Learning Center

A financial dashboard is an excellent management tool to help executives at fast-growing companies make better decisions. It provides a quick understanding of key financial performance indicators that drive your company’s growth. Effective dashboards have a simple design, are readily accessible, and easily understood. Dashboards are best used regularly so you can detect patterns over time.  ...

The cost to acquire a single customer (Customer Acquisition Cost or CAC) is a popular metric used by companies to determine the economic value of a customer. The logic is simple: the lifetime value of a customer (LTV) should exceed the cost to acquire that customer.  You need both formulas to understand the results....

This is what to provide when a prospective investor or bank asks for your financial statements:...

Nothing irks a business owner more than the last minute “cash dump” into his or her company to make payroll or pay a key supplier. Cash flow changes rapidly in high-growth companies. Managing these changes well is crucial to having cash on hand to fund accelerated growth. Those of us who have had to manage through low-cash situations can attest to how crippling it can be to a company....

Many fast-growing companies seek to be a data-driven enterprise. It’s easy to understand why – every day we hear about examples of great companies employing sound data practices to drive rapid growth....

Applying for a business loan from a bank is a daunting process. There is no shortage of offers from banks to lend your company money, however, many hopeful entrepreneurs soon learn how difficult it is to borrow from a commercial bank....

I meet many smart, talented startup founders at various events I attend. I love their energy and passion....

Fast growing companies fail when they run out of cash before they’ve had a chance to prove they are a sustainable business....

I received a fair number of cost inquiries on my recent post about due diligence for raising venture capital. This post has a few thoughts on what those costs are by deal size....

Due diligence for raising venture capital is a rigorous process.  It is initiated by an investor to determine if he or she will make an investment in a company and the terms of that investment. The process can be unnerving for even the most seasoned entrepreneur....

You’ve raised several seed rounds from founders, friends and angels. You’ve bootstrapped your way to nearly $5M of annual revenue – the magic number for institutional investors to put real capital into your company. Term sheets are about to arrive and you’re hoping for a smooth close in 90 days, just as your cash is running out. Finally, you’ll be able to work like a real CEO with the resources to grow like never before....