Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2020

You need to maintain explicit C-suite and Board buy-in for constant transformation through effective communication, highlighting the struggles of peer businesses, and establishing the right metrics. Amazon, for example , “grew up” in the last recession by continuing to expand their range of products and focused on automation.

Metrics 122

Metrics Training Satisfaction IBM 122

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

Pick a name, location, and marketing strategy early. If an innovative solution is involved, prepare a minimum viable product or a video to demonstrate functionality and usability. It’s much easier to pivot before full production and much money has been spent. Define key metrics to measure progress and success.

Social Media 98

Social Media Metrics Media Tool 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2023

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation. Marty Zwilling

Outsource Development 115

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 115

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2023

To achieve success in your business despite today’s volatile global markets , you and your team must have a mindset that goes beyond the traditional strategies of repeatable processes and lower costs. Measure progress through metrics on sales, revenue, and penetration. Seek customer feedback on ways to improve value and satisfaction.

Customer 91

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 91

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Happy customers quickly become your biggest advocates, today reaching far beyond friends and family, and they make traditional marketing efforts pale in comparison for growth, loyalty, and new customer acquisition costs. Use metrics to assess needs and growth economics.

Customer 114

Customer Custom Satisfaction Metrics 114

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Make sure that metrics and goals are set up front, and not modified as the project progresses. The result is a loss of trust by your team, increased volatility, and lower productivity by all members of the team. Doing so will increase both your personal life accountability, as well as your business satisfaction.

Startup 132

Startup Training Metrics Examples 132

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

The key elements of leadership in a company, both individual and organizational, are less tangible, but very critical in setting a market value for investment, acquisition, or going public. Every business and brand has unique requirements to fit into their market environment. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 129

Technical Review Funding Organization Coach 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs like you that I have met in my role as a business advisor are really product creators versus business creators, convinced that a great product will generate a great business. In most businesses, this means selling something, and proving that your product or service has value.

Metrics 140

Metrics Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction 140

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

If you are the hot-shot technical innovator that invented your solution, make sure you have an equally adept business and marketing expert to complement your skills. “If Pivot early, as required, to tune your features and marketing to meet the market and technical realities. The market is unpredictable and changes fast.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2020

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Startup Competition 131

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Lots of people are trying to help, with new twists on the age-old model of free-market capitalism that has driven businesses for the last 500 years. Begin tracking your positive social and environmental impacts.

Startup 110

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2020

The key elements of leadership in a company, both individual and organizational, are less tangible, but very critical in setting a market value for investment, acquisition, or going public. Every business and brand has unique requirements to fit into their market environment. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Organization Coach Invest 124

InfoChachkie

MARCH 23, 2015

A company''s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a beloved metric slavishly tracked and reported by product marketing and customer support executives of both established and nascent enterprises. The higher a company’s NPS, allegedly the higher its customer satisfaction.

.Net 100

.Net Startup Satisfaction Technical Review 100

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 10, 2013

Rather, these were the words given in response to the opening question to a panel of product managers to “describe their occupation” in 3 words or less, + an additional word on what their biggest challenge was. Jay Stakelon , VP Product Design, Fullscreen. Jen Robinson , Head of Product Manager, Bigframe.

Product 87

Product Fandango Design Startup 87

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2015

Too many founders have learned that passion and free beta products do not imply a sustainable business. Proof of any business model starts with a finished product or solution, sold to a new customer for full price, with high satisfaction for the value received. Marketing is everything these days.

Startup 107

Startup Sales Customer Custom 107

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2015

By definition, every startup is predictably unpredictable, since new solutions have no proven track record, startups are usually building a new market, and the world around them is changing faster than ever. Five major elements of every business include your people, product, opportunity, money and marketing.

Startup 105

Startup Entrepreneur Marketing Satisfaction 105

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Without taking a dime of outside capital, the company has achieved impressive success in a competitive, SaaS market segment, landing companies such as Nike, Intuit, NASA, AutoDesk and PBS. I have always worked on early stage products. Some of the products I’ve helped validate and launch include GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting and AppFolio.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2015

Many soon find that what you do in a personal context doesn’t necessarily translate to your business, and measuring business value is quite different from measuring personal satisfaction. Create an integrated conventional marketing and social media strategy. Don’t forget the metrics and analytics. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 108

Social Media Media Startup Tips 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2019

Integrate social media into your overall marketing strategy. Most businesses need a mix of offline and online marketing, promotions, loyalty programs, and community involvement. Jumping in haphazardly with poorly a focused message is definitely non-productive, and may harm your business. Do your homework before you begin.

