Paladin and Associates is an executive team that creates business strategy to eliminate strategic and operational roadblocks and puts companies on the path towards achieving business success.
IdeaSlam - The Entry To The Path To A New Business
Bill Warner Sunday, April 29, 2012
The IdeaSlam is an opportunity to capture the innovative spark of a new idea for a business and put it into a form that can be communicated to and evaluated by other people. In order to keep this simple, each entrepreneur needs to prepare themselves for the IdeaSlam by creating a three (3) minute presentation of their idea for a new business. An easy way to get ready is to prepare the presentation based on the answers to the following five (5) questions:
- What is the opportunity (premise)?
- What are you offering (solution)?
- Who will buy it (market)?
- Why will I win (Advantage)?
- How do I make money (Business)?
The IdeaSlam is the gate to entry into an Ideation program, where you will be able to form your raw idea into a disciplined statement from which you can make an assessment and a decision about whether or not to proceed with your idea to the first steps of business conceptualization. Go to this EventBrite invitation and select the date for your IdeaSlam session.
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A Special Week For Entrepreneurs
Bill Warner Thursday, November 03, 2011
Triangle Entrepreneurship Week introduces an exciting new approach to entrepreneurial programs. From November 14th to the 18th dozens of focused events will give entrepreneurs an opportunity to directly engage with successful entrepreneurs, business professionals, investors and community leaders.
Starting with NC State’s Entrepreneurship Lecture Series and surrounding the Internet Summit, this innovative approach to advising entrepreneurs is taking place throughout Raleigh, Durham and the greater Triangle area by:
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Digging into the details of several grass root industries,
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Meeting real investors and getting feedback on your business ideas,
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Exploring how to create solid business ideas,
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Seeing how communities foster entrepreneurship,
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Learning how to establish an effective financing strategy,
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Getting the straight talk about how to raise money and
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Seeing some real “green” businesses.
Conducted by a cast of dozens of leading entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and community development executives, this event promises to provide “up front and in your face” advice and perspective that entrepreneurs need in order to establish their own businesses. In addition, there is plenty of time devoted to collaboration and networking with all attendees so you can discuss all aspects of entrepreneurship and how to get businesses started.
As entrepreneurs, there is a lot to see and take advantage of in this series of events. This inaugural event should lead to many more to come and provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to make connections they need to create and grow their own businesses. Just having the chance to meet people that have been entrepreneurs will be a gold mine of information and know-how. The relationships established in this event could lead to the information and assistance you need to be successful.
Triangle Entrepreneurship Week is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors to connect in a way that we have not seen in this area before and is a must for any entrepreneur in any industry.
This event is proudly supported by: The Idea Hive, Entrepreneurship Initiative at NC State, Poole College of Management at NC State, Scale Finance, Downtown Raleigh Alliance, EntreDot, Inception Micro Angel Fund – RTP, The State Club, Durham Chamber, Bull City Forward, Triangle Blvd, Center for Creative Marketing, and TTYLapp.com.
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IMAF Launches New Angel Seed Fund In RTP
Bill Warner Tuesday, May 03, 2011
The newly formed Inception Micro Angel Fund in
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The Fund is focused on pre-launch companies in several industries, and positions itself as providing the financing entrepreneurs need to finalize their business just prior to launching into the market. Essentially, this financing is what entrepreneurs need to prepare the businesses for the first round of formal angel financing.
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Entrepreneurs are expected to be prepared with a solid business proposition and a well thought out launch plan and revenue model that has the potential for creating a successful return for investors.
“This is a proven investment model that provides local companies, across many industries, an opportunity to obtain funding and guidance needed to achieve success,” says Rich Kramarik, Fund Executive.
Family of Funds
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Although each fund is independent, they operate under similar principles and can syndicate with one another as needed. This brings the power of North Carolina wide angel investing to the aid of entrepreneurial businesses.
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Angel Investors Narrow Their Focus
Bill Warner Sunday, September 12, 2010
As you know, the entrepreneur’s “Valley of Death” is getting wider as the pressures on our economy move many private investors to lower risk venture investments. As they did early this decade, both VC’s and formal angel organizations are moving to more mature companies, widening the valley that is between where entrepreneurs are and where they need to be in order to find money to get their businesses launched.
The Valley Widens
In the late 90’s, entrepreneurs could get funding from venture capital organizations for start-ups. However, that produced a bubble of companies that were not very viable and most of them failed when the bubble burst in 2001 and 2002. In that same timeframe, formal angel organizations moved from providing start-up seed funding to start-up launch funding, focusing instead on companies that were nearly ready to go to market. The result of this was a large void of available funding for companies that were just getting started. I call it “grant land,” where the primary source of funding is public and private grants for feasibility assessment, research and development.
Well, it appears to be happening again. Venture capital firms are struggling for their very existence, as their model is changing to look more like investment bankers, loan operations, or small private equity funds, all driven by the near disappearance of the IPO. Driven by the uncertainty of the economy, private investors within formal angel organizations have become much more cautious as their managing partners move their investment preferences to companies that are approaching predictable profitability. These investors have been hurt badly by the economic downturn and many are moving to much lower risk investments. This further widens the Valley of Death, leaving entrepreneurs with an even greater period of time between their company’s inception and when they can even be considered by angel organizations.
The Reemergence of Seed Financing
To the rescue is coming the reemergence of the seed fund. Over the last couple of years, the NC Capital Highway project, sponsored by the NC Biotechnology Center and the NC Small Business Technology Development Center has been fostering the creation of seed funds throughout North Carolina, including one in the Research Triangle Park area called the Inception Micro Angel Fund (IMAF-RTP).
