Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2021

Yet I still hear stories of companies being well down the road on products and collateral with a given name, only to find out that everything has to be changed because of a domain name conflict or availability problem. Finalizing the web site validates your product plan and sales strategy. Websites do take time to get done right.

Web 139

Web Startup Sites Design 139

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Low cost and low margin products can be winners, if the volume is high enough.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2023

New publishing tools, like blogs, collaboration platforms, and even Twitter provide updates that are easily available. The goal here is to grow the sources of new ideas and gather fresh thinking to create a new product or service. It can also be for solving everyday problems, like logo design or open source code.

Social Media 112

Social Media Media Software Review Social Network 112

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

We spent time out in the marketplace talking with customers, looking at their solutions, comparing ourselves with our competition and then squirreling ourselves away in our offices designing our next set of features. They communicated this to product management who looked at all of the internal requirements we had generated (e.g.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

The founder explains that the product is so “buzz-worthy” that usage will spread rapidly through word-of-mouth only, meaning people loving it and recommending it to their friends. Viral marketing is a deliberate marketing action, designed to grow attention at a compound rate, without further stimulus, by word-of-mouth.

Marketing 107

Marketing Invest SEM Startup 107

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

Watching the orders come in, or the product moving off the shelf, is the feedback you have been looking for. Working on that unique design, or completing the breakthrough for an innovative patent, are moments of inspiration that you will never forget, especially if they become your competitive edge. A business model that works.

Startup 160

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 160

Xconomy

OCTOBER 6, 2016

is rolling out its first commercial product—a “brain-enabled” commercial floor scrubber that is part mini-Zamboni and part Roomba. But as a pragmatic industrial product, Brain Corp. two years ago as vice president of marketing and product development. Like many startups, Brain Corp. But now Brain Corp. Brain Corp.

Product 106

Product Artificial Inteligence San Diego Training 106

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 19, 2012

I was talking with an early-stage founder who has a product vision and wants to get it built. He wanted to get input from me on what he's doing, and he wants to begin to ask developers what it would take to build his product. Me : Product definition, use cases, feature list, wireframes, comps, really whatever you have.

Develop 354

Develop Development Technical Review CTO Coach 354

socalTECH

JUNE 15, 2012

Uncovet (www.uncovet.com), headed by Heather Lipner , said it would help consumers discover the most sought-after items from up-and-coming designers, vintage finds from select high-profile brands and home products. Heather Lipner: I've been in tech and design for twelve or thirteen years. What is Uncovet all about?

Userplane 182

Userplane Startup Design Sites 182

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 23, 2010

Take AVC.com, the blog by Fred Wilson. He wrote a blog post that always stuck with me about how there are regulars on his blog who hang out there a bit like “Cheers&# just having a chat with a metaphorical beer in hand. I picked questions that I had already covered in depth on my blog and answered them in shorter form.

Blogging 301

Blogging SEO Startup Writing 301

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2020

New publishing tools, like blogs, collaboration platforms, and even Twitter provide updates that are easily available. The goal here is to grow the sources of new ideas and gather fresh thinking to create a new product or service. It can also be for solving everyday problems, like logo design or open source code.

Framework 159

Framework Social Media Software Review Social Network 159

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

I invested in LA-based Gogii , one of the fastest growing, most exciting mobile social networking companies you’ve never heard of and maker of a product called textPlus. And if you are – what on earth are you reading such a boring blog as this?!? But the product is called textPlus, not textFree.

Gogii 310

Gogii Invest Blogging Startup 310

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2021

Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and highlight several videos, podcasts, or eBooks of you and your technology. They will exit quickly.

Web 117

Web Search Engine Optimization eBook Advertising 117

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2021

It started a few years ago with the advent of email satisfaction surveys after an online purchase, but now includes interactive Internet ads, as well as custom requests for input on the design of future products and influencers on social media. Use experiments versus designing the ideal ad.

Customer 168

Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 168

Xconomy

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Today the synthetic biology company announced an expansion of its headquarters in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood, including a second, larger lab space for designing and making custom yeast and other microbes. We can iterate through designs a lot faster than a traditional life sciences company,” Kelly says.

Design 40

Design San Diego Customer Custom 40

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. If you believe you have a market-leading position in your product space I would worry a bit less about it. This is true on all of the major tech blogs.

Startup 355

Startup Funding News Press 355

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

Stegmaier recommends that you start by writing a regular blog, joining a few related campaigns, building a high-quality video, and completing up to a hundred additional lessons before you even launch your own project. It usually takes more than you can collect just to build and deliver the product. Startup revenues come later.

Startup 100

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Demand 100

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 super charges a business that is closer to product delivery.

Press 319

Press Startup Writing Training 319

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 22, 2011

I began publishing my blog in 2008. I was hesitant to use my own name, as I did not want my blog to be perceived as a self-promotional vanity project. In addition, my role as Partner at Rincon Venture Partners provided me with a business reason to invest additional time and effort into my humble blog. I was not disappointed.

Newsletter 205

Newsletter Blogging Santa Barbara Content 205

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2015

Image via Flickr by SideWages.com These days every new entrepreneur understands that an innovative product or service is necessary, but not sufficient, to start a business. Search engines and people love blogs these days. A badge is a simple graphic designed for fun, to show support, or promote certain standards online.

