WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Google Docs/Drive. Microsoft Office.

We communicate a majority via email and our online community on Startup Ignition dot com. On our website is our online community with chat groups, discussions, posts, message boards, events, etc.

Typically using Google suite system.

Moore's Law and Metcalfe Law (The Network Effect) and how these "laws" may impact your entrepreneurial venture.

Right/left brain personality types. Associative thinking. Think different. Question the status quo. Find a problem, solve it. Express an ideas in problem/solution terminology. When to hunt for problems to solve.

Road test new ideas. Five forces model. Customizing your own analysis tool for judging ideas. The skill of knowing how to assess an idea and determine if it is a great opportunity is important to entrepreneurial success. Finding and analyzing the competition.

Understanding the importance of scalability in creating value. How it is defined and how to start understanding the entrepreneurial world from its perspective. Why we focus on scalable ventures.

Will anyone really steal your idea? Should you use a NDA (non-disclosure agreement)? Patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

Introduction to the book.

Customer discovery. Monetizable pain. Customer validation. Designing experiments. Quantitative and qualitative. Iterative. Token validation. Customer creation.

Three levels of MVP. Are you sure you're validated? Agile product development. MVC - Minimum Viable Company.

Explaining failure and success. A framework for replicable processes. A startup is a search for a business model.

Numbers. Metrics. Key performance indicators. Users. Customers. Revenue. Revenue. Revenue.

What is a business model? The common language. Tracking your progress online. Pivoting. How do you know when an element is validated?

How much capital is truly needed? Cap Tables - what they are and how to use them as a projection tool. The textbook case of raising working capital.

Your business model expressed in a spreadsheet. Determines how much capital is needed.

The venture capital ecosystem. Alternatives from bootstrapping to SBA loans. Preferred stock - liquidation preference, conversion preference, and more. Sources of capital. Common terms. How to negotiate.

Determining key performance indicators (KPIs). Key metrics for your venture. Ratio analysis.

Stock options. Stock appreciation rights. Profits interest. Phantom stock.

Elements of cash management. Basic financial laws. Cash flow cycle. Cash budgeting. Accounting receivable and payable. Client financing. Vendor financing. Barter. Avoiding taxes.

Who you are—your goals, desires, strengths, weaknesses, and tolerance for risk is critical to success as an entrepreneur. You'll assess yourself and know what type of co-founder you are or will be. Life-balance issues.

Understanding entrepreneurship and its role in society. Making the choice to be an entrepreneur instead of working for someone else.

The 6 variants of entrepreneurial ventures and the distinctive motivations, transitions, and goals of each.

Figuring out how much equity each co-founder should receive. A real tool for tracking value contributed. Fixed equity v. dynamic equity.

Key legal considerations and practical tips for founding your company the right way from day one.

Which entity to choose. Doing it right vs. el-cheapo. Not the place to skimp.

The all-important cash flow projection.

Who should be founders? What diverse talents are needed? Cloning vs. complimentary. Who should be key employees or contractors?

Negotiating. Selling. Networking. Incentive plans.

Bookkeeping. Controller. CFO. Schedule C. Form 1099. Form K-1.

Hiring. Employment contracts. Payroll. Firing. FSLA. Exempt vs Non-exempt. Work weeks. Overtime.

ADA. EEOC. OSHA. State sales tax. Sexual harassment. Discrimination. Business insurance. Independent contractor vs. employee status.

Contracts. Oral contracts. Leases. Managing your lawyer.

How to prepare for a negotiation, including setting objectives, knowing your limits, understanding the other party's objectives and constraints, and gathering relevant information.

Different strategies and tactics used in negotiations, as well as when and how to apply them. This could include competitive vs. cooperative strategies, and specific techniques like anchoring, framing, and making the first offer.

Effective communication techniques, active listening, non-verbal communication, and the importance of clarity and assertiveness.

The basic principles and theories of negotiation, including win-win and win-lose scenarios, and understanding BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement).