Tip of the Spear Ventures

A Family Office that behaves like Venture Capital | Private Equity | Business Consulting

sam palazzolo

How to Finance Your Startup

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The Point: How to Finance Your Startup… It might appear as an entrepreneur that money grows on trees! Securing financing to help fund your entrepreneurial dreams should be an easy process, right? Wrong! While financing your startup appears to be a relatively straight-forward process, it might not be the appropriate or best route for your startup. So, in this post we’ll explore how to finance your startup… Enjoy!

how to finance your startup

“How To Finance Your Startup” is one of the most persistent questions I’m asked by entrepreneurs, followed closely by “Should I consider Venture Capital and/or Private Funding sources?” The process of raising private money consists of advantages and disadvantages regardless of method. Perhaps a better entrepreneurial approach would be to identify what has worked and what has not in terms of raising capital for your startup.

In exploring how to finance your startup, entrepreneurs could benefit from exploring case studies from real-life entrepreneurs who have successfully used a variety of funding options to launch their own successful venture. This perspective provides an extremely helpful resource that will help entrepreneurs in understanding how to finance their own business, regardless of what business vertical they are embarking on. Entrepreneurs will be able to quickly compare and contrast the pros and cons of each method, allowing themselves to make informed decisions about the most feasible way to start your business funding initiatives. Some “How to Finance Your Startup” typical outline steps consist of identifying the various venture capital firms that available based on previous investment history and alternatively, the different ways to raise capital for the business.

If as an entrepreneur you are seriously considering launching your own successful business with external capital (instead of “bootstrapping” your funding), you should establish guidelines for how you will go about starting your business with such funding. This comprehensive overview of how to properly fund your startup will include not only funding resource potentials, but give special consideration to what you’ll be willing to give up in return for receiving the capital. The more knowledge you equip yourself with about how to properly go about funding your startup as well as other aspects of business finance will benefit the entrepreneur, regardless of the entity stage of the organization.

Sam Palazzolo

Family Office as Entrepreneur Capital Source

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The Point: The Family Office as Entrepreneur Capital Source is an avenue rarely investigated, until recently. Why? The Family Office structure is one that is a relatively new “player” in the capital source space. So what do you need to do as an entrepreneur in order to approach a family office and successfully secure capital? In this post, we’ll explore family offices as Entrepreneur Capital Source… Enjoy!

Family Office as Entrepreneur Capital Source

When you are looking into the best way to raise venture capital for your entrepreneurial effort, you need to keep in mind that there are two main options when it comes to raising capital – Angel investors and institutional investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who provide small amounts of money to start a new business with the intention of generating a much larger return later on. While these investors do not normally require any particular terms nor have control over organizational operation when providing capital, they are also extremely impatient and lack understanding of the technology and risk issues that you are going through in building your new company as an entrepreneur. Most angel investors will prefer to see a business plan and more importantly, a projected financials so they can get a full picture of the business you are attempting to build.

Family offices on the other hand, run more like private equity firms where joint ventures between entrepreneurs and them as business partner generally require an initial investment. Typically, this relationship is formed because it allows family offices to tap into the entrepreneurial mindset of their entrepreneur partners and receive returns that are superior to other capital instruments. Most family offices that run like a private equity firm prefer to provide capital to small to mid-sized organizations rather than large corporate companies because of the obvious benefit of being personally involved in the business and being able to contribute ideas and help direct the business (Again, don’t overlook the returns!) They also are able to provide a direct exit path from the current project to providing capital to future projects. In order to raise family office capital funding requires the entrepreneur to again submit a formal business plan along with a well-written equity prospectus and a complete financial statement so the family office knows exactly what kind of return they can expect.

