Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2021

As an entrepreneur mentor, my mission is to foster the attributes in you as a startup founder that I believe will lead to success. For example, I worked with an entrepreneur a while back who was clearly intelligent, had a great idea, and communicated well. Paul Allen was the idea visionary.

Entrepreneur 136

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Mentor 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2023

Entrepreneurs who search for real pain points, and build solutions around them, have the best chance of changing the world. In my opinion, real pain points for most people do not include a new user interface for Facebook, a new programming platform for app development, or a new size smart phone. You get to choose your pain.

Ideas 118

Ideas Outsource Development Outsource Course 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2021

As an angel investor in early-stage startups, I’ve long noticed my peers apparent bias toward the strength and character of the founding entrepreneurs, often overriding a strong solution to a painful problem with a big opportunity. Developed a higher level of mental complexity. Demonstrate the ideas and behaviors of self-determination.

Entrepreneur 165

Entrepreneur Mentor Ideas Invest 165

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

After many years of working with angel investors seriously trying to find new ventures worthy of their hard-earned money, I find their frustration often exceeds that of entrepreneurs sincerely looking for financial help. Solution development undefined or incomplete. Future unproven projections don’t set today’s valuation.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2023

Entrepreneurs seem more quickly frustrated these days when their “million-dollar idea” doesn’t turn into a sustainable business overnight. So why do entrepreneurs think that building a business is intuitively obvious, and should happen overnight?

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Product Services Ideas 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

A continuing question I hear from young entrepreneurs is whether a university degree is important to startup success, or just a distraction in achieving their purpose in the world. Most colleges have now added classes in entrepreneurship to include the necessary business focus to technical majors that usually drive innovative ideas.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2021

Yet I find that many entrepreneurs struggle and fail with that transition from personally developing an innovative new idea, to building all the relationships necessary to transform their idea into a successful business. Learn from reality – test new ideas and get feedback.

Develop 136

Develop Development Ideas Customer 136

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. Today’s world of business is highly driven by social issues and environmental concerns.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Mentor Metrics Customer 168

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2021

Starting and building a company is all about leadership – formulating an idea, building a unique plan based on vision and experience, and forging a path over and through all obstacles. He urges people to focus on developing a few key relationship skills, and I agree. We force the adoption of our ideas. We shut off contribution.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Coach Startup Tool 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2013

When someone introduces me to an “idea person,” I automatically jump to the down-side conclusion that this person doesn’t do follow-up. Of course there are people who are great at getting things done, but haven’t had an original idea in their life. Great entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates, are great at both. Product development.

Ideas 110

Ideas Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. are not for crowdfunding, but actually are matchmaking sites between entrepreneurs and professional investors or banks, or incubators. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Satisfaction Equity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their knowledge of a new technology or required service. Developer skills are necessary, but not sufficient, to build a business. Emulate the leadership attributes of entrepreneurs you admire, such as Richard Branson.

Develop 101

Develop Development Entrepreneur Startup 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Out of curiosity, I often ask aspiring entrepreneurs like you, who come to me for help, what drives them to take on the workload and risk of a new startup. I ask every entrepreneur to first take a hard look inside for one or more of the following key intrinsic drivers, before they start: Satisfy a driving need to be in control of their life.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Startup Technical Review 124

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 3, 2012

In this 8-minute video excerpt from his recent talk, Seth describes the practical, hands-on methodology that he uses on a day-to-day basis to identify and vet his entrepreneurial ideas. As I note in Spilling The Beans , the basic ideas upon which startups are founded are worth nothing. " Ten Step Idea Evaluation Worksheet.

Ideas 266

Ideas Guide Startup Santa Barbara 266

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2022

Some people are not cut out to be entrepreneurs. I’ve hit this before, but I still hear from too many unhappy entrepreneurs. I’ve hit this before, but I still hear from too many unhappy entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs do not function well in traditional organizations and do not like being in the conventional management hierarchy.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Organization Ideas 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges.

Ideas 109

Ideas Entrepreneur Patents Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2020

I recognize that entrepreneurs tend to substitute vision and passion for formal processes, but using no discipline or process in building something new is a sure way to spend money, rather than see any return and build a self-sustaining business. Solution development and delivery. Hobbies are developed ad-hoc, driven by personal needs.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Startup Competition 131

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018

A common request I hear from aspiring entrepreneurs is for an assessment of their latest idea. I don’t even try to assess things at the idea level, since I can’t read minds. If your passion is social change or sustainability, with financial value creation further down in priority, you should choose to be a social entrepreneur.

Ideas 78

Ideas Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 78

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2021

Some people even believe that entrepreneurs must be born with the right genes, and no element of education is relevant. In my view, the most effective entrepreneurs are those with a background of an array of real-life experiences, both positive and negative, as well as good academic and coaching activities.

