Startup Venture Capital Essentials: Management Skills

Some people would think that raising the startup capital for a business venture would be the difficult part. Contrary to that, keeping the momentum and maintaining your business running would be the most difficult part of all. Most businesses would fail, not only due to lack of funds, but poor management skills and cash flow.

There is no special skill needed when starting a business. You just need to have important skills and attitude that will help you deal with business difficulties and different situations.

• Discipline – Staying focus is very important. Some entrepreneurs would quit after the first time they encounter a problem. It would need self-discipline to see to it that you would carry something that you have started until the end.

• Determination and Perseverance- this two traits go hand in hand. It would take determination for a person to be able to reach personal and business goals. It would take perseverance to continue even after a rejection or an initial failure.

• Time management- some entrepreneurs would fail miserably in their time management. But this is a very important skill that should be mastered. These would enable an entrepreneur to carry out and prioritize responsibilities.

• Knowledge- never enter a business you are clueless about. Of course, you could learn a lot while handling or managing the business. But basic knowledge about the product and services is important to keep the business afloat from competition.

Management skills go simultaneously with these traits. Using proper management skills will ensure that the business will survive. In businesses there is what we call the “rare sense.” This is an important business skill. Rare sense refers to the ability to think straight regardless of distractions and business issues that you have to deal with. Aside from that rare sense is also about making judgements based on facts.

It is perfectly normal for businesses to change the objective and style in achieving these goals from time to time. As the business progress, the management team should be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their strategies and style. Styles should be changed from time to time to adapt to new hurdles being confronted.

Startup stage usually last for about five to seven years. After this period, the business should already be profitable, operational and sustainable. By this time too, there should be some changes or addition made on the management team. Why?

During the startup stage, the kind of people you need are those who are capable of manufacturing the products or the services. The kind of people who would ensure that services would reach customers and maintain these contacts are what you need during the startup stage. But in the period that when the startup stage is already over, then what you would need would be the team that could ensure that profit would continue to grow and new customers introduced with the products and services.

New business stages would mean that there is a need for new management strategies and would need different management skills. An entrepreneur should continue learning as their business develops. This would ensure that the growth of the business continues.

Whether you are managing a large or small business venture, even if it is not in its startup capital stage, you would always need to have the proper management skills to keep your business developing and sustained.

Startup Venture Capital Essentials: Business Plan Writing

When applying for a startup capital for your business venture, venture capital firms and banks would go to your business plan to identify if your business would fit their strategies. The business plan undergoes a scrutinizing period and would tell if you are serious about it. Therefore, it is very important to come up with a proper business plan.

There are some entrepreneurs that think that just because they have a great idea it would be sufficient enough. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If you show up with a bright idea but an incomplete business plan, then chances are your business plan gets dismissed.

Here are some tips for writing a good and solid business plan which would reflect your solid business idea:

• A vision-mission is important. Going straight to the business plan during the meeting is insufficient. What you need is something that would make venture capital firms and whoever would read your business plan what kind of values your business is built on. You would need to make them understand both the long-term and the short-term goals of your business.

• Indicate what your market or your target customer base want. You do not launch a business because “you” think that this kind of business would be ideal for the market. You are building a business centered on your preferences, not on what the customer wants. Include them in the plan by showing the market pulse, by showing them numbers that customers really need your product or services.

• Do not underestimate competition in your business plan. Address the fact that you have competition and devise a plan that would enable you to work ahead of your competitors.

• Leave some space in your business plan for additional information or changes.

• Include in your business plan why your business would beat competitors, point out what makes you unique.

• You would also have to make sure that your business plan has all the complete elements.

There is a format for a business plan and you should follow it. Here is the format:

• Title page and table of contents.

• Executive summary. This gives the VCs or the banks a general idea what your business is about, what kind of industry and a short description. You can also put it in the last part of the plan.

• Management team and key personnel. People who are involved in making decisions in the company should be stated here.

• Description of the product or service.

• Market research and analysis of the product or service. This would be where you will show how profitable and “hot” your product is.

• Marketing plan. Marketing, sales projects and promotion plan or strategies should be included here.

• Manufacturing schedule and production plan.

• Financial plan. This is one is very important. Financial strategies and everything related to financial matters should be stated here.

