Funding Sources for Start-Ups”
When you are living and breathing your start-up dream, when it seems like everything you do and every thought you have is about how to build and grow your company, it can be easy to lose focus on other things. You may not exercise as much as you should, eat poorly, or not spend as […] Read more “5 Personal Savings Tips for Start-Up Founders and Entrepreneurs”
Quick tips to help your startup maintain healthy cash flow. If your brilliant ideas and strategy are the brains of your start-up, and your entrepreneurial passion and vision are its heart, then cash flow is the blood running through your company’s veins. If that flow is too weak or stops entirely, or you fail to […] Read more “3 Cash Flow Management Tips for Start-Ups”
Reddit. Dropbox. Airbnb. These are just three of over 1,400 startups which have obtained early-stage funding, guidance, and support from West Coast tech accelerator Y Combinator since 2005. In 2013, Y Combinator began utilizing a new and novel instrument for many of its seed-stage investments: the Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE). Since then, SAFEs […] Read more “Playing It SAFE: Should Your Start-Up Consider a Simple Agreement for Future Equity?”
Just as cash comes in different denominations, the money that funds your start-up can come from many different sources. You can invest money from your own pocket (“bootstrapping”) and you can lean on your friends and family to buy into your dream. But things can get more complicated when you seek capital from folks you […] Read more “Angel Investors v. Venture Capital: Where Should Your Start-Up Look for Funding?”