Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

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. Good hiring, training, and mentoring are the best motivators. Practice every day what you preach.

Examples 145

Examples Mentor Activity Product 145

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 26, 2010

The San Diego arm of the Founder Institute , the entrepreneurship mentoring effort started by Adeo Ressi, said Friday that it has graduated 12 companies from its Fall 2009 San Diego semester. Tags: founder institute entrepreneurship mentoring entrepreneur startup adeo ressi diego. Names of the other companies were not announced.

San Diego 157

San Diego Mentor Platform Sites 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2021

I’ve always wondered if there was some way that I could quickly deduce a new entrepreneur’s “sweet spot,” and optimize my mentoring to those strengths and weaknesses, maybe similar to the Myers-Briggs type indicator for business professionals. Ultimately, most get the best help from business advisors and mentors.

Entrepreneur 134

Entrepreneur Framework Mentor Web 134

socalTECH

JULY 11, 2016

The Walt Disney Company has named its next class of startup participating in the Disney Accelerator , the startup accelerator and mentoring company held on the company's Burbank campus. READ MORE>>.

Class 100

Class Burbank Commerce Mentor 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

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. only accredited investors can use crowdfunding sites such as EquityNet to buy ownership in their favorite startup.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Satisfaction Equity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Most ecommerce sites highlight this feature. Utilize outside expertise and mentoring. No matter how much energy, experience, and passion you have, there is always more you can learn from an Advisory Board of external experts or a mentor. Select a single dimension to measure momentum.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

The first step is to set your criteria, including a match for your sector type and stage, and then proactively seek out and contact the best candidates: Review profiles on professional social media sites. There is a good chance that business advisors and mentors also have access to investment capital, or know someone who does.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

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. Thus I often recommend that before you kick off your own business, you join another startup or existing business to see how things really work.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

As a mentor to young aspiring entrepreneurs , I often get asked for tips on a strategy to get started. Don’t be shy about networking for advisors with business experience for coaching and mentoring. Make sure you can get consistent names on Twitter, Facebook, and other key social media sites.

Startup 114

Startup Tips Coach Satisfaction 114

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2020

Based on my experience and a business advisor and mentor, this is the ideal time to get back to the basics of business leadership and innovation. Through mentoring and coaching, you can build a culture of sharing and collaboration throughout the team. He considers mentoring on of his most critical roles at work.

Mentor 122

Mentor Ideas Competition Examples 122

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. To get started, go to the International Business Innovation Association web site, and use the search tool provided to see what’s available in your area.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

If you'd like to be considered to pitch us at StartEngine, submit your application on their site today. StartEngine is the startup accelerator headed by Howard Marks , the co-founder of Activision, which invests up to $20,000 in startups and helps them build their businesses through a 90 day mentoring program.

Activision 147

Activision Screening Mentor Los Angeles 147

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

El Segundo-based iChange , the online community site focused on nutrition counseling headed by Stuart MacFarlane, has raised another $500,000, as part of an ongoing $600,000 funding round, according to a regulatory filing by the firm today. iChange has previously raised funding from business mentoring firm and incubator Momentum Ventures.

El Segundo 147

El Segundo CitySearch .Net Incubator 147

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

The first step is to set your criteria, including a match for your sector type and stage, and then proactively seek out and contact the best candidates: Review profiles on professional social media sites. There is a good chance that business advisors and mentors also have access to investment capital, or know someone who does.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2011

Los Angeles-based Launchpad LA , the business mentoring and acceleration program which has been spearheaded by Mark Suster and Adam Lilling, looks to be gearing up for its third class. According to the group's web site, it will kick off the next class in November 2011, and continue until early spring 2012.

Class 208

Class Mentor Web Los Angeles 208

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2023

Anyone can build a new web site, or publish a smartphone app for a few thousand dollars, but getting market penetration requires a lot more. Those who proactively seek knowledge and learn fast build knowledge pools and tap into the wisdom of mentors and industry leaders to raise their game. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 118

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network SpaceX 118

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. To get started, go to the International Business Innovation Association web site, and use the lookup tool provided to see what’s available in your area.

Resource 159

Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

socalTECH

JUNE 6, 2011

Those programs--epitomized by YCombinator in the Bay Area, and TechStars in Boulder, Colorado--attract newly minted entrepreneurs with a mixture of cash and mentoring, and a program which rapidly takes ideas and turns them into viable, executing businesses. Those mentors are not just Bruce and I, although we are full time on this.

Startup 221

Startup Mentor Southern California Incubator 221

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

In my role as advisor and mentor to many new entrepreneurs, I often find myself suggesting that they think bigger. For example, I’m not sure the world needs one more social media niche site, or another dating site, or yet another flavored drink alternative.

Startup 162

Startup Metrics Ideas Entrepreneur 162

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2020

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. Good hiring, training, and mentoring are the best motivators. Practice every day what you preach.

