Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2016

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Get help with grant funding and incubator resources. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Capital Class Startup 55

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2023

Cash isn’t always the scarcest resource startups have to invest – more often it’s the leadership capital of under-experienced and over-stretched entrepreneurs and co-founders. The leadership challenge is to find the training or mentoring to fill the skill gap, or to find a new role that is a better match for the skills they do have.

Resource 107

Resource Entrepreneur Startup Guide 107

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2022

Be sure to encompass all your constituents, especially including customers. Many leaders do this today by supporting and promoting a higher-level purpose, beyond profits, such as helping the disadvantaged, sustaining the environment, or Conscious Capitalism. Commit to delivering a positive customer experience.

Product 109

Product Training Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2020

Cash isn’t always the scarcest resource startups have to invest – more often it’s the leadership capital of under-experienced and over-stretched entrepreneurs and co-founders. The leadership challenge is to find the training or mentoring to fill the skill gap, or to find a new role that is a better match for the skills they do have.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Resource Startup Guide 126

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2022

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. In business, entrepreneurs hunt for new innovative solutions to problems, new ways of beating competitors, new markets, and new customers. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Marketing News Slides 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2019

In this era of rapid change, you can’t afford to stop learning, or you will find that your competitors, your customers, and your team, may soon be following someone else. Most people agree that leadership is primarily a set of behaviors that capitalize on relationships and a current market and customer understanding in a complex world.

Tips 97

Tips Mentor Coach Metrics 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2020

For the business to prosper, every employee, and your customers, must know and relate to your core values, such as product excellence, care for the environment, and personal integrity. Thus you must constantly prepare for this stage by listening to customers, measuring customer value, and watching outside forces.

Metrics 140

Metrics Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction 140

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2020

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” Negotiate an advance from a strategic partner or customer. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well.

Funding 174

Funding Startup Equity Examples 174

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

Moving from a company that had less resources (and presumably by the time their raising depleted resources) to a company with newfound resources can be telling. I have seen many companies raise their first $3 million and still act like a company that has no resources at all. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Health, life, and other insurance at group rates.

Incubator 87

Incubator Startup Resource Seed Funding 87

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. A commitment to constant learning will raise your intellectual capital. Human capital – talent, knowledge, skills, experience.

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Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. In business, entrepreneurs hunt for new innovative solutions to problems, new ways of beating competitors, new markets, and new customers. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2015

Cash isn’t always the scarcest resource startups have to invest – more often it’s the leadership capital of under-experienced and over-stretched entrepreneurs and co-founders. The leadership challenge is to find the training or mentoring to fill the skill gap, or to find a new role that is a better match for the skills they do have.

Startup 104

Startup Entrepreneur Resource Guide 104

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2010

Venture capital for innovators. Custom Insurance Programs for Technology Companies. With Vistage, you'll benefit from: Advisory Board Peer Group Meetings; Private 1-to-1 Mentoring Sessions; Expert Speaker Workshops; Content and Connectivity Online. LLP , Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth , and Vistage. Think Glendale.

SoCalTech 127

SoCalTech Advertising Rustic Canyon Glendale 127

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2016

The simple answer is always yes, but like any other resource, finding the right one depends on your implementation stage, your own expertise, and what’s available in your geographic area. Direction, mentoring and resources required. Your challenge is to make the right tradeoffs, with limited resources and time.

Incubator 58

Incubator Startup Seed Funding Equity 58

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

One of the questions we discussed is, “How much capital should a startup raise?” ” Fred & I are both in agreement that there is a tension between capital constraints and creativity. 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.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 7, 2013

If you use the mentor-driven model that we pioneered at TechStars, you get entrepreneurs who are deeply connected with the broader entrepreneurial landscape. The Numbers - Most Accelerators offer participating startups a modest capital investment in exchange for a 5% to 10% equity interest.

Incubator 238

Incubator Startup News Entrepreneur 238

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Think of that challenge like competing for limited venture capital.

Incubator 98

Incubator Startup Help Resource 98

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2018

Cash isn’t always the scarcest resource startups have to invest – more often it’s the leadership capital of under-experienced and over-stretched entrepreneurs and co-founders. The leadership challenge is to find the training or mentoring to fill the skill gap, or to find a new role that is a better match for the skills they do have.

