Posts Tagged ‘preparation’
How to Attract Great Advisors to Your Venture
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012Looking for wisdom? So are your competitors and fellow entrepreneurs. Here are some thoughts about how your company can increase its odds of landing in-demand advisors.
Recently, we received a question from an entrepreneur: “We are a technology startup and have got to a level of mild traction with a user base that’s engaged. Now that we know that we are creating value its time to transcend to the next level and get a great set of advisers on board and we are not looking for big names but advisers who are proactive and interested in what we do. Any tips on going about and getting great advisers on board would be useful.”
Our Thoughts:
The tactics for attracting good advisors are similar to the tactics for attracting a top team. Be prepared to compensate them.
Sometimes equity is enough of a lure, but most advisors don’t get excited about a single digit or fraction of a percent ownership to really dig into an advisory role. Compensating the advisor with even a nominal consulting fee is a strong signal that the advisor is valued and is viewed as a signal that value is expected from the advisor in return.
Good advisors are usually in high demand by many more startups than can be served; therefore, it’s important to understand that relevant wisdom isn’t a commodity, but rather a scarce resource. In today’s economy, cash is king more than it used to be. Investors want to see customers paying cash, not consuming free services. Employees want to see cash, not just stock options in expectation that a small slice of equity alone will be worth something material in the future.
Establishing a solid core advisory board – formal or informal – means choosing a select few (not trying to “collect lots of names for the letterhead”) and treating them like a co-founder. Engaging them equally. Listening to them equally. Compensating them properly. Expecting value accordingly.
Founders who don’t understand this should consider just asking an occasional cold-call question to various subject matter experts, but not expecting an advisory relationship with much substance. Too often, founders don’t manage or engage or compensate advisors properly and then blame the advisors for not being useful, helpful or valuable. Too often, the founder-advisory board relationship is structured for failure or at best, it turns out to be a mild distraction to all involved. 
You may find advisor candidates who are interested in what you do, but you still must find the right amount of equity and/or cash compensation to make those who are interested also proactive and committed.
Instead of a conventional perspective of “seed money is the first step towards validation”, the mantra today is likely the converse: “validation is the first step toward seed money.” In more than half of all startups nowadays, the initial validation comes from the wallets of the founders (i.e. first phase is bootstrapping). If the marginal costs of starting a business includes some compensation to key individuals in the budget, the prospects of beating out a competing startup for that same wisdom is very good, and this early tactic sets the pace for startup success, just like proper planning and preparation does.
In summary, wisdom is often a scarce resource. Like anything of value, be prepared to pay a fair price for the advisory expertise you need and your chances of acquiring that wisdom will increase.
TEC – How One ActSeed Entrepreneur Group Member is Sparking the Economy
Friday, November 11th, 2011
Sometimes, an ActSeed Entrepreneur Group member not only has a promising business, but is also an ally in ActSeed’s mission to assist people in building exceptional companies of all types. The TEC Center is one such partner that has the potential to make a positive impact on our economy.
There are a lot of folks hurting for work and wanting an opportunity to leap out-and-up from their current economic situation. As many big companies sit on the sideline for hiring, a growing number of disenfranchised people aspire to take control of their future and create their own job by starting a business or joining a startup. The trouble is: where do they turn? Where can they acquire the knowledge to be a business owner, a business partner, an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship is not a reserved for a “ruling class” or exclusive to the highly-educated. At its core, entrepreneurship is about building something of value that others want to purchase and accepting the risks inherent in the process of moving from “idea to implementation”. This includes butchers and bakers, not just iPhone app makers. Just as ActSeed is dedicated to assisting regular people build exceptional businesses, TEC is committed to training regular people to become business partners.
We interviewed Jack Finkelstein, the co-founder and President of TEC – which is as much a movement for positive change as it is a promising young business. We have provided Jack’s contact information at the end of the interview so you can reach him directly and explore how to get involved.
Q. Describe your “Eureka Moment”. What was the market opportunity that drove your decision to form a company around this product/service?
A. The Eureka Moment came when we realized that every one of our graduates will be guaranteed a job. This is a powerful statement to make in the middle of a recession. We also realized that not only are there millions who need our service, but every year an additional 2 million young adults enter our target market zone.
Q. How did you fund the company to its current state?
My partner and I have self-funded the project till now. We have also formed a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, held seminars with Operation Hope in Harlem to test market our program, acquired an office at 590 Madison Avenue in New York City, and started some of the businesses that our graduates will participate in.
