Quote from: theunbeatable on August 16, 2017, 08:32:20 PM

Well I just want to share some information regarding on how to start a business because as we can see, we are all want to have a stable business and we want to be a very good entrepreneur someday because if we're just working and working to earn money then if we can't work anymore we won't be able to sustain our needs anymore. I think this is worth reading especially those who are planning to build an ICO or a project. I've got this from my professor on college :

NOTE-REFERENCES : Websters College Dictionary (Random House/McGraw Hill)
What is an Entrepreneur?
Entrepreneur: A person who organizes and manages an enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
Initiative: Readiness and ability in initiating action.
Risk: The hazard or chance of loss.

NOTE-REFERENCES : The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, 2nd Ed.; William D. Bygrave, Editor. John Wiley and Sons Publishers, 1997.
What Does it Take to Be Successful?

In entrepreneurship, luck is where preparation and opportunity meet.

The idea is not what is important. In entrepreneurship; ideas are a dime a dozen. Developing the idea, implementing it, and building a successful business are the important things.

Would-be entrepreneurs who are unable to name customers are not ready to start a business. They have only found an idea and have not yet identified a market need.

Somehow, someday you are going to have to earn POSITIVE CASH FLOW. You need more than a revenue model (but you do need that). You need a VALUE model.

Market share is great, but you cant pay bills with it.

You can do some financially stupid things to build market share.

Where Do You Start?
Think about WHO is going to want your product/service, what they will PAY for it, what you will NEED to carry it off, and how you will MAKE MONEY someday. That is, make a PLAN.

Success depends on
positive cash flow, growth,
and value creation.

Owners and investors who forget that tend to get naturally deselected.

The Importance of Value Creation

A successful business is one that delivers value to its customers and creates value for its owners.

Value is delivered to your customers when you do something for them
Better
Cheaper
Faster
Cooler
Different
However, it is likely that none of these will work for long, so continuous improvement and innovation are essential.

Value is created for the owners when:
-You do more with their money than they could do with it themselves
-You invest in productive activities that earn rates of return greater than their risk-adjusted costs of capital.
-The present value of future cash flows exceeds the startup costs.

Value is created by:
-Exploiting proprietary physical resources
-Possessing proprietary knowledge or expertise
-Creating a new or improved product, process, or service
-Staying ahead of the competition through constant improvement and innovation

Planning for Success

-Dont plan a business for today Plan it for at least a year from now.
-Moores Law: Computing power will roughly double every 18 months.
-Bandwidth will continue to increase for most users almost ad infinitum.
-People will live longer and maintain active lifestyles far after retirement.
-Energy sources and consumption patterns will change drastically.
-The world will continue to be a very dangerous place.

How To Not Get Funded

-Have a half-baked idea
-Have a meatless business plan
-Cant articulate your value proposition
-Cant identify your market potential
-Cant justify your sales projections
-Cant show your investors an exit
-Cant show your investors a reasonable expectation of a reasonable return on investment
-Dont think about risk
-Take no risk yourself
-Dont take time to do your homework
-Try to fund a lifestyle venture

Funding Your Venture

-The hardest funding to raise is the first funding. You are probably on your own.
-Later funding gets progressively easier depending on the results you can show to investors and what you need to fund.
-BANKS are probably not going to help.
-The best funding is INTERNAL funding (reinvested earnings).
-PRIVATE EQUITY is the current buzzword for the major capital source for business ventures.
Closing thoughts

picture source :https://wealthygorilla.com/23-wise-warren-buffett-quotes-on-success/

That is reality. Business is not like food to eat because it is already prepared it should be in the process in every time because business is like war at first that needs to cultivate in order to make it on success. Failing to plan is planning to fail.