Fair Share Agreement

An agreement reached between a franchiser and a minority business organization to extend business ownership to minorities by either reducing the amount of capital required by setting aside certain marketing areas for minority business owners.

Feasibility Study

A study to determine the likelihood that a proposed product or development will fulfill the objectives of a particular investor.

Fiduciary

An individual or group that holds assets in trust for a beneficiary.

Financial Analysis

The techniques used to determine money needs in a business. Techniques include ratio analysis, calculation of return on investment, guides for measuring profitability and break-even analysis to determine ultimate success.

Financial Intermediary

A financial institution that acts as the intermediary between borrowers and lenders. Banks, savings and loan associations, finance companies and venture capital companies are major financial intermediaries.

Financial Statement

A written record of business finances, including balance sheets and profit and loss statements.

First-stage Financing (also known as Early stage financing and First-round financing)

Financing provided to companies that have expended their initial capital and require funds to start full-scale manufacturing and sales.

Venture Financing Funnel

Fixed Assets

Usually non-liquid assets that are integral to the enterprise's day-to-day business operations such as plants, equipment, furniture and real estate.

Fixed Costs

The day-to-day cost of doing business that is pre-committed, such as salaries, insurance, lease expenses and utilities.

Flexible Benefit Plan

A plan that offers a choice among cash and/or qualified benefits such as  group term life insurance, accident and health insurance, group legal services, dependent care assistance and vacations.

Fortitude

The capacity to say 'yes' when the whole world wants to say, 'NO, it can't be done'.

Four Ps

Marketing terms referring to Product, Price, Place and Promotion.

Franchising

A form of licensing by which the owner - the franchiser - distributes or markets a product, method, or service through affiliated dealers called franchisees. The product, method, or service being marketed is identified by a brand name and the franchiser maintains control over the marketing methods employed. The franchisee is often given exclusive access to a defined geographic area.

Free on Board (FOB)

A pricing term indicating that the quoted price includes the cost of loading goods into transport vessels at a specified place.

Fulfillment

The system necessary for accurate delivery or an ordered item, including subscriptions and direct marketing.

Gatekeeper

A key contact point for entry into a network.

Gazelles

Gazelles are publicly traded companies that have grown at least 20% for each of the last four years, starting with at least US$ 1 million in sales.

Happy Business

A harmonious love-driven business that makes all stakeholders happy.  >>>

Holding Company

A corporation that owns either a controlling interest in another company or all of its shares. The accounts of a wholly-owned subsidiary may be consolidated with those of the parent company. Normally a company whose main assets are securities in other companies. Some use offshore companies to handle the holding of securities.

Informal capital

Financing from informal, unorganized sources; includes informal debt capital such as trade credit or loans from friends and relatives and equity capital from informal investors.

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

A corporation's first offering of stock to the public.

Innovation

Innovationis a process of taking new ideas through to satisfied customers. It is the conversion of new knowledge into new value, products or services.

Intellectual Property 

Any idea or work that can be considered proprietary in nature and is thus protected from infringement by others.

Invention

The tangible form of a technological idea, which could include a laboratory prototype, drawings or formulas.

Joint Venture

Venture in which two or more people combine efforts in a particular business enterprise, usually a single transaction or a limited activity and agree to share the profits and losses jointly or in proportion to their contributions.

Kaizen

Kaizen means "improvement". Kaizen strategy calls for never-ending efforts for improvement involving everyone in the organization – managers and workers alike.