by J. Chris Leach, Ronald W. Melicher, Chapters 1 - 16,
Complete With CAPSTONE CASES
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 1: THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ENVIRONMENT.
1. Introduction to
Finance for Entrepreneurs.
2. Developing the Business Idea.
Part 2: ORGANIZING AND OPERATING THE VENTURE.
3. Organizing and Financing a New Venture.
4. Preparing and Using Financial Statements.
5. Evaluating Operating and Financial Performance.
Part 3: PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.
6. Managing Cash Flow.
7. Types and Costs of Financial Capital.
8. Securities Law Considerations When Obtaining Venture Financing.
Part 4: CREATING AND RECOGNIZING VENTURE VALUE.
9. Projecting Financial Statements.
10. Valuing Early-Stage Ventures.
11. Venture Capital Valuation Methods.
Part 5: STRUCTURING FINANCING FOR THE GROWING VENTURE.
12. Professional Venture Capital.
13. Other Financing Alternatives.
14. Security Structures and Determining Enterprise Values.
Part 6: EXIT AND TURNAROUND STRATEGIES.
15. Harvesting the Business Venture Investment.
16. Financially Troubled Ventures: Turnaround Opportunities?
Part 7: CAPSTONE CASES.
Case 1. Eco-Products, Inc.
Case 2. Spatial Technology,
,Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO FINANCE FOR ENTREPRENEURS
FOCUS
The purpose of this first chapter is to present an overview of what entrepreneurial finance is about. In doing
so we hope to convey to you the importance of understanding and applying entrepreneurial finance
methods and tools to help ensure an entrepreneurial venture is successful.We present a life cycle approach
to the teaching of entrepreneurial finance where we cover venture operating and financial decisions faced
by the entrepreneur as a venture progresses from an idea through to harvesting the venture.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LO 1.1: Characterize the entrepreneurial process.
LO 1.2: Describe entrepreneurship and some characteristics of entrepreneurs.
LO 1.3: Indicate several megatrends providing waves of entrepreneurial opportunities. LO 1.4:
List and describe the seven principles of entrepreneurial finance.
LO 1.5: Discuss entrepreneurial finance and the role of the financial manager. LO 1.6:
Describe the various stages of a successful venture‘s life cycle.
LO 1.7: Identify, by life cycle stage, the relevant types of financing and investors.LO 1.8:
Understand the life cycle approach used in this book.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1.1 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL PROCESS
1.2 ENTREPRENEURSHIP FUNDAMENTALS
A. Who is an Entrepreneur?
B. Basic Definitions
C. Entrepreneurial Traits or Characteristics
D. Opportunities Exist But Not Without Risks
1.3 SOURCES OF ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES
A. Societal Changes
B. Demographic Changes
C. Technological Changes
D. Emerging Economies and Global Changes
E. Crises and ―Bubbles‖
F. Disruptive Innovation
1
,1.4 PRINCIPLES OF ENTREPRENEURIAL FINANCE
A. Real, Human, and Financial Capital must be Rented from Owners (Principle #1)
B. Risk and Expected Reward go Hand in Hand (Principle #2)
C. While Accounting is the Language of Business, Cash is the Currency (Principle #3)
D. New Venture Financing Involves Search, Negotiation, and Privacy (Principle #4)
E. A Venture‘s Financial Objective is to Increase Value (Principle #5)
F. It is Dangerous to Assume that People Act Against Their Own Self-Interests
(Principle #6)
G. Venture Character and Reputation can be Assets or Liabilities (Principle #7)
1.5 ROLE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL FINANCE
1.6 THE SUCCESSFUL VENTURE LIFE CYCLE
A. Development Stage
B. Startup Stage
C. Survival Stage
D. Rapid-Growth Stage
E. Early-Maturity Stage
F. Life Cycle Stages and the Entrepreneurial Process
1.7 FINANCING THROUGH THE VENTURE LIFE CYCLE
A. Seed Financing
B. Startup Financing
C. First-Round Financing
D. Second-Round Financing
E. Mezzanine Financing
F. Liquidity-Stage Financing
G. Seasoned Financing
1.8 LIFE CYCLE APPROACH FOR TEACHING ENTREPRENEURIAL FINANCE
SUMMARY
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. What is the entrepreneurial process?
The entrepreneurial process comprises: developing opportunities, gathering resources, and
managing and building operations with the goal of creating value.
2. What is entrepreneurship? What are some basic characteristics of entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is the process of changing ideas into commercial opportunities and creatingvalue.
While there is no prototypical entrepreneur, many are good at recognizing commercial opportunities,
tend to be optimistic, and envision a plan for the future.
3. Why do businesses close or cease operating? What are the primary reasons why businessesfail?
, Nearly one-half of businesses that fail do so because of economic factors including inadequate sales,
insufficient profits, and industry weakness. Many of the economic factors are directly tied to financing
concerns (e.g., insufficient profits for investors). Almost 40 percent of business failures not citing
economic factors cite specifically financial causes likeexcessive debt and insufficient financial capital.
The remaining cited reasons for failure include a lack of business and managerial experience, business
conflicts, family problems, fraud, and disasters. Many businesses close and fail due to financial trouble
which is mostlyrelated to lack of sales and unsatisfactory profits.
4. What are five megatrend sources or categories for finding entrepreneurial opportunities?
We identify five megatrend categories. They are: (1) societal changes, (2) demographic changes,
(3) technological changes, (4) emerging economies and global changes, and (5)crises and bubbles.
Under societal changes we discuss the gig economy and the sharing economy. The gig economy is
where individuals accept short-term job assignments or ―gigs‖ instead of having full-time employment.
The sharing economy is where individuals share their assets, such ashomes, vehicles, and personal
time, with others to provide a new way for distributing goods and services.
