Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2013

I’m a big fan of mentoring in business, and have been at different times on both the contributing and receiving end of the process. These days, I seem to often hear from entrepreneurs who are struggling to find a mentor, or complaining about their lack of effectiveness.

Mentor 102

Mentor Startup Coach Entrepreneur 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

What they need now is some coaching from more experienced business leaders, to catch up and overcome some unique qualms and challenges. As a partially-retired baby-boomer in business, I’ve spent much of the last few years mentoring aspiring millennial entrepreneurs, and I’m always looking for more insights into how to help them.

Mentor 134

Mentor Coach Guide Startup 134

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2012

Mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you don’t need the mentor anymore. In that sense, you should think of a mentor more like your advisor who has done all he can. Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. Most entrepreneurs have lots of ideas.

Mentor 95

Mentor Coach Startup Ideas 95

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2012

I’m a big fan of mentoring in business, and have been at different times on both the contributing and receiving end of the process. These days, I seem to often hear from entrepreneurs who are struggling to find a mentor, or complaining about their lack of effectiveness.

Mentor 94

Mentor Coach Entrepreneur Press 94

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

What they need now is some coaching from more experienced business leaders, to catch up and overcome some unique qualms and challenges. As a partially-retired baby-boomer in business, I’ve spent much of the last few years mentoring aspiring millennial entrepreneurs, and I’m always looking for more insights into how to help them.

Tips 127

Tips Mentor Coach Guide 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2022

Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders. Most investors admit that they invest primarily in people, not ideas, and they inherently believe that they can sense this leadership ability needed to get the rapid growth and 10x return we all strive for.

Coach 114

Coach Framework Entrepreneur Tool 114

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2011

Mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you don’t need the mentor anymore. In that sense, you should think of a mentor more like your advisor who has done all he can. Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. Most entrepreneurs have lots of ideas.

Mentor 98

Mentor Coach Ideas Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

Training 142

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2021

Based on my experience as a business advisor, I recommend that every business owner and entrepreneur focus on the following tips to provide a better work culture: Invest in integrating new technology, not just forcing it. Spend more time mentoring and coaching your team. Giving orders and assignments is not coaching.

Tips 159

Tips Satisfaction Coach Mentor 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

By definition, all of you entrepreneurs are leaders, by taking the initiative to start a new company. Most investors will readily admit that they invest in entrepreneur leadership, more so than innovative ideas, but they often find it difficult to separate aspiring leaders from those that are clearly extraordinary.

Coach 162

Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

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 - Mentor. Workship - Advocate.

Mentor 91

Mentor Competition Summary Coach 91

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Every entrepreneur should do the same due diligence on a potential investor that smart investors do on their startups. Here is a summary of some key investor stereotypes that generally need to be avoided: Investment sharks. Violation of abstract clauses may be used as a way to push you out, take over the company or pull the investment.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Coach Invest Sample 108

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

I find that the most successful entrepreneurs have mastered the art and skill of building and managing relationships. In my role as a mentor to business professionals and entrepreneurs over the years, I have found that it’s important to take a hard look at the relationships around you on a regular basis.

Tips 95

Tips Mentor Coach Activity 95

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. Spend time coaching and mentoring team members. You really need their insights and customer interaction feedback.

Mentor 108

Mentor Social Media Coach Customer 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2013

Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders. Most investors admit that they invest primarily in people, not ideas, and they inherently believe that they can sense this leadership ability needed to get the rapid growth and 10x return we all strive for.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Coach Framework Tool 101

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2010

Mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you don’t need the mentor anymore. In that sense, you should think of a mentor more like your advisor who has done all he can. Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. Most entrepreneurs have lots of ideas.

Mentor 49

Mentor Coach Entrepreneur Ideas 49

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2020

    We became the largest accelerator in Southern California with 80 investments in over 30 countries globally. We now invest in more companies, include better trainers and involve 3 times more investors in the demo days. it's hard to describe just how good our investment, growth, operations and outreach team is.

Southern California 113

Southern California Technical Review Santa Monica Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2019

Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders. Most investors admit that they invest primarily in people, not ideas, and they inherently believe that they can sense this leadership ability needed to get the rapid growth and 10x return we all strive for.

