Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2023

The challenge is to find the time and initiative to keep up with the information wave, and be able to curate the data into knowledge that must be learned, unlearned, or relearned. With this principle, real entrepreneurs start with a conviction that new learning will reveal flaws in existing models, leading to new opportunities.

Social Media 120

Social Media Startup Entrepreneur Education 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2022

In these days of global competition via multiple channels, you need continuous marketing to find more customers. I continue to be amazed that more than a quarter of new businesses don’t even have a website , and many more don’t pay attention to social media, or monitor feedback on sites like Yelp. They won’t find you.

Technical Review 142

Technical Review Social Media Conference Customer 142

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Track competition to stay ahead of copycats. Don’t wait for negative momentum to alert you to new competition – recovery is much more difficult than proactively making focused changes to retain customer loyalty and repeat business. Your long-term success and satisfaction depends on it.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. That might start with the CEO giving the investor pitch to the whole organization, and distributing the current business plan document to everyone.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

New business models that provide an ongoing revenue stream, or a secondary stream from advertising, raise your margins and can give you some additional satisfaction. Watch that patent provide a real barrier to competitive entry. This may also be the moment when you get your first big acquisition offer, rather than a clone appearing.

Satisfaction 174

Satisfaction Customer Custom Outsource 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2023

Today, in this age of pervasive social media and two-way communication, the focus needs to get beyond demographics into personalities. Commitment means signing up willingly, showing up mentally, standing up for the customer, and never ever giving up. Add the extra mile to make the experience exceptional.

Customer 131

Customer Custom Social Media Training 131

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Today, customers are looking for real relationships, a memorable shopping experience, and satisfaction of a higher purpose. Other companies, including Ritz-Carlton , now incent their employees to build real relationships with guests, by authorizing them to spend up to $2,000 per guest to solve an individual concern.

Customer 133

Customer Custom Satisfaction Examples 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2020

The challenge is to find the time and initiative to keep up with the information wave, and be able to curate the data into knowledge that must be learned, unlearned, or relearned. With this principle, real entrepreneurs start with a conviction that new learning will reveal flaws in existing models, leading to new opportunities.

Social Media 127

Social Media Startup Education Entrepreneur 127

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2022

In my role of business advisor to startups, I often recommend these to increase initial brand identity and market penetration. With the rate of market change today, and the advent of worldwide competitors, you need every strategy you can muster to keep up, and respond quickly to new threats.

Marketing 119

Marketing Social Media Mentor Conference 119

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

Today, in this age of pervasive social media and two-way communication, the focus needs to get beyond demographics into personalities. Commitment means signing up willingly, showing up mentally, standing up for the customer, and never ever giving up. Add the extra mile to make the experience exceptional.

Customer 158

Customer Custom Social Media Satisfaction 158

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. That might start with the CEO giving the investor pitch to the whole organization, and distributing the current business plan document to everyone.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2021

Marketing is necessary via social media, traditional media, and personal visibility, to attract customers, loyalty, and a competitive brand image. If you enjoy wearing many different hats and are constantly learning new skills, you will get more satisfaction as an entrepreneur. There are no startup expert roles.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Ideas Social Media 158

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Bureaucracy can appear quickly in startups as well as large companies. Discipline is required to continually track results, return on investment, and customer satisfaction. It all starts with agile leadership.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Organization Social Media Entrepreneur 151

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2015

Many startups and mature businesses have not yet accepted the fact that customer satisfaction and loyalty in this “always connected” age are about more than product and service quality. But to engender loyalty, you have to be delivering a good experience and keeping satisfaction high. Marketing-driven customer acquisition.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Satisfaction Social Media 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2021

In this age of instant and global communication via social media and the Internet, I see more and more evidence that delighted customers should be your top priority. At every Ritz-Carlton , for example, employees are authorized to spend up to $2,000 per guest to solve any guest issue and make the stay positively memorable.

Customer 114

Customer Custom Satisfaction Metrics 114

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2016

New business models that provide an ongoing revenue stream, or a secondary stream from advertising, raise your margins and can give you some additional satisfaction. Watch that patent provide a real barrier to competitive entry. This may also be the moment when you get your first big acquisition offer, rather than a clone appearing.

Satisfaction 61

Satisfaction Startup Customer Custom 61

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2022

As a business consultant with experience in large companies as well as startups, I often hear about dysfunctional management hierarchies, as well as the value provided by exceptional ones. We have all heard about the successes of flattened management organizations in the last decade at Facebook, Valve, Zappos, and others.

