Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

As an entrepreneur, you always need to be on the lookout for ways to expand your current business, and always on the lookout for your next big thing. The competition never stands still, and new opportunities are evolving, based on culture changes in your customers, new technologies, and new problems in the world which need to be solved.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Customer Custom .Net 100

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

As I thought about the characteristics that comprise a great program, I identified five criteria that a prospective entrepreneurial student can use to evaluate the efficacy of a collegiate entrepreneur curriculum. Ask: What percentage of the startup-oriented classes are taught by accomplished entrepreneurs?

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Class Patents 100

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. I have had this discussion with many a first-time entrepreneur. For example, look at the following graph.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2017

Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist. For example, make configuring your new office solution a transformational experience , rather than a technical installation challenge. One metric now commonly used is called the Net Promoter® Score (NPS). Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who can be easily wooed by the competition.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Product Marketing 85

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2012

There are no “overrides” – for example, businesses don’t thrive just because they offer the latest technology, or because everyone wants to be “green, or because their goal is to reduce world hunger. New entrepreneurs tend to focus only on product direct costs, and underestimate marketing and sales costs, overhead costs, and support costs.

Sales 97

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2011

There are no “overrides” – for example, businesses don’t thrive just because they offer the latest technology, or because everyone wants to be “green, or because their goal is to reduce world hunger. New entrepreneurs tend to focus only on product direct costs, and underestimate marketing and sales costs, overhead costs, and support costs.

Sales 98

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2012

As entrepreneurs, you always need to be on the lookout for ways to expand your current business, and always on the lookout for your next big thing. The competition never stands still, and new opportunities are evolving, based on culture changes in your customers, new technologies, and new problems in the world which need to be solved.

Startup 98

Startup Customer Custom Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. In that context, I offer you my latest collection of popular investor-to-entrepreneur terms and concepts. Prime examples include Uber, Airbnb and Snapchat.

Startup 57

Startup Software Review Equity Invest 57

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

As an employee of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets from 1999-2003 and of the Indianapolis Pacers from 2003-2008, I learned first-hand from the likes of Rod Thorn, Byron Scott, Jason Kidd and Larry Bird about the importance of leading by example and keys to assembling a championship-caliber team. Any competition in LA?

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Many entrepreneurs stumble at this point, losing the deal or most of their ownership, by having no answer, saying “make me an offer,” or quoting an exorbitant number. This time I’ll use a hypothetical health-care web site company named NewCo as an example to illustrate the points. If you have no better info, use 5x as the multiple.

Startup 108

Startup Invest Patents Outsource Development 108

InfoChachkie

JULY 11, 2011

As Fred points out, many entrepreneurs hear the word “debt” and promptly run the other direction. As with most negotiations, competition is the only way you will obtain an optimal result. Mr. Mojo Rising – Real-world Example. Go ahead, I will wait…. welcome back. Do we have a deal?” Equity Is Forever.

Equity 235

Equity Startup Invest Funding 235

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Many entrepreneurs stumble at this point, losing the deal or most of their ownership, by having no answer, saying “make me an offer,” or quoting an exorbitant number. This time I’ll use a hypothetical health-care web site company named NewCo as an example to illustrate the points. If you have no better info, use 5x as the multiple.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Patents Outsource Development 98

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2010

LP’s who invest in funds are typically university endowments, public & private pension funds, insurance companies, large corporations and very high net worth individuals called “family offices.&# To give you an indication of how bad, for example, university endowments are suffering check out this chart.

Venture Capital 311

Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding Rustic Canyon 311

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Many entrepreneurs stumble at this point, losing the deal or most of their ownership, by having no answer, playing coy, or quoting an exorbitant number. This time I’ll use a hypothetical health-care web site company named NewCo as an example to illustrate the points. Tags: valuation entrepreneur startup business.

Startup 93

Startup Patents Outsource Development Web 93

socalTECH

JULY 13, 2009

Mark has also been quite active mentoring entrepreneurs, We caught up with Mark to hear about what kinds of investments GRP is looking at nowadays, his view on the software-as-a-service market, and how best to approach him with a pitch. The whole point of this story, is that it's these little, small insights that entrepreneurs need to know.

GRP Partners 157

GRP Partners Southern California Santa Barbara Rustic Canyon 157

InfoChachkie

MARCH 16, 2010

Doing nothing was the most realistic and potent competition faced by Citrix. In this example, agreement is achievable between $145M and $185M. Tags: Entrepreneur Strategic Planning The Fringe. Such companies, if they are able to complete a transaction, often sell at a discount. Do Nothing. Get Out Of The Zone.

Company 160

Company Companies Pricing Santa Barbara 160

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2019

In my work with new and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most struggle with putting together a written business plan, often pointing out that someone they know started a business without anything written down. Be sure to net out the opportunity and the solution in the first thirty seconds. Make it light, but factual.

Ideas 126

Ideas Slides Sample Examples 126

SoCal Delicious

MARCH 1, 2010

before which is second-time entrepreneurs. Because its just not that hyper-competitive, Im-hiring-all-your-staff, because-Im-Google environment. Likely if you look at places like New York one would also be able to find examples of starts ups also doing well. What is happening in L.A. today that drives the startup community?

Los Angeles 50

Los Angeles Company Companies Angel 50

InfoChachkie

JUNE 25, 2009

It is surprising how often entrepreneurs forget this simple fact. As noted in Frugal is as Frugal Does , entrepreneurs on The Fringe only spend their cash on items that add value to their adVentures. Some companies use lawsuits as an arrow in their competitive quiver. In Search of an Oxymoron – The Ideal Lawyer.

Technical Advisors 124

Technical Advisors Technical Review IP Patents 124

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 10, 2011

In my ongoing quest to get you good transcripts of the wonderful interviews we’ve done in the past, I present you with one amazing interview here with Tom McInerney – a friend, co-investor, former entrepreneur turned angel investor and “wizard of Oz&# behind the scenes at the uber hot startup Klout. 0:28:00) & (0:31:27).

Angel 302

Angel Startup Ideas .Net 302

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2016

All too often as a startup investor, I hear the term “disruptive technology” from an entrepreneur, played like a trump card that should override any other potential business qualms. They can point to the many examples of innovative technologies that have failed in the marketplace.

Technology 57

Technology Competition Customer Custom 57

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 13, 2010

The net result of my posts plus the comments forms a tighter view of my evolving belief system. If I had link bait with stupid ideas then entrepreneurs wouldn’t want to work with me. But I think it’s fair to point out when I believe that the profit motive is a net negative for startups or for our industry.

Blogging 250

Blogging Social Media Writing Startup 250

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2017

For example, you need to know if a transaction was completed, you need to know the parties involved, you need to ensure that they actually own the money that they are transferring and that they haven’t previously pledged it to somebody else. It’s Hobbesian economics 101. Enter the decentralized Internet.

Course 280

Course Startup Framework Marketing 280

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 10, 2010

It’s an important film and the most important topic of our generation if we as a country want to remain competitive in a world that has globalized. I poured myself into planning and I won the class-wide competition. I graduated this class and at all of 16 years old wanted to be an entrepreneur. Please go see the film.

Class 340

Class Education Technical Review Writing 340