Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2016

In business, this means an entrepreneur who never says no to any customer is doomed to a hard life and some expensive mistakes. Many people will argue that total customer satisfaction is paramount, but I’m a pragmatist who believes that treating everyone the same really means treating all of them poorly.

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Customer Custom Startup Satisfaction 65

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Here are the key principles she espouses, extended to leadership teams, based on my own background and mentoring new entrepreneurs: Learn to trust yourself and your team. These principles embody an incremental approach to the knowing-doing obstacles that entrepreneurs and their teams have to face head-on: Overcoming the resistance of inertia.

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Develop Development Coach Metrics 103

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2020

As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. Thus crowdfunding is clearly not the panacea for funding and success that many entrepreneurs envision.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2013

New entrepreneurs who want to survive, and optimize the growth of their startups, need to think globally, and act locally, from day one. The middle and above-middle class population of China will grow from 172 million in 2010 to 314 million by 2015. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Offshore 97

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

In fact, Here's the post in its entirety: We have signed an agreement to be acquired by Amazon and are looking forward to working with them as we continue to build easy-to-use tools for entrepreneurs. Nothing is changing for our customers at this time, and we’ll be in touch with customers as and when we have further updates.

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News Acquisition Platform Sales 136

socalTECH

AUGUST 26, 2019

For this morning's interview with an entrepreneur, we spoke with Thomas Russell , the Ceo and co-founder of ETC Solar (www.etc-solar.com), a Los Angeles startup developing technology to improve the efficiency and cost of solar cells. What's the biggest lesson you've learned as an entrepreneur so far? What does ETC Solar do?

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CalTech Outsource Development IP Marketing 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

As a startup advisor, when I suggest cooperating with competitors, most entrepreneurs initially think I'm crazy or suggesting something illegal. That’s a win-win-win deal, since the ease-of-use attracts more people to the new site, it enhances the Facebook brand, and it simplifies the customer interaction.

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Startup Customer Custom IBM 102

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

In fact, an entrepreneur friend of mine, who made millions on her marketing expertise, asserted recently that most inventors fail in business because they refuse to believe that any business expertise or experience is worth more than 5 percent in partner equity. Most founders bootstrap product development.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2015

If you find problem-solving to be energizing, you could be the next great entrepreneur. Contrary to a popular myth, problem-solving is a talent that can be developed. The first challenge for many aspiring entrepreneurs is to put aside their passionate advocacy long enough to acknowledge an existing problem. It never ends.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Metrics 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2011

New entrepreneurs who want to survive, and optimize the growth of their startups, need to think globally, and act locally, from day one. The middle and above-middle class population of China will grow from 172 million in 2010 to 314 million in 2015. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Patents Offshore Startup 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

Successful entrepreneurs must never stop looking for ways to improve their own productivity, as well as the efficiency and momentum of the team. The need for this focus may seem obvious to you, but I still hear many complaints from entrepreneurs and employees alike on the hours they work, and how they are underpaid for their time.

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Training Entrepreneur Tool Metrics 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. Investors are business experts, while the entrepreneur is more likely the product expert. These don’t get funded, nor bought by customers. First to market” is not sustainable by a startup.

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Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2015

Yet, as an advisor to startups, I see some common disasters, and recommend some anticipation and recovery moves that can save every entrepreneur some painful time and money. While every entrepreneur needs to remain upbeat and optimistic on all of these, it is also smart to anticipate the worst case scenarios that are possible with each.

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Startup Entrepreneur Marketing Satisfaction 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2015

In this age of relationships, you, the entrepreneur, are a very important element of your new brand, and it’s never too early to start marketing the value of your expertise, insights and ideas. Every entrepreneur should count on at least a couple of adjustments or pivots before they get it right. Start today.

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Blogging Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media 110

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

A popular myth these days is that successful entrepreneurs must attract investors to get their businesses going, when the reality has been that more than 80 percent of new businesses are started and grown with no outside investment at all. You don’t want to risk your own money on development. The need to hire staff immediately.

Startup 101

Startup Entrepreneur Equity Summary 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Too many entrepreneurs look for that one magic bullet -- an exciting new technology, perhaps, or their own determination to make the world a better place -- to override any shortcomings in their startup model. If the elements of your business aren't expertly developed and aligned, even the best dream will be in jeopardy.

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Pricing Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2015

If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, you need to take a hard look at yourself before leaving that regular paycheck. The good and the bad news is that as an entrepreneur, you won’t have a manager charged with directing your efforts or peers helping you implement, and your new team will be quick to tell you only what you want to hear.

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Startup Entrepreneur Mentor News 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2015

Based on my experience advising entrepreneurs, I’m convinced that success is often more a mindset than a specific set of skills or intelligence. A fixed mindset is when entrepreneurs believe their abilities and market are fixed, and the challenge is to make the best of the hand already dealt. Most experts call this a growth mindset.

