Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

It’s a jungle fight for survival out there for aspiring entrepreneurs of all ages and demographics. Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup News Framework 105

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2022

The bad news is that it’s still a jungle fight for survival for entrepreneurs of all ages and demographics, with over 80 percent not having access to bank loans or venture capital. Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. The best entrepreneurs work on making better time management a top objective.

Startup 112

Startup News Framework Outsource 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2021

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Many entrepreneurs are paranoid about the partnership approach, and think that M&A is only an alternative for large companies who are flush with cash.

Organization 132

Organization CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development 132

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2013

As the business economy rebounds, many entrepreneurs are thinking that life will soon get easier, and their opportunity can only grow. Porter proposed his Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment which I think makes even more sense today. Way back in 1979, Michael E. Utility of alternative solutions.

Startup 80

Startup Framework Competition Pricing 80

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2012

Executives from large companies have sometimes long forgotten how to do this (“My people will contact your people to work out the details.”). A diligent entrepreneur should certainly work the important details for his or her startup, especially when it comes to assessing any negative fluctuations in the business.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Template Mentor 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2019

The bad news is that it’s still a jungle fight for survival for entrepreneurs of all ages and demographics, with over 80 percent not having access to bank loans or venture capital. Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. The best entrepreneurs work on making better time management a top objective.

Startup 94

Startup News Framework Outsource 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2022

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Business plans should be loose frameworks to be used as guidelines rather than detailed route maps. Plan in great detail and avoid things not in the budget.

Ideas 111

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 111

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2016

Every entrepreneur and business executive knows that continuous innovation is required to survive, but most struggle with this more than any other challenge they face. A business that relies on static skill replacement is falling behind, and ripe for the next competitive crisis. Innovation driven by the next crisis is not leadership.

Framework 59

Framework Competition Ideas IBM 59

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

I thought I’d try to offer a framework for thinking about the topic. This conversation seems to come up very frequently these days both with portfolio companies and with entrepreneurs just looking for mentorship. So here’s my framework. Are you in the “lean&# phase? How long is the window open?

Help 303

Help Startup Competition Framework 303

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize. SEO / SEM are promotional techniques for marketing through the Google distribution channel, which have yielded huge benefits to many companies – Yelp being a prime example.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2009

Yesterday I had lunch with a really interesting and capable serial entrepreneur who is raising his A round. And I had 2 “strategic&# investors in my first company. So I thought I’d try to lay out a framework for how you should think about it as many you will inevitably be faced with this experience. Great question.

Venture Capital 279

Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur Framework 279

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2013

The opportunity for change is huge, with everyone taking a new look at the world after the recession, but the competition is also huge, since the cost of entry is at an all-time low. Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. The best entrepreneurs work on making better time management a top objective.

Startup 99

Startup Competition News Framework 99

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2019

The first thing that entrepreneurs need to realize is that the process and framework for making social media marketing work are different from traditional marketing, and trial and error certainly doesn’t work. Ric Dragon, an expert in online marketing, in his classic book. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 96

Social Media Media Marketing Metrics 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Executives from large companies have sometimes long forgotten how to do this (“My people will contact your people to work out the details.”). A diligent entrepreneur should certainly work the important details for his or her startup, especially when it comes to assessing any negative fluctuations in the business.

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Template Mentor 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2017

It’s a jungle fight for survival for aspiring entrepreneurs of all ages and demographics. Every startup needs a sustainable competitive advantage. With no competitive advantage, startups with new ideas gaining traction are never feared, and are usually eaten for lunch as sleeping giants wake up. If you want to be feared.

Startup 57

Startup News Framework Entrepreneur 57

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

One of the key sections of any business plan is the analysis of the competition. Investors take that to mean either 1) there is no market for your product, or 2) you don’t understand the concept of business and competition. It will certainly also decrease profitability over time, as well as test your sustainable competitive advantage.

Startup 86

Startup Competition Pricing Framework 86

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2013

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Many entrepreneurs are paranoid about the partnership approach, and think that M&A is only an alternative for large companies who are flush with cash. Marty Zwilling.

Acquisition 88

Acquisition CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development 88

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Business plans should be loose frameworks to be used as guidelines rather than detailed route maps. Plan in great detail and avoid things not in the budget.

Ideas 94

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2013

The first thing that entrepreneurs need to realize is that the process and framework for making social media marketing work are different from traditional marketing, and trial and error certainly doesn’t work. entrepreneur Ric Dragon startup social media business' Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 102

Social Media Media Product Metrics 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. Many entrepreneurs are paranoid about the partnership approach, and think that M&A is only an alternative for large companies who are flush with cash.

