Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2023

Most new business owners I know feel the challenges of not enough time, money, and resources, and see these as problems rather than a competitive advantage. You won’t be doing anyone any favors by keeping resource challenges and reductions to yourself. Share constraint info and ask team to help.

Resource 111

Resource Competition Outsource Development Startup 111

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 24, 2022

Yet, there are constant examples of new entrants into a niche that do grow, prosper and sometimes even become dominant. What if you had abandoned that market, reallocated your resources, and focused instead upon other non–competitive geographical or industry segments? At least that is the conventional wisdom.

Resource 156

Resource Competition Examples Customer 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Startups simply don’t have the resources to keep ahead of large competitors who see initial traction and go after it. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2014

First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. They simply don’t have the resources to keep ahead of large competitors who see initial traction and go after it. Competition for your new hydrogen fuel auto engine is not limited to other hydrogen auto engine offerings, or even other autos.

Competition 93

Competition Startup Patents Slides 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2014

You can start a new e-Commerce site on the Internet for as little as $100, with cheap smart phone apps, new technology innovations, or tapping the multitude of opportunities brought by capitalizing on our concern for dwindling natural resources. This not only saves scarce natural resources, but adds value to the economy.

Resource 96

Resource Ideas Startup Commerce 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

In the context of offering some inspiring examples of small business success, she includes some timeless business lessons that I believe every startup entrepreneur should take to heart and follow in practice. As examples, I offer my interpretation of some of the key lessons here: Scout the territory first and pick your battles.

Startup 146

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Training 146

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

As an investor, I always listen carefully to what an entrepreneur says, and does not say, about competition. Every business area has competition and every customer has alternatives, so a smart entrepreneur needs to acknowledge these as a positive in defining a big market, and position the features of a new solution in this context.

Competition 107

Competition Entrepreneur Patents Customer 107

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

This initial focus is usually driven by limited financial and people resources, as well as the bandwidth of the executive team. Yet a creative and skilled team will often find that non-organic growth techniques can better leverage these limited resources. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came quickly.

Organization 97

Organization Competition Startup Acquisition 97

Berkonomics

AUGUST 17, 2017

Let’s examine the relationship between time, quality and competitiveness. A marginal example was the Intel release of the Pentium Pro and new Pentium II processor to rave reviews – until a math professor found an obscure error in the chip’s code that made a rare floating-point calculation error.

Software Review 243

Software Review Examples Competition News 243

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2023

For example, consider Whole Foods , whose focus on healthy foods and a sustainable environment is legendary, even though their prices are often a bit higher. Most new businesses need three to five advisors or board members to regularly evaluate progress and resource needs, as well as your own leadership.

Marketing 116

Marketing Resource Training Startup 116

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

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. They can also connect you to area businesses.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2022

I’ve learned over the years that you need to start with specific goals, a focused strategy , and a motivated and prepared team in order to penetrate competitive defenses. They assume their innovation will overwhelm any competition, anywhere. Capitalize on territory the competition has not penetrated.

Marketing 125

Marketing Technical Review Startup Resource 125

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2021

Today you can start a new web site business for as little as $100, produce cheap smart phone apps, or lead the effort to tap the multitude of opportunities brought by capitalizing on our concern for dwindling natural resources. For example, a startup named Dirtt has been able to take reusable building components to a whole new level.

Startup 162

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Social Media 162

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Or concentrate our available resources on just plain money as an attraction? 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. More examples of gaming the system. Some obvious qualifiers.

Design 156

Design Examples Competition Pricing 156

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 Customer Custom 139

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

For example, a couple of years ago, Starbucks' CEO Kevin R. Create innovative change from existing resources. The most effective leaders marshal existing resources and incent people to create innovative yet competitive solutions. True leaders don’t let their ego or competitive nature create a façade.

Coach 162

Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Berkonomics

MARCH 23, 2023

We recruit and hire using LinkedIn or other resources, replacing job fairs, campus events and paper resumes. Examples of re-imagining the business. There are hundreds of other examples of re-imagination everywhere we look, making our lives easier and our reach greater than ever before. Let’s explore examples of these and more.

Mobile 156

Mobile Commerce Software Review Yammer 156

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2012

One of the toughest and yet most important questions you will be asked by savvy potential startup investors is “What is your sustainable competitive advantage?” Yet many entrepreneurs, maybe in their passion for their new product, gloss over this one, or even announce that they have no competition. No one said it would be easy!

