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

DECEMBER 21, 2020

Most entrepreneurs, and members of any small team, naively assume that the key to their success is hard work, dedication, and long hours in the business. It behooves all entrepreneurs and team members to recognize the positives and negatives of each type of relationship. Workship - Advocate. Workships and friendships can’t be forced.

Mentor 135

Mentor Competition Summary Coach 135

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2019

In my experience as an advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs in business, one of the biggest failures I see is a lack of self-leadership. For example, I often hear from aspiring entrepreneurs that “I had that idea first, and he stole it, and is now making money on my idea.” Leadership in business starts with making good personal choices.

Coach 70

Coach Satisfaction Ideas Entrepreneur 70

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. 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. The best way – of course – is to reference check.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

In my experience as an advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs in business, one of the biggest failures I see is a lack of self-leadership. For example, I often hear from aspiring entrepreneurs that “I had that idea first, and he stole it, and is now making money on my idea.” Leadership in business starts with making good personal choices.

Coach 59

Coach Satisfaction Ideas Entrepreneur 59

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

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2012

When is it appropriate for a VC to call your customers? I have seen some entrepreneurs go into first meetings willing to share almost anything about their company. I have seen some entrepreneurs go into first meetings willing to share almost anything about their company. The First Meeting. It drives me freaking bonkers.

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Technical Review Venture Capital Customer Custom 316

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2015

Every entrepreneur realizes that building a great team is critical to the success of his or her startup, but many don’t realize that it takes more than multiple qualified employees to make an effective team. It also means coaching and challenging peers on the team on behavior leading to dysfunction, even when it means risking a friendship.

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Startup Entrepreneur Coach Mentor 100

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. Often recruiters want to handle the final negotiations on package and/or do the reference calls. I’m also reluctant to hand over reference calling. Unfortunately that’s how reference checking works.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

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. The functions of an early-stage board are pretty obvious and well understood: Providing introductions to customers, biz dev partners, recruits, the press, other investors, etc. Mentorship.

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Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2017

Each time I mentor an entrepreneur, I learn new things about their technology, customers, and business domain. These days, flexibility and agility to meet new customer requirements is a key to success. Some people ask me about the difference between a coach and a mentor. Practice how to do this with your mentor.

Mentor 61

Mentor Technical Review LAMP Coach 61

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2017

Others schedule long and exhaustive practice and coaching sessions for everyone on the team, including showcase customers, to make sure that everyone tells the most positive and consistent story. Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references.

Invest 59

Invest Startup Doc Slides 59

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2013

Most entrepreneurs, and members of any small team, naively assume that the key to their success is hard work, dedication, and long hours at the business. It behooves all entrepreneurs, and all team members, to recognize the positives and negatives of each type of relationship. Workship - Advocate.

Startup 99

Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Competition 99

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

As a CEO you never stop needing to go on sales calls (or to work the phones in telesales or customer support) and ceasing to do this as your company grows because you’re focusing on investors, recruiting, PR or whatever is a mistake. I also make visits to senior level customers of portfolio companies with which I’m involved.

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Startup CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 308

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2016

Most entrepreneurs, and members of any small team, naively assume that the key to their success is hard work, dedication, and long hours in the business. It behooves all entrepreneurs and team members to recognize the positives and negatives of each type of relationship. Workship - Advocate. Workships and friendships can’t be forced.

Mentor 70

Mentor Competition Entrepreneur Summary 70

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

I believe that it is part of the DNA of an entrepreneur – being so competitive that you’re practically sick when you lose. Entrepreneurs are neurotic about it. It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. Ask your customer why you lost. I hate losing.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

I believe that it is part of the DNA of an entrepreneur – being so competitive that you’re practically sick when you lose. Entrepreneurs are neurotic about it. It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. Ask your customer why you lost. I hate losing.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2009

I believe that it is part of the DNA of an entrepreneur – being so competitive that you’re practically sick when you lose. Entrepreneurs are neurotic about it. It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits ;-). Ask your customer why you lost. Losing sucks.

Startup 151

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review 151

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. I never suggest that entrepreneurs just randomly pitch VCs. You’ll never make a great entrepreneur. So your journey to fund raising begins by strengthening your relationships with other entrepreneurs.

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Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2016

The reality is that entrepreneurs usually don’t have the money or time for executive recruiters to do the filtering and selection for them. Teamwork inside the company and interacting with customers and partners outside the company are mandatory activities. Provide required team integration, training and ongoing coaching.

Technical Review 56

Technical Review Coach Training Screening 56

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2010

Skip the background and reference checks. It’s easy to be so impressed by a mirror-image candidate, or so pushed for time, that you skip the reference checks. 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 92

Coach Entrepreneur Startup Competition 92

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 15, 2021

In that context, I remember the classic book, “ Leadership Material ,” by Diana Jones, containing a wealth of insights, compelling stories, and examples taken directly from her coaching sessions with current business leaders. Either can get you valued and followed, or rejected by your team and your customers.

Social Media 174

Social Media Content Coach Customer 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2017

In that context, I just finished a new book, “ Leadership Material ,” by Diana Jones, containing a wealth of insights, compelling stories, and examples taken directly from her coaching sessions with current business leaders. Either can get you valued and followed, or rejected by your team and your customers.

Content 74

Content Social Media Coach Customer 74