Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Every new business I know dreams of building momentum in their business, where growth continues to increase, customers become your best advocates, and employee motivation is high. Unfortunately, with limited resources, this isn’t possible, and it frustrates customers and the team. Focus first on finding more of the right customers.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2020

Obviously, the business of business has been around a long time, with many “best practices” well-defined and well documented, so creativity that ignores these is usually not a good thing. Using data metrics alone for decisions, without seeking the root problem and alternative solutions, kills creativity. Tricked by recency.

Metrics 157

Metrics Demand Statistics Sales 157

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

Here’s Why You Should Just Send the Deck I know you have your document sending tool to send your fund-raising deck to VCs and track who read your deck, which pages they read and how much time they spend on each page. I Know Everybody Told You to Send Your Fund-Raising Decks as a Link. What should not be in your deck?

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

Finally you create and document your recipe (business plan). If you can’t identify customer interest, it doesn’t matter how good your product is. Don’t be afraid to test your ultimate entree on customers. Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements? Make them “feel the love.”

Startup 112

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2021

If customers don’t know you exist, you can’t solve their problem, they won’t buy. Getting customer attention often takes more innovation today than solving the tough technical problems. Talk to real live customers in addition to marketers. You won’t need the multiple follow-ups and time to close new sales.

Technical Advisors 154

Technical Advisors Tips Marketing Case Study 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2019

It’s always tempting to think that more product variations will satisfy more customers and lead to new sales. Some chaos is normal in every new business, but many wait far too long before they install metrics based on “best practices,” and fail to attack obvious bottlenecks with a vengeance. Use multiple small orders at first.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Metrics Technical Review 122

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Your historical trading information including financials and a “customer file” which shows the history of your transactions so that investors can run “cohort” analyses Customer reference, personal references, key team members, compensation, cap table, stock option plan, etc. It doesn’t. The data room is where your process goes to die.

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Finally you create and document your recipe (business plan). If you can’t identify customer interest, it doesn’t matter how good your product is. Don’t be afraid to test your ultimate entree on customers. Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements? Make them “feel the love.”

Startup 156

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2019

Don’t get me wrong, it’s always great to see that first surge of customers, but that’s just the beginning of your work. With the real data from that surge, you need to take a hard look at business model realities, cost of customer acquisition, inventory costs, and other key metrics.

Metrics 86

Metrics Startup Training Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2011

Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. The best way to do this is with real customer interviews. Include planned measurements and metrics.

Customer 96

Customer Custom Search Engine Optimization Summary 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2015

Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers. Professional investors expect far more than an idea pitch – they are looking for a documented opportunity analysis and realistic financial projections.

Ideas 115

Ideas Startup IBM IBM 115

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

He also still gets excited to donate one percent of sales to environmental groups around the world. Document and communicate a solid business plan. These relationships must be nurtured over time, balanced against your personal life, and grow to include major customers, competitors, and potential acquirers.

Startup 94

Startup Ideas Metrics Entrepreneur 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2015

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation.

Outsource Development 99

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 99

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2018

As a long-time advisor to entrepreneurs and business owners, I rarely find someone who doesn’t proclaim that the business world is changing rapidly, with new technology, new customer expectations, and new cultures. Others still routinely have phone hold queues for customer contact that can last up to an hour, with no alternative options.

Technical Review 84

Technical Review Customer Custom Startup 84

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

What used to be an “A” round in 2011 is now routinely called a Seed round and this has been so engrained that founders would rather take less money than to have to put the words “A round” in their legal documents. We can’t wait for customers to use the product for 12–18 months and do customer interviews or look at purchase cohorts.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2017

“Sleeping giants do wake up,” I always say, to remind new business owners that nobody cares what you do when you are not a threat, but when you get some real traction with customers, competitors will come out of the woodwork with a vengeance. You need quantified value for customers to see, feel, and pay for.

Metrics 58

Metrics Resource Startup Training 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2016

Let me be a bit more specific on how follow-up trumps ideas for success in the key challenges of a startup, or any small business: Networking with investors, partners, and customers. Professional investors expect far more than an idea pitch – they are looking for a documented opportunity analysis and realistic financial projections.

