What Business Incubators Can Teach Us About Business Organization

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Here in DDC’s home of Philadelphia, one of the brightest spots within business community are our business incubators. Wharton, as well as Temple and Drexel universities, offer centers to help startups develop the business organization and skills to get off the ground. They are joined by DreamIt Ventures, which start its 2011 three-month incubator program in Philadelphia Sept. 12, as well as Good Company Ventures, which focuses on helping sustainable companies. In June, our CEO, Farid Naib, spoke at the at the University Science Center,  for an event sponsored by Philly Startup Leaders and the Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies  on understanding funding term sheets to entrepreneurs.

Just like that motivational poster reminded us that everything we need to know we learned in kindergarten, the organizational tools and support incubators provide is something that all businesses – regardless of their stage – need to stay on top. Here are three resources that Philadelphia-area incubators provide their startups. Does your business have these capabilities as well?

Market Research

Temple University’s Small Business Development Office promises its startups resources ranging from computer databases to student externs to help them identify their market base and learn its needs. Market research is often overlooked, especially at the very beginning of a business’s life cycle. But it is essential to forming the early business strategy.

Presentation Skills

Many entrepreneurs have a brilliant idea, and probably a lot of technical know-how or familiarity with the market to bring it to fruition. But unless they can speak convincingly and passionately about this idea, it’s going to get a pass from funders. Many incubators, including Drexel’s Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship have many presentation workshops and competitions. In fact, most of the incubator’s work is to prepare business owners for the all-important pitch to angels or venture capitalists at the end of the program.

Professionalism

Incubator companies are just starting out, but even they are expected to run their business like a professional and competent enterprise. Many small businesses, whether they are just starting out or have been running for a years, overlook the importance of having professional space, office equipment, and other resources that says to clients, funders, and partners that they are responsible and reliable. Taking meetings at the local Starbucks or a cluttered home office does not reassure these people. The University Science Center prides itself on its professional work environment, with receptionists, fully equipped meeting rooms, and full IT support.

At Farid's talk at the University Science Center in June, we met many entrepreneurs with passion and some brilliant ideas on what people and businesses need. But they also recognized that they needed some business organization and some understanding of funding, communicating, and marketing to realize their dreams. Many of them had turned to incubators to make that happen.

 A Recipe for a Successful Launch?

All business incubators operate under the premise that they can give a startup the right guidance and support to flourish. But their usefulness has long been debated. Back in 1999, at the height of the tech economy, BusinessWeek asked whether business incubators could "justify their existence." Work. Silicon Valley entreprentuer Sramana Mitra started a wide-ranging online discussion in 2010 on the various reasons a business incubator might fail to jump-start a new enterprise or industry. 

So, what does it take for a great idea or a product to become a successful business? How do a collection of entrepreneurs working in the same field band togethter to create a small industry? Can outside advisors instill good business sense? Or must it come from the business founders themselves?