How We Can Help 

Our ability to help entrepreneurs extends before and beyond the activity of simply writing a business plan. While we believe in the value of business plan development as a tool for entrepreneurs and for raising capital from friends, family, angels, and venture capitalists, a business plan does not result in automatic success.  And paying someone to write your business plan for you doesn't work, in our opinion. It's like paying an athlete to jog so that you can be healthier. Our solutions and deliverables are collaborative, with our expertise delivered through coaching to you, the entrepreneur in training.

Success starts with the concept definition and team alignment. We call this first phase Foundations.  From there, Business Planning is the logical next step. This includes a comprehensive, investor-quality business plan. The third phase is Launch. This brings the business plan to its introduction to the market. Of course, Growth is next, and that's where we can partner with you to coach the team along the way.

We can collaborate with you to do as many, or as few, of these services that fits your needs, budget, and timeline. We invite you to contact us to discuss how we can help. 

I. FOUNDATIONS

Concept Definition

The first step to successful venturing is not buying business cards and starting a website. It's developing a sound concept built on sustainable competitive advantage. We partner with our entrepreneurs to develop their ideas into successful ventures. 

Management Agreement

Also called an "operating agreement", this document allows you to structure your financial and working relationships with your co-owners in a way that suits your business. In your operating agreement, you and your co-owners establish each owner's percentage of ownership in the LLC, his or her share of profits (or losses), his or her rights and responsibilities, and what will happen to the business if one of you leaves. An operating agreement helps your LLC by guarding your limited liability status, heading off financial and management misunderstandings, and making sure your business is governed by your own rules -- not default rules created by your state.The main reason to make an operating agreement is as simple as it is important: It helps ensure that courts will respect your limited personal liability. This is particularly key in a one-person LLC where, without the formality of an agreement, the LLC will look a lot like a sole proprietorship. We can author the formal written operating agreement that will lend credibility to your LLC's separate existence and establish that your team is aligned and in agreement.

Company Formation

Many factors must be considered when choosing the best form of business ownership or structure. The choice you make can have an impact on multiple aspects of your business, including taxes, liability, ownership succession, and others. If one of your employees causes an accident, can an injured person sue you and take your house, car, or savings account? Are you paying more taxes than you should on your business income? These are important questions that many small business owners ignore, yet the answers depend on the business' legal structure. We are experienced in the stages of corporate formation and can work with you to ensure that your objectives are met. 

II. BUSINESS PLANNING

Business Plan

Once the concept is well-defined, the next step is to develop a strategy-focused business plan. Today's competitive landscape demands that companies understand their customers better than ever. Strong customer-focused insight enables firms in all industries to target, reach, and serve their key markets more effectively and efficiently.We meld our expertise in business strategy with market research to develop deep insight into customers and to define practical customer segmentation schemes. We work with our clients to build a profound awareness of customer needs and to harness that knowledge to closely align sales, marketing, and pricing strategies—ultimately helping our clients increase customer loyalty and meet their imperatives for growth and efficient operations.

Brand Identity

There is more to naming your business than just coming up with something that sounds good and you happen to like. Your company and brand names should invoke the desired response by customer and partners. It should represent your uniqueness in the marketplace. And it must be memorable. Thought must be given to state and local requirements and making sure you don’t infringe upon the rights of someone else’s business name. We connect with you to bring the brand to life.

Idea and Brand Protection

It's not easy to think about ideas as property, but for some businesses it's vital. It takes knowledge, time, money, and effort to refine an idea into a workable invention, even on paper. Hundreds of thousands of inventors and innovators file each year for protection under U.S. patent, trademark, and copyright laws. However, it can be hard to decide which of the three vehicles is most appropriate for the protection of a particular invention. Although a single product or service may require a patent, a trademark, and a copyright, each category protects a distinct aspect of a creative work or expression. We work with you to identify how best to protect your ideas, and can author and submit required filings on your behalf.

III. LAUNCH

Advertising and Corporate Communications

With the business strategy and brand identity established, developing and launching an advertising and communications strategy that positions you best in the market is next. With research and analysis or your customers and competitors, we work with you to create sophisticated materials that are also affordable to product. We collaborate with you to design marketing materials that differentiate and define your position, while staying appropriately flexible in dynamic markets.

Business Development

While selling your products or services one-by-one is an option, our experience is that new ventures do not typically have the money nor the time for slow growth. Using our experience and relationships, we partner with entrepreneurs to develop business development relationships to maximize your early-stage growth.

Sales

Beyond business development, there is surely the need for identifying the fit and balance of sales methods to include retailing and wholesaling. We work with you to develop an efficient and effective sales strategy to drive revenues and profits.

IV. GROWTH 

Coaching with a CXO

Entrepreneurs are typically driven by their love of the craft, be it technology, cooking, or writing, and not by their love for finance, marketing, or operations. If you need a Chief Financial Officer today, a Chief Marketing Officer tomorrow, and a Chief Operations Officer yesterday, our CXO Program is perfect for you. With an on-going commitment from our team, we will wear the many hats required to guide and manage the functional side of your business, so that you can focus on what you love, the craft.