Social Media 99

Social Media Media Tool Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2019

How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Lots of people are trying to help, with new twists on the age-old model of free-market capitalism that has driven businesses for the last 500 years. Begin tracking your positive social and environmental impacts.

Startup 93

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 93

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2019

Owners realize that customers and the market change rapidly these days, and innovative change is necessary to keep ahead of competition and survive. Highlight your productivity and efficiency rather than workload. Help your owner get beyond the misleading metrics of employee overtime and salary increases.

Technical Advisors 75

Technical Advisors Startup Satisfaction Customer 75

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2015

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation. Marty Zwilling.

Outsource Development 99

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

The key elements of leadership in a company, both individual and organizational, are less tangible, but very critical in setting a market value for investment, acquisition, or going public. Every business and brand has unique requirements to fit into their market environment. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Organization Coach Invest 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2016

You need to quantify measurable criteria for success, using business metrics. Effective progress requires a detailed project plan, milestones, resource assignments, metrics, and status meetings on a regular schedule. Announce and launch an operational product. It takes the right people to make a breakthrough happen.

Startup 56

Startup Metrics Entrepreneur Resource 56

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2016

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 62

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Competition 62

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2014

How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Lots of people are trying to help, with new twists on the age-old model of free-market capitalism that has driven businesses for the last 500 years. Begin tracking your positive social and environmental impacts.

Startup 104

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Satisfaction 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2017

Expect to spend your limited budget on marketing. Word-of-mouth and minimal marketing does not drive a sustainable business. All marketing costs money, including viral marketing, search engine optimization, click-through, and social media support. Focus on usability, layout, sound, and video.

Social Media 57

Social Media Search Engine Optimization Startup Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2016

Some experts have tied this market to location detection hardware (GPS), but even that is now pervasive on all smart devices. You need metrics to show dominant penetration of the relevant customer demographic, added value over existing media, and real customer testimonials of value. Local businesses expect proof of value, not promises.

Advertising 63

Advertising Content Social Media Satisfaction 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2018

As a business advisor, one of the things I see most often as a drag to productivity and growth is employees who, despite their best efforts, can’t change things that they know are hurting the company. Market changes happen rapidly and regularly these days, requiring a realignment of skills, processes, and approaches to keep up.

Startup 62

Startup Organization Customer Custom 62

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2017

Thus most investors I know claim to invest in the person, rather than the product. That fosters a lack of attention to new markets and new competitors, instead of an eagerness to learn and innovate. When people feel good about themselves, the business looks positive, productivity goes up, and relationships are a lot better.

Software Review 57

Software Review Technical Review Startup Press 57

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2017

How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Lots of people are trying to help, with new twists on the age-old model of free-market capitalism that has driven businesses for the last 500 years. Begin tracking your positive social and environmental impacts.

Tips 55

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Examples 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2013

Maybe it’s just another example of nature abhorring a vacuum, but I prefer to think it’s a natural evolution of the pervasive social networking communities, where people relate to and expect to interact with businesses and products they like. They drive the market, rather than the other way around. Input = output.

Startup 100

Startup Customer Custom Social Network 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2013

How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Lots of people are trying to help, with new twists on the age-old model of free-market capitalism that has driven businesses for the last 500 years. Begin tracking your positive social and environmental impacts.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Satisfaction 98

Steve Reich

JUNE 11, 2012

” Not “we will take over the world” or “we’ll make a spectacular acquisition” We’ll make the product easier for our small business customers to use, and make it easier for partners to work with us. They have 1 million registered users, and have not spent a dime on marketing.

Customer 97

Customer Custom Software Review SaaS 97

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

Maybe it’s just another example of nature abhorring a vacuum, but I prefer to think it’s a natural evolution of the pervasive social networking communities where people relate to, and expect to interact with businesses and products they like. They drive the market, rather than the other way around. Input = output.

Startup 101

Startup Tips Education Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2012

Maybe it’s just another example of nature abhorring a vacuum, but I prefer to think it’s a natural evolution of the pervasive social networking communities, where people relate to and expect to interact with businesses and products they like. They drive the market, rather than the other way around. Input = output.

Startup 100

Startup Customer Custom Social Network 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2011

Maybe it’s just another example of nature abhorring a vacuum, but I prefer to think it’s a natural evolution of the pervasive social networking communities, where people relate to and expect to interact with businesses and products they like. They drive the market, rather than the other way around. Input = output.

Startup 92

Startup Customer Custom Social Network 92