VIDEO: Predicting The Future Part One: How To Prepare A Financial Forecast
For young businesses, financial forecasting is often an overwhelming undertaking. Learning how to build and present financial projections that attract the attention of bankers and investors without venturing into unrealistic territory can be a difficult task to master. On Wednesday, December 3, JumpStart held an evening seminar, sponsored by Charter One, aimed at conquering the
10 Ways To Make Coworking Work
The entrepreneurial world is abuzz with the sound of coworking. Coworking spaces exist to provide entrepreneurs and freelancers with shared resources and opportunities for collaboration. At a minimum, most spaces provide shared desks, Wi-Fi, conference rooms, free coffee—you get the idea. The number of coworking spaces around the world has doubled in the last two
What It Means To Be A Board Member
Being asked to serve on a board is a big responsibility, and so prospective board members should understand the opportunity before making a commitment. For starters, you should do your research on the company and its founders to make sure you are interested in, passionate about, and able to add value to the business. From
Finding Your Target Market
If you want to be big, you have to start small. This is especially true for entrepreneurs who are just going to market. In an ideal world, you’d be able to promote your small business to everyone and, furthermore, everyone would be interested. In reality, marketing to everyone is not only expensive, but ineffective. Even
5 Tips For Building Business Credibility
It’s not easy being the new business on the block, which is why building your credibility needs to be an early priority. For small businesses, your first customers are extremely important to building that credibility. According to research conducted by McKinsey, up to 50 percent of purchasing decisions are influenced by word of mouth. Credibility
What Does An Investor Look For In A Prospective Investment?
Most entrepreneurs in search of funding have a solid idea and focus. They’re passionate about their business, and they see a direct need for their product or service in the market. However, in some cases, these entrepreneurs don’t catch an investor’s eye right away. In other cases, perhaps an investor has expressed interest, but after
Becoming A Better Salesperson
As an entrepreneur, it’s natural to wear many hats within the company: managing the business, handling the hiring, and perhaps even overseeing the finances. And yet, when it comes to selling their product or service to a customer or an investor, many entrepreneurs feel that “sales” is a skill they just don’t have. The truth
Fine Tuning The Investor Pitch
If you’ve ever tried to tweet something witty in 140 characters or text your friend some great pithy insights, you know that being “short and sweet” isn’t simple. Crafting and delivering a compelling story limited by word count or time is a challenge for anyone. Now imagine the future of your business is on the
Do Startups Need Employee Handbooks?
When you started out, you and the management team were like family. But you’re growing now and adding new people every week it seems. Naturally, you need a central document that sets out policies and procedures on how new employees should conduct themselves, right? Besides, isn’t having a handbook a legal requirement? Though not required,