Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Every entrepreneur wishes that he could predict whether his idea could be the “next big thing,” before he spent his life savings and years of energy on it. Investors, on the other hand, typically don’t even look very hard at the product or service, but prefer to evaluate first the entrepreneur, and secondly the business plan.

Ideas 155

Ideas Startup Summary Examples 155

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

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. 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.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2010

I continue to see stories of really young entrepreneurs, like this article on Business Fastlane , with kids as young as 9 years old who have successful businesses. Another one is The Little Entrepreneur by Michael H. You better start your business now, and have fun while you can, before we all branded as ancient relics.

Entrepreneur 87

Entrepreneur Commerce Blogging Training 87

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? A product plan is never a substitute for a business plan.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2022

Perhaps sparked by the recent pandemic, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Problems will occur in every startup, simply because you are stepping into uncharted territory.

Startup 135

Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review 135

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2021

Every startup fears that one angry and unfair customer who can jeopardize the business by a negative post on Ripoff Report , Yelp , or one of the hundreds of other consumer complaint and review sites on the Internet. You may assert that monitoring the entire Internet space is an impossible problem. Quickly address every negative.

Search Engine Optimization 163

Search Engine Optimization Content Social Network Google 163

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2023

Even if you have booked an hour with a VC, you should plan to talk only for the first fifteen minutes. If you start by pitching your extended life story, that’s the wrong point. If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers.

Slides 147

Slides Funding Technical Review Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2021

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. For aspiring entrepreneurs, or if your last startup failed, it’s all about standing out above the crowd of others like you, and demonstrating your readiness.

Entrepreneur 156

Entrepreneur Tips Funding Startup 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2021

If you are a new business owner or entrepreneur, you are likely to be creative and willing to take a risk , and you probably assume that most potential team members have the same mindset. On the other hand, that doesn't mean that you should not provide critical feedback to team members.

Coach 174

Coach Activity Custom Customer 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2021

You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply. Give and you will receive.

Entrepreneur 140

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network Mentor 140

InfoChachkie

JULY 16, 2012

Apologies: an incomplete draft of this article was inadvertently sent out previously via RSS. This article originally appeared on Forbes HERE. If you haven’t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly Infochachkie articles! Coull Offers Advertisers Video Skimlinks. Skimlinks For The Video Age.

Custom 226

Custom Customer Entrepreneur Advertising 226

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2017

Not so long ago, every business assumed that the keys to success were the highest quality product, the best value for the buck, and the best customer service. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.” Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist. If not, you are part of the crowd, and no relationship can be built.

Custom 85

Custom Customer Product Marketing 85

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2022

Even in this age of globalization and virtualization, the geographic area where you choose to live and work can still make or break your startup business. I still have to tell some entrepreneurs that even with the best idea, they have to move to Silicon Valley to find the investors they need, or they need to move to the U.S.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Oracle Software Review Ideas 123

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2021

I’m sure we have all seen entrepreneurs with high levels of passion and confidence touting an idea that seems to make very little sense to us. John Bradberry, in his classic book “ 6 Secrets to Startup Success ,” identifies five key biases that sabotage many passionate entrepreneurs in their startup decision making.

Startup 149

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Press 149

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

As of today, I will have published an article here for entrepreneurs and startups every day for the last 1001 days, since I started Startup Professionals Musings near the close of 2008. Here are ten key messages that I would like to leave you with: I continue to gain respect for entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Startup Blogging Social Media 96

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes. The entrepreneur cannot wait to show me their product via a demo. Most entrepreneurs seem confused by my reaction and often say something like: “VCs love demos. If you haven't already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles!

Venture Capital 176

Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2015

Not so long ago, every business assumed that the keys to success were the highest quality product, the best value for the buck, and the best customer service. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.” Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist. If not, you are part of the crowd, and no relationship can be built.

Custom 100

Custom Customer .Net Competition 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 29, 2014

One of the hardest things for most entrepreneurs to know is how hard to push in situations where people tell you “no.” ” But then again most entrepreneurs fail. Years ago I started using the term “politely persistent” to remind people that you still need to be likable even if you have gumption.

Venture Capital 389

Venture Capital Email Startup Conference 389

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2014

Not so long ago, every business assumed that the keys to success were the highest quality product, the best value for the buck, and the best customer service. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.” Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist. If not, you are part of the crowd, and no relationship can be built.

Custom 98

Custom Customer .Net Competition 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans take too much time, are inaccurate, and rarely add value. They cite sources like Profitable Venture Magazine, “ Why Business Plans are a Waste of Time ” and this Forbes article.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

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. 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.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2022

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Nevertheless, it’s an option that doesn’t cost you equity. Set expectations accordingly.

Tips 104

Tips Startup Technical Review Equity 104

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

The most important advice I could give you before you set out in fund raising mode is to understand that fund-raising a sales & marketing process and needs to be managed. If you don’t believe in your bones that you’re amazing then it’s no wonder you don’t want to sell them on making the investment.”

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

It’s what life was like as an entrepreneur. But for some strange reason they make you file your progress on fund raising, which is the widely picked up by the press. Ok, well, it’s more than this but I’m not allowed to tell you specifics. But this is nothing like the stress of being an entrepreneur.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. They don’t realize that you need to build positives early, to offset any negatives later.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. The six words, which I believe encompass the key characteristics of a successful, serial entrepreneur, are: Fervent, Wily, Selfless, Optimistically Pessimistic and Self-aware. For instance, Alan Hall cataloged 27 entrepreneurial traits in THIS Forbes article.

Resource 241

Resource Entrepreneur Training Startup 241

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

If I can help you avoid some of my first-time mistakes it would be a victory. You need some guidelines to make decisions. My general rule is that it’s good to be stealth in the early days while you’re building your product and testing your market. “ We need to learn from doing, by trial-and-error.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2013

This article originally appeared on Inc.com. Like most startup entrepreneurs, when I began my first company in 1999 I had no formal sales experience. I did have the wherewithal to visit potential customers and try to understand the pain points that I thought could be solved with our solution.

Sales 393

Sales Startup Resource Custom 393

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2013

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. If you don’t like it hot, use less,” he said. This morning I was reading my social media and came across an article that Christine Tsai had posted on Facebook. So he made hand-made batches in a bucket and drove it to customers in his van. What touched me?

Entrepreneur 415

Entrepreneur Startup Pricing Product 415

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? A product plan is never a substitute for a business plan.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give.

Resource 159

Resource Startup Incubator Seed Funding 159

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 25, 2014

A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. During the intervening 20-years, Jeff has offered business executives numerous valuable tips, including the following: If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles! You can be customer-focused or competitor-focused.

Tips 239

Tips Startup Custom Customer 239

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 24, 2014

A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles! Greene goes on to state that, " you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them."

Hollywood 227

Hollywood Santa Barbara Entrepreneur Custom 227

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 15, 2014

A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly JohnGreathouse.com articles! In order to be successful at multiple, successive ventures, you cannot leave a trail of broken relationships and angry stakeholders in your wake.

Entrepreneur 189

Entrepreneur Sales Writing Custom 189

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Funding Innocal Offshore 124