Services
Imagine knowing you have a formula that is guaranteed to make you a better leader with a more motivated team. You can make that vision a reality.
Marleen McDaniel helps entrepreneurs grow successful startups. As a boutique advisory, strategy and consulting operation, I have the unique advantage that comes from the experience and expertise of starting significant technology businesses. Based on this deep experience, I have some unique methodologies in several areas:
- Strategic Planning
- Growth and Business Development Strategies
- Business Models
- Business Plans
- Capitalization and Venture Strategy
- Leadership Coaching
- High Performance Teamwork
- Advisory Board Services and Transitional Management
- Investor Services
- Public Speaking
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is the formal consideration of an organization's future course. Gaining a common vision with the leadership team can make the difference between a good company and a great one. Vision is the desired or intended future state of an organization or enterprise in its fundamental objective and outcome. The mission is more practical: The fundamental purpose of an organization or an enterprise. Values enrich the culture and experience of the firm due to shared beliefs among the stakeholders. Values drive an organization's culture and priorities.
Growth and Business Development Strategy
As companies move from technology development to product launch, each step presents a completely new set of demands. Additional funding may be needed, key management must be added, customer and partner relationships need to be developed, collaborations established – it can be an overwhelming experience.
Drawing upon decades of real-world entrepreneurial and corporate experience in venture capital, startup operations, investment banking, and strategy consulting, I connect to a network of entrepreneurs, early stage investors, and service providers.
Strategic Partners — It is the rare startup that achieves success all alone. An effective way to ramp up quickly and efficiently is by strategically partnering with established firms that provide financing, credibility, solution components, and marketing assistance.
Marketing Strategy — Customer acquisition begins with marketing. Companies create awareness with public relations and advertising and establish a pipeline of new business prospects that culminate with sales.
- Convert the value proposition into an effective marketing plan
- Identify commercial launch strategies
- Analyze revenue models, including pricing, cost, and unit forecasts
- Methods to expand or "productize" existing product platform
- Position the company in the context of market dynamics
Sales Strategy — Sales strategy can involve some clever tactics to keep costs down while leveraging sales channels. What is the best way to reach your customer? Meanwhile, it is important to develop business the fastest way possible and to keep track of incoming business prospects and convert them into revenue.
Business Models
Financial Forecast Preparation: Develop financial forecasting models reflecting five years of continuous improvement, includes complete P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet statements.
Capital Formation Strategy: Evaluate growth opportunities for the business plan and help develop an appropriate capital formation strategy. Analyze capital needs, evaluate the capital structure, and identify appropriate sources of capital.
Risk Analysis & Management: Every business faces a unique set of risks. Identifying, analyzing, and mitigating those risks can provide peace of mind and a strong competitive advantage.
Business Plans and Presentations
Writing an investor-grade business plan can be challenging and time consuming. Do you need help with creating the whole plan or just the security to know someone has refined and critiqued it before you send it to investors? Guidance might be helpful.
A great business plan can be the foundation of a great company because it shows that you have done the work to achieve your goals. A great business plan is one of the most powerful tools for raising capital. A well-crafted plan can bring your idea to life.
If you have a plan but it isn't attracting the right attention from investors, maybe a business plan makeover is in order. With some additional eyes and experience on the job, you may gain valuable insight on your business, customers, and operations. You may come away with a much better understanding of the investor's perspective, needs and expectations.
Clean, clear presentations are crucial, whether you are seeking capital, partners, customers, or employees. Together, we can design a crisp presentation and I can coach you on how to deliver it in an engaging way.
Capitalization
To plan the business and raise capital from investors or strategic partners, you need to have a solid financial model, executive summaries, and business plan and investor presentation. This activity is huge and can become a distraction for founders who are focused on building their product. Further, some entrepreneurs don't know where to turn to find the right investors ones who are a pleasure to work with and bring invaluable industry contacts and advice.
I speak the language of investors. I know what investors are looking for, and what will take you to the next level. Finding the right investors is not always easy. It takes persistence, time and effort. As with building a business plan and developing a winning pitch, raising capital is a process. Experience in formulating strategies and plans are shared designed to help you raise money and achieve your growth goals.
- Positioning the company
- Financing strategies, given client and investor objectives
- Pitch and presentation coaching, Q&A prep, and initial due diligence
- Investor short list and outreach strategy
- Outreach
- Momentum strategies to accelerate the funding process
Leadership coaching
The focus of business coaching is to develop better executive and organizational performance. A coach acts as a catalyst, guide, advisor, and sounding board. A coach provides a unique, external, supportive view of where you are and where you are going. When you assume leadership you gain power by influence and by your position. Leaders are often the idea people and founders who can be inspiring visionaries, concerned about substance. Managers are more akin to planners who have concerns with execution and process. Both types are necessary to launch a company.
Sometimes founders get confused about the role that they play in a rapidly expanding organization when their "baby" gets off the ground. Sometimes when the company is funded, founders need board meeting guidance and help with ongoing investor communications.
I have gone through numerous experiences with founders and companies and have seen first-hand what can happen. Coaching during these times can produce improved performance, can help the company retain key staff, and bottom line improvement results for the organization. My aim is to see both you and the company succeed, and I work diligently toward that end.
High Performance Teamwork
This is a management working group session that will detail and implement a company communication and execution plan. Major topics are effective communication skills in teamwork; setting goals that teams buy into; establishing trust, commitment, and accountability; thus achieving consistent high performance.
Advisory Boards or Transitional Management
I have upon occasion, while coaching or developing a business plan, stepped into an interim management role. I have assisted in turning around functions that have become dysfunctional. These relationships are typically structured around specific business goals, and run for three months up to a year.
In addition to developing management teams and business plans, I frequently engage in ongoing advisory board, board of directors, or transitional management roles. As an advisor, I can extend the startup's reach through contacts, domain expertise, and entrée to new customers.
Investor Services
I can assist venture capital firms with analyzing potential investmentsor evaluating portfolio company progress. Deep knowledge of the market drivers and players in both the private and public markets, combined with many years of hands-on management experience, enable us to provide insights that may not be obvious, even to the seasoned investor.
- Due diligence assistance
- Competitive analysis
- Market analysis
- Management effectiveness
Public Speaking
Years of public speaking on television, radio and live audiences have yielded excellent communication skills. I have delivered hundreds of speeches and interactive presentations to audiences ranging from a few senior executives to gatherings of over 1000 people. Audiences have ranged from undergraduate students, industry conferences, and workshops for entrepreneurs to forums of Fortune 500 CEO do and board members. Topics have ranged from idea generation, marketing, strategy, and finance, getting ahead, women in business, to role models for entrepreneurs.
