Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2021

I’ve always wondered if there was some way that I could quickly deduce a new entrepreneur’s “sweet spot,” and optimize my mentoring to those strengths and weaknesses, maybe similar to the Myers-Briggs type indicator for business professionals. Ultimately, most get the best help from business advisors and mentors. Opportunist.

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InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Brad Feld points out in his widely-read book Startup Communities , that business schools within universities are generally devoid of innovation and thus are not engines of entrepreneurship. Apeel Sciences - Founded in 2012, after winning $10,000 at UCSB’s New Venture Competition, the company closed $1.25M in funding during 2013.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often feel the frustration of someone trying to build a startup in the wrong place and time, and wrongly attributing their struggle to personal limitations. I saw these addressed well in a new book, “ The Startup Community Way ,” by Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2021

Over the years I have spent mentoring entrepreneurs and startups, I often notice the similarities between successful professionals managing their careers and successful entrepreneurs building a business. Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn, helped me crystallize these similarities with his classic book “ The Start-up of You.”

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2014

A few years ago I read a book titled “ The Rudolph Factor ,” by Cyndi Laurin and Craig Morningstar, which is all about finding the bright lights that can drive innovation in your business. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2013

A while back I read a book titled “ The Rudolph Factor ,” by Cyndi Laurin and Craig Morningstar, which is all about finding the bright lights that can drive innovation in your business. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2022

Thus, in my mentoring of potential technical entrepreneurs who have a real passion for their technology, I often recommend that they find a co-founder who can manage the marketing and execution elements of the new venture. The competition will improve, the market will change, and your customers will demand more.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

Many entrepreneurs I have mentored make big mistakes in this area, by hiring low-cost friends and family, with minimal skills or training, and expecting them to have the same work ethic , passion, and business knowledge as the founder. In addition, you can reduce to soft costs of mentoring, relationship building, and socializing.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

I can relate to this and other insights in his new book, “ Simple Truths of Leadership ,” with co-author Randy Conley. A little competition for results is always a good thing. The next step is to provide mentoring and training, as well as your support and confidence to take on more challenging assignments and responsibilities.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

Then, he'll need to patent it and create a plan to show opportunity, competition, and financial projections. I find the best business plans are not books, but may actually should start as a one-page “elevator pitch” that succinctly encompasses your business goals, problems and solution, opportunity, competition, and business model.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2019

A few years ago I read a classic book “ The Rudolph Factor ,” by Cyndi Laurin and Craig Morningstar, which is all about finding the bright lights that can drive innovation in your business. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

I recall a good summary of how to motivate and train a team to accomplish this in the classic book, “ The Business of Creativity: How to Build the Right Team for Success ,” by Keith Granet. A single marketing coordinator can accelerate your efforts by being the coach and mentoring key members of the team on soft marketing. Give credit.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Ironically, as a startup investor and mentor, I have seen too many failures caused by just the opposite – too much money spent too soon, taking time to get product perfection, and assuming customers will wait. How entrepreneurs respond to these will become a larger and larger determinant of startup growth, competitive position, and success.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. There are lots of resources available for that question, including the Internet and mentors like me. Find out if something very similar is already selling, and who your competition would be if you proceed.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2020

We all face pressure in our lives, but there’s nothing like that of an entrepreneur facing customer crises and the competitive challenges of a new business. The science and human factors behind this approach are explained in a classic book, Crunch Time: How to Be Your Best When It Matters Most ,” by Rick Peterson and Judd Hoekstra.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

That’s why I was pleased to see the balance on people versus process in a classic book on how to fix your organization, “ The Diamond Process ,” by Mike Diamond and Christopher Harding. Priority is placed on employee mentoring and coaching. On the other hand, I see teams with almost no process that are tremendously productive.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2021

I see the commonalities detailed well in the classic book, “ Extreme Teams ,” by Robert Bruce Shaw. Building and managing teams along the new lines outlined is not easy, and that’s why it’s a real competitive advantage when you do it.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2022

I learned some good lessons along these lines from the classic book “ The Way of the SEAL ,” by Mark Divine. This knowledge is required for you to turn quickly or pivot based on new input from the market, without loss of competitive position. Leverage the resources of mentors, investors, and peers. Set your targets high.

