Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Even before the recent pandemic, when more people began working remotely , I noticed the dynamics changing in many workplaces, both between employee interaction with peers, and interactions with customers. Use marketing, blogging, and industry conferences to get the message out. Measure results in terms of customer satisfaction.

Satisfaction 108

Satisfaction Outsource Study Platform 108

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

Today, with the Internet and social media, if you aren’t visible in a positive way to everyone, including customers, your leadership efforts will be lost. Allocate time for active participation in relevant outside industry conferences, and public panels or TED talks that look ahead. Set goals and celebrate progress and results.

Mentor 145

Mentor IBM IBM Social Media 145

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. Anticipate and establish supporting social media accounts. Consistently review and respond to relevant online feedback.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

So they create a task list of all the marketing activities an organization can do: press releases, web site updates, customer case studies, blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook fan page, attending conferences, etc. They’re tasked with doing … marketing. You get a lot of traffic — not always results.

Activity 164

Activity Conference Press Case Study 164

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

One of the advantages of blogging, using social media, public speaking, etc as a VC is that you get a more nuanced view of these shifts by watching your own successes and failures. So while you get the benefits of recruiting, being on VC radars and customer legitimacy there are also downsides. That used to be the standard.

Startup 355

Startup Funding News Press 355

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy built her company, Recycled Media , out of necessity. She focused on her customer. Tracy is knowledgeable enough to talk tech and swap design & product stories with other founders, but she realized early that networking amongst this group and reading and writing in their journals would not bring her more customers.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Having paying “Customers” is what makes the cash register roar. An entrepreneur having low self worth is the number one deterrent for a potential customer not buying into what you are selling. Using your service or owning your product isn’t why a person buys, it’s the experience your customer will have. Second, how to get leads.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Marketing SEO 85

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

The major battle for press is a battle for “mindshare” and it’s exactly the reason I blog. They are an investment bank that targets the technology & media sectors. We provide strategic advice to digital media companies in a manner that reflects how corporate development is actually done. I am a VC.

Marketing 389

Marketing Press Blogging Startup 389

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 18, 2012

Mark is a Partner at GRP Partners and authors one of the most widely read startup blogs, BothSidesOfTheTable. ’ It’s pretty terrible to have to go to conferences… with people who are talking about… stuff that not only do I know nothing about, but I could give two $hits about.” Winning customers is sales.

Entrepreneur 272

Entrepreneur Startup Conference Santa Barbara 272

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

In addition, creating a business requires leading and interacting with other people, including partners, investors, and customers. Aspiring entrepreneurs are often impatient in rolling out the business, assuming the hard work was finalizing the idea, and that if you build it, customers will come.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 14, 2010

So they create a task list of all the marketing activities an organization can do: press releases, web site updates, customer case studies, blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook fan page, attending conferences, etc. They’re tasked with doing … marketing. You get a lot of traffic – not always results.

Startup 323

Startup Press Development Team Review SEM 323

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

Yesterday I wrote a post about The Silent Benefits of PR in which I pointed out that most young companies I encounter don’t fully grasp the benefits of PR because they are less measurable than product milestones or customer acquisition analyses (like CAC/LTV). It’s OK to push out extra ones on your website or blog.

Press 319

Press Startup Writing Training 319

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Kathy Sierra at Business of Software 2009 - Business of Software Blog , May 4, 2010 "In the old days, getting customers was easy. Now, thanks to social media, you don't have to outspend. Putting customers first. Legendary customer support. saw Jack Dorsey give this talk at The 99% Conference last month.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Xconomy

JANUARY 11, 2019

Sears, the nation’s first “everything store,” is teetering toward bankruptcy after years of stagnation as industry leaders prepare to gather in New York at the National Retail Federation’s annual conference.

Artificial Inteligence 105

Artificial Inteligence Commerce Startup Conference 105

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

If you follow the tech media you would be subject to a lot of narrative biases that are completely off base – and this includes the value of email and phone calls. In fact 61% of all mobile searches where a customer contacts a business it is via a phone call (source: Google). I don’t want to speak to customer service reps!!

Email 339

Email SaaS Venture Capital Google 339

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Today, customers and future managers put a higher value on relationships, and expect to know you from industry conferences, social media, or recommendations from peers. Use blogging, outside publication, and speaking or mentoring opportunities to establish credibility and stand out above peers.

Startup 98

Startup Outsource Development Competition Social Media 98

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

Tonight I was reading a good blog post ( here ) from Sean Powers with Alistair Croll on preparing yourself for the TC50 “bump” – the rise in traffic that a company gets from presenting at TechCrunch 50. Around this time B2C eCommerce had been dominating the media but the wheels were starting to come off. Not so much.).

Startup 310

Startup Venture Capital Press Journal 310

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out. Customers can touch and see a great product, but services are a bit ethereal.

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 11, 2009

I hadn't talked to her in a while and then because of a presentation I did around Social Media for Service Professionals she and I reconnected. And I'm looking forward to more interaction now that she's blogging. BLOG: [link] LINKEDIN: [link] TWITTER: [link] What's a phone booth? Maybe you can blog about that? Absolutely.

