Full Curriculum

Idea & Business Plan Development
 14 Topics
Welcome to the Course!
So You Wanna Start a Startup?
The Startup Operating System
“Don’t Waste Time on a Business Plan” Doesn’t Mean Don’t Plan
Your Initial Business Plan is a Huge List of Assumptions
Nobody is Gonna Steal Your Idea
Developing Your Idea Into Something Great
Build a Company, Not Just a Product
The “So What?” Rule
Startup Idea Development (assignment)
Vitamin or Aspirin, Which are you Offering?
Sizing Your Market the Right Way
Market Sizing (assignment)
Optimizing Your Elevator Pitch
Company Formation
 8 Topics
Should I Form My Startup in Delaware?
More Tech Startups are Forming as LLCs
Your First Cap Table
Demystifying Cap Tables
Pricing Your Stock in the Early Days
Selecting an Attorney
Controlling Legal Costs
Lies About Startup Legal Fees
Initial Pursuit of the Dream
 8 Topics
Always on the Verge of Out-of-Control
Your Most Valuable Resource
Founding Principles – Do You Have Them?
How Long Should You Bootstrap?
Early Business Practices for Long-Term Success
Accumulated By-the-Book Debt Will Eventually Come Due
Running a Clean Business
Online Business Risk Assessment (assignment)
The Founding Team
 13 Topics
The 8 Personas of Successful Entrepreneurs
Avoiding Co-Founder Conflict
The Dilemma of the Startup CTO Title
Hiring Executives First
Founder & Employee Compensation When You’re Cash Poor
Founder & Employee Compensation
Selecting an Ideal Advisor
Compensating an Advisor
Maximizing Value From Your Advisor
When Corporate Execs Advise Startups
Leveraging Advisors for Maximum Benefit
Founding Principles, Do You Have Them?
Parting Ways With a Co-Founder
Funding the Early Stages
 18 Topics
Ten Fundraising Terms You Must Understand
Basic Fundraising Vocabulary
The Fundraising Chasm and How to Not Fall Into It
How Much to Raise and When
How Much to Raise in the Next Round (assignment)
Convertible Note Basics
Comparing the SAFE to Convertible Notes
Seed Funding Vehicles & Terms
Threading the Needle for a Successful Pre-Seed Round
Your Very First Sources of Funding
Aspirations, Exaggerations & Outright Lies
Finding & Pitching Investors
Justifying the Valuation Cap in Your Convertible Note
Establishing Valuation Before Revenue Traction
Negotiating Valuation with Investors
Fundraising Issues, Hints & Tips
Getting Maximum Credit From Your Enterprise Trials
Available Resources
Pitching Your Company
 10 Topics
Your Elevator Pitch Only Needs to Accomplish One Thing
Elevator Pitch Secrets
5 Secrets to a Killer Elevator Pitch
Elevator Pitch Development (assignment)
Pitch Deck Flow (Topic Order)
Use Storytelling to Describe the Problem You Solve
Why Participate in a Pitching Event?
Preparing for a Pitching Event
The “So What?” Rule
Mastering the 30-Minute Meeting
Executing a Successful Series A Campaign
 3 Topics
A Series A Isn’t Just a Large Seed Round
The Series A Sweet Spot Combines Size & Slope
Your Series A Readiness Scorecard
Strategy & Planning Tools for Startups
 9 Topics
Tools for Planning
Tools for Focus & Priority
Product Roadmap Prioritization (assignment)
Tools for Assessing Progress
Establishing a Management System
Growth & Scalability Aren’t the Same Thing
Golden Rules for Really Tough Times
Mock Crisis for Maintaining a Well-Oiled Machine
Expanding Beyond Your Home Market
Startup Compensation When You’re Cash Poor
 6 Topics
Founder & Employee Compensation When You’re Cash Poor
Founder & Early Employee Compensation
Compensating an Advisor
MBOs Demystified
Stock Options Explained
The Unfair Stock Option Exercise Period
Acquiring New Customers
 9 Topics
Customer Acquisition Strategies for Startups
The Day-in-the-Life Exercise
Optimizing Free Trial Conversions Using Nurturing
Building Out a Channel By Swimming Upstream from Your Deals
Intro to Enterprise Sales
Getting Maximum Credit from Your Enterprise Trials
Your Customer Acquisition Strategy (assignment)
Visualizing the Interactions between CAC, Churn & LTV
Optimizing CAC, Churn & LTV
Managing a New Sales Function
 11 Topics
Defining Your Sales Model
Hiring Your First Sales Professional
You’re Not as Good at Sales as You Think
Sales Organizations & Territories
5 Golden Rules of Sales Compensation
Selecting Your Sales Commission Metric
Documenting Your Sales Compensation Plan
Sales Quotas & Compensation
Managing the Sales Team
Intro to Enterprise Sales
Distribution Channels Explained
Marketing & Pricing Strategies
 10 Topics
Messaging & Positioning Best Practices
Aspirin or Vitamin – Which are You Offering?
Comparing Yourself to the Market Leader
Marketing Operations & Metrics
Optimizing Demand Generation Using Portfolio Theory
B2B Demand Generation
Is Your Website Enabling Sales?
Favorite Trade Show Hacks
Increasing Webinar Attendance
Pricing Strategies
Securing Strategic Partnerships
 6 Topics
Business Development Secrets & Strategic Partnerships
Identifying High-Value Partnerships
Get Your Strategic Partner to Fund Your R&D
Licensing Your Technology
Tell Me Your Price and I’ll Tell You My Terms
Establishing Distribution Channels
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Messaging & Positioning Best Practices

Full Curriculum Marketing & Pricing Strategies Messaging & Positioning Best Practices

At the heart of the marketing discipline is messaging and positioning. It sets the foundation for all other aspects of marketing, including pricing, branding and demand generation.

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