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Hacks To Improve Your Pitch Deck

What are the best hacks to improve your pitch deck? Ready to create a winning pitch deck that attracts the capital and investors your startup needs to be successful? Check out these hacks and smart tips for building a better pitch deck.

Why Now Is The Time To Send Investors Your Pitch Deck

Are you wondering why now is the time to send investors your pitch deck? Are you trying to time the sending of your pitch deck to investors? Are you still conjuring up excuses as to why you should wait before hitting send and pitching investors? The best time to do it is right now, and here are just some of the reasons you can’t afford to wait.

The Real Cost Of A Poor Pitch Deck

What is the real cost of a poor pitch deck? Your pitch deck is an extremely pivotal asset that can either unlock an incredible future for your startup venture or cost you millions. Getting the deck right is a big deal, and not just for successfully and efficiently raising capital at your next round. Its value should go well beyond that. So, how much do you stand to lose by failing to get the right help here? What are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when creating a pitch deck?

How To Pitch Your Financials To Investors

How to pitch your financials to investors? Financials are one of the most important parts of your pitch to investors. In times of crisis and economic uncertainty, the financials become far more important than during bull runs.Y ou can get everything else right, spin a great story, paint a great vision and design a beautiful looking pitch deck, but the numbers will reveal far more about the foundation of your startup and how likely it is to succeed.

This Entrepreneur Raised $100 Million To Help Remotely Oversee Surgeries

While many entrepreneurs may have found it more challenging to fund their ventures recently, Daniel Hawkins raised not one, but two funding rounds in the middle of the 2020 COVID pandemic, totaling over $100M.

Zoom Vs. Google Meet To Pitch Investors

What are the pros and cons of using Zoom vs. Google Meet to pitch investors? Startup fundraising has mostly moved online today. That includes pitching investors for the money your venture needs to get started and scale. It is a new arena for many entrepreneurs and investors alike. So, what do you need to know and do to make sure your campaign is a success? Which video meeting tools are the best for meeting investors online?

He Started His First Company At 16 And Now Raised $100 Million To Remove Barriers To High Quality Healthcare

Cherif Habib has been a lifelong entrepreneur. He started his first business at just 16, has taken startups full cycle, and has now raised $100M for his latest healthcare venture. During our interview on the DealMakers Podcast, Habib shared his experiences fundraising, what he considers the foundation of a successful business, the differences between raising capital in the US and Canada, and his top tips for other entrepreneurs.

How To Track The Fundraising Performance

How to track the fundraising performance of your startup?It doesn’t get measured, it doesn’t get improved, right? If you aren’t tracking your progress and performance then you can’t measure or even know where you are. Measuring and tracking, in general, is so important as an entrepreneur and startup. Yet, while it sounds obvious that with fundraising being so critical of a factor for your business that it should be one of the top things tracked, many don’t. Many entrepreneurs and startup founders are just rushing and doing and throwing things at the wall and trying to use their brawn and hustle instead of using their brains. Don’t fumble the ball here. Your venture and getting funded in general relies a lot on metrics and tracking performance. Just imagine if you applied those same principles to your fundraising efforts. It could be far more effective, efficient, and profitable.

How To Make A Pitch Deck Interesting

How to make a pitch deck interesting? Being interesting is one of the most important factors when it comes to creating a pitch deck for raising funds for your startup. There are some boring investments and businesses out there that may perform well over time, like bonds.

How To Balance Text And Images In A Pitch Deck

Understanding how to balance text and images in a pitch deck is critical because everything can matter when it comes to your pitch deck. You can have your data right, incredible text copy, superb financial models, good flow, and a much-needed solution to a big problem, but balancing visuals and written content can still be pivotal to getting investors to jump in and fund you.

Pitch Deck Outline: What To Include

Pitch deck outline: What to include to get funded? That’s one of the most critical questions entrepreneurs face.

Your next fundraising round could bring in seven, eight, or nine figures. Important capital that could mean all the difference between having to give up on your idea or making it a reality.

Common Business Plan Mistakes

What are the common business plan mistakes you should avoid? Remember that success is equally as much about knowing what not to do as what you need to do. These frequent business planning blunders cannot only be the cause of incredibly slow growth, but also lack of access to funding, and even the complete failure of the business, sometimes even before it gets off the ground.

This Entrepreneur Raised $100 Million To Help Your Business Move To Subscriptions

Krish Subramanian has gone from bootstrapping to raising over $100M for his tech startup that empowers others to grow their own subscription businesses, and they are growing fast.

How To Get Investor Updates Right During Fundraising

How to get investor updates right during fundraising? Investor updates are a key part of communicating on the startup journey. They can achieve many purposes, especially during fundraising activities. So, how do you create them? What’s most important while you are actively fundraising, and how do you get them to your investors?

