Coming up with the killer idea is just the start… of the startup business! It's usually the bit that entrepreneurs are most passionate about, but that passion will only get the business so far… so what else do you need?

Money is pretty important… but even to get that you're likely to some need help. The only way to get help is to be able put across a convincing case of the opportunity that your business represents… of course, this includes your idea BUT, even at an early stage, its got to go beyond the idea itself to really set out the potential of the business and strong arguments why you, and whatever you have, are the ones who will achieve it.

To raise each round of funding, entrepreneurs will need to develop the business on a number of fronts to warrant investment… and their hoped-for ever-increasing valuation. Helping to identify and understand what these key developments are, what is needed for the next stage development and how a business plans to get there - this is where The Balanced Startup comes in.

Whether you are an investor who gets excited about the things your portfolio companies do, or you don't care what they do as long as they make you money, you're still an investor… and that means understanding and valuing what entrepreneurs are selling - a piece of their company.

From the very early stages of development, a business needs more than just an exciting idea, it needs an understanding of a viable model for growing and operating that will enable it to grow in value.

As an entrepreneur seeks each round of funding, investors will expect to see the business develop on a number of fronts to warrant that investment… and an ever-increasing valuation. Helping an investor to  identify and understand what these key developments are, what is needed for the next stage development and how the business plans to get there - this is where The Balanced Startup comes in.

Entrepreneurs seek out and use a variety of help and support to navigate the challenges they face. Each stage of growth throws up new challenges - often requiring further funding from investors.

Advisors need quick and effective tools to help understand a business, what it has achieved, where it hopes to go and what it needs to do to get there. Communication is key and this is where The Balanced Startup comes in.

It provides a framework for advisors to assess the multiple fronts on which entrepreneurs must work to develop their business. It provides the basis for a conversation between entrepreneurs and advisors, a means of highlighting the key interdependencies that exist within a business and the impact that gaps in one area can have on the whole. Such an assessment can then help clarify where an entrepreneur needs to focus to move the business forward, and on a path to greater market traction, new funding rounds and the scaling of a successful business.