Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

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. So Tracy began keeping a blog about … (what else?)

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2021

Use social networking and blogging to get your message out. Offer to help a couple of customers free, just to get your act together and your presence known. Also, in most geographies, there are organizations springing up, and university workshops, to mentor people out of work and contemplating a startup. Get business cards made.

Startup 156

Startup Social Network Activity Ideas 156

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

It goes without saying that if you find yourself in a really negative headspace PLEASE reach out to any trusted mentor, friend or family member. He produced a very detailed analysis of his customer base and which would be affected. I imagine many of you are, too. Don’t insulate yourself?—?handle

Demand 215

Demand Guide Customer Custom 215

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. In fact, some totally avoid it, assuming their product or solution will speak for itself later.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

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

MARCH 2, 2011

It’s apropos because there is so much noise these days with email, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, web shows, etc. I was thinking back to a few previous “insider baseball&# blog debates that raged for several weeks: AngelGate (aka Bin38 secret cabal), convertible debt vs. equity, bubble vs. not, and now the AngelList discussion.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

You need to build business relationships with partners, team members, investors, and of course customers. Asking someone to be your mentor is not a sign of weakness, and most mentors love to help. As an introvert myself, I remember worrying that I could never be comfortable giving a sales pitch, or networking to find clients.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Startup 104

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. In a two-minute video clip, you can introduce yourself, show your passion and the engaging personality you need to win over customers, partners, and employees.

Entrepreneur 156

Entrepreneur Tips Funding Startup 156

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2014

In that sense, you should think of an advisor more like your mentor who has done all he can. A good mentor will have some knowledge and some perspective on almost every business subject, which compounds their effectiveness. An advisor knows what to look for, and sees what your customers see. You always need the friend.

Mentor 104

Mentor Coach Tips Entrepreneur 104

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

MARCH 23, 2015

The final clip is Fred & I talking about whether “the best product wins” and my assertion that the bias in today’s Silicon Valley dominated tech world there is probably too much emphasis on tech at the expense of how to sell, implement and service customers. Blogging is like Venus Fly Paper. This is classic Fred.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

It's like WordPress, but instead of blogging, it provides an online community, which is self-hosted. We have about 8500 customers there, but only a small percentage have built great communities that took off, and the rest floundered. We have some great mentors now. SocialEngine is a white-label, community platform.

Startup 242

Startup CTO Coach Blogging Social Media 242

InfoChachkie

APRIL 25, 2011

If you are a leader at a startup and you are reading a business book, you are not closing customers, raising capital, improving your product, or spending time with your loved ones. It has also influenced my thoughts, as evidenced by the six infoChachkie blog entries which reference Art. Ask For Mentoring. I was not disapointed.

Technical Review 279

Technical Review Blogging Class Entrepreneur 279

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

There are lots of resources available for the challenge of that activity, including the Internet and mentors like me. In my experience, the key steps I look for always include the following: Testing the idea against customers who have money to spend. Prepare your marketing story for customers and investors.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had numerous discussions with Brad over the years about board structure & conduct and consider him a mentor on the topic. So we first turned to solve the question of how to better meet the needs of our growing customer base of large brands and media companies. Mentorship.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. What these people need is more relationships, not more experts, more blogs, or more books. Nominate someone as your mentor. You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. Cultivate existing allies.

Startup 75

Startup Social Network Networking Mentor 75

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2015

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. What these people need is more relationships, not more experts, more blogs, or more books. Nominate someone as your mentor. You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. Cultivate existing allies.

Startup 108

Startup Social Network Mentor Entrepreneur 108

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2010

Custom Insurance Programs for Technology Companies. With Vistage, you'll benefit from: Advisory Board Peer Group Meetings; Private 1-to-1 Mentoring Sessions; Expert Speaker Workshops; Content and Connectivity Online. your business on the map with national news coverage and blog buzz for only $999 a. Need office or Tech Space?

SoCalTech 127

SoCalTech Advertising Rustic Canyon Glendale 127

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

They certainly struggle to find mentors as there is nothing more frustrating than trying to help a company who is afraid to tell you anything. Marketing futures can be really good for enterprise software companies where the information is passed between sales rep and potential customer in terms of near-term roadmap.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2019

In my role as a mentor to many business professionals, I still see some who have no idea how to adapt to the new realities. Every employee or entrepreneur needs to build a competitive reputation on the Internet, through a website, blog, LinkedIn profile, and social media. Build your reputation and visibility beyond your company.

