Alok Bishoyi’s Post

Getting stuck at a revenue plateau happens to 83% of startups within 3 years. Three reasons for that: 1. Exhausting its pool of clients 2. Poor Product-Market fit 3. Inefficient pricing + we tackle other factors with my clients. Reply if you want tactics to avoid the 3 above.

If I was a startup investor? My criteria would be insanely simple. "Is anything delivered?" Screw sales or product market fit or happy user reviews. That is step 4 or 5. Most startups have not finished step 0. Building literally anything - good or bad. Most founders have never delivered anything in their lives, startup or not. Liquor company with no liquor in production? Check. SaaS company with no software or database? Check. R&D house with no patents or publications? Check. Why do most founders not deliver at all? Most people are yes boys or yes girls. Most people can not freaking focus. Tell me that you have built from scratch. And my fund would write you a cheque.

[THE LAG TIME CHALLENGE IN STARTUPS] I kept a journal from 2009 to 2017 tracking the progress, or more commonly the regress, of our startup multifamily billing business, that eventually became a SaaS business. Here's a post 6 months after we launched: One of the most challenging parts of any new venture is enduring financial and emotional "lag time." This is the period that passes before you experience the results of the actions and efforts you've been making. It's the scary time that appears, disappears, and then reappears in the form of doubt, uncertainty, and continual questions. The fact that this business is growing so slowly challenges my faith and belief in myself all the time. It makes me question if this is what I should be doing. We pay close attention to what's creating paying customers and what isn't. It's easy to do now because the overall response is so low. Our number of viable prospects you could count on two hands. But we keep putting in effort. Last week Bobby and I had an "offsite sales meeting." It sounds high falutin' but it was really just us meeting with a prospect at Starbucks for coffee. We agreed that part of our success formula, as best we can determine this week, is that anytime someone responds to our marketing efforts with reasonable interest, we'll travel and meet them in person. We both love selling face-to-face. We think this will accelerate our success. Before we do spend money on travel outside our city, we'll make a list of 2-3 other prospects in the area and set up a visit with them. Any money we spend on travel is money we can't use to pay salaries. We need every paying client we can get. The sooner the better. So, we're beefing up our push to get in front of people. Some takeaways… Startups are scary as hell. You're going to need a lot of savings so that you can survive the long financial runway that you'll have to traverse, to give your new business its best chance of succeeding. The uncertainty of "Are we going to make it?" never seems to go away. It lessens a bit as you scale revenue and can earn a living. Whenever you can meet a person face to face, within your budget, do it. Ganbatte kudasai! #StartupJourney #SaaSStartup #FaceToFaceSelling

First-time business owners have a success rate of 18%. A sobering figure, isn't it? What if we could boost that? At Hone Ventures, we believe in the power of your ideas. Our services are tailored to help first-time founders navigate the challenging startup landscape, providing the tools and support you need to succeed because your success is our success. Let's redefine the odds together. Apply now. #businessowners #startupsuccess https://bit.ly/3wjG8AG

I have been involved with Hone and in our work with owners and investors we see three things- 1- you feel alone, exhausted, and pulled in directions outside of your core talents, 2- you want to get there faster and farther, 3- you're team doesn't have the capacity to get done what needs job be done. In all three cases that is where Hone comes in. It is worth 15 minutes of your time to see.

The number one reason for NOT investing in a startup: the founder(s). It’s also our number one reason TO invest in a startup. Some common red flags: 1. Lack of clear vision 2. Poor communication skills 3. Ignoring customer feedback 4. Resistance to mentorship or advice 5. Obsessed with an idea or the solution (rather than a problem) My advice: Listen. Great founders hear their team, their market, and their mentors. Based on what they learn, they pivot when necessary and communicate their vision effectively. They embody resilience and possess a learning mindset. In startups, the founder's ability to listen, learn, and grow will make or break success.

