Plexal’s Post

Well LinkedIn network, I’m still trucking along with Buckits ! 🚀 The past few months have been a crash course in the fintech space, and I’m learning every day what’s truly involved in bringing Buckits to life. The journey has had its share of setbacks, and there’s a creeping feeling of “am I doing this right?” As someone who’s always thrived in academia—where there are grades, a syllabus, and clear guidelines—there’s something incredibly daunting about navigating this startup world without a roadmap. No A+’s or professors here, just trial, error, and plenty of lessons learned. Yet here I am, committed to this idea, whether it grows to 1 million users or simply becomes a tool I love to use myself. I’d love to hear from fellow entrepreneurs: What kept you going when things weren’t going as planned? Was it discipline, commitment, pure stubbornness, or something else that kept you moving forward? And if you could go back to the beginning, what advice would you give your younger entrepreneurial self? #EntrepreneurJourney #FintechStartups #Resilience #LearnAndGrow #KeepGoing #FoundersJourney #BuildingInPublic #Buckits

I got a question last week about the Finance Builders Program. Someone asked if it’s suitable for startups, and my answer is a big YES! ✅ If you’ve been in business for at least two or three months, this is actually the perfect time to dive in. Why? Well, for a few reasons: 👉 You’ve got time on your side. You can start applying these concepts immediately, setting yourself up for success without having to undo years of mistakes. 👉 You can catch issues early. Things like pricing your products right or truly understanding your costs are way easier to get a handle on now, before they turn into bigger problems down the line. 👉 You’ll avoid tough decisions later. I’ve seen it happen too many times… businesses wait years to apply these concepts, only to find they’ve been undercharging or missing key costs, and suddenly they’re forced into making really tough calls. So, if you’re a startup, have been in business for a few months, and already have some numbers and products or services, the Finance Builders Program can really help you build on that solid foundation. Want to know more? Comment LEARN below, and I’ll send you a link with all the details! #visionbeyondadvisory #financeplanning #strategicfinance #businesssuccess #financialvisibility #cashflowmanagement #riskmanagement #taxefficiency #scalingstrategy

Cash flow can never be underestimated in business, yet often is not considered early on. Startup entrepreneurs in Calgary - this session is for you to attend!

🪁💸🫖Join me next week at Intrinsic Innovations talking about Cash Flow Strategy, part of Platform Calgary’s #innovationweek! All those emojis will start to make sense as we evaluate what makes cash really flow for a startup and making sure the finances do measure what matters. Register below! ⬇️👇 #RBCxPowersBOLD #yyctech #innovation #prairiestech #SaaSmetrics #measuringwhatmatters #businessgrowth

🚀 Startup Success: Crafting a Cash Flow Strategy that Works 🚀 Calling all Calgary startup founders, entrepreneurs, and students! Effectively managing your startup’s cash flow can be challenging, but it’s a critical skill to ensure your business thrives and attracts future investment. 💸 Join us for an interactive workshop with Stephanie Horner designed to give early-stage founders the tools they need to understand their cash flow, scale effectively, and position themselves for equity investment. What’s in it for you? ✅ Dive into key assumptions every founder should know. ✅ Discover the primary drivers that impact your cash flow. ✅ Learn to track essential metrics and set your startup up for long-term growth. Plus, this event provides opportunities to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, form new connections, exchange ideas, and build a network of peers to support your entrepreneurial journey. 👫🌐 📅 Date: November 15, 2024, 9:00am – 11:00am 📍 Location: Intrinsic Innovations, #200, 37 Richard Way SW, Calgary, AB 🎟️ Tickets: FREE Meet Your Speaker: Stephanie Horner leads RBCx’s Early-Stage Banking Practice in the Prairies. With hands-on experience mentoring tech startups, she brings valuable insights on everything from scaling operations to pitch strategy. 👉 Don’t miss this opportunity to master your financial strategy and prepare your business for the next stage of growth! https://lnkd.in/gxbANYJb #CalgaryStartups #Entrepreneurship #CashFlowManagement #StartupGrowth #EquityInvestment #Networking Yuhan Wu Mark Salkeld Andrew Sanden Wanda Palmer, CAAP Heather Herring Maryam Barmala Denys Smushko Stephanie Horner Zachary Ayers Connor Doyle CET Denise Summers Oleg Kostyuchok William Gu Omid Titidezh Richard C. Gorecki, M.Sc. Alex Sulkin Alexandria Shrake Chetan Shory Endi Zhang 慕然 Ray Taghavi Bomo Douglas Derek Cheng Martine Varekamp-Bos Michael J. Brent Z. Mark B. Mielke Stan Gorbanov Zulfira Pulotova Parviz Pulotov Samir (Sam) Musayev, PhD, CITF

