socalTECH

JULY 7, 2010

One complaint we sometimes hear from venture capitalists visiting Southern California for the first time, is the difficulty of finding experienced entrepreneurs and executives. socalTECH.com has mined its proprietary database of high tech companies and entrepreneurs and identified just a few of the repeat entrepreneurs to watch in the region.

Southern California 228

Southern California Entrepreneur SoCal Mahalo 228

Berkonomics

JANUARY 13, 2022

You no longer need to worry over daily cash or threats to your net worth. What most entrepreneurs fail dramatically at is to celebrate the moment. Not many founders or entrepreneurs do experience the success of a favorable sale of the business they dreamed would make them rich. Then do as all good entrepreneurs do.

Writing 156

Writing Entrepreneur .Net Sales 156

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Email readers, continue here…] First there comes a sense of relief, knowing that you no longer need to worry over daily cash or threats to your net worth. But what most entrepreneurs fail dramatically at is to celebrate the moment. The do as all good entrepreneurs do. Think about investments and tax efficiency.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Writing .Net Sales 120

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Gross Burn vs. Net Burn. Burn rate in case you don’t know is the amount of money a company is either spending (gross) or losing (net) per month. (it Net burn is the amount of money you are losing per month. I often see companies burning $100,000 per month (net) looking to raise $6-8 million.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. A target market is the group of customers that the startup plans to attract through marketing and sales their product or service. Sales/Marketing.

Sales 102

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2015

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. The best entrepreneurs stay close to the innovation process – talking to customers and technology leaders directly. Net result and reward.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 101

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Or if you’re a VC raising from LPs you have to list all of your deals, your investment value, your carrying value, your multiples, your IRRs, TVPIs, DPIs, etc along with net cashflows plus your previous LPAs. These collective sets of documents form the basis of what somebody looking at investing would call “financial due diligence.”

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

Every entrepreneur wants to hear “yes” during the fund-raising process but I would argue that being too risk averse and not pushing hard enough and be willing to hear a “no” is what holds back many people from “yes.” Possibly offend and entrepreneur leading to reputation risk amongst other entrepreneurs.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

In some reputable surveys , as many as two-thirds of entrepreneurs felt that their entrepreneurial spirit was more ingrained than learned, so a specific education level is at least irrelevant. On the other hand, I had trouble thinking of famous entrepreneurs with an MBA. He built an overnight competitor to the U.S. Postal Service.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Education .Net Class 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 1, 2022

I tell entrepreneurs that Google was an “exception” to all the investment and startup rules, but I’ve always wondered what it takes to be an exception. Here are some lessons from the book that all entrepreneurs should wish they could emulate: Independently outstanding, but complementary founders.

Startup 131

Startup Google Advertising .Net 131

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

But the real asset became obvious at almost exactly 5 PM that day, when all eight stopped what they were doing and began using a tool they had licensed from a Florida company to find other Internet gamers to join them in playing intense first party shooter games over the ‘net. By this time there were not one but four million registered users.

Sales 149

Sales Web Design Web Entrepreneur 149

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2017

One of the hardest decisions entrepreneurs make when they start a company and raise outside capital is figuring out what an acceptable “burn rate” is. That is, how much should your company be willing to lose in cash every month as you make investments in staff and equipment that funds technology, sales, marketing and management.

Startup 212

Startup Venture Capital .Net Capital 212

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. The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. If you don’t, somebody else WILL!”

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Berkonomics

APRIL 4, 2019

On the other side, entrepreneurs and CEO’s usually have a natural fear of giving too much information to us investors after the initial investment is received. Requirements created by investment documents. This could include the need for audited financials, monthly financial and narrative reporting and more.

Class 120

Class Course Report Competition 120

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 16, 2011

After college Joanne worked for 4 years in retail apparel at Macy’s where she initially managed sales reps on the floor and then worked as a buyer of clothing. This is where she first developed sales skills. She doubled her salary by going into sales. to $12m in sales. “A lot of sales is innate.

Startup 311

Startup Sales Venture Capital Entrepreneur 311

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. The founders now need a $1M Angel investment to do the marketing for a national NewCo rollout, build a team to manage the rollout, and maybe even pay themselves a salary.

Startup 108

Startup Invest Patents Outsource Development 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

I tell entrepreneurs that Google was an “exception” to all the investment and startup rules, but I’ve always wondered what it takes to be an exception. Here are some lessons from the book that all entrepreneurs should wish they could emulate: Independently outstanding, but complementary founders. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Google Advertising .Net 93

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 27, 2010

Entrepreneurs who experience promising initial success also play a similar game. The startup was so nascent that the sale would have been considered a short-term gain for tax purposes, which would have significantly reduced the Founders’ proceeds, making their small fortune even smaller. The payout was also unique.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Acquisition Pricing 124

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 27, 2010

Entrepreneurs who experience promising initial success also play a similar game. The startup was so nascent that the sale would have been considered a short-term gain for tax purposes, which would have significantly reduced the Founders’ proceeds, making their small fortune even smaller. The payout was also unique.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Acquisition Pricing .Net 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2015

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. Selecting the right sales channels is one of the first strategic decisions that every startup faces. Lead management performance.

Metrics 101

Metrics Marketing Demand Paramount 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2018

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. Selecting the right sales channels is one of the first strategic decisions that every startup faces. Lead management performance.

