The SouthFound Startup Podcast

That’s a wrap. This is the final episode of the SouthFound startup podcast.

Thank you to the listeners, guests, and supporters for an amazing 3-year run.

Just to clarify, the business itself isn’t closing. It was just time to move on from the podcast.

You can always connect with me at my personal site, https://JonathanMillsPatrick.com

In my last article I talked about some of the most common startup terms that are used in the industry. As part of my research for that article I came across a nice guide that was produced by Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development. The guide was meant to provide startup advice and to be an “entrepreneur’s guide”.

Don’t let the name of the department fool you. The information in the guide is helpful for startups of all types, not just technology startups.

The business world absolutely loves its acronyms and industry-specific terms. I can’t tell you the number of meetings I have been in where acronyms get slung around like crazy. It can get quite exhausting. Even for someone who has been in the industry for while.

I am going to cover some of the most common acronyms and terms that you will come across during a typical startup meeting. Even some of the really basic terms.

If you can get a handle of these then you should be in better shape.

New entrepreneurs are often focused on the process of starting their business or trying to figure out how to make their business profitable as soon as possible. Few are focused on how they can run a company so that small business loans are easier to get. If you ever plan on applying for small business loans then it is important that you run your company from the beginning in a way that will make getting approved easier.

For decades the phone was the tool of choice for the sales community. For some professionals it still is. But, I really feel like we have lost touch with the power of a simple phone call. These days it seems like more and more people are sticking with electronic methods of communication.

There are some instances when using those methods to communicate make sense. But, when reaching out to startup investors I want you to at least consider picking up the damn phone.

As the popularity of crypto-currencies grew I began to notice an uptick in the number of startup founder that are interested in fundraising through an Initial Coin Offering. In fact, during the time when Bitcoin had hit $20,000 in value per coin, I was getting almost daily requests to help startups fundraise through an ICO. Now I am starting to see a surge in interest around the latest crypto fundraising vehicle - the Initial Exchange Offering.

Over my career helping startups raise funding I have looked at more pitch decks then I can count. Most of them have been average at best. It isn’t that a pitch deck itself needs to be fancy. In fact, like many things in business and life, I think it is important to just focus on the basics. You don’t need a lot of flashy art or PowerPoint SmartArt. Simple bullet points work just fine.

Beyond a simple and concise deck, let’s take a look at some other ways to make a pitch deck standout.

Many of the startup founders I know never bother trying to raise an FFF round. They tend to skip right over that phase and jump straight to angel investors. This happens for a variety of reasons. Maybe they don’t think anyone in their family has investable assets.

Let’s look at some other reasons you should raise an FFF round.

Legal mumbo-jumbo, i.e. Disclaimer - This episode references an opinion and is for information purposes only.  It is not intended to be investment advice.  Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.

There is no question that there is a lot of hype around this stock right now. But there is no denying that the company has a lot going for it.

Here are a few reasons that I am "long" (i.e. keeping the stock for a long time) this stock.

One of the reasons that investors like to put money into startups is that they like the diversification doing so brings to their portfolios. Not to mention that angel investing itself has one of the best rates of returns among asset classes.

With that kind of return, I wondered if angel investing activity increases during periods of poor stock market performance.