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

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2023

Even the best marketing doesn’t do it. Your challenge is to excel in all elements of a customer interaction, from pre-sales to long-term advocacy and image. This means real customer value emphasis in all interactions and marketing, versus low price and price concessions. Incent a customer collaboration culture across your team.

Competition 109

Competition Services Customer Custom 109

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had numerous discussions with Brad over the years about board structure & conduct and consider him a mentor on the topic. how much energy to put into channel partners vs. direct sales. how to build an initial sales organization. how to market our products and company.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Software Review 325

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Since I’m not a life coach, I can’t comment on the broader implications, but in my role as advisor to many startups, I do often find myself recommending a focus on many of his key points, which I will paraphrase here: Think in terms of action. Use brainstorming for a range of solutions.

Startup 140

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Coach 140

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. In the end, engagement drives customer retention, sales, growth and profit.

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Coach Organization Mentor Startup 94

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2019

Unfortunately, many aspiring leaders I mentor are not aware of the signals people are looking for, or are not attuned to the subtleties of their own actions. For example, measuring marketing team members on sales leads may not get you the revenue growth or trust you expected. Show humility while acting as a mentor and coach.

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Mentor News Summary Coach 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2022

I believe these same mindsets are equally applicable to the entrepreneurs I mentor, and all of you small business leaders, so I offer you my summary of the authors’ conclusions, paraphrased here, with my own insights: Be bold in vision, strategy, and resource allocation. Get organization alignment through culture and talent.

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Template Demand Social Media Summary 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2017

For example, you probably never knew that both Facebook and YouTube started out as dating-site experiments, but pivoted to something more unique when that experiment failed due to an apparently over-crowded market. Establish mentoring and coaching relationships. Potential is enhanced in a learning culture.

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Coach Mentor Organization Entrepreneur 57

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2020

These are the timeless principles that must guide all hiring, marketing, and execution decisions. These will almost always be related to sales and marketing, since they must tie back to cash flow. Increase you focus on coaching, training, and mentoring. Implement the key business metrices you will live by.

Metrics 140

Metrics Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction 140

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

It turns out it actually takes time to build a high-growth business with differentiated intellectual property and roll out large, enterprise-class marketing solutions. Working with early-stage teams : coaching, mentoring, setting strategy, rolling up sleeves: 9/10. 5 years ago. Sourcing high-quality leads : 9/10. Since then?

Venture Capital 387

Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

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. In the end, engagement drives customer retention, sales, growth and profit.

Entrepreneur 78

Entrepreneur Coach Organization Mentor 78

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

As an advisor and mentor for many startups and small business founders, following my initial career in big business, I realize that the key strategies to achieve success in small businesses are often different from those that make larger businesses successful. Find a coach who has a holistic view of all elements.

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Sales Organization Entrepreneur Examples 69

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

What they do with the money is add more engineers and maybe hiring a marketing person. The best ones bring in more executive leadership so you can appropriate allocate resources across sales, marketing, product, engineering and support. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader. Objection Handling training.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2015

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I often get asked what you can do to build the right culture. There is no rule that marketing needs to report to the founder, or that every startup needs a chief operating officer. Mentoring and training programs need to be put in place early. If there is no consistency, there is no culture.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Training 102

Frank Addante

OCTOBER 12, 2021

After founding 5 companies in a row, resulting in $5 billion in market value, $1 billion in sales, 2 IPOs (one on NYSE and one on Nasdaq) and raising $300M inc capital — I realized that my calling in life is to take all of those amazing experience and channel it into the next generation of impact-focused entrepreneurs.

Startup 105

Startup Case Study Ideas Invest 105

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 95

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Due to the language and culture issues in Europe we opted for a country structure with an MD in each country and local sales, marketing & customers support staff. This is akin in the US to having sales staff in NY, SF & LA with your HQ in one of these locations. But it wasn’t just about company structures.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2018

Since I’m not a life coach, I can’t comment on the broader implications, but in my role as advisor to many startups, I do often find myself recommending a focus on many of his key points, which I will paraphrase here: Think in terms of action. Use brainstorming for a range of solutions.

Startup 84

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Coach 84

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. The education around new products and bringing them to the market is the same in both markets.

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Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2015

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.

Resource 105

Resource Startup Entrepreneur Training 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2016

Since I’m not a life coach, I can’t comment on the broader implications, but in my role as advisor to many startups, I do often find myself recommending a focus on many of his key points, which I will paraphrase here: Think in terms of action. Use brainstorming for a range of solutions.

Startup 106

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Coach 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2014

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.

Entrepreneur 115

Entrepreneur Resource Training Product 115

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2018

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.

Resource 52

Resource Training Entrepreneur Activity 52

Frank Addante

OCTOBER 12, 2021

After founding 5 companies in a row, resulting in $5 billion in market value, $1 billion in sales, 2 IPOs (one on NYSE and one on Nasdaq) and raising $300M inc capital — I realized that my calling in life is to take all of those amazing experience and channel it into the next generation of impact-focused entrepreneurs.

Startup 52

Startup Case Study Ideas Invest 52

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

A recent book, “ Hunting in a Farmer''s World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini, tied together several threads I have often seen in my own experience of mentoring and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

Jason Nazar

APRIL 2, 2016

Seek out and follow the council of advisors in and outside of the business ( watch : court mentors ). Balance “Coaching and Cheerleading” vs. “Doing and Directing” (via Bob Walters ). Sales / BD. Participate in key sales functions and deals ( watch : The 5 Step Sales Process ). Know when to set unrealistic goals.

Entrepreneur 46

Entrepreneur Tips Organization Sales 46

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

It’s a market, after all. And Coach Campbell. I’ve heard directly from top executives that Jeff Bezos (in my opinion the most talented person in the tech industry) has received his fair share of VC coaching in the early years. And I’ll know in 18 months whether we have product / market fit.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Tech Coast Venture Network

MARCH 9, 2011

But as the stock market edges ever higher and the wealthier feel healthier, there’s a good chance that American startups will also get their moment in the sun. “Our executive director works with entrepreneurs [who] have been selected to pitch, coaching them to improve their presentations and helping them anticipate questions.”

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Tips Capital Tech Coast Angels Screening 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2009

Everyone in the outside world is talking about how great you are but internally you know that your sales aren’t ramping, your product isn’t shipping on time, you have doubts about the quality of your code, you’re not convinced you’re doing a good job on marketing – whatever. Your solution?

Startup 327

Startup Sales Class CIO 327

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 2, 2011

Thiel and friends will also agree to mentor these young entrepreneurs. Actually, they’ll get even more attention because this selection will put them in an even more exclusive peer group and will introduce them to even more connected mentors. Here is their inaugural class. So is this a good idea? My 2 cents: 1. Experience life.

Education 322

Education Startup Incubator Class 322

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2013

We shared stories about our past rejections, about our inability to raise money in down markets, about the weeks left in cash, about how we were sure we were dead. I wish more startups would get personal coaches so they could let out their angst to neutral people – not staff, not investors. Nearly every one. Confidence.

Startup 371

Startup Press Blogging Entrepreneur 371