Metrics 57

Metrics Demand Marketing Paramount 57

Berkonomics

JANUARY 20, 2010

Some businesses require very little capital and the founder is able to self-finance the enterprise and retain 100% of its ownership and control from ignition through liquidity event (startup through sale). For you who fit that description, nice work. There is a lot to say about retaining control.

Venture Capital 174

Venture Capital Invest Class Entrepreneur 174

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. If you hire 6 senior sales reps in January at $120,000 / year salary then you’ve taken on an extra $60,000 per month in costs yet these sales people might not close new business 6 months. I often ask entrepreneurs to consider, “What’s your objective?

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 7, 2015

Who makes more money, entrepreneurs or venture capitalists? Jason’s comments caused me to compare my career as an entrepreneur and a VC with Rincon Venture Partners. This analysis is particularly timely, given the recent tidal wave of successful entrepreneurs who have become Angel and venture investors. The Answer: “Yes and No”.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Capital .Net Entrepreneur 100

InfoChachkie

MARCH 2, 2019

Ruth had previously headed the company’s sales efforts, but she formally moved up to the CEO role upon Matson’s departure. In 1952, banks refused to loan Ruth the money needed to invest in a windup, music-box piano that she was convinced would be a hit. In 1955, the company’s net work was $500,000 ($4.6 Ruth’s Big Innovation.

Company 100

Company Companies Sales Sample 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 24, 2019

Image by Origa via Wikipedia I tell entrepreneurs that Google was an “exception” to all the investment and startup rules, but I’ve always wondered what it takes to be an exception. Here are some lessons from the book that all entrepreneurs should wish they could emulate: Independently outstanding, but complementary founders.

Google 98

Google Startup Advertising .Net 98

socalTECH

MAY 30, 2019

Richards--a serial entrepreneur who has been involved in a number of technology companies here, including NTI Group (sold to Blackboard), Internships.com, MP3.com, com, and Vivendi Universal Net USA, where he was also CEO. You've got to have great sales enablement. What do you need to be make a startup successful?

Content 193

Content Social Network Coach Help 193

InfoChachkie

JULY 11, 2011

As Fred points out, many entrepreneurs hear the word “debt” and promptly run the other direction. By combining our equity investment with a tranche of venture debt, the company has avoided a larger equity round, which would have significantly diluted the Founders’ ownership share. Go ahead, I will wait…. welcome back.

Equity 235

Equity Startup Invest Funding 235

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

Some of the all-time greatest business deals involve entrepreneurs who viewed the scope of their negotiations in terms of decades, rather than years. Too often, entrepreneurs negotiate deals which consider a relatively short-term time horizon. However, shrewd entrepreneurs look beyond a deal’s near-term impact.

Miramar 100

Miramar .Net Sales Entrepreneur 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2013

I will outline here ten key principles and disciplines that every entrepreneur must understand and practice to minimize surprises and failures in this area: Failure to document cash flow projections is a disaster. Seasonal sales fluctuations eat cash. Fluctuating sales means more inventory is required to cover the ups and downs.

Startup 114

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 114

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2014

According to earlier studies from Forbes Insights , many entrepreneurs and small businesses not only feel the lessons learned during the past few years have helped them survive, but the recession also exposed flaws in their business strategies that they were able to fix. 2015 business optimism entrepreneur strategy' Marty Zwilling.

Study 102

Study Entrepreneur .Net Guide 102

InfoChachkie

APRIL 25, 2011

Although many are entertaining, most fail to provide entrepreneurs with a sufficient return on their time investment. Unfortunately, most business books do not offer entrepreneurs an adequate payoff. The brief chapters lend themselves to multiple sittings, allowing a busy entrepreneur to read each chapter in short increments.

Technical Review 279

Technical Review Blogging Class Entrepreneur 279

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

I grew to appreciate this approach much more when I interviewed a popular serial entrepreneur, Rich Christiansen a while back, who has done almost 30 businesses wholly by bootstrapping. Take little to no net profit. As soon as you bring in investors, they force you to plan for an exit (merger or sale) in three to five years.

Organization 111

Organization Startup Summary Entrepreneur 111

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2012

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. A target market is the group of customers that the startup plans to attract through marketing and sales their product or service. Sales/Marketing.

Sales 97

Sales Customer Custom Outsource 97

Tech Coast Venture Network

APRIL 22, 2010

Virgina Lorimor There are several options for financing a start-up business that tend to follow a natural course in a business’ development: Personal Investment. This is where all entrepreneurs have to start. In order to qualify, you have to have high net worth, a strong credit score and significant skin in the game.

Startup 124

Startup Tech Coast Angels TCVN Incubator 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2016

In the new business world, many entrepreneurs are so excited with large initial orders that they don’t anticipate the cash flow challenges that can quickly kill their startup. Seasonal sales fluctuations eat cash. Fluctuating sales means more inventory is required to cover the ups and downs.

Startup 64

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 64

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2013

In some reputable surveys , as many as two-thirds of entrepreneurs felt that their entrepreneurial spirit was more ingrained than learned, so a specific education level is at least irrelevant. On the other hand, I had trouble thinking of famous entrepreneurs with an MBA. He built an overnight competitor to the U.S. Postal Service.

Startup 100

Startup Education Entrepreneur .Net 100