Making Connections with Venture Capitalist

I recently read an article for entrepreneurs outlining all of the different venture capitalists in the US. The list contained a list for early seed investors as well as mezzanine rounds. After making some calls and making connections, I found out some valuable information.

What I did not know is that VC's have certain times in the year for investing. Some invest in the beginning of the year others invest based on their fiscal year. Bottom line, knowing the time of the year that VC's invest money can save a lot of time and help you coordinate launch times, presentations, and sales pitches.

Over the next couple of posts, I am going to include more information about making connections with VC's. Stay tuned for more information.

NaShawn

Balance Scorecard for AT&T

It has been quite a while since I blogged but I have been very busy with my classes. In my financial management class, I had to develop a balanced scorecard. The balance scorecard developed by Harvard researchers Drs. Robert Kaplan (Harvard Business School) and David Norton. According to the Balance Scorecard Institute, “The balance scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. In this case, I used the status of the wireless battle over the iPhone between Verizon and AT&T to map out a strategy to beat the competition.

Here is a link to the final project: http://www.box.net/shared/go5bt9eqll

FCC RELEASES NEW LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPETITION DATA. Third Collection to Comprehensively Include Interconnected VoIP

New competition telecom data

View more documents from NaShawn Branch.

The Real Reason Clients Need a Business Plan‏

Sales of 3DTV sets are off to a slow start

Less than 10% of the people who have heard about 3D television sets expressed interest in buying one, according to a Leichtman Research Group survey that found 80% of respondents were familiar with the technology. "With modest consumer demand for 3D-capable TVs, the potential growth of 3DTV will rely on a continued push of 3DTV by manufacturers and retailers, as well as the fact that about one-fifth of all U.S. households purchase a new TV each year," said analyst Bruce Leichtman.Click here to see the full article at Home Media Magazine

HOW TO RECEIVE A BROADCAST TV STATION IF IT IS DROPPED FROM YOUR PAY TV SERVICE.

Cable operators and other pay TV service providers, such as satellite operators, carry local television broadcast stations based on contracts with the stations. When these contracts end, the parties generally extend or renew these contracts. The process by which the contracts are negotiated is known as “retransmission consent.” In almost all cases, agreement is reached and stations continue to be carried without interruption. On some occasions, the pay TV service provider and the station fail to reach an agreement, and the pay TV service provider is required by law to stop carrying that station until an agreement is reached. These are private agreements, though federal law requires the parties to negotiate with each other in good faith.

What can I do if a local broadcast television station is no longer available on my pay TV service?(Click here) for the answer to this important question from the FCC.

Happy Holidays

Smart Phone vs. Black Berry for Small Business

There used to be a time when the Blackberry was the phone of choice for corporations. In fact, Blackberry has 43% of the “corporate” market share. Recently, new Smartphones are gaining market share in the small to medium business arena. New business applications make the smart phone a cool alternative.

According to CNET, the best five smart phones fall into two categories: Android and iPhones. The top five smart phones are the Samsung EPIC 4 (SPRINT), Apple iPhone 4 (AT&T), Motorola Droid (Verizon), T-Mobile G2, and Samsung S (click here for article)

Android has over 80,000 apps and according to Small Business News, the top Android app that small businesses should be paying attention to is Layar. (Click here for the full listing)

iPhone boasts over 300,000 apps and according to American Express Open Forum, the top business app is Quick Office Mobile Office Suite. (Click here for full list)

Blackberry released a new Smartphone called the Blackberry Torch. Its touch screen features give a wink and nod to both iPhone and Android users. Although the Blackberry does not have as many apps as the Android and iPhone, it does possess a good catalog of apps appealing not only to the business world, but also for personal fun. It is also plans to compete with the iPad with its new tablet called, “Blackberry Playbook”

Do you think that smart phones can compete with the blackberry in the small business marketplace?

Keep Achieving,
NaShawn

How to Hire a Management Consultant

NaShawn Branch: telecommunications Management Consultant Brochure