KACHARAGADLA

You have a dream but you need a checklist to achieve it. So you've decided you're ready to take the plunge, quit your job, and get your own company up and running. You have an amazing  ">businessidea  you are ready to launch. You're probably excited and nervous at the same time, which is perfectly understandable. If this is the case, you need to take a step back and remember that you simply can't walk into work tomorrow with your resignation letter. Being impulsive could be a huge mistake so you need to create a list of the advantages and disadvantages you will face when quitting your job. If you decide it's still what you want to do, there are a few things you must put in place before you quit.  To help you get ready before your big day of freedom, I've highlighted 10 things you should do before quitting your job and starting your own company. 1. Do research. Quitting your current job before getting your company off the ground may se

Lending isn’t quite as tight as it was after the recent economic downturn, but it’s still a delicate process. Many small- and medium-sized businesses find it difficult to obtain bank financing because they don't know how to navigate the process. But, if you’re persistent enough, however, raising the necessary capital is still possible. At Blank Label, we were offered over $500,000 in debt financing. To help you secure the financing you need, we’re going to share the four important lessons we learned about getting bank financing. 1. You might not need financing. The most important step in the process is figuring out if you even need financing. Moreover, make sure debt financing is right for you. If you don't have the cash-flow to support interest payments, but anticipate high future growth, equity financing might make more sense for you. At Blank Label, before we raised our debt, we first   raised a $1 million equity   round. Some reasonable things to take out a bank

Starting a new business is no small undertaking. There are many factors to be considered, and it is important to do your research and prepare yourself as much as possible, with some 80 percent of new businesses failing within the first couple of years.  Over the past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to be the founder or co-founder of three companies in three different industries. Along this journey, my teams and I have done a lot of things right -- and a lot of things wrong. Building a business is a daunting task -- from originally creating the idea, then planning and validating that idea to fund raising, staffing and achieving profitability. There are many pitfalls in the journey that could easily completely destroy your business.  Luckily, I have always been an avid reader. From my very first read, Og Mandino’s classic,  The Greatest Salesman In the World , I developed a hunger for learning. I satisfied that hunger by devouring over 1,500 books on business, leadership, st