Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Do real tests with real pricing to see if customers will pay you, without being pushed. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2017

I long ago learned that the customer is not always right, but you can turn most around to be great. Thus the first step in understanding difficult customers is to put yourself in your customer’s position, and think how often you find yourself in one of the following difficult customer categories: Expecting what was promised but not delivered.

Customer 89

Customer Custom Demand Pricing 89

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned. People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. This determined nature can help you accomplish great things in new organizations.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 110

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. You can be pissed off, but I don’t set prices. That’s stupid.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

While this reaction to such a valuation is understandable, to anybody who has seen the meteoric rise in consumer demand and actual revenue the valuation is much less surprising and may turn out to be quite conservative. You can expect some strong competition, but it’s unlikely that there will be 5 great scooter companies.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

If it becomes a part of your long term sales message, there is risk that you will set expectations you cannot achieve. And a disappointment based on missed delivery or completion is as great as one based upon trounced quality or price expectations. Red Adair said, “…pick any two.”

Resource 120

Resource Sales Pricing Demand 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2022

In the restaurant business, I often see great cooks fail to succeed by not having a partner or the right level of focus on the financial side of the equation. Today, customer loyalty is based on the “ total customer experience ,” as opposed to price or service alone. Pay attention to all.

Mentor 133

Mentor Startup Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2020

Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned. People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. This determined nature can help you accomplish great things in new organizations.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 126

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2014

To get some insight into how those names are changing--we caught up with Steve Banfield , SVP and GM of Registrar Services over at Rightside (www.rightside.co) -- which is in the midst of spinning out from Santa Monica-based Demand Media. Steve Banfield: What will become Rightside has been part of Demand Media.

Demand 231

Demand HTML Web Media 231

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

So when you say $8–10m is your goal and you aren’t at all thinking about your valuation know that a VC hears “$24–40 million pre-money valuation expectations.” Every VC wants to fund a deal that seems to have too much demand. Having too little demand leads to bankruptcy. But that’s the reality.

Venture Capital 247

Venture Capital Capital Funding Demand 247

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2019

Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Do real tests with real pricing to see if customers will pay you, without being pushed. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Startup 98

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 98

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

If a consumer will pay a fixed price for a product or service then the battle over who gets the margin in any sale is between the person who merchandises a product and the person who manufactures it. Ariel built a strong brand where consumers knew what to expect when ordering her products (sheets, towels, table clothes, robes, etc.)

Product 296

Product Course Customer Custom 296

InfoChachkie

MARCH 18, 2013

In order to extract value beyond your Angel investors' cash, you must first assess three important parameters: (i) the relative strength of their personal brand, (ii) their ability to add operational value, and (iii) the amount of care and feeding they will demand from you. The Beauty Of Low Expectations. Painfully Diligent Investors.

Angel 217

Angel Technical Review RSS Entrepreneur 217

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

Fragmented markets can be a great target for disruption. They have high-priced property and zero innovation. I’ll admit that this process was more difficult than any of us expected. It tested our beliefs about pricing, products and marketing overall of our service. Public Storage does about $2.4 This was painful.

Startup 150

Startup Pricing Marketing Product 150

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

It is also a result of pent-up demand. To understand this in great detail see this very important blog post by Henry Blodget on the unemployment rate in the US and its impact on the recovery. If these factors impact earnings the stock market may be headed South – If unemployment rises housing prices won’t.

Venture Capital 269

Venture Capital Startup Funding Technical Review 269

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2016

According to many observers , we can thank or blame technology for these higher expectations, providing information at the speed of light, leading everyone to expect more. Make sure you only hire top-notch employees who can relate to the demographics of your customers, and make sure they share your vision and expectations.

Customer 55

Customer Custom Startup Coach 55

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 31, 2011

Jason Cohen has a great line about this in Solving the “marketplace” business model : If you’re bootstrapping and your value proposition includes the words “anything” or “anyone,” you’re probably reaching too far. So, if the job seeker expects to find “every” available job, you likely have a problem. He would put up ads.

eHarmony 204

eHarmony Marketing Startup Zag 204

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 31, 2011

Jason Cohen has a great line about this in Solving the “marketplace” business model : If you’re bootstrapping and your value proposition includes the words “anything” or “anyone,” you’re probably reaching too far. So, if the job seeker expects to find “every” available job, you likely have a problem. He would put up ads.

eHarmony 196

eHarmony Marketing Startup Zag 196

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

In essence, as a contractor, you are a consultant who is competing regularly for new work, and you constantly have to differentiate your offering from other candidates, including price. You can’t please everyone all the time, so don’t kill yourself trying to satisfy a bad boss or an overly demanding customer.

