Re-visiting the business plan – like new year’s resolutions – isn’t enough. But you can fix that…
It’s that time of year. The time for new year resolutions and, for your typical startup founder, re-visiting the business plan. Whether it’s about budget setting, a quick check to ensure plans are on track or a more root and branch review of what needs doing, many of us will be setting out what we […]
Find a co-founder and your startup will raise more money
Startup Founders share their experience and suggest where to look for a co-founder It is relatively easy to build a product and launch a business – although it may not feel like it when you are in the thick of it! It is a lot harder to find a co-founder for your startup and build […]
Riding the roller coaster: Motivation for Startup Founders
Let’s face it, running a start-up (or any small business) is a roller-coaster. There are plenty of ups and downs, highs and lows. Maintaining motivation as a startup founder is challenging. You need resilience and persistence to cope when things aren’t going to plan – but also the ability to recognise and celebrate successes when […]
How to kiss frogs and raise investment (or how to network with investors)
A practical guide to networking with investors Raising investment for your start-up or small business is not easy. It doesn’t matter whether you are raising investment via crowdfunding, through business angels or venture capital, the key to success is your ability to network with investors. In this blog start-up founders share their advice on investor […]
A good read…to refresh and revitalise your business
I love summer! Who doesn’t? With the (generally) better weather meaning we spend more time outside and holiday time spent with family and friends. However, I really like summer because it offers not just a chance to refresh ourselves physically (I have written about the importance holidays for startup founders and business owners before) but […]
How to get investors “on the hook”
Your business needs investment. You are out there networking and pitching like crazy but despite your best efforts investors remain elusive. It’s a familiar story. How do you get investors “on the hook”? The Allbright Academy which supports female entrepreneurs, approached Hatty Fawcett, Founder of Focused For Business and an AllBright Academy Ambassador, to ask […]
How to find cornerstone investors
In many ways, raising investment is a confidence game. Not only will investors want to get to know the founding team and the business plan so that they have confidence in your abilities, but investors will look for external validation too. They may hold back on committing to investing until they see that someone else […]
Accelerators: Your startup’s fast-track to growth? Accelerator alumni share their views
The number of accelerators has grown rapidly in recent years in the wake of big success stories from startups that have attended acceleartors – including AirBnB, Dropbox and Stripe. Crunchbasenow lists 534 Accelerator programmes in Europe alone. Is an accelerator your fast track to success? To get to the answer, I interviewed startup founders who […]
How I proved my startup so I could quit my job and feed my passion
Anyone can come up with a “brilliant business idea” but it is quite another thing to put your money where your mouth is, take the plunge, give up your job and commit to making your idea a reality. For many founders of startups, taking the decision to leave your job – and a predictable salary […]
