Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2014

Marketing is everything these days. You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Tips Marketing Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2017

Marketing is everything these days. You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late.

Tips 75

Tips Marketing Technical Review Startup 75

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2021

Every one of you business leaders I know struggles with the competing demands of finding and keeping employees motivated and satisfied, versus building and enforcing a set of repeatable processes that work. You need their full support in today’s rapidly changing market. Only good people are capable of thinking outside the box.

Satisfaction 154

Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

You need a faster and more flexible on-demand hiring strategy, based on the current gig-economy of remote freelancers, contract personnel, and specialists. By hiring contract experts, less oversight and coaching is needed. This lets you evolve your strategy with the market.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

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. Today’s pace of change in the market and in technology is unprecedented. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. Leaders need direct and open team communication.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Separate marketing from sales for further leverage.

Sales 147

Sales Metrics Guide Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2013

Marketing is everything these days. You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. Yet I see many entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. Give yourself the “So-what?”

Startup 103

Startup Marketing Social Media Technical Review 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2022

Every business owner I know wishes that all team members were leaders, to proactively tackle the challenges of growth , interact effectively with customers on their needs, and eventually step into your role. Notice people who always take a customer perspective. It’s no secret today that customers are more demanding than ever.

Customer 110

Customer Custom Coach Organization 110

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2023

These leaders not only recognize team members who have high potential, but they willingly and selflessly customize their coaching to what these special protégés really need. Great leaders provide opportunities and personal growth assignments that go far beyond conventional training programs.

Oracle 94

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2019

The biggest challenge these days doesn’t seem to be in starting a new business, but sustaining it against the onslaught of market changes and new competitors that emerge every day. You and your business won’t be able to sustain a position of leadership without everyone on the customer-facing team being willing and able to emulate your lead.

Startup 88

Startup Demand Training Customer 88

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2022

Leaders with this “be bold” mindset are willing and able to take radically unique direction-setting actions in the face of today’s pace of change and customer demands. Today even small businesses need complex organizations that work together in alignment, remote and online, including marketing, sales, delivery, and support.

Template 109

Template Demand Social Media Summary 109

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

If you demand accountability, but expect to make every decision, both of you will fail. Unfortunately, I often see goal misalignments with teams, such as marketing measured on sales volume, or sales measured on customer retention. The goal should always be coaching to solve problems, not blame assignment or negative feedback.

Startup 132

Startup Training Metrics Examples 132

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2020

These leaders not only recognize team members who have high potential, but they willingly and selflessly customize their coaching to what these special protégés really need. Great leaders provide opportunities and personal growth assignments that go far beyond conventional training programs.

Oracle 124

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 124

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. Today’s pace of change in the market and in technology is unprecedented. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. Leaders need direct and open team communication.

Coach 94

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 94

socalTECH

MAY 30, 2019

What we saw with CareerArc, was there was already a tremendous amount of investment in the middle of the market, with all of these different services and products that went into taking care of an employee when they were hired until they were let go. People were not just going to Google, they were looking all over the place.

Content 193

Content Social Network Coach Help 193

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

And we wanted a head of global marketing. I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. And because I wanted Ethan to be able to attract a great team, build & iterate a product, test it with initial customers and refine his strategy before having to take the wrappers off of his company.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2019

We are living in a new generation of business, where customers drive the experience, and highly engaged employees are required to keep up with customer expectations. Their experience as executive coaches and entrepreneurs gives real credibility to their assessment of some new leadership approaches that are required in business today.

Customer 92

Customer Custom Coach Satisfaction 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 10, 2015

Does it mean the right thing from a customer perspective, societal impact, maximizing business returns or personal benefit? The good news is that none of these need be mutually exclusive, according to recent studies of market trends. Don’t let day-to-day demands take the reins and drag you off course.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Training Demand Customer 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Separate marketing from sales for further leverage.

Startup 97

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2020

This almost always starts at the top, based on a founder’s dream and passion, without the proper homework on sizing the market, or assessing product realities. It’s easy for you to blame someone else in the organization, economic conditions outside, or even overly demanding customers, when things are not going well.

Startup 113

Startup Examples Coach Metrics 113

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

You can find a mentor, a coach, a project, or experience, to help you prepare for the role you are looking for. We were originally operating as a coaching company, and we built out this assessment technology for our own clients. How is it your first customer was in Australia? It's very much matching pieces into a puzzle.