Resource 51

Resource Entrepreneur Startup Guide 51

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2018

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” Negotiate an advance from a strategic partner or customer. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Funding 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2017

Most business leaders today realize that smart management of scarce resources is the key to competitive success. Yet the truth is that a more scarce resource is really the time, talent, and energy of your team. It also means setting up a personalized coaching and mentoring system, and accelerated rotations for top talent.

Product 58

Product Startup Guide Framework 58

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 16, 2013

Venture Capital: Upfront Ventures. By using SteelHouse, ecommerce sites can use live data to instantly respond to a customer’s wants and needs for stronger transaction values, increased conversion rates, and an overall better customer experience. Today’s startup innovators come from about six hours south of Silicon Valley.

Startup 111

Startup Snapchat Venice Social Media 111

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2016

Cash isn’t always the scarcest resource startups have to invest – more often it’s the leadership capital of under-experienced and over-stretched entrepreneurs and co-founders. The leadership challenge is to find the training or mentoring to fill the skill gap, or to find a new role that is a better match for the skills they do have.

Entrepreneur 57

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Guide 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. In business, entrepreneurs hunt for new innovative solutions to problems, new ways of beating competitors, new markets, and new customers. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2018

I made the jump myself from IBM several years ago, and now have a satisfying startup advising small businesses and mentoring entrepreneurs. I look for interests and plans that ignite a fire inside you every day, solves a real problem in the marketplace, and can attract customers with money to spend.

Startup 52

Startup Technical Advisors Entrepreneur IBM 52

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

In fact, I’m a strong proponent of coaching and mentoring in the workplace, but I recognize that these efforts can only go so far in eliminating your human resources problems, and increasing team morale and performance. The focus of coaching should be to capitalize and extend their strengths, not manage their weaknesses.

Coach 57

Coach Training Summary Tool 57

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” Negotiate an advance from a strategic partner or customer. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well.

Funding 107

Funding Startup Equity Examples 107

Jason Nazar

JUNE 2, 2016

By mastering negotiation you’ll always have more resources to accomplish your goals. Don’t risk your capital where the upside potential isn’t proportional to the downside risk. Nobody Else Will Figure it Out for You – Nobody else will get your customers, or figure out the toughest business challenges for you. Then step aside.

Tips 40

Tips Coach Resource Startup 40

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

Please help share this widely so that more women become aware of this important resource that is being run nationally. Since our industry has been so heavily dominated by male leadership in both tech and venture capital for so long, this “inclusion” is something that would benefit us all in making better decisions.

Venture Capital 256

Venture Capital Examples Screening Help 256

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. In business, entrepreneurs hunt for new innovative solutions to problems, new ways of beating competitors, new markets, and new customers. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. Neither is very strategic nor in the best interest of either set of customers that VCs have (portfolio companies & LPs). They have trust, short-hand communications, know each other’s strengths & weaknesses, etc. Writing a book will be fun.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

Bill founded Idealab to create and build successful businesses that capitalize on innovations in areas with significant growth opportunities, including the Internet. CallFire provides Voice and SMS Solutions to over 40,000 customers including political groups, non-profits, insurance agents, small business owners, and marketers.

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. In business, entrepreneurs hunt for new innovative solutions to problems, new ways of beating competitors, new markets, and new customers. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

Jason Nazar

MAY 2, 2016

I created this resource to have the single most comprehensive guide anywhere on all the different items involved in starting a business. Find sources of capital— friends & family, business bank loans , angel investment , venture capital or even crowdfunding ( Crowdfunder , Fundable ). Business Mentors.

Outsource Development 40

Outsource Development Startup Google Mentor 40

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Once you’ve been around for a few years, attracted some great people, landed real, paying customers and raised venture capital you’ve likely got a talented team around you. In your case this might simply be a VP of Sales or Customer Support for multiple locations.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2014

One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” Negotiate an advance from a strategic partner or customer. Most provide free resources to startups, including office facilities and consulting, but many provide seed funding as well.

Startup 113

Startup Entrepreneur Funding Equity 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2016

As startups grow from development organizations to a sustainable and repeatable business, processes must be documented, employees hired and trained and customer-support organizations built. Be a trustworthy advisor and mentor to others. Capitalize on your past industry experience.

Entrepreneur 59

Entrepreneur Activity Training Outsource Development 59