IMAF-RTP and the other IMAF funds are trying to narrow the Valley of Death by forming a new private equity fund that invests in startup companies at the seed level of maturity. This is at the point in time when they are still completing their proof of concept and formulating their marketing and sales plans; but are able to explain and verify a strong business model.
The Narrowing Focus
As with the original IMAF fund in Winston Salem, and the other IMAF funds that are emerging in Charlotte, Asheville, Greenville and Wilmington, IMAF-RTP is trying to narrow the focus on the kinds of companies it will invest in. These funds are much smaller than formal angel funds and will be the first investors in a company. They are looking for companies that will not need a lot of capital in order to become sustainable growth businesses. Finally, they will favor companies that have the possibility of exiting in less than five years.
Since these funds usually do not make subsequent investments in their portfolio companies, they are looking for the potential of substantial returns when they evaluate the companies in which they might invest.
Attracting New Investors
Many of the IMAF funds are still raising capital and are also looking for new investors. Angel investors are finding this a way to continue their interest in angel investing at a much lower investment cost, even though at higher risk. For new investors, it is less expensive than formal angel groups while providing a broadly diversified investment portfolio.
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Connor’s Kits for Kids
Bill Warner Friday, July 30, 2010
The STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Math) education initiative is certainly gaining momentum throughout North Carolina. Without realizing it, Connor Bernstein started down the same path of being a leader in science education from the time he was in the fourth grade. Now, at fifteen, Bernstein is an emerging entrepreneur with exciting science project kits for kids of all ages; including adults that think like kids.
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The mission of Bernstein's company, Kits For Kids, is to show kids just how much fun science can be with simple, focused, teacher and kid friendly science kits and activities. Bernstein says, “It’s important to give all kids the chance to find their place in the world of science. Science can sometimes seem complicated and mysterious, like it’s only for certain kinds of people. That’s definitely not true! I believe we can never have enough experimenters and innovators. Inspiring our next generation of scientists with exciting, hands on experiences at an early age is what I’m all about. I mean, what’s better than having fun while you’re learning?”
Bernstein founded Kits for Kids when he was in the fourth grade, because he was frustrated with the science kits he bought in stores. He says, “I’ve been playing with science kits and experiments since I was little. I look at things and wonder, why does that happen or how does that work, so it was frustrating when my teachers couldn’t always answer my questions, or when science kits ran out of materials before I was finished experimenting with them. I finally decided to see what I could do about that, and in third grade I began making science experiments and showing them to friends who thought they were really cool. By fourth grade, my love of teaching and my love of science came together when I started Connor’s Kits for Kids. Today, kids all over the country are using my kits and having fun with science! My allowance friendly kits help kids learn about science with awesome, focused experiments, lots of materials, and easy to follow instructions with clear explanations. In fact, I include such a generous amount of materials it’s like getting two kits for the price of just one!”
Bernstein is truly a unique individual. His curiosity is boundless and his energy is seemly unlimited. Bernstein can be found teaching science to school children, as they learn how to make Slime, create Plant Pals and discover Insta-Pets. All of this and more is out of Bernstein’s innovative mind. Remarkably, he has conducted team building sessions for small businesses, having them all make Slime together. Fun stuff!! He says, “I know that inspiring the next generation of scientists starts with positive science experiences at an early age. That’s why I raise funds so I can visit elementary and middle school classrooms at no cost to teachers and lead exciting science activities with students. I also speak to students about the importance of entrepreneurship and the pursuit of life goals.”
But, this is a business. Bernstein has pulled together the marketing program, science project design, packaging, raw material supply, manufacturing and assembly of his innovative science kits. He has sold hundreds of them, and is ramping up to sell thousands with the help of his new website and manufacturing operations.He is running an increasingly complex and rapidly expanding retail business, and has yet to graduate from high school.
Bernstein has big dreams of being a successful entrepreneur that brings value to society through science education. As a high school senior (Yes, a 15 year old senior) at Hawbridge Charter High School in Saxapahaw, NC, he plans to go onto college to further pursue his dream. In fact, he is getting a head start on that by already completing college Chemistry, Biology and Launching the Venture.
His mom has supported him the whole way. She's helped him develop the skills needed to build his company and stay organized. She's also helped troubleshoot issues, and of course, driven him to meetings and places he needs to be. Thanks to his devoted mom and dad's financial sacrifices, he’s been able to afford the costs associated with building his business.
If Connor Bernstein can do all of this himself, with his parent’s devoted help, think what could happen if he got some help from others. He has gotten professional business help and meets with them regularly. Keep an eye on this entrepreneur. He is going to be one of our leading business people in North Carolina.
I suggest that the education innovators of North Carolina learn some things from Connor Bernstein about how to bring science to kids in innovative and effective ways.
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Paladin and Associates responds to client needs for a business plan, strategic planning, executive coaching and writing a business plan. A common question that Paladin and Associates answers is how to write a business plan or how to do financial management and planning. Paladin and Associates' clients ask for help finding angel investors, business consultants, executive coaching services, and business consulting services. We also do strategic business planning, business process consulting, business mentoring, sales consulting, and executive mentoring. Business management consulting and sales process consulting are common services. We have over 30 years experience in the role of executive coach and business coach and are among the best business coaches in the area. We are often called upon for writing a business plan and the strategic planning process.