Next Step For Entrepreneurs

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #12 is the final slide of content in the deck. The ask. And a bonus explaining the final slide too. But sorry, that isn't actually the end to your pitch deck nor the end to your work preparing this pitch.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #11 has a great team, as it is the slide that showcases the team you've put together to make this business plan come true.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #10 is a summary of your financial model. Typically, the hockey stick graph. But believable. Or even better, showing off some actual historic revenues along with that trend turning into big revenues in the next few years.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #9 is all about "traction", a.k.a. proof that customers care about the product or service you described a few slides earlier.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #8 in this series is the business model. How do you charge customers? How much do they pay. A bit of proof this is a business, not a charity.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #7 in this series is the opportunity size, a.k.a. the total addressable market, a.k.a. a big number that makes investors want to hear more.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.This episode walks through two slides, #5 and #6, the solution. Two slides because you need to spend enough time talking about your product or service so that the audience believes it can solve that problem you described back in slide #2.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #4 in this series is where the pitching gets complicated, as the fourth slide isn't always the same topic in every pitch deck. It could be a trend. It could be the wrong solution. It could be something else that needs to be shared before the solution is unveiled.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #3 in this series talks about the third slide, the customer. Who has that problem you talked about in the previous slide? Or of everyone with the problem, which customer segment are you targeting? Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week continues the slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #2 in this series is the problem. Not the problem in making a compelling pitch deck but the problem your company is solving. Clear and concise, not dwelling with details.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

What makes for a pitch that ends with an investment? This week begins a slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #1 in this series begins at the beginning, with the title slide. It's your first impression and don't make the mistakes so often made by others.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

How you do get investors to open your email, read your whole pitch deck, and get into a conversation that ends with a check? This week begins a slide-by-slide explanation of how to do just that.Episode #0 in this series explains how to create the compelling one-liner that begins this process.Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/pitchPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

This week is an interview David Giles, co-founder and head of Santo de Piedra Mezcal, a luxurious, high-end alcoholic spirit made by hand in Oaxaca, Mexico, sold around the world. In this podcast, David and I talk about global logistics and cashflow, and how both take an attention to detail to keep a company growing. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes See David tell the backstory at fledge.co/fledgling/agua-piedra-mezcal/ Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week is a recording of Demo Day from Fledge14, the conscious company accelerator in Seattle. See demo-day.fledge.co for the video version of this event. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week was recorded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania talking to Joseph Kadendula, founder and CEO of Swahili Honey (formerly known as Central Park Bees). In this podcast, Joseph and I talk about the challenges that come from growth, from large, unexpected orders, and from building a complex logistics chain of hundreds of small farmers in Africa. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes See Joseph tell his original vision and watch a video update at fledge.co/fledgling/central-park-bees/ Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week was recorded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania talking to Elly Timothy (a.k.a. Elia Timotheo), founder and CEO of East Africa Fruits. In this podcast, Elly and I talk about focus, both finding focus by trimming the least profitable products as well as grabbing new opportunities when they arise, and satisfying customers in that process. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes See Elly tell his original vision and get a tour of the current production facility at fledge.co/fledgling/east-africa-fruits/ Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week was recorded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania talking to Joseph Kadendula, founder and CEO of Swahili Honey (formerly known as Central Park Bees).In this podcast, Joseph and I talk about the challenges that come from growth, from large, unexpected orders, and from building a complex logistics chain of hundreds of small farmers in Africa.Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee Joseph tell his original vision and watch a video update at fledge.co/fledgling/central-park-bees/Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

This week is an interview Mavis Nduchwa, founder of Kalahari Honey. In this podcast, May and I talk about the importance of focus, how you find focus, and sometimes how it finds you. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week was recorded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania talking to Elly Timothy (a.k.a. Elia Timotheo), founder and CEO of East Africa Fruits. In this podcast, Elly and I talk about focus, both finding focus by trimming the least profitable products as well as grabbing new opportunities when they arise, and satisfying customers in that process.Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee Elly tell his original vision and get a tour of the current production facility at fledge.co/fledgling/east-africa-fruits/Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

This week is an interview Elias Mabiria from Kisii University. In this podcast, Elias and I talk compare the University of Washington and its 200+ person commercialization department with Kisii University, a 16,000-student public university in Western Kenya. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week is an interview Matthew Benson, co-founder and CEO of eFuse, the LinkedIn for E-Sports.In this podcast, Matthew and I talk about the stage of startup right before launch, his journey to ELab in Europe, and what might happen post-launch.Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSign up for eFuse at https://efuse.io/Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

