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. Shares views and learns from a personal mentor. Visibly demonstrate the highest integrity.

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Entrepreneur Mentor Metrics Custom 168

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills.

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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. The future of work is definitely changing, accelerated by the current pandemic.

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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

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

JULY 22, 2023

It has a huge impact on productivity, as well as morale and loyalty to the company. In this age of interactive social media, your culture image quickly spreads to customers, and determines their loyalty. Trust causes the brain to release oxytocin, which stimulates productivity and raises motivation. So, how do you build trust?

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Claremont Mentor Study Startup 101

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

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Strategic planning is a required ongoing investment. Even the best college degree is not a substitute. Survival requires regular updates.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2023

In addition, relationships found through networking can make your life a lot more satisfying as well as more productive. For example, if you are an entrepreneur seeking investment or a cofounder, there is no substitute for networking at industry and startup conferences in your area. Quickly seek common interests from new relationships.

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Networking Mentor Conference Summary 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

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

APRIL 28, 2021

Almost every entrepreneur and new business owner I mentor is certain that his/her idea has a very high probability of success, and all find it hard to believe that ninety percent of startups ultimately fail. Look for validation from your mainstream customers. Even non-profits need income to run a business.

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Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

Based on my own experience as a mentor and angel investor, I find that as many as ninety percent of startups fail in the first five years, despite their best efforts. These are necessary to attract customers, investors, and give you a line of defense with competitors. Test your plan to get feedback from real customers.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2017

Leaders who are able to optimize these find multipliers of 20 percent up to nine times the average productivity. Many venture firms go even further, by insisting on investing their own key players in an interesting startup, before they commit any funds. Time investment standards fall directly on the CEO.

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Product Startup Guide Framework 58

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

It has a huge impact on productivity, as well as morale and loyalty to the company. In this age of interactive social media, your culture image quickly spreads to customers, and determines their loyalty. Trust causes the brain to release oxytocin, which stimulates productivity and raises motivation. So, how do you build trust?

Claremont 172

Claremont Mentor Study Startup 172

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. Smart business owners realize that no returns occur without some investment and risk.

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socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2018

The concept, is we want o get them to an accelerator, get them investment, or get them to revenueany one of those paths would be great. Most of our mentors are people who have been successful entrepreneurs and investors, who have been there, and understand how to get a company to the next sage. That was Startup Next.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. There are lots of resources available for that question, including the Internet and mentors like me. Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost.

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Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

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 19, 2021

As an angel investor in new startups, I’ve long believed that investors invest in people, not ideas. 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. billion buyout.

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Custom Customer Metrics Ideas 157

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. Bigger organizations should invest in the new “big data” tools. Working on the wrong problem or assumption.

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Tool Statistics Entrepreneur Metrics 121

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. Investor agreements should always be reviewed by an attorney who is familiar with startup equity investment deals.

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Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

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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. Marty Zwilling.

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Product Coach Framework Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2020

In my experience as a business mentor, one of the biggest challenges I see is a failure to focus. Here are the key elements that I look for as an entrepreneur mentor, as indications of a top level of focus: Willing to share your personal story to build credibility. Highlight results and urgency, rather than variety of activities.

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Entrepreneur Startup Patents Resource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2020

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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Mentor Competition Summary Coach 135

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Great content again in September that meets at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. And And after 30 years of Venture investing we still have a hard time articulating why. But how do you actually get the right people to be your mentors? Want to start up in France? " Listen.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2022

Thus, over the years of my mentoring and consulting efforts with entrepreneurs, I have a key list of practices that I recommend to everyone starting and growing a business. You may think it’s great that demand exceeds your supply chain, but customers only remember it as a loss of your credibility, and will tell others.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2022

In my role as a mentor to entrepreneurs and an angel investor, I find that too many are stuck in this myth that a good pitch, and good marketing content, should consist of more product features, and more hype on customer benefits. Just remember that business is about people, more than products and solutions.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Message delivery must be customized for each investor. Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary.

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Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2022

One of the attributes that I often recommend to the business professionals and entrepreneurs I mentor is to always be totally accountable for your actions and ideas. I too often see people who are quick to make excuses, blame failures on peers or customers, or see management as the reason for their lack of productivity.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2019

To refresh your memory, angel investors are typically high net worth individuals, accredited by the SEC and willing to invest their own money in a high-potential startup for a share of the ownership. Business-to-business products need professional investors. In the real world, most angels are regular business people like you and me.

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Funding Startup Platform Examples 119

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2022

Advisors and mentors are busy people. Many entrepreneurs love investing in other startups. Multi-table investors are the norm, and the investment process is good training for multi-table entrepreneurs. Revenue from one startup can be “invested” in another, and assets like buildings and computers can be shared.

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Entrepreneur Startup Resource Course 145

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

In my role as a mentor to business professionals and entrepreneurs over the years, I have found that it’s important to take a hard look at the relationships around you on a regular basis. But, like most other skills, you can learn from these priorities: Everyone benefits from active mentoring. A good coach is not a critic.

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Tips Mentor Coach Activity 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2022

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. In business, entrepreneurs hunt for new innovative solutions to problems, new ways of beating competitors, new markets, and new customers. These are the ultimate hunters.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Develop written business plans as detailed as product plans. Good technologists produce written product specifications, to help them personally be confident that all the technical requirements are covered. Focus on advancing return on investment, rather than state of the art.

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Technical Review Product Activity Technology 54

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 12, 2013

He shared tons of information about how how they were using marketing to quantitatively make marketing decisions at HauteLook and acquire customers for prices that were far cheaper than similar companies. Natural mentors – a desire to help. We knew he had to be an investment partner. Quantitative & analytical.

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Venture Capital GRP Partners Startup Invest 360

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2022

As a mentor to business professionals, I find that many are frustrated that peers and managers don’t recognize the true value of their contributions. Documenting your input early, and follow-up later by quantifying customer revenue is your only way to make sure your value in the revenue growth process is not forgotten.

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Examples Metrics Startup Custom 133