Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

I have often thought that creative endeavors where one has a quick turn-around between idea and realization of one’s work as one of the more fulfilling experiences in life. In those years I learned to properly build product, price products, sell products and serve customers. There was no money train. It was 1991.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2016

If you can’t provide a memorable customer experience, your startup won’t survive very long these days. According to many observers , we can thank or blame technology for these higher expectations, providing information at the speed of light, leading everyone to expect more. Every job on your team drives your customer experience.

Customer 55

Customer Custom Startup Coach 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs I know still believe that that their great idea will carry the startup, and they may even minimize their own value, especially if they have introvert tendencies. Yet most investors agree that the “idea” is worth nothing alone, and it’s the entrepreneur execution that counts. Remember the rule of one.

Startup 132

Startup Tips Ideas Entrepreneur 132

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2019

You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. Marketing is everything these days.

Marketing 97

Marketing Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 97

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2022

One of the attributes that I often recommend to the business professionals and entrepreneurs I mentor is to always be totally accountable for your actions and ideas. I too often see people who are quick to make excuses, blame failures on peers or customers, or see management as the reason for their lack of productivity.

Activity 109

Activity Organization Mentor Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2017

You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. Marketing is everything these days.

Tips 75

Tips Marketing Technical Review Startup 75

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

The technology team disagrees on direction and wants resolutions. Yes, I know it’s my job as the CEO to be the coach for people and that’s fine. There’s a guy in Los Angeles that I met at several tech networking events. So we discussed his ideas several times. He wanted to be the guy who did it.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2019

Your biggest challenge may be members of your own family, some of your best customers, or a key business partner or investor. You have to manage your business with more people not like you, as well as a more diverse set of customers. Always be civil and diplomatic, and don’t allow emotions to cloud the situation.

Tips 97

Tips Technical Review Examples Coach 97

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2016

The idea is to have a partnership between Cedars-Sinai and Techstars, where we select ten healthcare startup companies focused on innovative technology and care delivery in healthcare. It's hard to get that kind of rapid feedback, guidance, coaching, and mentoring in such a short period of time elsewhere.

Mentor 100

Mentor Startup Coach Ideas 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2016

The idea is to have a partnership between Cedars Sinai and Techstars, where we select ten healthcare startup companies focused on innovative technology and care delivery in healthcare. It's hard to get that kind of rapid feedback, guidance, coaching, and mentoring in such a short period of time elsewhere.

Mentor 100

Mentor Startup Coach Ideas 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2013

Too many entrepreneurs I know still believe that that their great idea will carry the startup, and they may even minimize their own value, especially if they have introvert tendencies. Yet most investors agree that the “idea” is worth nothing alone, and it’s the entrepreneur execution that counts. Remember the rule of one.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Social Network 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2013

You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. How many customers will have any idea what this means to them? I found some help from marketing coach David Newman’s new book “ Do It!

Startup 103

Startup Marketing Social Media Technical Review 103

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

The idea of StartupWeekend Next is once you have your idea, what happens next?”. Any team can sign up, but it is geared toward entrepreneurs who have overcome the early hurdles of finding a business idea they are passionate about and forming a founding team, but do not know how to build a business model around it.

Class 98

Class Mentor Startup UCLA 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs I know still believe that that their great idea will carry the startup, and they may even minimize their own value, especially if they have introvert tendencies. Yet most investors agree that the “idea” is worth nothing alone, and it’s the entrepreneur execution that counts. Remember the rule of one.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Marketing Startup Ideas 58

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

I tapped my friends at big tech companies (Salesforce, Google, Oracle). And they have access to some of the most talented technology entrepreneurs so this is a worthy goal for them. We are judging how well you are coached on stage. I like to debate with them how they will land customers and how they deal with the press.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

socalTECH

MAY 23, 2017

No one has ever been able to execute on that from a technology standpoint before. We are a technology company, not an ad agency, and we are really just a bunch of nerds who believe we can turn this thing upside down, and let people try those apps out before downloading. It all came back to this idea of on-boarding.

Startup 113

Startup Southern California UCLA Technical Review 113

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

I tapped my friends at big tech companies (Salesforce, Google, Oracle). And they have access to some of the most talented technology entrepreneurs so this is a worthy goal for them. We are judging how well you are coached on stage. I like to debate with them how they will land customers and how they deal with the press.

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 5, 2012

It’s also a very exciting time here in LA Tech with over 6 accelerators and incubators springing up over the past year. We had over 35 ideas pitched Friday night, certainly on the higher side than normal with some really killer ideas. Attendees then cast their votes and 12 winning ideas were selected. What a SWLA.

Startup 66

Startup Mahalo Technical Review Idealab 66

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2019

What every entrepreneur needs more than anything else, after they have built an innovative new product or service, is visibility, credibility, and trust by customers, potential employees, and future business partners. It makes customers feel special, and gives you the opportunity to highlight your broad experience and credentials.

Writing 19

Writing Technical Review Entrepreneur Advertising 19

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2010

They don't have any idea which way to turn. During this process you are looking for affordable space, defining the roles of your team members, defining the product/service, developing initial sales channels and customers. Do not fail to review the assumptions underlying your initial strategy.

Technical Review 91

Technical Review Summary Entrepreneur Coach 91

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I get approached about clean tech or biotech periodically – I don’t focus on these. In ad tech there’s Seth Levine at Foundry Group and both Dana Settle & Ian Sigelow at Greycroft. If it were a sales campaign to a CMO you would naturally think about having customer references. Right for my stage?

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366