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Tech.Co

MARCH 5, 2015

She’s also an advisor, mentor and investor in several startups. She’s a startup advisor, mentor, investor and was a finalist in Fortune’s 2014 Brainstorm Tech Startup Idol competition. Susan graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is the author of ‘The e-Auction Insider’ by McGraw-Hill.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2011

A while back I read a book titled “ The Rudolph Factor ,” by Cyndi Laurin and Craig Morningstar, which is all about finding the bright lights that can drive innovation in your business. The core message is that real innovation and competitive advantage are more people-based than product or process-based.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2021

As a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I don’t believe that it is only a birthright, and there are several key strategies, including the following, that you can learn and practice which will lead to success: Give your own judgement a high priority in decisions. You need this to weather the hard times.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

In his book, “ Out-Executing the Competition ,” seasoned executive Irv Rothman provides tips to corporate executives on how to dig in and “get their fingernails dirty.” If a team member has a plan that is too ambitious and likely to set them up for failure, he or she needs your direct mentoring to dial it back. Marty Zwilling.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

As a mentor to many business professionals and owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find a wealth of innovative ideas, but often less insight on what it really takes to transform ideas into an income stream that can excite new customers into long-term business success. Take the steps needed to improve your success odds.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2021

In her classic book “ Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom ,” board expert Nancy Falls outlines the most common mistakes with boards, and I believe several of these apply to startups as well as to more mature companies as follows: Have too many or too few board members. Marty Zwilling.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. From an investor perspective, understanding and acting early to establish a sustainable competitive advantage, and barrier to entry, is the best assurance of a financial return.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2019

Unfortunately, many aspiring leaders I mentor are not aware of the signals people are looking for, or are not attuned to the subtleties of their own actions. Show humility while acting as a mentor and coach. High-trust leaders see themselves as stewards, rather than owners, guiding people, assets, and decision making.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

All businesses these days are too complex to be one-person shows, so you need all the complementary held you can find to keep up with customers and competition, fill your expertise gaps, and scale the market. They mentor each other, and seek out experts in domains outside their current expertise and experience.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

As a mentor to young aspiring entrepreneurs , I often get asked for tips on a strategy to get started. Don’t be shy about networking for advisors with business experience for coaching and mentoring. In my experience, a good business plan should not be a book, or a one-pager. The ability to pivot quickly is a key to success.

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2020

I’ve also struggled trying to define the characteristics that set these bosses apart, so I was impressed with the classic book, “ Superbosses ,” by Dartmouth professor and consultant Sydney Finkelstein. Measure by relationships as well as competitiveness. Good connections and team building are the keys to success.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2013

Over the years I have spent mentoring entrepreneurs and startups, I often notice the similarities between successful professionals managing their careers and successful entrepreneurs building a business. Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn, helped me crystallize these similarities with his book “ The Start-up of You.”

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2022

I’ve always been looking for the specific behaviors required to make the change, so I was pleased to see some real guidance in the classic book, “ The Melting Point ,” by Dr. Christian Marcolli, a world-class expert on sustainable high performance. Set aside time to seek out experts in your field for ideas, as well as mentoring and coaching.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

All true entrepreneurs operate off a set of tenets that are built into their psyche, or drilled into them from training and mentors. In a book a while back by Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie from the Columbia Business School, “ Designing for Growth ,” the authors encourage managers to think more like designers.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

an author and speaker on this and related subjects, outlines in her classic book “ Productive Relationships: 57 Strategies for Building Stronger Business Connections.” They include real mentors, facilitators, visionaries, motivators, and negotiators. Jan Yager, Ph.D., Avoid associating with them.

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Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2012

In his new book, “ Out-Executing the Competition ,” seasoned executive Irv Rothman provides tips to corporate executives on how to dig in and “get their fingernails dirty.” If a team member has a plan that is too ambitious and likely to set them up for failure, he or she needs your direct mentoring to dial it back.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

Usually these are described as revenue growth drivers, as outlined in a new book, “ The Revenue Accelerator: The 21 Boosters to Launch Your Startup ,” by Dr. Allan Colman. For example , Bill Gates shared a mentoring relationship with Warren Buffett that increased the credibility of both, although their business domains were quite different.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2014

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. There are lots of resources available for that question, including the Internet and mentors like me. Find out if something very similar is already selling, and who your competition would be if you proceed.

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Ideas Mentor Entrepreneur Resource 107

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

The second annual USC Silicon Beach event, hosted by the four professional schools at USC, featured a pitch competition and a conference filled with informational panels and interviews. Startup Pitch Competition. These innovative products ranged from digital comic books to sports data analysis. The event itself was amazing.

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