How To

Accessing the Right Capital at the Right Time to Grow Your Business

One of the first questions that entrepreneurs ask when they decide to launch a business is: where am I going to find the money to do this?   Sparkyard has the answer for you. Meet the Capital Growth Circuit. We developed this tool to help entrepreneurs answer this question no matter what stage their company is. Whether it’s an idea on the back of a napkin or an established company generating revenue, there are always sources of capital to help you get to the next level.   The structure may look familiar to people who are acquainted with our original Growth Circuit that charts...

5 Things You Should Look for in a Cofounder

Starting a company is hard. For most people, starting a company is probably the hardest thing they will do in their entire lives. And, as much as we think about Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg starting the companies that made them into billionaires, they had cofounders and founding teams around them  every step of the way.   There is a common myth of the “solopreneurs” but in reality, most companies start with more than one founder. And yet, according to research cited in Noam Wasserman’s The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink A Startup, 60-65...

Life Lessons from Pitching

As my life has morphed over the past ten years (from uber-domesticated mom to career woman for starters), I've discovered a passion for pitching, coaching and judging competitions. Over the COVID-19 shutdown, the things I missed most were:  random hugs  my cousins  pitch competitions  As we have re-emerged into an event-friendly world and pitch competitions are back in action, I've realized that many of the things that make pitches great are also pretty useful life skills. So, here's my take on ways you can elevate your business pitch to the next level—and also just be better at life.   Are you surrounded by seasoned investors, potential...

Women and Mentorship

Mentoring is widely considered critical to career advancement as well as success as an entrepreneur. This is even more true for female business owners and professionals. Mentoring is a key element that when utilized more frequently, we would advance more women in the workplace and help more women take their businesses to the next level.   There are stereotypes about women competing and rivaling each other as professionals. However, according to the  Women as Mentors: Does She or Doesn’t She?, A Global Study of Businesswomen and Mentoring, the number one reason cited for why women mentor is because they want to be...

4 Most Asked Entrepreneur Questions

Launching and growing a business is one of the most difficult things a person can do. Every entrepreneur needs help at some stage and many of the questions they ask revolve around similar topics. Here we provide four of the most asked questions and responses that will help save you time and headaches.

Top 3 Startup Founder Resources

At every stage of your entrepreneurial journey you will need support. One of the hardest lessons I, as a founder, have learned is to accept guidance and support. Learning that lesson has taught me to not only accept the support, but to seek it. I encourage you to seek the support you need to strengthen your skill set, define your goals and to create meaningful growth for your business. As you go looking for resources to support your startup there are a million different options, let’s take a little time to sort through the different types of resources available so...

5 Reasons Your Business Needs a Podcast

Podcasts are a booming medium right now. According to Edison Research and Triton Digital’s Infinite Dial 2021 study, 80 million Americans ages 12 and older listen to at least one podcast a week, with the average listener enjoying five shows in that time.   The number of podcasts grew to 2 million in 2021 (Winn, 2021) and advertisers are expected to spend over $1 billion on podcast campaigns this year alone (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2020). Here are five reasons your business should ride this wave and consider starting its own podcast:  Podcasting is a functional medium. They can be listened to while doing other activities, like driving or house chores. This means your busy audience can take in...

10 Ways Sparkyard Can Help Your Business

Sparkyard, you have heard of it, but do you know the man behind it? Meet Marco Johnson, the “Entrepreneurial Cat Herder” and main Spark Plan builder at Sparkyard. What you may not know is Marco has vast experience in entrepreneurship and economics. I sat down with Marco and wanted to share our conversation so you can learn more about the Spark-Man himself. My first career was in international development where I lived in 8 countries over 15 years and worked in a variety of sectors, including humanitarian work with refugees, microfinance, private equity investment, agricultural development, and impact investing. While I lived overseas, I was a...