If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Recently I have been meeting with various folks, weary of the lull in their current business or lack of work, who want advice on starting a new business as an alternative to continuing their current path (making their current business [...]

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During this long recession, getting paid can be tricky, especially if you are an outsider, or if you have lost your status as an employee, and have been hired back as a contractor (part time or full time).
Established consultants understand about getting paid (or not), but those new to the game, or employees currently being [...]

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We are at a moment in technology development when the infrastructure (of the computer and the Internet) is ubiquitous, and the platforms for development are stable. This creates an abundance of new ideas, applications, and technology.
I’ve been listening at gatherings and meetings, hearing a lot about what venture capitalists are interested in, within the [...]

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There is a new optimism rising in the venture capital community. More than whispers, but not yet a shout, it is cautious, but you can hear it. And entrepreneurs, you should be listening and responding.
Why this optimism?
There is repeated confirmation that venture capitalists are creating a new uptick in their investments, based not only on [...]

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Are you here with me in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show? If yes, join me Friday morning 10:30 – 11:30 for the Digital Hollywood venture capital panel. Las Vegas Convention Center, 2nd floor, North Hall.
Here is the link to the session, with the panel line up and all details. [...]

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On January 2nd (2010), I received the one holiday card I wait for each year, from my delightful and irascible friend, a wonderful writer, who lives her life to the fullest, with attitude. I want to quote from it:
“What can I say about 2009? It was a horrid year of financial fear but [...]

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According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “The Nobel Prize Committee for Economics honored Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson, in part, for paying attention to what happens in the real world.” They understood that “standard approaches of economics are inadequate at explaining what actually occurs.”
Paying attention to the real world, the larger world outside [...]

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Last Friday (12/18/2009) the Wall Street Journal’s Venture Wire asked if they could post a blog I was preparing on the outlook for 2010 in finding venture funding.  They asked me to expand upon a list of tactics for entrepreneurs in their search for funding.  So I adapted what I was writing that afternoon, and [...]

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Investors have a rather straightforward wish list. The catch is, they want all of it filled at the beginning. And why not? Even the small firms read thousands of plans each year, and fund only a few. Larger firms see tens of thousands of plans each year, and fund only a few more. Yes, there [...]

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We are continuing our interview with angel investor John B. Dimmer, the managing member in FIRS Management LLC, a private investment firm based in Tacoma, WA. See part 1
Q: What about negotiating with investors or other financial supporters until cash flows increase?
A: Investors hate bad surprises, especially when the surprise is accompanied [...]

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