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Startup Entrepreneur Technical Review Customer 55

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

How many times have you heard or suspected that a certain entrepreneur was just lucky? Without fully discounting that random good things sometimes happen, I’m a firm believer that great entrepreneurs make their own luck. In the heat of a thousand daily crises, it’s too easy for an entrepreneur to delegate expense management.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. Due diligence always involves on-site visits, informal discussions with any or all members of the team, vendors, and good customers as well as bad.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Want to be an entrepreneur? In addition, Entrepreneur Magazine recently included UCSB in its Top 50 Schools For VC Backed Entrepreneurs at number 37. In addition to an Undergraduate Certificate, the Program is launching a Master of Technology Management degree in 2015. Don''t go to Wharton or Harvard. Techpreneurs.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

I challenge any entrepreneur, for example, to define the difference between "seed-stage" and "early-stage" financing. Asking for early-stage money before you have customers and revenue will likely kill your credibility with real investors. Most investors won’t touch a first-time entrepreneur at this stage.

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Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2015

One of the big questions that every entrepreneur struggles with is how much funding they should request from investors in the first round. Angel investors will perk up if you have a prototype or a few real customers, while venture capitalists will likely choose to wait until you have achieved several million in revenue or customer count.

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Help Startup Equity Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2015

Here is my summary of some major considerations that every entrepreneur needs to evaluate against the cost and effort to attract equity investors: Completing a grant application is real work. In all cases, grants should be seen as primarily an early-stage development assist, and not the last step to commercialization.

Pricing 100

Pricing Equity Technical Review Research 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

A few years ago, before the Internet was pervasive, before everyone carried a smartphone and before do-it-yourself software tools were available for free, it was difficult to reach a critical mass of new customers without spending a million dollars on a website, custom software and television advertising. Both are wrong.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media Outsource Development 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2015

Yet I can’t remember the last time any entrepreneur asked me to assess personal potential, despite the fact that most investors will admit they invest in the person more than the product. It was developed by Joe Abraham , who manages a portfolio of successful high-growth international companies. Specialist.

Startup 106

Startup Incubator Entrepreneur Metrics 106

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2016

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. Most of these are non-profits, set up by a university to commercialize new technologies, or a municipality to foster business development for the local economy.

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Incubator Startup Help Resource 106

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Image via Flickr by Side Wages Some entrepreneurs forget that they need an innovative business model along with an innovative solution to have a successful startup. In fact, both customers and investors often avoid the perceived high risk of innovative technology pitches. Inventors alone, or business gurus alone, generally fail.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Social Media Competition 60

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

For today's interview, we sat down and talked with Mike Whitmire , the CEO and Co-founder of Los Angeles-based FloQast (www.floqast.com), a developer of financial close management software for enterprise accounting. We took it to the market in January of 2015. What's the biggest lesson you've learned so far as an entrepreneur?

Startup 124

Startup Cornerstone OnDemand Software Review Woodland Hills 124

Tech.Co

JULY 12, 2017

The BB-8 app-enabled Droid had such a global adoption among kids and adults that it was named the number one Star Wars toy of 2015. Epic Games is the creator of Unreal Engine technology, which is used by millions of developers to ship visually stunning, high-quality games and experiences across PC, console, mobile, VR and AR platforms.

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Artificial Inteligence Startup Entertainment Press 108

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

Every entrepreneur needs to keep a priority focus on these big-picture business issues, well before he commits his resources and his future to a technology that he loves. Most technologists pride themselves on their link to relevant technology developments, but very few apply the same discipline to business and big-picture changes.

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Technical Review Product Activity Technology 54

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

Most entrepreneurs have found by now one or more of the many popular crowdfunding sites , and have the name and contact information for at least one of the big venture capital firms. Each has met legal securities minimums for net worth and professionalism, to reduce the risk to entrepreneurs. Most share expertise as well as money.

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Angel Startup Venture Capital Seed Funding 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2016

Career growth in today’s fast moving environment requires all the skills that we normally ascribe only to entrepreneurs -- ability to adapt, change, be innovative, resilient and stay in constant learning mode. For entrepreneurs, change is the door to opportunity, so be proactive and make it happen.

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Satisfaction Entrepreneur Competition Organization 56

socalTECH

JULY 10, 2019

At the end of the day, we help retailers make smarter recommendations to their customers, which leads to better business. Spencer Price: The customer experience with e-commerce has become less and less human, as algorithms on digital platform replace human interaction. The customer is really struggling to regain their lost humanity.

Pricing 113

Pricing Startup North Hollywood Platform 113

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

The IoT for Cities Summit and Challenge , scheduled for March 10-11, 2015 , in San Francisco will welcome government officials, industry representatives, entrepreneurs, investors and residents to conduct a large-scale listening and idea sharing session.

Incubator 82

Incubator Design Entrepreneur Help 82

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

Those technologies allow us to scale and offer a superior product for customers. Who are your core customers? Those are the three active areas, and we have several customers and have made lots of headway there. Why do these customers choose you rather than build their own systemsin particular, the carriers?

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Content Startup Mobile Platform 113

socalTECH

JANUARY 22, 2014

To help them with that, Los Angeles- and San Diego-based Tillster (www.tillster.com), which until recently was known as EMN8, has been developing a wide range of technology in the area. The vision early on was about fundamentally changing the restaurant ordering experience, by developing a more engaging experience on a kiosk.

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Mobile Customer Custom Platform 127