Q. ActSeed champions the need for solid planning and preparation from the very beginning. How important is planning and prep to your company’s success? Can you share an example or two?
A. Planning and preparation is important to the success of any new corporation. The seminars we held at Operation Hope and some of the high schools resulted in the following: Young adults in the inner cities with a high school degree or GED degree desperately want and need the TEC Center Program. Not only will they be guaranteed jobs but they will also become partners in the business that they will work in. Our target market currently has an unemployment rate of close to 20%. The TEC Center Program is a valuable program that can provide them with the type of success they may otherwise only dream about.
Q. How long did it take to get your idea into the market from initial concept to first customer?
A. This has been a 3 year labor of love that not only is about a great business venture – but also a “movement.” From understanding the inner city individual to determining which businesses can be formed and remain successful in the inner city has taken up the majority of our time. The last 6 months have been spent in looking for the right nationally accredited school with the proper accreditation, and Title IV abilities that we require for our program.
Q. What influence have the internet and new media had on the way you are marketing, selling and supporting your products/services?
A. An advantage we have is that we know how to reach our target market. Every high school graduating class, every GED class, and even the colleges represent potential students for our program. It is not a surprise that these individuals all have email addresses and a cell phone. We also utilize the internet as a research tool to teach entrepreneurialism to our students.
Q. Describe the challenges you faced as you built your customer base, including defining the customer target, establishing the right price and pricing strategy and of course, closing the first few deals. Any wisdom to share with other entrepreneurs on this subject?
A. Defining and reaching our customer base is perhaps our easiest task. We decided primarily on young adults in the inner cities because they can utilize our services more than college grads. The cost of tuition is covered through Title IV Federal Student Loan Program. Students pay back the loan after they graduate and begin working. Since all students will be working for one of our company-sponsored startups, we do not anticipate any issues in paying back the loan.
Q. What techniques have you used to establish credibility in the eyes of customers, investors, partners, personnel and the general public?
A. The TEC Center Program speaks for itself. Guaranteed government funding for every one of our students (each student gets pre-qualified for the funding). Guaranteed jobs for all graduates. The government spends approximately $100 Billion dollars every year on education and we anticipate that this will continue for a long time. This is virtually a no-risk, low cost business to enter. A classroom of 32 students can be turned around 3 times a day (each class is 3 ½ hours long). This represents enough revenue to support full operations and the company-initiated small businesses. Direct overhead is approximately 20%. Investors salivate over these statistics.
Q. Have government, University, or other community / economic development programs been useful? If so, how?
A. We believe that educators are good at educating but do not make the best entrepreneurs. Most have never owned or operated a successful business. While high schools mostly concentrate on math and science to prepare students for college, we concentrate on entrepreneurship and prepare our students to become partners in a business – a business that they will enter as a partner, without being required to apply any of their own savings. Most inner city economic development offices attempt to convince large businesses to move into their district in order to create jobs (mostly low level jobs). The TEC Center Program provides the tools, entrepreneurial education, training and a myriad of jobs and businesses that students can choose from.
Q. What is the most important thing people never tell you about joining or founding an early-stage company?
A. Most people do not know enough to give sound advice about founding an early-stage company. Entrepreneurs and optimists tell you to “go for it.” Non-entrepreneurs and pessimists tell you that “most new businesses fail.” The real key to success is to keep your expenses down, understand your target market and product (or service) better than anyone else, don’t hesitate to continually challenge all of your assumptions, and have plenty of contingency plans if things do not go as expected.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share that we didn’t ask you in the questions above?
A. In addition to an expected healthy financial return to our investors TEC is a shining example of a social value enterprise: a profitable venture that address a major public need and gives back to the community. The success of the TEC Center Program will also help reduce the dramatic high school drop-out rate, especially in the inner cities. Nationally, the high school drop-out rate is 25% to 50%, over 50% in the inner cities. In addition, 50% of college students drop out of college – 30% the first year alone. This dropout rate is called “The Silent Epidemic” because few people are talking about it. These individuals can now learn how to become entrepreneurs and partners in a business. TEC will be instrumental in training the unemployed, single parent families, returning G.I. veterans, and individuals who have been released from a correctional institution as long as they have a high school or GED degree. Something has to be done now. The TEC Center Program takes a major step forward in solving this very serious situation. Having just 1,000 students in each state represents a major contribution to job creation and the economic growth in each stage. We are not in a high-tech business; we are in a high-value business.
Our thoughts about ActSeed: “ActSeed is very professional and I strongly believe that its CEO, Bill Attinger, truly cares about our program. ActSeed has been involved in every aspect of the processes that are required to present the TEC Center Program as good as possible. You can’t go wrong by giving ActSeed the opportunity of matching your program to possible investors.”
For more information about The TEC Center, please contact Jack Finkelstein, founder and President, at jack@theteccenter.com or visit their web site at http://www.tecmembers.com.
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Are You Three Feet from Gold?
Monday, September 19th, 2011Entrepreneurs, small business owners and founders of startups tirelessly work toward turning their business vision into a commercial reality, and possibly a metaphorical gold mine. While the destination and even the journey can be rewarding, it’s often lonely and frustrating to the point entrepreneurs often give up. If this describes you, then read “Three Feet From Gold” before making your final decision to throw in the towel. It may be a life-changing choice.
There’s no doubt that Napoleon Hill has influenced many generations of leaders with his research and writing that stems from a 1908 encounter with Andrew Carnegie.
Hill’s principals have been artfully brought into today’s business landscape with the book, “Three Feet from Gold”. ActSeed champions books and individuals who can both educate and inspire. Sharon Lechter and Greg Reid do this well.
When you buy this book, buy a notepad, too. This is one of those books that inspire you to take notes and then muster the tenacity you need to pursue your own purpose.
As the book states, the greatest reason for failure is quitting. Don’t even consider quitting until you have read this book.
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Getting Legal Guidance Should Always Be This Easy and Affordable
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Startups and small businesses are often incredibly hesitant to call a lawyer for advice. Why? Because they want to avoid legal issues? No. Because they want to avoid the invoice afterwards.
Navigating legal issues is a challenge — a time-consuming and costly component of launching a business. Small businesses need legal guidance from many angles: corporate law, securities law, employment law, patents, trademarks, privacy, finance, litigation, tax… and the list goes on.
Interpreting and applying the law often deals with “shades of gray” more than “black and white”. In other words, a handful of very smart attorneys may offer very different perspectives and legal advice on a given issue.
So, wouldn’t it be incredible if an entrepreneur or small business owner could throw out a legal question to 10 attorneys who have a relevant background and receive responses from each – all for just a few bucks?
The founders of LawPivot thought so, and ActSeed agrees.
LawPivot is one of those “no-brainer” services for a startup or small business budget. Being able to tap legal knowledge like this is invaluable. ActSeed is more than a strategic ally of LawPivot; it’s also a happy client. Consider this a very warm referral for all ActSeed members.
If you’d like to try LawPivot, they will give you a free trial.
If you become a member of the ActSeed community (register for ActSeed here to receive the LawPivot bonus code; it’s free!), ActSeed will give a Promotional Code to extend your free LawPivot service through the end of 2011.
Not all of a company’s legal needs can be boiled down to a crowd-sourced response. Attorneys and legal work will still need to be in the budget, but having access to a breadth of legal minds for a small monthly fee is invaluable. To receive this service for free during 2011 is, literally, priceless.
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Impact Your Business
Saturday, June 11th, 2011Many entrepreneurs are “allergic to the numbers side of the business”. Part of the high failure rate of small businesses is due to avoiding and ignoring basic financial principals.
Ken Kaufman’s book explains the essentials of small business finance and how to easily apply them through the use of allegory. In other words, he uses “good ol’ fashioned story-telling” to make even the most finance-phobic business owner learn and appreciate the need for quantitative, financial management.
This is not just a story about Steve, a man struggling as a small business owner, a husband and a dad. It is a guide penned in a way we can all identify with. It goes beyond merely being clever about teaching financials.
For example, in Chapter 23, the protagonist (Steve) starts to see, from his own experiences, how anxiety and clarity are negatively correlated. This is a non-financial lesson we all must learn and respect. This book is full of well-articulated insights that we all face as business owners.
The first time you read it, Kaufman’s book is an enjoyable story that “hits home”. Then, it becomes a very useful reference guide for the next hundred times you’ll take it off your bookshelf.
You can get your copy of “Impact Your Business” here.
The Realities of Being an Entrepreneur in One Book
Friday, May 6th, 2011“Most people start businesses simply because they just don’t like working for someone else.”
