Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2019

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Competition 120

Competition Patents Resource Invest 120

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 12, 2023

Let’s examine the relationship between time, quality and competitiveness. On a larger scale, there are epoch stories of giant companies eating massive losses in a recall of product, often based upon limited testing before release. We have heard the “haste makes waste” ditty since childhood. Where was the waste?

Software Review 156

Software Review Examples Competition News 156

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 8, 2020

It is most often missed assumptions about the market, the competition, the speed of adoption, or other critical metrics you’ve researched, or selected, or even just guessed at to create your plan. But many decisions were made within my company walls, and surely by competitors, based upon those numbers. Or cost estimation.

Company 156

Company Companies Metrics Resource 156

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2020

A business startup is not an academic environment, or a big company research organization. On the other hand, there are many technology companies successfully started and run by non-technologists. They are attracted to people who agree, but may not be able to help. Test them with problems outside their comfort zone. Are you there?

Competition 174

Competition High Tech Startup Social Media 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2021

“Intrapreneurs” are entrepreneurs inside big companies, who do corporate spin-offs. A spin-off is merely a startup spawned by a mature parent (company), and conventional logic would dictate that it has a survival advantage over the lowly startup. Foreign companies in the US like to use spin-offs to find expansion opportunities.

Company 125

Company Companies Startup Examples 125

Berkonomics

JULY 19, 2018

Dell is a great example of emphasis upon fast, creating a customized computer in 48 hours or less, bringing in assemblies and components just-in-time to make the assembly line. However, if Dell quality were poor and returns high, the company surely would not have survived on speed of response alone. More examples of fast above better.

Competition 226

Competition Examples Customer Custom 226

Berkonomics

MAY 16, 2019

There must be at least several companies out there right now positioning to compete with you. And although many positioning efforts cross the lines between these, great companies play to the strength of just one. Innovation certainly defines a number of companies catering to early adopters and the mass audiences that follow.

Company 120

Company Companies Pricing Competition 120

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 29, 2010

Competitiveness - One attribute that I believe most VCs look for in entrepreneurs is competitiveness. If you stumble on to a really good idea believe me it will get competitive really quickly. I know that people who aren’t competitive always find competitive people slightly distasteful. Simple example.

Competition 296

Competition Entrepreneur Startup GRP Partners 296

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 24, 2022

Yet, there are constant examples of new entrants into a niche that do grow, prosper and sometimes even become dominant. In one industry I know well, the dominant player with 22% market share was acquired by one of the largest companies in the technology world. The issue of mature companies as competitors. Refuse to engage?

Resource 156

Resource Competition Examples Custom 156

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2014

First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos. Prior recognition and visibility in the target market is invaluable from a competitive perspective. Marty Zwilling.

Competition 93

Competition Startup Patents Slides 93

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 11, 2021

Photo by Vanna Phon on Unsplash Customer acquisition is the lifeblood of many startups from e-commerce to gaming to marketplace companies, among others. For these companies, it looks like a rosy picture. eCommerce for example grew 39% just last year - so there’s simply more demand. no surprise?—?that’s

Product 424

Product Platform Advertising Acquisition 424

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

An example of a startup which used non-organic growth early and effectively was Microsoft. Some people feel that organic growth is “better” because it requires real innovation and sustained effort to create long-term competitive advantage through differentiation and efficiency. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came quickly.

Organization 97

Organization Competition Startup Acquisition 97

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2019

The most competitive startups do both, all the time and every time. In today’s competitive world, with its accelerating rate of change, no competitive advantage lasts long. The only sustainable competitive advantage is creativity. Creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage. Maximize diversity.

Company 90

Company Companies Competition Netflix 90

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first. Your team members follow your actions on integrity and follow-through, much more than any written company policy. Building morale is not a one-time task. Start today.

Examples 145

Examples Mentor Activity Product 145

Berkonomics

AUGUST 17, 2017

Let’s examine the relationship between time, quality and competitiveness. On a larger scale, there are epoch stories of giant companies eating massive losses in a recall of product, often based upon limited testing before release. We have heard the “haste makes waste” ditty since childhood.

Software Review 243

Software Review Examples Competition News 243

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos. Prior recognition and visibility in the target market is invaluable from a competitive perspective. Marty Zwilling.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Here’s a striking example. The most striking example was the one hundred million–dollar purchase of one of my companies by a New York private equity investor using only five million of its cash. But I learned it again and again in my various business lives. Offering too little in an acquisition to satisfy the seller? What power!

Pricing 156

Pricing Sales Examples Tool 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 25, 2018

Business partnerships have traditionally been agreements to drive more transactions than either company could do alone. The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future.

Competition 60

Competition IBM IBM Startup 60

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Business partnerships have traditionally been agreements to drive more transactions than either company could do alone. The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future.

