Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2020

As an advisor to entrepreneurs, one of the most common requests I get is for an evaluation of a next startup idea. The most successful entrepreneurs focus on solving a problem that they personally have experienced, and are convinced they fully understand. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 07/21/2020.

Ideas 151

Ideas Entrepreneur Resource Knowledge Base 151

socalTECH

DECEMBER 27, 2019

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. It takes a community of supporters, connectors, mentors, and doers to make it happen. What was the biggest news for you/your company this year?

Startup 196

Startup Thousand Oaks Mentor Ventura 196

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Even though I’m a big proponent of becoming an entrepreneur, it is definitely not for everyone. In my view, entrepreneur roles need to be planned carefully rather than made on the spur of the moment. Adopt the Silicon Valley entrepreneur family model. Test your entrepreneur instincts through crowdfunding.

Sample 126

Sample Entrepreneur Ideas Startup 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2018

Today they are in every business, and will likely comprise 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. As a partially-retired baby-boomer in business, I’ve spent much of the last few years mentoring aspiring millennial entrepreneurs, and I’m always looking for more insights into how to help them.

Mentor 60

Mentor Coach Guide Startup 60

TechCrunch LA

JANUARY 26, 2020

The Los Angeles startup community is joining the rest of the world in mourning the death of NBA superstar, entrepreneur and investor Kobe Bryant who was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., Bryant launched his venture career with partner and serial entrepreneur Jeff Stibel back in 2013, according to Crunchbase.

Venture Capital 359

Venture Capital Los Angeles Legalzoom Calabasas 359

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. Every future entrepreneur should start by networking. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 02/06/2020.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2020

One of the characteristics that every good investor looks for in an aspiring entrepreneur is resilience , or the ability to learn from and bounce back after a failure. With startups, almost every entrepreneur I know has failed at least once, often several times, but never gave up, and ultimately achieved their goal.

Startup 173

Startup Mentor Activity Entrepreneur 173

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Today they are in every business, and will likely comprise 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. As a partially-retired baby-boomer in business, I’ve spent much of the last few years mentoring aspiring millennial entrepreneurs, and I’m always looking for more insights into how to help them.

Tips 127

Tips Mentor Coach Guide 127

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Jo Webber: We've done a seed round of $5M, which we raised earlier in 2020. Million Women Mentors has a network of both women and men, helping underrepresented women pursue careers in STEM and STEM related fields. which is somewhat unusual for an entrepreneur. How is the company funded? I have a STEM degree, a Ph.D.

Mentor 157

Mentor Southern California Startup Networking 157

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

In my own business career, many years as a business advisor, and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I have validated the following strategies to practice and guide you. Even the best business professionals and leaders must concentrate on learning something new each day, through mentors, Internet resources, and studying competitors.

Satisfaction 152

Satisfaction Mentor Study Startup 152

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2020

With all the uncertainty in the world today, its hard for any business owner or entrepreneur to stay positive. Based on my experience and a business advisor and mentor, this is the ideal time to get back to the basics of business leadership and innovation. He considers mentoring on of his most critical roles at work.

Mentor 122

Mentor Ideas Competition Examples 122

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2020

As an entrepreneur advisor, I am surprised at how often I hear the same or very similar proposals of an incremental innovation to an existing process, versus a really new or breakthrough solution. That integration is the breakthrough that you should be looking for as an entrepreneur. He is quoted as saying, “I have not failed.

Startup 134

Startup Artificial Inteligence Ideas Entrepreneur 134

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs like you that I have met in my role as a business advisor are really product creators versus business creators, convinced that a great product will generate a great business. Entrepreneurs are typically focused on the big picture – creating a vision, purpose, and a long-term strategy.

Metrics 140

Metrics Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2020

In fact, I see more and more evidence that new entrepreneurs are coming from the older age groups (age 45-64), and success rates move up with age. We summarize the advantages of older entrepreneurs along the following lines: Think life-changing, not lifestyle entrepreneurship. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 06/08/2020.

Startup 129

Startup Entrepreneur Coach Mentor 129

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

For some reason, too many aspiring entrepreneurs I know seem to focus on “actions” rather than “results.” These are not the entrepreneurs that I want to support, since I’m well aware that running a startup is far more complex, albeit more satisfying, than most conventional roles in established enterprises.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

Daradiction

DECEMBER 31, 2009

As I reflect upon the past decade and get clear about my vision for my life by 2020 there are a few stories that I would like to share with you: Petunia Pickle Bottom. What effects do you want to create by 2020? Got mentors? This is what I’ve been learning from my friend and mentor Duke Stump. Who you gonna call?

Examples 93

Examples Coach Startup Mentor 93

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

Many entrepreneurs I have mentored make big mistakes in this area, by hiring low-cost friends and family, with minimal skills or training, and expecting them to have the same work ethic , passion, and business knowledge as the founder. In addition, you can reduce to soft costs of mentoring, relationship building, and socializing.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors.

