3 Tips To Scale Your Business To $10 Million
Achieving your first few million in sales requires a crystal clear value proposition that solves a real problem for your customers, not to mention a considerable amount of focus, dedication and hard work. But taking your sales revenue to the next level requires something more—a bulletproof strategy. The following three tips will aid in developing
5 Tips For A Successful Investor Meeting
So, you’ve secured a meeting with a potential investor; now what? The pitch can be intimidating, but preparing a thoughtful approach beforehand will put you in a position to leave a great first impression and lay the right groundwork for a successful relationship going forward. Here are five tips to help ensure a great pitch,
When Do You Stop Being A Startup?
At what point does your business lose the startup label? Does it happen during a moment of sudden realization that your company has outgrown its first space? Or is it the day you no longer rely on venture capital to keep the lights on? At JumpStart, we have a less abstract, more concrete answer to
Three Tips For Naming Your Startup
When it comes to naming your startup, there is no formal methodology, or set of hard and fast rules to follow. This can make the process as frustrating as it is fun. Undoubtedly, giving the world a name to go along with the face of your company will be one of your most important early
The Art Of Pivoting
In the beginning, a new venture is essentially a collection of hypothesis. Even with market research in hand, at its core, a business plan is mostly an educated guess about what customers want. As a result, the chances are extremely high that one or more aspects of your original business plan will be flawed in
[PODCAST] Making Sense Of Small Business Certifications: How To Navigate The Certification Maze And Drive Business Growth
On Wednesday, May 18, JumpStart and the Women’s Business Center of Ohio welcomed a panel of successful business owners for a discussion about women-owned, minority and disadvantaged business certifications. The group explored the pros and cons of each certification type, and discussed how to leverage these certifications to gain additional business. This event was sponsored by the
Marketing 101: Choosing The Right Website Content Management System
Your website isn’t just your presence on the internet. For many customers, your website is what shapes their first impression. As a result, it can go a long way in establishing (or diminishing) your credibility. Websites that are slow, unappealing, filled with poor content and unfriendly to mobile devices can sometimes be worse than no
SlideShare: Creating An Elevator Pitch
An “elevator pitch” is a succinct and persuasive statement used to sell your business. In many cases, your elevator pitch can be the first, best and only chance to deliver your value proposition, explaining why a prospective customer would buy your product or a potential investor should fund your company. Good elevator pitches are concise, focused, genuine and delivered with
Podcast: The Importance Of Market Research
From introducing a new product to entering a new market, a comprehensive approach to market research can help reduce the risks involved in growing your business. In the presentation below, recorded from a March 8, 2016 event, JumpStart’s Market Research Analyst, Jaclyn Sommers, leads an informative seminar on how to validate product and target market assumptions
Marketing 101: Creating A Strong Content Strategy In Three Easy Steps
Growing businesses need a lot of content. Sell sheets, fact sheets and press releases; pitch decks, website copy and social media messages—not to mention more advanced content like blog posts and email newsletters. It takes a lot of work, which is why content strategy can often seem so overwhelming to entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Podcast: How To Launch A Content-First Business, Featuring Content Inc.’s Joe Pulizzi
In the future, thousands of businesses from around the globe will leverage a content first go-to-market strategy. What does this mean? It means that entrepreneurs in companies of all sizes are developing content brands and building audiences first, and then developing products to sell much, much later in the process. Having a singular focus on
Have You Talked To Your Customers Lately?
Whether you run a young tech startup, a small business or a thriving large company, your success is driven by the quality of your connection to your customer. Establishing a strong understanding of their needs and wants is a critical and highly dynamic process. The amount of available information and the speed at which it