Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

In fact, the cost may be minimal, if you do your networking and build a relationship with an experienced business executive or two in your domain who are willing to share and give back for a nominal retainer, perhaps one percent of your new startup equity. Key board members multiply your networking efforts.

Startup 142

Startup Technical Review Equity Entrepreneur 142

Tech.Co

MAY 26, 2020

Amazon used its popular affiliate program to spur additional growth, getting reviewers and publishing sites – including us here at Tech.co – to link to Amazon in exchange for a small payout whenever a reader bought something by following that link. Suddenly, every other affiliate program and network out there is looking more attractive.

Technical Review 129

Technical Review Buzzfeed News Networking 129

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

Yet in this age when customers have a thousand alternatives, and are overwhelmed by a multitude of messages, sales efforts can make or break a business. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. You and the customer have to be on the same side.

Sales 139

Sales Training Startup Customer 139

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

For example, even though Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook as an innovative product, most experts believe it was successful due to his relationship with Peter Thiel and other top VCs that he convinced to invest early. Ability to relate aspirations to customer needs. Maintaining an insatiable curiosity about change.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

Andy Grove of Intel fame started making memory chips, but switched to microprocessors with a vengeance when Japan totally undercut his pricing. The Google team stayed tight as they developed the technology, first working out of Larry Page’s dorm room at Stanford, then a garage. Teamwork is the hallmark of high-performing startups.

Technical Review 107

Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur Examples 107

Eric Greenspan

MAY 29, 2010

Using social media to increase your company’s touch and reach with each of your customers may be the most important reason to jump in to this game changing strategy. Social media can help bridge a long standing gap between customers and the companies they trust with their hard earned cash. 40,000) to join me on Facebook.

Social Media 214

Social Media Customer Custom Media 214

Southern California Edison Blog

OCTOBER 21, 2020

When determining the best underlying infrastructure to deliver reliable and effective network communications, enterprises, telecom carriers, academic institutions, and government agencies have two main options: wired vs. wireless backhaul. Benefits of wired backhaul include: Higher Max Network Speeds. Scalable Capacity.

Organization 72

Organization Technical Review Networking Customer 72

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2018

According to an old Harvard Business Review article, many people in history, famous for their inventions, like Thomas Edison, were entrepreneurs who only later were remembered as inventors of the products they commercialized. Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business.

Technical Review 86

Technical Review Patents Ideas Journal 86

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2020

Andy Grove of Intel fame started making memory chips, but switched to microprocessors with a vengeance when Japan totally undercut his pricing. The Google team stayed tight as they developed the technology, first working out of Larry Page’s dorm room at Stanford, then a garage. Teamwork is the hallmark of high-performing startups.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur Examples 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Thus founders seeking funding for a good cause or a new technology often seize on grants from universities, government agencies and philanthropic organizations as free money to solve their problems. After months of preparation, you should expect another six to nine months for reviews and funding cycles. Technology is not enough.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Great technology leads to innovative solutions that are possible, but not necessarily great businesses. Yet, due largely to non-technology business considerations, including pricing, safety concerns and support infrastructure, there are none that most people can name.

Technical Review 54

Technical Review Product Activity Technology 54

socalTECH

JUNE 5, 2013

They''re currently having to purchase dental care without any price transparency or negotiating power. We''re leveraging group buying to get pricing which is comparable to those negotiated by the large insurers. You can price a procedure, check on a dentist''s reputation, and book online. We felt that was not disruptive enough.

Pricing 227

Pricing Startup Networking Software Review 227

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2014

According to a Harvard Business Review article, many people in history, famous for their inventions, such as Thomas Edison, were entrepreneurs who only later were remembered as inventors of the products they commercialized. Of course, it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. When they look at buying your company they often think in terms of “how long will it take until I earn back the profits to pay for my acquisition price?” You may have leverage when you DO need to fund raise.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

What is it about the content delivery network market which has enabled Santa Monica-based EdgeCast to go from startup to over $100M in revenues in only a few, short years? We serve up four to five percent of the global Internet on our network. For those who don't know about EdgeCast, CDN services, who/what kind of clients you serve?

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2019

Especially in a small town, for credibility, you need to quantify your plan consistently to local leaders and organizations, as well as bankers and customers. For example, in a small town with no other hardware store, you may be lulled into complacency as customers flock in at any price, but soon a competitor will pounce.

Technical Review 107

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Customer 107

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 20, 2014

If you buy in bulk, the price of 1,000 Twitter followers is about $1.75. He noted that, " Throughout the year I review my Twitter followers looking for bots, accounts that have been abandoned, or that are tweeting links with viruses and I remove them. The Cost Of Fake Fame. Correspondingly, Klout is penalizing obvious fakers.

Social Media 274

Social Media Media Technical Review Software Review 274

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 2, 2009

As noted in Pour and Stir Part I , the key to the successful execution of this strategy is managing the following equation: The cost to acquire a customer < lifetime value of a customer. Decreasing Your Customer Acquisition Costs. This is equivalent to being handed a free customer for every ten customers you acquire.

