Conducting a SWOT Analysis is critical to the long term success of your small business. The SWOT analysis process enables your team to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (of the entire company). These are all contributing factors in the growth and sustainability of the business. Understanding company strengths enables you to identify what...
An executive summary is often times the first piece of documentation an investor will ask you to provide when you express interest in raising capital for your business. An executive summary is usually a short version of the main body of an entire business plan. There are three main sections of a business plan—the business plan, marketing plan and financial plan (i.e. the financial projections). The intended audience (i.e. investors) should have a full understanding of your business industry, the products or services sold, target market, marketing strategy, and estimated sales, revenue, and return on investment after reading your executive summary. In this blog I identify what information needs to be included in an executive summary. Before approaching an investor, you’ll want to be 100% sure you cover all of the details they’ll want to hear. It will make you look well-prepared and potentially increase your chances of raising business capital from the investors you present to.
The right business plan outline will enable you to write a comprehensive business plan that your management team (and potential investors) will love! A business plan outline with instructions will make it easy for you to write a business plan on your own. While I always recommend you get expert help from a business planner...
The key to creating a strategic marketing plan that makes sense for your business is-- good research! You need to have an in-depth understanding of your business industry and target market. That’s the first step. Once you understand your business industry and target market, you’ll be able to determine which marketing and advertising techniques work best to reach them. In this blog I discuss how to effectively research your business industry and target market, what information you need to know about them and what marketing strategy (or strategies) you can use to connect with them.
What is micro venture capital? If you’re in the market for funding for your Palo Alto tech company, you’ve likely heard the term “micro venture capital.” If not, it’s important that you know exactly what it is and why it may be your best funding option at this stage in the game. Micro venture capital...
All new entrepreneurs can save a ton of money by cutting down on startup business costs. You’ll quickly realize that penny pinching is necessary when building a new business. Why spend more money when you don’t have to? To be honest, saying you will cut back on your startup business costs is easier said than done but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. A little creativity will go a long way when trying to cut down on startup business costs. Here are a few creative ways you can cut down on your startup business costs right from the beginning:
Business incubators are a great tool for startup companies that need business development assistance and communities with suffering economies. Business incubators are designed to support entrepreneurial development, job creation, and economic growth. They are also known for being business accelerators because they usually help speed up the growth of startups and early stage businesses. Entrepreneurs...
Timing is everything when planning to launch your small business startup. I've seen a number of people dive head first into starting a new business and fall flat on their face because they weren't prepared. Starting a new business isn't like starting a new job. It takes a significant amount of planning and preparation.
Scroll down to read the text version of this infographic. Starting the business of your dreams is no easy feat. That’s why it can hurt the core of your soul if it begins to fail. The good thing about failing early on in business is that you learn quickly what not to do (or...
Social media is a form of advertising that should not be ignored by any means. Social media advertising can work very well for small businesses who want to get exposure for their brand. I use social media extensively to promote my business and services. Being a business owner and trying to remain professional on all social media networks felt impossible to me when I first started using social media to promote my business.
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