Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

He is very hands-on and helpful – especially for any company looking into customer acquisition. Big thank you to Darius Vasefi , of EyeOnJewels for the write up. o Early on they hired 3 people from ACT software at once (more team hiring) on staff and supplement it with Agency (in LA worked with First Communications – good).

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Custom Customer 304

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.

Custom 57

Custom Customer Technical Review Software Review 57

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

I’m over-paying for every check I write into the VC ecosystem and valuations are being pushed up to absurd levels and many of these valuations and companies won’t hold in the long term. We can’t wait for customers to use the product for 12–18 months and do customer interviews or look at purchase cohorts. Are we in a bubble?”

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2016

Mountain View-based Wrike , a developer of enterprise work management software, said on Monday that it has opened up a new office in San Diego, and plans to hire 150 people in the location. Wrike said the new jobs in the location will be in sales and customer service. READ MORE>>.

San Diego 100

San Diego Writing Software Sales 100

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 29, 2023

However, its unique-for-the-industry monthly subscription model has helped it maintain healthy profits from its loyal customer base in 2023. Writesonic Writesonic is an AI writing tool designed to help writers overcome writers block and level up their skills. Organic milk formula product Bobbie. Writesonic Library screenshot.

Startup 210

Startup Generative AI Newsletter Tool 210

Berkonomics

JULY 20, 2017

A product at the concept stage contains feature-functionality that customers may not want or be willing to pay for, or which just might not work well enough for release to the public. This is not to state that the customer tests a new product before we do internally, although many of us are surely guilty of that error.

Custom 256

Custom Customer Writing Product 256

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2020

If you have a software development background like mine, I’m sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. If your software or your manufacturing process is your “secret sauce,” you need to keep the work in-house. Customer-facing services, like call centers, should rarely be outsourced.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 122

socalTECH

JANUARY 23, 2013

If you are a millenial entering the workforce, what would you be most comfortable with -- a tool designed to work and look like a social network, or a tool built around an old fashioned corporate enterprise software UI? PromoJam debuted its brand new, self-service version of its social promotions tool today, PromoJam 2.0,

Tool 190

Tool Services Social Network Template 190

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.

Custom 164

Custom Customer Advertising SEM 164

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2013

They look at the following high level definition of Lean: and they interpret that as write up an executive summary with your ideas and hand it to developers to build. Have you conducted Problem, Solution and Feature Interviews with customers? Don't be fooled by a Common Misunderstanding in Agile Software Development.

CTO Coach 219

CTO Coach Metrics Framework Software Development 219

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

But should you actually write one if you’re a startup, an industry figure (lawyer, banker) or VC? This is a post to help you figure out why you should write and what you should talk about. I’ll bet your customers, business partners or suppliers would love similar. Who are your customers, partners or suppliers?

Blogging 373

Blogging Startup Writing Venture Capital 373

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

But like the company Kyriba, where we recently sold our position at above $1 billion, it took time until the revenue exceeded $100 million recurring and then the industry really competed to back this amazing company since it had scale, defensible technology and long-term, committed customers. VCs have different views and strategies on this.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 19, 2012

And in the case of defining mobile/web/software, there is even more variability in terms of form and format. You likely are writing your first one of these. You likely are writing your first one of these. This should be an iterative process with advisors and customers providing feedback on the product.

Develop 354

Develop Development Technical Review CTO Coach 354

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

A business plan is the outward facing definition of the business you hope to drive with your hardware solution, with a hardware overview in the intro to highlight customer value and competitiveness. Use non-fuzzy terms to quantify customer value. Provide specifics on the customer business model.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

socalTECH

JANUARY 18, 2011

We caught up with Julie Schoenfeld , the firm's CEO, to hear about how the firm's offerings have evolved, an interesting comparison of the firm's software to what Demand Media is doing, and what this new funding will go towards. Right now, news organizations write off the news cycle. Congrats on funding. That's what we are finding.

Marketing 232

Marketing Funding Content Writing 232

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA , which I wrote about previously. Simply, this is identifying a customer need which has economic value to them if they can solve it. Simply, this is identifying a customer need which has economic value to them if they can solve it.

Sales 336

Sales Startup Competition Custom 336

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2019

Even if it’s only a few PowerPoint slides or typed paragraphs, writing something down is the first step toward making it real. Always write in the future tense, what you will do, and name yourself as the key person responsible. The process will force you solidify the specifics, and mentally commit to them.

Ideas 99

Ideas Slides Writing Startup 99

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 23, 2013

I’ve been writing a series on a simple methodology that we used at my first enterprise software company. Simply, this is identifying a customer need that has economic value to them if they can solve it. This solves the customer question, “Why Buy Anything?”. The first post covered the topic of “P” or pain.

Sales 328

Sales Custom Customer Examples 328

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2019

For example, I come from a software background, and back in the early PC days, it could easily cost half a million dollars for a team of professionals to produce a commercial product. Now, with powerful high-level tools and open source software, winning smartphone apps can be built by a good hacker for a few thousand dollars.

