Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2016

Why is it that only the most successful entrepreneurs , including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson, admit to having a mentor and actually use them? Obviously, I’m a big fan of business mentors based on my own experience, since I have been at different times on both the contributing and receiving end of the relationship.

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Mentor Coach Metrics Entrepreneur 95

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2023

Many business leaders I meet in my consulting practice are frustrated by the challenge of getting their teams working together, increasing engagement, and tackling market change requirements. Facilitate coaching and mentoring, inside and outside. These also improve ingenuity and make the teamwork more rewarding for all members.

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Coach Mentor Study Activity 117

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. When you meet with a mentor, you should lead the discussion.

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Mentor Startup Coach Entrepreneur 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2023

These days, building a new business is all about visibility and marketing, no matter how great or innovative a solution you bring to the table. In fact, having one marketing guru on the team alone won’t get you very far. The most senior leaders then become coaches and mentors, rather than the source of all decisions.

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Startup Coach Mentor Social Media 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. When you meet with a mentor, you should lead the discussion.

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Mentor Coach Entrepreneur Press 94

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2016

These days, building a new business is all about visibility and marketing, no matter how great or innovative a solution you bring to the table. In fact, having one marketing guru on the team alone won’t get you very far. The most senior leaders then become coaches and mentors, rather than the source of all decisions.

Marketing 89

Marketing Coach Mentor Social Media 89

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? And then in the late 90’s money crept in, swept in to town by public markets, instant wealth and an absurd sky-rocketing of valuations based on no reasonable metrics. What happened? People were building.

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Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2022

These authors reference real cases and real business leaders, based on their decades of experience in building companies and executive coaching. I offer here their summary of purposes and inspirations that have motivated existing business leaders, with insights from my own mentoring and coaching experience.

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Technical Review Coach Mentor Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

As a mentor to young aspiring entrepreneurs , I often get asked for tips on a strategy to get started. Check out local sources for coaching and assistance. Don’t be shy about networking for advisors with business experience for coaching and mentoring. The ability to pivot quickly is a key to success.

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Startup Tips Coach Satisfaction 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

Today’s pace of change in the market and in technology is unprecedented. Priority is placed on employee mentoring and coaching. Mentoring and coaching tend to improve commitment, motivation, decision making, and creative talents, which are required for a competitive business and career.

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Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2022

Works with other team members on mutual aspirations (coach metaphor). It is not about leaders becoming coaches; it’s about leaders letting themselves be coached by others – advisors, team members, and even customers. Evolve from guru to guide, and coaching others to find answers for themselves.

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Coach Framework Entrepreneur Tool 114

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2022

During my many years of mentoring professionals and entrepreneurs in business, I more often see people focusing on how to get their ideas heard , than how to promote themselves. Take full advantage of every mentoring and coaching opportunity, and network with peers both inside and outside the company.

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Tips Social Media Mentor Technical Review 121

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

If you aren’t yet adapting to the market and your customers, you are falling behind. In other words, change in your business has to become the accepted norm, just like it is in your market. Be proactive rather than reactive to market change. New blood and new ideas are keys to agility.

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Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

As the rate of change continues to increase in business and technology, the more I’m convinced that marketing is the primary key to success for a new venture. Yet I find that many technical founders don’t feel they need it at all, or at best point to one person on the team who is marketing.

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Marketing Tips Technical Review Social Media 71

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2023

When I heard a friend and business mentor say, “Your startup won’t fail if you don’t quit,” I realized that every entrepreneur should adopt “never give up” as their mantra. Yet if you already have some early adopters, that's a good indication that real marketing and education will likely bring your product or service mass acceptance.

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Startup Entrepreneur Statistics Course 135

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2022

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. If necessary, use a strengths coach, and always start a business which highlights your signature strengths. You can’t lead a business to success, if you can’t lead yourself.

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Capital Coach Satisfaction Ideas 114

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2023

I’m fully convinced that success is all about you rather than the market. In this context, I was impressed with the insights provided in a new book, “ Stay Sane In An Insane World ,” by peak performance coach Greg Harden. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Become the very best friend to yourself always.

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Mentor Startup Coach Satisfaction 104

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2019

We continue to have a steady stream of industry and thought leaders raising their hands to be mentors for our upcoming cohorts. They also have to practice solid communication and invite other points of view, and evolve company culture as the market and product realities change. The desire to build and advance this community is strong.

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Technical Review Software Review Startup Coach 157

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. Help them learn more about your vision and future market goals.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2022

Mentoring is the number one request by Millennials in the workplace. Thus mentoring inspires loyalty all around. If you match that with commensurate training and professional development coaching, you will see their commitment, productivity, and loyalty in return. Ensure that all employees are paid at market rates.