Why Pitch Deck Templates Are So Useful

Why should you use a pitch deck template instead of trying to craft one from scratch? Pitch decks are essential for getting your startup funded. While seemingly simple, they seem to prove to be much harder for entrepreneurs to get right than you’d imagine. One great alternative to the lengthy trial and error of trying to create your own deck from scratch is to use an existing template.

How To Improve Storytelling In A Pitch Deck

Are you thinking about how to improve storytelling in a pitch deck? A great story is key to selling your fundraising campaign. How do you harness the best storytelling in your pitch deck so that your startup gets funded?

What Investors Look For In Founding Teams

Are you at the stage where you are wondering what investors look for in founding teams? Your team is the most valuable asset your startup has. The team is the top factor most prospective startup investors will be evaluating when debating the ventures they will fund. So, what exactly are they looking for? How can you make sure you check all the right boxes?

How To Crush It With Your Pitch Deck On Demo Day

How to crush it with your pitch deck on demo day? Here’s how to nail it and get your startup funded…Demo day is a big deal for startup founders. It can feel like the make or break moment of your life. Certainly validation of whether all the sweat, blood, tears, and sleepless nights you’ve spent working on your idea for the last few months have been worth it or not.

This Entrepreneur Raised $53 Million To Help You Learn Online With A Job Guarantee

Gautam Tambay’s startup is breaking the 500-year-old education system with a new way to empower workers for the new economy. Their mission is to help a million people to find a more efficient and relevant way to learn and gain modern employment in the new world of work.

How To Choose The Right Pitch Deck Variation

How to choose the right pitch deck variation? Should you have multiple variations of your pitch deck for fundraising for your startup? If so, which versions are right for the different scenarios you will encounter in this round of funding? Nailing a short and concise pitch deck that is suitable for most situations is the hardest part for most aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders. It is important to really hone in on this and get it polished. However, there can be value in creating several variations of your pitch deck. In fact, it may make getting your primary deck right even easier.

This Entrepreneur Raised $60 Million To Build The Future Of Payments In The Cloud

Michael Mueller has raised tens of millions of dollars for his payments startup that is changing the fabric of the banking industry. On the Dealmakers, Show Mueller shared how he made the leap from a career banker to being a tech entrepreneur. We talked about the inside of the banking industry, building big global teams, making deals, creating technology, and building a company that is 100% work from home from day one.

Best Investor Search Tools For Startups

What are the best investor search tools for startups? How can you find investors to fund your startup? You’re eager to get your startup funded. Where do you find the investors who have the money and are looking to put their capital to work in ventures like yours? There are probably a few famous big-name celebrity angel investors from TV or brand name Venture Capital firms that spring to mind already.

This Entrepreneur Raised $100 Million To Foster Meaningful Discussions In Health Care

Lance Hill’s healthtech startup is one of those few companies that appears to have had the incredibly fortunate of enjoying a huge surge in demand thanks to the recent disruptions brought on by the coronavirus and how it has accelerated the use of technology, new needs and hiring changes. On the Dealmakers Podcast Hill shared his inspiration for this healthcare tech company, how he dropped out of school to work with some of the biggest companies in the world, and then pivoted to build a cash flowing and profitable business before betting on scale with a big growth funding round.

Questions Investors Will Ask You After Reviewing Your Pitch Deck

Are you ready for the questions investors will ask you after reviewing your pitch deck? A lot of work can be involved in just preparing your pitch deck, the attachments to send along with it, and rehearsing your pitch. Only you can’t stop there. Putting on a great presentation and sales pitch is one thing. It can be another to successfully field and answer inbound questions from investors well. This is where your ask and funding campaign can really succeed or fail. Here are some of the questions you may not have already answered in your deck and pitch, and which investors are sure to test you on.

How Many Slides Do You Need In A Pitch Deck?

How many slides do you need in a pitch deck? The slide count is the most important factor when it comes to the success of a pitch deck. Potential investors can immediately tell how much homework you’ve done, and how savvy you are about fundraising and startups in general, just by how many slides are in your pitch deck. They’ll know whether you are coachable, or not. They’ll know if you bothered to invest time in research before expecting them to invest their time with you. They will know if you can focus and make progress or not.

This Entrepreneur Raised $100 Million To Give You Access To Fast And Accurate Health Care

Now on his second startup, Martin Lindman has raised almost $100M to drive the digital transformation of the global healthcare system. Lindman has had an exciting journey of jumping into different industries to apply his skills, competitive spirit, and eagerness to take on a challenge. His company, Doktor.se is about the digitization of healthcare.

This Entrepreneur Raised $60 Million To Give Products A Digital Identity

Niall Murphy has raised tens of millions of dollars to build the foundation of the connected future of everything. Given his past predictions and business successes, his vision of what’s next is something all individuals and business should be tracking. During our interview on the Dealmakers Show, Niall shared his journey through taking companies full cycle, choosing investors, the key to surviving when you are too early to market, and the biggest precursor for startup success.