Startup 98

Startup Outsource Development Competition Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

For instance, if your company is only a few weeks old and you have zero customers and your product offering is still in design, don’t expect someone to hand over $10 million to fund your efforts. VC money, for example, usually comes with high expectations of milestones met, board seats, and dominant control. Growth stage. Exit stage.

Startup 96

Startup Venture Capital Demand Invest 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Do real tests with real pricing to see if customers will pay you, without being pushed. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Customer 113

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

These questions, which manifest themselves in numerous forms, all share a common underlying objective: to divine your motivations, expectations and desires. Response : Convey a range of acceptable outcomes which demonstrates your understanding of the investment returns expected by sophisticated venture investors.

Entrepreneur 253

Entrepreneur Google Invest RSS 253

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2017

Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Do real tests with real pricing to see if customers will pay you, without being pushed. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Startup 64

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 64

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2018

We are taking a lot of the modern tools that most digital marketers expect, and we are applying that to an old school industry, which is proving to be a lot of value to people. That distributed print cloud enables a speed of iteration that most marketers would not expect is possible. It's been a year and a half, and it's been great.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Marketing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned. People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. This determined nature can help you accomplish great things in new organizations.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2019

These days, a fun shopping experience, or no-question returns, often tips the scales over extra product features or a lower price. I saw some great insights on this in a new book, “ The Customer Centricity Playbook ,” by Peter Fader and Sarah Toms, who have been thought-leaders in this area for several years.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Product Metrics 85

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

Link has a summary of his argument plus a great video). We short-handed this marketing mix as “ the four P’s ” – product, price, promotion and place (distribution) – this was devised in 1960 and while a little bit dated is still a useful framework. Simply write a great book? Underbelly. Underbelly.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2012

Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Do real tests with real pricing to see if customers will pay you, without being pushed. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Startup 118

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 118

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2018

Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned. People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. This determined nature can help you accomplish great things in new organizations.

Entrepreneur 66

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 66

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 21, 2009

Montgomery expects M&A to rebound to the normal recent levels at 450 deals by 2010. Q4) the number of buyers expecting to pick up activity would be greater than 80%. He thinks demand for IPOs (from buyers) remains high while supply is low because Sarbanes Oxley amongst other things has made less CEOs want to go public.

Venture Capital 241

Venture Capital Technical Review Southern California Company 241

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2014

Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned. People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. This determined nature can help you accomplish great things in new organizations.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2013

Young entrepreneurs and startups, in particular, often remain naively unfocused, despite their passion, of what it takes to provide the high-quality service expected. This means personally listening, understanding, and responding to your customers’ evolving needs and shifting expectations. Know your customers intimately.

Customer 92

Customer Custom Startup Services 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2010

For instance, if your company is only a few weeks old and you have zero customers and your product offering is still in design, don’t expect someone to hand over $10 million to fund your efforts. VC money, for example, usually comes with high expectations of milestones met, board seats, and dominant control. Growth stage. Exit stage.

Startup 92

Startup Venture Capital Demand Invest 92

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 8, 2016

I ended up really relating to the nuance and intricacies of product supply and customer demand. After Pacific Sunwear, my career covered two new ends of the retail spectrum; off price at Ross and women’s luxury at St. We are reaching 18-60 year old’s with the line, which focuses on great fits, fabrics and assortment of colors.

Sites 100

Sites Sales Santa Barbara Design 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Do real tests with real pricing to see if customers will pay you, without being pushed. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Startup 114

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2010

Remember when the Chevy Nova required a rename, once Chevrolet realized that Nova meant "no go" in the Spanish market (not a great name for a car). China’s middle class is expected to grow to some 650 million by 2010. with demands for new products and services. Anticipate greater growth outside of North America.

Startup 89

Startup Patents Offshore Demand 89

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 29, 2012

These questions, which manifest themselves in numerous forms, all share a common underlying objective: to divine your motivations, expectations and desires. Response : Convey a range of acceptable outcomes which demonstrates your understanding of the investment returns expected by sophisticated venture investors.

Entrepreneur 145

Entrepreneur Google Invest RSS 145