Family offices provide a great way for relatively inexperienced entrepreneurs to obtain the experience needed to raise large sums of capital and have a smart-money partner along with them. Because the entrepreneur receives small investments from family offices and not from institutional investors, they typically view paying very good returns on these investments as a small price to pay in return for the capital received to accomplish goals. The key to success is in the collaboration and relationship building between the entrepreneurs and family offices. Family offices are really just an extension of a venture capital outlet, allowing entrepreneurs to access the wealth of the family office entrepreneurial team at a much lower hurdle.

Sam Palazzolo

Is Your Capital Raise a Boot Drop?

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The Point: If you are asking the question, “Is your capital raise a boot drop?” then I have some bad news for you. We often think of business as waiting for the other shoe to drop. So, what happens when it’s not just a shoe, but a boot that you’re waiting to drop! When it comes to raising capital for your business, it is and can very much seem like a boot drop moment. So in this post, we’ll explore some alternatives to ease the “drop” event and turn them into more of a “raise” one… Enjoy!

is your capital raise a mic drop

Yes, it’s very hard to raise capital because no matter how hard you try, investors don’t care about your business health or how great your products or services are, they just want information on money. In fact, many investors make their money this way because they use the equity in their business to finance their own projects instead of using credit or other capital sources that require repayment. Many investors also like to borrow money and using equity from their own company helps them with that as well.

If you look at any traditional business, you can see that capital raises are used to expand the business into new markets and/or services that can bring in more income and dividends. However, if you ask most private investors today if they are going to pay additional dividends, you might find that they aren’t as likely to do so as they used to be. While there are still some private investors that are willing to provide additional capital to growing companies, the reality is that they are generally not willing to do so when faced with companies that are doing well and have the wherewithal to grow even further.

So, when asking yourself, “Is your capital raise a boot drop?” the first thing you should do is take a hard look at the business health of your organization and determine whether or not it is really worth investing additional funds into. Next, you will need to look at your overall capital raise and determine if you are going to need to raise additional funds based on the business health of your organization. Lastly, you will need to make sure that you are able to absorb the additional investment that you are going to be getting. If you find that you are unable to absorb the additional funds, then you may want to consider taking a different route to raise capital and perhaps wait until you have a much better operating cash flow before getting involved with another capital raise.

Sam Palazzolo

If your organization is struggling raising capital, we should talk… info@tipofthespearventures.com.

Just How Much is Your Business Worth?

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The Point: If you are thinking about selling your business, then you’ll need to identify just how much is your business worth! This article is intended to offer perspective to the small business owner looking to sell their company. Specifically, we’ll attempt to shed some light on how businesses are valued. There are a lot of elements that go into what a business will sell for and we’ll attempt to hit the high-points… Enjoy!

Earnings

The monetary health of your organization will certainly be a substantial consideration for prospective purchasers’ decision on what they will spend for the business. Earning, EBITDA, Cash Flow or Net Income are basically what the owner makes from the company, including their income, perks, benefits, and net income. 

EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) resembles cash flow, however it deducts what it would cost to pay a common CEO in this market to run the business. This might vary from the actual income that the existing owner makes. EBITDA is what the business would produce for their financier after paying the typical income to a President that would run the Company for the financier.

The factor that Cash Flow and EBITDA are vital is that what individuals want to pay is frequently based upon a number of annual cash flows or EBITDA. These multiples can differ considerably depending upon lots of considerations. If 2 business’s net earnings are both $500,000, one business may offer for 3 times the yearly money circulation ($1,500,000), and another may offer for 5 times annual money circulation ($2,500,000). Why?

We will check out a few of the aspects that can impact what kind of multiple (3x or 5x from the above example) a buyer will utilize to identify what they will use for the company and what other aspects besides Net Income purchasers may utilize to identify the listing price of a business.

Market

The market that a business is in definitely plays a part in what multiples prospective purchasers are ready to pay for a company. Even within technology, a company that sells their own proprietary software will usually sell for more than a company that sells IT Services or acts as a reseller of other companies’ technology. The multiple is meant to be a multiplier of risk.

There are still many factors that go into what someone will pay. A Profitable construction company might sell for a lot more than a software company, depending on other factors such as size, number of years in business, long-term contracts, etc.