Why Follow Ups Are So Important When Raising Capital

Why follow-ups are so important when raising capital? In other words, why are investor follow-ups so critical when you are out there pitching and raising capital for your startup? Finding and connecting with investors can feel like a big venture on its own. That’s after you’ve researched and created a powerful pitch deck. Then you get to start the pitching roadshow. You hustle and put your heart and sweat and soul into presenting.

This Entrepreneur Raised $60 Million To Help You Control Spending

Rodolphe Ardant is a repeat entrepreneur, now on his way to designing a new world where businesses are able to empower and trust their teams with spending company money, without giving the accountants a heart attack. During our interview on the Dealmakers Show Ardant shared a peek into his mindset, his passion for problem solving, the problems that technical founders face, finding product market fit, fundraising when investors don’t get your product, and when to sell your startup.

What To Include In The Team Slide Of A Pitch Deck

Let’s talk about what to include in the team slide of a pitch deck. The team slide is one of the most important slides in your pitch deck since it can make or break all of your fundraising efforts. What is it that investors really want to see on this slide, and in your team? If your team is weaker than you’d like it to be, how do you strengthen it before you start pitching your ideal investors for your next funding round?

Why Financials Are So Important During Fundraising

Why financials are so important during fundraising? You may be taking on this venture to solve a problem you are really passionate about, to have an impact or just to test your full potential. Yet, a startup is a business. It has to function as a business. At least if you want it to last and to justify obtaining funding. Businesses are all about the financials. If the financials don’t work, nothing will work.

How To Present Financials For A Startup With No Revenue

Are you wondering how to present financials for a startup with no revenue Financials can be one of the most important parts of the pitch and presentation when out there fundraising for a startup. Though what if you don’t have any revenues yet? Can you still get funded? What numbers should you be showing?

What To Do If Your Investor Outreach Is Not Working

What to do if your investor outreach is not working? While it is investors’ job to be out there finding startups to invest in, it can be a lot harder to reach them and connect with them than you’d imagine. You are blasting out your pitch deck by email, calling, filling out web forms, and searching messaging via social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. Yet, you aren’t getting the responses.Without smart document sharing tools you may not even know if your pitch deck is being viewed. Or if it is, you still aren’t seeing any inbound term sheets or bank wires.What can you do now?

How To Show Traction In A Pitch Deck

How to show traction in a pitch deck? What is the best way to show traction in a pitch deck when out there fundraising for your startup? Traction is a big part of the decision for investors. It is one of the most pivotal factors in running a successful startup. So, how do you show how well you are doing? What counts as traction? How do you accelerate yours if you need to crank things up ahead of a new fundraising round?

This Entrepreneur Raised $435 Million To Build The Biggest Insect Farm

Antoine Hubert is changing the food chain, and he has already raised $435M for his global food tech startup. During our interview on the Dealmakers Show, Antoine Hubert and I talked about worms, recycling, farming insects, fundraising challenges, impact investing, and how one startup is reinventing the food chain.

How To Pitch Investors Via Zoom

How to pitch to investors via Zoom? Virtual pitching is here to stay. So, how do you successfully pitch investors online and raise the capital you need for your startup?

What Is The Best Font For A Pitch Deck?

What is the best font for a pitch deck? So much rides on the power and effectiveness of your pitch deck as a startup that even factors like which font you use can make or break you.Factors like font may not only directly determine whether your pitch deck is viewed, but how much investors think your startup is worth, how much capital they are willing to bet on you and on what terms, but if they are even able to follow through and send you the funds you really want and need.

How To Present Your Pitch Deck To Investors

How to present your pitch deck to investors? Investors play a significant role in the startup ecosystem. For plenty of entrepreneurs raising money from investors is what getting into startups is all about. In many cases raising money from investors is a must for getting a startup off the ground, if not just empowering it to reach its maximum potential. So, how do you go about getting in front of investors who can give your startup the funding it needs?

This Entrepreneur Raised $83 Million To Help You Analyze And Visualize Data

Derek Steer has raised just shy of $100M for his startup already. His venture is already transforming how tech companies and data analysts work, and they’ve got some pretty notable investors behind them. During our interview on the Dealmakers Show Steer shared how he landed in entrepreneurship after working for several of the world’s biggest tech companies. Plus, the value of taking time out, the only type of business idea you should go after, his top advice for other aspiring founders, and how to save a year in development and pitching investors during crises like COVID.

How To Show Your Competitor Landscape In A Pitch Deck

How to show your competitor landscape in your pitch deck? Intelligently displaying your startup’s competitor landscape is a critical part of a successful pitch deck and fundraising campaign. So, what is the best way to show your competition, how you compare, and leverage them into a better business of your own?

