Posts Tagged ‘start-up’

In the previous post we looked at what seeds funds are and why they are important.

In a recent blog post, Paul Kredowsky voiced his disapproval of the seed funding phenomenon. However, his post is less about the entrepreneur, than the seed funding companies themselves.
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The debate about whether the seed funding phenomenon is a bubble waiting to burst, or whether it’s a viable means of funding pre-revenue/start-up businesses still continues. This is my take on the landscape.

There was a time when if you wanted to fund your company you had four options, approach:

1. A bank
2. An angel investor
3. A venture capitalist

4. OR …… have an asinine risk tolerance and fund the project yourself with your own money.

At a certain threshold of funding, there was a catch twenty-two because banks are notoriously risk averse, and don’t normally fund businesses that have yet to prove themselves. Meanwhile, traditional VC firms couldn’t justify investing less than $3M-$5M in a Series A round, mainly because ROI based on growth trajectory (when investing in small amounts) wasn’t worth their while, especially when holding $700M+ under management.

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A business plan helps you to objectively see every aspect of your future business. It is a critical first step which not only can prevent costly mistakes down the road, but also lay the foundation for amazing success. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting an art gallery here in New York City. The artist’s exhibit was a group of beautifully done photographs that he took of wild life on a remote island. They were extraordinary, breathtaking even. But they were also VERY expensive.

The photographs ranged from $6,000 – $75,000 or more. The price blew me away! $6,000 for a picture?? So, my friend and I proceeded to question the gallery worker as to how the artist sets his prices. The worker, an extremely well informed young lady, explained to us the process that the artist goes through to make the prints. It is painstakingly hard, and takes a great amount of effort, time and cost. After the explanation, the prices that were set seemed very fair and made a ton of sense. That’s the sign of someone who is really good at what they do after all – making your output look effortless even though it is of high quality. That is how I look at myself as a User Experience Designer.

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Speaking from personal experience, quitting my job to start my own company was one of the most unanticipated decisions I have ever made – and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Being an entrepreneur has led to the thrilling adventure which now defines my life.

Starting multiple companies over the years has brought an immense amount of passion, inspiration and love to my life. The entrepreneurial experience has taken me to places I would have never gone without having chosen such a path. Every day brings a new and continual flow of challenges that seem to be mini triumphs – high points of a life journey and human freedom.

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