Product 129

Product Examples Mentor Activity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

That means starting your search through contract services sites, rather than conventional career hiring sites. Freelancers and consultants have to demonstrate results, without training and mentoring, so they can help you more quickly and probably at a lower total cost. Prioritize demonstrated execution versus potential.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

People can build great ecommerce sites with free tools, smartphone apps in their spare time and use crowdfunding to bypass the dreaded angel funding and venture capital penalties. Based on my own experience mentoring real entrepreneurs and likely candidates, there are at least eight categories of non-starters.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Knowledge Base 153

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

There is a large menu of startup accelerators in the Los Angeles, but one of more established efforts in the area is LaunchpadLA ([link] The effort actually started as an informal mentoring program, but has grown and expanded to follow the accelerator model. We're really excited for the next steps. Sam Teller: Great question.

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Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

Los Angeles-based ShopNation , one of the current class of the LaunchpadLA business mentoring effort, has partnered with fashion focused and editorial site theFashionSpot , the firms said today. ShopNation, which is headed by Travis Schneider, is powering theFashionSpot's online fashion storefront.

AtomicOnline 145

AtomicOnline Class Mentor Los Angeles 145

socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2012

There's an awful lot of check-in sites out there. Why would someone want to use your site? For local businesses, we're also giving them free mobile web sites, and working on other relationships. Since we started our free site last week, we've organically grown faster than we ever thought we would.

CTO Coach 223

CTO Coach Startup Mobile Artificial Inteligence 223

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2023

The business world doesn’t thrive with yet another social media or dating site – it’s begging for paradigm shifts in the technology or business model. Ask for help from advisors and mentor your team. Venture where no business has gone before. There is no cookie-cutter route to success as an entrepreneur.

Ideas 105

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Social Media 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

That means making sure you are utilizing coaching and mentoring, as well as training to keep up with changes in technology and the marketplace. In fact, changes are often highlighted by online sites and influencers as positive, and can give you that extra boost you need to stand out in the marketplace over competitors.

Competition 148

Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

If your mission is to change the world or help the disadvantaged, another dating site or online gambling may not be for you, no matter how financially lucrative. Assess who you can get for value and mentoring. You should pick an idea that you can hand off quickly to investors, or one you can grow as a legacy for your family.

Startup 94

Startup Ideas Metrics Entrepreneur 94

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. Make sure the name and trademarks you want are available, as well as web site address, social media tags, and any other intellectual property.

Social Media 98

Social Media Metrics Media Tool 98

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

The program is basically to take entrepreneurs, pair them with a mentor who is also an entrepreneur themselves, either a CEO or a CTO. It's structured so that they get funding, office space, all of the Internet resources, tools they need from mentors. There might be one or two mentors, one might be a CTO, another, a CEO.

CTO Coach 194

CTO Coach Startup Mentor Activision 194

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Use the surge of crowdfunding sites for small amounts. The hottest new way of investing in startups to go to popular online sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo. Participate as a mentor in local startup incubators. There you can get in for as little as $20, or even less. Do your homework before investing.

Invest 89

Invest Entrepreneur Startup Equity 89

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

We spoke with Jonathan about the advantages of SwoopThat over existing sites. Jonathan Simkin: What makes us unique from other sites, is we're here to help students save time, in addition to money, when they buy books. How did you come up with the web site? They act as mentors and help companies grow. What's SwoopThat?

UCSD 185

UCSD Course Startup Sites 185

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2022

In my years of mentoring and working with startups, I’ve seen and read about some amazing disruptions, as well as recoveries, and I’m sure each of you could add your own. People who haven’t thought about a Plan B often don’t survive the shock.

Startup 98

Startup Entrepreneur Competition Mentor 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

Anyone can build a new web site, or publish a smartphone app for a few thousand dollars, but getting market penetration requires a lot more. Those who proactively seek knowledge and learn fast build knowledge pools and tap into the wisdom of mentors and industry leaders to raise their game. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 143

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 143

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Customers expect consistency of your brand name across all channels, so don’t pick a web site name if the comparable name is available or already taken on relevant social media. You need to be an active member of LinkedIn, Meetup, or equivalent sites where influencers exchange ideas and discuss current business issues.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

socalTECH

JANUARY 27, 2010

The group also said it is focusing on its SeedTrack program, which is specifically focused on seed stage funding and extensive mentoring. The angel group also mentioned a web site design as part of its initiatives this year.

Tech Coast Angels 157

Tech Coast Angels Orange County Seed Funding Santa Barbara 157

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

We had to figure out what would help the other 90 percent build better and more interesting sites. We noticed that many of those sites were not pre-populating the site with content, were not drawing from external channels, and were not starting conversations on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere. We have some great mentors now.

Startup 242

Startup CTO Coach Blogging Social Media 242