Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. Although many won’t admit it, true entrepreneurs can’t wait to exit their current startup, and build a new and better one with their next great idea. This all starts with building a culture and strategy that can survive without you. Tune up your startup value and salability.

Startup 99

Startup Entrepreneur Metrics Acquisition 99

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

He is very hands-on and helpful – especially for any company looking into customer acquisition. Getting started: o Matt founded LowerMyBills.com in Dec 99, exited to Experian in Jan 05 for $400M. o CPM model gave him control over the information in the acquisition cycle so he focused on that. - combination of factors –.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

socalTECH

OCTOBER 17, 2016

(www.science-inc.com), the startup �studio� led by former MySpace CEO and technology veteran Mike Jones , just saw its third acquisition out of its portfolio this year�the acquisition of FameBit by Google/Youtube. What made these three companies successful acquisitions out of all your companies? Like I said, most companies fail.

Dollar Shave Club 100

Dollar Shave Club Entrepreneur Startup Google 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series called “ Start-up Lessons.&#. I came across this blog post about getting a computer science degree as the best degree for getting into venture capital or working at a VC-backed start up. And I feel that this skill is invaluable in both building a start-up company and in being a VC.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 24, 2011

There has recently been a common theme among the entrepreneurs I have interviewed and the conferences I have attended: despite the relatively weak state of the world economy, now is a great time to create a high-tech startup. As Guy Kawasaki pointed out in our recent conversation , “…it is cheaper than ever to start a company.

Company 257

Company Companies Startup Study 257

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. Let me start with the obvious baseline that most people probably know instinctively: Los Angeles is the 3rd largest technology startup ecosystem in the US. “There’s something going on in LA.” LA By The Numbers.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

When an entrepreneur first incorporates a business, they may find themselves the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock, commonly called founder’s shares. Startup owners need to assume a three to five year wait for a liquidity event, such as acquisition or going public, before they can cash out. In the U.S.,

.Net 96

.Net Startup Entrepreneur Acquisition 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2021

Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. Although many won’t admit it, true entrepreneurs can’t wait to exit their current startup, and build a new and better one with their next great idea. This all starts with building a culture and strategy that can survive without you. Tune up your startup value and salability.

Startup 173

Startup Entrepreneur Metrics Acquisition 173

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

Entrepreneurs seem to have blinders on when looking at competitors. Always start with a formal proposal, limited in scope to a specific common objective or technology, for a limited amount of time, bounded by a two-way non-disclosure statement. Let market response dictate a later split, merger, or acquisition.

Startup 105

Startup Outsource Competition Entrepreneur 105

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Greathouse: We’ve known each other for a long time but let’s start with the basics for my readers. Greathouse: Your collective experiences have clearly made bootstrapping a viable option for you, more so than might be the case for a typical, younger entrepreneur who needs more direction, doesn’t have cash discipline, etc.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

SoCal CTO

MARCH 1, 2010

Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition | For Entrepreneurs , February 2, 2010 Looks at the critical equation around customer acquisition cost vs. customer lifetime value similar to what I discussed in Startup Metrics but in more depth. Great stuff. where Tony Wright suggests charging right now.

Pricing 150

Pricing Acquisition Customer Custom 150

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

How should you become the best marketer you can be, even if you are a first-time entrepreneur or a seasoned CEO? Create metrics for customer acquisition, retention, conversion, reach, or anything that helps you to better understand the effects of your changes to the program. Start the cycle all over again, and never stop.

Marketing 156

Marketing Metrics Education Resource 156

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2015

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2017

Being called a lifestyle entrepreneur should be a point of pride, not an insult. Of course, even lifestyle entrepreneurs want to be happy, and want their business to be “successful.” If you think corporate bosses are tough, wait till you start spending investor money, or try satisfying Wall Street and stockholders. Cobb and M.

Entrepreneur 69

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Course 69

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 27, 2018

After speaking with many entrepreneurs over the years, each defines success in his or her. Everyone has a vision when starting a business. Then again, with the fifty percent rule, aren’t all entrepreneurs a bit insane to start? Next week: The eighty percent acquisition rule… unique way.

Startup 120

Startup Entrepreneur Course Email 120

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 27, 2018

After speaking with many entrepreneurs over the years, each defines success in his or her. Everyone has a vision when starting a business. Then again, with the fifty percent rule, aren’t all entrepreneurs a bit insane to start? Next week: The eighty percent acquisition rule… unique way.

Startup 120

Startup Entrepreneur Course Email 120

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 14, 2013

Krishna will share his experience on ”What Makes a Startup Attractive for Acquisition” There will be plenty of FREE Pizza & Drinks ! Topic: What Makes a Startup Attractive for Acquisition. The post TZ Presents: What Makes a Startup Attractive for Acquisition | Chat with Krishna Gupta appeared first on TechZulu.

