Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2022

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. For example, I remember a classic book by Penina Rybak, “ The NICE Reboot ,” that does a great job of outlining problem solving steps, honed from working with special needs youngsters.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

” Strangely, the best I’ve ever heard this exemplified is in Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential - which is really a book about startups as told through kitchen stories. Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. Writing a book will be fun.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2017

In my experience working with startups, the best approach these days is to find and use a good mentor (been there, done that). Of course, mentoring is not new – it’s been the favored way to learn arts and crafts since way back in the middle ages. But I assert that mentoring in business is making a comeback.

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Mentor Technical Review LAMP Coach 61

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I should note that my friend Brad Feld has written a new book on the subject that I would recommend if you want the bible on the topic. 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. In the Early Days.

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Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2011

As a company continues to mature, the customer support and professional services teams become vital in order to retain customers and the accounting department has to properly manage the company’s cash flows. Ask For Mentoring. Later it is the salespeople who must generate revenue from the product. Underpromise, Overdeliver.

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Entrepreneur Startup Santa Barbara Tips 256

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 4, 2020

It’s with profound sadness we mourn the loss of a true visionary, author, mentor, thought-leader, investor, and friend, Tony Hsieh. Under Hsieh’s leadership, Zappos revolutionized the apparel industry, and e-commerce in general, by being one of the first to prioritize customer satisfaction and service. By Frank Gruber and Jen Consalvo.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2021

Others are really marketers out to make money fast, and believe that they can entice customers to any offering. A few years ago, I first saw an interesting step in that direction via the classic book “ Entrepreneurial DNA ,” by Joe Abraham , with his assessment web site. External forces (competitors and customers).

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2022

Today more than ever, the evidence is clear that business people need to find and communicate a purpose that goes beyond making a profit, in order to ensure customer engagement, as well as your own, and drive results in the marketplace. As you grow, so will your team and customers. Driven to reduce personal hardship and suffering.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

I saw a good summary of the most effective ways to source prospective investors in a classic book, “ The Art of Startup Fundraising ,” by Alejandro Cremades, who has been there and done that, both as an entrepreneur and an investor. Identify customer executives who need your solution. Reach out to your biggest fans for investor leads.

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Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. I found their five phases of the process to be compelling, based on my own years of experience mentoring startups: Nail the pain.

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Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

Inclusion I recently read Dan Rather’s book “ What Unites Us ,” which is a book I highly recommend, in anticipation of interviewing him at the Upfront Summit. In Dan Rather’s book he talks about Ruth Bader Ginsberg who was appointed the the Supreme Court in 1993. It’s a very sensitive age for a girl.

Venture Capital 256

Venture Capital Examples Screening Help 256

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. Balance of passion with reality and customer feedback. Build business relationships and a personal brand.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

In this age of interactive social media, your culture image quickly spreads to customers, and determines their loyalty. If you are looking for specifics, as well as the science behind it, you should take a look at the classic book, “ Trust Factor – The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies ,” by Paul J.

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Claremont Mentor Study Startup 172

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2012

It's all you can fly, but what you can't do is you can't just book every day and box everyone else out. Those mentors and others have given us really tangible advice. The four partners at Muckerlab, Greg Bettinelli, Yanda Erlich, Will Hsu, and Erik Rannala just have incredible backgrounds, and an incredible ability to mentor companies.

Startup 240

Startup Mentor Technical Review Santa Barbara 240

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2022

Yet I find, as a mentor and outside consultant, that many of you focus only on working conditions and compensation as the key factors determining team engagement , health, and productivity. Thus I was pleased to see a much more complete and broader perspective of employee support recommendations in a new book, “ Employees First! ”

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Technical Review Mentor Social Media Customer 141

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2021

In fact, as a mentor to entrepreneurs and an investor, I recommend that entrepreneurs avoid using the term disruptive with investors, since many see it as implying extra high risk, a long time for payback, and extensive marketing to build the new market. Look for sizable customer populations unattractive to incumbents.

