Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2010

This is the dreaded “due diligence” process. In my view, understanding due diligence can only improve information flow, and leads to a better long-term partnership with your investor. Technical due diligence typically starts with a full one or two day review with the engineering and product marketing staff.

Technical Review 90

Technical Review Writing Competition Tips 90

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Some pundits argue that the E-Myth principle is now outdated, due to the instant access to information via the Internet, pervasive networking via social media, and courses on entrepreneurship at all levels of education.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.

Technical Review 136

Technical Review Startup Social Media Satisfaction 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2012

If your startup is great enough to get a term sheet from angel investors or a venture capitalist, the next step for the investor is to complete the dreaded due diligence process. Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves.

Technical Review 98

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Training 98

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

If your startup is great enough to get a term sheet from angel investors or a venture capitalist, the next step for the investor is to complete the dreaded due diligence process. Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Summary 152

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2021

A closer analysis often indicates the cause to be a lack of diligence in handling common business finances. If you fail to pay a cash obligation when it is due, the business is technically insolvent. Entrepreneurs should sign every check and manage cash personally, rather than delegate this task to anyone.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Summary Pricing 151

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2010

If your startup is great enough to get a term sheet from angel investors or a venture capitalist, the next step for the investor is to complete the dreaded due diligence process. Some startups do nothing to prepare for the due diligence process, assuming the people and business plan documents will speak for themselves.

Technical Review 91

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Summary 91

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 19, 2023

Entrepreneurs need to be effective team leaders, since no one can transform an idea into a product and a business without some help. Unfortunately many founders I work with as a mentor are experts on the technical side, but have no insight into leading a team. Have monthly reviews with each team member.

Technical Review 127

Technical Review Development Team Review Startup Activity 127

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

Investors are very focused on diligence, on business models that make sense, and those companies that have a definite competitive advantage and defensibility to what they're doing. Mike Napoli: Actually, we are seeing entrepreneurs. Mike Napoli: We've revised the way we review companies at the prescreening stage.

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

Someone on Quora recently asked me to answer the following question: Why Do Digital Entrepreneurs Hate MBAs? Tech entrepreneurs' consternation with MBAs does not rise to the level of loathing. As noted in Startup Advice From College Dropouts , successful entrepreneurs are often poor students. Look For MBA Outliers.

Entrepreneur 279

Entrepreneur Technical Review Case Study Class 279

socalTECH

APRIL 17, 2013

the online business credit company headed by serial tech entrepreneur Jeff Stibel, is looking to make its technology avialable to traditional publishers looking to go online, the firm said last week. Los Angeles-based Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. ,

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Technology Social Media Platform 124

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. With information overload due to the Internet, you need to find your customers, rather than assume they will find you.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

InfoChachkie

APRIL 21, 2011

Part I of this series describes the 360-review that I conducted at a growing, dynamic SaaS business which has recently graduated from the startup stage and entered the early-growth phase. One of the most compelling conclusions I drew from the reviews is that both Founders need delegate more of their day-to-day tasks.

Technical Review 182

Technical Review Software Review Startup Outsource 182

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Professional investors and advisors, on the other hand, usually refuse to sign these agreements today due to the risk of litigation and administrative workload, and will walk away.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Ideas Sample 101

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. In addition to goodwill justified by a great leader and an outstanding team, investors will use their due diligence process to assess the organizational structure and effectiveness as well. Modern information management tools.

Technical Review 129

Technical Review Funding Organization Coach 129

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Entrepreneurs that are not listening, not engaging, and not changing are destined to be left behind even in the best of times. Every entrepreneur must be alert enough to spot the change early, and agile enough to adapt quickly.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Organization Social Media Entrepreneur 151

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

A closer analysis often indicates the cause to be a lack of diligence in handling common business finances. If you fail to pay a cash obligation when it is due, the business is technically insolvent. Entrepreneurs should sign every check and manage cash personally, rather than delegate this task to anyone. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Entrepreneur Summary Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Professional investors and advisors, on the other hand, usually refuse to sign these agreements today due to the risk of litigation and administrative workload, and will walk away.

Ideas 159

Ideas Tips Technical Review Patents 159

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

I thought I’d try to look at it from a different lens, that of the entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur you should assume that. They might not actively “collude&# and say “let’s collectively keep the price down&# but in the resulting discussion pricing information will flow – whether intentional or not.

Pricing 292

Pricing Entrepreneur Technical Review Venture Capital 292

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2020

Entrepreneurs need to be effective team leaders, since no one can transform an idea into a product and a business without some help. Unfortunately many founders I work with as a mentor are experts on the technical side, but have no insight into leading a team. Have monthly reviews with each team member.

Technical Review 130

Technical Review Startup Development Team Review Activity 130

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 9, 2012

Who are the top tech companies to work for in Los Angeles? popped up consistently in an informal (and highly non-scientific poll) of a number of readers, executive recruiters, and others in the Los Angeles area, who cited growth, brand, profitability, and other factors in their suggestions to us of the top companies. Rubicon Project.