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Mentor Coach Satisfaction Training 147

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2022

Yet I find, as a mentor and outside consultant, that many of you focus only on working conditions and compensation as the key factors determining team engagement , health, and productivity. In my experience, a healthy team is a prerequisite for a thriving business, innovation to meet market needs, and high customer loyalty.

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Technical Review Mentor Social Media Customer 141

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

You can’t find the time for coaching and mentoring. Maybe now is the time to bring in outside coaching and motivational speakers, as well as more training. Positive team collaboration is a culture that you must foster to increase productivity and the ability to change with the market.

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Coach Satisfaction Customer Custom 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2022

In my role as a business mentor and advisor, I now always look for a culture and recommend team roles that nurture collaboration rather than contention, communities rather than silos , and transparent communication at all levels. In this age of world-wide markets, you need all the help you can get to attract loyal customers.

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Organization Mentor Startup Training 105

SoCal CTO

MAY 13, 2014

But, advisors, coaches, and mentors can often fill the bill. In creating Mentor Night , I’ve been happy to hear how giving most people are. If you present a mentor with an interesting startup challenge in a space where they have experience or expertise, the mentors are quite willing to spend a few hours to help the founder.

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CTO Coach Startup CTO Hire Template 241

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. Lack of accountability can permeate an entire organization. Document plans and progress, with checkpoints.

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Activity Organization Mentor Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2021

The last thing they can afford is to waste any of these, but in my mentoring and coaching activities, I see it happening all too often. For market changing products, build first a minimally viable product (MVP), and never build products for sale until you have real orders in hand. Bottlenecks to team productivity.

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Startup Resource Training Entrepreneur 161

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

You need to be visible in marketing efforts, viral videos, and interactions with key customer segments. I can attest that he was always seeking relationships with other more mature executives, and even today maintains a mentoring relationship with Warren Buffett. Online it may be time to take a formal position via blogs and interviews.

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Mentor IBM IBM Social Media 145

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. They mentor protégés on talent spotting, creativity, and motivation as well as strategy. Measure by relationships as well as competitiveness.

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Oracle Organization Examples Coach 94

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Thus began my marketing campaign. Wonderful human being who is civically engaged, mother of 3, mentorer of younger founders, hard worker and arguer extraordinaire (so says her current Twitter bio). She is a coach and mentor to team members. But she also has the temperament, which is important.

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Venture Capital Startup Outsource Development CitySearch 408

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 19, 2012

Los Angeles launched its cleantech business incubator to accelerate development of cleantech start-ups by offering flexible office space, CEO coaching and mentoring, and access to a growing network of experts and capital. LACIis the business equivalent of baseball?s

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LAVA Incubator Coach Startup 113

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.

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Product Mentor Startup Technical Review 99

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2020

As a startup mentor and advisor, I often contemplate what makes the difference between winners and losers. I’m convinced that it’s a lot more than the foibles of any specific market, availability of funding, and just luck of the draw. The best business people are also the best mentors and coaches.

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Startup Mentor Coach SpaceX 121

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

By hiring contract experts, less oversight and coaching is needed. Freelancers and consultants have to demonstrate results, without training and mentoring, so they can help you more quickly and probably at a lower total cost. This lets you evolve your strategy with the market.

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Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2023

Even the best marketing doesn’t do it. This means real customer value emphasis in all interactions and marketing, versus low price and price concessions. Real customer relationships are required to understand current expectations, keep ahead of change requirements, and nurture advocacy and word-of-mouth marketing.

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Competition Services Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2021

As a long-time business advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs, I consistently find that the most thriving businesses are people-centric, and those team members create the best processes, rather than the other way around. You need their full support in today’s rapidly changing market.

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Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

Tech.Co

MARCH 5, 2015

Susan is a startup coach and the founder of Givelocity, a social network for giving that offers a new spin on crowdfunding for good. Susan was a co-founder of remote service pioneer PlumChoice, again turning a start-up into a market leader. She’s also an advisor, mentor and investor in several startups.

Santa Barbara 70

Santa Barbara Startup Mentor Social Network 70

socalTECH

JANUARY 7, 2016

The Techstars Health Accelerator recently set up shop in Los Angeles with Cedars- Sinai�the second, Techstars powered startup accelerator in the city--in a move to help healthcare startups get to market quicker. You mentioned a little bit about the mentoring, what what other benefits would companies get from becoming part of an accelerator?

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Mentor Startup Coach Ideas 100