Competition 97

Competition Patents Startup Social Network 97

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 Competition Ideas IBM 96

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. That’s likely to be completely unreachable for you with almost any amount of resources. Sources for your data. TAM, SAM, SOM?

Company 156

Company Companies Metrics Resource 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

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. They can also connect you to area businesses.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2023

They bristle quickly when investors or even potential customers raise issues with real value, competition, risk, and sustainability. Negotiate the time and resources to do a trial, and measure results. The reality is that good ideas are always challenged, so you need to expect it. You don’t know the issues well enough.

Ideas 136

Ideas Case Study Mobile Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2011

One of the toughest and yet most important questions you will be asked by savvy potential startup investors is “What is your sustainable competitive advantage?” Yet many entrepreneurs, maybe in their passion for their new product, gloss over this one, or even announce that they have no competition. No one said it would be easy!

Competition 102

Competition Patents Startup Social Network 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

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. I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2023

For example, we all remember when Blockbuster realized too late that Netflix was stealing customers by offering videos online rather than via DVDs, but even then they were unable to adapt their processes and their thinking. I see this happening in smaller ways often, where there is minimal focus on competition.

Metrics 71

Metrics Training Netflix Resource 71

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 Competition Ideas 160

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 13, 2016

Yet, there are constant examples of new entrants into a niche that grow, prosper and sometimes even become dominant. Email readers, continue here…] What if you had abandoned that market, reallocated your resources, and focused instead upon other non–competitive geographical or industry segments? Quietly abandon a niche?

Resource 120

Resource Competition Examples Customer 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2019

In the context of offering some inspiring examples of small business success, she includes some timeless business lessons that I believe every startup entrepreneur should take to heart and follow in practice. As examples, I offer my interpretation of some of the key lessons here: Scout the territory first and pick your battles.

Resource 130

Resource Entrepreneur Training Competition 130

Berkonomics

APRIL 18, 2019

So, here’s one to help you with squeezing the most out of your own available resources. And if there are people depending upon the output of that wrongly-placed individual, they too will suffer from reduced resources to complete their jobs. Well, here are the four areas you should focus upon every day. Enough said.

Help 120

Help Resource Product Email 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2019

The challenge is that too many are confused on what that means for them, and what it takes to make their business competitively agile. These authors, and I agree, define agility in business as the ability to detect and assess changes in the competitive world in real time, and then take decisive and effective action.

Competition 102

Competition Examples Startup Resource 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have enough resources to bootstrap our own startups, so we are completely dependent on investors to help turn great ideas into great businesses. You need to show you have a “Plan B,” and a never-give-up mindset, in handling any competitive threat or customer reaction.

Ideas 140

Ideas Entrepreneur Equity Resource 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Unfortunately, with limited resources, this isn’t possible, and it frustrates customers and the team. For example, Mark McClain, cofounder and CEO of SailPoint Technologies , created an employee growth culture resulting in growth of forty percent a year, with more than $100 million in revenues.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2023

You will find that customers discount advertising, and look for user testimonials, online influencer reviews, and return-on-investment examples from industry experts. The result can be a host of new competitive and price challenges which can stall growth or require excessive resources and time. Incent these early.

Product 141

Product Services Technical Review Artificial Inteligence 141

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2021

For example, a couple of years ago, Starbucks' chief executive officer, Kevin R. I often think of the scope of this example in my role as mentor to a struggling entrepreneur who is quick to blame his problems on employee mistakes, or even changing customer expectations. Don’t wait for a crisis to test accountability.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2023

Harris, in his classic book “ Transformative Entrepreneurs ,” provides examples of key elements of transformative ideas and leadership abilities that separate the winners from the losers. Nearly all new businesses aspiring to reach meaningful scale require some sort of outside funding to finance a competitive growth trajectory.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2021

Since we all have limited resources, and can’t add more hours to the day, the result is usually more things done poorly, rather than a few key things done better than anyone else. Good examples of startup focus before success include Google with their search engine, Facebook with friends networking, and Apple with personal computers.

Startup 154

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Metrics 154

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 19, 2015

Computers and the Internet have now brought in a new era that relies on data to make profitable business decisions in the competitive environment. Below is a full explanation of how small businesses can leverage technology to earn a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Cloud Services. Social Media Automation Tools. CRM Platforms.

Competition 40

Competition Technology Social Media Tips 40