Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2021

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. Relevancy for an early-stage company is the discovery and understanding of the real addressable market for a product or service.

Education 151

Education Customer Custom Sales 151

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2023

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. The more revolutionary the solution, the more important it is to educate customers on a solution’s existence and value.

Case Study 89

Case Study Customer Custom Study 89

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

For example, I believe that Starbucks surprised most people by proving that they could take a commodity business, a coffee shop, and make it a worldwide profit winner, just by justifying premium pricing with a quality product, the right locations, personalized service, and appealing to the professional customer personas.

Pricing 145

Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. The more revolutionary the solution, the more important it is to educate customers on a solution’s existence and value.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 26, 2010

Competition. And the reality is that if you have no competition it will likely be perceived as a negative, not positive. And the reality is that if you have no competition it will likely be perceived as a negative, not positive. Here’s some thoughts on the competition slide and also how to talk about it: Competition.

Venture Capital 313

Venture Capital Slides Competition Education 313

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

Even customers, while they all want the next big thing, want it to happen with minimal new learning. Focus on customer needs rather than profits. When innovations are implemented that have clear value and acceptance by customers, business success will follow. That’s the win-win equation we are all looking for.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Google Startup Organization 114

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2012

A while back, I wrote about the value of Michael Porter’s Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment, and using every opportunity to highlight and emphasize your relative advantages, whether they be price, features, or bargaining power. Exceed customer expectations. Continuous customer service innovation.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Organization 104

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2021

It seems to be more a function of mindset and principles, more than education or natural ability. He learned to use a positive set of principles and his personality to overcome these disadvantages, and now is a self-made billionaire, leading over 400 companies. Your strengths are your real competitive advantages, so focus on them.

Education 148

Education Mentor Customer Custom 148

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 12, 2015

On a micro level, you can do your part to fix tech's gender problem by recruiting people with diverse backgrounds and place them in a company culture that rewards those who challenge the status quo. One of these bright lights is Santa Barbara-based HG Data - developers of the world's largest competitive-intelligence database. <Note:

Company 100

Company Companies Santa Barbara Education 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

A while back, I wrote about the importance of a “ sustainable competitive advantage ,” and outlined the business plan value and limitations of patents and competitor feature comparisons. But once you start selling products, all of these pale in comparison to your level of customer service. Exceed customer expectations.

Customer 90

Customer Custom Services Startup 90

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2013

As I visit the websites of many startups, as well as more mature businesses, I still too often see a “contact” page offering nothing but a sterile form for customers to submit, never to be heard from again. Customers are not all like you, and they have choices, so a “one size fits all” customer service is no longer a viable option.

Social Media 99

Social Media Customer Custom Media 99

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2015

But the bigger truth is the competition is important. We will have two well-funded companies educating the market on why this market opportunity for the $24 billion US storage market is ripe for disruption. Healthy competition keeps you on your toes. Stay focused on your business, your market and your customers.

Funding 150

Funding Competition Marketing Summary 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2020

Even customers, while they all want the next big thing, want it to happen with minimal new learning. Focus on customer needs rather than profits. When innovations are implemented that have clear value and acceptance by customers, business success will follow. That’s the win-win equation we are all looking for.

Artificial Inteligence 165

Artificial Inteligence Google Startup Organization 165

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

What I want to hear is an innovative marketing and growth strategy that will set you apart in the minds of investors, as well as customers. Today’s customer is especially attracted to companies like TOMS , who donates a pair of shoes for every pair they sell, or Patagonia, with its support for grassroots environmental groups.

Marketing 170

Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2022

As a business consultant with experience in large companies as well as startups, I often hear about dysfunctional management hierarchies, as well as the value provided by exceptional ones. These authors provide inside details of recent management experiments, as well as historical data from both successful and failed traditional companies.

Outsource 133

Outsource Training Organization Social Media 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2021

Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges. Many businesses have found that raising the price of a product to give it status can win more customers than a price war. Think the unthinkable.

Ideas 171

Ideas Patents Training Entrepreneur 171

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2022

Do you believe that you have an idea for a company that you can implement better than anyone, and maintain a competitive advantage? Assess customer demand. Do customers really need what you want to do, or might they see it as “nice to have?” Education and training roadblocks. Right idea at the right time.

Startup 115

Startup Resource Training Ideas 115

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

If one of your core values is exceeding your customer expectations for quality and service, and your potential partner ascribes to the low cost, high profit mantra, a successful partnership is highly unlikely over the long-term. Thus you should do the same or more due diligence on educational background, previous work, and references.

Software Review 154

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 3, 2020

It turns out the virtual and augmented reality companies aren’t dead — as long as they focus on the enterprise. Cornerstone, which led the Talespin Series B round, will also be partnering with the company to develop human resources training tools in virtual reality. “We Talespin previously raised $5 million in financing.

