When completing a Business Model Canvas, it is helpful to guide the discussion through the use of questions. When it comes to looking at macroeconomic forces that will affect your business model, the following set of questions should help you in thinking more critically about your business model. These questions are broken into four categories: […]
Critical Thinking About Macroeconomic Forces Read More »
Traditionally, entrepreneurs had 2 options to raise funds to start their business. They could either get a loan or give away ownership to investors. Enter crowdfunding as a third option.
The Hidden Value of Crowdfunding Read More »
The next and final environmental forces block is “Macroeconomic Forces.” This section is used to determine if your business model can adjust to macroeconomic shifts. This is where keeping up with current events is important. In addition to watching the world and local news programs each day, I use an internet news aggregator that searches
Macroeconomic Forces and the Business Model Canvas Read More »
Growing up in Boston, on the way to the airport you would pass a series of very simple signs on the side of the road. They encouraged you to relocate to Boston and read: “If You”, “Lived Here”, “You Would”, “Be Home Now”. Burma-Shave became an outdoor advertising icon by delivering a catchy message with
The Sequence Signs Read More »
Retirement accounts qualify for special tax treatment by the IRS. A common retirement account is a 401k, where pretax dollars from you, which are often matched by your employer, are deposited into an account and allowed to grow tax-deferred. These funds are designed to create income during retirement and are subject to premature distribution penalties
Using a 401k Loan to Fund Your Business Read More »
By transferring a traditional IRA into a self-directed IRA, the IRA owner can invest in private businesses and in real estate as well as traditional sources
Using a Self-Directed IRA to Fund Your Business Read More »
Many would-be entrepreneurs have money tied up in retirement plans like IRAs or 401ks that could be used to fund their businesses. Many simply believe they can’t access these funds until they reach the age of 59.5 without being subject to a premature distribution penalty. That being said, there are a few ways that you
Retirement Account Funds New Business Read More »
Debt used to fund consumption, such as buying a new TV, is not a good use of debt. However, debt used to buy an income-producing asset such as a rental property, where the interest on the debt is less than the income derived from the principal invested, is considered a good use of debt. We
All Debt Is Not The Same Read More »
Often a company will spend months or even years developing a new product. The labor and material used to develop a new product or offering is considered Research and Development (R&D). R&D is often considered an expense to the company. Expenses are deducted from Revenue in the year they are incurred and help to reduce the
Should you Amortize or Expense your R&D? Read More »
More than seventy percent of Americans think we should spend more money on education to reduce class sizes. However, report after report indicates that unless a class size is very small, say, five students, there really is no difference in student achievement between a class of ten or a class of thirty. So why do
Do Your Own Analysis Read More »
