Entrepreneurs need to be able to plan operations and evaluate decisions using projected financial information. Therefore, annual budgets, cash flow forecasts, and breakeven analyses are essential financial tools for founders to apply to their new ventures. Still, they provide the required information for potential investors or lenders when needed. After reading my posts on startup … Continue reading Startup Finance | Revenue Forecasts
There are some general approaches that one can apply to ensure that you don't make the common financial errors as outlined in an earlier post. In that post, I listed eight mistakes commonly made by founders as they work to understand the mechanics of their business model. As I always state, projecting the financial performance of … Continue reading Startup Finance | Making Assumptions
In an earlier post, I outlined some fundamental aspects of design thinking and how it supported the new venture realization process. For the following three parts, I want to look at the famous (and possibly infamous) IDEO Shopping Cart design video to answer one question - Are the lessons derived from this archival document still relevant? … Continue reading IDEO “Shopping Cart” Video: On Diversity, Deep Dive, & Culture
In a recent post, I spoke about the importance of applying a structured innovation process to develop and launch your startup. Furthermore, I argued that a reasonable approach would accommodate a variety of contexts, from startup to corporate innovation. This article focuses on using the venture realization process to develop social innovations that create value, impact, … Continue reading Maximizing Social Impact through Innovation
I want to offer steps you can apply to develop a good understanding of the market opportunity you are pursuing as you build your business plan to launch the venture. This analysis divides into four areas: Founder, Customer, Industry, and Startup Ecosystem. As discussed in previous posts, the first area deals with the founding team's … Continue reading Discovering Your Marketplace
In an earlier post, I have discussed the sales funnel's role in selecting promotional strategies to reach, acquire, and retain your target customer. Each stage of the sales cycle - Awareness, Consideration, Decision, and Post Purchase - was mapped to crucial marketing decisions. Focusing on a specific customer segment, you would take each stage of the … Continue reading Startups: Know Your Early Customer Metrics
My initial idea for this post was to write about the steps required to conduct a practical analysis of the relevant industry or sector that helps the founder examine the external environment in which the team will operate. The more I researched industry analysis methods, the more I realized how challenging it could be for … Continue reading Classify Your Startup to Optimize Market Research
Everyone agrees that measuring and monitoring startup performance is a critical success factor for fledgling enterprises. However, while much is written about measuring startup performance post-launch, there is less attention to pre-launch metrics. In this post, I make the case that establishing a disciplined pre-launch culture, manifested by a history of goal setting, measurement, monitoring, … Continue reading Why Startups Should Focus On Pre-Launch Metrics
Founders frequently ask me when is the best time to launch a venture? How does one know that it is the right time to take the plunge? For most entrepreneurs, the launch of a new business is a major professional and personal transition, a decision not to be taken lightly. The final decision takes a … Continue reading Are You Ready to Launch Your Venture?
In this post, I want to update our readers and subscribers on the current thinking about how new ventures move from an early idea to launch. I have been teaching topics associated with innovation for over 30 years, focusing on new product innovation. Over the years, my interests have evolved to include new venture creation … Continue reading New Venture Realization: Principles & Practices
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