Building a Business
How to Convince Investors You Can Sell
Your success, as a company and as an investment, will depend on your ability to get customers to buy i service.
Scott Shane
Professor at Case Western Reserve University
Scott Shane is the A. Malachi Mixon III professor of entrepreneurial studies at Case Western Reserve University. His books include Illusions of Â鶹Éçship: The Costly Myths That Â鶹Éçs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live by (Yale University Press, 2008) and Finding Fertile Ground: Identifying Extraordinary Opportunities for New Businesses (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005).
Want to write for Â鶹Éç too?
Apply to join Â鶹Éç Leadership network.
More From Scott Shane
Building a Business
Why Your Small Business Needs a Mobile App
Smartphone apps have become too important a marketing tool for small business owners to do without.
Building a Business
How Angel Investing Is Different Outside of Silicon Valley
While much of angel investing is the same everywhere, angels outside of Silicon Valley need to do a few things differently to be successful.
Building a Business
Why Small Business Failure Rates are Declining
Starting a business still carries risk, but the percentage of companies shutting down has slowed over the past few decades.
Building a Business
Everyone Pays to Raise Money
One way or another, entrepreneurs always pay to obtain capital.
Building a Business
What Slow Exits Mean to Startup Investors
Since the end of the Internet 1.0 boom in 2001, the time to exit for the average venture-capital-backed company has more than doubled.
Building a Business
Why Angels Are Moving Online
Online platforms are a superior choice for less entrepreneurially experienced, less-active investors who are deploying smaller amounts of money.
Building a Business
Why the Number of Accelerators Is Accelerating
Because they solve real problems that venture capitalists face in financing companies, accelerators are not simply a fad.
Building a Business
Why Venture Capital Deals Stay in Silicon Valley
The growing concentration of venture capital investments in Silicon Valley creates a problem for policymakers in other regions.
Building a Business
Census Data Provide a Mixed Message on Women Â鶹Éçs
Women are making strides in business ownership, but still lag in some important areas.
Building a Business
Which Small Business Owners Think Their State Governments Are Supportive?
Whether small business owners think their state government is supportive or hostile depends on who they are, the kind of business they are running, where they are located and their political beliefs.
Building a Business
How Investors Choose Startups to Finance
Early-stage investors gather very little information when making a decision. But that makes perfect sense.
Business Funding
Why Â鶹Éçs Should Think About Non-Dilutive Financing
What kind of funding you seek can make all the difference in how much money you raise and how much control you keep.
Building a Business
To Encourage Crowdfunding, Change the Definition of an Investment Company
Equity crowdfunding is hampered by regulations designed to curb stock-market abuse.
Building a Business
Why Kickstarter and Indiegogo Won’t Go Into Equity Crowdfunding
The types of investors who put money into reward-based crowdfunders aren't the ones who will buy shares through equity crowdfunding – at least not at first.
Building a Business
Is Student Debt the Reason Millennials Aren’t Starting Companies?
It's easy to blame mounting debt loads for a slowdown in entrepreneurship. But data show otherwise.
Building a Business
Venture Capital Isn’t Partying Like 2000
Despite some headlines, the nature of the current venture market is far different than the bubble years.
Business Accounting
Are Standard Equity Stakes in Spinoffs Misguided?
Universities may be missing out on owning a share of their strongest spinoffs.
Building a Business
Will Equity Crowdfunding Buyers Be Able to Sell Their Shares?
Buyers, beware. While private-company shares can now be bought relatively easily, selling them will likely prove more difficult.
Thought Leaders
Will Starting a Business Kill Your Future Job Prospects?
Starting your own business has an added risk: a tougher road to get hired by someone else later.
Building a Business
Are Men Better Â鶹Éçs Than Women? That’s the Perception.
A big problem with the gender gap in entrepreneurship is the nagging feeling that men are better suited for it.
Building a Business
Are Small-Business Owners Immoral If They Pay Low Wages?
The biggest fallacy in the discussion of living wage is looking at the issue from a moral point of view.
Building a Business
Should You Raise Your Employees’ Pay?
There is a benefit to paying efficiency wages. But make sure the cost is right for your business.
Business Accounting
Why Small Businesses Are Turning to Online Lenders
Online lenders are attractive because business owners know time, not money, is their most precious resource.
Business Accounting
How the Decline in Community Banks Hurts Small Business
Dodd-Frank has weakened community banks, a lifeline for many small businesses.
Business Accounting
Replace the SBA’s Outdated 7(a) Loan Program
Like a Cuban taxi driver, the SBA is making due with a 1950s-era model in 2015.
Thought Leaders
Is Declining Business Failure Holding Back Â鶹Éçship?
Data suggest the lower rate of companies failing might be behind the decline in companies starting up.
Building a Business
Finding a Good Small Business Job is Getting Harder
Small businesses are doing a lot more without having to hire new workers.
Thought Leaders
Greater National Competitiveness Doesn’t Lead to More Â鶹Éçship
Nations that are more competitive have less of their adult-age population in the process of starting or running new businesses.
Building a Business
How to Pick Equity Crowdfunding Investments
Once these investments are allowed, the trick will be knowing which companies to back.
More Authors You Might Like
Chongwei Chen
President & CEO of DataNumen
Harrison Gross
CEO and Co-Founder of Lucyd
Gloria St. Martin-Lowry
President of HPWP Group
Sheldon Yellen
CEO of BELFOR