Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2022

These days the media formats range from email, phone, radio, television, to social media. Social media includes blogs, social networks, and video-sharing sites. With social media, you are always “on the record” and once you say it, it’s out there forever. People judge you and your company in the first few seconds.

Media 118

Media Tips Social Media Startup 118

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2019

Based on my own experience in business over the years, and current coaching efforts, I recommend a focus on the following strategies and attributes: Make your customer the center of everything you do. Customers need to believe that you have their interests at heart. Take an active role in a higher cause or social reform.

Custom 93

Custom Customer IBM IBM 93

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 2, 2009

Twitter is the new CRM (customer relationship management) channel. On Facebook (and nearly all social networks that preceded it) the relationship was always reciprocal – if I accept your invitation to follow me then I have to follow you. People write their thoughts knowing that anybody else can see them.

Social Network 235

Social Network Writing Tool Startup 235

socalTECH

OCTOBER 16, 2008

Los Angeles-based You2Gov, an online social networking startup focused on politics, said this week that it has added new technology to allow its users to directly contact members of Congress. The firm's site now allows users to email, write, or make calls via Skype and Jaxtr to their political representatives. READ MORE>>

Sites 100

Sites Social Network Writing Resource 100

SoCal CTO

MARCH 18, 2010

Vince: On the consulting side we are working with a unique social network, a new television network and some original video content businesses. Vince: In addition to my management writing I’ve interview many CEOs and innovators. What networking events in Los Angeles or Southern California do you go to?

Startup 225

Startup Los Angeles Social Network Twiistup 225

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

Obviously you should have somebody that helps you research journalists, gets you meetings, pitches stories, helps prep you for interviews & helps make sure your writing is cogent. You need somebody who REALLY understands your company, its customers and its competitors. I write on my blog how I think in my head.

Startup 349

Startup Writing Press Blogging 349

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2010

In writing anything positive about any of the companies I’m not suggesting that it means that I prefer them to any of their competitors. Also, some of the deals I write about I have actually seen as part of their fund raising process. They have done 3 startups in the customer support space and one that wasn’t.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Capital Email Blogging 265

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2017

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. Assess social media relevance to your product or service. If your business is industrial B2B products, social media should be low on your list.

Social Media 66

Social Media Media Tips Platform 66

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

If you are looking for funding and customers for your new business, you need to identify your “unique selling proposition” (USP) right up front, in 30 seconds or less, to differentiate yourself in today’s information overload. Investor and customer attention spans are short, and both will write you off quickly.

.Net 73

.Net Examples Custom Customer 73

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2010

Based on a survey just last year by Robert Half Technology , over half of today’s companies block social networks completely, while another 19 percent only permit it "for business purposes." Social networks have become a great vector for Trojans like Zeus and URLZone. To me, the answers are clear.

Social Network 87

Social Network Networking Tool Sites 87

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2013

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. Assess social media relevance to your product or service. If your business is industrial B2B products, social media should be low on your list.

Social Media 101

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Metrics 101

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

I recently spoke at Caltech at the Caltech / MIT Enterprise Forum on “the future of social networking,&# the 30-minute video is here and the PowerPoint presentation is here on DocStoc ). What are the big trends that will drive the next phase of social networks? And so it goes with social networking.

Social Network 318

Social Network Networking Web 2.0 Startup 318

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. Don’t skip all business social settings. They never call, they never write, and wait for you to make the first move.

Startup 75

Startup Social Network Networking Mentor 75

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

In fact, the focus on social networking platforms, starting with Facebook, has destroyed the meaning of the word friend and even changed it from a noun to a verb. You need business partners, investors and customers. More professional connections means more credibility, more insight into the market and more customer clout.

Entrepreneur 66

Entrepreneur Social Network Technical Review Social Media 66

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2015

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. Don’t skip all business social settings. They never call, they never write, and wait for you to make the first move.

Startup 108

Startup Social Network Mentor Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2017

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. Assess social media relevance to your product or service. A balance of conventional and social communication and marketing is always advised.

Social Media 58

Social Media Media Platform Tool 58

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2012

…” I’ll write soon on my views of why I believe Instagram took off as a social network and what I think comes next. Instagram happens to be one of the few social networks I regularly use along with Twitter. It’s understandably on everybody’s mind these days.

Venture Capital 316

Venture Capital Pricing Social Network Acquisition 316

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 22, 2012

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. Assess social media relevance to your product or service. If your business is industrial B2B products, social media should be low on your list.

