Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. Thus crowdfunding is clearly not the panacea for funding and success that many entrepreneurs envision.

Startup 100

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2013

Viral marketing is a deliberate marketing action, designed to grow attention at a compound rate, without further stimulus, by word-of-mouth. Think of a brand evangelist team online as people blogging about your product, or posting links to it in every forum. entrepreneur startup marketing budget viral marketing business'

Marketing 99

Marketing Entrepreneur Startup SEM 99

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. Even artisan-based services, like graphic design and writing good ad copy, have innovative processes and principles. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2012

These days every new entrepreneur understands that an innovative product or service is necessary, but not sufficient, to start a business. But most entrepreneurs don’t know where to start. ” by an expert and friend in this space, Arnie Kuenn , which offers guidance and examples on new and modern approaches for the rest of us: Build a blog.

Examples 93

Examples Content Marketing Entrepreneur 93

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. Even artisan-based services, like graphic design and writing good ad copy, have innovative processes and principles. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2010

Chris Dixon wrote a blog post last week titled, “ Techies and Normals &# in which he defined “Techies&# as people who are not just “early adopters&# but also have more of a geeky, technical, product bent. Anyway, Chris’s blog got me thinking about Techies and Normals. He is both.

Product 348

Product Startup Design Blogging 348

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2020

As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. Thus crowdfunding is clearly not the panacea for funding and success that many entrepreneurs envision.

Startup 151

Startup Equity Funding Demand 151

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 17, 2015

The entrepreneur– founder explained this problem away by stating that the designers and manufacturers would ship direct after we’d grown to a large enough size. And designers or manufacturers never did offer to ship direct. I had my doubts, but led the deal anyway. Yes, sometimes your gut is the best you’ve got.

Design 120

Design Blogging Course Email 120

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 4, 2014

If you could share one startup lesson with a young entrepreneur, what would it be? So I ask prospective new entrepreneurs, ''What is it specifically that you can bring to the industry?'' Greathouse : Yes, I agree that your team has done a great job of speaking with a consistent and genuine voice on your site and blog entries.

Entrepreneur 187

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Resource 187

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

Yesterday I saw a Tweet from Chris Sacca fly by that prompted me to want to write a blog post helping entrepreneurs understand why they should push back against VCs asking for “super pro-rata” rights. Read: it’s an option for that investor and a super expensive one to you, the entrepreneur. Why should you care?

Entrepreneur 310

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Writing Invest 310

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2014

In my Twitter bio is says that I’m “ looking to invest in passionate entrepreneurs ,” which almost sounds like I was just looking for a cliché soundbite to describe myself. Passion is also the featured heavily in nearly every presentation I give to entrepreneurs or on college campuses or in talks with MBA students.

Startup 419

Startup Entrepreneur Design Funding 419

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 22, 2011

I began publishing my blog in 2008. I was hesitant to use my own name, as I did not want my blog to be perceived as a self-promotional vanity project. By early 2010, I found my stylistic voice and identified my audience of emerging entrepreneurs and thus dropped my penname. Worst T-shirt Designs Ever. Organic traffic.

Newsletter 205

Newsletter Blogging Santa Barbara Content 205

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

Aspiring entrepreneurs ask me why their great idea hasn’t sold; they talk about it endlessly, and they expect others to do the development, finance, and marketing work for them. Reserve the same names on the leading social networks and blogs. Success is the right balance of both for fun and profit. Bask in the success as it happens.

Startup 160

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 160

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 26, 2020

” Given the profusion of accelerator programs globally, the move to a rolling admissions schedule likely makes sense, giving entrepreneurs more flexibility around when and how they join. Blumenthal explained the switch in a blog post.

Startup 177

Startup Los Angeles Invest Platform 177

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Today Upfront Ventures is announcing that we’ve backed Rebecca Kantar ’s startup Imbellus , a company designed to assess human potential and ultimately change the way we teach children. I speak a lot on college campuses and entrepreneur events and amongst the most common things I’m asked to talk about are: What do VCs fund?

Design 150

Design Ideas Startup Writing 150

SoCal CTO

MAY 7, 2010

On my eLearning blog, I recently predicted the Beginning of Long Slow Death of Flash. I view the point of this blog to provide my thoughts and perspectives as an Acting CTO mostly concerned with Startup Development to entrepreneurs and other CTOs. Make pronouncements in your blog? Short Adobe stock? Argue about it?

HTML 150

HTML JavaScript Blogging Design 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2013

New publishing tools, like blogs, collaboration platforms, and even Twitter provide updates that are easily available. It can also be for solving everyday problems, like logo design or open source code. entrepreneur Charlene Li startup social media leadership business' Updating: capturing knowledge and actions. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 102

Social Media Entrepreneur Software Review Social Network 102

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2012

Aspiring entrepreneurs ask me why their great idea hasn’t sold; they talk about it endlessly, and they expect others to do the development, finance, and marketing work for them. Reserve the same names on the leading social networks and blogs. Success is the right balance of both for fun and profit. Bask in the success as it happens.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Ideas 102

Xconomy

AUGUST 5, 2016

It’s a question that often circulates in the business press and on tech blogs. Entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have weighed in from time to time and their answers tend to fall into two camps. High school students also make great entrepreneurs because of their natural open-mindedness and drive to take risks.

