Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2016

Things change so fast these days in business that your first priority as an entrepreneur is to stay current, by talking to customers, peers, and experts. Smart entrepreneurs overtly plan every month to re-sync their vision and objectives with newly-learned market realities. Define and use market metrics to tune your plan.

Social Media 67

Social Media Metrics Startup Technical Review 67

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2017

They randomly churn for hours a day on a couple of their favorite social media platforms, with little thought given to goals, objectives, or metrics; and ultimately give up and fall back to traditional marketing approaches. Create an action plan with metrics. You spend the months influencing the influencers.

Social Media 62

Social Media Media Metrics SEO 62

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs don’t know what to do at this point, largely accounting for that disappointing 50 percent of startups that fail in the first five years, according to Gallup. There is no magic lever for growth, so several initiatives are required, with metrics to assess value returned. Real growth always requires real marketing.

Search Engine Optimization 57

Search Engine Optimization Startup Social Media Metrics 57

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2014

zettabytes by the year 2016. This gives rise to the personalization and customization that we all want. Analytics will soon drive nearly all business decisions for any company that wants to remain relevant to its customers. Data enable: use metrics and measurements. Big data is mining the storage for knowledge.

Startup 99

Startup Social Media Entertainment Metrics 99

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2017

exabytes per month at the end of 2016, of which half was video. This gives rise to the personalization and customization that we all want. Analytics will soon drive nearly all business decisions for any company that wants to remain relevant to its customers. Data enable: use metrics and measurements.

Startup 55

Startup Social Media Entertainment Metrics 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2016

In reality, that’s the definition of a successful startup these days, so every aspiring entrepreneur should take note, as well as every existing corporate executive. I like their seven step approach, which I have paraphrased here for entrepreneurs as follows: Pull together a great multi-functional team. A dream is not enough.

Startup 56

Startup Metrics Entrepreneur Resource 56

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2016

It’s easy to declare yourself an entrepreneur, but it’s not so easy to convince investors, your team and customers that you are that special one to fund and follow. If you don’t consistently display the right entrepreneur mindset traits, people won’t follow and business success will likely elude you.

Startup 58

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Customer 58

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2017

People who are good at solving problems for other people make great entrepreneurs. At worst, it’s a learning opportunity for you and your team, which can lead to providing a better customer solution or experience. Entrepreneurs are often too passionate and impatient. Establish metrics to assure solution and prevent recurrence.

Metrics 58

Metrics Entrepreneur Examples Coach 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2016

Unfortunately, many passionate entrepreneurs read this initial surge as success, and charge ahead with more of the same passion, leading to a series of potential pitfalls that can quickly jeopardize the health of the entire business. On the other end of the transaction, customer support, returns, and transportation can add up.

Startup 57

Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2016

Good entrepreneurs are all about managing change, but too many forget that they have to change themselves as their dream evolves from a startup to a scalable business. Now you have real customers who can quickly turn off hundreds of potential customers if you ignore their feedback. Trust your gut, and ignore naysayers.

Social Network 59

Social Network Startup Demand Entrepreneur 59

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2016

Entrepreneurs don’t realize that Facebook spent over $100 million, before revenues from advertising turned cash positive. Until a new brand has national recognition or high promotion, it won’t be found or used by local customers or out of town visitors. Isn’t it time that you joined this age of the entrepreneur?

Advertising 63

Advertising Content Social Media Satisfaction 63

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2016

Founders soon learn that customers only spend real money for solutions rather than ideas. Investors have also learned not to invest in ideas but only in entrepreneurs and teams who can deliver solutions. A good execution requires a plan and the right people, combined to create operational excellence and exceptional customer value.

Ideas 59

Ideas Technical Review Google Startup 59

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

In our industry we applaud the efforts for entrepreneurs to have tried and we know that today’s failure can bring the experience for tomorrow’s success. The metrics were good but we wondered how much better they would be when we expanded our product. But that’s harder to build in 2016 than it was in say 2005.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know feels the pressure of the thousands of things that need to get done, all seemingly at the same time. These are the endless stream of email, phone calls, and daily crises which prevent really important accomplishments, like closing customers. Define clear goals and metrics for your productivity.

Tips 100

Tips Activity Startup Product 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs still believe that “if we build it, they will come.” Every entrepreneur needs a strategy, and some metrics to measure what’s working and how much it costs. Every entrepreneur needs to market a brand with something to say, something that stands out and ignites everything the brand does.

Marketing 58

Marketing Startup Social Media Newsletter 58

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

As an entrepreneur looking for an idea, it makes sense to explore problem areas within your knowledge comfort zone, but when you are building a business with the solution, you have to stretch your comfort zone to keep up with the market and stay ahead of competitors. Define and use metrics to measure your progress.

Social Network 94

Social Network Startup Ideas Entrepreneur 94