Technical Review 279

Technical Review Company Companies Southern California 279

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Almost every entrepreneur and new business owner I mentor is certain that his/her idea has a very high probability of success, and all find it hard to believe that ninety percent of startups ultimately fail. If we build it, they will come” doesn’t work in today’s worldwide information overload.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2021

Technology environment savvy. In today’s mobile hardware environment, that means able to set up meetings, convert text messages to voice, find contact information quickly, and search the Web intelligently for outside info. Of course, many are still fighting it as well, due to privacy concerns.

Web 152

Web Entrepreneur Software Review Google 152

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Most of us have blind spots in our ability to build a business, due to lack of experience, too much ego, over-confidence, or unjustified faith in a subordinate. To confirm understanding, and push people to provide more information, it pays to paraphrase back from a different perspective their conclusions and recommendations.

Technical Review 127

Technical Review Activity Mentor Entrepreneur 127

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. You are constantly faced with decisions and there is always incomplete information. Good entrepreneurs are wrong often. He looked stunned.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Berkonomics

JUNE 26, 2014

Angel investors, particularly those in organized angel groups, are typically former entrepreneurs who have had successful liquidity events in their pasts, or executives of companies who’ve retired with the funds from their stock options. The result of these surveys over time is universally the same. [Email readers, continue here.]

Angel 191

Angel Technical Review Coach Entrepreneur 191

socalTECH

JULY 21, 2010

Watson , a member of the San Diego Tech Coast Angels , who was found dead in June. The murder charges follow the release of information from the San Diego County Medical Examiner, finding that Watson died of suffocation, due to strangulation. Tags: finance investor angel angels coast tech murder diego.

Tech Coast Angels 145

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel San Diego 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 16, 2023

A more effective approach in today’s Internet and interactive culture is to use “pull” technology to bring customers and clients to your story. Guy Kawasaki, in his classic book “ Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions ” provides some in-depth recommendations on the “how to” of influence and pull technology.

Web 96

Web FAQ Marketing Technical Review 96

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2015

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Hang out where entrepreneurs meet. Explore investor websites and conferences.

Sample 101

Sample Entrepreneur Technical Review Startup 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2022

With the ITRC 2021 End-of-Year Data Breach Report revealing a 68 percent increase in stolen sensitive personal information, there is a growing population out there worried about all the people intent on hurting them. Market your solution and user benefits, not the mysterious technology behind it. Don’t take shortcuts on these.

Customer 137

Customer Custom Technical Review Symantec 137

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2023

The world of marketing is changing faster than technology these days. Winning entrepreneurs have long since supplemented conventional print and video “push” marketing with digital online interactive “pull” marketing, and a while back added social-local-mobile ( SoLoMo ) to the mix. With informality, these must be win-win relationships.

Marketing 107

Marketing Technical Review Startup Innocal 107

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Earlier this week, the Tech Coast Angels , the largest and most active organized angel group in Southern California, announced a new effort to create an angel group network, which will share and syndicate deals between groups--current the TCA, Golden Seeds, and Band of Angels. Richard Sudek: It could happen a number of different ways.

Technical Review 145

Technical Review Networking Angel Tech Coast Angels 145

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans take too much time, are inaccurate, and rarely add value. These platforms, and every investor who uses them to find entrepreneurs, expects to find a good business plan posted. You need money, and plan to do crowdfunding.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2022

Some entrepreneurs forget that talking is not communicating. From an entrepreneur perspective, here are the key barrier-to-understanding elements: Unclear frame of reference. The responsibility is on you the entrepreneur to decipher the receiver reference, and do the “translation” of your message to them. Information withheld.

Technical Review 137

Technical Review Entrepreneur Guide Mentor 137

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2013

Entrepreneurs have no trouble focusing on how to build a product, and the good ones know how to find and nurture those first critical customers. As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for every startup to assess the metrics, technology, and platforms they’re using to manage the business.

Metrics 100

Metrics Technical Review Sales Customer 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2020

A more effective approach in today’s Internet and interactive culture is to use “pull” technology to bring customers and clients to your story. Guy Kawasaki, in his classic book “ Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions ” provides some in-depth recommendations on the “how to” of pull technology. Refresh it often.

Customer 160

Customer Custom FAQ Technical Review 160

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Attached is a copy of my full business plan for your review.” I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.”

Entrepreneur 119

Entrepreneur Technical Review Statistics Startup 119

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2020

The world of marketing is changing faster than technology these days. Winning entrepreneurs have long since supplemented conventional print and video “push” marketing with digital online interactive “pull” marketing, and a while back added social-local-mobile ( SoLoMo ) to the mix. With informality, these must be win-win relationships.

Mobile 173

Mobile Marketing Technical Review Startup 173