Martin Zwilling
Martin Zwilling is the founder and chief executive officer of Startup Professionals, a company that provides products and services to startup founders and small business owners. Check out his daily blog, follow him on Twitter @StartupPro or email him directly at marty@startupprofessionals.com.
An Investment-Grade Business Plan in Ten Steps
People ask me if they really need ANY business plan, unless they are looking for an outside investor. In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress …
6 Reasons Your Startup May be Viable but Not Fundable
New entrepreneurs often seem to confuse viability with fundability. Certainly a non-viable business should be not fundable, but many viable businesses are also not fundable. Thus when an investor declines your funding request, you need to curb your anger and …
Top Ten Action Items for Angel Funding Success
Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Yet according to the latest data from AngelSoft, only about 3 out of 100 companies who initiate the formal request process actually get funded. The AngelSoft Deal …
Make Your Startup Elevator Pitch Top Floor Quality
An “elevator pitch” is a concise, well-practiced description of your startup and your plan, delivered with conviction and enthusiasm, that your mother should be able to understand in the time it would take to ride up an elevator. Everybody knows …
5 Personality Traits of Happy Entrepreneurs
A while back, when a startup founder mentioned to me that he wasn't sure he had the personality to be an entrepreneur, I realized how important that insight was. My first thought is that if you are more annoyed than …
Six Clues to Find Your Ideal Startup Co-Founder
Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one — someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. In a moment of crisis, you may be tempted …
Five Legal Shortcuts No Startup Can Afford
Although every startup is unique, there are certain common avoidable mistakes that can lead to legal complications, and jeopardize the long-term success of your business. I'm not suggesting that every startup needs a lawyer, but you should definitely pay attention, …