• Risk analysis. You will describe what situations or occurrences can break your company in this part.

• SWOT analysis. An analysis about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
• Purpose or use of loan proceeds.

• Summary. This summary would focus on the potential income that your business is expected to generate from.

• Appendix or supporting documents.

A credible business plan would show venture capital firms, how serious you are to raise your capital. And they would not doubt you and your future business venture’s success and credibility.

Startup Venture Capital 101

Startup capital is the capital that an entrepreneur needs to pay the necessary items needed when starting a business, like business space, equipment, supplies, and employee’s paychecks. Meanwhile, venture capital is the fund that a venture capital (VC) firm or an angel investor would provide to a starting or trouble-laden business.

Unlike loans, venture capital is invested in the business rather than being returned. With bank loans, for example, the money borrowed should be returned within a specific period of time along with interests and other fees. But with venture capital, the money is provided in exchange of equity in the business. The venture capital firm would take part in the business, they could have one of their own to be a member of the board of directors.

Aside from having a portion of the company, the VC would also have the right in knowing the operation of the business. Their opinions would matter especially when making decisions in the company. VCs rarely concern themselves with the daily operation of the business unless the life of the company or business is being threatened. Aside from this, the VCs’ opinion would also matter and they could prohibit the portfolio company to close down.

The difference between a venture capital firm and an angel investor is simple. An angel investor does not operate like a firm and more of a wealthy individual who invests in startup businesses. An angel investor usually does the transaction informally and privately. An VC firm could be a group of wealthy investors or an affiliate of a bank or an insurance company.

Another difference between an angel investor and a VC is the amount that they could give to the starting entrepreneur. VCs would normally provide funding not less than $250,000. Angel investors on the other hand could give a smaller amount than VCs but still in exchange of equity.

Not all venture capital firms invest on startup businesses. There are different types of capital which depends on the different stages of the business. For example, the seed capital would be mainly for research or planning stage. Startup capital would be for the procurement of initial needs. The mezzanine capital would be fore expansion and there are also later-stage capital or funding which would be for transitional stages in the company. So before you bring you business plan to a venture capital firm, make sure that they are indeed for startup businesses.

VCs do not just invest on the next business venture. Currently, because of economic crisis affecting us, venture capital firms would rarely invest in other business but rather concentrate on their existing portfolio companies and make sure that they are running well.

But even if we are not in an economic recession, VCs are still very selective with their investments. They would have to consider the nature of the field where your business will be a part of, geographic or location preferences, the product or the service’s marketability, strong management and competition. Aside from that VCs are known to accept those businesses that would enable them to profit big time within 3 to 10 years, other within 5 to 7 years.

Application for a startup capital would require the entrepreneur to submit a comprehensive and complete business plan. Some VCs would even require the list and credentials of the management team and financial projections. The entrepreneur just needs to clarify with the VCs about the additional requirements.

To exit out of a business, the VCs would sell their share of the company through an initial public offering or IPO to the company. The company or the business could buy the stocks within the next 7 years. They could also exit through a merger with another company, where the VCs would receive payment for their stocks. VCs could also exchange the equity for money and the management teams gets incentives from the equity.

We would need to understand capital venture firms and their startup capital investment. In this way, simple, starting and young entrepreneurs could start their business an know their options. If you have decided that VCs are the right place to go for your business venture, then go ahead and present your plan. It could be start of your success

Startup Capital And Business Venture Risks

The worst case to happen with a business is for it to run out of funds and eventually close down. In a period of economic downturn, less people are spending their hard-earned money which is why businesses are barely thriving from sales. If you are just a new business and you have gotten startup capital from a venture capital firm or banks, the biggest fear is that the funds would not be sufficient enough to subsidize the business needs.

Entrepreneur Risks

Entrepreneurs, when asking for financial support from venture capital firms, would often base their financial need on the best scenarios. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs are making mistakes of not incorporating or considering the worst cases that could happen with their businesses that would require them to have bigger funds. In short, they lack in preparing a second or backup plan.

There are also entrepreneurs who are preparing themselves for the difficulty of raising the startup capital. But actually, that is just the start. More financial risks are could happen when the business are already running. There are different financial risks that could push the business to its edge.