Ideas 53

Ideas Startup IBM IBM 53

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2014

Obviously, the business of business has been around a long time, with many “best practices” well-defined and well documented, so creativity that ignores these is usually not a good thing. Using data metrics alone for decisions, without seeking the root problem and alternative solutions, kills creativity. Tricked by recency.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Metrics Demand Statistics 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2013

Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. The best way to do this is with real customer interviews. Include planned measurements and metrics.

Startup 105

Startup Search Engine Optimization Summary Customer 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2016

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation.

Ideas 62

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Competition 62

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2017

Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. The best way to do this is with real customer interviews. Include planned measurements and metrics.

Search Engine Optimization 58

Search Engine Optimization Startup SEO Customer 58

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2012

Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. The best way to do this is with real customer interviews. Include planned measurements and metrics.

Tips 93

Tips Search Engine Optimization Summary Startup 93

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

In my experience, the key steps I look for always include the following: Testing the idea against customers who have money to spend. I suggest you use social media, blogging, crowdfunding, or documented research to quantify a real demand from people who can afford it, and don’t have a better alternative already out there.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2013

Obviously, the business of business has been around a long time, with many “best practices” well-defined and well documented, so creativity that ignores these is usually not a good thing. Using data metrics alone for decisions, without seeking the root problem and alternative solutions, kills creativity. Tricked by recency.

Metrics 110

Metrics Entrepreneur Demand Statistics 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2018

The intent is to indicate that founder passion is not a substitute for real customers buying the product. The challenge is to convince investors that your business will attract real customers, before you have a revenue stream that exceeds your expenses. Pivoting early, based on real customer feedback, is always cheaper than later.

Customer 59

Customer Custom Pricing Startup 59

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2018

Finally you create and document your recipe (business plan). If you can’t identify customer interest, it doesn’t matter how good your product is. Don’t be afraid to test your ultimate entrée on customers. Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements? Make them “feel the love.”

Startup 81

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 81

Berkonomics

JANUARY 16, 2014

Create roles and guidelines in the potential partnership: What role and responsibility will each of the partners have including operation, financial, sales, marketing, etc.? Perform preliminary due diligence: Review the business plan including marketing, sales strategies and financial needs. How will decisions be made and by whom?

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Startup Examples Metrics 204

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2016

Obviously, the business of business has been around a long time, with many “best practices” well-defined and well documented, so creativity that ignores these is usually not a good thing. Using data metrics alone for decisions, without seeking the root problem and alternative solutions, kills creativity. Tricked by recency.

Metrics 60

Metrics Demand Statistics Sales 60

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of specifying and documenting “formal business processes.” This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Funding process.

Startup 107

Startup Outsource Development Training Outsource 107

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

Finally you create and document your recipe (business plan). If you can’t identify customer interest, it doesn’t matter how good your product is. Don’t be afraid to test your ultimate entrée on customers. Have you projected sales and marketing costs, cash flow, and capital requirements? Make them “feel the love.”

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 93

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

Document and commit to specific goals. Lack of focus only confuses customers and dilutes your scarce time and resources. Define and use metrics to measure your progress. In addition, I look for do-it-yourself confidence that minimizes any dependence on outside help. Celebrate small successes with the team.

Social Network 94

Social Network Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2017

At worst, it’s a learning opportunity for you and your team, which can lead to providing a better customer solution or experience. At best, you may find a new revenue stream providing a product or service that eliminates a painful problem for both you and your customers. Don’t let costs escalate, or customers escape for lack of action.

Metrics 58

Metrics Entrepreneur Examples Coach 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution.

Competition 116

Competition Metrics Startup Sales 116

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2013

Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of specifying and documenting “formal business processes.” This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Funding process.

Outsource Development 92

Outsource Development Training Outsource Metrics 92

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2016

An initial revenue surge, or a major cash advance from investors often leads to a mentality of building a large customer base at any cost. As the business grows, it pays to learn how to use automated financial tools, and review the key financial metrics daily. Failure to follow-up on customer receivables delays.

Startup 57

Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2016

Most begin by doing the product development, marketing and sales alone, but struggle making the transition to hiring and coaching others, defining repeatable processes and focusing on future strategy. Now you have real customers who can quickly turn off hundreds of potential customers if you ignore their feedback.

Social Network 59

Social Network Startup Demand Entrepreneur 59