Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2016

For too many small businesses, customer service is still seen as a “burden.” Entrepreneurs don’t realize that this burden is actually costing them over $200 billion in repeat sales, according to a recent study by the W. These days, relationships and online reviews are key drivers for over 80 percent of new customers.

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Customer Custom Startup Satisfaction 56

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

Many startup businesses – tech or otherwise – fail. Trying outrageous new things or even trying mundane things but in new ways but with extreme quality & innovation is what fuels the tech startup industry. But today I want to give you advice on how to decrease your odds of failure in a startup.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Entrepreneurs who are looking to attract investors need to develop and pitch a plan -- preferably written -- that answers every potential investor question about your startup before it is asked. Investors want to hear about customers with money who have a painful problem that you can solve now.

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Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

socalTECH

DECEMBER 18, 2020

Our interview this morning is with Vahid Manian , the Chief Operating Officer of Morse Micro (www.morsemicro.com), a semiconductor startup which is developing chips for the Wi-Fi HaLow market. Vahid Manian: Morse Micro is an Australian startup company, headquartered in Sydney. The problem is, that ended up being a very crowded space.

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TechCrunch LA

MAY 19, 2020

After wrestling with recalcitrant homeowners, husbanding their parcels of land to keep their property values high, the state’s leadership passed a law that increased the availability of new rental units and put more money into homeowners’ pockets in 2016. “We go to the homeowner and say you have this property here.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2017

It’s enough to drown any business which tries to fight it or ignore it, and it’s an opportunity to ride higher and faster than even the successes of Google and Facebook, for those startups that use it as their driving force. exabytes per month at the end of 2016, of which half was video. Smartphone penetration in the U.S.

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Startup Social Media Entertainment Metrics 55

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2016

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. Diagnosing and understanding the customer problem. It’s up to you to clear the way.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2014

It’s enough to drown any business which tries to fight it or ignore it, and it’s an opportunity to ride higher and faster than even the successes of Google and Facebook, for those startups that use it as their driving force. zettabytes by the year 2016. For startups, this is an engagement opportunity worth billions of dollars.

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Startup Social Media Entertainment Metrics 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2016

In my role as an advisory board member for several startups, I’m always excited to see that initial surge of revenue from a great rollout campaign. An initial revenue surge, or a major cash advance from investors often leads to a mentality of building a large customer base at any cost.

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Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

In my experience as an advisor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often encounter the myth that an initial startup requires investors. Outside funding is not a startup entitlement. Entrepreneurs who don’t have someone else’s cash for outsourcing come up with the more innovative and creative approaches to get things done.

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socalTECH

APRIL 21, 2017

For people who send things out, it's a chance to be in front of your customer. We're working with some very large, extremely well known CPGs to help them establish that direct selling channel, and help them create a relationship with their customer. So, we build that and started offering it to the market.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2016

That’s the right place to start, but real growth and scale requires attracting customers who are not like you. More dramatically, both Facebook and YouTube started out focusing on people dating but expanded their focus when they found dating was giving them limited growth. Update your technology to reach new customer segments.

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Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2016

While thinking about the parameters of traction, and how to measure it, I was impressed with a new book, “ Scaling Lean: Mastering the Key Metrics for Startup Growth ” by Ash Maurya, a serial entrepreneur, and creator of the one-page business modelling tool Lean Canvas. Customers and investors alike measure traction by your formal advisors.

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Metrics Funding Startup Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

As an entrepreneur looking for professional investors, one of the quickest ways to lose credibility and get rejected is to start with a ridiculously high pre-money valuation. First priority is real revenue, customers and contracts. Relate your startup to similar startups funded with a higher valuation.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

The biggest challenge for every entrepreneur and every startup today is to get noticed and remembered in today’s information overload. The number of entrepreneurs worldwide is huge, starting an estimated 50 million new businesses in the past year, or 137,000 per day. It’s even acceptable to make up a place with a “what if.”

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2016

A common pain of startups after an exhilarating first surge of early adopters is a long and frustrating plateau of slow growth, where it seems like nothing you do will get your business to profitability. Others do far too little, assuming the viral effect and word-of-mouth will soon kick in, and sales will suddenly grow exponentially.

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Search Engine Optimization Startup Social Media Metrics 57

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

We caught up with Fuel50 founder and CEO Anne Fulton to learn more about the startup. Anne Fulton: Fuel50 is a career pathing startup, part of the HR technology landscape. How did you start the company? Even when I had babies, I started a company making baby clothing with designers for a few years. What is Fuel50?