This Entrepreneur Raised $70 Million To Create Enjoyable Healthcare Experiences

Now on his second startup, Demetri Karagas has raised tens of millions of dollars to create enjoyable specialist healthcare experiences. During our Dealmakers Podcast interview Demetri shared his journey into two startups, the experience of taking a company full cycle, and his thoughts on why you should just leap into entrepreneurship, managing hard pivots, and what’s more important than the business idea.

How To Show The Amount To Raise In A Pitch Deck

How to show the amount to raise in a pitch deck? Crafting a pitch deck is driven by asking for the money and getting your startup funded. While there may now be quite a bit of content out there on designing a pitch deck and many of the slides you’ll need, there is surprisingly little on how to show the amount you want to raise in a pitch deck and positioning your ask.

How To Show The Target Customers In A Pitch Deck

How to show your target customers in a pitch deck when fundraising for your startup? Demonstrating your handle on your target customers and who they are plays a big role in fundraising. As well of course as being critical to your whole business and its longevity. There’s a lot more to showing your target customers in your deck than most realize. So, how do you do it? Where does your target market show up in addition to the target customer slide?

This Entrepreneur Raised $300 Million To Help You Raise Financially Smart Kids

‌Tim‌othy ‌Sheehan‌ has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for his whole-family finance startup. It’s not his first rodeo either. He has worked and learned from other notable companies and entrepreneurs, finding many patterns to success on the way. During our interview on the Dealmakers Show Tim shared why you are probably thinking about and presenting your startup all wrong. Plus, the three things you need to get right in order to succeed, his build in and they will come approach to fundraising, and how his latest venture is helping parents raise kids to be smarter about their money.

Why The Cover Slide Is So Important In Pitch Decks

Why the cover slide is so important in pitch decks? This is a question few people ask themselves which is a missed out opportunity. If you see the importance, and impact it can have for good or bad, what should be on it, and how do you make the most of it? Typically the cover slide sets up the expectations. Think about the cover slide as a trailer of a movie. Before you watch the movie you take a peek at the trailer. Same thing with a cover slide. It helps the investor to understand what they are about to review.

This Entrepreneur Raised $1.4 Billion For A Startup He Launched At Just 20 Years Old

Yakir Gola and co-founder Rafael Ilishayev started their business while still in college. The startup idea that they found at just 19 years old has already attracted almost one and a half billion dollars from investors, and has proven to be a life saver for many during COVID lockdowns. During our interview on the Dealmakers Podcast Yakir Gola shared the key questions to ask before starting a business, how to find the money to get started, why they measure customer unhappiness as a key metric, and how to attract investors. Plus, how they focused on making money before they raised money, which can be critical during crisis times when investors get a lot pickier about handing out their capital.

How To Present The Amount To Raise In A Pitch Deck

How to present the amount to raise in a pitch deck? Creating a pitch deck is really all about getting funded and asking for the money. There is a lot of advice available on pitch deck design, and many of the core slides in a deck. Though much less on presenting the raise and ask. So, how do you position your ask?

This Entrepreneur Raised $100 Million To Help Millions Of People Manage Their Chronic Diseases

Named one of Business Insider’s 30 Under 40 Leaders Changing Healthcare in 2020 , entrepreneur Julia Hu’s latest venture is taking on the largest sector of the healthcare industry with her latest tech startup. They’ve already raised $100M in equity and debt funding to date, and are continuing to grow as we head into the new year. During our interview Julia told our audience about the pain that sparked her newest venture, the fundraising roller coaster and getting ghosted by investors, zooming out enough to have a big enough business, and switching from hardware to software. Plus, why ideas are worthless without having the guts to jump in and build a business, and how long you should be willing to commit if you are going to launch yourself into a startup.

How To Send Your Pitch Deck To A Venture Capital Firm

How to send your pitch deck to a venture capital firm? This is the typical question every entrepreneur asks themselves when they are in the fundraising process. VCs play a big role in the startup ecosystem. For many entrepreneurs getting funded by them is like the holy grail. For some it seems to be the whole motivation for coming up with a startup idea in the first place. In a lot of cases venture capital is essential for getting a startup off the ground, if not at least helping it realize its full potential. So, how do you go about sending your pitch deck to a VC firm for funding?

Why You Should Include An Executive Summary In Your Pitch Deck

Are you at the point where you are thinking about why you should include an executive summary in your pitch deck? Executive summaries have long been a critical part of starting a business and securing funding. How do they play a role in today’s modern fundraising efforts? Should you even have an executive summary slide in your pitch deck? If so, what should you include on it? What other alternative ways are there to deliver this information?

What Is The Marketing Strategy In A Pitch Deck?

What is the place of marketing strategy in your pitch deck when raising money for your startup? Pitch decks can make or break your startup, and the ability to get the funds you need to launch and grow. Some of the funds you may need so desperately may be to execute on your marketing strategy.

