Revenue First, Salaries Second

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In launching a startup, the first goal is to generate revenue.

Salaries come later and in some cases much later.

Some founders look to the startup as a source of income.

Fundraising from investors is not the answer to the salary question.

Investors will not fund a startup that can't generate enough revenue to prove the market wants it.

Fundraising comes into play when there's product and market validation.

The product works, and customers will pay for it.

Founders often take second jobs to pay their bills while the revenue ramps up.

Once revenue is established and growing, then salaries come into the picture. It's often the case that the second job becomes a part-time job.

Later, those part-time jobs will go away.

Building a startup is hard work.

Before launching, identify the path to revenue generation through an initial product.

Selling will be the primary goal of everyone on the team every day.

As a founder, consider how you can reduce your cost of living for a period of time while you ramp up the business.

Investors look for commitment in founders who can make this situation work.

It's tough, but it's doable.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let's go startup something today.

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

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In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin sits down with Brett Striker, founder of Traction with Brett and a certified implementer of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Brett shares his journey from building and selling two companies to helping other leaders gain traction in their businesses through EOS. He delves into the challenges founders face in scaling operations and how the EOS framework addresses these issues by driving clarity, accountability, and alignment across teams.

Brett also discusses the benefits investors see when their portfolio companies adopt EOS, from improved execution to better valuation and reduced risk. For those interested in how EOS can transform their business, Brett offers insights and advice based on his extensive experience and success in implementing this powerful system.

Reach out to at brett.striker@eosworldwide.com

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
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Drawing Fundraising Skills From Other Areas

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Fundraising requires a set of skills.

Those skills can be found in other areas.

Here's a list of skills and where to find them:

Sales.

Fundraising is fundamentally a sales process.

One can transfer selling skills to fundraising.

Marketing.

Fundraising requires the ability to reach out to the investors to convey a message.

One can use their marketing skills in promoting the fundraising campaign.

Financial.

Fundraising requires a basic knowledge of finances.

One can use financial literacy from other areas and apply it to fundraising.

Communications.

Fundraising requires the ability to communicate with others.

One can use communication skills in pitching to investors.

People management.

Fundraising can leverage a team effort.

One can use the human resources to enable fundraising.

Consider these skills for your fundraising.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let's go startup something today.

_________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
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For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

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Valid Reasons for Raising Funding

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

There are many valid reasons for raising funding.

Here's a list of reasons to consider for your fundraiser:

The business is growing and is now ready to scale.

It can be hard to bootstrap a scaling effort.

There's a clear need for a minimum viable product to establish the product and market validation.

It takes some funding to build an MVP.

The startup is seeking to prepare for a Series A raise, and the metrics are not yet aligned with the target investor's fund requirements.

It can take additional funding to prepare to raise a Series A with an institutional investor.

Here are some reasons that are not valid:

The founder needs a salary to pay rent.

The founder wants to hire a number of people, but doesn't know exactly what they will do.

The founder wants to quit their day job to work full-time on the startup.

The founder doesn't want to spend time on sales and wants to hire someone else to do it for them.

A valid reason to raise funding comes down to building a key deliverable for the startup.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let's go startup something today.

_________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
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For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

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Why Do Some Startups Raise Funding Quickly?

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Some startups seem to raise funding quickly and with great ease.

The press coverage of startups often leads the reader to believe that the round closed in a short amount of time.

In most cases, the startup spent substantial time planning and then campaigning to raise the funding.

It appeared easy because the hard work was done before the campaign launched.

The founder starts six months before the campaign launches.

They researched and built a strategy for the campaign.

They then prepared the documents and digital assets for it.

Most founders contact ten to twenty investors to check interest in a potential investment.

This often tells them the concerns the investor may have about the deal.

The founder then mitigates that risk.

All of this goes on before the fundraiser begins.

It takes seven touches to close a sale, so it takes seven touches to close an investor.

Start that engagement before the campaign starts.

Once you have enough interest and potential commitments, then launch the fundraise campaign.

For some, the fundraiser looks easy.

It's not; they just did the work before the campaign began.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let's go startup something today.

_________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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Raising Funding To Be a Unicorn

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Raising funding for a unicorn seems like a mystical art.

The funding rounds are outsized compared to the norm.

Here are the key components to raising funding to be a unicorn:

The team has exits.

If your team doesn't have a history of successful startups, then build out your team with more experience and star power.

The team has a known business model that can be applied to a new growth area.

This is often a recurring revenue stream built around a new industry segment that is now inflecting upward.

The investors are familiar with unicorn deals and have had success with them.

Look for early investors in past unicorns as potential investors for your deal.

Scalability is the primary concern.

Build scalability into your business through recurring revenue, virality, network effects, and more.

Have experience with the domain or sales channel prior.

Many successful startups have built businesses in the domain prior to becoming a unicorn.

This gives the founding team an edge through their network.

Consider these points in raising funding to be a unicorn.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let's go startup something today.

_________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
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For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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Key Components of a Fundraising Strategy

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Before launching a fundraiser, the founder should first develop a fundraising strategy.

This is the plan for how to prepare and then launch a fundraiser campaign.

Here are the key components of a fundraising strategy:

Identify the problem to solve and ensure it is a substantial problem that will attract investor attention.

Build a solution to show that it works, and customers will pay for it.

This could be a minimum viable product.

Make a list of family, friends, and other personal connections who can provide funding.

The early stage of funding is the hard part and should be done by those who know you.

For the rest of the raise, you'll need to show traction, a growth story, and a key insight that drives your business.

Traction is revenue that is growing.

A growth story shows how your product fits the market and how customers are engaging with it.

The key insight is your knowledge of the problem and how to solve it with a unique solution.

The unique solution is your value proposition.

Investors look for a competitive advantage, and having a key insight helps.

Consider these elements in building your fundraising strategy.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let's go startup something today.

_________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin engages in a compelling conversation with Courtland Imel, a regulatory executive consultant and founder of Ceutical Labs. With over 24 years of experience in FDA compliance, Courtland shares his journey of aiding companies in remaining compliant and the industry's shift towards individualized medicine in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

The discussion also touches on the implications of innovations in medical devices, the use of AI in development, and the regulatory challenges faced by AI-based medical devices. Courtland emphasizes the importance of having a narrow scope for AI-specific devices to gain regulatory approval and highlights the significant strides Ceutical Labs is making with 25 new products under development. He also shares investment insights, strategically focusing on the right talent, partnerships, and financial backing that are essential for scaling biotech startups. Lastly, the episode delves into the shifting landscapes of biotech hubs, the benefits of operating in Texas, and the future growth opportunities for Ceutical Labs.

Visit Ceutical Labs at ceuticallabs.com/

Reach out to at cimel@ceuticallabs.com, and on /www.linkedin.com/company/ceutical-laboratories-inc-/

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.