Entrepreneurship & Planning

Procedures – Setting Up a Business

Licenses

• Obtaining a Business License

Tax Licenses and Numbers

• Employer Identification Number
• Sales and Use TaxNumbers

Business Name & Brand

• Naming Your Business
• Protect Your Business Name
• Trademarking a Business Name
• Website URLs and Social Medial Handles

Forming a Business Entity

• When to Incorporate a Business Entity
• Process for Forming a Business (Overview)
• Organizational Documents
  • Incorporation and Organization Documents
• Initial Board Actions
• Capitalization Matters
• Employee & Intellectual Property Matters

Business Permits, Professional and Occupational Licenses

• Business Permits and Occupations Licenses

Real Estate and Leasing

• Choosing a Location (& Bldg)
• Lease or Purchase Commercial Property

Zoning Regulations & Land Restrictions

• Overview of Zoning Requirements
• Private Restrictions on Land Use

Business Insurance

• Insurance Considerations for Starting a Business

Fiscal Administrative Setup

• Establish a Business Bank Account
• Building Business Credit
• Payment and Credit Policies

Ideation & Innovation

• Ideation and Innovation
• Entrepreneurs and Opportunity
• Needs vs Wants
• Entrepreneurs and Inventors
• How Entrepreneurs Encounter Opportunities: Methods of Innovation
• Prior Experience in Opportunity Identification
• Techniques for Generating Ideas: Brainstorming Overview
• Types of Brainstorming
• Ideation Best Practices
• Ideation and Existing Ideas
• Translating the Idea into the Business Plan
• Testing a Concept for Value
• Closing Points on Ideation

Market Analysis

• Market Analysis Overview
• Customer Segments & Target Market
• Determining Market Size
• Pricing Your Product
• Customer Priority
• Market Potential
• Marketing Research Overview
• Primary Market Research
• Secondary Market Research
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Product or Service Development

• Product or Service Development Overview
• Alpha Test
• Strategic Assessment: Minimum Viable Product
• Beta Test
• Disclosing Your Business Idea
• Intellectual Property Considerations

Business Strategy 

• The Concept of a Value Proposition
• Porters General Strategies
• Bowmans Clock
• SWOT Analysis
• TOWS Analysis
• PESTEL (External Factors for Analysis)
• Porters Five Forces
• Summary of Strategic Analysis
• Competitive Advantage

Operational Analysis

• Operational Analysis
• Operational Plan Overview
• Elements of Operational Plan
• Other Elements of Operational Plan
• Steps in Developing an Operational Plan
• Porters Value Chain
• Manufacturing Overview
• Shipping & Logistics Overview

Marketing Plan

• Outline for Marketing Plan
• The Mission and Product/Service Statement
• Situation Analysis
• Target Market
• Marketing Objectives and Goals
• Marketing Strategy
• 5 Ps Product
• 5 Ps Price
• 5 Ps Promotion
• 5 Ps Placement
• 5 Ps Packaging
• 5 Ps People
• 5 Ps Physical Environment
• 5 Ps Process
• Action Plan
• Budget
• Controls
• Traditional Marketing Tools
• Internet Search Marketing
• Social Media Marketing

 

Financial Considerations

• How to Conduct Initial Financial Analysis
• Financial Projections (Overview)
• Business Valuation Overview

Business Models

• Business Model Overview
• Business Model Canvas
• Constructing a Business Model
• Business Model vs Business Plan

Creating a Business Plan

• Business Plan, Part 1 (Outline Overview)
• Business Plan, Part 2 (The Executive Summary)
• Business Plan, Part 3 (General Description of Business)
• Business Plan, Part 4 (Market Analysis)
• Business Plan, Part 5 (Competitive Analysis)
• Business Plan, Part 6 (Marketing Plan)
• Business Plan, Part 6 (Marketing Plan, Cont’d)
• Business Plan, Part 7 (Operations)
• Business Plan, Part 8 (Management and Organization)
• Business Plan, Part 9 (Financial Projections)
• Business Plan, Part 10 (Appendices)
• Business Plan, (Final Modifications)

