Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

After many years working in business and investing in startups, I’m convinced that the primary reason for new business and career failures is NOT a lack of skill or money, but people giving up too quickly on their dreams and goals. A first step is empowering yourself to achieve success and feel satisfaction from doing your job.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

Based on my own experience as a mentor and angel investor, I find that as many as ninety percent of startups fail in the first five years, despite their best efforts. If an innovative solution is involved, prepare a minimum viable product or a video to demonstrate functionality and usability.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

Some are great product leaders and innovative technologists, others are leaders in creating new business models , a few can assemble great teams , but only the rare exception can do all three. That means accepting coaching and seeking mentoring, as well as giving it. Continually enhance your leadership through feedback.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

In my role as a mentor to business professionals and entrepreneurs over the years, I have found that it’s important to take a hard look at the relationships around you on a regular basis. But, like most other skills, you can learn from these priorities: Everyone benefits from active mentoring. A good coach is not a critic.

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Tips Mentor Coach Activity 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2022

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. They love the continuous hunt, for investment capital, resources, talent, and new markets. Only a few of these slide into farming, as the company grows in employees and products.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Develop written business plans as detailed as product plans. Good technologists produce written product specifications, to help them personally be confident that all the technical requirements are covered. Focus on advancing return on investment, rather than state of the art.

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Technical Review Product Activity Technology 54

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 3, 2019

Image via Pixabay I’ve always been a bit confused about the difference in a business context between a coach and a mentor. According to many pundits , a mentor shows you the right way based on experience, while a coach brings out the best in you, then let’s you find your own way. Invest in creating real, emotional bonds between people.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2019

You may have a strong product development background, but typically have minimal experience in hiring and leading team members and groups, or managing financials. If you require an investment for scaling, you need to attain this stage, with a prototype and an overall business plan, to assure credibility with investors.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2021

In addition, he has often stated that his first priority is serving his employees and his extended business family, through coaching, mentoring, and effective communication. If you invest the time and effort to install and upgrade processes and systems, you can replicate results and grow the business without multiplying your own efforts.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2019

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

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Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, it still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. The crowd gets the satisfaction of helping, with minimal risk, and no expectation of any high return. In the U.S.,

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2019

Be willing to invest in effort, before expecting results. Every business owner understands the need for making an investment first, before realizing any return or instant gratification. Highlight your productivity and efficiency rather than workload. Your boss will see more value in you, you will learn more, and have more fun.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. They love the continuous hunt, for investment capital, resources, talent, and new markets. Only a few of these slide into farming, as the company grows in employees and products.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2016

Although just seventeen years old, Patel has some great insights that I can extrapolate for every aspiring entrepreneur to answer the most common question I get as an advisor and mentor – “Where do I start?” Invest in your own future success. Product businesses are easier to scale, through manufacturing and automation.

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Entrepreneur Social Media Satisfaction Customer 99

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2015

Five major elements of every business include your people, product, opportunity, money and marketing. Innovative products and services always take longer to develop than anticipated, and quality problems pop up where least expected. Written product specifications and business plans pay big dividends.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2016

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. There are many ways to add levity to a tough challenge, and engaging the team occasionally in some fun activities will work wonders for your team’s productivity and motivation.

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Startup Examples Mentor Activity 58

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2010

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive. What better candidates than your Advisory Board?

Invest 50

Invest Technical Review Software Review High Tech 50

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2013

The confidence, energy, passion and humor that are hallmarks of Jonathan became muted in the pressures of needing to show financial successes to match one’s enormous product vision and ambitions. Do we have a heavy-touch implementation and support or a lightweight one by integrating with products that white-label us?

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. They love the continuous hunt, for investment capital, resources, talent, and new markets. Only a few of these slide into farming, as the company grows in employees and products.

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Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2017

Thus most investors I know claim to invest in the person, rather than the product. In the same way, you may think that people assessment is all about skills and experience, but as a mentor to business owners, I have learned to look more for the right attitude, persistence, and determination, as success factors.

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Software Review Technical Review Startup Press 57

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 15, 2015

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

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Startup Training Coach Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. They love the continuous hunt, for investment capital, resources, talent, and new markets. Only a few of these slide into farming, as the company grows in employees and products.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2018

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

Training 55

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 55

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. They love the continuous hunt, for investment capital, resources, talent, and new markets. Only a few of these slide into farming, as the company grows in employees and products.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2012

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive. What better candidates than your Advisory Board?

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2014

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

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Demand Entrepreneur Startup Training 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2011

For example, if your startup is building a high-tech software product, a dream team of advisors would be a former CEO or high-level exec in another software company, a former software marketing executive, and a former financial executive. What better candidates than your Advisory Board?

Startup 95

Startup Technical Review Software Review High Tech 95

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

Seth’s interest in helping others grew out of his lack of having a mentor. He was drawn to Stanford by the people ecosystem- access to professors and mentors. Leverage a feedback platform like Get Satisfaction or UserVoice. Seth also spoke about not accepting investment until after gaining traction.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2022

One of the attributes that I often recommend to the business professionals and entrepreneurs I mentor is to always be totally accountable for your actions and ideas. I too often see people who are quick to make excuses, blame failures on peers or customers, or see management as the reason for their lack of productivity.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always surprised by the fact that some never seem to be able to that first startup going, while many others never seem to stop, starting their second or third initiative before the first one is fully hatched. Rally people behind a higher purpose, not just a product.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2017

Business is more about people than product. As an angel investor in startups, I often find myself looking harder at the quality of the team and the leadership, than at the details of the product and business model. Investors read this as being trustworthy of their investment, and an appropriate role model for all business constituents.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2017

They skip from one to the next, providing expert guidance and money, getting their satisfaction (and reward) from the best of the best. Advisors and mentors are busy people. Many entrepreneurs love investing in other startups. Products need not be tied to a given company. Attract and share specialized talent and skills.

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Startup Entrepreneur Resource Course 60

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2013

They skip from one to the next, providing expert guidance and money, getting their satisfaction (and reward) from the best of the best. Advisors and mentors are busy people. Many entrepreneurs love investing in other startups. Products need not be tied to a given company. Attract and share specialized talent and skills.

Entrepreneur 92

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Course 92