Size of the Company

In general, the bigger and more lucrative an organization is, the greater the multiple of rate to profits is. A company that has an annual net cash flow of $200,000 might sell for 2.5 times Cash flow ($500,000). Depending upon the information, a business that has capital of $5 Million may cost 7x Cash circulation ($35 Million).

There are a lot more aspects to this, however this is an illustration of the quantity of the profits likewise factoring into the numbers that purchasers will spend for a company. Valuing a company is part art and part science to integrate all of the elements that enter into a possible list price of a Company. We’ll continue with other elements that will enter into it.

Synergies in a Merger or Acquisition

Getting a purchaser or purchasers that have excellent synergies with acquiring a business can be an outstanding method to increase worth in the sale of a business and result in a greater cost paid. There are a great deal of various methods which you can have a synergistic purchaser. We’ll detail synergistic possibilities from purchasers in the very same market and purchasers in numerous markets.

Expense Reduction: A purchaser within the exact same market that can minimize expenses by integrating a few of the overhead. Whether that overhead is the financial investment in underutilized devices, area, or workers, when underutilized properties are more totally made use of, there can be a boost in the combined profits by lowering expenses without minimizing profits.

More Services to Cross Sell: More typical than expense decrease is synergies that lead to a revenue boost through a boost in combined profits. An example of this is where a civil engineering firm acquires a Land Surveyor company, and now they can cross-sell their existing client base to supply more services to each other’s clients and increase the combined earnings. They can win larger jobs where the bid involves both areas of expertise of the combined companies so that they don’t need to use subcontractors and can better control the quality and costs of the projects conducted.

Making the Most of Each Other’s Strengths: An example of this would be an acquisition of a little software application business that has actually established excellent brand-new innovation, however does not have a big sales force. This could be acquired by either an IT Services or Software business that has a big sales force and relationships with IT Departments at their existing clients, however maybe their services have actually ended up being outdated over time. The mix of these 2 companies would have the ability to quickly offer the brand-new innovation and permit the more recognized company a business development course that it would not have otherwise.

Financier’s Contacts and Strategy: Synergistic mergers do not always require the mix of 2 business. Sometimes, you can have a rich business owner or personal equity company that can obtain a business in a market where they have contacts that they can utilize to present an obtained company and get them into some big consumers that they would not have access to. A knowledgeable financier’s understanding of a market might likewise result in vital suggestions on how a business must continue to grow its Company beneficially.
Patterns

How to Value a Business

The trends in your business will affect the valuation of your Company. On average, they will pay a higher multiple for a company that is trending up compared to one that is trending down.

The net income and revenue might vary a lot from year to year. In this case, some prospective purchasers may average the last 3 or 4 year’s earnings, or they might utilize a weighted average where more weight is provided to the most recent yearly monetary outcomes.

Purchasers will attempt to examine what an affordable projection is for a business in the coming years based upon its patterns and other aspects, such as what the general patterns of the market are and external elements.

Consumer Density

If two companies are both making a net income of $1 Million and Company #1 has 300 customers with no one customer making up 10% of their revenue and Company #2 has 20 customers with their top customer making up 40% of their revenue, typically Company #1 will sell for more than Company #2.

Company B can still be sold; however, in some cases, they will have to decide between a lower sale price and a higher sale price that includes an earn-out. It is a way for the buyer to pay more and have the seller assume part of the risk if their largest customer doesn’t continue on with them.

Recurring Revenue

If a business has repeating earnings, this will normally make it more valuable. Repeating income can happen in various markets. An example would be 2 manufacturing businesses.

Business #1 primarily does brand-new widget manufacturing. When brand-new advancements are being developed, they do the manufacturing for these advancements. Business #2 has long-lasting clients that they have continuous relationships with and expense reimbursement from them on a monthly basis.