Customer 164

Customer Custom Advertising SEM 164

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2011

What we all need is a digital tool that can extract data from business cards, as well as sync it with your cell phone, your email, and the social networks you use. Here’s the latest technology. That doesn’t address social networks and other lists you may have. The solution is simple to define. This is great and it’s free!

Technical Review 83

Technical Review Technology Software Review Social Network 83

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

What price? I tapped my friends at big tech companies (Salesforce, Google, Oracle). The only way for a company to be overvalued is if there’s someone willing to pay that price. ” Therefore one goal of Y Combinator appears to be “get the highest price and best terms.” What kind of deals should I be doing?

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

What price? I tapped my friends at big tech companies (Salesforce, Google, Oracle). The only way for a company to be overvalued is if there’s someone willing to pay that price. ” Therefore one goal of Y Combinator appears to be “get the highest price and best terms.” What kind of deals should I be doing?

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Berkonomics

JUNE 30, 2012

Email readers, continue here.] There are a number of ways to do this effectively, including the use of social networks to create buzz, seeding product acceptance through early adopters or celebrities, or by creating a small niche market that shows unusual acceptance and more. That story can be in print or in multimedia form.

Case Study 212

Case Study Study Social Network Advertising 212

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2016

According to an old Harvard Business Review article, many people in history, famous for their inventions, like Thomas Edison, were entrepreneurs who only later were remembered as inventors of the products they commercialized. Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Patents Ideas Journal 60

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea. In my experience, the key steps I look for always include the following: Testing the idea against customers who have money to spend. Prepare your marketing story for customers and investors.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Southern California Edison Blog

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Any interruption in service can have drastic effects on productivity, customer service, and on your bottom line. And for a premium customer service experience, it may make sense to choose a local or regional provider rather than a large national or international corporation. Local network operations center (NOC).

Services 64

Services Southern California Alhambra Technical Review 64

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

Yet in this age when customers have a thousand alternatives, and are overwhelmed by a multitude of messages, sales efforts can make or break a business. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. You and the customer have to be on the same side.

Sales 106

Sales Entrepreneur Customer Custom 106

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

I recall being impressed with Jeff, but I was concerned that he was creating a platform, which often requires a significant amount of capital, takes an extended amount of time to establish and can be subject to margin pressure as the enabling technologies become commoditized. Tech Diligence - Consider The Source.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2019

Image via Flickr by Phil Gyford Starting a new venture still costs real money, even though the entry price has come down dramatically in last few decades. You find that you need to be near major customers, or employee transportation hubs, where rents are higher than you ever anticipated. Ramp-up facilities and utilities required.

Startup 105

Startup Software Review Technical Review Social Media 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2014

Some pundits argue that the E-Myth principle is now outdated, due to the instant access to information via the Internet, pervasive networking via social media, and courses on entrepreneurship at all levels of education. Hence most fail. Perhaps an innate business savvy is no longer a requirement for starting a successful business.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Technical Review 107

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

I did a presentation this week at Coloft that looked at how Non-Technical Founders can go about getting their MVP built. The second bullet, getting feedback from customers is most often not valid either. And the back-end is something that a non-technical founder can manage. It had a passionate group of 50 people attending.

Technical Review 338

Technical Review CTO Hire CTO Coach Software Review 338

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

Consumer spending is 70% of the economy and will continue to be stretched – We can look all we want at tech innovation, VC funding cycles and hot M&A deals, but ultimately growth and therefore investment must be underpinned by revenue. Bad stock markets mean less IPO’s and lower prices for M&A.

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Startup Funding Technical Review 269

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Yet in this age when customers have a thousand alternatives, and are overwhelmed by a multitude of messages, sales efforts can make or break a business. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. You and the customer have to be on the same side.

Ideas 65

Ideas Sales Entrepreneur Customer 65

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2013

Some pundits argue that the E-Myth principle is now out-dated, due to the instant access to information via the Internet, pervasive networking via social media, and courses on entrepreneurship at all levels of education. Hence most fail. Perhaps an innate business savvy is no longer a requirement for starting a successful business.

Startup 94

Startup Technical Review Social Media Satisfaction 94

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2018

Dave Fink: Postie is a building a technology platform with a mission of making direct mail marketing behave as easily and dynamically as your favorite, programmatic channels. However, there just hasn't been the underlying technology to make it possible to pull all of that together. What is Postie? Both of us are purely digital.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Marketing 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

People said this about Ring (which went from startup to selling to Amazon > $1 billion in around 5 years), Facebook, YouTube, Airbnb, Uber, Twitter, Instagram and many other great behemoths of the technology industry. Ah, but Bird doesn’t have network effects! There is nothing viral! Anybody can launch a scooter service!

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Most of them are completely mundane such as choosing which: bank, office space, 1-year lease vs. 2-year lease, logo, URL, pricing structure or which VC. The technology team disagrees on direction and wants resolutions. There’s a guy in Los Angeles that I met at several tech networking events.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2009

I recently wrote a post on angel financing covering the topic of convertible notes but I realized I was thinking about the issue more from investor perspective and a very narrow topic of how to price the round. Existing tech or industry executives - Do you have strong relationships in your industry? That’s OK.

Angel 291

Angel Funding Venture Capital Startup 291