Sunday, January 29, 2017

#4 MFS - Investors and Busines Partners - Raising Money for a Business Startup

When you are raising money, you are essentially taking on a business partner.  Possibly multiple business partners.

Not all partners are created equal

Some will be active, some will be passive, meaning some will just give you money while some will want an active role in the company

Who will do what?

It's a good idea to know what want so you know find what you are looking for

You may not have the luxury of getting your ideal partner, in those situations you need to be prepared for what you are getting yourself into.

Remember those team projects in school where one kid does 99% of the work and one does almost nothing.  Which one are you going to be?  

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you get everything in writing.  If things go wrong, as they often do, you can refer back to the agreements.

I also insist on establishing core values in order to define the principles the business will follow.  The core values of most of my businesses are:
- Honest - We do what we say we are going to do
- Excellent - We over-perform and exceed expectations
- Creative - We find better ways of doing things
- Innovative - We leverage technology
- Generous - We support people, organizations, and causes that we believe in 

Want more?
You can watch the videos and subscribe to my YouTube channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ 

Questions or comments?
Twitter: @RenCarlton

IG: rencarlton

#3 MFS - Why You Should Raise Money - Raising Money for a Business Startup

Why should you raise money for your startup instead of bootstrapping?

First, raising money addresses 2 of my 3 critical success factors for a business startup
- Not running out of cash
- Having at least one partner or co-founder

Raising capital forces you to put your plan in writing and clarify your thoughts so you can pitch someone else.  Most people will require some form of business plan.

When you find an investor, it also validates the business... There is s big difference between someone 
saying that you a have a good startup and someone actually investing.

Is your business good enough for outsiders to put their money in it?

Investors can also be a great resource for introductions, advice, and assistance.

Want more?

You can watch the videos and subscribe to my YouTube channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ 

Questions or comments?
Twitter: @RenCarlton

IG: rencarlton

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

#1 MFS - Raising Money for a Business Startup - Introduction

I have decided to document my journey of trying to raise money for a business startup.

The goal is to give you an unfiltered look at what it is really like to raise money for a new business
This is going to be 100% real, so there is a possibility that this it will not be successful

I have raised startup money in the past, but normally the process is not done in public, so I am not sure if broadcasting this journey will help or hurt the fundraising process.

I plan on publishing at least once per week.  Feel free to contact me with any questions, ideas, or comments.  I also ask that you share this with anyone you know that is interested in raising money for a business startup.

Want more?

You can watch the videos and subscribe to my YouTube channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ

Questions or comments?

​Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
Twitter: @RenCarlton
IG: rencarlton

#2 - How to Pick a Startup Business - Raising Money for a Business Startup

In order to raise money for a startup business, we need to select a business.

According to the SBA, there are approximately 28 Million Small U.S. Businesses.  That is a large field!

In order to narrow down the field, we created a checklist.  This is our wish list...
- Scalable
- Profitable
- Produce cash flow relatively quickly
- Helps another one of our portfolio companies
- Interesting and/or fun business
- Strong likelihood of success
- Can we add value
- Compatibility with their team - matches our core values
- We like the business
- Defendable IP
- Our vested interest


Want more?

You can watch the videos and subscribe to my YouTube channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmxQWgUDlPJo0IHCIa6SzrQ

Questions or comments?

​Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rencarlton
Twitter: @RenCarlton
IG: rencarlton

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

New Beginning...

I have decided to start blogging again.  I am not sure what my goals or objectives are yet, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...


By the way, according to Wikipedia that quote is attributed to the Chinese philosopher Laozi (c 604 bc - c 531 bc) in the Tao Te Ching, chapter 64. Sometimes this quote is erroneously attributed to Laozi's contemporary, Confucius (c 551 bc - c 479 bc), founder of Confucianism.