Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

You finally need to start planning your product roadmap a bit further than your 2-week sprints so that the rest of the organization has a chance to preplan for new features. The C-round CEO still gets her hand dirty but shouldn’t be a control freak or become a bottleneck in the organization. But you have him now.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Sign up customers who are paying you money for a service you can’t 100% guarantee is going to be operational for the full period that they’re expecting. I didn’t want to disappoint my customers. People seldom understand that when enterprise customers choose your software it isn’t just a purchase order.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

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. Over time you start to figure out who you customers are and how to sell to them or how to get them to adopt your products if you’re a consumer-oriented startup.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

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. I call them “ VCs Seagulls.” EQ and Team Leadership?

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

So I did want any rational person who wants to improve does – I hired a coach. Whenever I heard why we didn’t feel a sales process at an important customer was going well (or if we lost) I would get involved myself. They are as good at selling you as they are at selling your product to customers.

Sales 316

Sales Pricing Startup Customer 316

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

He has grown our US operations from 1 employee (him) to a global organization of 75 employees that will finish the year with 8-digit revenues (90+% recurring) and more than 350% year-over-year growth. So naturally we’re pushing for him to drop critical information when their paths cross organically. Rob is driven to learn.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

In reality, business success and satisfaction is about doing the right things at the right time, which requires leadership and coaching. But coaching doesn’t always work the way you expect. Trevor is a veteran coach who has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs, organizations, and business families across the country.

Coach 57

Coach Training Summary Tool 57

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. That’s why I was pleased to see the balance on people versus process in a classic book on how to fix your organization, “ The Diamond Process ,” by Mike Diamond and Christopher Harding.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Social Media 128

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

The goal must be to eliminate organization silos, flatten hierarchies, and empower employees within projects. Coach for productivity, performance, and creativity. The traditional once-yearly look-backward performance paradigm has to be replaced by daily or weekly coaching focused on a career roadmap ahead.

Coach 132

Coach Satisfaction Startup Organization 132

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Yes, I know it’s my job as the CEO to be the coach for people and that’s fine. The company had less than $5 million in revenue yet we had a multi-tab spreadsheet doing activity-based costing on our customer service staff, operations and technology. Should she take a chance and potentially ruffle feathers?

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2017

We all know some peers in business who could use some coaching to unleash their potential and optimize performance, but would you know how to do the job if they asked you for help? In an effort to help myself, I read a new book on this topic, “ The Master Coach ,” by Gregg Thompson. Self-centered members need coaching.

Coach 54

Coach Satisfaction Organization Guide 54

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. So I organized a team dinner with all four of my partners and all three of their founders. Ask your customer why you lost. We met everybody in the organization. They had agreed! Specifically: 1. The momentum had shifted.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2020

It does require sensitivity and engagement with the people around you, as well as your customers. External customer loyalty and motivation used to be as simple as good customer service, but today’s customers expect more. Spend more time coaching and mentoring your team.

Coach 144

Coach Customer Custom Entrepreneur 144

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2023

In fact, recent studies and surveys continue to show that team member engagement is at an all-time low approaching 30 percent, both within teams and across the field of larger organizations. Facilitate coaching and mentoring, inside and outside. Open office layouts and common relaxation areas are key to this initiative.

Coach 117

Coach Mentor Study Activity 117

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. So I organized a team dinner with all four of my partners and all three of their founders. Ask your customer why you lost. We met everybody in the organization. They had agreed! Specifically: 1. The momentum had shifted.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2022

Today more than ever, the evidence is clear that business people need to find and communicate a purpose that goes beyond making a profit, in order to ensure customer engagement, as well as your own, and drive results in the marketplace. As you grow, so will your team and customers. Driven to reduce personal hardship and suffering.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Coach Mentor Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

Of course, as you work with contract players, explore the potential for a long-term relationship, and wait until your organization matures to pursue career positions. Focus on a very flat organization, with minimal hierarchy. By hiring contract experts, less oversight and coaching is needed.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2021

Perhaps you need to do more to be a role model for accountability , and provide more coaching on exactly what it means. I often think of the scope of this example in my role as mentor to a struggling entrepreneur who is quick to blame his problems on employee mistakes, or even changing customer expectations.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

Even if you were an “A-Player” in your previous organization (top 10-percent performer, high integrity, exceeds on commitments), you had peers and executives around you to provide coaching and keep you centered. Every business purpose must be customer-centric and even altruistic. Enhance team engagement and business culture.

Entrepreneur 159

Entrepreneur Customer Custom Competition 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2022

Great communication inside the organization and outside is the key to value. The authors agree with my own assessment that there are many ways, both subtle and not so subtle, that you can coach team members on how to communicate their value, what they are capable of, and what you are looking for from them.