I got a question last week about the Finance Builders Program. Someone asked if it’s suitable for startups, and my answer is a big YES! ✅ If you’ve been in business for at least two or three months, this is actually the perfect time to dive in. Why? Well, for a few reasons: 👉 You’ve got time on your side. You can start applying these concepts immediately, setting yourself up for success without having to undo years of mistakes. 👉 You can catch issues early. Things like pricing your products right or truly understanding your costs are way easier to get a handle on now, before they turn into bigger problems down the line. 👉 You’ll avoid tough decisions later. I’ve seen it happen too many times… businesses wait years to apply these concepts, only to find they’ve been undercharging or missing key costs, and suddenly they’re forced into making really tough calls. So, if you’re a startup, have been in business for a few months, and already have some numbers and products or services, the Finance Builders Program can really help you build on that solid foundation. Want to know more? Comment LEARN below, and I’ll send you a link with all the details! #visionbeyondadvisory #financeplanning #strategicfinance #businesssuccess #financialvisibility #cashflowmanagement #riskmanagement #taxefficiency #scalingstrategy

To all the VC associates - you are in a really fortunate job where you are getting to meet really resilient and smart entrepreneurs day in day out. Never burn bridges. Never underestimate and more importantly, never come off as a snob. Be humble, even when you are rejecting a founder. Does not matter how big of a fund you work in. Do not look down upon any founder. I entered the startup ecosystem in 2018 as a junior VC associate. I evaluated around 1400 startups during my 2 year stint there. I passed on over 1300 of them after 1 call, thinking they can never be viable business models. I always tried to close the loop with the founders with genuine feedback - felt feedback was the biggest help I could give them at that point. It has been 6 years now and I am pleasantly surprised to see so many startups I rejected continue to survive and thrive. No funding. No fancy pitches. No fame. No $100M ARR. No burning money for faster growth. They just continue to build frugally. Some of them have also become our customers and trusted us to handle their organic growth strategy. Some of them have referred customers to us. It is a small world and we all are in this for the longer run, collectively trying to forward the ecosystem in our own ways. You never know how people will end up helping you. Relationship is THE most critical asset!

🎭 The TAM-SOM Paradox Chris Tottman from Notion Capital nails it with his take on how entrepreneurs and investors view their target markets through a quirky paradox. Let’s break down the classic market evaluation model: PAM -> TAM -> SAM -> SOM. 1/ VCs say, “Find a big market!” This has founders mistaking TAM for SAM, pushing them to focus on the larger segment. 2/ But when startups try to tackle such a broad market, they’re spreading their limited resources way too thin. 🚫 3/ On the flip side, zeroing in on SOM—your direct clients—might seem smarter, but it’s not as exciting for investors since the upside feels too small. 😬 So what’s the play? 4/ Focus on SOM but keep an eye on TAM! The world isn’t static. Nail your SOM to gain more resources while exploring different segments of TAM. This gives you proof of potential growth to entice VCs, allowing you to attract new clients and conquer TAM piece by piece while boosting your SOM! 💪✨ 👉 Check out Chris's full post here: https://lnkd.in/gYwNHWtn

Today, CreFund received our first "no" from a potential investor. While it's not the outcome we hoped for, we're choosing to see this as a valuable learning opportunity. The feedback we received was that our "product's value proposition may not be unique enough to sufficiently take on the number of incumbents in the space." This insight is invaluable as we continue to refine our approach and messaging. To our fellow entrepreneurs: remember that every "no" is a step closer to a "yes." We're using this feedback to sharpen our value proposition and better articulate how CreFund's AI-driven platform is revolutionizing CRE refinancing for the underserved $1-20M segment. We're more motivated than ever to prove that our solution can cut refinancing time by 75% and save the industry billions. Onward and upward! Our refined Pre-screen Deck any suggestions and or comments would be appreciated. https://lnkd.in/g6uXYDFr #StartupJourney #Entrepreneurship #Resilience #CRETech #AIinRealEstate

Yesterday, I attended a business networking event organized by HelpBank and Simon Squibb The goal was to network, learn about new startups, and connect with like-minded individuals. I genuinely love meeting people who dream big, have a side hustle, or run a business, so I made an effort to speak to a few. The concerning part? Some people only approached me to pitch their services/products, pretending to be interested in me. They were just waiting for me to say my name so they could jump into their sales pitch and hand me their business cards. I’ll never buy from someone whose only priority is to sell, without building any real connection. However, I also met some amazing people, and I’d be more than happy to help them in their journey however I can. Next time you attend an event, make sure you're genuinely curious about others, not just focused on yourself #AuthenticConnections #BusinessNetworking #BuildRelationships #PeopleFirst #NoHardSell #NetworkingTips