Seed Money

Should founders pay themselves? It's probably the biggest debate in the startup world. Many entrepreneurs believe sacrificing and struggling is necessary to succeed; that we should put everything towards growth to our own detriment.

Here's the truth: being in survival mode isn't the best state for a founder to be in. You can't think, be creative or strategize effectively if you're worried about covering your bills. In fact, not paying yourself could put you on the fast track to burnout.

The good news: there is a way to build our businesses while setting ourselves up for financial security. From the idea we go after to the way we fund the business from day 1, we can succeed without sacrificing our own stability.

Why is the concept of founders paying themselves so controversial? How do you build a business that feeds the life you want to have?

In this episode, I'm joined by 3x bootstrapper, entrepreneur, and CEO of eWebinar, Melissa Kwan. We talk about why you don't have to build a business in survival mode.

Topics Covered;

• How to put yourself in the healthiest state as a founder

• How to choose your business idea thoughtfully

• The challenge with "blue sky startups"

Guest Bio

Melissa Kwan is a 3x bootstrapper, entrepreneur, host of the Profit Led podcast and co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. She is a digital nomad who believes in life over work, happiness over revenue, and creative work over hard work. To learn more, visit https://ewebinar.com/ and connect with Melissa on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

When you have a consumer product, getting picked up by a retailer is a HUGE win. There's nothing better than a stack of juicy purchase orders and a stream of customers lining up to buy what you created!

But here's the challenge: there is a ton of competition for shelf space, and a lot of products clamoring for the attention of retailers. It takes a lot to get on the shelf (and stay there) but you can achieve it, even if you're in the early stage.

While the ultimate goal for most entrepreneurs is that big box national retailer, getting your product picked up can get expensive fast. Luckily, there are other channels you can use to get initial momentum, validate your product and garner some early adopters.

How do you determine the right retail channel for your product? How do you build relationships with retailers and how do you pitch them? Once you get your product into a retailer how do you make sure it sells? In this episode, I share strategies for getting your product into a retailer, and the big mistakes to avoid as an early stage founder.

Topics Covered;

• The different channels for selling your product

• Why you might want to hold off getting into a big box store

• The downside of working with a distributor

• What to say in a retailer pitch

• How to use push and pull marketing to increase your sell-through

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

In today's competitive, capital-strapped market, getting your business funded is a lot harder than it used to be. Entrepreneurs have access to a fraction of the funding that was easily available just a few years ago.

Investors want a sure thing, so founders are jumping through a lot more hoops to get capital.

It's not enough to have an initial idea or a working prototype. You need to have significant traction, social proof, a reputable team, initial revenue, founder-market fit….anything to de-risk the investment.

This sounds grim, but it doesn't mean you can't get an investor to write you a check, even if you're in the earlier stages.

How do you make sure you still get funded in this environment? Is this financing freeze going to thaw? Why does content creation make it easier to get funded?

In this episode, I'm joined by 7-time funded founder, startup advisor, Chief Strategy Officer at Startups.com, Ed Kang. He shares the challenges in the current capital-raising space, and how entrepreneurs can still get the funding they need.

Topics Covered;

• The EXTRA role founders must take on when capital is scarce

• How to give investors exactly want they're looking for

• How to self-fund and bootstrap while you raise capital

• Easy ways to build traction and gain social proof

Guest Bio

Ed Kang is a 7-time funded founder, startup advisor, executive coach, author, Organization Development Consultant and Chief Strategy Officer at Startups.com. He helps aspiring founders and early and growth stage ventures with everything from launching, funding, and scaling. To learn more, visit https://www.startups.com/ you can also subscribe to Ed's channel here- http://www.youtube.com/@edkang99

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

Entrepreneurship is not easy, and even the most motivated entrepreneurs find themselves feeling uninspired from time to time.

Instead of driving hard towards something, we find ourselves stuck in the mud, spinning our wheels and wondering how to get back into momentum. Whether you're trying to raise money or you're experiencing a lull between big projects, it's a natural part of the journey.

For a lot of entrepreneurs, these plateaus can make us question if we're still on the right path. The good news is, it doesn't have to come to that. There are steps we can take to deal with the ups and downs of business and get fired up again.