If this quote resonates with you, or even if you have another motive for becoming an entrepreneur, you should read this book.
Scott Shane packs this book with statistics and information that really helps you understand the realities of building a business. If you are a true entrepreneur, this book should sober your expectations and then bolster your resolve. If you aren’t quite there yet as an entrepreneur, this book will properly discourage you from burning too much of your own time and money (not to mention the time and money of others) until you are truly ready to “do it the right way.”
In this book, Shane shares statistics and data about where funding comes from for new business creation, what impact VC and angels have on new business creation, which industries receive most of their funds and who may likely be the best source of funds for your own business. He shares data about how long it usually takes to “turn the corner” with a new business and the demographics of entrepreneurship, too.
The Illusions of Entrepreneurship pulls data from a multitude of resources, including the Federal Reserve Survey of Small business Finance and the Center for Venture Research in New Hampshire. Essentially, Scott Shane has condensed thousands of pages of research into a single, coherent book.
This book is one of the first ones you should read if you are contemplating the plunge into the world of entrepreneurship.
You can purchase this book from ActSeed’s Amazon store here.
Enjoy!
Compatibility Counts
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011What is compatibility in the context of small business investing and why is it important?
Private direct investment is very different than buying a publicly traded security. Investors do not have the same regulatory support or liquidity as a publicly traded stock. While we have witnessed a number of publicly traded companies mislead the public with incorrect or incomplete information in the past, at least there is a formal structure with a set of reporting regulations and consequences for failing to adhere to those regs and provide certain information to investors. With startups and small businesses, there is much less information available and very little regulation on what must be shared with investors.
Because of this, there is a greater element of compatibility required between the small business investor and the small business.
Trust and Alignment of Purpose
Understanding this need for compatibility is one of the key topics in the ActSeed Investor Workshop (“How to Evaluate Deals Like a Professional Angel Investor”). Simply stated, we strongly recommend that seed stage investors and startup entrepreneurs are fully aligned in purpose and culture as well as around expected return on investment and “exit strategies”. At the early stages of a business, investors should be viewed as a partner, not as a transaction – a co-pilot and navigation assistance, not merely gas in the tank. The business risk is extremely high in the early stages of a new company and the investor should play an active role in helping the entrepreneur steer clear of pitfalls.
Last year, we created a fun vignette about how ActSeed was like an “eHarmony for startups and investors” – how we help match investor-entrepreneur compatibilities. Recently, we had an inquiry from an entrepreneur who didn’t quite understand our analogy, and interestingly, was persistent in trying to understand how we were an “eHarmony to investors”. So, we drafted a candid reply:
“Simply put, most early/seed stage investors look for strategic and long term compatibility, not “quick hits”. The days of throwing money into something based upon a whim or basic concept are gone.
eHarmony markets their community as one where “people are brought together based on the things that really matter” (the current front page quote on eHarmony.com). ActSeed does the same for investors and entrepreneurs.
To further apply the personal relationship / eHarmony metaphor: investors aren’t interested in “one night stands” and “casual encounters.” Investors are no longer being seduced by what sounds good without verifying what IS good. ActSeed provides a mechanism to help the investor verify and accelerate the due diligence process by 60-90 days.
The common theme from our growing Investor Group members is that they don’t have time to see millions of interesting ideas, but they want to quickly find a few good ones that match their interests AND that provide evidence of preparedness in the core areas of business …PLUS a demonstrated ability to execute a sound plan.”
We know ActSeed isn’t for every entrepreneur, but we pledge to our growing group of Investors that the companies and entrepreneurs they will find within ActSeed’s Entrepreneur Group are ready to “extend trust” through an early presentation of the due diligence issues that will eventually need to be addressed anyway. The sooner this information is “on the table”, the faster a deal can be done or the parties can move on. If you can use the ActSeed process to cut 60-90 days out of the due diligence process, why not?
Within ActSeed, in order for a successful investment to occur:
- ActSeed presents the questions to be answered
- The Entrepreneur must provide the answers
- The Investor must trust the answers
Are you an ActSeed Investor?
If you are someone who wants to invest an amount between $5,000 and $5 million in early stage, seed stage, startup or small businesses, please join ActSeed’s Investor Group. It’s free to join, takes 15 minutes to set up, and allows you to interact on a username basis and allows you to reveal your real identity when and if you choose (to avoid the possibility of “overly ambitious” entrepreneurs).
