Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

It’s easy to find yourself caught in the trap of just GSD (getting s**t done) and not stepping back to be thoughtful about whether you’d benefit from doing fewer things but doing those things truly well. And measuring activities or output can mislead you into thinking you’re doing a great job.

Activity 164

Activity Conference Press Case Study 164

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2023

Every entrepreneur I know can’t find enough hours in a day to do the good things they want, and yet they often find themselves saying yes to new requests. Speaking the considerations out loud will help you make sure you understand the full implications of either a yes or a no answer. Ask for time to check your calendar.

Startup 117

Startup Entrepreneur Tips Conference 117

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2010

It’s a shame since it’s such a golden opportunity for you to build awareness with your audience for who you are and what you do. I sat on two panels in the past week – once at LeadsCon (** see appendix if you’re interested in a back story here) and today at the America’s Growth Capital conference.

Startup 284

Startup Conference Venture Capital Tips 284

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2014

We all intuitively know how important human connections are in business but for many people it’s like exercise or eating well – one of those things you keep meaning to get around to. I spent an hour across two phone calls with him telling him why I believe MakeSpace will be a billion dollar company (which I do).

Networking 366

Networking Startup CTO Coach Email 366

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

If you truly believe that you, your company and your products are exceptional and your company will be valuable then you’re actually doing them a FAVOR by helping them invest in your startup. You need to figure out how much time to spend with each prospect and you need to rigorously manage your time and the calendar.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 4, 2016

In modern society we’re all over-worked and over-loaded with information and tasks and to-dos and obligations. Modern-society is also littered with over-networkers and over-introducers and professional conference attendees. That’s why focus is critical. Focus is almost always the right answer. It starts seemingly innocent enough.

Innocal 255

Innocal Conference Help Study 255

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 28, 2012

It’s tempting to take on new projects, new features, new geographies, new speaking opportunities, whatever. I like to counsel that the best teams are often defined by what they choose not to do. I like to counsel that the best teams are often defined by what they choose not to do. Let me explain. I hear it every week.

Resource 415

Resource Startup Product Ideas 415

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2010

I speak at conferences where I might meet 75-100 people and have conversations. I do dinners too often as my waistline can attest. I actually do have a very good memory. I’m especially good with numbers – for some reason that’s how my brain is wired. How do I know them?

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Blogging Conference Email 288

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2021

It does mean that you need to look, listen, and participate in the business world around you, and network through all available channels, like business-oriented social networks online (LinkedIn), local business organizations (Chamber of Commerce), and events or conferences in your school or industry. Give and you will receive.

Entrepreneur 140

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network Mentor 140

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2023

He speaks from a wealth of personal experience in private equity, as well as top executive positions at American Express, Sears, and Citigroup. Authentic communication at all levels and encouraging feedback is how you find out what is really going on. Help people know more, so they can do their job better. by Steven D.

Customer 140

Customer Custom Social Media Metrics 140

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2022

As a business consultant, I see and hear all around me people questioning their current and future career interests and growth, and wondering what they can do to make a decision and prepare. Ask yourself, “What is the future for what I do? Do I need new skills?” Imagine your best future with digital credentials.

Social Media 125

Social Media Summary Startup Mentor 125

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 14, 2010

There is a corollary to that advice, which is “doing the right things is more important than doing things right.&# Sounds simple but in practice I promise you most organization fall into the latter trap. Here’s how it goes: You have a business development group with two people. Let me give you an example.

Startup 323

Startup Press Development Team Review SEM 323

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 19, 2013

The line of reasoning goes, “Services businesses are not scalable and the market won’t reward this revenue so make sure that third-parties do your implementation or clients do it themselves. How do you get referenceable customers? “We want low-touch or zero-touch businesses” was the mantra.

Startup 403

Startup Sales Software Review Technical Review 403

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2021

Every entrepreneur I know can’t find enough hours in a day to do the good things they want, and yet they often find themselves saying yes to new requests. Speaking the considerations out loud will help you make sure you understand the full implications of either a yes or a no answer. Ask for time to check your calendar.

Tips 159

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Conference 159

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

I like to speak about this topic with first-time wantrapreneurs because if you read the tech press every day you’d get the impression that it all glamor. You probably follow some high-profile entrepreneurs on Instagram and Twitter and see conference pictures of them in Davos, Mexico, Monaco or wherever. It’s 4.50am.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 26, 2010

I must be an early adopter rather than an innovator because I DO NOT have my knickers in a twist to get on FlipBoard. Social Proof in Action … Yesterday I wrote about the benefits of using social proof and authority in raising venture capital. If you didn’t read that yet it might be worth having a quick skim as a primer.

Marketing 294

Marketing Customer Custom Technical Review 294

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2010

It starts in a crowded room at a conference or networking event. If you haven’t read that post I suggest you do since it’s such an important topic. if you're in a rush or ADHD you can skip to end of this post for the "to do" list]. You do what?”. “I He didn’t launch into a 3-5 minute diatribe as so many people do.

Startup 315

Startup Content Conference Media 315

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2018

There are those in the recruiting industry that have attempted to do so and depending upon the size of the company and the position replaced, seeming to settle upon astronomical lost costs that overwhelm most of our ability to understand. How about senior managers no longer at speed? Of course, I’ll tell another harrowing story here.

Training 226

Training Course Sales IBM 226

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2009

I remember going to an Under the Radar conference in 2006 in the heat of the Web 2.0 Unfortunately this was reinforced by the many conferences that rushed to espouse the benefits of Web 2.0 Someone remind me to do a future post on why I think the Ramen Profitable approach has actually hurt some businesses. Do so at your peril.

