Recent Articles Published by Noah Parsons
managing
No Competition? Not Possible!
So, your new business doesn't have any competition? Think again. All businesses have competition—but it might not be what you'd expect. Here's why every business has competition, and why that's actually a good thing. Read more »
funding
The 7 Key Components of a Perfect Elevator Pitch [With Video]
A solid elevator pitch is an essential tool for achieving your goals—and it needs to cover these 7 things. If you're pitching investors or building a pitch deck, here's how to make sure you've covered the essentials. Read more »
planning
How to Write a Business Plan [Updated for 2019]
Everything you wanted to know about writing a business plan, in one place—from the executive summary to appendix. Get started writing your business plan today. Read more »
managing
Cash Flow 101: What Is Cash Flow?
Not paying attention to your cash flow? Even profitable companies can fail if they don't have a clear understanding of the cash flowing into and out of their businesses. Here are the cash flow basics, and what to watch out for. Read more »
starting
Practical Market Research Resources for Entrepreneurs
Are you starting a business? One of the first things you'll need to do is market research. Here are a few top market research resources to get you going. Read more »
managing
The Top 10 Tools for Tracking Your Web Metrics
There are a number of great tools for tracking web metrics (both free and paid) that can help you get a better understanding of what your users are doing on your site—and even how your competitors are faring in their own online efforts. Here are the top 10 tools to check out. Read more »
planning
Do You Need a Business Plan? Scientific Research Says Yes
Do you really need a business plan? What does the scientific research say about business planning—does it actually lead to success? The answer to both questions is yes—and here's how it works. Read more »
starting
How to Do Market Research
Market research sounds like a complex process—but it’s actually very simple, and incredibly important for your business. We'll show you how to do it. Read more »
planning
Introducing Lean Planning: How to Plan Less and Grow Faster
Lean Planning unlocks faster growth and increases your chances of success. Learn how to create a modern, one-page Lean Business Plan in under 20 minutes. Read more »
planning
How to Run a Productive Monthly Business Plan Review Meeting
Business planning isn’t just a one-time or annual event. Instead, it’s an ongoing process, where you review your processes and adjust course as needed, while ensuring that you’re staying on track toward your larger goals. Here's how to do this easily with a monthly plan review meeting. Read more »
planning
How to Write a One-Page Business Plan
If you've been putting off writing your business plan, you're not alone. Writing a business plan can seem like a daunting task, and lots of entrepreneurs avoid it for this reason. Instead, try building a one-page business plan. Here's how to do it, and a free template to help you get started. Read more »
funding
The 11 Slides You Need to Have in Your Pitch Deck [Updated for 2018]
An impressive pitch deck is a key part of your fundraising toolkit. Use this detailed guide to figure out exactly what you need to include in your pitch deck to get the attention of investors. Read more »
planning
7 Reasons to Create a One-Page Pitch Before You Plan [Updated for 2018]
Writing a business plan? Do this first. Here's why you should create a one-page pitch to develop your business strategy before you write a detailed business plan. Read more »
planning
How to Write a Business Plan in Under an Hour
Does the idea of writing a business plan sound drawn-out and intimidating? It doesn't have to be. It’s possible to write your initial business plan in less than an hour—and here's how. Read more »
planning
Industry Research Versus Market Research: What’s the Difference?
Writing a business plan? You'll need to analyze your market and industry. But, what's the difference between industry analysis and market analysis? Read more »
starting
How to Build a Website for a New Product (and How We Did It)
No matter what kind of business you are starting, you need a website. Here's how we built the website for our new product, Outpost—we'll walk you through the process. Read more »
planning
An Inside Look at the Best Way to Build a Sales Forecast
Sales forecasting is a great way to kick off your business planning, and it gives you a solid starting point for the rest of your financial forecast. Here's how to forecast your sales, and how we did it for our new project, Outpost. Read more »
starting
How We Designed Our New Logo (Plus, a Creative Brief Template)
You don't need to have a graphic designer on your team to create a logo for your new business. Here's how we designed the logo for our new product, Outpost. Read more »
starting
Struggling to Name Your Product? Here’s How We Did It
It's hard to force creativity—so we created a process. Here's how we named our new product, Outpost, and the method we used to choose the right name. Read more »
starting
How We’re Building and Launching a New Product, Step-by-Step
Ever wondered what actually goes into launching a new product? We’ve decided to give you a peek behind the curtain and share with you how we’re doing things. Read more »