Learn more about ActSeed’s Investor Group through the resources below:
Click here to download a 1-page PDF about ActSeed’s Investor Group
Watch a two-minute video about ActSeed’s Investor Group:
Join ActSeed (no cost).
Then join ActSeed’s Investor Group.
Let us know how we can help you get set up.
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Make the First Pitch Count
Friday, April 22nd, 2011Thoughts for your first pitch:
Relax and enjoy the experience.
Let your passion come through, but keep it simple and concise, and don’t get defensive if you “cross nerves” with your audience.
Make sure you can quickly and clearly explain: what customer “pain” you’re solving, why your solution will sell, how you make money (and when), and how your investor can expect to realize their return on investment.
It’s ok to not have answers for everything. If you don’t have an answer, offer that you will get back to them with the answer. You might even acknowledge that their question is a good one and ask them if they have any insights to share toward converging on an answer.
Things we suggest not saying:
- “We have no competition.”
- “Our revenue projections are conservative.”
1. Investors may only listen when you tell them about a good idea.
however…
2. Investors may “open their checkbook” if you (A) have a good idea and (B) can demonstrate that you have a plan to implement that good idea and turn it into a profitable one.
We champion all of this and more within our ActSeed.com community.
This note was originally a reply to a young entrepreneur on LinkedIn who was about to make his first investor pitch and was looking for advice about pitching.
In addition to our quick response to “making the first pitch count”, we also recommend buying the book, “Pitching Hacks“.
Now, go out there and make every pitch count!
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Plus Factory: The Difference Between Doers and Dreamers
Monday, April 4th, 2011“The difference in this world between the doers and dreamers is execution.”
– Warren Park, President of Plus Factory
Just before one of our country’s greatest economic meltdowns occurred, two seasoned industry professionals, Warren Park and Simon Tsai, launched their own digital agency. Park and Tsai are creative managers who have spent years in the world’s leading media, advertising and marketing companies. Plus Factory survived and is becoming a global digital development and production powerhouse with offices in New York City, China, and Vietnam. 
We spent a few minutes with the founders to learn their story, get their perspective on entrepreneurship and learn what it takes to start and build a business.
Q. Describe your “Eureka Moment”. What was the market opportunity that drove your decision to form a company around this product/service?
A. When working at another agency, we were working on a budget internally to send to the client and even I thought it was super expensive for what the client wanted. I worked with the project managers for days to cut down the budget. We ended up showing the client the budget and they just laughed at us, saying it was too much. We knew we could do it as well and for less.
Q. How did you fund the company to its current state?
A. Bootstrapping. My partner and I both put in $2,000 from our savings and got the company up and running. We were lucky. We landed some work right away, so we started to generate revenue from the get-go.
Q. ActSeed champions the need for solid planning and preparation from the very beginning. How important is planning and prep to your company’s success? Can you share an example or two?
A. Very important to plan and prepare. 1 is to be very realistic. 2 is to be very prudent on your finances. You need to know what you are going to spend and what you are going to bring in. We did a lot of forecasting of new business and what we were spending.
Q. How long did it take to get your idea into the market from initial concept to first customer?
A. 1 month. We literally got incorporated and started getting business and clients. We were lucky.
Q. What influence have the internet and new media had on the way you are marketing, selling and supporting your services?
A. Well our business would not exist without the internet. That’s multi-layered. Our core service/products are for brands/advertisers going on the internet, so that’s one thing. The other thing was we were able to use many tools that only existed on the web. All communication tools are now web based including voice (Skype), office tools (Google Docs) and accounting (bill.com). Basically our whole infrastructure is on the web.
Q. Describe the challenges you faced as you built your customer base, including defining the customer target, establishing the right price and pricing strategy and of course, closing the first few deals.
A. You need to play with your business model and pricing on a consistent basis till you hit the right ‘combination’. It’s an organic process and if you believe you have the right pricing/target market/model out of the gate is a big assumption.
Q. What techniques have you used to establish credibility in the eyes of customers, investors, partners, personnel and the general public?
