Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

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.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2022

For example, I’m an introverted product guy who doesn’t care so much about building the personnel relationships needed to keep a motivated team. Or you may be easily bored by the needed focus on key objectives, or the day-to-day challenges of driving results that balance the books. Relentlessly drive improvement, change, and growth.

Mentor 133

Mentor Startup Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2023

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.

Entrepreneur 82

Entrepreneur Competition Press Commerce 82

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. It’s the same for customers and products, where analytics have long proven their value.

Tool 121

Tool Statistics Entrepreneur Metrics 121

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2017

Most business leaders today realize that smart management of scarce resources is the key to competitive success. Leaders who are able to optimize these find multipliers of 20 percent up to nine times the average productivity. That’s why they manage money so carefully. Reduce organizational drag on every team member.

Product 58

Product Startup Guide Framework 58

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

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.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

For example, many investors I know tell me they look for business plans that allocate the largest portion of a requested investment to marketing, but most often see the top “ use of funds ” to be further product or service development. The smart ones were already working on new features, and able to counter competition quickly.

Marketing 133

Marketing Customer Custom Outsource Development 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2015

In building successful businesses, I find that creating a new and innovative product or service is usually the easy part. I saw a new approach in the book “ Leadership Transformed: How Ordinary Managers Become Extraordinary Leaders ,” by Dr. Peter Fuda a while back, which identifies seven leadership themes, presented as metaphors.

Product 103

Product Coach Framework Entrepreneur 103

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. Every entrepreneur needs this kind of focus to build a minimum viable product, target the right customer segment, differentiate from competitors, and drive business growth. Achieve twenty times more than you think you can.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Training 150

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.

Startup 134

Startup Entrepreneur Competition Press 134

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I’m super excited to announce that GRP Partners led the investment in Ethan Anderson’s new company MyTime (link has LA-based merchants but will give you a good feel for the product). ” So Ethan went to work as a product manager at Google Video. I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2022

In my years of mentoring entrepreneurs, a problem I have seen too often is low self-esteem, and over-compensating through arrogance and ego. As a team member, low self-esteem leads to low confidence, poor productivity, and no job satisfaction. Identify and redirect unhealthy competition and comparisons.

Startup 101

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Competition 101

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.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

As the school year kicks off for college students, one of the big tasks of the year is buying books for their courses. One startup, SwoopThat (www.swoopthat.com)--started by a recent college grad Jonathan Simkin --has made it much easier to buy books for student, by pulling up books based on a student's schedule.

UCSD 185

UCSD Course Startup Sites 185

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. Be a dreamer first, but a realist on marketplace risk.

Ideas 145

Ideas Startup Case Study Writing 145

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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Class Develop Development Startup 155

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

Image via Wikipedia The challenge for all of us in business is to improve competitiveness by improving employee productivity and reducing costs. According to Gartner , one of the biggest drags on productivity is employee engagement, still hovering around 30 percent, and costing our businesses over $450 billion per year.

Tips 96

Tips Satisfaction Training Mentor 96

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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Class Activity Coach Satisfaction 148

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

The first electric bulb was actually invented by Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, who demonstrated the concept, but gave up trying to develop a practical product after only three attempts. Don’t be hesitant to use coaches, mentors, and other resources to test and improve your image by others, and your perceptions of business realities and biases.

Startup 122

Startup Satisfaction Summary Coach 122

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.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2014

The last thing they can afford is to waste any of these, but in my mentoring and coaching activities, I see it happening all too often. Waste in a startup is any activity that absorbs resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. Bottlenecks to team productivity. Lack of communication.

Entrepreneur 115

Entrepreneur Resource Training Product 115

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2022

In building successful businesses, I find that creating a new and innovative product or service is usually the easy part. I saw a new approach in the classic book “ Leadership Transformed: How Ordinary Managers Become Extraordinary Leaders ,” by Dr. Peter Fuda, which identifies seven leadership themes, presented as metaphors.

Coach 114

Coach Framework Entrepreneur Tool 114

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.

Startup 127

Startup Social Network Mentor Networking 127

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2019

Image via Pexels Every business needs repeatable processes to grow and thrive, but modern business processes need the right people to make them efficient and productive. The right people make productive processes, not the other way around. On the other hand, I see teams with almost no process that are tremendously productive.

Coach 94

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2022

You won’t often find that recommended by consultants, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the key points highlighted in a new book, “ Self-Made Boss ,” by Jackie Reses and Lauren Weinberg. But the more you get involved with mentoring and training, the less time you have to enjoy the creative process.

Satisfaction 92

Satisfaction Training Customer Custom 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2022

This is a tough challenge for every coach and mentor. I’ve never had a definitive list of recommendations to overcome these qualms, so I was pleased to see the insights in a new book, “ Arrive and Thrive ,” by Susan MacKenty Brady, Janet Foutty, and Lynn Perry Wooten. Embrace the real you as your competitive advantage.

Entrepreneur 90

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Coach Mentor 90

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2015

The last thing they can afford is to waste any of these, but in my mentoring and coaching activities, I see it happening all too often. Waste in a startup is any activity that spends resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. Bottlenecks to team productivity. Lack of communication.

Resource 105

Resource Startup Entrepreneur Training 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

Based on my own experience in both large and small companies, I agree it can be done, with the essential principles outlined in a new book, “ Winning Now, Winning Later ,” by David M. This means identifying initiatives early, communicating openly with your team, and asking for their help on the dilemmas of production cuts and layoffs.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2019

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. It’s the same for customers and products, where analytics have long proven their value.

Metrics 98

Metrics Tool Statistics Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2019

In my years of mentoring entrepreneurs, a problem I have seen too often is low self-esteem, and over-compensating through arrogance and ego. As a team member, low self-esteem leads to low confidence, poor productivity, and no job satisfaction. Identify and redirect unhealthy competition and comparisons.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Startup Satisfaction Competition 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2016

In her classic book on this subject, “ Who’s That Sitting at My Desk? ” Here are the key ones I have experienced, as paraphrased from her book: Acquaintanceship. Too many relationships never advance beyond this stage, resulting in poor communication, no cooperation, low trust, and low shared productivity. Workship - Mentor.

Mentor 70

Mentor Competition Entrepreneur Summary 70

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2018

The last thing they can afford is to waste any of these, but in my mentoring and coaching activities, I see it happening all too often. Waste in a startup is any activity that spends resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. Bottlenecks to team productivity. Lack of communication.

Resource 52

Resource Training Entrepreneur Activity 52

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2015

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.

Ideas 104

Ideas Mentor Resource Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2017

Every business needs repeatable processes to grow and thrive, but modern business processes need the right people to make them efficient and productive. The right people make productive processes, not the other way around. On the other hand, I see teams with almost no process that are tremendously productive.

Entrepreneur 78

Entrepreneur Coach Organization Mentor 78

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2013

In her book on this subject, “ Who’s That Sitting at My Desk? ” Too many relationships never advance beyond this stage, resulting in poor communication, no cooperation, low trust, and low shared productivity. Workship - Mentor. Your business will benefit from the increased productivity, high morale, and skill growth.

Startup 99

Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Competition 99

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.

Ideas 107

Ideas Mentor Entrepreneur Resource 107