Marketing 150

Marketing Social Media Blogging Media 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2019

To me, that means treating your career more like a business than a job – with a continual and global focus on keeping up with competition, finding customers, preparing for changes ahead, and taking responsibility for your own finances. The simple answer is that we all have to start thinking like entrepreneurs, rather than entitled employees.

Artificial Inteligence 96

Artificial Inteligence Startup Social Media Training 96

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

You need somebody who is thinking laterally about how to creatively get extra attention at conferences or trade-shows. You need somebody who REALLY understands your company, its customers and its competitors. And you need somebody who is committed to keeping up your presence in blogs, social media and other online forums.

Startup 349

Startup Writing Press Blogging 349

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2019

Elon Musk via Flickr by TED Conference To be successful as an entrepreneur, you don’t have to be a fabulous person, but it helps. But the entrepreneurs that have it, including Elon Musk and Richard Branson, seem to be able to effortlessly get team members, investors, and customers to follow them anywhere. Have a big bandwidth.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Social Media .Net Blogging 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out. Customers can touch and see a great product, but services are a bit ethereal.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Eric Greenspan

OCTOBER 29, 2009

It’s a fun company, but customer acquisition is the biggest challenge we face. We have 34,000 customers already, but we need more more more. Throughout the day, I typically refresh our new customer tracking to see how many new customers have been booked for the day. I think she gets that.

Blogging 100

Blogging Email Yammer Doc 100

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

Service as a bridge to a product business - One of the best ways for young startups to finance their business without any dilution is what I call “customer financing,&# which is mostly only possible in businesses that target businesses rather than consumers. You own the IP you create. It’s pure irony.

Services 332

Services Venture Capital IP Startup 332

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2008

Ian Rogers is the CEO of Topspin Media (www.topspinmedia.com), a venture backed, Santa Monica-based startup developing web applications for the music industry. What's the idea behind Topspin Media? Topspin is backed by Redpoint Ventures and The Foundry Group. They're still important, but they're decreasing.

Media 100

Media Yahoo Startup Tool 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2015

If your business is to be a thought leader in the social media world, the dominant system of grading how much influence you have online today is your Klout score, as explained in a recent book, “ Klout Matters ,” by Gina Carr and Terry Brock. Allocate some time to spend on social media. People don’t follow followers or repeaters.

Social Media 104

Social Media Ideas Media Writing 104

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out. Customers can touch and see a great product, but services are a bit ethereal.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

As John Greathouse noted in his blog entry, Putting “Trade” Back Into Tradeshows , several years ago, I pulled off a guerilla marketing coup at a large tradeshow by hiring actors to portray monks. This year, the annual Hospitality Technology conference was held in Austin. Parcours Ninjas Vs. The Austin Police. By: Seth Epstein.

Marketing 230

Marketing Conference Startup Santa Barbara 230

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 20, 2011

That’s right folks, BlogWorld and New Media Expo have left their old stomping grounds in Las Vegas to venture on to a new chapter. Custom ad deals and partnerships. BlogWorld in NYC? BlogWorld is now being held in New York City in May and Los Angeles in November. Now you get a double dose of BlogWorld awesome in a year!

Social Media 65

Social Media Media Tips Content 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2014

Sponsored by VISA Business With all the new technology available today for video conferencing, interactive social media, and webinars, you may think that travel is no longer a requirement for starting a small business. Trade show and conference participation. You would be wrong. Startup market research and focus groups.

Startup 100

Startup Tips Mentor Conference 100

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 31, 2011

BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2011 comes to Los Angeles and its finally here. Also, if you happen not to be able to attend BlogWorld and New Media Expo this year TechZulu has you covered. In 2006 he was named one of the most influential authorities on Blog Marketing in the world.

Los Angeles 75

Los Angeles Angel Social Media Media 75

Eric Greenspan

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

I spent my week applying the new skills I obtained from attending conferences, reading and engaging in Twitter activities. I think what I have to share on the Twitterverse is interesting enough, but I still need to establish the key relationships with top Bloggers, Twitterers, and other social media pros. Yesterday was Halloween.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Santa Barbara Blogging Yammer 100

Eric Greenspan

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

I spent my week applying the new skills I obtained from attending conferences, reading and engaging in Twitter activities. I think what I have to share on the Twitterverse is interesting enough, but I still need to establish the key relationships with top Bloggers, Twitterers, and other social media pros. Yesterday was Halloween.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Santa Barbara Blogging Yammer 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2013

If your business is to be a thought leader in the social media world, the dominant system of grading how much influence you have online today is your Klout score, as explained in a new book, “ Klout Matters ,” by Gina Carr and Terry Brock. Allocate some time to spend on social media. People don’t follow followers or repeaters.

Social Media 92

Social Media Ideas Media Writing 92

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2016

If your business is to be a thought leader in the social media world, the dominant system of grading how much influence you have online today is your Klout score, as explained in a book on this subject, “ Klout Matters ,” by Gina Carr and Terry Brock. Allocate some time to spend on social media. Continue to learn and grow.

Social Media 63

Social Media Ideas Media Writing 63

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2013

Jonathan Strauss took this issue head on in a blog post that I believe every startup founder should read on “ Replacing Oneself as CEO.” I know because I marked the occasion with a blog post on how to have a great VC meeting. Jonathan shared that experience in his blog post so I won’t repeat it.

Startup 303

Startup Technical Review Product Blogging 303