Outsource 133

Outsource Training Organization Social Media 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 28, 2019

With the cost of starting an online business today at an all-time low, I can’t imagine why everyone doesn’t have a web site and an LLC to mitigate liability and minimize taxes. Instead, having your own business going shows initiative, leadership, wider experience, and makes you more competitive for any role available.

Startup 73

Startup Tool Study Web 73

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Image via Flickr by Side Wages Some entrepreneurs forget that they need an innovative business model along with an innovative solution to have a successful startup. That’s why I say “two heads are better than one” in a startup. Business work should start only after the product is done."

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Social Media Competition 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2013

Many startups and mature businesses have not yet adapted to the fact that customer satisfaction in this “always connected” age is more than product and service quality. But to engender loyalty, you have to be delivering a good experience and keep satisfaction high. Customer upsell, selling more to existing customers.

Customer 97

Customer Custom Satisfaction Social Media 97

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

According to a recent poll , contractors and freelancers could make up half of the American workforce within a decade. Here are some key strategies that I recommend to every worker today: Develop and highlight your competitive differentiation. Start today thinking at least one job ahead. Walk away from a bad role or customer.

Startup 98

Startup Outsource Development Competition Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2015

New business models that provide an ongoing revenue stream, or a secondary stream from advertising, raise your margins and can give you some additional satisfaction. Watch that patent provide a real barrier to competitive entry. dream entrepreneur inspiration perspiration startup' Increasing customer focus and loyalty.

Satisfaction 101

Satisfaction Entrepreneur Customer Custom 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2015

Aspiring entrepreneurs who rely only on traditional learning vehicles (teachers, classrooms, and risk-free practice) are doomed to failure in founding a startup today. Either they are never really ready to start, study an opportunity until it has passed, or fail with tools and techniques from a bygone business era.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Social Media Startup Education 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2018

Starting a new venture and thriving in today’s economy is hard, but the best have figured out that customers and employees need to feel that you have a sense of purpose, to complement the company’s pursuit of profit. Become a thought leader early through social media. Seek out partner relationships aligned to your purpose.

Startup 58

Startup Customer Custom Competition 58

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

I continue to collect great content that is the intersection of startups, products, online and technology. aka: An Open Letter to the Next Big Social Network) - 500 Hats , November 1, 2010 I've held off writing this post for a long time, because I couldn't quite get my head around all the issues. but: Something is Still Missing.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2020

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Bureaucracy can appear quickly in startups as well as large companies. Discipline is required to continually track results, return on investment, and customer satisfaction. It all starts with agile leadership.

Tips 126

Tips Technical Review Organization Social Media 126

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2018

Today, in this age of pervasive social media and two-way communication, the focus needs to get beyond demographics into personalities. Commitment means signing up willingly, showing up mentally, standing up for the customer, and never ever giving up. Add the extra mile to make the experience exceptional.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Social Media Training 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2016

The challenge is to find the time and initiative to keep up with the information wave, and be able to curate the data into knowledge that must be learned, unlearned, or relearned. With this principle, real entrepreneurs start with a conviction that new learning will reveal flaws in existing models, leading to new opportunities.

Entrepreneur 61

Entrepreneur Social Media Startup Education 61

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2016

Take an honest look at your motivation, resources and relationships before initiating a startup. No amount of passion and startup planning will make everything work exactly right the first time. Use social media and live customers to eliminate any reality distortion in your internal perception of value.

Startup 62

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Statistics 62

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2016

Today, in this age of pervasive social media and two-way communication, the focus needs to get beyond demographics into personalities. Commitment means signing up willingly, showing up mentally, standing up for the customer, and never ever giving up. Add the extra mile to make the experience exceptional.

Customer 97

Customer Custom Social Media Training 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2015

With social media and smart phone conversations, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Bureaucracy can appear quickly in startups as well as large companies. Discipline is required to continually track results, return on investment, and customer satisfaction. It all starts with agile leadership.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Organization Entrepreneur Social Media 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2018

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Bureaucracy can appear quickly in startups as well as large companies. Discipline is required to continually track results, return on investment, and customer satisfaction. It all starts with agile leadership.

Technical Review 68

Technical Review Organization Entrepreneur Social Media 68

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2010

For example, non-computer types should consider delegating their social media, website, and SEO activities. It always starts with trust. Set a definite task completion date and a follow-up system. In this way you can check up on progress before the final deadline, without fuzzy questions like “How are you doing?”

Entrepreneur 52

Entrepreneur Startup SEO Social Media 52