How do I make a good pitch deck for investors?

By Tim Berry

This is my answer to How do I make a good pitch deck for investors? on Quora. First you need to differentiate between the pitch deck you leave behind for its information value – which has more words – and the pitch deck you use when you are there talk, which should be much more pictures than... Read More »

Top 10 Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs

By Tim Berry

For some really good startup advice, and lots of good reminders, here is Guy Kawasaki’s Top 10 Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs, on YouTube, courtesy of Stanford Business. I don’t agree with everything Guy says here but I really like his being comfortable with his own opinions, and how he presents them as opinions, not fact. This... Read More »

What Business to Start? Look in the Mirror

By Tim Berry

So you want to start a business, but don’t know what kind? Sure, you can get a list of franchises or ask the experts what are good businesses to start. That works for some people. Lists of businesses to start are easy to find. My advice, however, is don’t look for a list of good... Read More »

How Much Money Do I Need for My Startup?

By Tim Berry

It’s an obvious question. And if you’re looking for startup investors you’d better be able to answer it well, and quickly too. No wandering eyes. No doubt. If you’re doing a pitch, have a slide for it. And be specific. I liked this from Ben Yoskovitz’s Instigator Blog on Use of Funds: …most descriptions of... Read More »

3 Stories Your Business Strategy Depends On

By Tim Berry

Stories are not just stories; they’re experience repackaged. They can tell a lot more than just a story. If you own a business, or ever want to, you should be able to tell each of these stories well. If you can, you’ve already nailed the essence of long-term strategy. If you can’t, then here’s a... Read More »

A Nice-Guy User’s Manual for Life and Business

By Tim Berry

Some cranky folkloric baseball manager from decades ago was asked why he was such an SOB. He answered: “Nice people finish last.” In Enchantment, however, Guy Kawasaki tells us how and why nice people finish first. Don’t misunderstand the word enchantment. It’s not magic. There’s no Pied Piper. Guy’s enchantment is good common sense and... Read More »

Wise Guy on Business Planning, Not Just the Plan

By Tim Berry

I was happy to see Guy Kawasaki’s The Key to Attracting Investors yesterday morning on Amex OPEN Forum.  I do know that Guy understands business planning and its place in management (he interviewed me about it in this post, for example). But he also scoffs at the misuse of business plans and the cult of... Read More »

Guy Kawasaki and the Zen of Not Zen

By Tim Berry

I admit it. I got really jealous of all the Zen of this and Zen of that writing, dating all the way back to the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which I wanted to like, tried to like, but couldn’t. Yes, I gave into the horrible temptation, and even posted Zen and... Read More »

10 Blogging Tips. My 1,000th Post on This Blog

By Tim Berry

Last night I was halfway through a draft post patting myself on the back, illustrated with champagne glasses, when my youngest daughter, Megan, called from San Francisco, where she lives now. That’s @MeganBerry to you, blogger and social media expert, marketing manager of Klout.com. So I asked her this: “What do I do with my... Read More »

Jonathan’s 7 Extraordinary Moments

By Tim Berry

Jonathan calls this collection The 7 Keynote MBA: How to Save 2 Years and $100,000. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but there’s certainly a lot of education here. And if some posts are great reading, this one is great watching. Jonathan has collected seven of the best-ever videos about small business, small business marketing,... Read More »