Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

I’d like to do a few posts on what life looks like on the way up and perhaps how to keep your head on straight and avoid drinking your own Kool Aid because as I often advise entrepreneurs on irrational exuberance, “ In a strong wind even turkeys can fly.” Create company measures for success that go beyond financial metrics.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

Although his focus is naturally on bigger companies, I contend that his recommended strategies apply equally well to entrepreneurs and startups: Demand a mindset of deep thinking for the long term. Overtly connect every operational problem to your strategy, rather than putting strategy on a different plane and making it only an annual event.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2019

Every entrepreneur and business leader believes that he or she has the full trust of their team and their customers, and in fact most do in the beginning. Define metrics to measure what you want to achieve. A trusted leader knows that all negotiations with an individual are cumulative, not independent and soon forgotten events.

Mentor 98

Mentor News Summary Coach 98

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. Investors are business experts, while the entrepreneur is more likely the product expert. Competitor positioning and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2013

Changes in your organization’s core performance metrics. If one metric changes, it may not be significant, but someone needs to monitor whole categories for fluctuations that may be a weak signal. Broad disruptive events. New entrepreneurs are notoriously great at capitalizing on new opportunities, both weak and strong.

eBook 95

eBook Metrics Startup Examples 95

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2012

That’s why investors invest in entrepreneurs, rather than ideas. Measuring performance may seem self-evident, but many entrepreneurs mistake this task as a point-in-time or a one-time event. Metrics are required for ensuring the return to a known good baseline. Ideas have to be implemented well to get the desired results.

Ideas 94

Ideas Startup Summary Competition 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Competition and sustainable advantage. Exit strategy.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2017

Changes in your organization’s core performance metrics. If one metric changes, it may not be significant, but someone needs to monitor whole categories for fluctuations that may be a weak signal. Broad disruptive events. New entrepreneurs are notoriously great at capitalizing on new opportunities, both weak and strong.

eBook 52

eBook Metrics Examples Startup 52

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2011

That’s why investors invest in entrepreneurs, rather than ideas. Measuring performance may seem self-evident, but many entrepreneurs mistake this task as a point-in-time or a one-time event. Metrics are required for ensuring the return to a known good baseline. Ideas have to be implemented well to get the desired results.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas Summary Competition 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

I have conversations with entrepreneurs and other VCs on a daily basis about fund raising, the prices of deals, how much companies should raise, etc. while acknowledging that San Fran deals are often higher valuations due to increased competition amongst investors. And of course there are always outliers.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2015

Social media is so pervasive in today’s world that every entrepreneur believes instinctively that they know how to use it for their startup. Your plan should include a well-designed web site, events, press releases, and search engine marketing (SEM). Don’t forget the metrics and analytics. Only then can you determine your ROI.

Social Media 108

Social Media Media Startup Tips 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Competition and sustainable advantage. Exit strategy.

Competition 116

Competition Metrics Startup Sales 116

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

Entrepreneurs could learn about loneliness of success: nobody talks about. Every $10 million financing only puts more pressure on the founders to figure out how to hit the metrics to get to the next milestone and every company that raises $25 million puts a ton of pressure on their 10 competitors who haven’t. Entrepreneurshit.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Most of the guidance you see for entrepreneurs is aimed at those who are selling a product (Apple, Tesla, Xiaomi), or selling a service (Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat). The “product” value is difficult to quantify, the costs are nebulous, and entrepreneurs have to clone themselves to scale the business. Don’t forget seminars and events.

Social Media 56

Social Media Pricing Technical Review Demand 56

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

These days that’s not the case and it’s a great outcome for entrepreneurs and for innovation. A: Only because it’s a nicer branding for entrepreneurs. I totally agree and have been arguing this to entrepreneurs for years. I always counsel young entrepreneurs to start on the local train.

Venture Capital 308

Venture Capital Training Startup Entrepreneur 308

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2010

That’s because a company’s value is a composite of all of the quantitative and qualitative factors that comprise a company: revenues, expenses, risks, growth prospects, quality of the management team, competitive advantages, strength of the intellectual property, and so forth. Liabilities: Your liabilities detract from your venture’s value.

.Net 89

.Net Metrics Competition Template 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 7, 2017

The solution is to establish and maintain a culture and processes that don’t view change as a discrete event to be spotted and managed, but as an ongoing opportunity to improve competitiveness. Relevant skills include continuous improvement of existing methods, processes and devices against a set of quality metrics.

Startup 56

Startup Training Statistics Summary 56

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Many entrepreneurs scare away potential investors by claiming that their technology represents “truly disruptive technology.” Competition and sustainable advantage. Exit strategy.

Invest 74

Invest Tips Competition Metrics 74

InfoChachkie

MAY 22, 2012

The same should be true of an entrepreneur who is attempting to secure money from sophisticated investors. Step 1: The Person, Not The Firm – As Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson make clear in their book Venture Deals , entrepreneurs should identify specific venture partners, rather than target firms as a whole. It’s not.”

Venture Capital 236

Venture Capital Capital Research Customer 236

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 25, 2014

Tons of great conversations about new startups, hardware, and the entrepreneurs building them. As we know, long gone are the days of experiencing SXSW Interactive with just 9,000 other tech entrepreneurs and business brights – with 30,000 registrants in 2013 and the final numbers for 2014 still in the works.

Entertainment 99

Entertainment Google Entrepreneur Course 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

The solution is to establish and maintain a culture and processes that don’t view change as a discrete event to be spotted and managed, but as an ongoing opportunity to improve competitiveness. Relevant skills include continuous improvement of existing methods, processes and devices against a set of quality metrics.

Startup 93

Startup Training Statistics Summary 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

The solution is to establish and maintain a culture and processes that don’t view change as a discrete event to be spotted and managed, but as an ongoing opportunity to improve competitiveness. Relevant skills include continuous improvement of existing methods, processes and devices against a set of quality metrics.

Startup 94

Startup Marketing Training Statistics 94

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

In our industry we applaud the efforts for entrepreneurs to have tried and we know that today’s failure can bring the experience for tomorrow’s success. How much money will airlines companies, hotel companies or event companies pay me as a referral or for booking? Competition. And how much do others providers make?

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

For a similar company, with the same metrics and stage, valuations had been tiny. I think, of course, that we''re miles behind the valley, and probably behind event New York, but there''s no question this will be a highly vibrant ecosystem, and already is. We invest globally, with 20 percent of our funds outside the U.S.,

Southern California 124

Southern California SoCal Commerce Invest 124

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

I hope to be asked back for next year’s event. We talked about how business school historically hasn’t positioned entrepreneurs well for success. I wrote about that before in a post about “ whether MBAs are necessary for entrepreneurs. Liquidity is a process not an event. No minority shareholder.

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know feels the pressure of the thousands of things that need to get done, all seemingly at the same time. I recommend that entrepreneurs test the market with a minimum viable product (MVP), before burning resources on the ultimate solution, only to find the market has changed. There is just not enough time!

Tips 100

Tips Activity Startup Product 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2017

Ironically, the most common desire I hear from entrepreneurs selling wholly online, is the need for their entry into retail, as the next step in their growth strategy. Measure your agility by putting metrics on change. Old views of change rates are no longer competitive. They may be improving every period, but losing the race.

Customer 52

Customer Custom Technical Review Summary 52

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2012

The movie, “The Social Network” might have had more of an impact on creating future entrepreneurs than any other event of the past 5 years. Yes, it’s true that FOMO (fear of missing out) is driving some irrational behavior and valuations amongst uber competitive deals and well-financed VCs. Thank you, Aaron Sorkin!

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Capital Technical Review Startup 347