Startup 105

Startup Software Review Technical Review Social Media 105

Xconomy

JUNE 11, 2018

Rockwell Automation is investing $1 billion in PTC, as the two companies team up to advance their vision of software-driven factories and industrial operations. As of this writing, it was trading at nearly $92 per share, up more than 5 percent from Friday’s closing price. Read more » Reprints | Share:

Yahoo 45

Yahoo Writing News Pricing 45

TechCrunch LA

JULY 19, 2022

to develop some sweet inventory-planning software. She went on to write, “Dee and Josh are the exact right team to tackle it. They have the unique mix of deep apparel and commerce expertise, empathy for the customer and need set through the businesses they have run, speed, and product-first mindset. Syrup Tech bags $6.3M

Product 191

Product Funding Technical Review Equity 191

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA. Customers sometimes buy things spontaneously without thinking through what their actual need is. The goal is to get the customer speaking about their organization. These references make for great discussions with customers.

Sales 367

Sales Slides Startup Custom 367

InfoChachkie

JUNE 16, 2016

Custom Wharton Degree. As I turned away, somewhat shocked with the ease with which I had customized my curriculum, he stopped me and asked, “I can understand why you want to take Squash, but can I ask why you are enrolling in Farsi?”. Writing / English / Public Speaking. Writ 105PS Writing for Public Speaking.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Class Course Writing 100

socalTECH

JUNE 8, 2011

But, with the economy turning south in 2008, lots of those customers went out of business. In the meantime, Groupon came along, and our media customers started to lose advertising. We realized that no one had built a Groupon-like platform, so we built one because our customer asked for it. How do clients license your software?

Platform 263

Platform Training Software Review Advertising 263

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Jim Semick: I’ve been launching and managing software products for 15 years now, going back to when you and I worked together at Expertcity before it was acquired by Citrix. We build product roadmap software – it’s a SaaS company based here in Santa Barbara, California. Who is Mr. Semick and what is ProductPlan all about?

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

So that we’re speaking the same language I would define “exclusive” as a period in which your company is prohibited from doing business with certain customers or business partners, which is why many incorrectly assume this is necessarily bad. Why Exclusivity Matters to Your Customers or Business Development Partners.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Startup Custom Customer 150

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

As I look back at insights I might share, I wade through the trite suggestions of ‘work hard’ and ‘treat the customer well.’ I had to be successful at my new software company. Frank Peters made his money writing software for Wall Street. But there’s more. Burn the bridges behind comes to mind.

Startup 204

Startup Software Review UCLA Sales 204

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? . -

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 15, 2015

Select the real software product from this list. You must also place yourself in the shoes of other uniformed and indifferent stakeholders, including: customers, partners and suppliers. In describing effective writing, the best-selling author Stephen King notes that, “Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word.”

Santa Barbara 100

Santa Barbara Writing Tips Product 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

Let’s say you have built a SaaS company where a large part of the early revenue comes from a few big customers or a large part of the revenue is services based vs. software based. The investor is a customer and they have money to spend but only for a limited number of companies. Let me give you an example.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2018

For those not familiar with the writing process in Hollywood works, fill us in? We saw that there were a lot of talent discovery programs out there, such as screenwriting fellowships, labs, film festivals, workshops, and writing competitions. That's been our focus, on centralizing talent discovery on the platform.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Hollywood Platform Competition 100

socalTECH

MARCH 2, 2020

Croquet is developing software for collaborative applications, which has applications in virtual worlds and augmented and virtual reality. The big win is, first of all, since it looks like a single computer to the developer, they just have to program their software as a single computer. David Smith: We actually have customers now.

Platform 168

Platform Startup Examples Web 168

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Southern California--despite the lack of huge, name brand firms-- has a significant number of enterprise software companies, of which Network Automation is just one. Our marquis customers are companies like Citibank and Lowe's Corporation, along with many others. The traditional way to handle that is to write code.

Networking 214

Networking IBM IBM Pacific Palisades 214

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2014

If you have a software development background like mine, Im sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. If your software or your manufacturing process is your secret sauce, you need to keep the work in-house. The same applies to manufacturing and almost any process these days.

Outsource Development 95

Outsource Development Outsource Offshore Software Review 95

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

Marketing futures can be really good for enterprise software companies where the information is passed between sales rep and potential customer in terms of near-term roadmap. Market to Your Target Audience – I’ve seen a lot of startups who like to write blog posts on life as an entrepreneur. You don’t.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

socalTECH

MAY 19, 2017

Those are the companies we are building our security software for in the first place, all major enterprises. Andrew Peterson: It's all software. We're entirely born in the cloud, so it's a piece of software installed within a customer's system. Why is it that your software is so important for DevOps?

Web 138

Web Startup Southern California Software 138

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

I want to understand how many units the company is selling, whether this is increasing over time and how well they’re doing at retaining the customers that they do acquire. Do 20% of the customers make 80% of the revenue or do the top 3 customers represent 80% of the revenue. My first priority is to understand “growth drivers.”

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227