Artificial Inteligence 96

Artificial Inteligence Startup Social Media Training 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2017

Based on my current role as a mentor to entrepreneurs, I will paraphrase and recommend Whiddon’s top techniques in business terms: Build an image of likability and rapport. In today’s customer context, you can foster rapport by dressing like them, making every effort to look attractive, offering compliments, and listening intensely.

Social Media 58

Social Media Customer Custom Entrepreneur 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2013

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. What these people need is more relationships, not more experts, more blogs, or more books. Nominate someone as your mentor. You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. Cultivate existing allies.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Tips Startup Social Network 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2014

I’m talking about volunteering to be on industry panels for visibility, participating in startup weekends for education, and talking to groups of distributors or potential customers on technology trends. Your presence in a booth to meet customers and vendors, and availability as a sponsor, will often keep you a step ahead of your competitors.

Startup 100

Startup Tips Mentor Conference 100

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 8, 2013

” In an early trial of MailLift, Granite MedSystems reached out to potential customers that had ignored all previous sales campaigns. Entrepreneurs and mentors travel from various parts around the world to take part in the 500 Startups accelerator program.

Startup 86

Startup CTO Coach Mentor Class 86

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2013

There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the results of your mentoring and leadership. Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person. Maybe it’s that first customer testimonial, or that first congratulations from someone you respect, or seeing your story in the newspaper. Your solution fills a real market need.

Startup 100

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 100

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

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

A few years ago, before the Internet was pervasive, before everyone carried a smartphone and before do-it-yourself software tools were available for free, it was difficult to reach a critical mass of new customers without spending a million dollars on a website, custom software and television advertising.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media Outsource Development 108

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2012

There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the results of your mentoring and leadership. Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person. Maybe it’s that first customer testimonial, or that first congratulations from someone you respect, or seeing your story in the newspaper. Your solution fills a real market need.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Ideas 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2012

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. What these people need is more relationships, not more experts, more blogs, or more books. Nominate someone as your mentor. You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. Cultivate existing allies.

Startup 97

Startup Tips Social Network Networking 97

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

And that person has almost certainly chosen specifically to be a startup lawyer over serving other types of customers because he or she enjoys working with entrepreneurs. See there are tons of people who play the role of mentor in their own capacity.

Startup 363

Startup Venture Capital Coach Press 363

Tech Coast Venture Network

APRIL 22, 2010

With rare exception, you will need to finance personally (or with friends and family to the point of revenue and/or significant customer pre-order or commitment). Understand how to value you company (more to come in a future blog!) If you are pre-revenue, have pre-sales, letters of intent and/or customer commitments.

Startup 124

Startup Tech Coast Angels TCVN Incubator 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2015

Use social networking and blogging to get your message out. Offer to help a couple of customers free, just to get your act together and your presence known. Also, in most geographies, there are organizations springing up, and university workshops, to mentor people out of work and contemplating a startup. Get business cards made.

Startup 101

Startup Social Network Activity Ideas 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Every startup mentor has his favorite list of basic strategies to avoid pitfalls, and I’m no exception. Reserve the same names on the leading social networks and blogs. In business, “most important” means time to market, customer service, low cost, and beating your competitors. Create intellectual property. Manage your time.

Tips 102

Tips Help Startup Blogging 102

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. What these people need is more relationships, not more experts, more blogs, or more books. Nominate someone as your mentor. You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. Cultivate existing allies.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Tips Startup Social Network 96

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. Neither is very strategic nor in the best interest of either set of customers that VCs have (portfolio companies & LPs). David is also frequently an inspiration for a story on my blog. Mafias matter a lot to me, as well.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Use social networking and blogging to get your message out. Offer to help a couple of customers free, just to get your act together and your presence known. Also, in most geographies, there are organizations springing up, and university workshops, to mentor people out of work and contemplating a startup. Get business cards made.

Help 56

Help Startup Social Network Activity 56

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2014

Use social networking and blogging to get your message out. Offer to help a couple of customers free, just to get your act together and your presence known. Also, in most geographies, there are organizations springing up, and university workshops, to mentor people out of work and contemplating a startup. Get business cards made.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network Ideas 102