This Entrepreneur Raised $59 Million To Pioneer The Multi-Trillion Dollar Crypto Industry

Trevor Koverko has raised tens of millions of dollars to accelerate the new securitized token space that could be worth trillions. During our interview on the DealMakers Podcast, Koverko talked about being forced to reinvent yourself and find a new mission and purpose in life. How to unlearn and then learn entrepreneurship, applying to startup accelerators and incubators, selling your first company in your 20s, raising non-dilutive capital, giving birth to dual unicorns, extremely costly typos, and of course, tokenization.

How To Address The Problem In A Pitch Deck

What is the best way to show the problem your startup is taking on in your pitch deck? In the words, how to address the problem in a pitch deck? Your startup is all about solving this problem. Being able to convey it to others well may make all the difference in your ability to get funded or not. So, how should you address presenting the problem when fundraising? How do you do it incredibly well, and perhaps not only pick up some additional capital, but new ambassadors and helpers with expertise at the same time?

How To Position The Team In A Pitch Deck

What is the best way to position your team in your pitch deck? How you present and position your team in your pitch deck can make all the difference in getting your startup funded. So, how do you introduce your team well? Who is even on your ‘team’ when it comes to designing your pitch deck? What do investors want to see? How can you fill in the gaps?

How Long It Takes To Create A Pitch Deck

How long does it really take to create a pitch deck that will get your startup funded? You’ve only got one shot to pitch investors and wow them with your deck. Is your up to the job? If not, how long is it going to take to craft an effective one so that you can start pitching?

How To Position The Solution In A Pitch Deck

How to position the solution in a pitch deck for startup fundraising? Every slide matters in your pitch deck. This is even truer as decks get shorter and more concise. Each slide can be worth millions of dollars. So, how do you get the solution right when pitching and presenting to potential investors in your startup?

This Entrepreneur Raised $160 Million To Transform The $280 Billion Professional Education Market

Chaitanya Kalipatnapu has raised millions of dollars to expand the accessibility and impact of higher education. His startup has gone global, offering new programs that are meeting the needs of our fast evolving world. On the Dealmakers Podcast Kalipatnapu shared with our audience how he got started as an entrepreneur, and how his startup bootstrapped for the first six years before accepting outside funding. Plus, how to pick your investors, overcoming moments of self-doubt to make better business decisions, and how COVID is changing the future of education.

How To Nail Your Pitch Deck’s Narrative

How to nail your pitch deck’s narrative? Having the right facts and data points is good. Everyone has that covered. How you present the narrative in your pitch deck can be far more pivotal. How do you nail this vital part of the mission when getting ready to pitch investors who can help bring your vision to becoming reality?

He Sold His Business For $400 Million And Now Raised $100 Million To Make Living With Others A Joy

Brad Hargreaves is a true serial entrepreneur, now on his third venture. One that has already raised $100M and has scaled to at least 30 cities around the world.On the Dealmakers Podcast Hargreaves shared his experiences taking startups full cycle, his top priorities when building a company today, how he took one company from zero to $1M in revenue in just four months, and how he raised $100M for two different ventures.

How To Send A Pitch Deck To Friends And Family

How do you send your pitch deck to friends and family? Friends and family will be an incredibly pivotal part of your journey as an entrepreneur. This is true whether you actually directly raise money from them or not. If you can raise from them, it can be some of the best capital you can bring in. Here’s how to approach it.

What Is The Length Of A Pitch Deck

Pitch decks are vitally important for startups. They are the key or the roadblock to funding for your business. In turn, that means they can make or break everything. There are many tips for crafting a powerful pitch deck and pitching for fundraising. Yet, one of the main things that frequently confuses and sabotages startup founders is how long the pitch deck should really be.

This Entrepreneur Crowdfunded $1.5 Billion To Break The Status Quo In Real Estate

Benjamin Miller’s fintech startup has taken on one of the biggest multi-trillion dollars markets, and they’ve already made incredible headway towards changing the status quo. During our interview on the Dealmakers Podcast Ben Miller shared his inspiration for his startup, how they’ve raised over a billion dollars in equity, the foundation of what hyper successful, long living startups are really built on, and what it’s like taking on billion dollar giants that are deeply entrenched.

Pitch Deck Outline: What To Include

Pitch deck outline: What to include to get funded? Your next fundraising round can bring in the capital that could mean giving up the idea or making it a reality.

This Entrepreneur Raised $50 Million To Protect Every Connected Device In Hospitals

Jonathan Langer didn’t launch his first startup until he was 31 years old, but that hasn’t stopped him from quickly growing this important business into a global company just as it has become more important than ever. During our interview on the Dealmakers Show Langer shared how his early work experience prepared him for entrepreneurship, why he took the leap, the art of fundraising in our post-COVID world, the future of healthcare, and the critical elements of a successful startup.

Do‘s And Don‘ts When Creating A Pitch Deck

What are the do’s and don’ts when creating a pitch deck? What should and shouldn’t you do when creating a pitch deck to ensure it is effective and maximizes your odds of getting the funding you need?