5. What asset and financial bubbles have occurred recently? How can bubbles and financialcrises lead to
entrepreneurial opportunities?
The ―dot.com‖ or Internet bubble burst in 2000. An economic recession that began in 2001 was
exacerbated by the 9/11 terrorist attack. The housing asset bubble, fueled by sub-primemortgages
offered to borrowers who could not afford them, burst in 2006. By the second half of 2008, a ―perfect
financial storm‖ erupted and possible financial collapse became a reality.
Alternative and renewable energy, accompanied by project credit subsidies, production and
investment tax credits, and loan guarantees benefited as a result of the recent financial crisis.These
developments and other efforts to stimulate economic activity provided many new entrepreneurial
opportunities.
6. What is e-commerce? Why are the Internet economy and e-commerce here to stay?
E-commerce involves the use of electronic means to conduct business online. Activities include
marketing and selling online and electronic retailing.
The internet economy and e-commerce are here to stay. We will never do business the sameway we
did before the Internet and the Web. Many business plans were funded with the belief that part of the
benefit could be captured by sellers (producers and retailers).
However, we now know that the Web so effectively facilitates price competition that it is hard for
suppliers and retailers to protect margins. E-commerce may not deliver the marginsonce conjectured,
but the Internet is still one of the most radical innovations in our lifetime.
,7. What is meant by disruptive innovation? What is the ―sharing economy‖ societal trend?
An innovation involves the introduction of a new idea, product, or process. A disruptive
innovation is an innovation that creates a new market or network that disrupts and displacesan
existing market or network.
8. Identify the seven principles of entrepreneurial finance.
The seven principles are:
(1) Real, human, and financial capital must be rented from owners
(2) Risk and expected reward go hand in hand
(3) While accounting is the language of business, cash is the currency
(4) New venture financing involves search, negotiation, and privacy
(5) A venture‘s financial objective is to increase value
(6) It is dangerous to assume that people act against their own self-interests
(7) Venture character and reputation can be assets or liabilities
9. Explain the statement: ―The time value of money is not the only cost involved in rentingsomeone’s financial
capital.‖
The total cost of renting someone‘s financial capital is typically significantly higher than just the time
value of money due to the possibility that the venture won‘t be able to pay. The rentis risky or
uncertain requiring an expected compensation in addition to the time value of money for the renting
agreement to be put in place.
10. How do public and private financial markets differ?
Public financial markets are markets where standardized contracts or securities are tradedon
organized securities exchanges. Private financial markets are markets where customized
contracts or securities are negotiated, created, and held with restrictions on howthey can be
transferred.
11. What is the financial goal of the entrepreneurial venture? What are the major componentsfor estimating value?
The venture‘s financial goal is to maximize the value of the venture to its owner(s). The major
components of estimating value are projected free cash flow (cash generated in a specified time
period that exceeds funds needed to operate, pay creditors, and invest in the assets needed to grow
the venture) and its risk (including the timing and realized amount).
12. From an agency relationship standpoint, describe the possible types of problems or conflictsof interest that could
inhibit maximizing a venture’s value.
There are two basic types of conflicts. Owner-manager (agency) conflicts occur when there are differences
between managers‘ self-interests and the interests of the owners who hired the
, managers. There is also the possibility of owner-debtholder conflicts that take the form of adivergence of
the owners‘ and lenders‘ self-interests as the venture gets close to bankruptcy.
Agency relationships arise when ―principals‖ hire ―agents‖ to perform specified activities or services.
Businesses are involved in two primary agency relationships: (1) owner-manager conflicts, and (2)
manager-debtholder conflicts. The owner-manager agency problem exists when managers have
personal goals that compete with maximizing the value of the venture. The manager-debtholder
conflict exists when debtholders make loans to firms but give responsibility to managers for deciding
on the firm‘s risk of failure or bankruptcy. When loans are initially made, interest rates reflect the
then current riskiness of the firm.
Subsequently, managers may, on behalf of the owners, make the firm riskier for the benefitof owners
at the expense of debtholders.
13. Briefly discuss the likely importance of an entrepreneur’s character and reputation on thesuccess of a venture.
What role does social responsibility plan in the operation of an entrepreneurial venture?
A survey of successful entrepreneurs by Timmons and Stevenson indicated that a majority felt that
having high ethical standards was the most important factor in the long-term successof their ventures.
For discussion, see Timmons and Spinelli, New Venture Creation, 8th ed., 2009, Ch. 10. Taking the time
and money to invest in the venture‘s character will help ensurethat it is an asset rather than a liability.
Many entrepreneurial ventures provide great societal benefit through their introduction of new
products and services. They also foster competition in existing markets providing moreeconomically
attractive prices for existing products and services. In many cases an entrepreneurial venture‘s social
contribution is reflected in its commercial success. The twoneed not be mutually exclusive.
14. What is entrepreneurial finance and what are the responsibilities of the financial manager ofan entrepreneurial
venture?
Entrepreneurial finance is the application and adaptation of financial tools and techniques to the
planning, funding, operations, and valuation of an entrepreneurial venture. The practiceof financial
management in entrepreneurial finance involves record keeping, financial planning, the management
of operations and assets, and the acquiring of new assets and the financing of those assets necessary to
grow the venture over its lifetime.
15. What are the five stages in the life-cycle of a successful venture?
They are: (1) Development Stage, (2) Startup Stage, (3) Survival Stage, (4) Rapid-GrowthStage,
and (5) Early-Maturity Stage.
16. New ventures are subject to periodic introspection on whether they should continue or abandon. Explain the types
of information you would expect to gather and how it would beused in each stage to aid an entrepreneur’s
approach to the venture’s future.