How do we stop spinning our wheels? How do we check back in with the goal we originally set and make sure it's still right for us? In this episode, I share 6 things I do when I start feeling unmotivated.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

A couple decades ago, being a startup founder meant packing up and moving to Silicon Valley. It was the only way to easily access customers, investors and advisors.

Today, you can build a business from just about anywhere without sacrificing the vital resources you need to validate your idea and get funded. As a result, many entrepreneurship communities have sprouted and developed in different cities, and that includes Nebraska!

The state has become reputable in the startup space, and entrepreneurs there have made meaningful inroads and gained a ton of traction.

Why has there been such an uptick in people going after entrepreneurship? What are some of the key trends emerging out of Nebraska's entrepreneurship community? How do we build businesses that don't set us up for burnout later?

In this episode, I'm joined by startup veteran, strategist and community builder and editor at Silicon Prairie News, Stefanie Monge. She talks about Nebraska's startup boom and why more early-stage entrepreneurs are recognizing the value of staying there.

Topics Covered;

• What are early stage companies doing to get funding?

• The advantage of building your startup in Nebraska

• Why entrepreneurship is the ultimate wealth-building opportunity

• How to prevent entrepreneur burnout

• The danger of a "growth at all costs" mentality

Guest Bio

Stefanie Monge is the editor at Silicon Prairie News. She is an Omaha native and startup veteran, strategist and community builder whose background includes 15 years collaborating with founders and startups across the globe, 12 years working for equity and access in STEM fields, 6 years as a startup advisor and board member. Stefanie is also the founder and executive producer of international leadership development retreats and conferences, including GETconf (Gender Equity in Tech Conference), Think Start Do Women's Entrepreneurship Series and Welcor Retreats. To learn more or work with Stefanie, connect with her on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

In the world of food entrepreneurship, having a product that tastes GOOD is only the tip of the iceberg. Going from your kitchen to a store shelf comes with a ton of considerations, steps and potential snags.

The margins are razor thin. Safety and stability are critical factors that can affect the viability of the product. Getting investors, retailers and co-packers on the same page can feel like trying to solve an impossible puzzle.

To successfully bring your product to market, there are key things you need to have dialed in from day one.

Even though the process can be challenging, it's insanely fulfilling for a passionate entrepreneur. And now is the perfect time to innovate and bring something different to the marketplace!

How do you make sure you raise enough money to weather a lengthy production process? How do you deal with co-packers, investors and retailers?

In this episode, I'm joined by Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center, Bruno Xavier. He shares how food entrepreneurs can set themselves up for success and how they help them achieve their goals.

Topics Covered;

• Why food entrepreneurs run out of money (and how to avoid it)

• How to navigate co-packers, retailers and investors

• How to balance innovation with product viability

Guest Bio

Bruno Xavier is the Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center. A nationally-recognized food engineer and scientist, Bruno has a Ph.D in Microbiology (Cornell '08). He is the Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center, a major extension program of the Department of Food Science at Cornell University and a Scientific Fellow at the New York State Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture. Dr. Xavier and his team develop outreach programs and extension activities to support new and established entrepreneurs, processors and farmers introducing new products into the marketplace, providing guidelines and assisting in regulatory issues to ensure the safety of food products. As a Process Authority, Dr. Xavier oversees the establishment of schedule process documentation to comply with federal and state regulatory requirements for more than 2000 products per year for companies throughout the United States. To learn more or submit your product, visit https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-agritech/partners-institutes/cornell-food-venture-center.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

Please rate, follow and review the podcast! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

For an early-stage entrepreneur, strategic partnerships are a critical lifeline and launchpad for growth. They allow you to amplify your mission, gain brand awareness and get input from investors and potential customers.

In the world of purpose-driven consumer products, it can be hard to know where to find these collaborators, but it's often as simple as a cold email.

A lot of entrepreneurs are terrified to reach out to people, but what they don't realize is how many organizations are actually looking to champion what they're building.

