Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2022

Many of you business leaders I work with, and entrepreneurs I mentor, have a great strategy and an innovative solution , but struggle with building and motivating the team necessary to run your business. Of course, listening alone isn't enough. Spend time coaching and mentoring team members.

Mentor 108

Mentor Social Media Coach Customer 108

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. Of course it is super helpful if a VC can drop you in to important people for business development, recruiting, PR, sales and eventually M&A. I think of VCs as coaches. The best way – of course – is to reference check.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. That’s where I see too much entrepreneur burnout, growth plateaus, and founders being replaced, to their chagrin. Of course, not every entrepreneur wants to tackle this challenge. There is no free lunch.

Startup 108

Startup Sales Metrics Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2010

Herbert Making the transition from individual contributor to manager, or entrepreneur to “corporate” executive, is one of the most difficult shifts most of us will face in our careers. Of course you’re brilliant, that’s why you were promoted. You need to transition from player to coach. Don’t try to “clone” yourself.

Entrepreneur 92

Entrepreneur Coach Study Education 92

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2019

In addition, today’s customers judge a company by perceived people relationships through social media, phone conversations, and sales experiences. Thus I believe that business leaders and entrepreneurs need to focus first on people leadership, rather than process leadership. Of course, some balance is required.

Coach 94

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 94

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

His willingness to add value wherever his coach needed him most, not only helped his teams win three consecutive World Championships, but it also allowed Bert to extend his career by making himself Indispensible. In addition to these utility roles, I also lead revenue generation: managing direct sales, business development and online sales.

Startup 222

Startup Coach Sales Entrepreneur 222

Frank Addante

OCTOBER 12, 2021

Our focus is on helping entrepreneurs build businesses that focus on social and environmental challenges. After 20+ years of building my own businesses from scratch, I finally figured out that I love helping entrepreneurs build their businesses! We build and invest in startups with impact. Doing good is good business! In a big way!

Startup 105

Startup Case Study Ideas Invest 105

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

And here’s an important point that I think modern entrepreneurs often forget: Investors are “co-owners” of your business. You may have raised money across multiple rounds of investors from 3-4 different VCs and of course most of them would like board seats or at a minimum board observer rights.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

Continuing to micromanage both as your business grows is the downfall of many entrepreneurs. For example, in the sales silo of my former organization, it was common to point to marketing or development as the source of a sales issue, but communication across to these organizations took forever, and agreeing on a common solution was difficult.

Sales 69

Sales Organization Entrepreneur Examples 69

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. That’s where I see too much entrepreneur burnout, growth plateaus, and Founders being replaced, to their chagrin. Of course, not every entrepreneur wants to tackle this challenge. There is no free lunch.

Sales 96

Sales Metrics Startup Entrepreneur 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. That’s where I see too much entrepreneur burnout, growth plateaus, and founders being replaced, to their chagrin. Of course, not every entrepreneur wants to tackle this challenge. There is no free lunch.

Startup 56

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 56

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

Of course it makes no sense to have great people management and a crappy product. ” Of course we all go into businesses expecting to be aligned with our co-founders but over time life changes. – while the other might want a quick sale and pocket some bucks while the tech market is hot.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

Working with early-stage teams : coaching, mentoring, setting strategy, rolling up sleeves: 9/10. “I think the best VCs help drive exits alongside their entrepreneurs. I divided success into the phases of venture capital and 18 months into writing my first check here was my view (details on each in the link above).

Venture Capital 387

Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

After all, I am no stranger to the publicly expressing the frustrations of dealing with the downside of this industry as I wrote about in 2006 when I was an entrepreneur. The best VCs don’t try to help entrepreneurs. And Coach Campbell. I read Andy’s post with a knowing smile on my face. But VC is like congress.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Frank Addante

OCTOBER 12, 2021

Our focus is on helping entrepreneurs build businesses that focus on social and environmental challenges. After 20+ years of building my own businesses from scratch, I finally figured out that I love helping entrepreneurs build their businesses! We build and invest in startups with impact. Doing good is good business! In a big way!