Resource 159

Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2020

In my view as a business advisor, it’s an ideal time for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to get ahead of the crowd by driving an innovative solution to a painful problem with the passion, perseverance, and work ethic I see every day. Spend more time coaching and mentoring your team.

Coach 144

Coach Customer Custom Entrepreneur 144

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

Many entrepreneurs still believe they need a traditional multi-level organization to handle growth and scaling, so they start hiring career managers to populate it. Freelancers and consultants have to demonstrate results, without training and mentoring, so they can help you more quickly and probably at a lower total cost.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2020

As a startup mentor and advisor, I often contemplate what makes the difference between winners and losers. Too many aspiring entrepreneurs I know are very quick to come up with new ideas, but are not so quick on the execution side. The best business people are also the best mentors and coaches.

Startup 121

Startup Mentor Coach SpaceX 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2021

I often think of the scope of this example in my role as mentor to a struggling entrepreneur who is quick to blame his problems on employee mistakes, or even changing customer expectations. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 12/15/2020.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2020

If you want to join the ranks of entrepreneurs and businesses who have a reputation for being ahead of the pack, for being an initiator rather than a follower, such as Apple and Nike , here are five key strategies and skills to develop that I recommend and practice: Develop a mindset of constant change required to thrive.

Startup 124

Startup Customer Custom Statistics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

That’s why I caution my aspiring entrepreneur clients against proclaiming to investors that they are a great “idea” person. Aspiring entrepreneurs are often impatient in rolling out the business, assuming the hard work was finalizing the idea, and that if you build it, customers will come. A full plan may be no more than 20 pages.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

In my business of mentoring new entrepreneurs and advising small company owners, I recognize that most don’t start as experienced leaders, and most don’t realize that people leadership is a primary key to their future success. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 02/04/2020.

Develop 124

Develop Development Technical Advisors Satisfaction 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that many of you have your most creative ideas for your company’s first big bang , but often get bogged down with details as the company grows. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 12/01/2020. Yet building and maintaining a creative team is a tough challenge.

Company 148

Company Companies Ideas Mentor 148

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

As a business advisor, I listen to many of you entrepreneurs talking about achieving your dreams, but too few of you have structured that dream, and can express it in a set of specific goals, with a timeline for getting there. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 09/17/2020. Now is the perfect time to take that next step.

Writing 139

Writing Startup Summary Activity 139

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

Although his focus is naturally on bigger companies, I contend that his recommended strategies apply equally well to entrepreneurs and startups: Demand a mindset of deep thinking for the long term. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 07/23/2020. Cote, former Chairman and CEO of Honeywell.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs over the years, I see many of you who don’t communicate enough, others who seem to do all the talking, and some that are hesitant to be direct and open. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 04/28/2020. I find that having the right mindset is key to getting all these right.

Startup 124

Startup Ideas Examples Metrics 124

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

I spoke about that more in this deck that I wrote for the SaaStr conference in early March 2020. We need to spot when a founder is hitting a major stress phase in life or work and be there to help and also know how to get the most out of people through being great mentors. Not anywhere nearly as hard as being an entrepreneur.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

Fred has of course been a public mentor to us all with his market-defining terminology that he popularized including “freemium” and “mobile first.” What you may not know is that Fred has been a behind-the-scenes mentor to many of the newer VCs in the industry including myself. Blogging is like Venus Fly Paper.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2020

In my experience as a business mentor, one of the biggest challenges I see is a failure to focus. Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have new ideas on a regular basis, and find it hard deciding which to pursue, or try to tackle several at the same time. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 05/19/2020.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Startup Patents Resource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always surprised by the fact that some never seem to be able to that first startup going, while many others never seem to stop, starting their second or third initiative before the first one is fully hatched. Real entrepreneurs start experiments. Real entrepreneurs start experiments.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Software Review 131

Xconomy

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Some entrepreneurs, though, are acting as if Prop 64, known officially as the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative, has already passed. Co-founder and CEO Eric Gomez said Canopy San Diego won’t enroll startups or entrepreneurs who are directly engaged in the cultivation or sale of marijuana or its derivatives.

San Diego 40

San Diego Startup Southern California Invest 40

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Based on my experience advising new entrepreneurs as well as more mature businesses, I recommend the following strategies for building business momentum, while still optimizing the limited resources of every small business: Find more customers that like what you do best. Utilize outside expertise and mentoring.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often feel the frustration of someone trying to build a startup in the wrong place and time, and wrongly attributing their struggle to personal limitations. You need partners, mentors, and investors who can complement your own resources to make it a win-win for all involved.

Resource 131

Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

Partially due to the economy, but also due to longer, healthier lives and changes in job tenure, 60% of working Boomers are now expected to stay in the labor force, with real power and influence, for at least seven more years, to 2020. One new incentive is the falling transaction costs and barriers to entry for entrepreneurs of every age.

Entrepreneur 118

Entrepreneur Technical Review Startup Technical Support 118