Ok, here is another repost. James Altucher is also a Cornell alum (so part of the Ithaca family). Here is Jame’s post from April 25th titled “100 Rules for Being an Entrepreneur”. It is great and includes, yes, some pictures.
Enjoy: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/04/the-100-rules-for-being-an-entrepreneur/.
When I come across another startup/VC blogger that I like, I like to share it. Startup Professional Musings (see http://blog.startupprofessionals.com) falls into this category. It is written by Martin Zwilling. He sticks to the short and sweet theme and has a very educational approach, which I think most readers probably appreciate.
His April 24th post (see http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/2011/04/startups-with-real-revenue-can-get.html) talks about getting into the VC queue. My favorite line is: “Create an investment-grade business plan.” It is my favorite because he then defines the business plan to be an executive summary, investor presentation and financial model. Note what is absent – a written full business plan.
I agree completely with this approach. Note Zwilling’s click offs to each of the 3 parts as well. The 3 parts completely cover what is in a full written plan. The problem with a full plan is that many/most VCs have difficulty reading them due to lack of time. The well voiced over presentation is worth its weight in gold. And the financial model must be fully synced up to the presentation. They both need to tell a consistent story (we all know things will change going forward).
So, start telling!
ithaca VC 