Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2022

Thus it behooves every entrepreneur to start watching these things more carefully from the very start. By definition, most startups begin as a result of some innovation in product, process, or service. This business phase is where every entrepreneur starts. Consider MySpace and Webvan. Consolidation.

Startup 142

Startup Web 2.0 IBM IBM 142

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. Investors will demand clear channel definitions. Entrepreneurs who can’t communicate specific activities are not ready for funding. No startup or entrepreneur is an island.

Funding 133

Funding Activity Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2010

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came early. In many cases business opportunities with competitors (coopetition) will open up a new marketing channel, and definitely give you the cost advantages of scale.

Acquisition 85

Acquisition Startup Organization Competition 85

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 4, 2014

If you could share one startup lesson with a young entrepreneur, what would it be? So I ask prospective new entrepreneurs, ''What is it specifically that you can bring to the industry?'' How has this reality impacted your customer acquisition strategies? Even busy entrepreneurs need to take a break and recharge.

Entrepreneur 187

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Resource 187

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2009

Hint: He was an entrepreneur. The same is true of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is so highly valued in the Western World that some people try to convince themselves that they are an entrepreneur, when in fact they would be better off at a Big Dumb Company (“BDC”). Entrepreneur Does Not Equal Inventor.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Ideas Writing Startup 153

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2015

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust. Most entrepreneurs start asking for money from this tier, when they have very little more than an idea. business entrepreneurs investing startups'

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Invest Incubator 102

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.

Startup 151

Startup Equity Funding Demand 151

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came early. In many cases business opportunities with competitors (coopetition) will open up a new marketing channel, and definitely give you the cost advantages of scale.

Entrepreneur 99

Entrepreneur Organization Startup Competition 99

socalTECH

AUGUST 6, 2019

Ian talked to us about the rewards and challenges of being an entrepreneur, plus how important it is to manage lifetime value (LTV) of a customer versus customer acquisition cost (CAC) in making a successful company. (We I'm definitely happier as an entrepreneur, which is why I made the leap. What is Discotech?

Startup 113

Startup Equity Customer Custom 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2019

Image via Flickr by MDGovpics Many entrepreneurs I know are confused by definition and need for an Advisory Board versus a Board of Directors. By definition, Advisory Boards are voluntary and have no fiduciary responsibility. I suggest a few simple considerations will clarify the alternatives.

Startup 98

Startup Allegis Entrepreneur Acquisition 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more. You need both to survive.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

First of all, a definition. Obviously this definition is generic, so my first recommendation is that you take the lead in defining traction metrics for your startup, and then selling your results convincingly to investors. Customer acquisition cost.

Startup 121

Startup Metrics Customer Custom 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2022

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust. Most entrepreneurs start asking for money from this tier, when they have very little more than an idea. Successful startups are all about the execution.

Startup 120

Startup Invest Equity Incubator 120

socalTECH

OCTOBER 31, 2012

For ThinkNear , it looks like the whole process paid off in less than two years, after the Los Angeles company went from the TechStars accelerator just last June, to a healthy acquisition by TeleNav earlier this month for $22.5M. Congrats on the acquisition! How did the acquisition come about?

Startup 225

Startup Acquisition Doc Ideas 225

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2019

Thus it behooves every entrepreneur to start watching these things more carefully from the very start. By definition, most startups begin as a result of some innovation in product, process, or service. This business phase is where every entrepreneur starts. Consider MySpace and Webvan. Consolidation.

Startup 89

Startup Web 2.0 IBM IBM 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. Investors will demand clear channel definitions. Entrepreneurs who can’t communicate specific activities are not ready for funding. No startup or entrepreneur is an island.

Activity 100

Activity Customer Custom Resource 100

socalTECH

JUNE 13, 2019

In January, Los Angeles-based Pluto TV (www.pluto.tv) was acquired by Viacom for $340M, one of the largest acquisition deals so far in the region this year. It's been one of the biggest acquisition in Los Angeles in the last thirteen to fifteen months. How did the acquisition come aboutwere you looking for a buyer at the time?

Startup 124

Startup Content Demand Netflix 124

Tech.Co

MAY 30, 2017

What advice helped shape who you are as an entrepreneur today? It was only after speaking with a few other entrepreneurs that I realized I was stunting my own business growth. What’s your best financial-related tip for early-stage entrepreneurs? What’s your definition of success? Change the way you analyze risk.

Tips 87

Tips Email Entrepreneur Startup 87

InfoChachkie

JULY 26, 2010

Entrepreneurs can emulate de la Guerra’s strategy and make their adVenture appear far larger than reality and thus increasing its influence and market reach while discouraging competitive threats by creating an industry alliance. Tags: Entrepreneur Networking Partnerships The Fringe. John is a CPA and holds an M.B.A.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Santa Barbara Startup Conference 168

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2015

” This, too, is a must read for any entrepreneur. I have many investments with early traction and I the entrepreneurs I work with must tire of my constantly saying, “Are we really making a difference? So you need to really know what to measure as a definition of success. Are our users addicted to our product?

