Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2022

Most people think innovation is all about ideas, when in fact it is more about delivery, people, and process. At the same time, myths about innovation are commonplace in business. While it is true that you can’t get started without an idea, the importance of the Big Hunt is vastly overrated. Ideas are only beginnings.

Ideas 135

Ideas Startup Resource Research 135

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Yet I still too often hear the question, “Can you give me a really sure-fire idea for starting my own business?” My standard answer is that ideas are a dime a dozen, and success is all about smart execution, not ideas. Entrepreneurs need to focus on ideas that lead to customer autonomy, not dependence.

Ideas 105

Ideas Artificial Inteligence Entrepreneur Startup 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2020

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Technical Review 173

Technical Review Ideas Patents Startup 173

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Many aspiring entrepreneurs I mentor can talk at length about their innovative ideas and passions, and ask lots of good questions, but never make much progress in building a real business. In my experience, building a business is much more about getting things done than having great ideas. It’s time to get the help you need.

Ideas 121

Ideas Writing Startup Entrepreneur 121

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). These professionals value their integrity, like your therapist or financial advisor, and will not share your business details nor steal your idea.

Ideas 159

Ideas Tips Technical Review Patents 159

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

If you Can’t Make Time, MakeSpace. His ideas to date hadn’t totally resonated and of course ideas matter, too. I lost big time from this hurricane.”. He had ideas. I went back 2-3 times to retrieve stuff. Each time was a trip. Having the time back would have been a huge benefit to me.

UCSD 340

UCSD Startup Ideas Course 340

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2021

Every business I know needs to be on a constant lookout for new ideas, both in what they offer to customers, and in their internal operations, to stay competitive. Fortunately, there are ways to nurture the creation and capture of new ideas. Believe me, it’s no fun to see a competitor implement a good idea that slipped your mind.

Ideas 132

Ideas PPC Customer Custom 132

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. How many times have you actually made up work to keep an idle person busy? Startups funded by rich uncles rarely think about productivity. Create new kinds of solutions.

Resource 112

Resource Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 112

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 22, 2017

Wednesday, June 28, 2017 -- Product Strategy Real-Time: See How the Pros Make New Ideas Viable (MAKE IT Monthly). Why do some products succeed spectacularly and others never take off? See [link] (more)

Ideas 100

Ideas Product Help Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2021

One of the most important skills for every entrepreneur is timely and effective decision making. Having a great idea is necessary, but not sufficient, to create a great business. Success in business is all about actions, not ideas. In a startup, any decision is better than no decision. Assume there is always a solution.

Startup 140

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Coach 140

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Don’t waste your time and energy talking to angels and VCs about technology funding when you could be focused more productively on grants, private funds and future business partners. Fortunately, in many attractive business domains, including mobile software, Internet apps and ecommerce, the cost of product development is at an all-time low.

Resource 102

Resource Ideas Funding Research 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2020

In business, and in your personal life, the ability to anticipate and overcome criticism is one of the biggest differentiators between leaders, who make things happen, and followers, who may have great ideas but never seem to get things to go their way. The reality is that good ideas are always challenged, so you need to expect it.

Ideas 126

Ideas Case Study Mobile Resource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2021

They keep asking people like me whether the time is right, and the truth is that there’s never an ideal time to start your own business. It’s like starting a personal relationship, if you wait for exactly the right time, you’ll never do it. It does mean you have a compelling new business idea, and a willingness to face risk.

Startup 168

Startup Ideas Satisfaction Entrepreneur 168

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

One thing I have learned the hard way in business is that implementing new ideas is usually much more difficult than conceiving the idea in the first place. That’s why I caution my aspiring entrepreneur clients against proclaiming to investors that they are a great “idea” person. For example, I have a friend with a Ph.D.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2022

If an entrepreneur doesn’t find themselves in over their head at least 20% of the time, they are probably not pushing the limits, not taking enough risk, and probably not working on an idea that’s worth doing. You have no idea how to pivot with the latest market trends. Angry outbursts become more common than real leadership.

Help 131

Help Startup Entrepreneur Mentor 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2020

Savvy entrepreneurs start testing their ideas on potential customers even before the concept is fully cooked. They have enough confidence in their ability to deliver that they don’t worry about someone stealing the idea to get there first, and they don’t forget to listen carefully to critical feedback.

Ideas 124

Ideas Tips Marketing Social Media 124

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Timing is the single most valuable skill of the modern economy, but I would argue its’s the least understood and also the least practiced. Capitalism is fundamentally about timing, since market competition is about finding opportunities before others. Now, some perceive that “timing” is synonymous with “luck.”

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2023

Here are some key drivers that will likely lead you to a fundable idea: A business crisis. Therefore, it takes time, sometimes whole generations, of education, communication, and incremental proof to get momentum going and overcome old fears. So why do I see some many funding requests for products along these lines?

