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When you run a startup you’re always on borrowed time. You have cash in the bank, a monthly burn rate and a “cash out” date that few in the company truly comprehend. I’ve never met a founder who wasn’t acutely aware of his or her ticking time bomb and the sense that failure and humiliation is a real possibility. It’s why so few can really start a business from scratch.
By Silka Gonzalez, an EO South Florida member and CEO of Enterprise Risk Management, Inc. In 2014, we saw Heartbleed arrive on the cybersecurity scene. What was particularly remarkable about this vulnerability is that it can render the world’s favorite cybersecurity jargon—encryption—completely useless. So it wouldn’t matter if you conducted your bank transactions on a million bits of encryption, it could still be easily compromised thanks to Heartbleed.
I can't tell you how many pitches I've taken where a founder told me they needed revenues, or a fully functioning product to raise capital--and they were told that by X number of investors, so they took it as gospel. Plenty of companies have raised money pre-revenue and pre-product, so why the discrepancy? What you're most likely hearing from an investor who says this is that what it takes to raise from *them* and they're not speaking for the whole market.
I love absolute statements. And this is one of my favorites. You’re at the ignition stage of your newest business venture. Of course, you have a vision for what you will do to change the world. Let’s stress test that vision and sharpen it further to help insure your success. First, if your vision is limited and you will be happy with a successful local dry cleaning enterprise or small restaurant around the corner, you are not the target for this effort to help entrepreneurs build great busine
AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.
After a startup establishes product market fit, scaling demand generation becomes the the next major challenge. Doubling or tripling ARR each year for several consecutive years is not easy. The best marketers create a demand generation portfolio. There are four axes to measure this portfolio: scale of investment, sophistication, breadth and potential.
The modern world is filled with constant distractions. Only those with maniacal focus on results and a willingness not to engage in every activity achieve extraordinary results. As executives we’re all seemingly accessible at any moment to anybody via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Text. We are over-intro’d and at the same time under-resourced in terms of staff to handle the barrage of in-bound requests.
The modern world is filled with constant distractions. Only those with maniacal focus on results and a willingness not to engage in every activity achieve extraordinary results. As executives we’re all seemingly accessible at any moment to anybody via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Text. We are over-intro’d and at the same time under-resourced in terms of staff to handle the barrage of in-bound requests.
Just over a year ago I wrote about how MakeSpace had raised $17.5 million in capital to build out its operations in 4 cities: New York City , Los Angeles , Chicago and Washington D.C. I pointed out that the storage market in the US alone is ~$30 billion / year and there is no dominant provider — the largest player has < 10% market share. If you have a storage need in one of these cities please consider checking out MakeSpace.
Ask Jeff Martin why he participates in the annual Entrepreneurs’ Rally sponsored by EO Minneapolis, and his answer is simple but profound. “It’s a way to give back and a way to strengthen the entire ecosystem of entrepreneurs.”. Designed like the ultimate speed mentoring event, the Rally brings together seasoned entrepreneurs and up-and-coming entrepreneurs in one room for concentrated learning and sharing.
By Neen James, motivational speaker and attention expert. . Meetings. Events. Deadlines. Customers. How does a person get it all done—and still have room in the calendar for all the “good stuff” like family, friends and personal time? Impossible? Not at all. The trick is structure, a little strategy and a system that works specifically for you. No two business and no two people are alike, so defining the structure that allows you to work at your highest potential without the fear of burnout is v
By Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of O2E Brands. Firing is just as important as hiring, so why do we rarely get it right? One of the hardest things I had to do was fire my best friend and 1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s COO in 2007. We were both “visionaries”—full of big ideas and blue-sky dreams. But neither of us were “integrators”—people who turn dreams into actionable plans, and turn those plans into reality.
Large enterprises face unique challenges in optimizing their Business Intelligence (BI) output due to the sheer scale and complexity of their operations. Unlike smaller organizations, where basic BI features and simple dashboards might suffice, enterprises must manage vast amounts of data from diverse sources. What are the top modern BI use cases for enterprise businesses to help you get a leg up on the competition?
Your vision for success must be solid and flexible enough to pass several critical tests if it is to guide a business enterprise to greatness. Here in brief are ten tests for your successful vision. Try these on for size, and test yourself for attractiveness to the marketplace, to investors and to history. Ten tests for your successful vision. Is your market identifiable and accessible?
We’ve spent several weeks discussing your vision for success, and whether you could be the next Ford, Jobs or Musk. Now it’s time to make this more tangible, more real – by attaching personal goals to this vision we’ve created together for you. So, your vision tells the world what you want to be as you contemplate how you will change the world for the better.
