Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2015

Your business name will have the same impact on potential customers. Just as with names of people, there isn’t any ultimate right or wrong, and every name has unique implications in different cultures, economies and markets. Tricky spellings send customers to competitors. Confusion will cost you customers.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2015

Proof of any business model starts with a finished product or solution, sold to a new customer for full price, with high satisfaction for the value received. Here are some basic principles from my own experience that will improve your odds and keep you on the right track: Recognize that you are not the market.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

That’s why I recommend that they find a co-founder who loves business challenges, including marketing and finance. Thus it’s a waste of time for most entrepreneurs to be looking for investors until they have a product and some customer revenue. Business people know how to downplay the technology and market the value of the solution.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

For example, think of all the specialized social-media sites that allow the use of your Facebook or Twitter credentials, instead of forcing a new one. 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

NOVEMBER 27, 2015

But for startups with limited resources and experience, I always recommend a soft launch or toe-in-the-water approach in a local market -- and scale up later. In fact, for startups, it usually makes sense to announce your solution on social media and blogs even before you have built the first one.

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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. The control is yours to keep.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Customers and opportunities don’t wait. Some of you may remember MySpace , which came early to social media, but lost the lead to Facebook by evolving too slowly, many analysts say. People on the team need to see progress, investors relish growth and customers love brands that appear to be on the forefront of a wave.

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Startup Social Media Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2015

Customize your organizational structure based on individuals' strengths. There is no rule that marketing needs to report to the founder, or that every startup needs a chief operating officer. Technology can be used to facilitate customer support and sales, as well as enhance your product.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2016

The number of startups rose in 2015 for the first time in five years, with the largest year-over-year increase in two decades. Building a minimum viable product, with customer validation. Minimum viable products (MVPs) are recommended for validating the market, with iterative enhancement to quickly meet market feedback.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

Others schedule exhaustive training sessions for everyone on the team, including showcase customers, to make sure that everyone paints a consistent picture. 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. Traction in the marketplace.

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Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

We also have a few other locations in other markets, such as Houston, San Antonio, and Hoboken. So, a customer doesn''t need to have cash, they don''t need to pull out a credit card. We''re also promoting the parking with our partners, with valets, with restaurants, all on social media, to show that we are all one happy family.

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Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 28, 2016

For example, if a company website generates extensive visitor traffic at a particular point in time, the enterprise may continue to serve customers without obvious interruptions in service because its cloud-based server architecture permits the distribution of visiting traffic among servers in different locations. Greater Niche Functionality.

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Software Social Media Platform Mobile 40

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

If your strength is technology, find a co-founder who has a comparable strength in business, finance or marketing. Demonstrate a concentrated focus on customers early on. Investors look for entrepreneurs who are customer-centric, rather than technology-centric. Accumulate customer advocates, testimonials and “letters of intent.”

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2016

Likewise, those who feel compelled to keep up with the popular media will spend most of their time courting investors. Defer your urge to find office space until you have customers. Social media is also an invaluable and inexpensive marketing approach, since no one buys a solution they can’t find or don’t know anything about.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2016

Crowdfunding is the hot new vehicle for raising money to support your entrepreneurial efforts, with over 1,250 website platforms around the world to help you, according to a 2015 industry report. An advantage of professional investors is their validation of required amounts for marketing, inventory and staffing.

Technical Review 58

Technical Review Platform Entrepreneur Funding 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2012

Marketers see it as a better way to target customers, but the current consumer offerings have been slow to deliver. As outlined a while back by Adam Holden-Bache on Social Media B2B , I’m convinced that business-to-business has more money and more untapped opportunities, along the following lines: Strategic partnerships.

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Services Competition Mobile Entertainment 82

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2015

The right investor will have specific feedback on pricing models, distribution and market positioning to improve scalability. Through peers, social media or connections, make every effort to meet one or more of the investors before the actual pitch. Marty Zwilling First published on Entrepreneur.com on 7/24/2015.

Startup 101

Startup Keiretsu Entrepreneur Invest 101

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 26, 2016

In 2015 an additional 237 thousand joined the online community. Top media giants Facebook and Alphabet are determined to grow this number with the introduction of various airborne devices designed to bring internet to the far corners of the globe to boost their revenues. One of the stars of 2015 was undoubtedly Slack.

Commerce 40

Commerce Mobile Technical Review Google 40

Eric Greenspan

JANUARY 24, 2016

Like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre use rap lyrics, Seth and I use social media instead. I had no issue with this and actually helped him by marketing his offerings. In late 2015, with Seth’s blessing, I filed for a new LLC with Seth as an equal partner and called it none other than SOB LLC. I was able to fully commit to SOB.

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Content Blogging Burbank Course 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2015

Yet the 2015 Office Romance Survey by Vault, Inc. Work relationships are in vogue, inside a company for collaboration and teamwork, and outside to customers and partners through social media for loyalty and interactive marketing. But all good things can be overdone. Marty Zwilling.

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Startup Course Competition Social Media 96

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

In fact, Twitter was one of the first mobile social media platforms. While running my family wine business , I used Twitter’s search for market research and to find new customers. It was, and still is, an incredible customer service tool. What Twitter looked like soon after launch in 2006.

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Platform Startup News Content 40

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2015

It’s all about getting customers to make a buy decision. Customers are more in control of their buying decisions than ever before, with the wealth of alternatives and information available online, and interactive access to sources they trust via social media. Get the view from the customer early by talking to real people.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2015

In fact, both customers and investors often avoid the perceived high risk of innovative technology pitches. Customers don’t like new learning curves or dealing with unstable solutions. Early adopters love new technologies, but mass market customers want solutions, not technology. "If Do both in parallel to be timely.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Social Media Competition 60

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

A large and growing market opportunity. Investors look for startups which can address large markets, meaning those larger than a billion dollars and growing at double-digit rates. Small markets tend to change more rapidly with the economy, and may be more easily influenced by fads and competitors with recognized brand names.

Pricing 100

Pricing Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

Do your homework to realistically size development, marketing and staffing requirements, and then increase the number by 50 percent. Keep some reserves for a focus on the urgent priorities of strategy, attracting customers and beating competitors, rather than the crisis of the moment. Actively listen to mentor and customer feedback.

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Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Social Media 96