Sramana Mitra

Primary Goal: Inspiration & Demystification

It can be done, you can do it, but it will take a lot of work and careful, diligent crafting; you can’t wing it

Luck is not a repeatable event; I can’t teach you how to be lucky, but I can teach you how to craft your business if you are willing to put in the work

Most first time entrepreneurs do not have the seasoning to raise external financing

If they do raise money, they give away a lot of equity early on

Most ideas are too small for the VC model

The EJ methodology is based on the assumption that it is better to bootstrap the early stage of a venture, and raise money only when you have a validated business, if at all

Validating the business idea is key; EJ2 deals extensively with the methodology of validation and the dynamics of fund raising

Come to the roundtables AFTER doing some validation of your idea using the methodology in EJ2

Positioning & Go to market strategy are key to business success

Use the appendix of this book to do your home work and ask the right questions to litmus test your idea

Do not spray and prayCome to the

roundtables AFTER doing this homework

Worth Building, thoughEspecially if you own 100%

To own 100% of a business, you cannot raise money

5% owner of $25m company sold for $100m

$22.5m

$5m

Web 3.0 – the entire Taking On Giants section [EJ1]Finisar: Bootstrapping To Billions [EJ1] - $5b market

cap in 2001; bootstrapping using servicesRightNow: The Montana Mogul [EJ2] - $500m market

cap in 2009; great lesson on idea validationPayCycle: SaaSing Back At Athe Economy [EJ3] –

acquired by Intuit for $170m; segmentation and TAM analysis

The Find: Web 3.0 – Under Construction [EJ3] – segmentation

Appendix of EJ3 – Clarify your story - http://www.sramanamitra.com/clarify-your-story-excerpt/

All Books on Amazon, Kindle, SmashwordsEntrepreneur Journeys (Volume One)Bootstrapping, Weapon of Mass Reconstruction

(EJ2)Positioning, How To Test, Validate, And Bring

Your Idea To Market (EJ3)

Also, free online strategy roundtables for entrepreneursPlease do you homework before coming to pitch at these