Russ Gottesman

Are You Starting A Company?​

 

Congratulations on launching your new business!  The greatest wealth creators are

entrepreneurs just like you willing to take risk launching your new product or service

fulfilling an unmet customer need in the marketplace.  There are specific tools that

you can use to build a plan then execute on that plan that will make you highly successful! 

Here's how!

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How The Closing Company Can Help​

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1. Is Your Business Plan 'Pitch' Perfect?  Work with StartUp expert and Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman directly on putting pen to paper and walking through the 6-step process.  From the business summary to fulfilling an unmet need in the marketplace, to your marketing plan, your sales plan, Pro Forma projections and overviewing the competition,  we work together to perfect your business plan by starting with one simple question; "What Do You Want To Get Out Of The Business"?

2. How Does Your Pitch Deck Stand Up?  There are millions of reasons that your pitch deck needs to be perfect.  Trying to capture dollars from investors? Interested to mine for new customers?  Trying to attract new employees?  We work side by side to create the perfect pitch deck.

3. Do You Stand Tall In The Elevator?  Explaining your business in under 30-seconds or shorter is a talent that is both required and able to be mastered.  We work together to boil your business concept down to 80-words or less.  

4. Are You Trying To Raise Money? The Closing Company's CEO Russ Gottesman has raised over $3M in capital to launch three separate startups and will guide you through the process of securing bank debt, angel investors, venture capital or your preferred method of securing new capital for your business.

5. Do You Find It Difficult To Price Your Product or Service?  Hitting that sweet spot can be the single most difficult thing that you do whether at launch or reinvention.  We will work together to develop a pricing model that helps develop the single most important key indicator, how hard you have to work for your business.

6. Have You Hit The Proverbial 'Road Block'?  This is what makes you GREAT!  Most people will find the process of launching a business too daunting once challenges arise.  We work together to BUST through these one by one.

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A Bit More About Me... The Entrepreneur

 

I am often asked, when is the right time to start a business?  My response: "It's kind of like getting a dog.  There is no perfect time to get a dog.. sometimes you just HAVE to get the dog!"  Successfully launching three businesses, I know what it's like to be told "No" but also "Yes"!  My most recent startup, CommuterAds launched in 2009 with the concept of playing location-based audio + digital text scroll ads onboard public transit.  We took the idea from concept to market selling over $10M+ of ad space and paying millions of dollars to transit agencies to be part of a private-public partnership solution. 

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CommuterAds grew to 16-contracts in 14-US cities with experience submitting and winning multiple complicated government RFP's. Overseeing the sales team, we took the idea and created dozens of sales ready jobs while continually upgrading the team's collateral materials over the years. Having hired hundreds of employees and student interns, I know first hand the challenge of growing your business.  Securing angel, government and venture capital... check!  Take a look at Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman's experience below and see how Closing Company can help you take your business to the next level!

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• 2018:  Launched The Closing Company:  Come learn how we can work together to ethically grow marketshare!

• 2017:  Joined The Board Of Directors For The Entrepreneurs Center:  Located in Dayton, OH, TEC was the place where it all started for CommuterAds where Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman first launched his business. 

• 2016:  Joined The Advisory Board At DePaul University's Coleman Center For Entrepreneurship:  Working with Mr. Bruce Leech, Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman and the Center's talented board works with leadership to help guide and teach entrepreneurship principles throughout the Chicagoland area.

• 2015:  Invited To The White House As Part Of CommuterAds:  In October, 2015, Michelle Obama invited CommuterAds to The White House to take part in the launch of the #BetterMakeRoom campaign in support of the President's "North Star" goal -- that by 2020. The Administration identified CommuterAds as an important partner in reaching key audiences both today and in the years to come.

• 2014:  Joined Faculty At University of Dayton:  Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman taught entrepreneurial finance to a collection of University of Dayton students.

• 2012:  Launched An E-Commerce Shopping Platform: Launching his third business, Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman successfully launched a platform that rewarded shoppers for word of mouth recommendations collaborating with world renowned software engineer Tim Hall of Dayton, OH, the team built out a gantt chart for development, executed a software design RFP and brought to market a first of its kind social shopping platform.

• 2012:  Joined Faculty At DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business:  Collaborating with award winning Strategy, Execution and Valuation Director Dr. Mark Frigo, Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman teaches in the MBA program as a clinical professor for Entrepreneurship.

• 2010:  1st Place Winning The University Of Dayton B-Plan Competition: A key milestone in the development of Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman's second startup company, earning 1st place enabled the company to grow from 3-markets to nearly ten within 18-months.

• 2009:  Joined The Advisory Board At The University Of Dayton: Working with one of the finest Catholic Universities in the United States, Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman mentors and provides student internship opportunities for University of Dayton Entrepreneur students.

• 2009:  Launched CommuterAds:  Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman wrote the business plan, created the pricing matrix, built out the new market development platform, built the sales operation, raised over $2.5M of investment capital, filed 29-patents and sold over $10M+ of ad sales based on a concept he conceived of in 2006.  

• 2008:  1st Place Winning The DePaul New Venture Challenge:  Beating 52-Chicago based companies, CommuterAds reached its first milestone.

• 1999:  Launched KnotRadio:  KnotRadio was a first of its kind internet radio station launched six years prior to Pandora and earning numerous accolades including being voted Phoenix New Times best alternative radio station in 2001.  This was Closing Company CEO Russ Gottesman's first business plan and included raising his first $250,000 of angel investment and hiring four new team full time members and dozens of student interns, building out both an 'on-air' studio and 'production' studio while developing a pricing matrix for the first time.

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