There are the credit risks or customers failing to pay, commodity price risk could happen when the prices of raw materials increase. If you are doing international trade or dealing with international customers, the fall or the recovery of the dollar could also affect trade and manufacturing relations which is called the exchange rate risk. The se are just some of the financial risks an entrepreneur could face while of the startup stage of the business.

These financial risks would be what we should keep in mind when looking or negotiating with financial assistance from venture capital firms and angel investors. Based on experience, it would be difficult to raise money immediately during a financial issue. So it would be important to take advantage of assistance being offered on the first place.

Venture Capital Firm Risks

Venture capital firms also face financial risks. Investing on a startup business is not risk-free. The fact that venture capital firms are not sure if these new businesses would be able to survive its startup stage is already a risk. Especially, if venture capital firms would only expect to profit within 5 to 7 years of the business.

This is why venture capital firms are very stringent when selecting entrepreneurs and business plans that apply for funding. VCs would have to analyze if the entrepreneur and the management team would be able to cope up different financial risks or problems that could happen to the business. They would ask entrepreneurs if there are plans devised to address these kinds of issues. Sometimes, venture capital firms would outsource a third-party firm that would serve as consultants during financial risks and problems.

Businesses are not risk-free, regardless of what stage you are already in. It is important for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms to prepare backup plans so that they would be able to resolve issues and at the same time recover from it. Which is why having a business plan is totally essential. As an entrepreneur, it is not enough to remember what to do during these situations, it is important for venture capitalists to see them concretely.

Raising startup capital for your business venture, is not easy. Maintaining your business thriving is not also a work in the park. It is something that you would put your effort into.

Start Up Venture Capital Funding

Start up venture capital funding is something that many entrepreneurs new at the game would be effectively seeking. But it is not always that easy. Venture capitalists also are very selective when it comes to the different businesses that they seek to fund and help out with so much needed capital. For one thing, venture capital investors are into the industry in order to gain some profits themselves.

In order for entrepreneurs with good ideas for a business to become successful in getting the funding that they need, there are some things that they should need to know about venture capitalists ad the industry. One of the most important things that they should learn is that venture capital funding is never easy to obtain. It takes quite a great deal of convincing and persuading venture capitalists in order to avail of their money. They have to be persuaded that the business that you are trying to plan offer a high growth potential which attracts so many venture capitalists. It is the only way that venture capitalists can ensure that they get their money's worth when investing in a new and untried business.

Most venture capitalists usually also would like to have a hand in trying to set up a new business that they have invested in. they usually would want to be quite involved in the whole business process actually. From idea generation, start up, operations and their exit, venture capitalists would want to be involved in the decisions and plans just to ensure their own investment.

When it comes to financing, there are basically six stages that such financing are being offered to new businesses. It usually is being provided according to the corresponding developments that typically happen in a business. There is, first and foremost, the Seed Money. This is usually a type of low level financing offered by venture capitalists.

Its main purpose is to help prove a new idea by actually testing them out in the real world. After the idea has proven to have good potential for setting up a business, venture capitalists then move on to provide start up capital. This is the funds that will be then used to pay for expenses that are usually associated with marketing and product development.

There is then the first round of funding aimed to help boost early sales as well as fund the manufacturing process. A second round of venture capital funding may be given to start up companies that have started selling their products but may have not yet turned a profit. This would serve as the company's working capital for the early stage of the business until it eventually makes money.

The third round of venture capital financing is commonly known as mezzanine financing. It is the stage in the financing process where the new business has started making a profit and is now planning to expand. The fourth round of venture capital funding aims to further help companies go in the way of becoming publicly listed. Also called bridge financing, this venture capital would help finance the company's aim to go public and set up an IPO which may take a considerable amount of capital.

This is basically how the system of start up venture capital funding works. It may sometimes be modified, but the basics still remains the same.

Start Up Venture Capital

A start up venture capital is simply a type of private equity capital that is being provided to fund start up companies with high growth potential. In its most basic form, venture capital is being given in the form of cash by people known as angel investors. In exchange for the capital, the investors are given a stake in the start up company in the form of shares.

History
Start up venture capital was once the domain of wealthy individuals and families in the early 20th Century. There were notable families with riches that many upstart businesses then relied on to help gather up some start up capital for a business that shows some potential. In the United States, there were wealthy families such as the Rockerfellers, Warburg and the Vanderbilts who were noted for their investments on several industrial and private companies during the early 1900's. During this time, it was not yet known as venture capital but more commonly called as developmental capital.

