Category: Startups

I’m Afraid VCs Will Take Over

Tuesday, 17 January 2023 by SEO'Brien

How do startup founders protect their company from investors in the shareholders’ agreement? Should they? Protect from what?? Seriously, think about it for a moment. The startup community is flooded with people who ‘don’t want VC,’ think, ‘investors will take over,’ and fear the influence or control of investors. This paranoia is a problem in

Published in Startups

18 Comments

Startup Valuations May Vary, Here’s Why and What You Need to Know

Monday, 05 December 2022 by SEO'Brien

Businesses are valued based a multiple of earnings and profit. The variation stems from a few things associated with what that multiple might be (since earnings and profit are evident) Investor opinion about the capabilities of the executive team Investor awareness of competition, threats, and opportunities Investor knowledge about the market, trends, and potential regulation

entrepreneurship funding fundraising startups term sheets terms valuation value venture capital

Published in Startups

9 Comments

Startups aren’t defined by Tech: How a Beverage Venture can Change the World

Sunday, 09 October 2022 by SEO'Brien

Why is Coca-Cola a super successful company even though its main product does not solve any world problem? The question caught my attention for two reasons: Much of the world seems misled to perceive that startups and technology go hand in hand, as though something can’t be a startup unless it is in tech. Too

beverages cpg entrepreneurship innovation marketing startups

Published in Advertising, Industry, Insights / Research, Startups

12 Comments

Sole Startup Founder? This is Why You’re Struggling

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 by SEO'Brien

In the past few days alone, half of my office hours with startups have resulted in exactly the same feedback, in a critical but advisory way: I don’t care You’re telling me about the product, the solution I have no idea how to help you, stop selling me 8 different startups fixated on telling me

entrepreneurship

Published in Startups

44 Comments

Neither Your Product nor Your Idea is Fundable

Sunday, 14 August 2022 by SEO'Brien

How do I sell a startup that has a validated solution yet neither users nor revenue? Among the primary FAQs within startup incubators and of advisors, is how do I get my product funded? You know the question through the variety of ways in which it emerges: How do I raise startup capital for my

capitalism economic development entrepreneurship funding government innovation patents product startups venture capital

Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Startups

32 Comments

New Business or Startup? It Matters

Friday, 01 July 2022 by SEO'Brien

I’ve been the “Grumpy Get Off My Lawn!” about this over the years and tend to just roll with the people who are adamant that words are interchangeable, feeling that it’s not worth pushing when people want to say one thing can mean another. Of what have I been grumpy? Words matter. An investor in

business entrepreneurship funding startups venture capital

Published in Insights / Research, Startups

15 Comments

Startups: Market Timing is Misleading

Monday, 27 June 2022 by SEO'Brien

It’s never too early to work on something toward which you’re truly passionate. Too many founders start out focused on building the business they want or expecting when and how to make money. Bless them for playing, but that’s not how startups work. Those are the people who fail not because they’re wrong, they fail

entrepreneurship marketing timing

Published in Insights / Research, Startups

15 Comments

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