Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. In fact, some totally avoid it, assuming their product or solution will speak for itself later.

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Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

An occasional discussion with a mentor won’t do it. This is the stage where you move from building a product or solution, to building a business. Here you need a team, people with disparate but complementary skills bonded by your leadership, to ship product and go live. The place – finding a community where you can thrive.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. There are many ways to add levity to a tough challenge, and engaging the team occasionally in some fun activities will work wonders for your team’s productivity and motivation.

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Examples Mentor Activity Product 145

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

com) � backed by local investors Rincon Venture Partners and Bonfire Ventures�is helping to solve that problem, with its career pathing software designed for helping employees at large enterprises figure out what's next. It helps you figure out what you can do in a business, what roles are available, what might be my future here.

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Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2019

Image via Pixabay Everyone has heard about the big potential for using artificial intelligence (AI) to expand your business, but many of the small businesses I mentor are still wary of embracing it, because they don’t understand how it works, and fear losing control and unintended consequences. Human employees and customers still need roles.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

The “what” is well known in LA circles – Troy discovered a little known young singer named Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta aka Lady Gaga and helped her launch her career. And whom you know is really just about who is willing to go to bat for you, break through filters, and vouch for the quality of your product and of you.

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Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

and of course a relentless pursuit of helping founders succeed. So mostly we just had to listen to customer feedback from founders, VCs and LPs. She took an operating role helping run Citysearch and Urbanspoon. Leadership is about recognizing your next generation of talent and helping lift them up. Wait, What About Yves?

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2020

As I was watching the investor show, Shark Tank , on TV the other night, I was struck by how quickly and how extensively the sharks focused on the background and character of the entrepreneurs, compared to time spent evaluating their products. Recognize natural leaders and seeks help from them.

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Entrepreneur Mentor Metrics Customer 168

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2022

You may focus only on Facebook, and missing customers who expect to see you on Instagram and YouTube. Get interactive with online users and customer feedback. Publishing your content is positive, but responding to customers online multiplies your impact. Sponsor customer events for visibility and giveaways.

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Marketing Social Media Mentor Conference 119

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2018

What is Startup Boost , and how is it looking to help early stage startups in Los Angeles? It's a term to help people understand that we're here to help companies get ready to scale. We do that by galvanizing the community to help out. They're willing to give their time, a few hours a week, to help out startups.

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Sure, we built SaaS products before the term even existed but at 31 it was hard to delineate reality from what all of the monied people around us were telling us what we were worth. In those years I learned to properly build product, price products, sell products and serve customers. Until we weren’t.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2021

The last thing they can afford is to waste any of these, but in my mentoring and coaching activities, I see it happening all too often. Waste in a startup is any activity that burns resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. Bottlenecks to team productivity. Lack of communication.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2018

The market is changing so fast these days, and if you are not planning a solution today for tomorrow’s customers, you may be setting yourself up for failure and don’t even realize it. There are many free generalized tools, including Google Trends , which can be used to track customer behavior in looking for things that don’t exist yet.

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Customer Custom Technical Review Software Review 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2023

For example, witness the current creation of the space tourism industry, vaccines to control new viruses, or simply providing a free product to the needy for every product sold. As with any innovation, you need to get market feedback by conducting rapid market tests with real people you intend to help.

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Capital Netflix Resource Customer 142

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2021

There is always the next generation of workers coming of age who expect more, as well as the current generation already having the lowest engagement and productivity levels that business has ever seen. Spend more time mentoring and coaching your team. Focus on employee interests, and how their work can help their future.

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Tips Satisfaction Coach Mentor 159

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

Great marketing is required to generate revenue and grow every business, especially new businesses which have no brand recognition nor loyal customer base. Yet, as a business consultant, I still find many of you business leaders relying primarily on your technology, word-of-mouth , or location to attract necessary customers.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2023

Listen to your team, mentors, and customers to recognize real successes and failures, and surround yourself with people who can fill in the gaps. Allocate your time and resources to customer expectations and competitor challenges. Poor work-life balance will leave you and your team working more hours but being less productive.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2022

Many of you business leaders I work with, and entrepreneurs I mentor, have a great strategy and an innovative solution , but struggle with building and motivating the team necessary to run your business. Becoming a totally connected business leader is a very different challenge from building a product, or defining a good strategy.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Many people believe that new ideas are the critical element of innovation, but in my experience as a mentor and investor, long-term business success is more about implementation than ideas. Purpose defines the feeling that everyone wants to have from helping others and doing good for the world. First, failure is not always bad.