CTO Hire 91

CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development Resource 91

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2017

The first thing that entrepreneurs need to realize is that the process and framework for making social media marketing work are different from traditional marketing, and trial and error certainly doesn’t work. Ric Dragon, an expert in online marketing, in his classic book. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 62

Social Media Media Metrics SEO 62

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2012

A while back, I wrote about the value of Michael Porter’s Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment, and using every opportunity to highlight and emphasize your relative advantages, whether they be price, features, or bargaining power. The advantage today has shifted to companies whose customer focus is superior.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Organization 104

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Why Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers. Bending over: How to sell to large companies - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , May 24, 2010 This is a guest post by Steve Hanov , who blogs about programming and startups. In many of them I get asked similar questions, including the inevitable “what makes a great entrepreneur?”

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Xconomy

JUNE 15, 2016

Entrepreneurs and established companies make risky decisions every day in the hope that those risks will translate into better opportunities, better performance, and greater profitability. There was a time when all the data in a company was centralized and controlled by a few people, and the velocity of information was relatively slow.

Framework 63

Framework Startup Competition Help 63

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Business plans should be loose frameworks to be used as guidelines rather than detailed route maps. Plan in great detail and avoid things not in the budget.

Ideas 56

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 56

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2012

The first thing that entrepreneurs need to realize is that the process and framework for making social media marketing work are different from traditional marketing, and trial and error certainly doesn’t work. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 91

Social Media Media Metrics SEO 91

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

Bijan Sabet – investor & board member in some small companies you might have heard of like Twitter, Tumblr, Boxee & OMGPOP – took issue with the whole notion that you even need a Powerpoint deck anymore. First, if it’s an early stage company, I don’t need to see a powerpoint deck. I funded them 8 weeks later.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2017

Most business leaders today realize that smart management of scarce resources is the key to competitive success. Use your high-level principles to establish behavioral frameworks to guide ways of working, rather than a scorecard enforced by culture vigilantes. That’s why they manage money so carefully.

Product 58

Product Startup Guide Framework 58

socalTECH

MARCH 2, 2020

I ended up going to Lockheed Martin as Chief Innovation Officer, doing AR and VR work, creating a virtual framework used for training by the defense department. Are Android and iOS then your competition? What are the biggest challenges for your company? David Smith: Actually, we work on them. It's all working.

Platform 168

Platform Startup Examples Web 168

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 9, 2014

Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle framework “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” Simon Sinek If your customers believe in your mission, then they’ll warm to you and listen to what you offer and how. It takes discipline to stay on track and not lose focus, but it’s a valuable trait that all successful entrepreneurs seem to have.

Startup 78

Startup Design Customer Custom 78

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

We caught up with Asher Hunt , CEO of the company, to learn more about how the startup wants to make finding a room while traveling more like Uber and less like traditional hotel booking. It's quite a different framework from an Airbnb or HomeAway. So what's next for your company, and what are the next hurdles you are looking at?

Startup 100

Startup Los Angeles Mobile Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2022

“Design thinking” is a methodology used to solve complex challenges, such as the ones faced by every business in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive environment. I support their list of key requirements for you as an aspiring design thinking leader or entrepreneur. Listen with mutual respect and fearless exploration.

Design 106

Design Coach Ideas Organization 106

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 3, 2015

It spoke to me because it so resonates with my nearly daily advice to entrepreneurs and VCs alike. A company presents. The rest of our partners, principles, associates and EIRs can weigh in with commentary on their views of the quality of the entrepreneur, the market, the product, competition and so forth.

Startup 150

Startup Venture Capital Invest Framework 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

*. What is the role of a VC for entrepreneurs? I was recently contacted by an entrepreneur who was consider a few different business models for his company. My job isn’t to predict markets but rather to find entrepreneurs who want to create markets through insight and conviction.” ” I responded.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Course Guide Entrepreneur 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

“Design thinking” is a methodology used to solve complex challenges, such as the ones faced by every business in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive environment. I support their list of key requirements for you as an aspiring design thinking leader or entrepreneur. Listen with mutual respect and fearless exploration.

Design 97

Design Coach Ideas Organization 97

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

This always makes me chuckle because in my first company we had 5 investors in our first round and we picked up 5 more before we finally sold the company. In my second company I had only 1 investor. Most companies hit a bump in the road at some point. And I always encourage entrepreneurs to do reference checking.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Startup Invest Pricing 314

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2017

“Design thinking” is a methodology used to solve complex challenges, such as the ones faced by every business in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive environment. I support their list of key requirements for you as an aspiring design thinking leader or entrepreneur. Listen with mutual respect and fearless exploration.

Design 62

Design Coach Organization Ideas 62