Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

In my consulting work, when I ask team members in startups and small businesses how they know whether they are doing a good job, the typical response I get is “Nobody has yelled at me today,” or “No news is good news.” A little competition for results is always a good thing. Give a person time to feel good in your presence.

Startup 133

Startup Mentor News Coach 133

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

As a startup advisor and investor, living in an area with several local universities, I’m continually surprised by how little many entrepreneurs know about the resources available from these institutions. Other project and research reports in their library are a rich source of new ideas, if you are still looking for a place to start.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2022

The story most specifically targets big companies, like Boeing, but the concepts are just as applicable to a startup with one or more employees. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based. Innovation is at the very heart of every successful startup.

Competition 153

Competition Mentor Ideas Organization 153

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2015

To confirm the value of checking yourself, I find more and more investment organizations and startup incubators, including StartupAmerica and CoFoundersLab , already use a formal process, such as StrengthsFinder , as part of their screening process. The Builder excels at constructing a business from the ground up.

Startup 106

Startup Incubator Entrepreneur Metrics 106

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

Most of you business professionals that I know have at least thought about or talked about starting their own business, to get more control, make more money, or to get more satisfaction out of their life. As a mentor to young aspiring entrepreneurs , I often get asked for tips on a strategy to get started.

Startup 114

Startup Tips Coach Satisfaction 114

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2023

In fact, recent studies and surveys continue to show that team member engagement is at an all-time low approaching 30 percent, both within teams and across the field of larger organizations. Listen to everyone's input, encourage people to speak up, and repeat back what you have heard. Promote team inclusive activities and diversity.

Coach 117

Coach Mentor Study Activity 117

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2021

In my many years of experience in business, and recent work as a mentor to entrepreneurs, I have seen the business world change, and can relate well to his five success practices paraphrased here: Build the team from people with a shared obsession. Teams must openly deal with their own weaknesses and take action on underperformers.

Class 155

Class Develop Development Startup 155

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often feel the frustration of someone trying to build a startup in the wrong place and time, and wrongly attributing their struggle to personal limitations. I saw these addressed well in a new book, “ The Startup Community Way ,” by Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway.

Resource 131

Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Last week, the University of Southern California 's Viterbi School of Engineering announced that it had established a new, business plan competition, the Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition ([link] specifically aimed at students in the engineering school. Why a business plan competition, and why in engineering school?

Competition 154

Competition Southern California Mentor USC 154

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2023

The best startups give everyone business cards and encourage team members to talk about the business with anyone who should be interested. Team members need time, and your support, to attend conferences and professional organizations to stay in touch with colleagues and peers. Empower engagement. Encourage networking. Give credit.

Startup 95

Startup Coach Mentor Social Media 95

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

Fortunately, the Startup of the Year program aims to make it easier for founders to connect with resources. In 2006, a passion to help startups grew into Tech Cocktail , a company whose mission was to showcased burgeoning companies in bars around the country. Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (Fargo, ND).

Startup 140

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 140

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2022

The largest and most successful businesses of the past have been traditionally driven by autocratic and powerful leaders who managed a highly structured organization of subordinates. Discourage internal team competition and silos. If they see you as the competition or the enemy, you will never get winning results.

Organization 105

Organization Mentor Startup Training 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

As a startup advisor and investor, living in an area with several local universities, I’m continually surprised by how little many entrepreneurs know about the resources available from these institutions. Other project and research reports in their library are a rich source of new ideas, if you are still looking for a place to start.

Class 124

Class Startup Resource Mentor 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

As a business advisor and investor in new startups, I see how difficult it is to make any process work, no matter how well designed, if the team is dysfunctional. Effective communication in a rapidly changing environment must be two-way and continuous, from all levels of the organization. Of course, some balance is required.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2022

Starting and running a business requires many different skills and interests, and not many of us have all of them. Thus, in my mentoring of potential technical entrepreneurs who have a real passion for their technology, I often recommend that they find a co-founder who can manage the marketing and execution elements of the new venture.