This week is an interview David Giles, co-founder and head of Santo de Piedra Mezcal, a luxurious, high-end alcoholic spirit made by hand in Oaxaca, Mexico, sold around the world.In this podcast, David and I talk about global logistics and cashflow, and how both take an attention to detail to keep a company growing.Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesSee David tell the backstory at http://fledge.co/fledgling/agua-piedra-mezcal/Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

This week is an interview Ben Cook and Muralee Balaguru, founders of Zirconia, an innovating material sciences company with a breakthrough for concrete, the world's the common building material.In this podcast, Ben, Muralee and I talk briefly about simplifying a complicated message, but mostly we talk about why everything takes long than expected, even when you expect it to take longer.Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

Three years, 85,000 day-old chicks and 6 million eggs later, Oreeggs is on track to be the largest producer of consumable and hatched eggs in Eastern Uganda.Eggs are the most affordable source of protein in this region that is fraught with protein malnutrition.Oree Oscar Daniel, founder and CEO interprets chicken-talk and tells the story of Oreeggs in this short talk from the Fledge accelerator Demo Day.Video and more details at fledge.co/fledgling/oreeggsPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

Bees make great fences to keep the wild elephants off of farmland, and there are more elephants in Botswana than any other country in Africa.Kalahari Honey trains farmers in bee keeping, then collects, bottles, and packages that honey for sale in pharmacies and markets in Botswana, Lesotho, and Namibia.Mavis Nduchwa, founder and CEO tells the story of Kalahari Honey in this short talk from the Fledge accelerator Demo Day.Video and more details at fledge.co/fledgling/kalahari-honeyPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

The area around Lake Victoria in Africa is home to 100 million people, nearly all who live without access to electricity. This is a hilly region, with hundreds of year-round rivers and streams, and thousands of waterfalls.Bieera Energy has been created by Kisii University to deploy off-the-shelf micro-hydro power plants to take advantage of the megawatts of untapped, clean, carbon-free energy to bring electricity to the region.Video and more details at fledge.co/fledgling/bieeraPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

The 10 million people living in Western Kenya consume 400,000 chickens per day. But they currently only grow 120,000 of those locally.Chicken Basket was founded by Abisai Nandi to address this opportunity, working with hundreds of local Kenyan farmers, mostly women and youth, to meet the need for chickens in Kisumu, Kenya and the rest of Western Kenya.Video and more details at fledge.co/fledgling/chicken-basketPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

Who made your shoes? What are they made of?Fuchsia Shoes works with artisans in Pakistan, Nepal, and ultimately across South Asia to make beautiful, comfortable, unique shoes and accessories, and shares the stories of the makers with their customers.Afshan Abbas, founder and CEO tells the story behind two of these artisans and the progress of Fuchsia Shoes in this short talk from the Fledge accelerator Demo Day.Video and more details at fledge.co/fledgling/fuchsiaPost your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

This week is an interview Mavis Nduchwa, founder of Kalahari Honey.In this podcast, May and I talk talk about the importance of focus, how you find focus, and sometimes how it finds you.Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-stepSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

The biggest hangup entrepreneurs face in The Next Step curriculum and in business planning in general is the financial model.My lesson of "tell a story with numbers" doesn't always sink in, and in this podcast for all of you afraid of spreadsheets, afraid of numbers, or who need this lesson repeated in a different way I take another crack at teaching financial modeling .Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-LibesRead the book at http://lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step/financial-planSee the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellcMore advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blogMusic by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com

This week is an interview Fred Whittlesey, compensation consultant. In this podcast, Fred and I talk about what decisions founders need to make when it comes to compensation, and what common mistakes are made by startups in dealing with employees around compensation. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

Three weeks into Fledge14 (the fourteenth session of my conscious company accelerator) and just about everything we've done is invisible: business planning, financial modeling, learning the realities of funding, and dozens of meetings with mentors are in-progress. What is visible are the three new company names, three new logos, and one refreshed logo. (Re)Branding is the most visible change we make with startups at Fledge, and the most visible aspect of any business plan. In addition to this week's discussion of that process, you can see the results of this effort and historic efforts like it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YQ5DNageCQ Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week is an interview Cat Berman, founder/CEO of the 3-year-old fintech startup CNote. In this podcast, Cat and I talk about a variety of common startup issues including: data-driven decisions, customer segments, customers you don't actually want, Reg A+ fundraising, and more. You can find CNote at mycnote.com Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

