Top 7 Reasons For Startup Funding Fail

Most funding attempts by young companies fail, no matter what type of business funding they are trying to get. That’s true for business credit cards, trade credit, commercial bank loans with or without SBA guarantees, Kickstarter or Indiegogo crowdfunding, SBIR federal grants, and equity fundraising from angels and venture capital firms. Why is that? Why do so many young companies seek funding only to come up … Read more

Should You Invest In Marketing To Long Term Customers?

I just met with a company that wants to raise equity to invest in marketing. The B2B services company founder thought they were ready. I soon found out they are not. The biggest issue for them is fundamental to any business that generates recurring monthly revenue, or other reasonably reliable repeat revenue from existing customers. Stated simply: … Read more

Bootstrappers, Don’t Be Penny Wise Pound Foolish

Scrappy bootstrapping entrepreneurs pull off amazing things with very few financial resources. But like all good things, frugality can go too far. It can lead to being “Penny Wise, Pound Foolish.” This phrase goes back to 1621, when the British pound was a lot of money. Just as in the US, a hundred pennies make up a … Read more