Category: Business Development

event networking

Best Practices for Networking at an Event

Founders are regularly told they need to network like crazy in order to be successful.  On the surface, that sounds like going to a bunch of events and meeting a…

Read More
business models

The Day-in-the-Life Exercise

Startups build solutions that either solve problems or unlock opportunities for a particular user or paying customer.  But the solution can only provide value if it gets into the hands…

Read More
strategic partnership

Get Your Strategic Partner to Fund Your R&D

I often talk about the “we’re big, you’re small” phenomenon that often exists when startups are seeking or negotiating a strategic partnership.  While that phenomenon certainly gives the big partner…

Read More
trade show hacks

Favorite Trade Show Hacks

Imagine this scenario.  You decide to pay $2,500 for the cheapest exhibit option at your industry’s big annual trade show.  You know you’ll spend another $2,500 on cheap travel, lodging…

Read More
negotiating

Tell Me Your Price and I’ll Tell You My Terms

I didn’t invent this quote (can’t remember where I heard it) but what a great one to help remember that with most business-related transactions, price is definitely not the only…

Read More
technology licensing

Licensing Your Technology

Some startups build core technology with the sole purpose of making money by licensing it to others while other startups later discover they have something that could be licensed as…

Read More
strategic partnership

The Hidden Value of Embedding With Your Strategic Partner

It usually takes a huge effort to get the attention of a big strategic partner and impress them enough to get a formal partnership. In fact, might have you read…

Read More
code names

A Secret to Securing a Strategic Partnership

Most startups desperately crave a partnership with a big, strategic player that could offer them significant leverage and credibility.  Just think about the giants in your particular industry.  That’s who…

Read More
strategic partnership

Get the Strategic Partner to Come After You

The courtship almost always starts with the small company approaching the HQ of the big company they desire as a strategic partner.  Usually, the big company is too distracted or…

Read More
exclusivity

Don’t Be Afraid of Exclusivity

It finally happened.  You’ve been trying to get the attention of a huge prospective strategic partner and finally they gave you a chance to explain the value you can bring…

Read More
channel recruiting

Build Out a Channel By Swimming Upstream From Your Deals

You have a product that is ideally suited for a channel-based distribution strategy.  But every time you approach a prospective channel partner, they expect you to already have landed some…

Read More

Co-Marketing Explained

Thanks to HubSpot for this valuable explanation of what co-marketing is and what some of the common forms are (article here).  One of my blog categories is devoted to business development (BD).  BD…

Read More
business development

More BD Resources = More Chaos

The term “business development” can mean a variety of things for a company, but the one that relates to securing strategic partnerships is the one related to this article. It…

Read More
Consider Everything

Consider Everything Short of a “Yes” a “No”

I recently heard Dr. Robert Wiltbank from Willamette University use this analogy and loved it so much I had to share it with others.  Entrepreneurs are, by nature, very optimistic. …

Read More
business development

Disguising PR as Strategic Business Development

I love what a well-run business development function can do for a startup. But I also have a lot of pet peeves with it, having run the function for multiple…

Read More