When do you need to incorporate? What do startup lawyers do beyond incorporation? What else do I need to know about startup law? This week we return to business planning, this time answering the questions above, explaining the role of startup lawyers in incorporation, regulation, and risk. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Watch the related video and read the related blog post at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-role-of-startup-lawyers/ See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

When did you start your startup? When exactly is Day 1? How do you get from the simple startup you have now to the complex companies you see around you? This week we talk about the fuzziness around when a startup gets started and the process of learnings that turn a simple startup business plan into a highly complex company. Along the way we'll ask the question of how Fledge14 is or isn't the fourteenth session of the namesake accelerator. TL;DR; it's complicated! Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Read the related blog post at http://fledge.co/2019/the-14th-session-of-fledge/ See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week is a discussion with special guest Jimmy Jia, founder of Distributed Energy Management, a startup that (like many do) unfortunately didn't make it. In this podcast, Jimmy and I talk about what went wrong and how he decided to ultimately shut down his startup. That is never an easy decision. One that I had to make myself with my first startup decades ago. See the DEM Demo Day story: http://fledge.co/fledgling/distributed-energy-management/ Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

What changes when employees own the business, rather than outsiders? How does that change the organization for the better? And how exactly do you set up a company where the owners are the employees? Following on the last two weeks' rant about the true purpose of business, this week dives into the topic of how to organize an employee-owned company, and how that is one of the secrets to building a company that has a higher chance of success. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See some examples at start.coop More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

What is Amazon doing wrong? Why are members of the U.S. government talking about breaking up the company? Why is Walmart so unloved? So reviled? Ultimately this is a question about the purpose of business. You hear that answered as "maximizing shareholder value" everyday in the media, and everyday at the top business schools. But it's simply not true. It never was. This is part three of a podcast "storm" (like a tweetstorm only longer than a paragraph) explaining what Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are doing wrong, and more importantly, what they should have been doing to not have these problems. These are issues you should care about as an entrepreneurs, as you don't have to make the same mistakes. You can instead make a business that serves the true purpose of business, making happy customers, making happy employees, and making happy communities. Do that and you'll have happy shareholders. This is a topic not found in lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Watch the related video and read the related blog post at https://lunarmobiscuit.com/the-purpose-of-business-ignite-bainbridge/ See dozens of purposefully businesses at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

What is Facebook doing wrong? Why are members of the U.S. government talking about breaking up the company? Ultimately this is a question about the purpose of business. You hear that answered as "maximizing shareholder value" everyday in the media, and everyday at the top business schools. But it's simply not true. It never was. This is part three of a podcast "storm" (like a tweetstorm only longer than a paragraph) explaining what Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are doing wrong, and more importantly, what they should have been doing to not have these problems. These are issues you should care about as an entrepreneurs, as you don't have to make the same mistakes. You can instead make a business that serves the true purpose of business, making happy customers, making happy employees, and making happy communities. Do that and you'll have happy shareholders. This is a topic not found in lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Watch the related video and read the related blog post at https://lunarmobiscuit.com/the-purpose-of-business-ignite-bainbridge/ See dozens of purposefully businesses at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

What is Google doing wrong? Why are members of the U.S. government talking about breaking up the company? Ultimately this is a question about the purpose of business. You hear that answered as "maximizing shareholder value" everyday in the media, and everyday at the top business schools. But it's simply not true. It never was. This is part two of a podcast "storm" (like a tweetstorm only longer than a paragraph) explaining what Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are doing wrong, and more importantly, what they should have been doing to not have these problems. These are issues you should care about as an entrepreneurs, as you don't have to make the same mistakes. You can instead make a business that serves the true purpose of business, making happy customers, making happy employees, and making happy communities. Do that and you'll have happy shareholders. This is a topic not found in lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Watch the related video and read the related blog post at https://lunarmobiscuit.com/the-purpose-of-business-ignite-bainbridge/ See dozens of purposefully businesses at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