He Sold His First Business For $150 Million And Now Is Taking On Giants Like Google, Apple Or Amazon

Ramu Sunkara went from a 9-5 job to full cycle entrepreneur. He’s now working on his second successful startup. During our interview on the DealMakers podcast, Ramu talked about making the leap into entrepreneurship, fundraising in an economic crisis, the full cycle of a startup, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to take on really big companies.

How To Find Inspiration To Start A Business

How to find inspiration to start a business?You know you want to start your own business. You know you need to have your own business to take control of your life and finances and to inspire others to what is possible for them. Yet, you are stuck on the idea for a startup or just aren’t sure you’ve nailed it yet.Where do you find inspiration to start off with a new business template?

How To Set Business Goals

Are you thinking about how to set business goals? Goal setting is incredibly important. Without goal setting, and effective goal setting you aren’t going to get far in life or business. At least not far in the direction you really want to go. So, what are the secrets of setting good goals, and ensuring your company is on the right track to achieve them?

How To Estimate Startup Costs

How to estimate startup costs is something you should learn early on at the planning stage. Many now multi-billion-dollar businesses got started with less than $10,000. Some even with as little as $1,000. Today, some startups are trying to raise millions of dollars before even jumping into business. So, how much do you really need? When is money and excuse and distraction to just getting going and making something happen versus being wise and ensuring you don’t run out of money and just become another statistic on the side of the road? Here’s how to estimate startup costs…

This Entrepreneur Raised $80 Million To Create The Easiest Mortgage Solution

Daniel Hegarty at Habito went from musician to raising $80M in equity and $700M in financing for his fintech startup that is already doing billions in revenues. On the DealMakers Podcast Daniel shared his journey from being in the band to a fintech entrepreneur. We talked about building and scaling startups, choosing investors, and the one hire that slashed customer acquisition costs by 350%.

Deadly Signs Of A Bad Pitch Deck

Is your pitch deck and fundraising campaign doomed to fail? Fundraising can be challenging at the best of times. It’s going to be a lot harder if your pitch deck isn’t up to the job. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad pitch decks that get floated out there every day. How do you know if yours has a chance? If it is displaying any of these critical red flags you need to go back to the drawing board before you try sharing and presenting it. Learn to recognize the deadly signs of a bad pitch deck.

This Entrepreneur Raised $100 Million To Take Medical Imaging Everywhere

Sandeep Akkaraju has helped build several companies, along with exceptional teams, that have created new baselines for technology and life around us. During our interview on the DealMakers podcast, Sandeep shared his journey from working at his first startup before they were fashionable, to buying it back, and launching his newest tech startup with his c-founders that aims to transform the world of medicine. Plus, we talked about choosing your investors and going after big things.

How Positive And Negative Cash Flow Impacts Your Startup

Are you wondering how positive and negative cash flow impacts your startup? Cash flow isn’t always everything, but it can dramatically impact companies. Especially newer startups. It can make or break you, and often faster than you expect. Here are some of the ways it can influence your venture for better or worse. Including some that you may not have thought of yet. Plus, what you can do about it.

How To Start A Remote Business

Are you looking into how to start a remote business? Converting to or starting a remote business isn’t just a nice to have anymore. It’s a must. Being in business for yourself is the only way to take control of your future. We can no longer count on the luxury of having a physical local business. Still, surprisingly many aren’t yet used to working in a virtual environment or may not have started a business before.Here’s how to get going…

This Serial Entrepreneur Has Raised Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars And Is Now Taking Amazon Sellers To The Next Level

Keith Richman has been involved with multiple startups which have grown and been bought fast. He’s now working on two new ventures, and scaling what’s next in consumer goods and brands to the public. During our interview on the Dealmakers Podcast he shared some of the successful companies he has been a part of, the key ingredients and steps to taking a business idea to real magic, and his take on choosing board members and startup ecosystems. Plus, what you do when you sell your company for millions of dollars.

Signs That Your Hobby Could Grow Into A Full Time Business

What are the signs that your hobby could grow into a full time business? Not all hobbies may have what it takes to become really big fast growing businesses. Not every hobby is something you actually want to do full time. Some are, and some could be much bigger than you think. So, how do you know if yours could become a great full time business?

This Entrepreneur Raised $60 Million To Map The Most Important Part Of The World That Google Forgot

Felix Reinshagen took the leap from his corporate career and went after his dream of building a future shaping startup. His venture has already raised tens of millions of dollars and is growing globally. During our interview on the Dealmakers Show Felix and I talked about deep tech, finding what you were meant to create, finding the faith and logic in leaving your day job for a startup, expanding internationally, and the most important things you need to know when you are ready to make the leap into entrepreneurship yourself.