Training 220

Training Los Angeles Tool Cornerstone OnDemand 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2020

Instead, they need to validate a customer problem and real market need first. Don’t create solutions looking for a problem , since investors ignore these, and customers other than early adopters will be hard to find. Customers buy solutions, not technology. Prototype your solution for customers, and discount friends and family.

Technology 127

Technology Marketing Social Media Customer 127

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2019

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. Relevancy for an early-stage company is the discovery and understanding of the real addressable market for a product or service.

Startup 97

Startup Education Customer Custom 97

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Apparently with a physical storefront where it can convince customers of the wonders of on-demand mobility. Given the company is calling this a lifestyle store, the focus will likely be on showing how Lime’s scooters and bikes can become part of people’s lives and enhance their happiness, rather than on maximizing rental volume.

Santa Monica 221

Santa Monica Startup Technical Review Education 221

Berkonomics

APRIL 8, 2021

Discord is a great example of a company going viral mostly from word of mouth. Retail or end user web sites aren’t even noticed by potential users or customers without being discovered through a real marketing program, aimed at finding the flywheel effect (the moment of going viral that makes all the difference between failure and success.)

Sites 156

Sites Product Social Network Press 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

Most customers today won’t pay you five times the cost of alternatives, just because yours is “green.” The real opportunity for entrepreneurs is to provide solutions that solve a problem better than the competition, while also providing sustainability and social responsibility. Explore new forms of company ownership and profit sharing.

Startup 110

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 110

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

If you are looking for funding and customers for your new business, you need to identify your “unique selling proposition” (USP) right up front, in 30 seconds or less, to differentiate yourself in today’s information overload. Investor and customer attention spans are short, and both will write you off quickly.

.Net 73

.Net Examples Customer Custom 73

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. The more revolutionary the solution, the more important it is to educate customers on a solution’s existence and value.

Product 95

Product Case Study Customer Custom 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2015

In my experience, finding real innovation in existing company environments is even tougher. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics. Set milestones and meet them. Ownership. Business risks are not just development risks.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 101

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Just ask former big brand companies, like Blockbuster, Kodak, Lehman Brothers, and Sears, what happened to them. Rather than enhancing the offering you have, develop and offer new products that capitalize on the customers that you already know well. Competitors tend to focus on price and other variations to existing offerings.

Examples 99

Examples IP Acquisition Social Media 99

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

In the Los Angeles startup world, there are lots of high profile, buzzy companies which have lots of attention and funding--but which haven''t earned a dime of revenue. However, this town is also full of very profitable, growing, and revenue generating companies-- which have for the most part been below the radar.

Startup 239

Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2014

Investors hear this as trying to do too many things with limited resources, meaning the startup will not shine at anything, and will not survive the competition. Even a company with unlimited money and people shouldn’t try to step into those two domains for the first time at the same time. Realistically frame the competition.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Competition Technical Review Oracle 103

Southern California Edison Blog

MARCH 2, 2021

Optical wavelength networks provide organizations with several capabilities that enable them to promote workplace productivity and stay competitive. Usually, customers leveraging optical networks receive a dedicated wavelength of light solely for their use, which keeps their data transfers fast and private. Easy Scalability.

Services 52

Services Networking Southern California Organization 52

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Do you believe that you have an idea for a company that you can implement better than anyone, and maintain a competitive advantage? Assess customer demand. Do customers really need what you want to do, or might they see it as “nice to have?” Education and training roadblocks. Right idea at the right time.

Startup 94

Startup Resource Training Ideas 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2013

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. Relevancy for an early-stage company is the discovery and understanding of the real addressable market for a product or service.

Startup 117

Startup Education Customer Custom 117

Southern California Edison Blog

JANUARY 28, 2021

Optical wavelength networks provide organizations with several capabilities that enable them to promote workplace productivity and stay competitive. Usually, customers leveraging optical networks receive a dedicated wavelength of light solely for their use, which keeps their data transfers fast and private. Easy Scalability.

Services 54

Services Organization Southern California Networking 54

Southern California Edison Blog

JANUARY 28, 2021

Optical wavelength networks provide organizations with several capabilities that enable them to promote workplace productivity and stay competitive. Usually, customers leveraging optical networks receive a dedicated wavelength of light solely for their use, which keeps their data transfers fast and private. Easy Scalability.

Services 52

Services Organization Southern California Networking 52

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

The fact that entrepreneurs tend to think outside the box with passion and persistence is a big positive, and it's clearly the reason many large companies now fund or buy successful startups for new innovations rather than depend on internal projects. First-to-market is a key competitive advantage.

Startup 58

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Ideas 58

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2013

Investors hear this as trying to do too many things with limited resources, meaning the startup will not shine at anything, and will not survive the competition. Even a company with unlimited money and people shouldn’t try to step into those two domains for the first time at the same time. Realistically frame the competition.

Startup 103

Startup Competition Technical Review Oracle 103