Coach 119

Coach Organization Technical Review Satisfaction 119

socalTECH

APRIL 5, 2017

Diamond Bar-based LifeRay (www.liferay.com) is a company that not too many people have heard of, but which is used to run the websites for such well known organizations like Toyota, T-Mobile, Coach, Fujitsu, Allianz, and Sesame Street. We focus on digital transformation and customer experience. What is LifeRay?

Diamond Bar 169

Diamond Bar Customer Custom Organization 169

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

Investors, partners, team members, and customers implicitly value or devalue a startup based on the leader’s physical presence, emotional identity, social skills, intellectual agility, moral values, and past performance in the domain. I have paraphrased his key points here as follows: Leader personal impact. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 129

Technical Review Funding Organization Coach 129

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

In my experience of many years as a business founder, consultant, and executive, I offer the following list of situations that always imply a real need for people and business leadership, and have the potential for long-term positive impact to your bottom line and business success: Your business image is slipping in the eyes of customers.

Coach 120

Coach Satisfaction Customer Custom 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2020

Investors, partners, team members, and customers implicitly value or devalue a startup based on the leader’s physical presence, emotional identity, social skills, intellectual agility, moral values, and past performance in the domain. I have paraphrased his key points here as follows: Leader personal impact. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Organization Coach Invest 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

If you aren’t yet adapting to the market and your customers, you are falling behind. I define business agility for my consulting clients as the ability to change your business rapidly to meet customer and environmental changes, with minimal organizational disruption and cost. Be proactive rather than reactive to market change.

Competition 148

Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

In practice it can be a fine line between sparring partner / coach and stepping over the line to brute-force persuasion. So he would allocate say – 20% to sales, 15% to marketing, 20% to eng priorities, 10% to customer support, 10% to ops, 20% to ‘platinum customers’ and maybe 5% directly to me as the CEO.

Startup 150

Startup Sales CTO Coach Course 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2022

A design mindset is not product-focused - it’s solution focused and action oriented towards creating better customer experiences and value. By understanding experiences, you will better understand the needs of people around you, including your customers and partners. Focus on creating a benefit for the customer.

Design 106

Design Coach Ideas Organization 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

Team members need time, and your support, to attend conferences and professional organizations to stay in touch with colleagues and peers. These might include anyone bringing in a new customer, representing the company in a good social cause, or participating in a video or social media campaign on their own time. Encourage networking.

Marketing 130

Marketing Develop Development Startup 130

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2021

While I do agree that many attributes of a good entrepreneur, such as curiosity, confidence and determination, are largely determined by early-life experiences, a good education is critical in understanding the elements of creating a business and wooing customers. Don’t forget business writing and communication.

Entrepreneur 149

Entrepreneur Tips Writing Coach 149

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2012

Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. A mentor’s aim is to teach you what to do and how, in specific situations, unlike a coach who helps you develop your generic skills for deciding what to do and how. The mentor helps the entrepreneur fill an experience gap, and a coach helps fill a skill gap.

Mentor 95

Mentor Coach Startup Ideas 95

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. That’s why I was pleased to see the balance on people versus process in a classic book on how to fix your organization, “ The Diamond Process ,” by Mike J Diamond and Christopher R Harding.

Coach 94

Coach Organization Mentor Social Media 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2013

It extends directly to your customers through dependable products and services. It isn’t a value that only benefits the employer and customers. Integrity and coach-ability. You need to call attention to it when you see it, recognize it, reward it, and celebrate it so that it radiates throughout your organization.

Startup 106

Startup Guide Organization Mentor 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2022

In my experience as a business advisor, most organizations, large and small, struggle to keep up with the pace of change and competitive forces today. Hawkes, as the Founder of Growth River consulting, speaks from his experience helping to create high performance organizations around the world.

Competition 136

Competition Resource Startup Organization 136

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2020

They know these exceptional leaders seem to have a way of finding and enticing the best people into the organization, getting exceptional performance out of them, and fast-tracking their careers both inside and outside the organization. Adapt the job or organization to fit the talent.

Oracle 124

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 124

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

A design mindset is not product-focused - it’s solution focused and action oriented towards creating better customer experiences and value. By understanding experiences, you will better understand the needs of people around you, including your customers and partners. Focus on creating a benefit for the customer.

Design 97

Design Coach Ideas Organization 97

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2010

John Morris: I think it's trying to make a decent connection with customers, and trying to assess the size and viability of the market. It's really trying to make sense of who is the customer, how do we get to them, how big is the market. It's not a big organization, there's no sponsor, and we're not making any money on this.

Networking 215

Networking Research Startup USC 215

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2013

Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. A mentor’s aim is to teach you what to do and how, in specific situations, unlike a coach who helps you develop your generic skills for deciding what to do and how. The mentor helps the entrepreneur fill an experience gap, and a coach helps fill a skill gap.

Mentor 101

Mentor Coach Startup Entrepreneur 101