Mentor 133

Mentor Startup Custom Customer 133

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2021

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 145

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 145

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

A continuing question I hear from young entrepreneurs is whether a university degree is important to startup success, or just a distraction in achieving their purpose in the world. Take advantage of free startup programs and mentors. Initiate networking to find peer partners and investors.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

The best startups give everyone business cards and encourage team members to talk about the business with anyone who should be interested. Team members need time, and your support, to attend conferences and professional organizations to stay in touch with colleagues and peers. Empower engagement. Encourage networking. Give credit.

Marketing 130

Marketing Develop Development Startup 130

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2023

They know these exceptional leaders seem to have a way of finding and enticing the best people into the organization, getting exceptional performance out of them, and fast-tracking their careers both inside and outside the organization. Measure by relationships as well as competitiveness. Always searching for new talent sources.

Oracle 94

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 94

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Incubator 106

Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 23, 2012

1) Get A Mentor. "I "I started the site when I was 19. "When you give everyone a voice and give people power, the system usually ends up in a really good place. " When asked about the competition he feared most, Bill Gates is alleged to have said, "the two guys inventing away in a garage somewhere."

Startup 268

Startup Tips CTO Coach Technical Review 268

Tech.Co

APRIL 24, 2018

But if you’re a startup founder, you too have the chance to find your own moment in the spotlight. Over the past decade, startups that have been part of the Startup of the Year programs have made new partnerships, grown into household names, and collectively raised billions of dollars in funding. Startup of the Year!

Startup 70

Startup Competition Google Capital 70

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

I received a great question via LinkedIn: I'm the founding engineer and working hard to launch my startup. What can I do to best equip myself to step up when the need to officially fill this role arises? I've previously addressed the role of a CTO in early-stages in my post Startup CTO or Developer. How can we address this risk?

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2015

If you are one of the many professionals still trapped between jobs by circumstances outside your control, or are about to dump the loser job you have now, you should be actively defining and starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Have startup efforts to highlight in job interviews.

Startup 101

Startup Social Network Activity Ideas 101

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

According to a recent Forbes article , UC Santa Barbara''s Technology Management Program offers students a superior startup education over the University of Pennsylvania (home of Wharton), as well Harvard, Northwestern and even its acclaimed southern neighbor, the University of Southern California. Organic Academia. Techpreneurs.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2021

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. In fact, the process of organizing and documenting these elements is the best way to make sure you understand the answers yourself. I hope not.

Sample 137

Sample Writing Mentor Content 137

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2021

They are quick to claim the credit for things in their domain that work, but also quick to disclaim responsibility for problems that keep popping up. 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.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2023

Every business organization, large or small, has a variety of individual and team member types that factor into your ability to innovate and change the business to meet evolving customer needs and competition. As a result, these people often end up disheartened. Coach: force for stability and mentoring.

Coach 96

Coach Ideas Mentor Organization 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2016

I find that this type offers the most value to new entrepreneurs or startups in the early idea stage. Most incubators start their program with some aptitude and business acumen tests. Direction, mentoring and resources required. The best ones also charge an up-front participation fee for services provided.

Incubator 58

Incubator Startup Seed Funding Equity 58

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2019

The story most specifically targets big companies, like Boeing, but the concepts are just as applicable to a startup with one or more employees. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based. Innovation is at the very heart of every successful startup.

Mentor 101

Mentor Competition Ideas Organization 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2015

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

Incubator 98

Incubator Startup Help Resource 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2017

The story most specifically targets big companies, like Boeing, but the concepts are just as applicable to a startup with one or more employees. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based. Innovation is at the very heart of every successful startup.

Startup 61

Startup Mentor Competition Ideas 61

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2020

They know these exceptional leaders seem to have a way of finding and enticing the best people into the organization, getting exceptional performance out of them, and fast-tracking their careers both inside and outside the organization. Measure by relationships as well as competitiveness. Always searching for new talent sources.

Oracle 124

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2015

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. In fact, the process of organizing and documenting these elements is the best way to make sure you understand the answers yourself. I hope not.

Startup 109

Startup Writing Mentor Sample 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2013

The story most specifically targets big companies, like Boeing, but the concepts are just as applicable to a startup with one or more employees. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based. Innovation is at the very heart of every successful startup.

Startup 106

Startup Mentor Competition Ideas 106