Cole Merritt is a Bright Curios editorial byline covering startup strategy, founder psychology, and the practical mechanics of finding product-market fit — customer discovery, go-to-market, and lean validation for pre-revenue founders. Articles under this byline are reviewed and edited by Hector Siman before publishing.
A 47-item due diligence checklist for first-time SMB acquirers in the $300K–$2M range, covering financials, operations, customers, legal contracts, and owner dependency…
A smoke test without clear pass/fail criteria is just a vanity experiment. Here are the exact email capture rate thresholds, CTA benchmarks,…
The 3-6 month emergency fund rule is designed for salaried employees — not founders with variable income. Here is the dual-bucket framework…
Five concrete seller financing structures for small-business acquisitions in 2026 — with current interest rates, SBA subordination language, and a negotiation script…
Pre-selling is the strongest validation signal a solo founder can run — because it requires a buyer to surrender cash, not just…
Most people sit on the sidelines during a downturn. Operators with capital and a clear thesis use recessions to acquire existing cash…
Most acquisition guides quote the SBA 7(a) headline rate and stop there. This post breaks down the full 2026 financing stack —…
Verbatim 20-minute Zoom interview scripts that move pre-revenue founders from problem exploration to budget reality — with probing questions that surface willingness…
A 60-day operational checklist for laid-off professionals turning severance into a tax-smart LLC: entity formation, S-corp election timing, COBRA vs. ACA health…
Best free CRM options for bootstrapped founders: avoid overspending early and choose a $0 or low-cost CRM that fits your team and…
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