How To Differentiate Your Business From Competitors

Are you wondering about how to differentiate your business from competitors? You’ve got to stand out to survive and thrive in business. Check out these powerful ways to differentiate your business from competitors and win…It’s getting harder and harder to stand out today. There are more companies making more and more noise. At the same time consumers appear to be getting more and more savvy and particular about who they will take a chance on doing business with.To be compelling enough to gain their attention and action, you have to be different. So where do you start?

Startup Hurdles Every Entrepreneur Needs To Overcome

What are the startup hurdles every entrepreneur needs to overcome? Your unique startup will have its own specific challenges. Yet, there are common hurdles which all founders will have to grapple with. You may be comfortable with some of these, but the more mentally prepared and practically equipped you are for the others, the smoother things will go, and more likely you’ll stick with your startup and make it a success.Here are some of those you need to be ready for…

Should I Start A Business? 10 Reasons Why

Should I start a business? This is the typical question entrepreneurs ask themselves when they come across a problem. Here are ten reasons why you should do it… There are many reasons starting your own business can be appealing and inspiring. Not all of them are sustainable or result in a great business. Here are some of the best ones, and when you know that going out on your own and saying goodbye to a day job is the right move for you.

This Entrepreneur Raised $1 Billion To Redefine Care For Women And Men

Dr. Lynn Seely has come from small town Oklahoma to being a part of several fast growth startups, and CEO of one the most impactful ventures for millions of people’s daily lives. During our interview on the DealMakers Podcast, Lynn shared her journey of learning and curiosity and how it led her into biotech, developing new medicines, and scaling startups to billions of dollars. We talked about women in leadership, big acquisitions, and building a billion dollar business from your dining room table.

Marketing Tactics To Validate A Business Idea

What are the best marketing tactics to validate a business idea? Even the most courageous entrepreneurs want to be confident that they are throwing themselves into a business with real potential to become a success. Marketing is one of the best ways to be sure, before you quit your job, make the big announcement, and throw your life savings behind this. So, how do you do it? Check out these marketing tactics to determine whether you’ve nailed it, or not.

This Serial Entrepreneur Just Disrupted 400 Years Of Banking And Financial Services In 24 Months

Peter Briffett has raised $40M for his latest tech startup which may prove to be one of the most disruptive yet. He has started, folded, scaled and sold multiple companies. His latest venture is breaking hundreds of years of status quo in the financial industry. During our interview on the Dealmakers Podcast Briffett shared a snapshot of the many ventures he’s played a role in, what happens when you slack on your upfront market research, the code to creating a successful startup, and how he and his cofounder are changing the way the world gets paid. Because, after all it turns out that getting paid every 30 days is really unhelpful to everyone. It may even be predatory.

Steps To Take To Pitch An Idea To An Investor

What are the steps to take to pitch an idea to an investor? Startups take money to launch and grow. Investors can be a great source of external capital to get off the ground and scale things. Yet, the media often over simplifies getting funded. There are more steps than you’d imagine from simply reading the latest headlines. Here’s what you really need to do before asking investors for money…

Signs You‘ve Chosen The Right Business Idea

Are you wondering what are the signs you‘ve chosen the right business idea? There are billions of potential business ideas and variations of them. Not all end up being truly viable as a business. For others, it is a good idea, but the world just isn’t ready for it yet. Some are truly terrible and not researched and vetted nearly well enough in advance. Genius business idea or not, you can expect there to be challenged. Even with the best idea, there will be challenges along the way. Even daily. The product, go to market, and expansion plans may all need ongoing tweaking, pivoting, and reinvention. Even the best businesses often come dangerously close to bankruptcy. So, how do you know if it is time to fold, or if you’ve really chosen the right business idea and should keep going all-in?

This Entrepreneur Built A Business Worth Hundreds Of Millions That Is Taking On The World’s Biggest Brands

Kara Goldin’s startup is taking on a space that has long been dominated by some of the biggest global brand names. Her company may now be in the top five in this market. During our interview on the DealMakers podcast, she shared her entrepreneurial story. Including, learning to appreciate all of the steps in the journey and busting common health myths. In the podcast, she also shares details of her new book, Undaunted, where she covers overcoming fear and doubt, and why you should just go for it amongst other things she learned along the way. Her book can be purchased here.

Warning Signs Of A Business That Is Destined To Fail

What are the warning signs of a business that is destined to fail? Is your business heading towards failure? Is a company you are thinking of joining or investing in on its way out? Here’s how to know the signs… Businesses have challenges. In fact, as a startup, there will be challenges every single day. They often aren’t small ones either. Some just come with being in business and will be worked through with good advice and decision making. Even big layoffs and pivots can be a part of healthy business corrections. Then there are these red flags that may indicate the company is headed in the wrong direction. Know them, and avoid them.

This Entrepreneur Raised $50 Million To Enable In Real Estate More Than $3.5 Billion In Transaction Volume

Patrick Burns has been curious about exploring what’s next all his life. Most recently that has led him to launching a startup which could be the foundation of many more advancements in fintech. During our time together on the DealMakers podcast, Patrick shared what led him down the path into entrepreneurship, his first experience of what startups are really like, what’s happening in proptech, regulation as an asset, and raising money in a crisis.

