Q&A: How Do I Get This Startup Financed?

By Tim Berry

I received this question over the weekend via my ask-me form on timberry.com. I modified it slightly to not include private information. It’s about a web software business. It reads … … we are gaining traction. Financing is difficult. I am looking to find out what resource you would recommend to get financing for the... Read More »

Do You Want Your Daughter to be a Successful Entrepreneur?

By Tim Berry

I stumbled on this question on Quora: How should I raise a 12-year-old girl to be a successful entrepreneur? I have four grown-up daughters. Some of them are “successful entrepreneurs,” all of them have tried, some are still trying. So I care a lot about this subject. There are good answers already posted. The answer I like... Read More »

Some Recent Blog Posts Elsewhere

By Tim Berry

Because you might be interested in these … I posted How to project expenses for a new business overnight on the SBA (small business administration) Industry Word blog. It’s a step-by-step how-to piece on exactly what it says in the title. Yesterday and today I posted two different posts on James Altucher’s Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Starting a... Read More »

Some Hard Advice on Working for Sweat Equity

By Tim Berry

I just posted Why Sweat Equity Often Stinks on the gust.com blog for startups and angel investors. It’s quite cynical, I’m afraid, but it also reflects what I’ve seen for years. Sweat equity is a dangerous concept. It’s way too easy to misinterpret and misunderstand. And whether it’s intended to be or not, it’s way... Read More »

Tipping Point Trumps First Mover Advantage

By Tim Berry

Two interesting milestones: a note last week that Ebook Sales Surpass Hardcover in the U.S. coupled with the fact that digital music overtook physical media for the first time in 2011, something I expected since 1998. In both cases what surprises me is not that it happened, but how long it took. And what interests me is who makes... Read More »

Interesting Idea for a Hybrid Crowdfunding Solution

By Tim Berry

This is interesting: what if some crowdfunding sites limit the investing to so-called “accredited investors” as defined by the SEC. I just read David Rose’s take on this at Quora. David mentions two sites, his own gust.com and angelist, that already group accredited investors. Up to now they work as platforms for getting investors together... Read More »

Is There a Tech Bubble? We’ll Know If It Pops

By Tim Berry

Earlier today I posted disruption vs. revenue and the tech bubble on the gust.com blog. I’m suggesting in that post that some special-case web-based startups have to choose between disruption or revenue, because they can’t have both. That may or may not be true, but I’ve been guilty of suggesting it is to a couple... Read More »

The New JOBS Act, Crowdfunding, and Shoes Waiting to Drop

By Tim Berry

It’s less than three weeks since the new JOBS act opened the door to exciting new crowdfunding initiatives. This could be a sweeping change, an end to antiquated laws requiring startups to get investment mainly from so-called accredited investors. And it could be another deregulation causing a lot more problems than it solves. For the... Read More »

True Story: Begin With a Job at a Startup, Then Start Your Own

By Tim Berry

The title of this post is taken from Martin Zwilling’s Begin With a Job at a Startup, Then Start Your Own on the Gust blog. In that post, Martin starts with this: For those of you who want to get in on the ground floor of a new venture, but haven’t yet worked up the nerve... Read More »

Q&A: Finding a Consultant to Find Investors

By Tim Berry

This is another frequently asked question that came from the ask-me-a-question web form on my main site at timberry.com. Question: Trying to find a consultant that links me to investors? Does this exist? I’m a 21 yr old entrepreneur. Learning on the fly! Answer: You don’t need a consultant to learn about angel investment. There... Read More »