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  • Startup Pre-money Valuation: The Keystone to Return on Investment

    Investing in seed and startup companies is extremely risky: Angel investors typically realize about 85 percent of their total portfolio returns from 15 percent of their portfolio companies. Consequently, angels look only for companies that can grow rapidly. Entrepreneurs who pursue less aggressive growth are unlikely to attract angel investors.

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  • Valuation of Pre-revenue Companies: The Venture Capital Method

    This informative piece explains a well-known method that venture capitalists use to determine “post-money valuation,” which is a company’s valuation at the time of investment. Perhaps more important, it provides valuable insights into why the returns expected by investors are often perceived as “too high” by entrepreneurs.

    Article
  • Design the Right Compensation Plan for Your Business

    Much work is involved in developing an executive compensation plan that keeps your company competitive, integrates short- and long-term goals, and contains performance measurement systems that tie back to compensation. Well-devised packages drive organizational goals and objectives and your top talent.

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  • Processes, Procedures, and Policies

    Discover the importance of planning and documenting processes–what we do, procedures–how we do it, and policies–why or when we do it.

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  • How to Conduct Fundamental Market Research

    Completely understanding your market allows you to confidently approach any customer, potential partner, or investor. This entrepreneur and angel investor outlines a five-step process for knowing breadth and depth of the market landscape.

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  • Market Research Informs a Business Idea

    This entrepreneur and former banking executive shows how she used market research to discover the opportunity for an unexpected new venture. She researched ways around obstacles, identified solutions, and stayed creative–until one day, she found herself at the helm of a very successful business.

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  • Successful Entrepreneurial Market Research Techniques

    While it is true that large companies always can afford full market research programs, entrepreneurs running growing companies should know there is a vast array of data and information that can be obtained at little cost and time.

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  • Ten Focus Group Tips

    Market research results can help an entrepreneur change company behavior. To that end, this author recommends a ten-step plan for tapping the power of focus groups to conduct research that is immediately actionable.

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  • Bootstrapping

    Bootstrapping is a tactic to help you spend less cash and therefore need less to operate your business. This article discusses ways to bootstrap your business operations.

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