How To Come Up With An Investor Worthy Business

Are you at the point where you are thinking about how to come up with an investor worthy business? There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about startups and getting funded. Some seem to raise enormous amounts of money almost effortlessly. Even without a novel business idea or a great model or product.Others find it incredibly frustrating that their genius and much-needed startup idea doesn’t attract the investment capital they expected. So, what do you really need to come up with an investor-worthy business?

This Entrepreneur Raised $75 Million To Become A Top Contender In Combating COVID

Trevor Martin is one of those founders whose startup just happened to launch in time to meet the needs catapulted to the forefront by the coronavirus outbreak. During our interview on the DealMakers podcast, Trevor shared insights from his journey. Including finding cofounders by cold email, how things are changing for biotech startups, fundraising, startup accelerators and incubators, what’s next in tackling pandemic virus and the most important things to spend your time on as a founder.

How To Outperform Your Startup‘s Competition

Are you thinking about how to outperform your startup‘s competition? How can you ensure your startup is the top performer in your space and can stay out ahead of the competition? It’s competitive out there. Even if you think you are stepping out and creating a whole new industry and market, if you are successful many others will want in on it. Leaner new startups and big corporations with much bigger teams and more funds will want your piece of the pie. This is an ongoing competition. Much more a decathlon or obstacle race than a sprint or even a marathon. Sometimes they’ll pull every trick in the book to put you out of business. Other times startups just completely fail to set themselves up to perform well. Here’s how you can make sure your startup outshines the competitors and lasts…

He Sold His Business For $342 Million And Now Raised $85 Million To Help You Invest With The Ultra Rich

Milind Mehere is a repeat founder who has created, funded, and sold companies to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. His latest startup is honed in on ‘self-driving money’ to help others improve their own finances while freeing up more time. During our interview on the DealMakers Podcast, Mehere shared his adventure so far. We talked about everything from how to get started as an entrepreneur to hitching hiking through the desert to investor meetings in other countries, managing through a crisis, and what makes it easier to raise money for your second startup.

How To Prevent Cash Flow Problems

Are you looking into how to prevent cash flow problems? Cash flow problems are probably the number one killer of businesses big and small. Not even the largest mature corporations can escape the math. Early-stage startups and small businesses can be even more susceptible and at risk of failure with even minor changes and stalling of incoming and discretionary funds.

He Built A $100 Million Business In 24 Months Out Of India

Amrit Acharya has created an incredibly fast-growing startup. One which only may just be beginning to grow. In just two years his company has launched and attracted $62M in funding from top international venture capital firms while proving it can generate substantial revenues. During our time on the Dealmakers Show Acharya shared his journey around the world and back, and what drove him to move from the Bay Area back to starting a company in India. Plus, we talked about building hyper-growth companies, cold emailing, fundraising, business pivots, and manufacturing the future.

How To Pivot Your Business During Crisis

Are you thinking about how to pivot your business during crisis? What are the steps to successfully do so? Crises come. Most can be foreseen and planned for, but their timing can be unexpected or come before you are truly prepared and positioned for them. Some will really catch you off guard and make you question the viability of your current path and business model. When that happens you may be thinking about pivoting.

This Entrepreneur Sold Three Companies And Raised $35 Million To Create A Crypto Bank

Bill Barhydt is one of those few true serial entrepreneurs who hasn’t just tried many things, he’s successfully built and sold those companies too. That makes his latest venture one that should be taken seriously and both investors and consumers should be watching. During our interview on the Dealmakers Podcast, Barhydt shared his love for computer science, the lessons learned and mistakes made in building his first three ventures, plus what’s next in blockchain, banking, and digital money.

Digital Trends That Will Reshape Your Business

Are you wondering what are going to be the digital trends that will reshape your business? These digital trends are reshaping the world we live in, and they are impacting how businesses operate and compete too. The events of 2020 have accelerated many digital trends. This digitization of our world is changing how we live, work, and consume. Let’s take a look at those which may be most impactful for businesses, and how they may help, hurt, or require us to alter business models and disrupt the way things have been done up until now.

He Raised $300 Million To Connect Thousands Of Cannabis Brands And Retailers

Ryan Smith is now on his third startup and has already raised $51M in equity and $250 in debt to take on one of the most regulated and fastest-growing industries in America. During our interview on the DealMakers podcast, Ryan talked about how he got his early start in entrepreneurship, the strategies he’s implemented in order to build a successful marketplace, and his outlook for the future of LeafLink and the cannabis industry.

How To Turn Your Hobby Into A Successful Business

Are you looking at how to turn your hobby into a successful business? Turning your hobby into a business can be a great idea. It often truly beats out trying to come up with a business idea just for the money. So, should you do it? How do you go about making the leap?