It was not until after World War II that venture capital investments ceased to be a realm of wealthy families. Sometime in the 1940's, venture capital firms were set up in order to help and encourage the private sector to invest in businesses. The firms initially targeted returning GI's. These venture capital firms were the first of its kind then in that they helped raised capital funds that did not come primarily from the wealthy families.

Technology And Venture Capital
In the subsequent years, venture capital firms focused more and more on investing in technology companies. It was s time when many technological breakthroughs in electronics, data processing and the medical field were rampant. The late 60's up towards the 70's saw many venture capital firms eyeing investments mainly in technology. It was also during this time that venture capital became almost synonymous with technology finance because on its perceived focus in terms of investments.

80's Hardships
The venture capital industry first saw its successes bore fruit during the 70's and the 80's. With many start up technology businesses sprouting up and became big companies. This led to many other capital firms venturing out into trying to provide start up funding to new businesses that show high potential for growth. The growth of the venture capital market itself suffered as more and more players entered into the fray.

With many venture capital firms increasingly looking for that next big thing, the risks that they took to determine the potential of certain start ups for growth and success somehow also increased. Many venture capital firms suddenly found themselves facing declining returns that didn't seem to go well with their expectations for some of the start ups they funded.

Along with the competition, occasional dips in the overall business climate also affected the returns for most of the venture capital firms. It even worsened during the stock market crash in 1987 where many IPO's collapsed. This also led many of the venture capital firms to close shop.

90's Boom
The 90's brought about a shake up in the venture capital industry that eventually helped brought about much needed improvement. The boom came when the Internet began making waves and the started the dotcom boom. This led to many start up venture capital firms to provide funding to many of the online domains trying to make their mark on the Web. It stretched until the year 2000 when the dotcom bubble finally burst.

Reasons To Avoid Start Up Venture Capital

Although there are many reasons for new businesses to seek start up venture capital funding, there might also be many other reasons why some businesses might want to avoid it. Venture capital financing is basically funding provided by a certain venture capital firms to help new businesses start out their operations.

Venture capital funding is just one of the various options that businesses and start ups may consider when trying to come up with the necessary capital. Although such options provide a great means for a new business to have the opportunity of starting out the right way, there are reasons that may hinder some start ups from seeking such funding for their new company.

One of the reasons why some start ups avoid seeking venture capital is not just because it may be pretty difficult to get at times, but it can also be a source of distraction over the other important things in the business. Some entrepreneurs can get so into getting additional venture capital for their businesses that it becomes the primary means to let the business survive.

Sometimes it can take the place of actual entrepreneurial tasks such as selling products are providing services that customers actually want. Such ways may help keep the business going, but it seems to postpone final test phase to see whether a certain business idea would really survive in the marketplace.

Another thing why some businesses may avoid seeking venture capital is that many firms that usually provide the funding may not be always on the consistent side when it comes to supporting businesses. A lot of venture capitalists usually go for what is currently the best out there. They sink their money into something that may prove to be the trend in today's market.

Whatever is hot right now, that is where most venture capitalists seek to put their money in. A lot of other business ideas may not be given the same attention no matter how attractive they may be. Some entrepreneurs get concerned that venture capitalists may leave them by the wayside at some point when the industry they are in no longer becomes part of the hot trend in investments.

Other start ups never bother with seeking venture capital funding because it can do a level of damage to businesses in many ways. For one, some venture capitalists seek out to gain more from their investments by trying to get the best discounts and concessions from the companies that are in dire need of their help. When most venture capitalists know that a certain business is in dire straits and would immediately bee seeking aid, most of them would resort to stalling and putting companies in the brink of failing just so to extract additional concessions at the last moment for their own benefit.

Not only that, there are venture capitalists who expect to exert a certain level of control over the companies that they have provided some venture capital funding into. Sometimes, this can get way out of hand that the actual business owners may no longer have personal control over the company. It can sometimes go the way of the venture capitalists running the company themselves.

It may defeat the purposes as to why some entrepreneurs went into the business in the first place. The business that they dreamed to nurture and grow over time can sometimes be taken away from them by venture capitalists.