Entrepreneur 40

Entrepreneur Startup Education Course 40

From the Venture Trenches

APRIL 30, 2013

The value that is being “added” is often at arms length or via a specialist who interacts with the entrepreneur. Amplify’s close mentoring is by design. But like a Darwinian experiment, the extent to which these gifts are utilized remains entirely up to each individual entrepreneur. Amplify Mentor Panel in full swing.

Web Design 103

Web Design Social Media Seed Funding Design 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2015

Image via Flickr by SideWages.com These days every new entrepreneur understands that an innovative product or service is necessary, but not sufficient, to start a business. Search engines and people love blogs these days. A badge is a simple graphic designed for fun, to show support, or promote certain standards online.

Blogging 105

Blogging eBook Content Web 105

Xconomy

JUNE 21, 2016

Six San Diego business risk-takers have been inducted into the pantheon of EY Entrepreneurs of the Year, joining over 10,000 people around the world who have been honored over the last 30 years by the multinational professional services firm. The winners are: — Life Sciences: BioLegend CEO Gene Lay.

San Diego 57

San Diego Entrepreneur Startup Mobile 57

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

Wouldn’t we be a bit hypocritical if we talked with entrepreneurs about innovation and change but we weren’t willing to take it on ourselves? Why should investors know all the tricks of the trade while first-time entrepreneurs operated at a disadvantage? What’s up with that?

Funding 343

Funding Santa Monica Venture Capital Startup 343

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2012

Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Professional user-friendly site design. No name, picture, address, or business history only convinces customers that you are hiding, located in an un-trustable country, or don’t have a clue. They will exit quickly.

Search Engine Optimization 96

Search Engine Optimization Entrepreneur Sites Advertising 96

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

Welcome to the Lost Decade (for Entrepreneurs, IPO’s and VC’s) - Steve Blank , July 15, 2010 If you take funding from a venture capital firm or angel investor and want to build a large, enduring company (rather than sell it to the highest bidder), this isn’t the decade to do it. 10 Blogging Tips. Here’s why.

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2013

These days every new entrepreneur understands that an innovative product or service is necessary, but not sufficient, to start a business. But most entrepreneurs don’t know where to start. ” by an expert and friend in this space, Arnie Kuenn , which offers guidance and examples on new and modern approaches for the rest of us: Build a blog.

Content 114

Content Marketing Startup eBook 114

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Martin Rushe, the CEO and founder of Selz wrote a blog post announcing the deal. In fact, Here's the post in its entirety: We have signed an agreement to be acquired by Amazon and are looking forward to working with them as we continue to build easy-to-use tools for entrepreneurs. Can be confusing to use, though.

News 136

News Acquisition Platform Sales 136

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

And if you are – what on earth are you reading such a boring blog as this?!? OK, that sounds like an interesting business, but nothing to write a freakin’ blog post about? Gogii spent way more effort marketing to what I call “The USA Today market&# rather than the tech blog market. But I never gave up.

Gogii 310

Gogii Invest Blogging Startup 310

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2014

We are often asked how companies get funded, why VCs make the decisions we make and what we’re looking for in entrepreneurs. At Upfront we’re totally fine funding entrepreneurs who have done multiple businesses in the past – in fact we like it. It is what Seriously was designed to do.

Funding 373

Funding Technical Review Startup Screening 373

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. His challenge is to focus on one market, with a specific design, cost, and price. Build your own personal brand image through blogging, industry forums, and networking.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

In my bones I’m convinced that entrepreneurs are more nature than nurture although I know both are involved. Fred Wilson said as much on his blog also. I have recently written extensively on what I believe the 12 characteristics of an entrepreneur are. That is true of all my blog posts. I’m biased, too.

Startup 289

Startup Statistics Entrepreneur Study 289

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

Understanding “The Funding Angle” I sit at enough board meetings to hear conflicting advice given to entrepreneurs about how to handle PR and announcements at startups. This is true on all of the major tech blogs. So your goal should be a steady stream of news across many different news outlets and your own blog.

Startup 355

Startup Funding News Press 355

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

I told him only 2 weeks ago when we were in London together that I wanted to write a blog post that has been in my head for 2 years. Many through history became entrepreneurs precisely because they were unemployable. He had a philosophy that the future competition for startups would be design led and based on data analysis.

Startup 309

Startup Venture Capital Email Writing 309

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write and 9 Tips To Get Started - OnStartups , September 27, 2010 "The best part of blogging is the people you will meet"- Hugh MacLeod repeating wisdom from Loic Lemeur to me at the Big Pink at 2 am in South Beach after the Future of Web Apps 2008. Kanye West. Let's recap. Advisory Board.

Startup 191

Startup Product Technology Venture Capital 191

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

And if there is a term for that which helps entrepreneurs stay focused on these good and true objectives then I’m all for it. I tell people that they need to blog about their industry to drive customers and not blog to their egos to drive their peer group to their blogs.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review SEM SEO Marketing 384

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2012

New publishing tools, like blogs, collaboration platforms, and even Twitter provide updates that are easily available. It can also be for solving everyday problems, like logo design or open source code. Updating: capturing knowledge and actions. These have the added benefit of being searchable and discoverable.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Social Network Software Review Social Media 97

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2012

In his blog he says, “I responded that I thought it was stupid. Creative – we’re a place of writers, directors, producers, musicians, costume designers, make-up artists, graphic artists, 3D modelers. They designed the next gen UI for the film The Minority Report. My views are pretty well known. LA should be LA.”

Startup 304

Startup Venture Capital Los Angeles Woodland Hills 304