Help 100

Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2019

In this era of rapid change, you can’t afford to stop learning, or you will find that your competitors, your customers, and your team, may soon be following someone else. Most people agree that leadership is primarily a set of behaviors that capitalize on relationships and a current market and customer understanding in a complex world.

Tips 97

Tips Mentor Coach Metrics 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2022

in sociology, and is a coach and speaker on work issues and friendship. All relationships bring increased demands for your time, and bring expectations and pressures during any changes in your life, or at work. So recently I started looking for some expert guidance on the pros and cons on this issue. by Jan Yager, who has a Ph.D.

Startup 119

Startup Course Competition Social Media 119

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Yet, according to statistics from the Small Business Association (SBA), over half of new businesses offer something else - personal professional services, including consulting, business coaching, and advisory services. Announcing that you are a consultant, and hoping demand will set your focus, is not a good strategy.

Social Media 56

Social Media Pricing Technical Review Demand 56

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2017

In addition, today’s customers judge a company by perceived people relationships through social media, phone conversations, and sales experiences. Today’s pace of change in the market and in technology is unprecedented. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. Leaders need direct and open team communication.

Entrepreneur 78

Entrepreneur Coach Organization Mentor 78

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. SEO marketing vs. social marketing. Simply put – I’d be in search of a VC who had an intuitive sense of my product, my customers, my organizational issues, my competitors, etc. I think of VCs as coaches. Think of web vs. mobile.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2016

Most begin by doing the product development, marketing and sales alone, but struggle making the transition to hiring and coaching others, defining repeatable processes and focusing on future strategy. Now you have real customers who can quickly turn off hundreds of potential customers if you ignore their feedback.

Social Network 59

Social Network Startup Demand Entrepreneur 59

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

This is true of any buying process where a customer has to make a large investment decision on your software or when an investor must decide whether to give you $5 million. I spend a lot of time coaching entrepreneurs through their fund-raising processes by doing “pipeline reviews” of all of the firms with whom they are speaking.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Separate marketing from sales for further leverage.

Startup 108

Startup Sales Metrics Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2017

We are living in a new generation of business, where customers drive the experience, and highly engaged employees are required to keep up with customer expectations. Their experience as executive coaches and entrepreneurs gives real credibility to their assessment of some new leadership approaches that are required in business today.

Entrepreneur 59

Entrepreneur Customer Custom Coach 59

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2019

In this context, I was impressed with the new book, “ The Intelligent Leader ,” by John Mattone, widely regarded as the world’s number one executive coach and authority. Yet I haven’t found many that offer practical recommendations and examples. Hone in on alternative ideas that are actionable, no matter how revolutionary.

Course 78

Course Coach Mentor Training 78

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Separate marketing from sales for further leverage.

Startup 56

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 56

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

Second-stage growth usually requires a formal sales model, an experienced and disciplined sales team, and a well-defined process to meet your new goals and demands. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Separate marketing from sales for further leverage.

Sales 96

Sales Metrics Startup Entrepreneur 96

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Once you’ve been around for a few years, attracted some great people, landed real, paying customers and raised venture capital you’ve likely got a talented team around you. As things got bigger we hired a head of European sales and a head of European marketing. You’re suddenly free to focus your energies elsewhere.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

in sociology, and is a coach and speaker on work issues and friendship. All relationships bring increased demands for your time, and bring expectations and pressures during any changes in your life, or at work. So recently I started looking for some expert guidance on the pros and cons on this issue. by Jan Yager, who has a Ph.D.

Startup 94

Startup Course Competition Social Media 94

TechCrunch LA

MAY 14, 2020

. “We launched a telehealth product in 48 hours, we converted the majority of our visits for the next month in person online and we had really, really great feedback and customer response — both in terms of adoption but repeat visits as well. though Carmy notes it’s only “in network” (i.e.

Startup 140

Startup Los Angeles Platform Research 140

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2016

These leaders not only recognize team members who have high potential, but they willingly and selflessly customize their coaching to what these special protégés really need. Great leaders provide opportunities and personal growth assignments that go far beyond conventional training programs.

Oracle 53

Oracle Organization Entrepreneur Examples 53