Ideas 118

Ideas Outsource Development Outsource Course 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2021

The entrepreneurs I see are always talking about “disruptive innovation” ideas, but the plans I read are more often linear extensions of a current hot offering, like one more social network with the best of Facebook and Twitter, one more dating site dimension, or another “must-have” accessory for smartphones. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 117

Ideas Entrepreneur Netflix IBM 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2023

Good listening leads to timely innovations and pivots. The time to get started is now. Dreams can be static, but the real world constantly changes. Thus you need to listen and learn the current reality from your customers, your team, advisors, and experts. Make your dreams the shared dreams of everyone. Marty Zwilling

Ideas 105

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Social Media 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2020

Entrepreneurs should look for ideas from anyone, inside the organization or outside, top down or bottoms up, but the implementation responsibility is all yours. Some experts have long felt it is easier to make something 10 times better than it is to make it 10 percent better. Spend twenty percent of work time on innovation.

Artificial Inteligence 165

Artificial Inteligence Google Startup Organization 165

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2021

If you define your self-worth as an entrepreneur by how busy you are, it’s time to find another lifestyle. In an eye-opening Franklin Covey study, respondents indicated that 40 percent of their time was being spent on things that were not important to them or their companies. That’s productivity. Why is this so hard?

Framework 153

Framework Product Entrepreneur Social Media 153

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

AUGUST 20, 2023

Generally, out of ten ideas, eight are not usable, but that’s the only way to get to those two good ones. So welcome all suggestions and praise every attempt, which will encourage more ideas. Practice the eight out of ten rule.

Tips 97

Tips Organization Ideas Course 97

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2013

They bring new ideas, new cultures, new business practices. If you ever want to read the great American generational immigrant business story read American Pastoral by Philip Roth, which won the Pulitzer Prize and was voted by Time Magazine as one of the best 100 books of all time. Here is the article from the LA Times.

Entrepreneur 415

Entrepreneur Startup Pricing Product 415

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

I see entrepreneurs every day who are trying to change the world with a new idea, and startups that are trying to survive their hyper-growth phase by changing processes to meet demand. Expanding a project without additional time or resources is called scope creep. Allow adequate time for this preparation before implementation.

Startup 155

Startup Resource Metrics Technical Review 155

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2021

With the pace of change ever escalating, entrepreneurs today can’t afford to acquire talent through traditional hiring alone, and need to revise the perception that “talent” is only full-time office employees. The notion of holding out for the “expert in all domains” wastes too much time, effort, and money. More than 40% of U.S.

Demand 143

Demand Training Outsource Development Organization 143

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2020

Drifters chase a business idea for all the wrong reasons, and then give up easily, like get rich quick, or to please someone else. Recognize that your greatest asset is time. Budget your time so none of it is wasted. Decide what you really want from your business. Set your goal, and create a plan for attaining it.

Startup 144

Startup Entrepreneur Help Activity 144

Berkonomics

APRIL 6, 2023

Or the important one: “Is this idea on mission?” Some ideas sound unbelievably creative – and may be that. But sometimes there is a barrier, an impossibly high cost not considered, a social backlash never thought of, or competition already covering the idea that is unknown to the originator. Is this idea sustainable?”

Company 156

Company Companies Ideas Competition 156

InfoChachkie

MAY 7, 2012

Ideas are infinite, and in the absence of competent execution, they are worth nothing. Thus, if both ideas and money are abundant, what is the scarce constraint in the fundraising equation? Skilled entrepreneurs bring ideas and money together by building a bridge of trust. Grubbing For Money. Think Stewardship.

Ideas 251

Ideas Venture Capital Education Entrepreneur 251

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Ideas 83

Ideas Technical Review Patents Startup 83

Berkonomics

JUNE 22, 2023

If your vision is for a product or service that fills a need in a mature industry, you may be flying against the prevailing winds as a market shrinks over time, taking your business with it. If the market is ten times that size, there is probably room for competitors to fight for dominance and still succeed if you are not number one.

Patents 286

Patents Pricing Ideas Marketing 286

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2019

They can talk with passion about their innovative new idea, and ask lots of questions, but never seem to really get started. The challenge we all have as business founders is to move from the idea stage to a real business. Time is also of the essence, so make your impact early.

Ideas 99

Ideas Slides Writing Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Ideas 106

Ideas Entrepreneur Technical Review Patents 106

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

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. Here are seven key considerations for how you should make your own best entrepreneur business idea decision in this context: Pick something you really enjoy doing.

Ideas 78

Ideas Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 78

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 8, 2018

As Mr. Johnson points out, big ideas generally result from the collision of many small hunches. In isolation, a particular hunch may be worthless, but when combined with other ideas, at the right time, the result can be a game-changing innovation. Seth notes that, “Ideas are a lot like exercising. Chaos By Design .

Ideas 69

Ideas Startup Technical Review Santa Barbara 69