Funding a Business How Much Money Do I Need to Raise? In our Funding a Business Course, we look at how to assess whether you are ready to raise money for... Funding a Business What Funders Want to Fund We often hear new entrepreneurs say, “I need to raise money so I can quit my job and work full-time... Funding a Business Are You Ready to Raise Money for Your Business? When we interview entrepreneurs for our entrepreneurship education and advising programs, we ask them about their biggest challenge in starting... Business Planning Guide to Getting Started on Your Business’ Financial Forecast Many entrepreneurs struggle to put together the numbers, or financial forecast, for their business. However, understanding your business’ financial outlook... Building Capacity How to Create an Annual Strategic Plan It’s time to start thinking about how you will grow your business in the upcoming year. We’ve discussed the benefits... Building Capacity Start the Year Off by Organizing Your Business Happy New Year! The beginning of the year is a great time to get organized in your business and prepare... Thinking Holistically New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business As a business owner, the beginning of the year is an exciting time. It brings an opportunity to reflect on... Building Capacity Why Your Business Needs an Annual Strategic Plan Running a business is hectic. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day operations, and then find you have... Thinking Holistically Are You Ready to be CEO of Your Startup? We’ve been working on a number of strategies that require us to name a CEO. That got me thinking about... Business Planning Common Business Plan Mistakes to Avoid Writing a business plan is an important part of your entrepreneurial journey. In our experience, it’s also one of the... Thinking Holistically The Hidden Benefits of Asking for Support For many entrepreneurs, the idea of asking for support brings up all sorts of fears and anxieties. We’re worried that... Building Capacity Reduce Your Stress with These Tips for Managing Your Business’ Cash Flow We’ve shared how to analyze your business’ cash flow. Since this is such an important topic for business owners, we... Funding a Business How to Create Your Elevator Pitch If you’re not familiar with the concept of an elevator pitch, it’s an overview of you and your business or... Building Capacity How to Follow Up with Customer Leads You’ve received the name and contact information of someone who could be a potential customer. Now, how do you begin... Thinking Holistically Managing Your Mental Health as a Business Owner Last week, we looked at some warning signs that might indicate that your business might be affecting your mental health.... Thinking Holistically Is Your Business Affecting Your Mental Health? As we’ve written about in the past, starting and growing your own business is an emotional rollercoaster. Navigating those highs... Getting Started What to Do If Your Business Idea Already Exists You had an “a-ha” moment when you came up with an amazing idea for a business. You quickly looked it... Getting Started Why You Should Share Your Business Idea We often see new entrepreneurs hold on tight to their business ideas for fear that someone might steal them. This... Business Planning Is a Business Plan Necessary? It seems that every businessperson has an opinion on whether a small business or startup founder should write a business... Thinking Holistically Embrace Your Vulnerability as an Entrepreneur Some years ago, I told a business partner that I didn’t want to be a CEO. I was terrified of... Thinking Holistically Overcoming Perfectionism in Your Business This week, we’re continuing to look at the ways that entrepreneurs frequently sabotage their businesses, specifically letting perfectionism take over. Perfectionism... Thinking Holistically How to Take Back Your Power in Business In a previous blog post, we looked at the ways that entrepreneurs frequently sabotage their businesses. One of those ways... Thinking Holistically How to Prevent Decision Fatigue in Your Business Last week, we discussed how decision fatigue can show up and affect your business. This week, we’re sharing some tips... Thinking Holistically Fall in Love with Your Business…Again Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I’ve been thinking about love and business. More specifically, falling in love... Getting Started How to Prepare Your Personal Finances for Business Ownership We’ve discussed the importance of preparing yourself financially for business ownership. This week we’re sharing some tips on how to... Thinking Holistically Are You Cut Out to Be an Entrepreneur? We are often asked, “Do you think everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur?” It is a thoughtful question on... Getting Started Is Your Business Idea the Right One? As an entrepreneurial person, you probably have no shortage of business ideas. It’s not difficult to come up with potentially... Getting Started How to Choose an Entrepreneurship Program You recognize that you and your business could benefit from joining an entrepreneurship program. But, there are so many programs... Business Planning Tips for Making Better Business Decisions As a business owner, you are faced with many opportunities and decisions that can affect your business’ strategic direction. It... Business Planning The Right Time to Write Your First Business Plan Writing your first business plan is an important step in starting your business. Your business plan is your roadmap for... Business Planning Tips for Pricing Your Product or Service For many entrepreneurs, setting a price for your product or service can feel intimidating. Your ability to attract customers, generate... Getting Started Is Starting a Business Right for Me? If you’ve ever considered starting your own business, you may have wondered if that’s the right thing for you to... Business Planning What to Pay Myself as a Business Owner? When we look at forecasting business expenses, we always get asked “When is the right time to start paying myself... Thinking Holistically Ways to Say “No” Without Hurting Your Business In our previous blog post about setting boundaries in your business, we started the conversation about why it’s important to... Thinking Holistically How to Prepare Your Business for Your Vacation As a business owner, it’s hard to find the time to take a vacation. Even