Forming a Team

• Forming a Team (Overview)
• Culture and Fit
• Founders and New Owners
• Early Employees & Contractors
• Ownership and Control of Founders
• Rights of Owners

Business Funding

Overview 

• Overview of Business Funding
• Funding with Company Revenue
• Personal Contributions of Founders
• Friends, Family, and Fools
• Business (Commercial) Loans
• Promissory Notes
• Co-Owners
• Funding from Equity Investments
• Angel Investment & Venture Capital
• Overview of Angel & VC Investment
• Angel Investment
• Venture Capital
• Crowdfunding
• Debt vs Equity (A Balance)
• Other Financial Methods
• Business Plan for Loans
• Business Plan for Equity

Equity Funding Process

• Overview of Funding Stages
• Funding Deal Process
• Series A Funding
• Standard Equity Financing Documents
• Board & Stockholder Approval
• Due Diligence
• Stock Purchase Agreement Structure
• Company Legal Opinion
• Rolling Closing Date
• Funding Transaction Costs
• Counsel & Expenses

Capital Structure

• Business Capital Structure
• Authorized Shares
• Common and Preferred Shares
• Preferred Convertible Shares
• Preferred Liquidation Preference
• Participating Preferred Shares
• Participating Convertible Preferred
• Issued, Outstanding, and Fully Diluted
• What is Capitalization & How do you Calculate It?
• Options Pools & Capitalization
• Overview of Equity Distribution to Founders
• Co-Founder Equity Split
• Issues in Contributing IP for Equity
• Founders Stock
• Class F Stock
• Class FF Stock
• Stock Vesting Schedule
• Vesting Schedule & Follow-On Financing

Term Sheet Provisions

• Term Sheet Provisions
• Dividend Rights
• Liquidation Preference
• Participation Rights & Caps
• Liquidation Preference & Follow-on Financing
• Redemption Rights
• Conversion Rights
• Anti-dilution Protection
• Full Ratchet Anti-dilution Protection
• Weighted-Average Anti-dilution Protection
• Broad-Based vs Narrow-Based Calculations
• Carveouts to Anti-Dilution Protections
• Preemptive Rights
• Voting Rights
• Protective Provisions
• Drag-Along Rights
• Registration Rights
• Board Observer Rights & Seats
• Management of Information Rights
• Special Employee Provisions
• Counsel & Expenses

Valuation Methods

Overview of Valuation Methods

Asset-Based (Cost-Based) Methods

• Overview of Asset-Based (Cost-Based) Methods
• Book Value (and Adjusted Book Value) Methods
• Replacement Value
• Liquidation Value

Market-Based Methods

• Overview of Market Approaches
• Types of Comparables
• Common Characteristic-Based Ratios & Multiples
• Issues with Market-Based Valuation Methods

Income-Based Methods

• Overview of Income-Based Valuation
• Earnings Capitalization Method
• Build-Up Method
• Discount Future Cash Flows
• Excess Earnings Method
• Economic Value Added Method
• Value of Dividends Method

Investor Valuation Methods

• Pre and Post-Money Calculations
• Angel Investor Methods
• Venture Capital Method
• First Chicago Method
• Strategic Considerations in Valuation

Investor Presentations

• Business Presentations Overview
• Business Presentation Components
• The Presentation Format
• Presentation Content
• Slide 1: The Company Logo
• Slide 2: The Business Team
• Slide 3: Problem or Need Statement
• Slide 4: Your Solution
• Slide 5: The Market
• Slide 6: Business Model
• Slide 7: Your Advantage
• Slide 8: Competition
• Slide 9: Marketing and Sales Plan
• Slide 10: Financial Forecasts
• Slide 11: Milestones and Funding
• Slide 12: Capital and Valuation
• Slide 13: Questions
• Presentation Style Guide

Exiting the Venture

• Exiting the Business
• Closing Up Shop
• Overview of Selling a Business
• Private Equity
• Public Offering
• Bankruptcy