Web 2.0 334

Web 2.0 Venture Capital Web Technical Review 334

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

What kind of deals should I be doing? I did speaking gigs. When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. It was a fun period for me because everything was new and I was curious. What stage? What price? With which other investors? Should I focus on geographies or industries? I attended events. I hustled.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2010

We all imagine that somebody else has it figured out yet when you meet the people who you think actually do have it all you find out that life is hard for everybody. My life isn’t perfect – there’s always something that I know I should be doing to make it better. Whether you choose to be happy or not is up to you.

Blogging 407

Blogging Tips Press Startup 407

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

73% of those aged 12-17 do so. 73% of those aged 12-17 do so. If you follow the tech media you would be subject to a lot of narrative biases that are completely off base – and this includes the value of email and phone calls. Calls are changing but not dying. Much more data in the full post. There are 2.9 billion email accounts.

Email 339

Email SaaS Venture Capital Google 339

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 2, 2013

Then we discussed how they could go about finding this startup business advisor. Do you have any suggestions for how to find a good mentor? They will also be concerned about how this leads to their next role. I suggested that they should look for someone like me, but on the business end. For me, I'd use LinkedIn.

CTO Coach 259

CTO Coach Mentor Startup Technical Advisors 259

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

What kind of deals should I be doing? I did speaking gigs. Before I tell you my reasons for never doing a deal that a banker intro’d I have to preface by where I think bankers are enormously helpful on VC deals. When I was new at Venture Capital I was trying to figure out the business. What stage? What price? I hustled.

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

I spend a lot of time coaching entrepreneurs through their fund-raising processes by doing “pipeline reviews” of all of the firms with whom they are speaking. I believe people generally hate making decisions and especially so when they involve commitments and risks. So it should be no surprise that “yes” doesn’t come easily.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

socalTECH

DECEMBER 23, 2016

This morning, we have Kevin Winston of Digital LA (www.digitalla.net), the organization which is LA's largest digital networking group and which is behind the Silicon Beach Fest, the first and largest tech, startup and entertainment conference in LA. You'll be able to see all the many 2016 reflections here as they are posted.

Marina Del Rey 100

Marina Del Rey Dollar Shave Club Beverly Hills Startup 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

He has it on stage, too, at conferences. I told him I wanted to call it, “My Pal Dave” to explain the disconnect for me between how the public perceives Dave and the real Dave I know. I knew his as he considered becoming a VC and we talked a lot about how it was going for me in my early years. My pal Dave has blogger Tourette’s.

Startup 309

Startup Venture Capital Email Writing 309

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 1, 2019

In this age where every person feels the need for a relationship with people they do business with, introverts like me might seem to be at a distinct disadvantage. The key strategies she recommends, with my own priorities and insights, include the following: Be consistently very good at what you do.

Examples 86

Examples Coach Guide Conference 86

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

The bridge from thinking and talking, to doing, is a long and difficult one for many to get over. That’s why I caution my aspiring entrepreneur clients against proclaiming to investors that they are a great “idea” person. For example, I have a friend with a Ph.D. I have tried to convince him the general idea alone does not make a business.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2013

I recently wrote a post about how to manage relationships when you’re at a startup or are busy executive. We once took a “vacation” in Spain with Tania’s parents but we were in the midst of an M&A transaction so this photo is how my wife & her family remember me on that trip.

Tips 418

Tips Startup Email Blogging 418

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Both the video and Seth’s post are excellent primers regarding how to deal with guerilla marketing gone wrong. Fast forward to Socialstay, my current mobile start up which allows guest centric venues (hotels, conferences, dorms, etc…) to build and deploy custom mobile apps. Parcours Ninjas Vs. The Austin Police. By: Seth Epstein.

Marketing 230

Marketing Conference Startup Santa Barbara 230

InfoChachkie

JULY 30, 2012

I always enjoy a great guerilla marketing story, such as TestFlight’s use of T-shirts and Tacos to gain Steve Jobs’ attention at Apple’s 2011 developers’ conference. Thus, I was inspired when I heard about the impact collaboration-in-the-cloud innovator Central Desktop made at the April 2012 San Francisco ad:tech conference.

Marketing 209

Marketing Conference RSS Angel 209

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 18, 2010

Everyone will want you to speak at conferences. How do I basically tell people “I’m sorry, I don’t have time&# in a nice way? How do I punt on people? I do try to get to tech social events from time-to-time so I hope we can catch up there. I feel the same way.

Startup 305

Startup Venture Capital Writing Conference 305

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2012

I recently wrote about the 12 tips to building successful startup communities. After a recent discussion I had with Steve Blank it made me remember that I had left off one of the most critical factors – a culture of failure. I remember this lesson well. You can watch the video of us discussing this and other topics here. Failure is critical.

Startup 350

Startup Ideas Education Class 350

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 24, 2016

No board will know your business better than you do but if managed properly they should be the most informed people about your business than any full-time executive. This is your chance to tell board members what keeps you up at night and let them offer you input into what they would do. This is a total waste.

Guide 196

Guide Startup Metrics Conference 196

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 17, 2012

I was at a conference 18 monts ago or so. I’m fond of saying that I look for entrepreneurs that have a chip on their shoulder. That they have something to prove. That they’re not afraid to stick their noses up to the establishment. I have always felt this way. It’s something I kind of seek out. It leads to bad decisions.

Startup 336

Startup Entrepreneur IP Venture Capital 336

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

He wrote a post this long weekend on how he manages the board of DataSift. Partly out of the fact that in 1 week I depart for England to speak at LeWeb, attend our DataSift board meeting and generally make myself available to the DataSift team to meet their customers, partners and employees. Rob Bailey is the CEO of DataSift.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365