What is Apple doing wrong? Why are members of the U.S. government talking about breaking up the company? Ultimately this is a question about the purpose of business. You hear that answered as "maximizing shareholder value" everyday in the media, and everyday at the top business schools. But it's simply not true. It never was. This week begins a podcast "storm" (like a tweetstorm only longer than a paragraph) explaining what Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are doing wrong, and more importantly, what they should have been doing to not have these problems. These are issues you should care about as an entrepreneurs, as you don't have to make the same mistakes. You can instead make a business that serves the true purpose of business, making happy customers, making happy employees, and making happy communities. Do that and you'll have happy shareholders. This is a topic not found in lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Watch the related video and read the related blog post at https://lunarmobiscuit.com/the-purpose-of-business-ignite-bainbridge/ See dozens of purposefully businesses at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

Before you create another company that the world considers a menace, let's take a step back and talk about the true purpose of business. This week we continue the step back from business planning and talk about the purpose of business, about customers and employees, and everything else that goes into creating a company that people love. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Watch the related video and read the related blog post at https://lunarmobiscuit.com/the-purpose-of-business-ignite-bainbridge/ See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time" and "If I had more time, I’d have written a shorter letter." This week's advice is short, clear and concise, as should be all of your marketing copy, your sales pitch, your cold email, and everything you do. Spend the time to write the shorter letter, and more people will read it. Spend the time to hone your plan, and your odds of success go up. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step More details at lunarmobiscuit.com/not-enough-time/, and lunarmobiscuit.com/clear-and-concise/ More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

How do you make progress on your startup without any funding or other big breaks? How do you find the thousands of potential customers you need to succeed? Brute force! This week I share one of the small bits of advice posted on my blog, explaining how some tasks are best done the hard way, one by one by one. Long, often monotonous tasks that are no fun, but which move the company through a hurdle and which create the momentum startups often lack. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step Read this specific topic at lunarmobiscuit.com/brute-force/ More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

How do you meet the people you need to help you succeed? Networking! This week I go off book and share a few secrets on how to meet people, how to meet even more people, and how to keep track of all those people you are meeting. Sounds simple, but networking is a skill that most entrepreneurs don't have and don't spend enough time honing and improving. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week comes from Lilongwe, Malawi with special guests Victor Mhango and Byton Simuela, co-founders of Ziweto Agrovet Shops, Malawi's now largest network of retail and wholesale products for keeping livestock healthy. In this podcast, Victor and Byton explain the challenges that come from growing a company 8x in three years, and from operating a global importer, a distributor, and a national-scale business. See the Ziweto shop in Lilongwe: https://youtu.be/aNZrqdrlCUg The original Ziweto story: http://fledge.co/fledgling/ziweto-enterprise/ Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

Finishing up the topic of "The Realities of Funding", this week talks about incubators and accelerators. What are they? Are they worth your time? How do they work? What do they cost? Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

The tables have been turned on Devin Thorpe, who writes for Forbes.com and interviews social entrepreneurs and impact investors on yourmarkontheworld.com. In this podcast, Devin and I talk move over to the topic of equity crowdfunding, i.e. raising money for a startup by selling shares to investors, specifically Reg CF and Reg A+ ,the two new ways for American companies to raise money from any American. Links to Devin's work: www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe yourmarkontheworld.com/ www.devinthorpe.com/ Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week we turn the tables on Devin Thorpe, who writes for Forbes.com and interviews social entrepreneurs and impact investors on yourmarkontheworld.com. In this podcast, Devin and I talk about the challenges of getting your story told by a journalist, the modern business model of the press, and a bit more. Links to Devin's work: https://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe https://yourmarkontheworld.com/ https://www.devinthorpe.com/ Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the book at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

This week comes from day two at Start.coop where the guest speaker was Jonathan Rosenthal, co-founder of Equal Exchange, a $70M, Boston-based worker co-op that pioneered the idea of fair trade food. In the podcast, Jonathan and I talk about why a worker co-op, how that works in practice, the pros and cons of that structure, and a host of other topics. Equal Exchange- equalexchange.coop Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Read the books at lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the results of The Next Step at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support

The world now has a business accelerator for cooperative companies, Start.coop. And it itself is a coop! This week was recorded in Boston, on Day 2 of this ground-breaking program. Greg talks about how co-ops are misunderstood, how broad the can be, and how the program aims to fill the country (and someday the world) with cooperatively run companies. Post your questions to www.quora.com/profile/Luni-Libes Someday Greg will have a book on coops in lunarmobiscuit.com/the-next-step See the (un)cooperative startups at youtube.com/fledgellc More advice at lunarmobiscuit.com/blog Music by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/next-step-for-entrepreneurs/support