Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” They have have raised $2-3 million, built a product that has some amount of market traction and got to annualized revenues of around $1 million.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2014

People cite sources like this BusinessWeek story last year “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ,” or even my own article a while back, “ 10 Reasons Not To Write A Business Plan First.” Net out the problem and your solution in the first 30 seconds. Pitch your company, not your product. Executive summary glossy.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Slides 108

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 7, 2014

So VCs started writing some smaller A-rounds. If you have raised $2-4 million from a bunch of high-net-worth individuals I simply don’t see it as an A-round. If you''re newer to VC math here''s a great primer]. If you want a great primer on how the VC and startup funding scene changed here’s a great primer.

Seed Funding 399

Seed Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 399

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

Is it one product line or multiple? For example, if you sell your product through a third-party reseller who charges 30% of any sale then your COGS will be 30% of revenue (assuming no other costs of sales). They used the money to hire a bigger tech team so they could roll out their second product line. Not necessarily.

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

socalTECH

MARCH 16, 2017

Derek Norton: I just closed on a new fund, worth $5M, which I raised from a group of high net worth, high profile LPs. We are going to write checks of between $100,000 and $500,000, and we are going to invest in what we are calling first institutional capital. Tell us about the new fund? Where are you planning making investments?

Invest 145

Invest Funding Capital Startup 145

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

For much of 2013 I watched the press write articles about how the YouTube “MCNs” (multi-channel networks) were doomed and tried to square that with the data I was watching at the one I invested in, Maker Studios, who has had one hell of a year. Selling at smaller retailers will net you fewer customers and higher margins.

Networking 366

Networking Media Content Customer 366

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

We’ve all become so used to having Microsoft in our lives that we’ve started to take their products and services for granted. Since then, Microsoft has come out with product after product, always improving and innovating – and you can keep counting on it to keep doing so. came out in 1985. 2. 1.0, NT, 98, ME, Vista, XP, 7.

Writing 88

Writing Training Email .Net 88

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2016

After all, if people feel more of a safety net for trying and not succeeding more people are bound to try in the first place and more innovation is almost inevitable. So I wondered out loud with the president if the government wanted to encourage more entrepreneurship — was there a way to help promote more of a culture accepting of failure?

Startup 261

Startup Press Blogging .Net 261

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 11, 2011

Value Prop Twitter Style : AngelList is the productization of raising startup funding. AngelList is the productization of that. These days, thanks to code and community, we can productize almost any process done by humans. We are productizing the raising of capital for startups. ”. For his exact quotes, watch the video.

Startup 273

Startup Software Review Summary Technical Review 273

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 22, 2012

Ask yourself the tough question about how you might spend that time more productively getting your job done well. There are also many times where that meeting isn’t really focused or productive. They think they’re doing the startup a favor by casting a wide net to VCs. I see way too many of these.

Email 359

Email Venture Capital Startup Technical Review 359

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2010

As of the last four months, we've had about 200,000 plus downloads, a bunch of great write ups, and a lot of mom bloggers who have been reviewing the app and writing stories on it. The net-net, is they want to simplify their lives, and we've given them an application that allows them to simplify their life, save money, and share.

Mobile 168

Mobile .Net Pasadena Software Review 168

InfoChachkie

APRIL 25, 2011

If you are a leader at a startup and you are reading a business book, you are not closing customers, raising capital, improving your product, or spending time with your loved ones. At the beginning of the index, Guy writes, “I hope Robert Cialdini checks this index.” Like King, his writing style is breezy and engaging.

Technical Review 279

Technical Review Blogging Class Entrepreneur 279

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2018

Even more disappointing are other statistics that show most websites that do exist have a very low “conversion rate,” or ratio of visitors to the site versus ones who meet your goal of buying a product or signing up for a newsletter. Find your niche and highlight how your product meets the customer’s exact need, and is the best in the world.

SEO 53

SEO Tips Newsletter Statistics 53

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2014

Sponsored by VISA Business If you have a unique product or service, and you are not selling it around the world on the Internet, now is the time to start. Here are the key steps for a personal home-based business website selling your consulting service or a few products (as an alternative to eBay): Go online to reserve a website domain name.

Startup 100

Startup Commerce Blogging Sites 100

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 16, 2011

To be effective at sales you need to really understand the business of the person who will buy your product. “There are so many places you can go on the Net where you can find your community. Certainly if you look at eCommerce & social media – women are the ones using these products. The women are out there.

Startup 311

Startup Venture Capital Sales Entrepreneur 311

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 5, 2010

They often make great team members such as head of products, CTO, head of sales, CFO, etc. But when I’m looking to write my check I need to look in the eyes of the captain — the maestro who brings the whole orchestra together. Great companies are comprised of great individual point people or functional leaders. That’s hard core.

Entrepreneur 293

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital CTO Hire 293

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 26, 2012

Miselu’s seeks to “innovate products to create the next generation of musical experiences,” according to their statement on their website. Groesche got me intrigued with Miselu’s grand vision so I couldn’t help but ask him for a quick interview on the product: Tell us about presenting the product early at SXSW?

Press 100

Press Ideas Product Activity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Here are the key steps for a personal home-based business website selling a few products (as an alternative to Ebay): Go online to reserve a website domain name. You probably want at least a home page, product page, order page, and contact page. Now the price is closer to $100, if you are willing to do the work yourself.

