Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

.&# It was my investment philosophy that observing teams’ performance over time was far more insightful than reacting to how good of a product demo they do, how good they present Powerpoint slides or how great tech blogs say they are. Market Opportunity. But what about markets? Dots is all about people. Let me explain.

Entrepreneur 330

Entrepreneur Marketing Venture Capital Hulu 330

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2019

An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur come out with that one. It is a failed litmus test for the entrepreneur, even if the plan is for a totally new device or service that could take the world by storm. We have no competition.”.

Competition 120

Competition Slides Research Sales 120

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

It is simply the most important way to proactively control your career development and how the market perceives you. That was fine with me – the market is the market. That was the market. In today’s market you can prove your worth, in 1991 that was a bit harder. It is neither. She was paid 15% more.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 19, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. Many entrepreneurs struggle with their setbacks.

Entrepreneur 288

Entrepreneur Startup Slides Seed Funding 288

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2020

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. Then match your pace to cover all the material. Check the setup and set the stage.

Startup 118

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. A recent book, “ Hunting in a Farmer''s World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Thought leadership position in your market and customer set.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. Thinking out loud – I’m sure that’s important for entrepreneurs as well. He told me that when the markets soured they were no longer hot.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Customer 306

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

In her classic book, “ We-Commerce: How to Create, Collaborate, and Succeed in the Sharing Economy ,” veteran marketing strategist Billee Howard calls this movement an economy centered on the power of “we” instead of “me.” This give you the credibility to expand to other niches and grow the market.

Commerce 109

Commerce Slides Customer Custom 109

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

You are an entrepreneur – go for it. If you are forced to display financial data, ensure that the slides are unintelligible. early-stage, late-stage, market-sector focuses, etc.) For instance, emphasize basic market issues that are familiar to even the most casual observer of your venture’s space. Of course not.

Slides 220

Slides Tips Startup RSS 220

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. But it only works if you observe the following principles: Never hide from your team.

Mentor 154

Mentor Technical Review Coach Slides 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2013

I “second the message” that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Even great entrepreneurs are amazed at how fast this can lead to a non-recoverable situation. Do you have what it takes to achieve the real entrepreneur lifestyle?

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 105

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I believe in this so much that, despite my post advising you to be prepared for the *norm* in VC, I wrote a post about a company that came in for a presentation and never even got the slides out or presented a demo. I think the norm in the industry is still to see Powerpoint slides and I wouldn’t hold this against anybody.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. Don’t dwell on this slide for ever. If I have an hour with you I want to maximise the time we have a discussion so I want to get through the slides quickly. Most entrepreneurs are.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2013

On a regular basis, I am approached by entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like a recent BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this NY Times article. For the rest of you entrepreneurs, consider the value of a business plan when it is not required.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Technical Review Writing Slides 100

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 19, 2016

To help you avoid this, take a look at the five biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs often make on social media. It’s possible to take a blog post and turn it into a slide show, infographic and video, for example. Many entrepreneurs and businesses have topics that are too broad. Not Responding Appropriately to Criticism.

Social Media 56

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Content 56

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

You are an entrepreneur – go for it. If you are forced to display financial data, ensure that the slides are unintelligible. early-stage, late-stage, market-sector focuses, etc.) For instance, emphasize basic market issues that are familiar to even the most casual observer of your venture’s space. Of course not.

Slides 154

Slides Tips Startup Research 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. In reality, they need a separate pitch about the business, carrying over only a slide or two about the solution. First to market” is not sustainable by a startup.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

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. The size of the document should be based on your style, but 10-20 pages or slides are usually more than adequate to outline even a complex business.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 95

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2012

Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” It is a failed litmus test for the entrepreneur, even if the plan is for a totally new device or service that could take the world by storm. Perhaps buyers cannot obtain attractive financing in the current market.

Competition 189

Competition Slides Sales Ideas 189

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. business entrepreneur investor pitch startup' Marty Zwilling.

Slides 105

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2021

In her classic book, “ We-Commerce: How to Create, Collaborate, and Succeed in the Sharing Economy ,” veteran marketing strategist Billee Howard calls this movement an economy centered on the power of “we” instead of “me.” This give you the credibility to expand to other niches and grow the market.

Customer 140

Customer Custom Slides Commerce 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2011

I second the message that chaos never subsides, from a couple of successful entrepreneurs, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, in their book “ Conquer the Chaos.” Even great entrepreneurs are amazed at how fast this can lead to a non-recoverable situation. Do you have what it takes to achieve the real entrepreneur lifestyle?

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur Slides IP Technology 95

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea. Prepare your marketing story for customers and investors. Present at trade shows and network with your ten-slide pitch to build your following. Make sure your solution is defensible and unique.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

After seeing Chamillionaire interact with several entrepreneurs both at events and as an investor I started introducing him to startups in an advisory capacity. And after one meeting they started asking for his advice about marketing, customer engagement, product design, monetization – whatever.

Conference 150

Conference Slides Social Media Summary 150

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

We led off with a discussion about Slide being acquired by Google, which was breaking news in the time slot where we filmed this episode. Specifically we talked about Slide having gotten a $550 million valuation before being sold to Google for $182 million. Not as many entrepreneurs are aspiring to do it any more.

Venture Capital 232

Venture Capital Slides Seed Funding Google 232

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

I also recently wrote a post about a company that came in for a presentation and never even got the slides out or presented a demo. If you’re not “feeling it&# then you need to get to the slides or demo quickly as a means of trying to engage. I need something structured like slides or a demo to orient me.

Venture Capital 238

Venture Capital Slides Startup Sales 238

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2013

Many businesses slowly slide into a treadmill stage, where they become over-systematized, or on toward the big rut where creativity disappears (“the way we have always done thing”), on into the death rattle, where the market moves faster than the company. As a startup, you need to walk before you can run.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Slides Framework Resource 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2013

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. entrepreneur startup funding angel investors presentation business'

Angel 102

Angel Funding Slides Technical Review 102

The Quigley Report

MARCH 4, 2008

Early stage VCs typically say that the ebbs and flows of the stock market don't effect the valuations they pay in start up financings. So to some extent, entrepreneurs and VCs can comfortably ignore the chaos of currency fluctuations, interest rate changes and other macro finanicial shifts. That may be true. And guess what?

Startup 40

Startup Slides Marketing Clearstone 40

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

Steve Blank , January 25, 2010 10 Tips for Adding Game Mechanics to a Non-Gaming Service - ReadWriteStart , September 21, 2010 Startups & VCs: Learn How to Design, Market, & Eat Your Own. - . - 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? First Principles.

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

The entrepreneur cannot wait to show me their product via a demo. Most entrepreneurs seem confused by my reaction and often say something like: “VCs love demos. Fool A Fool – I sold surgical robots from PowerPoint slides in the early 1990’s, before the robots existed. A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes.

Venture Capital 176

Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

Just because a product has a patent, deep complexity and an obvious competitive advantage does not mean that it can fly by itself into the market. had two occasions recently to review products which had clear market leadership. You’re Not a Real Entrepreneur - Steve Blank , June 10, 2010 Who is an entrepreneur really?

Startup 175

Startup Venture Capital Slides Blogging 175