IBM 131

IBM IBM Startup Examples 131

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Salaries or hourly wages must be within reasonable limits set by the industry and matched by the competition, both regionally and for the same job classification. This one seems non-negotiable for many non-production-line workers and offers savings for both the company and employee if properly implemented and supervised.

Design 156

Design Examples Competition Pricing 156

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

leadership, mentorship, competitiveness, communications, relationship-building?—?and Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. For example, we’re now already well into our third growth fund that we started in 2015 (the first returned 2x cash in 3.5 So What Does All This Mean?

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2022

I call this linear thinking , and it’s a sure way to be ultimately overrun by your competition. For example, BlackBerry was really the first in the smart mobile phone market, but they never thought beyond their tiny physical keyboard as they added new features. Always practice thinking outside the box.

Competition 139

Competition Examples Custom Customer 139

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

For example, I once worked for a small software company selling a sophisticated enterprise workflow solution. As small companies, neither startup could afford to extend their product alone, but through creative leadership, we were able to negotiate a win-win strategic partnership for a joint product. You can do the same.

Startup 173

Startup Outsource Development Examples Custom 173

Berkonomics

JUNE 3, 2021

An often-expressed example seems to come from the salesperson who quotes a larger number of users or customers than the facts support. In one example in an industry that I know well, there are direct customers and then central systems that in turn support direct customers. Yes, we’ve seen gray areas.

Customer 156

Customer Custom Examples Competition 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

For example, I believe that Starbucks surprised most people by proving that they could take a commodity business, a coffee shop, and make it a worldwide profit winner, just by justifying premium pricing with a quality product, the right locations, personalized service, and appealing to the professional customer personas.

Pricing 145

Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2023

He succinctly outlines the key behaviors that I believe every business leader must focus on, to drive innovation without waiting for the next competitive crisis: Avoid the assumption that current gifts will keep on giving. A business that relies on static skill replacement is falling behind, and ripe for the next competitive crisis.

Framework 96

Framework Ideas Competition IBM 96

Berkonomics

APRIL 9, 2020

A shocking example of operations affecting cash control. If the total annual potential is 100,000 units, the slower cycle to market just cost the company two thirds of a year in the product’s profits. If the time to market is slowed by inefficient development, the risk of a competitive product overtaking yours increases dramatically.

Competition 156

Competition Sales Marketing Product 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

By definition, all of you entrepreneurs are leaders, by taking the initiative to start a new company. For example, a couple of years ago, Starbucks' CEO Kevin R. Johnson accepted full company accountability on Twitter for a racial profiling incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia. Build community with team members and advisors.

Coach 162

Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

The most competitive startups do both, all the time and every time. In today’s competitive world, with its accelerating rate of change, no competitive advantage lasts long. The only sustainable competitive advantage is creativity. Creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage. Maximize diversity.

Competition 135

Competition Netflix Ideas Metrics 135

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

There are no “overrides” – for example, businesses don’t thrive just because they offer the latest technology, or because everyone wants to be “green,” or because their goal is to reduce world hunger. Test your projections against actual published reports from similar companies. Competition. How many competitors do you have?

Sales 102

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 102

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2020

Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first. Your team members follow your actions on integrity and follow-through, much more than any written company policy. Building morale is not a one-time task. Start today.

Product 129

Product Examples Mentor Activity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2021

For example, a couple of years ago, Starbucks' chief executive officer, Kevin R. Johnson , was quick to accept accountability via a company apology on Twitter for a racial profiling incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, even though he could have claimed that a fired employee was at fault.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2022

A related “red flag” in a business plan is a missing competitive analysis section, or a short paragraph that essentially says, “this product has no competition.” My reaction is, if there is no competition, then there is no market demand for your product, so why are you building it? Make something cheaper and easier to use.

Ideas 145

Ideas Startup Tips Competition 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2012

Companies today are paranoid, afraid that even their friends will steal their business. It’s a great survival strategy for small companies or entrepreneurs, and a good expansion strategy for even the largest companies. You see this every day in retail outlets that are not “ company stores.”

Company 96

Company Companies Startup Examples 96

SoCal Tech Calendar

FEBRUARY 18, 2010

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 -- Start your own company? Using real-life examples, Dr. Allen will focus on what it takes to become an effective entrepreneurial leader and how to turn innovative ideas into successful companies. Like a Fox! Buenaventura IEEE-EMBS. See [link].

Company 100

Company Companies USC Study 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

Business partnerships have traditionally been agreements to drive more transactions than either company could do alone. The new paradigm, driven by disruptive technologies, cloud-served supercomputing, and the new generation of young adults with global empathy, is partnering and giving something now for a competitive advantage in the future.

Startup 124

Startup IBM IBM Examples 124

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2020

He succinctly outlines the key behaviors that I believe every business leader must focus on, to drive innovation without waiting for the next competitive crisis: Avoid the assumption that current gifts will keep on giving. A business that relies on static skill replacement is falling behind, and ripe for the next competitive crisis.

Tips 160

Tips Framework Ideas Competition 160