How to Write an Investor Update (With Example)
Managing your investor relationships is a critical part of running a business. After completing your fundraise, begin regular communications with investors to build a long-term relationship with those who believed and invested in you. This article describes the reasons to send investor updates, their components, and an example investor update…
My Book Launched ~ The Venture Fund Blueprint!
My new book, The Venture Fund Blueprint, was officially released! You can order it on Amazon here. We took stock of the important questions hundreds had asked us over the years and distilled them into step-by-step guides. We filled the book's pages with answers to building pitch decks, running operations, and fundraising. We are humbled and grateful for the overwhelming support…
How to Make a Great Pitch Deck
If your business is looking to expand, fundraise, or bring on additional stakeholders — you will typically need a pitch deck. Pitch decks serve as a quick overview of your business, your long-term vision, an imminent opportunity, and your ask. Pitch decks allow you to communicate clearly and succinctly to potential stakeholders, while also forcing you to streamline your internal messaging. Here are 14 slides I recommend including in a pitch deck…
How to Write a One Pager
As your business begins to reach a broader audience, you’ll need an arsenal of materials to quickly explain your offering. A one pager allows you to distill several ideas about your products or services into one page, with the goal of getting a customer interested to learn more. Here’s how to write a one pager, plus a sample at the end of this article…
How to Calculate Market Size
Even great business ideas can fail if your target market is too small. Ensuring that your organization is focused on a large enough market will make it easier to generate sustained revenues over time and help your business thrive. Here’s how to calculate market size and whether it’s big enough to be viable…
7 Steps To Assess Your Competition
All organizations face competitors. To ensure viability in a new market, your organization will want to conduct a full assessment of competitors to uncover either (a) market gaps you can exploit to create a valuable niche or (b) opportunities to innovate or defend your advantage to outperform contenders. Here is a 7-step guide of how to find, assess, and take action with regards to your competition…
Competitive Advantages That Last
Once your organization has established the unique value to provide to the right customers, you need to make sure you can keep them. A durable, competitive advantage will put your organization in a favorable position above other contenders battling for your customers, so you can succeed over the long term. Here are some strong and defensible competitive advantages…
Know Your Niche & Costs
If your organization has a compelling product or service that you’re looking to sell, leaping into a new market can be exciting. However, without proper assessment of the new situation, it could end in disaster. First, you’ll need to confirm that your offering provides special value so that you can determine whether your customers will be willing and able to pay…