Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2022

One of the attributes that I often recommend to the business professionals and entrepreneurs I mentor is to always be totally accountable for your actions and ideas. Generously give credit to others where credit is due. Be available for mentoring and coaching to others. Lack of accountability can permeate an entire organization.

Activity 109

Activity Organization Mentor Training 109

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

I think as a tech industry we have bred a culture that places more emphasis on product excellence than managing human behavior. Of course it makes no sense to have great people management and a crappy product. When they started their company of course they had to pick one to be CEO and the other to have a different title.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2015

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring.

Product 99

Product Mentor Startup Technical Review 99

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. Entrepreneurial lawyers like Don Lee , Dave Young or Ted Wang are good at sussing out which entrepreneurs are high potential. Of course I went through normal other channels of deal flow. I attended events. I hustled.

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2017

Of course, mentoring is not new – it’s been the favored way to learn arts and crafts since way back in the middle ages. Yet in this age of technology, many seem to favor tools and data to get the edge, or can’t find the time to talk to real people. Regularly review progress and adjust focus (Review and Renewal).

Mentor 61

Mentor Technical Review LAMP Coach 61

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. Entrepreneurial lawyers like Don Lee , Dave Young or Ted Wang are good at sussing out which entrepreneurs are high potential. Of course I went through normal other channels of deal flow. I attended events. I hustled.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

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. Reviewing financial & operational performance. There are just as many bad entrepreneurs who do bad things. Defections of large swaths of talented employees due to low morale.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

The creators of the renowned StartupWeekend — a place where random ad hoc teams work frantically for 54 hours to build a demo of a new business and then complete for fame and fortune — have picked up where StartupWeekend left off and have birthed a new course for entrepreneurs who need to level up called StartupWeekend Next.

Class 98

Class Mentor Startup UCLA 98

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2015

Based on my experience advising entrepreneurs, I’m convinced that success is often more a mindset than a specific set of skills or intelligence. Of course, that mindset has to translate into a set of specific actions that other people recognize as going above and beyond the fixed mindset. Most experts call this a growth mindset.

Startup 55

Startup Entrepreneur Technical Review Customer 55

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2014

I would start by asking the candidate, “How did you decide on these five people” as part of your review process. By the way, I also strongly advise that entrepreneurs reference VCs. Plus, if she does have areas where we could coach her on improvement it would help to know that coming in.” You expected no less.

Startup 302

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Report 302

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2017

Of course, nobody really knows all of what tomorrow will bring, in terms of globalization, digital technology, or demographic shifts, but most experts agree that certain elements are already obvious, and things must be done today to get your business ready in time. Data technology facilitates more fact-based decisions.

Company 55

Company Companies Artificial Inteligence Technical Review 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2017

I have found that the most successful entrepreneurs and business executives have an impressive work ethic, and they surround themselves with a team of comparable commitment. For your own business, the right time to address expected norms is during coaching and before hiring. Starting and running a business is hard.

Funding 55

Funding Satisfaction Customer Custom 55

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 8, 2011

I’m an event planner turned lawyer turned entrepreneur. A blog with our reviews of the scene, locations, etc. We started seeing a demand for what we were doing and from there began throwing singles parties, doing match making, and date coaching. Useable of course, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Startup 75

Startup Technical Review Blogging Demand 75

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. Almost by definition to be a great leader you need to be an effective psychologist.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 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. Katie Rock, the founder of Activyst lives up to her name. This baffled Katie.

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

JUNE 1, 2015

I often tell people I learned more about how to become an entrepreneur by being president of my fraternity than any college course I ever took or any paid job I ever had. There wasn’t any such thing as skipping the line or raising money to start a tech company. Of course it was infinitely more challenging.

Startup 150

Startup Course Technical Review Competition 150