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Technical Review Entrepreneur Marketing Customer 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2021

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. Subtraction leads to simplicity, better usability, and easier education of your customers. It allows them turn resource constraints into stunning new businesses.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2015

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. For example, I read a recent book by Penina Rybak, “ The NICE Reboot ,” that does a great job of outlining problem solving steps, honed from working with special needs youngsters. Explore solutions, outcomes, and options calmly.

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Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review Satisfaction 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2017

Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. Then, hopefully, come customers, distribution channels, and going public or merging with an attractive buy-out candidate.

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Mentor Technical Review Entrepreneur Guide 61

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

How-to get that guy as your mentor - Gabriel Weinberg , September 20, 2010 Forming a couple of good mentor relationships can help bridge the gap between startup failure and success, especially for first-time entrepreneurs. But how do you actually get the right people to be your mentors? Want to start up in France?

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

It’s why I wrote this post that the controversial first hire after an A round out to be an office manager / assistant / HR person who handles everything from stocking supplies to booking travel to scheduling group meetings. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader. But your job isn’t to make every decision for him.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2014

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. For example, I just completed a new book by Penina Rybak, “ The NICE Reboot ,” that does a great job of outlining problem solving steps, honed from working with special needs youngsters.

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Entrepreneur Mentor Technical Review Satisfaction 102

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Entrepreneurship is all about leading – leading customers to a new product or service, leading a startup team to peak performance, and leading a new business to the market opportunity, while providing maximum return to stakeholders. Pretend to be a customer or client of the business you lead. Murray, “ It’s Already Inside.”

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

In my own effort to keep up with the times, I explored Julie Steelman’s book on selling, “ The Effortless Yes: Demystifying the Selling Process.” Julie is known as the entrepreneur’s selling mentor, for both men and women. Make it real for you and your customers. Set aside fear and doubt, and stand tall with your message.

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Sales Entrepreneur Mentor Customer 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2021

I’ve heard many views on how to fix this, but I was most impressed with the specifics in a classic book, “ The Workplace Engagement Solution ,” by David Harder. After the hire comes mentoring and continuous training as the key to engagement. Mentors can be particularly powerful in helping colleagues break out of the trance.

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Mentor Startup Training Resource 155

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

In addition, today’s customers judge a company by perceived people relationships through social media, phone conversations, and sales experiences. 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.

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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. Test your innovation with at least a hundred customers.

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Ideas Startup Case Study Writing 145

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. Direct customer-facing non-technical roles should be the last ones outsourced.

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Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

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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Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. There is more and more evidence that a more human-centered or heart-centered leadership yields the best results with your team and with customers in the long run.

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Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2021

The bad news is we have to think like a business, with all the implications of branding, finding customers, and competitors. If you are thinking of joining the rush in this direction, I found some practical insights for success in a classic book, “ Thriving in the Gig Economy ,” by Marion McGovern.

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Pricing Mentor Entrepreneur News 149

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

However, just as Uber pushed its way into recalcitrant East Coast cities because of intense customer demand, the TMP marshaled a critical mass of the University''s resources due to tireless student activism and the resoundingly positive feedback (and donor dollars) from the parents of TMP graduates. Techpreneurs.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2015

Entrepreneurship is all about leading – leading customers to a new product or service, leading a startup team to peak performance, and leading a new business to the market opportunity, while providing maximum return to stakeholders. Pretend to be a customer or client of the business you lead. Murray, “ It’s Already Inside.”

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Entrepreneur Mentor Coach Customer 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2021

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.

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Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

Great marketing is required to generate revenue and grow every business, especially new businesses which have no brand recognition nor loyal customer base. Yet, as a business consultant, I still find many of you business leaders relying primarily on your technology, word-of-mouth , or location to attract necessary customers.

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Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2020

But we all know that these are not solutions by themselves, but require integration into an innovative framework to solve real customer problems. Here are some keys to that mindset that I have seen working for successful entrepreneurs: Think customer-centric rather than technology-centric. Be forever curious and optimistic.

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Startup Artificial Inteligence Ideas Entrepreneur 134

socalTECH

APRIL 11, 2013

I don''t know if you''ve heard, but it''s actually tough for music teachers, tutors, and others to truly find enough customers to pay their bills and keep them involved in their passions. Who''s your ideal customer for this? Steven Cox: We consider the teacher our customer, and that''s who the software is built for.

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