If you have the curse of the entrepreneur, then you are familiar with the insatiable need to launch something – to create something and get it out there.

We’ve all done it as children when working out a maze. Start from your endpoint and work backwards to the start. This same approach works for mapping out the path to startup success – Start from your endpoint and work backwards to the present.

I can confirm that not only will you increase your network with more successful individuals, you’ll form great relationships, learn from others about what it takes to become a great investor, and (maybe) get an early entry into the exciting and inspiring world of venture investing. You’ll also get a better sense of the big picture of the whole investment cycle.

Like a master chef preparing a sumptuous feast, every entrepreneur needs to know the right “ingredients” to make his or her business turn out just right.  Here are the 8 ingredients for a business secret sauce:

Efficiency, the ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort, is one of the most important ingredients to business success. Startup companies must be ruthless in this pursuit.

There are a number of reasons startups ultimately fail to obtain funding. The following due diligence showstoppers are often overlooked by the entrepreneur.

I am amazed at the number of privately held business partnerships that do not have a formal buy-sell agreement in place. This one is absolutely essential. When forming your business, you chose your partner; make sure you have some rights when it comes to who your partner will be as time goes on too.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”– George Bernard Shaw

Incubators & Accelerators vary widely making it difficult for the potential client to understand the differences between the two. Because of the applied variations related to the attributes within each, the differences are even somewhat difficult to explain.

Do you have an investor friendly executive summary? What does that mean for your business? Here’s a guide to avoid the purgatory of being non-fundable to startup investors.