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Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2017

The challenge in to know when and how to ask for help, and not let bravado and ego mask anxieties. The best people know when they don’t know, and know how to find the right help. Unfortunately, too many entrepreneurs I know are terrible at finding and accepting help. Seek help or get out. You start playing the blame game.

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Help Startup Entrepreneur Mentor 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

Some are great product leaders and innovative technologists, others are leaders in creating new business models , a few can assemble great teams , but only the rare exception can do all three. A community requires two-way communication and respect – including advisors, partners, and customers.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2023

There are many components of an ownership thinking strategy, but here are some of the key ones from my own perspective, as a mentor and advisor to aspiring entrepreneurs and new business owners: Willing to take smart risks which lead to long-term growth. More new, repeat, and loyal customers means career success.

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Startup Satisfaction Metrics Customer 111

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2021

But privately, as a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I see mindsets and attributes that may be equally critical to success, but are not readily admitted, for fear of being too wacky. Don’t look to customers for breakthrough ideas. Advanced degrees won’t help you run your startup. Being the boss is a big burden and not much fun.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Too many relationships never advance beyond this stage, resulting in poor communication, no cooperation, low trust, and low shared productivity. Workship - Mentor. This is a productive working relationship where one party, more knowledgeable and/or experienced, takes an active role in fostering the advance of the other.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 19, 2021

As a mentor, my mission is to recommend actions that can strengthen your image with investors and peers, as well as help you get the startup job done. Focus on customers and people over profits and ego. Use active listening to learn from your team, your customers, and investors. Manual assessment is not productive.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2021

Others are really marketers out to make money fast, and believe that they can entice customers to any offering. You will usually find the Innovator entrepreneur in the “lab” of the business working on their invention, recipe, concept, system, or product that can be built into one or many businesses. But none have any lock on success.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2019

As an advisor to technical entrepreneurs, the most common mistake I see is the “If we build it, they will come” approach with no sales plan, under the assumption that the technology is so spectacular that customers will buy the product. Effective value propositions are quantified and personalized for each customer or target segment.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2022

Don’t wait for the right people in business to find you – developers, investors, partners, or key customers. Part of the challenge in every business is to first recognize who can help you, and secondly take the initiative to build a productive relationship with that person or team. Avoid naysayers and downers.

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Oracle Entrepreneur Outsource Development Mentor 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2023

These haven’t changed much over the years, but still seem to be often overlooked by business professionals and leaders in their haste to keep up with peers, competitors, and customers in today’s volatile environment. Timely follow-up on customer and team member requests. Loners need not apply. Find what works for you.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2021

As a long-time business advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs, I consistently find that the most thriving businesses are people-centric, and those team members create the best processes, rather than the other way around. Helping your team motivates them to drive your business. Engaged people are more productive than your best process.

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Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

Based on my years of experience mentoring and advising entrepreneurs, you need to attack problems and challenges with a mindset of success, or it is unlikely that you or your business will survive. Don’t try to be the lone hero – it pays to listen to other members of your team, who may be closer to the customer, and have better insights.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

Image via Wikipedia The challenge for all of us in business is to improve competitiveness by improving employee productivity and reducing costs. According to Gartner , one of the biggest drags on productivity is employee engagement, still hovering around 30 percent, and costing our businesses over $450 billion per year.

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Tips Satisfaction Training Mentor 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2015

In building successful businesses, I find that creating a new and innovative product or service is usually the easy part. The hard part is providing the leadership required to align and motivate all the constituents and players – from engineers, to investors, vendors, and ultimately customers.

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Product Coach Framework Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Many entrepreneurs forget that their success is more about helping other people than about personally becoming famous, or overcoming the odds and getting rich. A successful business has to satisfy customers with a strong team, by helping them solve problems, save money, or experience more pleasure. Build your people.

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Help Entrepreneur Customer Custom 97

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

Yet there is more and more evidence that jumping tasks on every alert for a new email, text, or phone call actually decreases overall productivity. Practicing these will ensure greater productivity, less stress, more job satisfaction, and an improved overall sense of well-being. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2021

As a mentor, I’m regularly frustrated by people who try to cover their lack of confidence with ego and arrogance , rather than working on the base issue. Everyone sees your energy applied more productively, and has the urge to help. Confidence and self-esteem are critical to your success as an entrepreneur, or any business role.

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