Product 150

Product Startup Metrics Technical Review 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came quickly. In many cases business opportunities with competitors (coopetition) will open up a new marketing channel, and definitely give you the cost advantages of scale.

Organization 97

Organization Competition Startup Acquisition 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 3, 2017

Many entrepreneurs I know are confused by definition and need for an Advisory Board versus a Board of Directors. By definition, Advisory Boards are voluntary and have no fiduciary responsibility. I suggest a few simple considerations will clarify the alternatives. How much are you willing to spend on your board?

Allegis 69

Allegis Startup Entrepreneur Acquisition 69

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2015

I challenge any entrepreneur, for example, to define the difference between "seed-stage" and "early-stage" financing. Most investors won’t touch a first-time entrepreneur at this stage. Yet, knowing this distinction is important. A micro venture capital firm.

Funding 104

Funding Venture Capital Startup Seed Funding 104

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

Perhaps the most misused terms I see these days from entrepreneurs involve CAC (customer acquisition costs) and LTV (life time value) and a lack of understanding these critical components is driving many companies to premature failure. So I spend an inordinate amount of time with entrepreneurs focused on payback. End of story.

Metrics 150

Metrics Startup SaaS Course 150

socalTECH

JULY 21, 2014

We spoke with Scott Painter , CEO and founder of the company--and already a successful serial entrepreneurs--about the journey from startup to public company, lessons learned, and his advice to CEOS who might be thinking about an IPO for their own company. Your thoughts on the IPO process and how it relates to those entrepreneurs?

Truecar 209

Truecar Entrepreneur Southern California .Net 209

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

As the authors make clear in the book’s preface, their goal is to create a “definitive guide to venture capital deals” and “demystify the venture capital financing process.” Their primary intended reader is a “first-time entrepreneur”, but clearly other stakeholders within the startup universe can also benefit from the book’s hands-on advice.

Venture Capital 205

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Writing Guide 205

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2018

What is the definition of traction for a business startup today? A sure sign of no traction is a lone inexperienced entrepreneur looking for an investor. If you don’t have revenue, it definitely is valuable to have orders, letter of intents, value testimonials, or even calls returned and email responses.

Tips 79

Tips Metrics Technical Review Customer 79

socalTECH

OCTOBER 25, 2012

We launched into bridal first, and gave us a good start in a niche, and let me prove the business model and myself as an entrepreneur. I read everything online I could about customer acquisition, marketing, design, and coding, and every part of the business I could. Fundraising, definitely. I didn't have any funding.

Startup 236

Startup Education Acquisition Funding 236

socalTECH

DECEMBER 26, 2012

We asked the same four questions of a variety of top technology entrepreneurs, investors, and others, to hear what they're thinking about, and are sharing it here over the next week. 12 major acquisitions this year putting it over 100 since 05. Definitely Software as a Service (SAAS). Finally, Google. 7 years, 100 companies.

Southern California 168

Southern California High Tech SaaS Social Media 168

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2015

Non-organic growth would include OEM relationships, finding strategic partners, “coopetition,” as well as acquisitions. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) came quickly. In many cases business opportunities with competitors (coopetition) will open up a new marketing channel, and definitely give you the cost advantages of scale.

Organization 100

Organization Startup Competition IBM 100

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. Investors will impatiently expect a winning business model, customer segment definitions and volume projections.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

socalTECH

JANUARY 5, 2015

My most significant event of 2014 is definitely Silicon Beach Fest, the multi-day tech community fest, which just keeps getting bigger. Disney''s acquisition of Maker Studios for $500M-$1B set the tone, and soon after, Facebook acquired Oculus for $2B, and Apple acquired Beats By Dre for $3B. This is just the start. READ MORE>>'

Cornerstone OnDemand 100

Cornerstone OnDemand Belkin Entertainment Newsletter 100

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2014

Brian Nickerson: It''s definitely a crowded space. They made a number of significant acquisitions in that space, My co-founders, Sammer and Chris, worked together at Internet Brands. We would make an acquisition, and very soon after an acquisition we''d have a team of people from the company we had acquired reporting into our group.

Internet Brands 257

Internet Brands Content Startup Sites 257

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2015

Thus it behooves every entrepreneur to start watching these things more carefully from the very start. By definition, most startups begin as a result of some innovation in product, process, or service. This business phase is where every entrepreneur starts. Consider MySpace and Webvan. Consolidation.

Startup 98

Startup Marketing Web 2.0 IBM 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2017

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. Investors will demand clear channel definitions. Entrepreneurs who can’t communicate specific activities are not ready for funding. No startup or entrepreneur is an island.

Funding 57

Funding Startup Activity Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Unless you are a serial entrepreneur with a string of successes behind you, you need a business plan to convince investors that you can build a business out of the dream that has been driving your passion to change the world. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 26, 2010

The other key business we are in is the aftermarket and registrar business, through SnapNames and Moniker, two acquisition we made. So, we've started to do that organically, and through some acquisitions. It's still early, though we're definitely making strides. Jeff Kupietzky: It's definitely getting harder.

Oversee.net 207

Oversee.net Yahoo Startup Google 207