Finance Secrets Of Billion Dollar Entrepreneurs Venture Finance Without Venture Capital

Take Control of Your Startup―and Watch it Grow “This book delivers clear thinking for entrepreneurs who want to control their own destiny and grow their business without the need for venture capital.” -Joel Cannon, co-founder and president of Cannon Technologies An analysis of success. Award-winning professor of entrepreneurship Dileep Rao presents readers with a detailed guide to success through his interviews and analysis of billion-dollar entrepreneurs (those who built a venture from startup to more than $1 billion in sales and valuation) and 100 million-dollar entrepreneurs (startup to $100 million). Build your business without venture capital (VC) funding. Rao is here to show entrepreneurs that it is possible to start a business without outside help. He shares how more than 90 percent of America’s billion-dollar entrepreneurs in the VC era (since 1946) avoided or delayed VC, and instead used finance-smart expertise―skills that combine business-smart, capital-smart, and leadership-smart strategies. The right mix of internal and external financing. It takes more than one person to grow a business from the bottom up. But that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice control of the venture in the process. Armed with 23 years of experience as a financer, Rao shows readers how to optimize internal financing so as to attract external financing. By keeping control of the venture, entrepreneurs keep more of the wealth, as well. In Finance Secrets of Billion-Dollar Entrepreneurs learn about: • Pre-financing, financing and post-financing skills and strategies of finance-smart entrepreneurs • The ins and outs of venture finance, applicable to anyone looking to start a business • Tips on increasing capital productivity and attaining financially sustainable entrepreneurship If you’ve enjoyed entrepreneurship-focused titles like The Lean Startup, The $100 Startup, or Venture Deals, then Rao’s Finance Secrets of Billion-Dollar Entrepreneurs is the next book for you.

Is it possible for entrepreneurs to succeed at growing ventures without early-stage venture capital? Based on the fact that more than 9 out of 10 of America’s billion-dollar entrepreneurs did take off without early-stage VC, Dileep Rao says YES! In Nothing Ventured, Everything Gained, Dileep Rao shatters the dominant myth that entrepreneurs need early-stage venture capital to build a giant business. In fact, says Rao, by avoiding or even delaying VC, billion-dollar entrepreneurs can control their companies and the wealth created by them—and retain more of that wealth. The book is based on 30 of Rao’s interviews with billion-dollar entrepreneurs (BDEs) and hundred-million-dollar entrepreneurs (HMDEs) and the analysis of the strategies of 85 BDEs. The author introduces the finance-smart skills, opportunity secrets, and strategy secrets of BDEs who took off without VC, and proves his points via stories of successful giants like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs. Every entrepreneur will do well to read and benefit from Rao’s invaluable insights and expertise. ​Dileep Rao, PhD, financed the growth of hundreds of businesses and real estate projects over the twenty-three years he was VP of financing and business development at a venture development and finance institution. He advises entrepreneurs, governments, Fortune 1000 corporations, and financial institutions on building big businesses with finance-smart strategies. Dr. Rao is a clinical professor of entrepreneurship at Florida International University and has taught at Stanford University, the University of Minnesota, and in executive MBA programs in Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Take Control of Your Business—and Watch it Grow How can entrepreneurs learn from those that came before, so they can better craft their own approach to success? Award-winning professor of entrepreneurship, Dileep Rao, presents readers with a detailed guide to success through his interviews and analysis of billionaire and millionaire entrepreneurs. While starting a business without outside help seems difficult—even impossible—Rao shows you that it can be done. And the right type of funding could even lead to a more successful business. Rao shares how more than 90 percent of America’s billion-dollar entrepreneurs avoided or delayed venture capital, and instead used smart strategies on business, capital, and leadership. It takes more than one person to grow a business from the bottom up. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice control in the process. Armed with twenty-three years of experience as a financier, Rao shows readers how to optimize internal financing to attract external financing, to keep control of the venture—and more of the wealth.

From nineteenth-century whaling to a multitude of firms pursuing entrepreneurial finance today, venture finance reflects a deep-seated tradition in the deployment of risk capital in the United States. Tom Nicholas’s history of the venture capital industry offers a roller coaster ride through America’s ongoing pursuit of financial gain.

This book is for entrepreneurs who want to realize their vision, want to build a major enterprise, want to change the world. To win, you need two things: cash and speed. You need to get the money and then run like crazy. To get the money, you may want to raise it from venture capital (VC) firms. But the reality is far fewer than 1 in 100 companies approaching VCs ever get to ""take the money."" So, the first section of this book provides a behind-the-scenes look at how VC firms work, and more importantly how they think. You'll get first-hand insight into what you can do to improve your chances and what to avoid that can doom your hopes. The second section of the book will help you ""run."" It covers almost every segment of start-up operations, from product development to financing to staffing to sales and marketing. Gerry Langeler's 30 years as a successful venture capitalist and entrepreneur who raised money from top VC firms, provides the secrets to help you achieve your dreams.

The entrepreneur's step-bystep guide to venture capital--where to find it, how to secure it, and what to do with it Fewer than 40 percent of entrepreneurs seeking new business funding each year actually get that funding. How to Raise Capitalimproves those odds, providing prospective as well as current business owners with the knowledge they need to prepare an effectiveloan proposal, locate a suitable investor, negotiate and close the deal, and more. The all-star team of entrepreneurial experts behind How to Raise Capital gives readers top-level educational theory with hands-on, real-world knowledge. This thorough examinationof the inner workings of the venture capital industry explores: Resources available to entrepreneurs, from SBA loans to angel investors Proven strategies for identifying and approaching equity sources Characteristics of a "superdeal"--from the investor's perspective

Venture capital demystified, for both investors and entrepreneurs Building Wealth Through Venture Capital is a practical how-to guide for both sides of the table—investors and the entrepreneurs they fund. This expert author duo combines renowned venture capital experience along with the perspective of a traditional corporate executive and investor sold on this asset class more recently to flesh out wealth-building opportunities for both investors and entrepreneurs. Very simply, this book will guide investors in learning how to succeed at making money in venture capital investment, and it will help entrepreneurs increase their odds of success at attracting venture capital funds and then employing those funds toward a lucrative conclusion. The authors explain why venture capital will remain the asset class best-positioned to capitalize on technological innovation in the coming years. They go on to demystify the market for those seeking guidance on reaping its rich returns. Learn what it takes to succeed as an investor or entrepreneur, and gain the wisdom of experience as the authors explain key factors that determine outcomes. Through a relaxed, down-to-earth narrative, the authors share their own experiences as well as those of their nationally-recognized colleagues. Illustrative anecdotes and personal interviews expand upon important points, and case studies demonstrate the practical effect of critical concepts and actions. World-class professional expertise and personal experience come together to help you: Understand the nature of both venture capitalists and successful entrepreneurs Develop wealth-building capabilities in investing in or attracting venture capital Learn how entrepreneurs and investors can work together toward a lucrative conclusion Examine the ways in which recent financial regulatory developments and technological advances already in place are democratizing access to venture capital, enabling unprecedented expansion of venture capital opportunities As the field expands through these regulatory and technological developments, savvy participants will have unprecedented opportunity to benefit. Building Wealth Through Venture Capital explains what you need to know, and shows you how to navigate this arcane but lucrative asset class.