Social Media 95

Social Media Media Startup Platform 95

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2019

These days the media formats range from email, phone, radio, television, to social media. Social media includes blogs, social networks, and video-sharing sites. With social media, you are always “on the record” and once you say it, it’s out there forever. People judge you and your company in the first few seconds.

Press 96

Press Entrepreneur Social Media Training 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2017

In today’s customer context, you can foster rapport by dressing like them, making every effort to look attractive, offering compliments, and listening intensely. Customers need to believe that you are one of them. Going out of your way to help a customer or help a good cause pays big dividends these days.

Social Media 58

Social Media Custom Customer Entrepreneur 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2013

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. Don’t skip all business social settings. They never call, they never write, and wait for you to make the first move.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Tips Startup Social Network 108

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Our marquis customers are companies like Citibank and Lowe's Corporation, along with many others. We also cross into the GUI level of automation, so that a customer can interact with an application and websites as if there was someone at a keyboard. The traditional way to handle that is to write code.

Networking 214

Networking IBM IBM Pacific Palisades 214

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. For a business, you must define the absolute minimum features you need to satisfy the customer problem, and test it in the market. Get a real customer and real revenue. Letters of intent or endorsement.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2011

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. Assess social media relevance to your product or service. If your business is industrial B2B products, social media should be low on your list.

Social Media 93

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Platform 93

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2013

No name, picture, address, or business history only convinces customers that you are hiding, located in an un-trustable country, or don’t have a clue. Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Follow-up for customer satisfaction.

Search Engine Optimization 105

Search Engine Optimization Startup Advertising SEO 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2012

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. Don’t skip all business social settings. They never call, they never write, and wait for you to make the first move.

Startup 97

Startup Tips Social Network Networking 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. For a business, you must define the absolute minimum features you need to satisfy the customer problem, and test it in the market. Get a real customer and real revenue. Letters of intent or endorsement.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Custom 104

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

This is a post I’ve been dying to write for 18 months. I invested in LA-based Gogii , one of the fastest growing, most exciting mobile social networking companies you’ve never heard of and maker of a product called textPlus. You fish where your customers are. Mostly, I love writing.

Gogii 310

Gogii Invest Blogging Startup 310

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. Don’t skip all business social settings. They never call, they never write, and wait for you to make the first move.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Tips Startup Social Network 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2012

No name, picture, address, or business history only convinces customers that you are hiding, located in an un-trustable country, or don’t have a clue. Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Follow-up for customer satisfaction.

Search Engine Optimization 96

Search Engine Optimization Entrepreneur Sites Advertising 96

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2010

Blogging has come a long way in the past few years, from a social release for narcissists, to today’s required vehicle for promoting your business and gaining valuable online exposure, ultimately bringing in more customers. An informal writing style is generally recommended. Add outgoing links. Create incoming links.

Blogging 48

Blogging Search Engine Optimization Startup Writing 48

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had seen many cycles and decided that since I was going to do it all over again I should write about it. It included one firm who I asked not to call Salesforce.com as a reference (they were our largest pilot customer) and in their kindness they called Marc Benioff (the CEO) and asked his opinion. That changed very quickly.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 16, 2011

I provided information for my customers to make their lives easier.&# Really understanding the business of your customer matters. After seeing “The Social Network&# there is an increased attitude amongst this generation (of women) that … why not go into startups? I agree whole heartedly. Start early.

Startup 311

Startup Sales Venture Capital Entrepreneur 311

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2012

You may have great credentials as a public servant in your home town, but that won’t get you money to build a social network on the Internet, or start a software company. To be respected at the top of the pyramid, a CEO must be able to clearly communicate the vision of the company to inspire investors, the team, and customers.

Startup 94

Startup Resource Social Network Mentor 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2014

Customize your website using one of the tools above, selecting one of the standard templates for design and layout. Obviously, commercial e-commerce sites handling thousands of products and back-office functions are more expensive, and usually require professional help to do the custom programming and special site navigation features.

Startup 100

Startup Commerce Sites Blogging 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

This costs nothing, and allows you to safely collect money from customers all around the world. Customize your website using one of the tools above, selecting one of the standard templates for design and layout. The next step in complexity is building a software product that you can offer as a service to your customers.

Commerce 99

Commerce Startup Sites Tool 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

Forcing yourself to write down a plan is actually the only way to make sure you actually have a plan. For a business, you must define the absolute minimum features you need to satisfy the customer problem, and test it in the market. Get a real customer and real revenue. Letters of intent or endorsement.

Startup 101

Startup CTO Hire Press Custom 101