|
|
|
COLLEGE ROOMMATES 101
"Don't expect to be best friends with your roommate, just settle for not killing each other..." "You would not believe how weird my roommate is..." "My roommate from hell did it again..." Yes, I heard all the roommate stories before I started...
Do You Need A College Loan?
If you or a member of your family is planning to go to college, you probably should consider taking a college loan. There are several ways to put together financing for college and there are also several financial sources you can combine when you...
Getting The Best Online College Education
There has always been a lot of debate as to whether an online college education is as good as a traditional college education. The answer to this is quite simple; there are good institutions that offer an online college education and there are bad...
How to Get Free Money to Save for Your Child's College Education
Did you know that a college educated person will earn 2.5 times
more over a lifetime than someone without a post secondary
education? College educated people are more likely to keep their
jobs when times are tough and are more likely to be...
Looking for College Grants?
Grants are a type of student aid that is awarded by the government. Grants for college students do not have to be repaid.
Grants are based upon financial need, as calculated by the federal aid program. The first step in applying for government...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Business Planning for College Students and First-Time Entrepreneurs
More and more students, both in undergraduate and graduate institutions, are deciding to launch their own ventures upon graduation rather than taking the traditional route of working for another firm. Likewise, more and more individuals are leaving their jobs to fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams.
While these ventures may ultimately be very successful (e.g., Google and Microsoft were both launched by students), they face certain challenges in their business plans and capital raising processes. The foremost challenge is overcoming the lack of experience of the management team. A classis chicken-and-egg problem presents itself – the management team has no past company successes to point to, and can’t prove itself unless given the opportunity to launch the business. While this problem is nearly always the case for graduating students, it also presents itself to many entrepreneurs, particularly those who are launching their first ventures.
To overcome this challenge, these ventures must represent themselves as having a great team by attracting a stellar management team and/or advisors. By attracting a quality management team, even if the team will not start until after financing, it gives investors that confidence that the plan will be properly executed. It also proves that the entrepreneurs have the ability to “sell” others on their vision. The management team need not be complete before seeking capital, since additional members will most likely be added after capital is raised. For instance, shortly after Google raised capital from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Omid Kordestani left Netscape to accept a position as vice president of business development and sales, and Urs Hölzle was hired away from UC Santa Barbara as vice president of engineering.
Attracting high-quality advisors builds great credibility since if respected individuals are willing to risk their reputations by taking an advisory position, the venture must have some merit. Advisors can also help with the execution of the business
and sometimes will also provide the needed capital. In Google’s case, when no major portal was interested in partnering with or funding the company, Larry Page and Sergey Brin were able to convince Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems, to become an advisor and investor. Bechtolsheim contributed the initial $100,000 to the company.
Even if the venture is able to attract quality management teams and advisors, it will always be at a disadvantage versus other ventures headed by entrepreneurs who have “been there, done that” successfully in the past. To compensate for this, these ventures must really know their customers, know their market and know their competition. By possessing an in depth knowledge of the external factors that will effect the company’s success, the entrepreneurs can both create a solid business strategy and convince investors that an opportunity really exists. If the opportunity truly exists, then investors know that even if the venture is initially mismanaged, then they can hire additional managers later to put it back on course.
In summary, when students or first time entrepreneurs, begin developing their business strategies and plans, they must compensate for the management deficiencies they possess versus established entrepreneurs. By doing this and showing a comprehensive knowledge of their market, these ventures can level the capital raising playing field. Fortunately, these ventures can point to a long list of other successful companies which were launched by students and/or first time entrepreneurs most notably Google and Microsoft.
About the Author
As President of Growthink, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the premier business plan development firms. Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share. For more information please visit http://www.growthink.com
|
|
|
|
|
| SAT Registration - SAT Scores - College Search - College Admissions |
| Organization representing hundreds of colleges responsible for the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), the Advanced Placement (AP) program, and various equity ... |
| www.collegeboard.com |
|
| CollegeNET - Online College Applications and Free Financial Aid Search |
| Guide to colleges, universities, and graduate programs. Provides information on college admissions, links to academic resources, and online applications. |
| www.collegenet.com |
|
| college times |
| www.nytimes.com/college/ - Similar pages |
|
|
| Dartmouth College |
| Welcome to Dartmouth, a private, four-year liberal arts institution that has been at the forefront of American higher education since 1769. |
| www.dartmouth.edu |
|
| USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2007 |
| Top Liberal Arts Colleges · Comprehensive Colleges · Top Northern · Top Southern · Top Midwestern · Top Western · Engineering Programs ... |
| www.usnews.com |
|
| CollegeView — College Finder & Recruiting Service |
| A free online college search service with extensive profiles of all the accredited colleges and universities in the US, including updated contact ... |
| www.collegeview.com |
|
| Swarthmore College :: Home |
| Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 ... A personal view of the College's program in Argentina's capital from the first student to ... |
| www.swarthmore.edu |
|
| College Humor |
| Everything that's funny on the Internet is right here. Funny pictures, funny videos, and lots of boobies. |
| www.collegehumor.com |
|
| The College of William & Mary | W&M |
| Chartered on February 8, 1693, by King William III and Queen Mary II as the second college in the American colonies. Severed formal ties with Britain in ... |
| www.wm.edu |
|
| Reed College |
| Portland, Oregon liberal arts college noted for rigorous academics and independent study. |
| www.reed.edu |
|
| Yale University |
| Yale University comprises three major academic components: Yale College (the undergraduate program), the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, ... |
| www.yale.edu |
|
| Williams College |
| Official site for this four-year liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. 2000 students choose from 30 majors in 24 departments. |
| www.williams.edu |
|
| Amherst College |
| One of the Five Colleges, this school is consistently ranked one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. |
| www.amherst.edu |
|
| HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE |
| A private liberal arts college in Western Massachusetts. |
| www.hampshire.edu |
|
| Smith College |
| A private liberal arts college for women located in Northampton, Massachusetts. A highly selective institution with an undergraduate enrollment on campus of ... |
| www.smith.edu |
|
| College - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The institutions formerly known as "Teacher-training colleges" now style themselves ... In Portugal the term college (colégio) is mainly used to refer to ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Davidson College |
| An independent liberal arts institution founded by Presbyterians. Contains a calendar of events, history, academic information, alumni and admissions. |
| www.davidson.edu |
|
| Emerson College - Bringing Innovation to Communication and the Arts |
| Emerson College is the nation's only four-year college devoted exclusively to the study of communication and performing arts. |
| www.emerson.edu |
|
| Middlebury College |
| Panthers outdoor official site. Coaching staff, roster, schedule, school records, and past season information. |
| www.middlebury.edu |
|
| The Pomona College Web |
| Private liberal-arts college with a focus on the arts, literature, and languages. A founding member of the Claremont Colleges. |
| www.pomona.edu |
|
|