if you are able to... Thinking Holistically Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster of Starting a Business If you’ve ever taken the leap of starting your own business, you’ve likely experienced an emotional rollercoaster. Your business seems... Building Capacity Responding to a Client that Says You Charge Too Much I was reflecting on a past experience of tabling at an event for entrepreneurs and organizations that serve entrepreneurs in... Thinking Holistically Why Entrepreneurs Need Mentors As a freelancer, small business owner, or startup founder, you may be the only person working on your business. And,... Thinking Holistically Are You Sabotaging Your Business? As entrepreneurs, we start our journeys with great intentions and aspirations. But as we realize how much goes into building... Thinking Holistically Setting Boundaries in Your Business As business owners, we often don’t set boundaries for fear of losing existing clients or not being able to find... Business Planning Can’t I Just Hire Someone to Write My Business Plan? We often hear people ask “Can’t I just hire someone to write my business plan for me?” Writing a business... Getting Started Should I Join an Entrepreneurship Program? This is the year you’re ready to start your own business. And you’re trying to decide whether you should join... Freelancing How to Respond to “Can I Pick Your Brain?” As a freelancer or business owner, you may have been asked on more than one occasion, “Can I pick your... Getting Started Starting a Business? Prepare Yourself Financially You’re looking to start a business. You have a great idea. You are starting to evaluate the feasibility of your... Getting Started The Power of Entrepreneurs Right Now Anyone who has been keeping up with the news knows that we are living in a new era, with a... Business Retention Surviving the First Five Years This year, we turned five! Like it was yesterday, we remember that feeling we had when we unveiled our website... Entrepreneurial Journey From Trunk to Store: Chris McMichael, Threadz Culture + Fashion This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris McMichael, co-founder of Threadz Culture + Fashion. Threadz is an urban... Thinking Holistically Stop Procrastinating and Get Down to Business This week, we’re continuing to look at the ways that entrepreneurs frequently sabotage their businesses. One of those ways is... Entrepreneurial Journey A Modern Lemonade Stand: Vicktor Stevenson, Gourmonade This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vicktor Stevenson, founder of Gourmonade. Gourmonade is a San Francisco-based gourmet lemonade... Entrepreneurial Journey Creating Things for Everyday Use: Geana Sieburger, GDS Cloth Goods This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Geana Sieburger, founder of GDS Cloth Goods. GDS Cloth Goods is an... Entrepreneurial Journey Building Family Teams: Joy Colino, Nannies Plus This week, I had the honor of interviewing Joy Colino, founder of Nannies Plus. Nannies Plus creates authentic and impactful... Building Capacity How to Measure the Success of Your Strategic Plan Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been writing about the benefits of having an annual strategic plan and how... Thinking Holistically A Moment to Say Thank You to Our Community With Thanksgiving this week, I’m taking some time to reflect on my entrepreneurial journey and the many reasons I am... Thinking Holistically Where to Find Business Mentors A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about why entrepreneurs need mentors. From that post, several people contacted me asking... Entrepreneurial Journey Showing Off Oakland by Bike: Rehema Allen, This Is Oakland Bike Tours This week, I had the honor of interviewing Rehema Allen, founder of This Is Oakland Bike Tours. This Is Oakland... Thinking Holistically Fighting Hate Through Business In the wake of Charlottesville, many top business executives have begun to stand up and publicly condemn hate by resigning... Entrepreneurial Journey Supporting Black-Owned Businesses: YaVette Holts of BAOBOB August is Black Business Month. And, this week we had the honor of interviewing YaVette Holts, founder of BAOBOB –... Business Planning Guide to Analyzing Your Business’ Cash Flow When I was an investment banker, I went through extensive training on how to analyze the health of a business’... Entrepreneurial Journey Healing Her Community: Daisy Ozim, Resilient Wellness This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Daisy Ozim, founder of Resilient Wellness, an innovative, cooperatively-owned healthcare system designed... Freelancing Guide to Creating a Self-Employed Budget Being self-employed has its perks, including flexibility in your work schedule and the ability to work with the clients you... Thinking Holistically Manage Energy, Not Time Late last week, I came down with a cold. For me, colds never come at the right time. It’s always... Entrepreneurial Journey Growing from Freelancer to Cooperative: Aaron Joseph, Identafire This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Joseph, freelance web designer and developer. In this interview, Aaron shares... Thinking Holistically Working for Yourself Doesn’t Have to be Lonely You’re working for yourself. You get to work from home. Work with clients you choose. Work on projects you enjoy. ... Entrepreneurial Journey Delivering to Her Community, April Fenall of Piikup This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing April Fenall, founder and CEO of Piikup, delivery services for businesses and... Entrepreneurial Journey Supporting Local Bookstores: Hannah Onstad, H2O Content Strategy & LOAKL This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Hannah Onstad, freelance content strategist at H2O Content Strategy and founder of... Entrepreneurial Journey Creating a Business on Holistic Principles: Nubian Flunder, The Healing Place Apothecary This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nubian Flunder, founder & CEO of The Healing Place Apothecary, an Oakland-based... Entrepreneurial Journey Following Her Passion: Ariana Marbley, Esscents of Flowers This week, I’m excited to roll out a new feature on our blog. Every other week we will tell the... Thinking Holistically Create Relationships, Not Just Transactions Since Valentine’s Day is this week, I’ve been thinking about love, relationships and business. You may ask “What do love...