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Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

StartUp Beat

MARCH 29, 2018

The startup Electric aims to provide “all-in-one IT support” in quicker and easier ways for small business owners throughout the United States. The startup that was founded in late 2016 has changed the game for smaller-sized companies, as it lets them directly access the support channel via the office communication app Slack.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2016

But in my experience as a startup advisor, too many entrepreneurs get stuck there, and always find excuses for not really exploring mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and alliance alternatives. For example, at any given moment in your business, you may be limited by development, marketing, or sales. Think outside the box.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. They are devastated when their business growth never starts or stalls, and they have no idea how to get it moving again.

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Product Case Study Customer Custom 95

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 25, 2015

As we went from a small band of missionaries hell bent on making our idea a reality, raising capital, getting press, and selling to customers – we were all having fun. We built a business with $36 million in bookings and real customers who relied upon our service.

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Demand SaaS Startup Sales 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

million in funding on TechCrunch led by Harmony Partners and Upfront Ventures to double its footprint of 3 cities (New York, Chicago & Washington DC) to 6 in 2016. Incumbents became increasingly annoyed with our successes in the country’s largest market – NYC – that they started even taking out ads against us.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

Based on some good estimates of how many new ventures have been started in the last five years, the statistical odds of any individual startup making it to this level are less than one in a million. When top tier investors compete for a piece of the action, the price can go up exponentially. Experienced team of superstars.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. Lead with your intent to offer the solution free to customers. Of course, customers love free, but investors hate it.

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Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

All the data actually suggests with the growth of mobile, inbound sales calls will double from 30 billion to 60 billion in 3 years (source: Kelsey). In fact 61% of all mobile searches where a customer contacts a business it is via a phone call (source: Google). But let me start with some data. Calls are changing but not dying.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

As an entrepreneur looking for an idea, it makes sense to explore problem areas within your knowledge comfort zone, but when you are building a business with the solution, you have to stretch your comfort zone to keep up with the market and stay ahead of competitors. Stop talking and start executing. The idea is the only easy part.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2016

As a startup advisor and investor, I’ve met many aspiring entrepreneurs, and I often get asked the question, “I have a great idea for a startup – do you agree that it real potential?” If we build it, they will come” is not a viable startup strategy. A startup is no place for the Lone Ranger.

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Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Sample 67

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs put their best creative thinking into the startup idea, and believe that the business implementation simply requires following tried and true business practices. In my experience as a startup advisor, nothing could be further from the truth. Start thinking outside the box. Explore contradictory approaches.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2016

They don’t realize that strong team engagement leads to even stronger customer engagement, which can more than double your startup revenue and growth, according to experts. Startup founders and leaders need to get out of their office, and demonstrate engagement with the team every day. The result will be higher engagement.

Software Review 57

Software Review Satisfaction Startup Training 57

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2015

We caught up with co-founder Dave Terry , who co-founded Chrome River with Alan Rich, to learn more about how the company has build one of the fastest growing enterprise software makers in the area, why the company raised such a big round, and why the company is seeing a big opportunity in its market.

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Software Report Startup IBM 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2016

Take an honest look at your motivation, resources and relationships before initiating a startup. Put aside the rose-colored glasses of your passion, and ask a financial expert to validate the total costs required to build the business as well as realistic sales volumes and growth. Buffer your resource estimates by at least 20 percent.

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Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Statistics 62

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 6, 2020

We caught up Stewart to see how the company has significantly pivoted its vision for the company, the recent deal with Honda to offer up certified pre-owned vehicles to its users, and more. Let's start out at the top, for those who haven't been following what's been going with Fair, what is your business now?

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2016

The most common channels in use today include e-commerce, direct to customer, wholesale to dealers, and value-added resellers. In other words, you may have a great new product, but no distributor penetration means no shelf space and no customers. Resist the channel sales pitch for exclusivity. Set marketing plans accordingly.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2016

All too often as a startup investor, I hear the term “disruptive technology” from an entrepreneur, played like a trump card that should override any other potential business qualms. Real breakthroughs in business, as well as in technology, usually start with BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). Relate emphatically to the customer.

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Technology Competition Customer Custom 57

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Does your business have a visible positive strategy, or do your customers and employees still see your primary focus as closing more sales and killing competitors? Certainly that has been the strategy of many companies, and has worked in the past, but today’s customers and workers are looking for more.

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Customer Custom Social Media Competition 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2016

Unfortunately, this approach often turns off mainstream customers, who find the result hard to use. Focus” is the key to success in a startup, and a minimum viable product (MVP) that does a few things better than anyone else will get more attention quicker from your market. Avoid adding features for a single customer to close a sale.

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Product Competition Customer Custom 61

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2016

Good entrepreneurs are all about managing change, but too many forget that they have to change themselves as their dream evolves from a startup to a scalable business. For example, there once was a social network called Friendster , often credited with starting the social networking boom way back in 2002. It’s a big change.

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Social Network Startup Demand Entrepreneur 59