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Test Your Business Model Against These 10 Elements

Traction Is Validation You Don’t Control

If you’re going to raise money from professional investors you’re going to hear one word a lot: traction. Many founders think traction is the same thing as any forward progress, but it is a very specific kind of progress most founders misunderstand.
Ryan Nash
Ryan Nash , COO , Gust INC
27 May 2025
Startup Pricing Strategy Concepts Df0332e27679a759546818ede07d464577116d19979330954a439fea980ac7d2

Your Earliest Valuation Isn’t So Complicated—Use Your Financial Projections.

At the earliest stages, there’s a surprisingly straightforward way to estimate valuation: Take the amount of money you need to raise, and divide it by the percentage of your company you're willing to sell, that's your post-money valuation.
Ryan Nash
Ryan Nash , COO , Gust INC
20 May 2025
Startup Founders Pitch Toolbox 7569789924beeb0cb16be7cc05e6cd1287ce3efa50402111da2ff0ae0ad4c9db

Don’t raise a round. Fund a plan.

What investors want to see is a capital plan with purpose. That doesn’t mean everything is locked down or guaranteed—but it means you’ve thought it through.
Ryan Nash
Ryan Nash , COO , Gust INC
29 Apr 2025
Unit Economics 2ae1afb22d8ea675faebcf96a6bf5c863fb3252606b1f425c3ebefdfdd90b1f4

Hard sci-fi vs fantasy: Pre-Revenue Financial Modeling

A startup without customers, revenue, active users, or even a product can still get a ton of value out of putting together a financial model even though most of the assumptions and formulas will be fabricated. If your hard sci-fi story demonstrates enough rigor and reasonableness to be plausible, you’re way better off than just charting a “number go up” fantasy, or never telling your tale at all.
Ryan Nash
Ryan Nash , COO , Gust INC
23 Apr 2025
A Startup Founder's Quick Guide to Preparing for Taxes

83(b) Elections – Avoid a Surprise Tax Bill on Your Founder Stock

Filing an 83(b) election let's you handle the tax upfront when things are cheap to save you from big tax headaches later. This is your personal income tax responsibility—the company can’t do it for you.
Ryan Nash
Ryan Nash , COO , Gust INC
1 Apr 2025
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