Define the point where you can take a breather. Map the route between this here now and that there then. If you can count the steps along the way with confidence, that's good. If you know how you might change direction midway through or even turn back, that's good. If you can decide in advance ...
Does your startup absolutely require that you be in Toronto? Why not do both? Take the opportunity of the exchange and start working on your startup on the side (and be ready to get into it in full force when the exchange is finished). I started a company when I was 18 and was traveling the wor...
Use Mattermark.com to find them. They have a 14 days free trial. The tool will let you filter by founding and type of company, so it will probably give you what you need.
The best lead gen is either paid or inbound. Paid: - Google Adwords - Facebook - Email Newsletters (Local) - Retargetting Inbound - Create videos on youtube for relevant search terms - Blog about the things your customers are searching for - Create interesting infographics relevant to your targ...
I'd avoid the cold email. The best way to get inside big companies like distributors is to "social engineer" a connection to someone there. Find a 2nd or 3rd degree connection on LinkedIn. Hang out at a restaurant near their HQ and look for people with the right badge on. Ask your potential a...
The concept of having a directory to get advice has been around for years .. earliest occurance I can find is 1999 with Ingenio.com (acquired by AT&T). In todays world, there's www.healthtap.com | http://helpouts.google.com + many many others. The key is community & liquidity. Marketplaces are...
Let's start with the premise that an investor is willing to invest "subject to mobile." Unless there is a term sheet that states this, what is far more likely is that an investor was pitched and declined to invest citing that they don't have a mobile offering. The entrepreneur likely said somet...
There are two types of advisory boards: For show (i.e. credibility) or for help. They should intersect but often don't. The "For Show" advisory boards are usually no more than 5 (though I've seen up to 10) and are meant to demonstrate a significant depth of subject-matter expertise and credibi...
Figure out what your target audience's biggest pain points are. Compare search traffic for various keywords that relate to your business and product, and see which ones have the highest search volume. These will indicate their areas of struggle and exactly what they're looking for in a solution. ...
I've found that the most important thing to do is get a relationship with a business banker. We use Wells Fargo, and maybe I just got lucky, but I managed to find a business banker who I connected with really well and he was able to coach me through everything. Also their phone support has been v...