For the founder of AGENCY Footwear, Mathew Drazic, this was the process and it led to a powerful partnership that aims to drive real change. How did Mathew create a sneaker brand for social good? What was his process for finding partners? In this episode, he talks about his journey, the story behind AGENCY and the bigger mission of his brand.

Topics Covered;

-How Mathew secured the perfect strategic partnership

-How to amplify your mission and gain brand awareness

-Why it's never too early to get feedback from investors

Guest Bio

Mathew Drazic is the founder and creative director of AGENCY Footwear. AGENCY Footwear was created to replace shoes activists and concerned individuals would otherwise have to buy in order to protect their feet from the overly concrete world we all navigate. The sneakers are built to support the desire to make change, starting with the brand identity. Change is hard work, so AGENCY Footwear is designed for comfort and versatility. General purpose sneakers with soft, stable platforms and all-terrain traction to conquer any obstacle activists might face. Change also comes from within, so AGENCY Footwear uses as many sustainable materials as possible and the shoes are made at leading facilities that meet or exceed the strictest fair trade, chemical handling and animal welfare standards. To learn more, visit https://agencyfootwear.com/ and follow @agencyfootwear on Instagram.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

Please rate, follow and review the podcast! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

So you've pitched your idea, an investor loves it and wants to give you resources to grow your business. Well done! You've just secured a big piece of making your vision a reality - and that's a huge feat.

Now it's time to close the deal and actually receive the funding you've been seeking. Remember, once you sign the dotted line and they wire the money, there's no going back, so this next part is VERY important.

Tying up the deal in a neat bow (legally and financially) can be intimidating. There are a few things you need to have dialed to set your investor relationship up for success. You have to make sure the story you told in the pitch actually matches the reality of your business. How do you avoid losing investor trust? In part 5 of the Stages of Funding, I give you a clear road map to successfully close the deal and manage the post-funding process.

Topics Covered;

-The advantages of being polished and prepared

-How to keep the excitement alive after the excitement of the pitch dies down

-How to negotiate with clarity and confidence

-How to make the due diligence phase easier

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

When entrepreneurs send a pitch deck to angel groups, they don't realize they have a short amount of time to grab the attention of investors.

Angel groups are evaluating hundreds of pitch decks a week, so you have as little as 2 minutes to pique their interest and make them want to respond to you.

There are some things entrepreneurs do that instantly get investors to tune out, and they are super avoidable. Founders also don't realize that these groups are also evaluating them as the face of the business. They will dig into your public profile as much as the numbers.

Well, today I'm joined by an angel group managing partner, and he shares what investors are really looking for. What are the things that will stop the investor from reading your pitch? How do you set your business up to be more appealing to angel groups?

In this episode, Seed and Series-A Stage Investor and founder of Los Angeles Venture Partners, Jonathan Myers. He shares what investors want to see before they give you any money.

Topics Covered;

-What investors are truly looking for in a founder

-The pros and cons of having contractors on your team

-The top reasons a pitch deck grabs an investor's attention

-Easy pitch deck red flags you can avoid

Guest Bio

Jonathan Myers is a Seed and Series-A Stage Investor and the founder and managing partner of Los Angeles Venture Partners. LAVP is an elite community of leaders, innovators & experts investing in high growth startups in the US. They offer educational resources, networking and curated investment opportunities to our community. To learn more, go to https://la-vp.com/, send an email to [email protected] or get the latest updates on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

Congratulations! You just found an investor who believes in you and wants to fund your business. Now comes the next hard part - structuring the deal and setting up your startup paperwork.

For early stage entrepreneurs, the step can be confusing and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be complicated.

In fact, you can get it dialed in quickly with minimal headaches. That's if you set it up right from day 1.

The key? Being flexible, growth-friendly and accommodating future changes.

What are the two setups you can use? How do you make negotiations easier? How do you build in your option pool, and make sure you do right by the employees who believed in you early?

In this episode - part 4 of the 5 stages of funding, I talk about the components of startup paperwork and the least complicated way to set it up.

Topics Covered;

-How to set up your seed funding with terms that are flexible and future-proof

-Why you don't want to have a valuation too early

-SAFES vs. convertible notes

-How to get into momentum faster

-How to get legal counsel without breaking the bank

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast