Being smart is knowing what you don't know and being open minded enough to hire it and learn it. The second you don’t think you have anything more to learn is the instant you become irrelevant to your venture. Whether you are a Partner, Managing Director, a Fortune 100 CEO, a Professor Emeritus or first year analyst or anything in between, there are always areas where you will need to further your knowledge and education to add value to your business. In this episode we discuss brining education … [Read more...]
TheUC 011: Making Products That Make Money
Every business needs to sell something, whether it is a service, a consumer good, or a technology. This episode focuses on making the right product for your marketplace and customer. In addition, we will discuss the importance of excellent management to mitigate operational risks. It is critical to building value in your venture to make sure that every product you make actually makes money, and that the 100th unit sold makes you more money than your first unit. … [Read more...]
TheUC 010: Keys to Successfully Growing Your Venture
It is one thing to get out in the market, and it is another feat altogether to STAY in the market place and grow and thrive. Both early stage and mature companies often struggle with successful growth strategies that bring short term gains while ensuring long term value and viability. In this episode we discuss the keys to successfully and optimally investing in growing your business to garner new business while making sure you are leveraging your core customers that initially gave you traction … [Read more...]
TheUC 009: Spending Marketing and Sales Dollars Wisely
Marketing and sales dollars are expensive, and need to be spent wisely and judiciously. There is a lot of literature out there and well intentioned advisers goading entrepreneurs to just get their product out there in a "fire, fire, fire" approach and forget about "aiming" or being "ready." But well intentioned or not, marketing and sales dollars are expensive and throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks is too costly and can be detrimental. Depending on your product going "viral" … [Read more...]
TheUC 008: Selling and Presenting Yourself
Putting yourself out there effectively in the business world is essential. Whether you are pitching to investors, selling your product, building a customer base, recruiting, or interviewing, you are at some level selling yourself. Presenting yourself in a successful way is very challenging. Some are 'too slick,' and some are downright squeamish about presenting themselves. This episode discusses the many different audiences that you will need to present yourself while offering tactics for … [Read more...]
TheUC 007: Leading, Managing, and Running Your Business
Leadership and management is HARD, and many unwittingly fail. You can have the greatest product in the world but few things will tank an opportunity faster than poor management. Successful business management and leadership is far more rare than most think. This show discusses effective management and leadership needed to align the incentives throughout your company so you can build and achieve long term value and success for your business. … [Read more...]
TheUC 006: Pitching Your Venture – Tell A Great Story to Get Investor Interest
Getting attention for your business is all about the story you tell. It isn't enough for your product to be excellent. If you can't relay your opportunity in a compelling way, you will not get the investor, customer, or personnel interest that is critical for business success. This episode goes through how to put together a compelling pitch so you can best articulate the value of your venture. … [Read more...]
TheUC 005: What is Your Business Worth? Understanding Valuation
No matter what stage your business is in, the understanding of what your venture is worth will always be important. A venture is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. However, the market isn't always there to set the price, and CEO's and founders rarely listen to what the marketplace is telling them their company is worth. This episode demystifies valuation, discusses the different methods used to justify valuation, and gives tools and frameworks so you can be more prepared to … [Read more...]
TheUC 004: Why Do I Need A Business Plan?
Does having a Business Plan really matter? The truth is that you can still get lucky without one, and many are teaching and advising entrepreneurs to just get out there. But it is dangerous and costly to throw a whole bunch of stuff at the wall just to see what sticks if anything sticks at all. It might get you into a market place faster, but it may very well be the wrong one, and all you’ve done is to pave the way for someone else to step over your carcass and garner the value of your … [Read more...]
TheUC 003: Set Goals for Success & Build a Network to Achieve
It is important to set a tangible goal. If you don’t set this stake in the ground, how do you know you are going in the right direction? Don’t worry, the stake can be moved as your opportunity evolves. However, there is an important distinction between a "goal" and a "desired outcome." A well conceived goal that is appropriately ambitious yet potentially attainable will give you your most likely chance at achieving your desired outcome. Setting up a goal that depends largely on 'luck' will … [Read more...]
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