Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2014

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for others, that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Here is a summary of recommendations from both of us, based on my own business mentoring insights: Re-launch using your enhanced core competency.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Summary 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2022

If every entrepreneur could predict the future, starting the right new business would be easy. First, a quick summary of the major U.S. That means that starting soon, our doctors, hospitals, eldercare, hospice and even death care systems are going to face unprecedented demand. Autos for drivers: Waning market demand.

Demand 103

Demand Startup Course Summary 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2014

How good are you and everyone on your team at proactively scanning the environment for opportunities, emerging trends, and customer feedback? Imbue customer change focus. Provide direct customer contact to everyone, as well as training. In summary, change will happen. Increase change agility. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Startup Training Statistics 110

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

As a startup advisor and investor, I find that more and more entrepreneurs avoid using the term “profit” in pitching their new venture. Of course, I understand and don’t condone bad actors who get greedy, and exploit ways to unjustly squeeze customers and employees. Solve a painful problem for customers who have money to spend.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Ideas Pricing Custom 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2022

I believe these same mindsets are equally applicable to the entrepreneurs I mentor, and all of you small business leaders, so I offer you my summary of the authors’ conclusions, paraphrased here, with my own insights: Be bold in vision, strategy, and resource allocation. Keep the teams strong.

Template 109

Template Demand Social Media Summary 109

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2022

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Here is my summary of the ten top creativity mistakes we both still see too often: Criticize any new idea or employee suggestion.

Ideas 111

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 111

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2019

As an advisor to business owners, and an occasional angel investor, my job is to separate the actual challenges from the common misconceptions that distract many promising entrepreneurs while building the leadership team required for your solution, marketing, and finance success. Sharing your business ownership increases the risk.

Software Review 98

Software Review Ideas Outsource Development Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2019

Examples include the Conscious Capitalism® movement, founded by John Mackey of Whole Foods, the B Team , founded by serial entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, and the Benefit Corporation (B Corp) form of business now available in 33 states. Selling too early triggers customer defenses and drives them away.

Startup 97

Startup Education Custom Customer 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2016

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Product 55

Product Startup Summary Entrepreneur 55

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2014

Many entrepreneurs still don’t understand that building a business culture today of doing good, like helping people (society) and planet (sustainability), is also a key to maximizing profit. Employees and customers alike are looking for meaning, not simply employment and commodity prices. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 91

Startup Organization Pricing Custom 91

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

Or if you’re pinched on time the summary is below and the time coding can help you watch a brief snippet on topics that interest you. 3:35 The real entrepreneurs come out during a down economy. 19:30 A teachable moment for entrepreneurs: HAVE A HYPOTHESIS! 57: 00 How do you rectify company mission and customer demand.

Social Media 301

Social Media Startup Metrics Media 301

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2013

Examples include the Conscious Capitalism® movement, led by John Mackey of Whole Foods, The B Team , led by serial entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, and the Benefit Corporation (B Corp) form of business now available in 14 states. Selling too early triggers customer defenses and drives them away.

Startup 117

Startup Education Custom Customer 117

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2018

As an active angel investor, I’m accustomed to hearing entrepreneurs pitch their expectation to quickly create a new dominant brand, based on their disruptive technology. Brand scaling is driven by customers, not by business, large or small. Only recently, I realized that times are rapidly changing.

Marketing 57

Marketing Startup Entrepreneur Social Media 57

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Here is my summary of the ten top creativity mistakes we both still see too often: Criticize any new idea or employee suggestion.

Ideas 94

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2014

Startups using celebrities is such a hot topic these days that Gary Vaynerchuck , noted author and entrepreneur, has coined a new term “star-ups” for the phenomenon. Following is a summary of the challenges that Susan and other “experts” have outlined: Finding a match between your offering and a celebrity. Customers are a fickle bunch.

Help 96

Help Startup Entrepreneur Summary 96

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

People who believe the former believe that you should see the market demand before too many people know you’re “in market.” Remember, I was an entrepreneur for 10 years before a VC). Even though I got a “no” he helped me understand why I wasn’t a fit for him and that always set the bar for how I wanted to treat entrepreneurs?—?friendly,

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

A great recent example of this was a successful group of entrepreneurs who had created a company that will do $10-12 million in revenue at their system integration business (read: services business) in 2011 after having done $5 million or so in 2010 and $2-3 million in 2009. And stop effing around trying to create a product company.&#.

Services 332

Services Venture Capital IP Startup 332

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2016

Examples include the Conscious Capitalism® movement, led by John Mackey of Whole Foods, the B Team , led by serial entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, and the Benefit Corporation (B Corp) form of business now available in 30 states. Selling too early triggers customer defenses and drives them away.

