Category Archives: Raising Capital

Ep. 179 – Seed Funding 101: Equity Basics

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-2Equity-based finance is the most common instrument used in seed-stage funding. It’s also one of the trickiest kinds of funding, because equity is all about ownership. Selling equity may be a relatively easy way raise some much-needed funds, but it comes at a cost. When someone buys a piece of your company, they also gain a legally enforceable right to have a say in the direction of the business. A great business can suffer, or even fail, due to a bad equity partnership.

In today’s episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan further explores the topic of seed funding, focusing on the major considerations for equity-based fundraising. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 178 – Seed Funding 101: Common Methods

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-1Raising money is a roadblock most early stage companies will encounter sooner or later. It can be a confusing topic, with a wide variety of competing models and expert opinions muddying the waters. To understand how fundraising works — particularly the “seed stage” funding that’s relevant to most startups — we need to get back to basics.

In today’s episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan outlines the fundamental stages of fundraising, discussing what they mean in purely practical terms for first-time entrepreneurs. Tom is joined by producer and co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 177 – Seed Funding 101: Overview

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-5When you work with a wide variety of startups and early stage companies, it’s not the differences in business models or industries that stand out most. What stands out most are the similarities. As they grow, every business goes through roughly the same stages of development. No place is this phenomenon more evident than when it comes to fundraising.

In today’s episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan launches a new series discussing the fundamentals of fundraising. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Startup Capital: 5 Steps For Determining How Much Money You Need To Raise

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-B-5In my last post, I explained how to determine your startup expenses. That’s an important step for determining your outside capital needs, but it’s not the whole story. To get an accurate idea of how much money your business will need to reach the place where it is generating a profit, you need to see the bigger picture.

By following these five steps, you will have a much better idea of your actual funding needs. This is the exact kind of information investors and lenders will need to see before they open up their checkbooks. Continue reading →

Ep. 138 – Frequently Asked Questions From Investors (and What They Mean), Part 3

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-3Investors love asking tough questions after a business pitch. They may start off with softball questions, but sooner or later they will start throwing you some real curveballs. How you react to those tricky, probing and often unexpected questions says a lot about your ability to manage the daily challenges of being an entrepreneur.

In this episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan wraps up this three-part series with the “junk balls” of the post-pitch Q&A session. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 137 – Frequently Asked Questions From Investors (and What They Mean), Part 2

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-2As you’re wrapping up your pitch presentation, it’s inevitable that your would-be investors will have questions. In part one, host and business coach Tom Ryan covered the obvious, predictable questions you can easily knock out of the park. Now it’s time to talk about the less-easy questions.

In this episode, he takes a look at the tougher, less-obvious topics that can all too easily trip you up if you aren’t prepared. Tom is joined, as always, by producer and co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 131 – Frequently Asked Questions From Investors (and What They Mean) Part 1

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-1Now that you’ve delivered a knock-out power pitch to investors, you might think that the hard part of the job is done. Not quite. Now it’s time for your would-be investors to put your business plans to the test. Are you ready for the Q&A section of the presentation?

In this episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan talks about the most common questions potential investors will ask following your pitch. He’s joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles, and special guest (and podcast editor) Natalie Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 128 – The Business Power Pitch Deconstructed: Part 11 – The Investment and Use of Funding

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-4You’ve presented all the key points about your business, you’ve told your story and you’ve shown that you’re ready to take things to the next level. The crescendo of your power pitch is about to happen. All the groundwork has been laid, now it’s time to talk money. It’s time to tell them how much money you need, and what you will do with if they give it to you.

In this episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan takes us into the home stretch of delivering a truly masterful business pitch. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 060 – Interview with N.C. Securities Division Specialist Leo John, Part 2

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SIB-Blog-6Building your company is more than a matter of developing products and finding customers, it’s also a matter of creating a strong and stable legal entity. Simply having the wrong legal structure can be a major red flag for investors. Understanding taxes, intrastate funding, and other state-level issues can easily cause a fledgling entrepreneur’s head to spin.

In this episode, host Tom Ryan continues his interview Leo John, a Legal Specialist for the Securities Division of the N.C. Secretary of State. Leo provides a wealth of insight into a wide variety of topics, from intrastate crowdfunding investment to solid advice for forming a legally sturdy business. As always, Tom is joined by co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 058 – Elementary Startup Planning For New Entrepreneurs

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SIB-Blog-3What are the fundamental steps for creating a viable business? What groundwork needs to be laid before any entrepreneur can take their business plan to investors? In this episode, host Tom Ryan strips the business-creation process down to the most basic levels to reveal the core elements of a viable startup.

Tom is on the road this week, requiring a slight change of format from two-person discussion to solo show format. As a result, he’ll be taking on a variety of listener questions. Continue reading →