Entrepreneur 149

Entrepreneur Tips Writing Coach 149

socalTECH

JUNE 29, 2016

A new effort, led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and headed up by startup evangelist Krisztina 'Z' Holly, is looking to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and manufacturers in LA. Holly was most recently Entrepreneur in Residence at the city's for Garcetti, and also previously served was head of USC's Steven Institute for Innovation.

Entrepreneur 145

Entrepreneur USC Los Angeles Study 145

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Even though I’m a big proponent of becoming an entrepreneur, it is definitely not for everyone. In my view, entrepreneur roles need to be planned carefully rather than made on the spur of the moment. Adopt the Silicon Valley entrepreneur family model. Test your entrepreneur instincts through crowdfunding.

Sample 126

Sample Entrepreneur Ideas Startup 126

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2021

In my many years of experience in business, and recent work as a mentor to entrepreneurs, I have seen the business world change, and can relate well to his five success practices paraphrased here: Build the team from people with a shared obsession. Incent them to focus and always look to the future.

Class 155

Class Develop Development Startup 155

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

A common request I hear from aspiring entrepreneurs is for an assessment of their latest idea. I don’t even try to assess things at the idea level, since I can’t read minds. If your passion is social change or sustainability, with financial value creation further down in priority, you should choose to be a social entrepreneur.

Ideas 108

Ideas Satisfaction Entrepreneur Activity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2020

Although most people believe that being a successful entrepreneur is all about having the right idea, I’m convinced from my years of experience as a startup advisor and investor that’s it’s more about you as a person. People need to see you as an “influencer,” who is able to sell your new ideas, as well as communicate the future.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Examples Blogging Customer 129

Berkonomics

JUNE 22, 2023

Is it the advantage of time – years of development ahead of any competitor? Some great ideas just can’t make money and ultimately die for lack of profit potential. Can you translate an idea into a compelling product? Some great ideas just cannot be made into a product at a reasonable enough price to attract customers.

Patents 286

Patents Pricing Ideas Marketing 286

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Development schedule and checkpoints.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

Saturday, November 12, 2016 -- Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum - Biotech. Gordon Binder, Venture Capital investor, former Chairman and CEO of Amgen, and Trustee Emeritus of both Caltech and MIT keynotes the Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum program “Entrepreneurs in a Biotech Age”.

CalTech 100

CalTech Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital 100

socalTECH

AUGUST 29, 2013

Can tapping the power of the crowd not only help you find customers and help fund your project, but also help you shape your startup idea and find funding? A new, Los Angeles area startup, JumpStartFund (www.jumpstartfund.com) recently launched, offering up a combination of crowdfunding and crowd-advice for entrepreneurial ideas.

Ideas 178

Ideas Patents Funding Startup 178

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. Your leadership skills do not develop without effort. Even the best college degree is not a substitute.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. You don’t need to count on the old myth that all you need is a new idea on the back of a napkin, and investors will throw money at you.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. Too many entrepreneurs think that expert external advisors are suspect, or will slow them down.

Startup 131

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Customer 131

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 11, 2016

Saturday, November 12, 2016 -- Entrepreneurs in a Biotech Moment. Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum. Gordon Binder, Venture Capital investor, former Chairman and CEO of Amgen, and Trustee Emeritus of both Caltech and MIT, leads the November Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum program, "Entrepreneurs in a Biotech Age."

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur CalTech Southern California Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2010

When someone introduces me to an “idea person,” I automatically jump to the down-side conclusion that this person doesn’t do follow-up. Of course there are people who are great at getting things done, but haven’t had an original idea in their life. Great entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates, are great at both. Product development.

Ideas 95

Ideas Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 95

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

(In case it’s not obvious it’s a play on the Nike slogan, “Just Do It.&# ) I believe that being successful as an entrepreneur requires you to get lots of things done. Entrepreneurs make fast decisions and move forward knowing that at best 70% of their decisions are going to be right. This paralyzes most people.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2015

These days, everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, pitching their latest and greatest new idea, and looking for someone to give them money. Talk is cheap, but entrepreneurs who show you a working model of their idea know how to execute. Many ideas I hear sound great, but I have no idea if they can be implemented.

Ideas 107

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Tool 107

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2016

As a small business and startup advisor, I find that entrepreneurs often love to talk about their latest idea, but not their execution. Like most investors, I’m convinced that success in business is more about the plan and the person than the idea. Ideas can’t be tracked, and tend to only morph into other ideas as time passes.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Metrics Ideas 106

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2015

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and get rich these days. As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business.

Ideas 104

Ideas Mentor Resource Entrepreneur 104