What is the Value of Pro Forma Financials?

Posted in Finances
By David Kaplan - March 31st, 2011 No comments

A client emailed the other day to ask for help in preparing his pro forma financial statements, the three to five year profit and loss statement and balance sheet that generally accompany business plans. He told me that he knew the cost to have his product manufactured and packaged and the that he had also […]

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Business Case Checklist

Posted in Business Plan Tips
By David Kaplan - March 17th, 2009 No comments

Perhaps the first issue an entrepreneur needs to face is “How strong is the business case for this new venture idea?” Every founder needs to answer that question to prevent over-investing themselves and to be prepared for the legitimate skepticism of others. The list that follows probes the strength of the business case systematically … […]

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The Venture Quest

Posted in Venture Capital
By David Kaplan - March 17th, 2009 No comments

Many start-ups literally spend years chasing venture capital funding. Now, sometimes that perseverance makes sense, but often it does not. Still, once an entrepreneur has decided that her enterprise is suited to VC investment it can be difficult if not impossible to change her mind.

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Look at Your Venture as an Investor Would

Posted in Business Plan Tips, Entrepreneurship
By David Kaplan - November 1st, 2008 No comments

When you buy candy, you think of it as something sweet. When you sell candy you think of it as a product. A similar dynamic is at play when entrepreneurs write business plans, except that all too often it works backwards. The seller (entrepreneur) sees the sweet upside and the potential investor views the risk […]

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