A Case Study on Startup Equity
By Tim Berry
I had an interesting exchange over the weekend. Shane Diffily tweeted: @Timberry HI Tim. So what was your answer to How Not to Divide Ownership? It’s v.similar to a situation I am in & I’d love to see your ideas. Tx! — Web Governance (@diffily) February 26, 2015 Setting the Scene Shane was referring there to... Read More »
8 Successful Companies That Had to Pivot (Infographic)
By Tim Berry
My thanks to Paula Andruss for this infographic on Entrepreneur.com: Read More »
On Trying to Start Two Businesses At Once
By Tim Berry
Do you recognize this question: “Do I start two businesses at one or just one at a time?” I received it over the weekend from my ask-me form on my website. And I have two completely contradictory answers and then an explanation. First, the question (leaving out parts of it that would identify the person asking... Read More »
Don’t Give Away Ownership As If it Were Just Credit. Please.
By Tim Berry
Please, entrepreneurs, this is important. Please don’t give away ownership in your startup, ever, except to partners who offer permanent help and value to the business, and will be there forever. That’s team members working the business, investors, or strategic partners with long-term commitments you can’t live without. Separate ownership, which is critical, and should... Read More »
Is This a Good Time to Start Your Business?
By Tim Berry
It’s not about taxes or any public policy, or economic statistics, or red tape. The right time to start your new business is … When you think you can… When you’re pretty sure people will buy what you want to sell… When you understand the market… You know why people might make purchasing decisions, and... Read More »
The General Rule In Startups Is That There Are No General Rules
By Tim Berry
What’s the secret to success in entrepreneurship? Passion? Persistence? Doing what you like? Maybe it’s having a great business plan? I’ve written here that empathy might be the most important. But that’s a generalization too. What do you think? Here’s the problem with that: there are no general rules. Scratch under the surface of entrepreneurship... Read More »
Startups Beware: Patents are Like Umbrellas. False Confidence.
By Tim Berry
For startups, patents are nice to have, but not if you trust them to really protect you. In that they’re like umbrellas. Good protection in a drizzle. False confidence in a downpour. I write that because I’ve read about 50 real startup business plans in the last two months, and I’ve gone through at least... Read More »
The Best Startup Funding is Initial Sales
By Tim Berry
We all forget too easily: the best startup funding is sales. Sure, angel investment, friends and family, SBA loans, all of those options are necessary for most startups. But sales is better. If you can, find the early customers. Give them a deal, make them important, work with them to optimize their needs; but make... Read More »
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