Tag Archives: Financial Strategy
Investment Returns of Venture Capital vs Greybull Stewardship
Investment returns in venture capital as an asset class have not been good for a long time. To me, that result is somewhat predictable. Great investment returns are not going to come from anything where you have to swing for the fences with every investment… Continue reading
Five Forces by Michael Porter — Fundamentals Through Graphics
Five Forces of Competition The five forces of competition concept is one of the most influential in modern business. It was developed by Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School. Like all good frameworks, it takes something complicated and provides a simple, shorthand method to… Continue reading
Financial Audit Helpful for Financing, Funding, and Selling Your Business
My first financial audit was intimidating. My company, Student Advantage, was preparing for its IPO in 1999 and the audit firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, needed to audit all of the material entities that had merged with Student Advantage during the prior few years. My little start-up company,… Continue reading
Art of Balance — the Key to Business & Management Success
Balance is key to success, particularly for business owners and leaders who think about an entire organization. This means: a) the ability to decide where and when to focus on multiple continuums, b) the ability to execute those decisions, and c) the ability to know when to reassess (a… Continue reading
Founder & VC Misalignment More Often Than Thought
The misalignment between vc’s and founders is painfully obvious from the quotes below from the IPO S-1 filing of Applied Medical Corp. (Dan Primack of Fortune did the reporting and should get the credit). First is the company stating why they are going public (bold emphasis mine). … Continue reading
Kissing a Lot of Frogs: Smaller Companies Must Work to Find Investment Financing
Competitive advantages can both increase and decrease as a business gets larger. One thing that gets easier for larger companies is attracting business investment and financing. The chart below from John Paglia at the Pepperdine Business School demonstrates the shortage in capital and investment sources… Continue reading
You Are What You Eat (or Where You Get Your Investment)
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are,” said French lawyer and epicure Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Similarly, tell me where you got the investment for your business and I will tell you what is in store for your business. Each… Continue reading
Rich vs King? Spoils Go To Business Owners Who Delegate & Share
As is often said around Silicon Valley, “Would you rather be rich or be king?” I think the rich vs king question is too crass and is aimed narrowly at convincing a founder to bring in senior management to manage a growing enterprise. However, I… Continue reading
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