If their consumer retention is high and both Company #1 and Company #2 make the exact same quantity of earnings, generally Company #2 will cost more since they have repeating earnings with long-lasting clients that they have actually kept. This lowers the danger in a purchaser’s mind that the income (revenue) will decrease.

Team Member Skills and Accountabilities / Responsibilities

Prospective Buyers will think about the abilities and duties of the workers when figuring out the worth of the Company. If business is based around the owner’s abilities and the owner has all of the relationships with the consumers, this will be a greater considerable threat aspect when the owner moves-on, and normally, the owner will be required to remain on with the organization for a more prolonged shift duration.

A plus is if there is a strong second-in-command. This management structure under an owner where workers report to the department supervisors rather than everybody reporting to the owner. If there are salesmen that deal with client relations and other necessary functions in the Company, this is likewise a plus.

Business Reputation

What if your reputation isn’t that great in the marketplace? It doesn’t mean that the Company can’t be sold, but it may mean that the Company will sell for a lower valuation. For example, if online reviews of the Company are outstanding, this will be a plus and put buyers more at ease as opposed to if reviews were terrible.

Agreements or Contracts

As previously mentioned, beneficial long-lasting agreements or contracts with clients (and workers) is a plus. The length of the contracts will likewise be an element to consider. If there is a brief contract, if a brand-new business buyer can get a beneficial long-lasting agreement put in place, this would alleviate the brief (or expiring) contract if the area is vital to business. Business buyers will look at any contracts with clients that may be favorable or unfavorable as the term of the contract are set to expire. In some cases, the buyer may have to buy the corporate stock to ensure the transferability of the contracts.

Full Disclosure of Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE)

If the monetary info and other details on the business are plainly set out and easy to understand, this is handy. It works to plainly determine what the owner’s wage, benefits, and advantages are so the purchasers can get a genuine understanding of what the owner is making.

In discussion with the buyer, it helps to be open and honest about the business to give potential buyers an understanding of not only the opportunities but any challenges they might face. No company is perfect, so it’s best to be honest in answering any questions.

Alignment

There is no accounting for the alignment between buyer and seller until they meet and get to know one another. A Seller that is easy to get along with and work with makes it easier for potential buyers to pay a premium price for a business.

Dealing with Business Brokers / Mergers & Acquisitions Companies

If you are considering buying or selling a business, it helps to work with an experienced Business Brokerage firm. A good Business Broker / Mergers & Acquisitions firm can help both buyer and seller to work out a price that makes sense for both parties. CAUTION – Keep in mind that typically the Broker solely works for the seller of the business. Therefore, it might be beneficial to coordinate with a buy-side Broker or M&A firm to represent the interests of the buyer.

Sam Palazzolo

Selling Your Business to Tip of the Spear Ventures

If you are thinking about selling your organization and your organization fits within our Acquisition Criteria (“”), then we should talk. Contact us at Selections@TipoftheSpearVentures.com.

The Family Office – What is It and How Can They Fund Your Capital Raise?

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Many entrepreneurs, be they existing businesses or startups have never heard of a “Family Office.” However, the Family Office is a type of funding source that should not be overlooked when searching for funding or capital raise. In this article, we’ll explore the Family Office – What it is and how they can fund your capital raise… Enjoy!

Looking for Funding / Capital Raise

Whether you’re an existing organization, or especially if you’re an entrepreneurial startup you’ll sooner or later look to conduct a capital raise to fund your business. But where will you look to raise capital? In a “no stone left unturned” approach, one alternative for funding a Small Business that’s frequently ignored is the Family Office. Household Offices run as personal business that handle financial investments and trusts for a high-net-worth household or group of households. They’re usually extremely personal and misconstrued, however if you open the tricks to how Family Offices purchase brand-new endeavors and the requirements they try to find, it could be the secret to funding your organization.

