Start ups
Ideas for small business and startups: Value Disciplines
Mike | October 13th, 2009Graduate school was one of the great times of my life: studying something that I absolutely wanted to study and surrounded by a group of folks who felt exactly the same way. Two years in business school went by with rocket-speed, but some of the ideas took root and continue to have an impact on [...]
Amen
Pete | October 9th, 2009I found this ad in Advertising Age last night and I couldn’t help but share. I’ll leave it to your imagination to decide what company’s logo should be at the bottom…
Thoughts for small businesses and startups on raising capital
Mike | October 6th, 2009So you have a great idea, right? You’ve written a fantastic business plan, researched the market extensively, have a deep understanding of the competitive landscape, and have a watertight financial model that shows how you can reach profitability even in the worst-case scenario. Now it’s time to get out there and find your funding. Easy, [...]
10 thoughts for small businesses and startups on financial modeling
Mike | September 28th, 2009When Ross and I were working on the crowdSPRING business model late in 2006 we needed to prove something to ourselves before we asked others to risk an investment in our business: could our idea become a profitable and viable business? For both of us there was significant opportunity cost in pursuing this venture/dream and [...]
10 Practical Small Business SEO and SEM Marketing Tips
Ross | September 22nd, 2009crowdSPRING is a small company (our team is 10 people). For a small company, efforts spent on one marketing initiative typically take away from other marketing initiatives. Entrepreneurs and small businesses often ask us about how we market – and especially about SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (paid search). Here are our top ten [...]
10 thoughts for small businesses and startups: how to write a great business plan
Mike | September 16th, 2009In the past 5 years, I have written or co-written at least 10 business plans. With each one it got a bit easier, and each one got a bit better as I practiced writing in “biz plan” style and learned what information was important to include and what information was extraneous. My first experience with [...]
10 Legal Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Small Business And How To Avoid Them
Ross | September 14th, 2009Prior to co-founding crowdSPRING, I spent 13 years practicing law (representing small, medium and Fortune 500 clients around the world). Along the way, I advised many small businesses and startups. Entrepreneurs and small businesses often ask me about legal problems facing most small businesses and startups and for tips on how to avoid those problems. [...]
5 Things Your Small Business Should Do Today To Increase Profits
Ross | September 8th, 2009I never fully understood, until co-founding crowdSPRING, the challenges of operating a small business. There’s a lot to do but so little time to accomplish everything. Here are five practical tips from my own experience with crowdSPRING that you can implement today to increase sales and profits for your small business: 1. Evaluate What’s Working [...]
10 Awesome Online Tools Your Small Business Should Be Using
Ross | August 31st, 2009crowdSPRING is a small business – our team totals nine people (and a really cute chocolate lab puppy named Lucy). As a small business, we leverage online tools to help us run our business efficiently and inexpensively. We are selective – we do our homework and always compare competitive products within any category. Before we [...]