#Founders - Are you stuck in that Customer/Capital “Chicken/Egg” loop where you are trying to raise money to get sales... ...Only to be told that you need “traction” to get investment capital?😫 And it’s just getting worse! Startup funding is getting harder to get and the competition for angel and venture capital money is tougher than ever. 🌩️ Investors typically invest in 0.1% to 2.0% (on the high end) of the deals that they get to look at. So while you may think that fundraising isn’t a competition, you’re wrong! Now put yourself in the shoes of the investor for a second. If you have 100 deals to choose from to make ONE investment, do you give your money to: ❓ The startup that wants money to show that there is, indeed, a market willing to pay for the product ❓ The startup that has identified its true customer, and validated their idea with real dollars Take a moment and think about that.🤔 Some of you might be thinking that you NEED money to hire sales and marketing people and to pay for marketing. For some businesses, that will be true if you are not able to self fund. Some of you will be able to get money without traction or customers (usually well connected, with a previous track record, or with a really, really good idea!) . For the rest, your best bet will be to get at least a few paying customers. Very few things impress an investor more than customers (except maybe Founders that manage to bootstrap initial customers)! The good news is that being a startup gives you some advantages in making your early sales. ⚡ You can: ➡️ Do the things “That don’t scale” ➡️ Target a particular audience with laser like precision ➡️ Differentiate yourself in “Blue Ocean” ➡️ Have more tailored messaging In one of my startups, we bootstrapped to sales of $80+ million.📈 I created a program to help break the Chicken/Egg cycle and help you get traction and customers without breaking the bank. if you are interested in learning about my program, message me or comment below. If not, you can still follow #TheFoundersForge for more Customer Acquisition advice Follow #FounderCoaching for tips on being a high growth CEO! #StartupLife #CustomerCentric #BusinessGrowth #EarlyStage

70% of startups fail due to premature scaling (Forbes). Know what's behind a lot of that scaling? Poorly negotiated funding rounds. Negotiation isn't just a skill. It's THE skill for startup founders. Here's your cheat sheet: - Master Pre-Money vs Post-Money dynamics - Profile your investors like a pro - Navigate ESOP allocation like a seasoned CFO - Build your Ladder of Proof for valuation - Deploy the Lowball Response Strategy - Cultivate trust with VCs (it's an art) - Control deadlines (don't let them control you) - Navigate term sheets like a legal eagle Each of these could be a masterclass. But I've packed them all into one image for you. Save it. Your future self will thank you. -- 📌 If you liked this (and want to support my work): 1. Like 2. Repost Thank you! Cre: Vencha

You haven't raised a 10M Series A? Your ARR is not growing 1-7-39-110M? You don't have 100+ FTE in a fancy office? You're not featured in TechCrunch? You don't get invited to speak at hype conferences? Welcome to my world. Welcome to the world of 99% of entrepreneurs. Don't compare yourself. Your race, your pace! Happy Friday Hustlers 🫶 ____________________________ Sharing my experience as an entrepreneur and angel investor. Investing in early stage B2B SaaS startups. Happy to connect 👋

Hitting $1M Without Investors: My No-Frills Strategy I've been where you are, staring down that road of building a business from scratch. When I started, I had two options: chase investors or bootstrap. I chose the latter. Why? Because it kept me in the driver's seat and my business's destiny firmly in my hands. Bootstrapping is straightforward. You use what you have to grow. No outside cash. It sounds tough, and honestly, it is. But here's the payoff: hitting that $1M mark felt doubly rewarding because every cent was ours. We didn't owe anyone a thing. Here's the gist of what I learned: - Spend wisely. Every dollar matters. If it doesn't bring value, cut it. - Solve problems creatively. Without a big budget, you're forced to think outside the box. It's a skill that'll serve you well, long term. - Know your numbers. Understand where every penny goes and why. It's crucial. - Customer first. They're your real investors. Keep them happy, and your revenue will grow. Bootstrapping isn't just about saving equity. It's about proving to yourself (and the world) that you can build something valuable from the ground up. It worked for me. Maybe it could for you too. #bootstrapping #founder #firsttimefounder #startup #startuplife