Startup 52

Startup Case Study Ideas Invest 52

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Some entrepreneurs make the mistake of never devolving power. Due to the language and culture issues in Europe we opted for a country structure with an MD in each country and local sales, marketing & customers support staff. This is akin in the US to having sales staff in NY, SF & LA with your HQ in one of these locations.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

We have built SocialStay for scale so I think the ‘chasm’ is both a function of time and sales. Do you have any advice for emerging entrepreneurs regarding how they can be frugal without compromising their company’s value prop? You don’t need much… But what you do need is sales. We subscribe to the same philosophy.”.

Startup 233

Startup Design Mobile Social Network 233

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 3, 2016

Examples of VC platform services include: recruiting, marketing, design support, inside sales reps, consulting, accounting services and so forth. The new war for platforms has mostly been waged by Andreessen Horowitz who have raised astounding amounts of capital and therefore had the fees to put into providing more services for entrepreneurs.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Platform Startup Resource 150

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

But of course all of these things are intertwined. We try to hire people who we believe will be upfront and respectful of entrepreneurs and know that it’s far easier to judge ones decisions on the outside than it actually is to have to make the tough decisions inside of a startup every day. Conviction.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2014

By the way, I also strongly advise that entrepreneurs reference VCs. In this instance my personal style is to have entrepreneurs in whom I’m considering investing to call my good references and those where we have gone through some tough times so in that sense I end up in the 0.05% but I tell entrepreneurs I’m doing this and why.

Startup 302

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Report 302

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2011

Thus, it is essential to appoint a ‘head of international’ with significant hands-on experience to chart your course in the global world. He resides on the West Coast, and has long helped entrepreneurs there, as well as providing turn-around assistance as interim CEO, and International coaching.

Coach 88

Coach Screening Commerce Marketing 88

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2010

Thus, it is essential to appoint a ‘head of international’ with significant hands-on experience to chart your course in the global world. He is a broad-based general manager, not just an international sales manager. ######## Today’s article is presented by one of the founders of our Startup Professionals team, Ernst H.

Coach 78

Coach Screening Commerce Entrepreneur 78

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 20, 2013

Who is the sales person? But Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich used his many years of experience to deliberate a plan that was well executed and surprised even the experts in the game, leading the underdog team to a Game 7 against the defending champions. Who has the business mindset? Who is the technical person?

Startup 94

Startup CTO Coach Coach Study 94

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

Yet a critical mistake I see many entrepreneurs make is that they hand over too much control to their third-parties. You can certainly get coaching from your VC on how to play the negotiations since they do it more often than you do. We’re both principals in a sale. As an entrepreneur I have one company to sell.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 9, 2013

Katie’s journey from corporate lawyer at a top firm to a social good entrepreneur has been a zigzag of twists and turns, luck and tenacity. Knowing how much playing sports shaped the course of her life, it pained her to see these girls denied the opportunity. Growing up, Katie was an athlete and played tennis in college.

Organization 98

Organization Startup Research Ideas 98

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

Of course much of it is conflicting. I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. And of course I’ve sat on the other side of the table: As a VC.

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2016

You Need to Find Your Mojo A Chip On Your Shoulder A few years ago I wrote a blog post on entrepreneurs with a chip on their shoulders. A chip on one’s shoulder as in, “F**k the system, it’s broken and I want to fix it” is exactly the energy I look for in entrepreneurs. Of course it’s a fine line between hero and hubris.

Startup 150

Startup Press Entrepreneur Funding 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2013

Last year I wrote a blog post on entrepreneurs with a chip on their shoulders. A chip on one’s shoulder as in, “F**k the system, it’s broken and I want to fix it” is exactly the energy I look for in entrepreneurs. My point … We’ve all been there – every entrepreneur.

Startup 371

Startup Press Blogging Entrepreneur 371