A. It’s all about visual appearance. Every communication touch point you provide to your client represents you – good or bad. So first off, your website needs to look good (it’s a good thing we build websites for a living). Second is your phone line and your office environment. I don’t think its bad per say to have a home office, but if you’re on a client call and the dog or kids are in the background, it gives an unprofessional vibe to your clients. And then it’s you as a person. You are a brand, an avatar. You always want to control how your clients will perceive you on any given interaction (i.e. on the phone, in person at a meeting, etc)
Q. What is the most important thing people never tell you about joining or founding an early-stage company?
A. There is no stopping once you get going. It’s our fifth year of operations in 2011, and we feel we are on a train. Once you get your own business going, there is no stopping or brakes. That’s the difference between your own business and working for a business.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share that we didn’t already ask you?
A. Just try to fund it yourself and don’t count on outside money. If you are lucky and really hit your target, you can generate sales right away to get your company going. People who have an idea and just want to get funding for it without any leg-work or creation done is following “fool’s gold”. The difference in this world between the doers and dreamers is execution. Everyone can come up with an idea, but the question is, can you execute and make it come to a reality.
Learn more about Plus Factory at www.plusfactory.com.
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We Just Found $1 Million and Want to Share It with You
Thursday, March 24th, 2011Earlier this month, we led our first formal seminar entitled “How to Evaluate Prospective Deals Like a Professional Angel Investor” and helped about 40 attendees get started in the world of small business investing.
For two hours, we worked with this group to share the ins and outs of finding, assessing and engaging startups and entrepreneurs. Through an informal poll, we estimate this group represented about $1 million of investor capital. Some were interested in investing $5,000 to $25,000. Others were interested in $50,000 to $100,000.
Some were young and had full time jobs, but craved the opportunity and upside of investing in a startup. Some wanted to use some funds from a self-directed IRA and one person had recently sold his long-held business and was driven to explore investing to keep his mind and business acumen stimulated.
What all attendees had in common was a desire to understand some of the nuances of small business investing – what to look for, what to expect and what to avoid.
What our attendees learned:
- Understanding the early stage investor landscape, the different types of early stage investors and how investing in a small business is different than buying and selling publicly traded stock.
- The importance of identifying deals that are in areas where direct experience exists.
- The Tangibles: A “checklist” approach of the issues a prospective investor should address with the entrepreneur before proceeding.
- The Intangibles: Issues beyond intellect and into instinct, where a shared sense of trust and aligned purpose are important.
- Actual testimonials from angels who have invested in and have nurtured multiple early stage businesses.
- Forms and compliance: Documents each prospective investor should know about when pursuing a deal, as well as the role and importance of legal counsel in “doing the deal.”
- Action Items and Next Steps: sharing tools and tactical activities that transform small business investing into a systematic process so investors can make informed decisions.
What we learned:
The interest in small business investing is enormous. Through this inaugural conference, we have received local media attention and will soon have some national exposure. We have been invited to host this workshop in three other cities and are exploring two potential national webinars as well. In short, we learned that we have an important role to help coach a new generation of investors.
The diversity of those interested in learning how to approach startup investing is broad. Men, women, all age ranges and ethnicities. There seem to be quite a few people who want to be part of the startup revolution, but don’t have the ability to strike out on their own, or just don’t have their own ”big idea” they want to commercialize. But they want to be part of the new business ecosystem and they have some of the estimated trillions of dollars that are “sitting on the sideline” ready to support an entrepreneur with well-prepared business model.
Finally, we learned that responsible investors want to be as well-prepared as the entrepreneurs they are considering investing in. We learned that ActSeed’s Investor Group is a great tool for new investors to evaluate startups looking for funding.
Conclusion
In summary, what’s good for the entrepreneur must be good for the investor, and vice versa too. It cannot be out of balance. Intangibles like trust, synergy, purpose and company culture are important. Investment should only occur when there’s a focus on “business basics” with transparency and reciprocal communication between investor and entrepreneur; this is not the same as buying a share of Microsoft or GE. As a small business investor, you must be engaged as an ongoing partner in helping your business investments succeed.
ActSeed carries a clear message to all participants in early stage business creation and growth: “Preparation for success helps avoid behaviors that lead to failure.”
If you are interested in hosting one of our Small Business Investor Workshops locally or via webinar or if you are interested in becoming a small business investor, please contacts us at info@actseed.com.
If you are an aspiring seed stage or angel investor and want to get started now, you can join ActSeed’s Investor Group (there is no cost to join) and start applying the principals we share in our workshop immediately. Learn more about the ActSeed Investor Group here.
We are already working diligently to find and guide more investor millions that we can connect to well-prepared entrepreneurs.
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