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If You Don’t Define Your Personal Brand the Market Will

Both Sides of the Table

I have long advised startup companies that if you don’t control your messaging somebody else will and your potential customers will form impressions of you shaped by somebody else or by nobody at all. It will affect your ability to get the right jobs and promotions as well as your ability to attract talent and capital.

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What is the Right Burn Rate at a Startup Company?

Both Sides of the Table

There are many times when being overly capitalized before you’re ready is a negative. We’re going to start aggressively spend money on marketing our product. Plus, most early-stage M&A fails so this isn’t likely a good use of capital for a young company). We want a strong balance sheet (um, ok.

Startup 383
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10 Marketing Lessons for Early-Stage Tech Startups

Both Sides of the Table

Because market is such a broad topic, I’m restricting these lessons to PR marketing (as opposed SEO, SEM, product marketing, etc.). My general rule is that it’s good to be stealth in the early days while you’re building your product and testing your market. Most people totally advise against stealth.

Marketing 380
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Some Career Advice for Aspiring Tech CEOs

Both Sides of the Table

” It was meant both as a call to those writing angel checks into other people’s companies that they ought to think about putting that capital toward themselves either by becoming a startup founder or (and this was my real point) by taking an under-market salary in a company where they can learn the right skills to do it in the future.

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How to Handle a VC Presentation with No Deck

Both Sides of the Table

I recently filmed a show for This Week in Venture Capital in which I talked about how to prepare for a VC meeting: whom you’ll meet, who should attend from your side, what materials you should bring and how you should run the meeting. I’m a product geek more than a spreadsheet ninja. I’m sure there are many more.

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Most Common Early Start-up Mistakes

Both Sides of the Table

Moonlight Responsibly - If you are still employed please be very careful not to use your company’s resources to produce your product and please do not work on your next idea during business hours. I’m reluctant to put it into writing because people get so passionate about this issue and many disagree. Register a company.

Startup 365
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Frank Addantes FounderBlog: Startup 5.0 – I’m just going to chill out for a bit… (OK, for a month…)

Frank Addante

Under Process, Over Deliver So, you need to develop a product? ▼ 2006 (20) ► December (2) Just Say What it Is 12 Proven Guidelines for Rapid Product Development. ► August (3) Venture Capital - What's the rush? Venture Capital Funding 7. Build a SWAT team 3. I'm 30, now will you take me seriously?

Startup 40