Commerce 99

Commerce Startup Sites Tool 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2018

Net out the problem and your solution in the first 30 seconds. Pitch your company, not your product. Disciplining yourself to write down the plan is actually the best way to make sure you actually understand it yourself. Successful startups are all about the right people with the right stuff. Executive summary glossy.

Startup 65

Startup Entrepreneur Slides Content 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2013

Here are the key steps for a personal home-based business website selling a few products (as an alternative to Ebay): Go online to reserve a website domain name. You probably want at least a home page, product page, order page, and contact page. Now the price is closer to $100, if you are willing to do the work yourself.

Sites 78

Sites Commerce Startup Tool 78

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

In one year of Airbnb Tracy netted more than $28,000. Tracy is knowledgeable enough to talk tech and swap design & product stories with other founders, but she realized early that networking amongst this group and reading and writing in their journals would not bring her more customers. She focused on her customer.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2013

Of course, you can’t predict everything, but writing down what you know will identify existing problems sooner, and allow other team members to help. The faster you grow, the more cash you need, to build product, facilities, staff, and service. You can be on budget, and still run out of cash.

Startup 114

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 114

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Here are the key steps for a personal home-based business website selling a few products (as an alternative to Ebay): Go online to reserve a website domain name. You probably want at least a home page, product page, order page, and contact page. Now the price is closer to $100, if you are willing to do the work yourself.

Commerce 88

Commerce Startup Sites Tool 88

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

The value proposition is a short statement that clearly communicates the target customer, the customer’s problem and the pain that it causes, the unique solution that addresses this problem, and the net benefit of this solution (value derived versus relative cost) from the customer's perspective.

Funding 106

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Invest 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2010

Beyond wasted productivity and network bandwidth, here are ten additional reasons given by employers in a recent Network World article for why they continue to place these restrictions: Data leaks – social networks are all about easy sharing, and employees go too far. Flexible, easily customizable productivity tools.

Social Network 87

Social Network Networking Tool Sites 87

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2016

Of course, you can’t predict everything, but writing down what you know will identify existing problems sooner, and allow other team members to help. The faster you grow, the more cash you need, to build product, facilities, staff, and service. You can be on budget, and still run out of cash.

Startup 64

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 64

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

Founded in the summer of 2011 and their first product out a few weeks ago amSTATS wants to help users to follow fitness events and programs near them and find a great fitness trainer to help them stay fit. There are several competitors we’ve identified who have built a similar product. How unique are you from competitors elsewhere?

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

We spoke with Dipanshu Sharma, Chairman of the firm, to learn more about the company and its products. What we want to do is solve that problem, and build the first, live project and product collaboration tool. So we built this product, and we believe we're the first ones to have it in the market.

Startup 100

Startup Software Review Technical Review Software 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 10, 2010

It was recommended to me by my friend, Net Jacobsson , who was trying to do some basic Life Hacking. But Net had told me that he picked up some valuable lessons from the book, so I thought, “WTF? Want to take a year pursuing your dream to write a screenplay, travel through Asia, run a triathlon or start your own fashion line?

Startup 295

Startup Email Technical Review Course 295

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Our approach is often additive to all parties, resulting in ongoing, productive relationships. The net was that 's app is too sophisticated for the five verbs. <Note: thinks his product is probably much easier to (use than) VoiceXML, but he is not sure that the ease of use will offset the market confusion. com> 4/25/08.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Software Review Southern California 100

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

I taught a somewhat crazy course about writing and deploying a scalable website in Ruby on Rails and deploying it in EC2. But throughout the transition I had my safety net. I’m sure we missed out on a number of great people, but the net effect is that everyone in the team is focused on the same mission.

Cloud Computing 188

Cloud Computing Santa Barbara EC2 Startup 188

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

So I thought I’d write a post about how I drive my personal creativity. (A The need for creativity extends well beyond product design. The key is channeling what you learn when you drive onto paper for retention purposes so you have to write it down soon afterward. Many people are visual thinkers.

Writing 356

Writing Startup Ideas Summary 356

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 29, 2009

Banner or AdSense style ads placed either at the top of the page or down the right hand side (often called a skyscraper) would only net Twitter money for users that log into Twitter.com. And if they can monetize their follower base then they have an incentive to grow their base, Tweet more, engage more and write better quality Tweets.

Ideas 286

Ideas Advertising Google Technical Review 286

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2021

It’s a virtue of the laws of large numbers ($100 million in ARR ) plus strong growth compounding off of large numbers plus large customers relying on our products for 7+ years or longer. He writes “Half of all venture funds outperform the stock market which is the benchmark most institutions measure VC funds against.”

Venture Capital 363

Venture Capital Capital Funding .Net 363

SoCal CTO

MARCH 22, 2007

I am in the middle of writing up some of my thoughts on this and will post about it and let you know. I have to say that it has netted far more than I would have thought. Product Manager Entrepreneur Mark Geller SEO for Startups Startup Version 1.0 And, I dont like to copy and paste.

Blogging 150

Blogging CTO Coach CTO Hire Southern California 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2015

As I write these words I already imagine my next deposition in which I’m asked to read this out loud. They were then sued for trademark infringement by a foreign company who had no product, no customers and no employees in the US. *. Lawsuits. Lawsuits are becoming so prevalent these days. It was a pure shake down.

Startup 150

Startup IP Writing Ideas 150

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2009

A Writer Is Someone Who Writes. A writer is someone who writes, not someone who goes about telling their friends that they are “a writer”. No matter how fast and efficient you and your team are, products take time to develop, markets take time to mature and customers take time to understand and appreciate your value proposition.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Ideas Writing Startup 153