What a Family Office Is

Family Offices are an especially crucial source of capital for small-to-medium-sized companies. According to the Family Office Club, there are presently more than 3,000 household workplaces in the U.S., and these Offices, which normally have a minimum of $100 Million in properties, frequently take a look at alternative financial investment chances– which could be your start-up.

While Family Offices can be evasive and extremely selective, recommendations, relied on networks or entrepreneurship conferences might supply entry. The business looking for financing needs to likewise line up with the Family Office’s Investment Criteria and Philosophy. Numerous have a predisposition to buy business straight or indirectly related to the core organization on which their success is developed.

Positioning of Interests

Eventually, any brand-new financier is banking on both business Plan and the Founder/CEO. On the other hand, the Founder/CEO requires to discover and determine a brand-new financial investment partner who has a long-lasting view and the time and interest to assist move business forward.
If you’re being presented to a Family Office by a monetary company, there can be costs connected with the deal. All financiers will wish to comprehend the exit technique of the financial investment and plainly articulate that it’s crucial.

If a Family Office picks to purchase your service, you might discover that Family Offices:

  • Provide extraordinary connections
  • Are able to benefit from a circumstance where markets might stop to work in a routine way
  • Are more lenient/understanding than Institutional Investors or Private Equity
  • Appreciate just how much work needs to go into beginning an effective business
  • Serve as coaches

When John Doe * (* Fictitious name to safeguard the person) went looking for seed financiers for his Biotechnology / Pharmaceutical business in Tampa, Florida, he outreached to us at Tip of the Spear Ventures for support. After structuring his effort, we recognized a regional Family Office to pitch. One casual conference with the Private Investment Firm, which handles the wealth of people and their households, was all it required to land his endeavor a high-figure financial investment early in 2018, together with continuous recommendations, client intros, and part-time office.

Such experiences are uncommon, however they do take place, and more Family Wealth-Management Groups are banking on Private Equity offers. There are some downsides: Family Offices can take longer to “Seal the Deal” than conventional Angel Investors or VCs, and they typically have a lower tolerance for Startup failures. Numerous Family Offices take pleasure in recommending and supporting leaders beyond just cutting a check (Plus, they have containers of Dry Powder to pay out!)

How to Find a Family Office

How do you go about discovering a Family Investment Office to back your organization? Not all Family Offices are so called or named, making them hard to identify by means of Web or LinkedIn search. Get to understand who the person is you’re attempting to connect with. It’s often best to let the financial investment neighborhood understand who you are and what your business does prior to you actively trolling for financing.

When you’ve got some leads on Family Offices, call to ask whether they invest in Early-Stage or existing companies, what business their existing portfolio consists of, and what Industries interest them. The truth is, if you had a list of 100 Family Offices and individual contacts at each of them, just 5 or so would be legally interested in straight investing.

As soon as You Find a Family Office … Then What?

Your e-mail ought to be created to get the Family Office’s attention. Keep these preliminary e-mails light … The concept is to prevent frustrating the Family Office and rather fascinate them enough so they desire a follow-up conference. In other words, reveal regard for the truth that these households continuously get tapped for capital, and they’ll be more most likely to invite you into their Family.

Household Offices run as personal business that handle financial investments and trusts for a high-net-worth household or group of households. They’re generally extremely personal and misconstrued, however if you open the tricks to how Family Offices invest in brand-new endeavors and the requirements they look for, it might be the secret to funding your company (See the article I wrote titled “Effect Of COVID-19 On Raising Capital: How To Secure Funding During a Crisis?“).

One casual conference with the Private Investment Firm, which handles the wealth of people and their households, was all it took to land his organization a seven-figure financial investment early in 2018, along with continuous recommendations, client intros, and a part-time workplace area (Sweet!)

SUMMARY

How do you go about discovering a Family Investment Office to back your service? Our advice – Regard the reality that these households continuously get tapped for capital, and they’ll be more most likely to invite you into their “Family.”

Sam Palazzolo

If you/your organization is looking to raise capital, we should talk. Please contact us at info@tipofthespearventures.com.