Acquisition 92

Acquisition Startup Santa Monica UCLA 92

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 12, 2015

After studying at UC Santa Barbara''s entrepreneurial program , he returned to Spain, excited to start a venture and make a positive impact on his homeland. Fredi''s email is worth reading, as it reinforces how lucky American entrepreneurs truly are. One of my top former students, Fredi Fernandez , recently sent me a compelling email.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Santa Barbara Venture Capital 100

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 4, 2014

Greathouse : Let''s start with a question that will be especially helpful for my UC Santa Barbara students. 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?''

Entrepreneur 187

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Resource 187

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2015

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. Yet the process is eerily realistic, and every entrepreneur can glean some important lessons. Investors invest in people, more than ideas.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Sample Ideas Customer 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2015

The visibility of Google, Facebook and a few others continues to propagate the myth that the ultimate objective of every entrepreneur should be to take their startups public via an initial public offering at the earliest opportunity. That extra money raised better kick-start your opportunity. Public expectation of growth every quarter.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Startup Report Statistics 98

socalTECH

OCTOBER 2, 2012

We thought it might be interesting to talk with one of the fund's managing directors, Jeb Spencer about the fund's success in technology investments, plus how it managed to raise another fund in this kind of environment, plus its unique goal of getting companies to an acquisition--and not an IPO.

Acquisition 168

Acquisition Software Review Technical Review Equity 168

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. In fact, NISI recommends starting with the minimum focused set of features and technology that will drive a customer purchase. Nail the solution.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Customer 113

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2023

As a startup advisor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics.

Coach 137

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 137

InfoChachkie

MAY 5, 2016

Given TimeHop’s failed experiment, I was especially intrigued when I learned that a team of a dozen remote entrepreneurs hack the typical corporate structure and creates a company that generated nearly $100 million in revenue. Dan Engel, Co-Founder and former CEO of FastSpring, is a highly successful serial entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Santa Barbara Email Outsource Development 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. In fact, NISI recommends starting with the minimum focused set of features and technology that will drive a customer purchase. Nail the solution.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2020

Every aspiring entrepreneur I know is talking about the fact that there are over 2,000 billionaires in the world today, and how their innovative idea could make them one of the next ones. Becoming an entrepreneur is actually a commitment to a new lifestyle, certainly very exciting, but also facing many unknowns and risks.

Outsource Development 154

Outsource Development Social Media Software Review Customer 154

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. Successful entrepreneurs today must practice human-centered leadership to compete and win. Disruptive office politics start to show. Investments and acquisitions fail.

Training 142

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2018

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics.

Entrepreneur 64

Entrepreneur Coach Metrics Competition 64

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2021

Yet as a business advisor I am convinced that making the jump from a startup to a the next unicorn takes a different mindset, and actions most entrepreneurs are reluctant to face. In my experience, less than half of founding entrepreneurs even aspire to stay and scale their company. Switch your focus from product development to sales.

Startup 151

Startup Course Sales Entrepreneur 151

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2014

Bloom is a widely known expert on managing business growth, and he starts by summarizing the three key weapons of current customers, which include an instant summary of choices, prices, and features. This is a key moment where your customer acquisition costs go way down, and your profits go way up. Marty Zwilling. Bloom startup'

Customer 98

Customer Custom Entrepreneur Startup 98

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. Entrepreneurs, while partnering with or acquiring a new business, must check for compatibility and strategic fit. Marty Zwilling.

Acquisition 85

Acquisition Startup Organization Competition 85

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2022

The way to start is with a sample financial model, available from many sources on the Internet, such as over 200 downloadable free from the Corporate Finance Institute website. Most entrepreneurs realize that doubling their revenue each year puts them in a premium category with investors, so that may be your first target.

Startup 147

Startup Pricing Sample Customer 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2014

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. Successful entrepreneurs today must practice human-centered leadership to compete and win. Disruptive office politics start to show. Investments and acquisitions fail.

Demand 92

Demand Entrepreneur Startup Training 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

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. That might start with the CEO giving the investor pitch to the whole organization, and distributing the current business plan document to everyone.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2020

Entrepreneurs seem to have blinders on when looking at competitors. Always start with a formal proposal, limited in scope to a specific common objective or technology, for a limited amount of time, bounded by a two-way non-disclosure statement. Let market response dictate a later split, merger, or acquisition.

Startup 126

Startup Outsource Competition Acquisition 126

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 10, 2015

We caught up with co-founder and COO Alexander Israel late yesterday, ahead of the announcement, to have a quick chat with him about the acquisition and his experience--along with co-founder Sam Friedman--of starting up and selling his company. How'd the acquisition come about? It was a very natural collaboration.

Santa Monica 100

Santa Monica Startup Acquisition Ideas 100