Capital 58

Capital Startup Education Custom 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 7, 2017

How good are you and everyone on your team at proactively scanning the environment for opportunities, emerging trends, and customer feedback? Imbue customer change focus. Provide direct customer contact to everyone, as well as training. In summary, change will happen. Increase change agility.

Startup 56

Startup Training Statistics Summary 56

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

Summary notes, as always, provide below. He was a life-long entrepreneur and the first business he created out of college (actually, he founded it while he was at Caltech) was a company that manufactured high quality audio speakers. Too many entrepreneurs focus on dilution. It was a pleasure to write them myself.

Competition 350

Competition Idealab Product CitySearch 350

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2011

Startups using celebrities is such a hot topic these days that Gary Vaynerchuck , noted author and entrepreneur, has coined a new term “star-ups” for the phenomenon. Following is a summary of the challenges that Susan and other “experts” have outlined: Finding a match between your offering and a celebrity. Customers are a fickle bunch.

Startup 92

Startup Summary Examples Entrepreneur 92

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2012

Startups using celebrities is such a hot topic these days that Gary Vaynerchuck , noted author and entrepreneur, has coined a new term “star-ups” for the phenomenon. Following is a summary of the challenges that Susan and other “experts” have outlined: Finding a match between your offering and a celebrity. Customers are a fickle bunch.

Startup 85

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Summary 85

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2012

It seems like some CEOs are just more tuned in to the market realities, customer dynamics, people interactions, and are better leaders. Here is a summary of seven maxims that I excerpted from their e-book, which you can use in your startup and every entrepreneurial initiative: Work as a trusted customer advisor. Simple is smart.

Custom 89

Custom Customer Organization Summary 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2012

Montgomery, which does a great job of laying out specifics, but also starts with a good summary of the intangibles, summarized as the five rules of relevancy, by Mark Zawacki: A startup needs to be relevant and stay relevant. Selling too early triggers customer defenses and drives them away. A startup must maintain a laser focus.

Startup 99

Startup Education Custom Customer 99

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

Here is a summary of seven maxims that I excerpted from their e-book, which you can use in your startup and every entrepreneurial initiative: Work as a trusted customer advisor. They develop solutions in the context of the total customer experience. Tuned in leaders don’t push solutions at their customers and walk away.

Organization 89

Organization Custom Customer Summary 89

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. Executive Summary. If you want to watch the video version summary of my advice on fund raising it’s here. I never suggest that entrepreneurs just randomly pitch VCs. Don’t believe otherwise. Meet early.

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

That, plus I love the space of high-customer-service, focused eCommerce for moms worried about what their kids eat & wear.&#. I was saying that I was happy it was all out in the open because I felt at least everybody could now understand the issues & opportunities from the perspectives of angels, entrepreneurs and VCs.

Startup 292

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Summary 292

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

How good are you and everyone on your team at proactively scanning the environment for opportunities, emerging trends, and customer feedback? Imbue customer change focus. Provide direct customer contact to everyone, as well as training. In summary, change will happen. Increase change agility.

Startup 93

Startup Training Statistics Summary 93

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Here is my summary of the ten top creativity mistakes we both still see too often: Criticize any new idea or employee suggestion.

Ideas 56

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 56

InfoChachkie

JUNE 23, 2011

What follows is a summary which paraphrases Jason’s responses. The catalyst was that we saw the demand and it was confirmed by some of the leading advertisers in the marketplace. 4) A lot of successful entrepreneurs Get The Band Back Together. You can watch the video below or on YouTube here: [link]. You guys never broke up.

Yahoo 210

Yahoo Startup Advertising Summary 210

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

It seems like some CEOs are just more tuned in to the market realities, customer dynamics, people interactions, and are better leaders. Here is a summary of seven maxims that I excerpted from their e-book, which you can use in your startup and every entrepreneurial initiative: Work as a trusted customer advisor. Simple is smart.

Startup 93

Startup Organization Custom Customer 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

How good are you and everyone on your team at proactively scanning the environment for opportunities, emerging trends, and customer feedback? Imbue customer change focus. Provide direct customer contact to everyone, as well as training. In summary, change will happen. Increase change agility.

Startup 94

Startup Marketing Training Statistics 94

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

Ever had a meeting with a CEO who was really short with you, demanded the answer quickly and was fidgety while you spoke? For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. Most entrepreneurs are. It’s in their personality type.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price. This is wrong.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Capital Startup Pricing 282

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2017

Every business professional not only have to deal with their own office politics, but also with those in their customer offices, vendors, and partners. If you are viewed as always demanding support, but never giving it, your effectiveness will be greatly reduced, even when you are right. Support others as often as you ask for support.

Summary 62

Summary Product Networking Demand 62