Every company is composed of individuals with different skill sets and has different roles that must be filled in order to succeed.

One dark rainy night on a muddy hillside in Germany, I learned what it meant to be a great organization.

How to protect yourself and your business startup when the partnership falls apart.

Avoid the purgatory of being non-fundable. Find out the investor’s view and structure of their balance sheet in an “investor friendly” manner before submitting an executive summary to startup investors.

Stephanie Vozza has spoken of the six lessons gleaned from entrepreneurs’ experience (Fast Company). It was illuminating to evaluate how our startup company (FundingSage) and its founders dealt with these business improvement issues.

A fair number of really smart, well-prepared entrepreneurs get tripped up, stumble around and eventually fall to the ground when they make their startup funding pitches to the Angel Investment Group that I am a part of.

As a founder, you should ask yourself, “What is the final, desired outcome of my company?”

Strategic thought requires thinking “conceptually” as opposed to “sequentially.”  Sequential thinking weighs the pros and cons of each step against its immediate surroundings. Conceptual thinking requires that each step be measured against the larger goal. Perhaps this is best understood with an analogy.  Imagine going on a trip from point “A” to point “B.”

There are two key factors to consider in order to be great startup advice from outside experts: Pick the right team, and always know what you want before you ask.

Many founders don’t consider this one until it’s too late. The excitement and adrenaline of getting started leads to a “kumbaya atmosphere” where all things are equal. This spills over into salaries. Sooner or later, the amount of time, effort and energy expended by the partners is no longer equal, but their salaries are. Tensions begin to rise.