I’m really sick of these startup pitches. Their businesses are usually miles apart, but listening to their pitches make them sound all the same. It’s so damn generic! “So… how do we solve this?” “With out us…users…would be lost…” “We help grow online communities…to reach their full, potential” “This is a $500…million dollar market…If we reach…10% of this market, we’ll be successful” “Our Team consists of myself…I have…
An Insider’s Guide: Negotiating with a Business Angel Investor
by / ⠀Funding• Startup Advice / February 15, 2012The Internet is saturated with articles on ‘how to pitch your idea’; ‘how to draft and implement your pitch to perfection’ ad nauseam, but there are simply not enough articles and resources out there on how a relatively inexperienced entrepreneur should deal with hard hitting investors when meeting them to raise external investment for their business. As an established entrepreneur and angel investor network that has featured thousands…
Local Incubators Offer the Best Shortcut to Success for Startups
by / ⠀Funding• Startup Advice / February 8, 2012The vast majority of young entrepreneurs may often find themselves looking over their shoulders, wondering if a more experienced competitor will beat them to the punch or display better judgment in his decision-making processes. A lack of experience can be an “Achilles heel” if left unattended at the critical early development stage, when a step in the wrong direction can cost precious time and money. One approach to…
Those of us in the workforce today have all been told one thing about building a great career: go to college! While we all know that there’s bad debt out there as well as good, we’ve been led to believe that a college degree is “good debt” because it’s an investment in the future. Any funds that pay for a solid education are worthy of the debt they…
Nail the Investor Pitch: Image, Presentation and Content
by / ⠀Funding• Startup Advice / January 26, 2012You have to be very clear about what type of business you are. One flaw that a lot of potential entrepreneurs display is that of lacking investor empathy – they do not understand what a business investor is looking for. Often, Business Angels will have specialization and experience within one or two industries, as it is rare to find a jack of all trades – why invest in something…
Contrary to what you are seeing in the press there is simply too much money in the World at the moment; too much capital seeking too few investment opportunities. Remember the 1930s depression created more Millionaires than in any other era (ever), and now will be no different. A large amount of High net worth individuals in the Western World are seeking to diversify their portfolios away from…
When you pitch your company, product, or service are you met with blank stares? Does your audience politely smile, nod, and then walk away? Maybe it is time to take a closer look at your pitch and make sure that you are not making one of the following deadly mistakes. 1. Using Industry Jargon One of the worst pitch mistakes you can make is using industry jargon. Don’t…
Poll Results: What Has Been the Main Source of Funding for Your Small Business?
by / ⠀Funding / January 7, 2012What has been the main source of your small business funding? It can seem as though the answer to that question is as varied as the types of startups springing up everywhere these days. We asked our readers this fairly straightforward SME funding question. We wanted to see how people are getting the money they need to get their small to medium-sized enterprises off the ground. Not surprisingly,…
Debt can be a scary thing especially in today’s economy. However, it is also crucial to growing and expanding any business. It can help you move forward faster and more efficiently than your competitors. You would find it difficult to find a small business owner who never took on any debt at any stage of the business whether it was a loan, credit cards or another method. Of…
Poll: What Has Been the Main Source of Funding for Your Small Business?
by / ⠀Funding / December 11, 2011We want to know how young entrepreneurs are funding their small businesses. Let us know what has been the primary source of funding for your small business. We will publish the results next week.…