Coach 96

Coach Framework Entrepreneur Tool 96

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 - Mentor. Workship - Advocate.

Mentor 135

Mentor Competition Summary Coach 135

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2019

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

Training 123

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2023

For example, if you are an entrepreneur seeking investment or a cofounder, there is no substitute for networking at industry and startup conferences in your area. Effective networking can also lead you to great coaches and mentors, as well as business and customer connections.

Networking 104

Networking Mentor Conference Summary 104

socalTECH

AUGUST 10, 2012

Southern California has the one of the largest gathering of organized angel investment groups, and a huge crop of startup accelerators: there's only one problem, which is they don't naturally work together. The entrepreneurs in startups are trained to go fast and run lean. As a Pasadena Angel, I wanted to be shocked, but I wasnt.

Angel 174

Angel Southern California Pasadena Angels Coach 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2014

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. Investments and acquisitions fail.

Demand 92

Demand Entrepreneur Startup Training 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. All this made more sense to me as Dini defined the types of entrepreneurs into four categories.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Perks include office space, prototype lab, production facilities, mentoring, and investments up to $150,000 in the first 4 months. They are just over the halfway mark with their current class and have been continuously improving their program to increase the value for their entrepreneurs, their products and their business.

Startup 40

Startup Invest Chatsworth Mentor 40

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. A recent book, “ Hunting in a Farmer''s World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. All this made more sense to me as Dini defined the types of entrepreneurs into four categories.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2014

In that sense, you should think of an advisor more like your mentor who has done all he can. Also dont confuse a business advisor with a business coach. An advisor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.

Mentor 104

Mentor Coach Tips Entrepreneur 104

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. Be available for mentoring and coaching to others. It also means investing in relationship and trust building so they support you in a time of your need.

Activity 109

Activity Organization Mentor Training 109

Frank Addante

OCTOBER 12, 2021

We build and invest in startups with impact. Our focus is on helping entrepreneurs build businesses that focus on social and environmental challenges. We have a Startup Studio and Early Stage Investment Fund. We provide a startup studio which incubates and accelerates businesses and a pre-seed / seed investment fund.

Startup 105

Startup Case Study Ideas Invest 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. All this made more sense to me as Dini defined the types of entrepreneurs into four categories.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

With Startup Boost, we had dozens of investors, service providers, successful entrepreneurs, and major industry leaders (including Microsoft, Google, Softbank, REME, and TechStars) coalesce around our initiative to help early stage companies get to the next level. Yet they turned-out each and every week of our six-week programs.

Technical Review 157

Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

Bockerstette, Main Street Venture Fund Angel investing in most parts of the country remains a relatively informal and unstructured process. Professional angel investing takes time, knowledge, skills and resources. The trophy investor understands these challenges and has developed a professional process to manage his investments.

Entrepreneur 83

Entrepreneur Mentor Invest Angel 83

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

Mike Napoli: Actually, we are seeing entrepreneurs. That has allowed us to be more focused earlier with these companies, and we can come to a decision much sooner to go ahead or not go ahead with an investment. Mike Napoli: I think it was the entrepreneur. So you don't see as many people looking for funding now?

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

At the time I pointed out: “If I had realized exits almost certainly it would be because I invested in a company that failed. 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. ” Still.

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. Most top tier VCs return about 3x invested capital and outlier funds (the best of a vintage) might return 6-8x. The best VCs don’t try to help entrepreneurs.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2023

There are many components of an ownership thinking strategy, but here are some of the key ones from my own perspective, as a mentor and advisor to aspiring entrepreneurs and new business owners: Willing to take smart risks which lead to long-term growth. Some people expect instant gratification and are stressed out by any risk.

Startup 111

Startup Satisfaction Metrics Customer 111

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2012

The hard part for entrepreneurs is figuring out what it takes to play. Here is just a sampling of the latest terminology and lingo that I gleaned from Dave, and from some additional research on the Internet, that I think every entrepreneur should know, who may be looking for funding now, or down the road: Micro-VCs. Super Angels.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Seed Funding Incubator 101