PERFECT YOUR START UP.

From the basic to the complex, make sure your company

is ready to roll before taking the big leap into funding.

 

Strategic Goal Setting and Alignment 

• Setting and tracking achievable company and growth goals 

• Creating a simple business plan that guides early stages 

• Aligning work teams to goals 

• Holding your teams accountable to measurable results 

• Tools for easy tracking and updating KPIs 

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Executing with Excellence 

• Setting and tracking operational goals 

• Determine business and pricing models for short and longer term 

• Leveraging the "founder sale" 

• Doing more with less - using a small team to its potential

• Qualifying, nurturing and acquiring your first clients 

• Building industry champions 

• Capturing and keeping enterprise clients as a start up 

• Learning "lean" client management 

• Developing and tracking product road maps 

• Understanding company stages while you are in them and hitting proof points 

• Prioritizing where the traction is and staying focused 

• Filing for and protecting your IP 

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Executive Team Organization and Performance Coaching

• General hiring strategies and which is best for you 

• Setting up successful management structures 

• Determining timing and skill sets of key hires 

• Understanding how and when to hire for growth 

• Compensation and equity packages for executives

• Setting up employee option pools and determining set asides

• Setting your executives up for success 

• Performance coaching for start up executives 

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GET FUNDED.

Not all funding sources are created equal. Figure out what's right for you 

and your exit goals.

 

Successful Fundraising 

• Fundraising strategy - what sources do you need at what stages

• Understanding funding options and choosing the right path for you 

• Creating compelling investor pitch decks 

• Finding the right funding resources for you 

• Finding the right investors 

• How to perform investor diligence and why it's so important

• Deal terms explained 

• Setting funding goals: how much do you need for how long?

• How to think about early company valuations

• Know your exit strategy and how to plan for it 

• Negotiating your first investor deal 

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Board and Advisory Council Structures 

• How to set up and leverage critical board and advisory council assets 

• Choosing the right governance structure 

• Timing of board evaluations 

• Turning investors into mentors, coaches and advisors 

• Creating simple financial reporting for boards

• Best practice board meeting frequency and format 

• Leveraging an Advisory Council for ongoing learning 

• Choosing the best professional services partners and why it matters

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BREAK EVEN FAST.

CASH is King (or Queen). Learn how to prioritize resources

and kick butt on sales.

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Financial Management Basics

• Basic reporting for you and your team

• Understanding and managing cash flow needs 

• Managing expenses - staying lean in early days 

• Financial tools, software and resources 

• Developing a realistic forecast 

• Using your numbers to tell your story 

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Go To Market Strategy 

• Making sure you are fulfilling a market need 

• Determining the market opportunity 

• Determining best initial market target 

• Developing a compelling value proposition

• Establishing diferentiated positions

• Understanding the role of the product roadmap and product life cycle 

• Options for slaes and distribution strategies 

• Researching, courting and adding strategic partners 

• Efficient lead generation 

• Determining revenue and profitability expectations 

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Executing with Excellence 

• Setting and tracking operational goals 

• Doing more with less - using a small team to its potential 

• Early sales strategies and the "founder sale" 

• Qualifying, nurturing and acquiring your first clients 

• Building industry champions 

• Capturing and keeping enterprise clients 

• Lean client management - doing more with less 

• Creating product roadmaps 

• Understanding company stages while you are in them and hitting proof points

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EXIT ON YOUR TERMS.

You earned it. Make sure you understand all the factors that go

into getting whatever defines your success.

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Plan your end at the beginning 

• Know where you’re going and what success means for you.

• Get tax and legal advice early for best financial strategies for you.

• It’s not how much you raise or you sell for, it’s how much you keep.

 

Exit options

• Selling to a strategic acquirer

• Merge with a synergistic company

• Go public or reverse merger

• Management or employee buyout,

• Sell your shares to a skilled operator

• Milk the cash cow, liquidate assets

• When to hire a broker or investment banker and what to look for

 

Preparing for exit

• Succession planning

• Getting your financial house in order

• Extending your IP

• Stock option plan terms

• Management incentive plan

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Qualifying the buyer

• Getting to the best deal terms

• Valuing your company

• Do I stay or do I go 

• Retaining employees post-exit

• Performance bonuses and extended payments

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