Well, it’s a fair question. Note that none of these three famous innovators were inventors like Thomas Edison, but visionaries who find a new marketplace or niche – or how to reach the mass market in new ways. Leaders and companies that innovate new products, services and methods of delivery are the ones that stand out in a crowded business world, especially when attempting to gain recognition among the throngs of competitors visible on the web.
Rowena Crosbie is a member of EO Iowa and president of Tero International, Inc. Are millennials narcissistic and lazy? Do they believe that they are entitled to rank and privilege they haven’t earned? Or, does their ambition make them eager to leave behind what they perceive to be an outmoded framework for career growth and success? Rank can be consciously or unconsciously assigned.
Gearing up for 2025 annual planning? Our latest eBook from the Operators Guild is your ultimate guide. Discover real-world solutions and best practices shared by top CFOs, drawn directly from discussions within OG’s vibrant online community. Learn from senior executives at high-growth tech startups as they outline financial planning strategies, align CEO and board goals, and coordinate budgets across departments.
It's hard to answer that question, because even if you look at fundraising data, you don't always know a) when the round was actually closed vs. just announced or filed and b) you don't know when fundraising actually started. Maybe it was wrapped up in a week or maybe it took six months. That being said, I was super curious what my own track record had to say about it.
Instead of raising an equity round, a startup might choose to borrow money - and for good reason. Venture debt dilutes founders much less than equity rounds. Low interest rates have increased the attractiveness of venture debt, because the cost to borrow is low. Venture debt is an attractive financial product. No wonder it has grown in popularity by 16x in the in the last six years.
My algorithm is better than yours. My algorithm performs better on the precision/recall tradeoffs. It surfaces fewer false positives. It converges to an answer faster. Perhaps it requires a bit less data. Those statements might all be true. But none of these advantages confer a competitive sales advantage in the market. They aren’t technology innovations leading to a go-to-market advantage.
The following article originally appeared in EO’s award-winning Octane magazine. For more insightful articles from entrepreneurs, visit Octane magazine online. . Dear fellow business owners, I know you work hard to make your company amazing. I also know you have a fierce desire to win, sprinting to your next goal. That’s because I’m just like you.
Mighty Financial specializes in supporting the financial aspirations of small businesses and entrepreneurs. With our comprehensive bookkeeping and precise accounting expertise with decades of experience across diverse financial roles, our team offers tailor-made services ranging from essential bookkeeping to strategic fractional CFO support, catered specifically to the unique challenges of technology companies, startups, and SMEs.
The following article originally appeared in EO’s award-winning Octane magazine. For more insightful articles from entrepreneurs, visit Octane magazine online. . By Franziska Iseli, a Swiss-Australian member of EO Sydney and co-founder of BasicBananas.com , OceanLovers.com and TheBusinessHood.com. It’s not news that one of the biggest challenges business owners face is marketing.
By Vivek Goenka, executive director of Warren Tea Ltd and EO Kolkata member. We began the MyEO Go Beyond group three years ago with the goal of making members go beyond their comfort zones and achieve something that they truly felt was impossible—to go beyond their realms of imagination as they pursue and accomplish dreams that genuinely make a mark in their lives.
By Greg McDonough , EO DC member. While attending the 2016 Global Leadership Conference (GLC) in Bangkok , my wife, Monique, and I had the good fortune of experiencing a MyEO wine dinner. Individuals were asked to cover the cost of their own food, as well as supply a bottle of wine with a 95+ rating. The goal was to enjoy a range of new wine, shared through a series of small pours.
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Rowena Crosbie is a member of EO Iowa and president of Tero International, Inc. How do you handle your mistakes? What do you do when you discover a mistake made by someone else? It is easy to do right when choices are clear, when they are simple. But what happens when situations are complex, when values collide or when mistakes happen? What do you do then?
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A founder asked me recently if a dead zone in ACVs (average contract value) exist around the $10k price point. Yesterday, I listened to a podcast in which an executive asserted that infrastructure software priced lower than $250k in ACV threatens the viability of the company. What does the data show? I’ve plotted the distribution of ACV at IPO for all public software companies.
CAPTARGET presents a masterclass in M&A deal sourcing. Learn to cast a wide net, embracing seller self-identification. Consistency is the linchpin: keep the origination process steady for a reliable flow of opportunities. Diversify your tactics, employing various tools and vendors. Tech matters! Understand DNS settings, domain authority, and brand presence for optimal outreach.
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