3 Reasons Why Now is The Best Time for Women Entrepreneurs
According to data from the US Census, in 2011 women received 52% of all bachelor’s degrees awarded, and 55% of all master’s degrees. That’s impressive. But, according to this infographic, only 10% of venture-funded start-ups are women-owned–and that number dips below 5% for tech start-ups. What’s going on? Sure, there are still barriers (you may...
What Kind of Funding is Right for Your Business?
It’s the question that everybody starting a small business asks. Do I need outside funding or can I bootstrap my business. If I do need funding, what kind do I need, and how to I get it? Most businesses are actually financed by home equity or private savings. Attracting venture capital or angel investors is...
By Bplans
Book Review: Unlocking Your Entrepreneurial Potential
Are you looking to build your own business? Go out on your own? Sadly, we tend to overemphasize the high-end process of developing a plan and then getting investment, while the vast majority of real businesses are self funded. I saw a Wells Fargo study that concluded the average cost of a startup is $10,000....
By Tim Berry
Need Funds: What About Family and Friends?
“I’ve got a great idea for a business, but I don’t have any money to get it started! Where can I get money from the government or find investors to help me start my business?” If I had a dime for every time I’ve been asked this question, I’d be wealthy enough to establish my...
Beware of Friends and Family Financing
I caught a blog post last week recommending friends and family financing for a startup. It’s dangerous when a good blog posts bad advice. So I’m not going to link to that post here. Years ago I met a man who’d spent 15 years struggling to make a sailboat manufacturing business work. He’d started the...
By Tim Berry
5 Lessons for Bootstrappers on Dealing With Banks
Banks and bankers have a relatively bad reputation, largely undeserved. Being more of a natural hermit than a networker, I can’t say I ever looked forward to dealing with banks, even though I had to. But over time, through the years of running the business, I’ve met a lot of smart, likable banking people. And...
By Tim Berry
Bootstrappers need business planning too.
There’s a world of difference between the business plan and business planning. Tim Berry speaks to this in his new article on Entrepreneur.com: Business Plans for Bootstrappers There is considerable confusion about business plans. Too many people think of a business plan as a document used to describe a business to potential investors. Sure, it...
By Tim Berry
Most Companies Run on Sales, Not Investment
I had a slightly disturbing talk with an entrepreneur at a smartups.org meeting last Thursday night. Smart-ups is a local group getting entrepreneurs together in the Eugene-Corvallis area in Oregon. This man will probably make it. There was nothing dumb or naive about him, and he was old enough to know better. But the underlying...
By Tim Berry
