Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2017

True business success and leadership starts with real personal values, extends to building a team, and finally to inspiring customers and your community. My job as a new business advisor is to help entrepreneurs get over this chasm early. In business, consistency is the key to productivity and trust by team members and customers alike.

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Case Study Customer Custom Entrepreneur 55

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2017

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. It’s the same for customers and products, where analytics have long proven their value.

Tool 53

Tool Entrepreneur Statistics Metrics 53

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2017

Here are some key ones that I recommend, based on my experience in business, and my many years as an advisor to entrepreneurs: Choose a name that works across the Internet and the world. Having a website won’t help if customers can’t find it. Use social media to actively engage with your customers.

Social Media 57

Social Media Search Engine Optimization Startup Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2018

They want to grant deserving customers special concessions, or fix a broken process, but are convinced it may cost them their job, or find that no one above them seems to care. If these still exist in your organization, they are huge red flags and you can be certain that you are losing your best employees as well as customers.

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Startup Organization Customer Custom 62

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Most of the guidance you see for entrepreneurs is aimed at those who are selling a product (Apple, Tesla, Xiaomi), or selling a service (Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat). The “product” value is difficult to quantify, the costs are nebulous, and entrepreneurs have to clone themselves to scale the business.

Social Media 56

Social Media Pricing Technical Review Demand 56

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2017

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. Find the right tools to analyze the ROI.

Social Media 58

Social Media Media Platform Tool 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2017

In my view as a long-time business advisor, this problem is driving a new entrepreneur age, with the lure of doing what you love, and loving what you do. The costs of these elements will be more than repaid by employee engagement and customer loyalty. Marty Zwilling First published on Huffington Post on 05/05/2017.

Satisfaction 67

Satisfaction Coach Startup Organization 67

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

Yet these same entrepreneurs often quickly get set in their ways, and find themselves resisting changes to their own business, and begin to fear further customer change in their domain. Pick metrics to measure change implementation and results. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 01/24/2017.

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Press Tool Metrics Startup 56

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2017

Many business executives and entrepreneurs I know are convinced that business success is all about having the right solution for the right price. Some things need to be done whether we like them or not; for example, daily cash-flow analysis and business metrics. Marty Zwilling First published on Inc.com on 08/02/2017.

Software Review 57

Software Review Technical Review Startup Press 57

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2017

The command and control leadership of the past is proving to be too inflexible, devoid of values, and not empathic to people issues – customers, employees, and partners. Due to social media and the Internet, these relationships now need to extend to customers, partners, and suppliers. Company culture drives decision making and process.

Company 55

Company Companies Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 55

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2017

Ironically, the most common desire I hear from entrepreneurs selling wholly online, is the need for their entry into retail, as the next step in their growth strategy. Measure your agility by putting metrics on change. Create a non-online memorable customer experience. Build a community with face-to-face between customers.

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Customer Custom Technical Review Summary 52

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2017

In my own work as an advisor to many entrepreneurs and startups, I see many who are focused on that single big disruptive innovation that will change the world. Frame the way you want to change the world, and make it about the customer. Decide what to measure and create metrics. You only get what you measure.

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Startup Metrics Organization Ideas 81

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2017

As a startup, you need to use your limited resources to excel at a few core things for your best customers, in order to stand out and get the momentum going. Your customers’ biggest need is not for more things. Your best strategy is to find more customers that fit the things you do best, rather than building more things.

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Competition Social Media Metrics Customer 65

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2017

Many aspiring entrepreneurs are jealous of inventors, thinking that new inventions are the key to new ventures. You may be able to invent a product alone, but a business requires partnerships, multiple disciplines, and loyal customers. The best entrepreneurs wear their failures like badges of courage.

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Ideas Product Startup Satisfaction 67