As a start-up, your priority needs to be nailing down your value proposition, your product/market fit and making sure you really understand your business model. You need to get revenue and be profitable.
When you have validated your market, you will need more sophisticated managerial and operational skill and know how to do a ‘size-up’ of your market, industry and company. That is when Business Diagnostics will be most valuable for you.
The Business Diagnostics concept has been developed by three co-authors that have extensive commercial banking and management consulting expertise.
The book has been written to overcome significant challenges facing today’s business start-ups including time constraints in acquiring and updating business management skills and information.
Business start-ups also encounter significant challenges in raising the required funding to launch their new enterprise.
The ideal desk-top Reference Guide for Business Start-ups
Business Diagnostics has been designed as a valuable reference guide which can be easily read over a weekend or a few weekday evenings.
Business Diagnostics will provide practical assistance to the following target audiences:
- The entrepreneur who is seeking exciting new venture growth opportunities and recognizes that a rigorous ‘size up’ is required to validate and confirm the viability of potential revenue and cash flow generation.
- An enterprise owner planning to create a subsidiary or affiliated business. That planning process requires the completion of the right ‘diagnostic checks’ to ensure the correct degree of corporate health and potential.
- The individual who wishes to set up a new, yet to be proven, business venture and requires guidelines to complete an objective ‘proof of concept’ to attract financing or equity.
Readers will gain practical insights into the following key areas:
The Size Up process:
The External size-up examines the business environment (political, economic, societal and technological factors) along with prevailing industry conditions.
The Internal size-up then drills down into the start-up’s projected performance, evaluating its relative potential health from different viewpoints – Financial, Marketing, Operations, Human Resources, and Technology.
Sources of Funding:
Company life cycles are explained and how the various sources of funding (equity and debt) can be accessed, notably in the start-up stage. Strategies to recognize potential danger in today’s rapidly changing business environment are also introduced..
Strategic Business Plans:
Tips, tools and insights are provided on the effective completion of Strategic Business plans along with the introduction of a short case study of a fictitious company (Marston Control Devices) which is seeking investment capital to expand into new markets. The Enterprise Review Summary is also introduced which is a key ‘pitching’ document in securing early stage and mezzanine funding.