Blogging 105

Blogging eBook Content Web 105

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Selz, run by a team of around 50 in Sydney, Australia, bills itself as a one-stop-shop for small businesses to start selling products and services online. Martin Rushe, the CEO and founder of Selz wrote a blog post announcing the deal. Physical Product Sales. Digital Product Sales. Cheapest Ecommerce Plan (per month).

News 137

News Acquisition Platform Sales 137

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 2, 2010

Comedic startup site Funny or Die has announced a new design that adds new content and features to the site. The updated design gives fans more comedy, and more kinds of content including themed photo galleries, top 10 lists, and special guest blogs. What do you think the new design and the content they are featuring?

Design 49

Design Paramount Advertising Content 49

InfoChachkie

MARCH 16, 2016

Car companies spend a significant amount of money on superficial design features, including the timbre of the sound emitted when a car door is shut. Because many consumers value design features over those which impact performance. Startups do not always have the luxury to optimize their product for both buyers and users.

SaaS 100

SaaS Startup Software Review Development Team Review 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

By definition, you read blogs. If you care about accessing customers, reaching an audience, communicating your vision, influencing people in your industry, marketing your services or just plain engaging in a dialog with others in your industry a blog is a great way to achieve this. People often ask me why I started blogging.

Blogging 373

Blogging Startup Writing Venture Capital 373

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

In his maiden post on the topic he wrote, “After product-market fit and an efficient conversion process, the next critical step is finding scalable, repeatable and sustainable ways to grow the business. If this isn’t part of your culture on your product & marketing teams I can assure you it is on one of your competitors.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review SEM SEO Marketing 384

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

It's like WordPress, but instead of blogging, it provides an online community, which is self-hosted. That's funding our new product, FanMix, which is a a social media tool. I was really into graphic design in high school, and took several summer workshops at Caltech. But, we really want to build more product before we do that.

Startup 242

Startup CTO Coach Blogging Social Media 242

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

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

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Yet I still hear stories of companies being well down the road on products and collateral with a given name, only to find out that everything has to be changed because of a domain name conflict or availability problem. Finalizing the web site validates your product plan and sales strategy. Websites do take time to get done right.

Web 76

Web Startup Sites Design 76

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 25, 2017

The founder explains that the product is so “buzz-worthy” that usage will spread rapidly through word-of-mouth only, meaning people loving it and recommending it to their friends. Viral marketing is a deliberate marketing action, designed to grow attention at a compound rate, without further stimulus, by word-of-mouth.

Marketing 67

Marketing SEM Startup Blogging 67

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2013

These days every new entrepreneur understands that an innovative product or service is necessary, but not sufficient, to start a business. But most entrepreneurs don’t know where to start. ” by an expert and friend in this space, Arnie Kuenn , which offers guidance and examples on new and modern approaches for the rest of us: Build a blog.

Content 114

Content Marketing Startup eBook 114

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2020

Stegmaier recommends that you start by writing a regular blog, joining a few related campaigns, building a high-quality video, and completing up to a hundred additional lessons before you even launch your own project. It usually takes more than you can collect just to build and deliver the product. Startup revenues come later.

Startup 151

Startup Equity Funding Demand 151

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Today Upfront Ventures is announcing that we’ve backed Rebecca Kantar ’s startup Imbellus , a company designed to assess human potential and ultimately change the way we teach children. Incumbents launch products, VCs throw cash at other competitors, team members quit, the economy dips — whatever. Fundamentally the system feels broken.

Design 150

Design Ideas Startup Writing 150

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 25, 2011

They know this model of YouTube production & distribution better than anybody else that I’ve met in my 5 years in Los Angeles. And anybody who follows this blog knows that I believe television disruption has already begun and it is more likely to resemble Internet content than streaming long-form content to our living rooms.

Carson 291

Carson Content Press Los Angeles 291

Xconomy

DECEMBER 18, 2018

One of the leading contenders in the A.I. chip race, Graphcore , announced Thursday it pulled down $200 million in a Series D fundraising round that set its valuation at $1.7

Technical Review 65

Technical Review Product Venture Capital Software Review 65

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2013

The founder explains that the product is so “buzz-worthy” that usage will spread rapidly through word-of-mouth only, meaning people loving it and recommending it to their friends. Viral marketing is a deliberate marketing action, designed to grow attention at a compound rate, without further stimulus, by word-of-mouth.

Marketing 99

Marketing Entrepreneur Startup SEM 99

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2012

” Part of the beauty of blogging that in two sittings Fred was able to influence what was built over the next 12 months. I’ve wanted to write a blog post called “Mobile Second” for a long time to make this point more forcefully. I believe in integrated products. I love using Yelp’s mobile product.

Web 334

Web Mobile Startup Software Review 334

socalTECH

JANUARY 9, 2014

One local startup, Chippmunk (www.chippmunk.com), hopes so, and believes that focusing on user interface design will help it win over its competitors. They don''t have coupons that work on that given day, the layout and design looks really spammy, and it feels spammy. They sell these products which consumers are just not familiar with.

Internet Brands 257

Internet Brands Content Startup Sites 257