Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2013

Entrepreneurs have no trouble focusing on how to build a product, and the good ones know how to find and nurture those first critical customers. What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics. Customer loyalty and retention.

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Metrics Technical Review Sales Customer 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2023

Others, including Jeff Bezos, spent time in a big company or two before breaking away to form their own. Rather than a focus on salary and perks, your focus is on customers, revenue, and operations. As an employee, you only get to execute what others tell you, even if you enjoy the challenge of new requirements and customer feedback.

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Startup Satisfaction Metrics Customer 111

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

Entrepreneurs have no trouble focusing on how to build a product, and the good ones know how to find and nurture those first critical customers. What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics. Customer loyalty and retention.

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Metrics Startup Sales Statistics 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2022

The power and influence of paid media advertising, including print ads, TV commercials, radio, and even online digital campaigns is waning, in favor of unpaid earned and owned messaging from your website, social media, key market influencers, and existing customer word-of-mouth. Real customers. Owned media.

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Marketing Framework Social Media Media 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2022

Instead of sizing up new opportunities and actively courting every new customer, you start worrying about cutting costs, repeatable processes , and overtaking known competitors. As a consultant, I hate to see you lose that startup focus on innovation, change, and customers. How about in your industry?

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Startup Artificial Inteligence Metrics Netflix 154

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2017

Not so long ago, every business assumed that the keys to success were the highest quality product, the best value for the buck, and the best customer service. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.” You have to hear your customer’s dreams, goals, passions, and aspirations.

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Customer Custom Product Marketing 85

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 10, 2011

Some customer segments value the DVD business and these may be more price sensitive. Some customer segments value the convenience of instantly available films. Netflix needs to segment their customers and charge each what is appropriate. Netflix announced the changes to its company via a blog post. No, probably not.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2021

For example, a few years ago, the company Beepi had a vision to build a new market for buying and selling used cars, but became overly focused on fundraising to grow fast, and ignored many customer complaints. Hypermetricemia – metrics for everything. Thus you are driven to short-term growth fixes versus radical change.

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Metrics Product Yahoo Examples 133

TechEmpower

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Let's take a look at some of the many ways businesses can benefit from these new models to streamline operations and deliver faster and more accurate results.We’ll begin by looking at some real-world examples and then we’ll dive into more details of how these improved search capabilities can enhance your business.

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Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Tool Knowledge Base 346

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2022

They randomly churn for hours a day on a couple of their favorite social media platforms, with little thought given to goals, objectives, or metrics; and ultimately give up and fall back to traditional marketing approaches. Create an action plan with metrics. See some recent examples in the 10 of the Top Social Media Campaigns of 2021.

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Social Media Framework Media Metrics 135

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2023

Thus they are blindsided and try to react quickly when a new competitor starts stealing customers. For example, we all remember when Blockbuster realized too late that Netflix was stealing customers by offering videos online rather than via DVDs, but even then they were unable to adapt their processes and their thinking.

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Metrics Training Netflix Resource 71

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2022

In fact, I believe the majority of true entrepreneurs are not interested in this new role, and jump ship quickly by hiring an experienced CEO or merging with another company, to start their next entrepreneurial effort. Implement metrics and set objectives for every organization. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

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Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 137

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2020

For example, when I was with IBM, in an era where constant change was necessary to compete, we made job rotation and training a prerequisite for good performance ratings, so that team members sought change and new learning, rather than passively resisting. Set up training courses that highlight agility, and adopt agile working practices.

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Metrics Training Satisfaction IBM 122

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2023

Everyone in the company must adopt the principles of customer-first focus, agility in responding to change, and constant innovation to improve your processes as well as the solution. Measure progress through metrics on sales, revenue, and penetration. Seek customer feedback on ways to improve value and satisfaction.

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Customer Custom Marketing Startup 91

Berkonomics

MAY 20, 2021

Enterprise time, as opposed to personal time management, is the sum total of resources available to a company expressed in terms of time – time to develop, to debug, to produce, to deploy, to respond to issues, and to make changes in plans that are not working. But first, identify what those critical resources are in your company.

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Resource Outsource Development Metrics Customer 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2019

He makes the case, and I agree, that creativity in a company, large or small, doesn’t just happen – it requires a culture. To connect with customers, for example, you need to understand the world from their perspective, not yours – this is one area where a diverse culture can make a huge difference. Maximize diversity.

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Company Companies Competition Netflix 90

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

For example, even though Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook as an innovative product, most experts believe it was successful due to his relationship with Peter Thiel and other top VCs that he convinced to invest early. Ability to relate aspirations to customer needs. Using metrics to measure results and commitments.

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Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2022

For example, if it’s getting harder to charge a price premium for the product you’re marketing, or others are offering your subscription service for free, it may be time to start thinking in a new box. Another example is seeing substitute versions of a product, like eBooks, for a low price displacing hardcover books.

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eBook Metrics Examples Startup 111

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2020

I’m not looking for words, but examples of how your habits and attributes have produced results, even before your startup. Even if you are still in school, and never started a company before, strong entrepreneur candidates can point to projects they initiated, led, that produced significant results.

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Entrepreneur Startup Examples Metrics 124

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

And as I always assert, “Great companies are built in downturns. It’s when the noise stops and you can actually get customer attention, press articles and VC meetings. And it’s when mediocre companies get pulverized.” I remember, for example, when business intelligence swept through companies globally.

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Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Networking to build and maintain positive relationships with the right people outside your company is something you can’t forget in the rush to get your new business going. Potential customers these days rely more and more on name recognition for credibility and new brand adoption. Put operational systems and metrics in place early.

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Marketing Resource Training Startup 116

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2021

If customers don’t know you exist, you can’t solve their problem, they won’t buy. Getting customer attention often takes more innovation today than solving the tough technical problems. For example, Warby Parker boosted selling glasses online a while back with “Try five frames at home for free.”

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Technical Advisors Tips Marketing Case Study 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2016

If you can’t provide a memorable customer experience, your startup won’t survive very long these days. You now need more than loyalty from your customers -- they need to be your best advocates. The days of pushing new and marginal performers into customer service are gone. Every job on your team drives your customer experience.

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Customer Custom Startup Coach 55

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2022

For example, your work nurturing important customer relationships may be key to timely changes based on emerging trends, but these efforts are easily overlooked as a source of value at the end of a change process. It is important to set the expectations for success early, as well as the appropriate metrics.

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Examples Metrics Startup Customer 133

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Think of these as the big upfront questions: Who are the customers? Please be able to provide me with a few specific examples of different types of customers, what they need, what the system will do for them. What are your key Startup Metrics ? What are some good examples of similar sites? How are you funding this?

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Develop Development Startup SEO 396

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 4, 2011

Think of these as the big upfront questions: Who are the customers? Please be able to provide me with a few specific examples of different types of customers, what they need, what the system will do for them. What are your key Startup Metrics ? What are some good examples of similar sites? How are you funding this?

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Develop Development Startup SEO 384

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

For example, it’s great to pursue a higher purpose, like feeding the hungry, but don’t forget that running any business is a hungry mouth you have to feed. For example, if you have ever watched the Shark Tank show on TV, they always ask about the cost of customer acquisition.

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Entrepreneur Social Media Examples Metrics 162

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2023

For example, only a few people today still think of Amazon as an online provider of books and related goods, now that they have exploded their business world-wide into every product arena, added web services (AWS), television and film production (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), a bricks-and-mortar grocery chain (Whole Foods), and more.

Outsource Development 140

Outsource Development Outsource Startup Metrics 140

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Current examples include Conscious Capitalism® , popularized by John Mackey, The B Team , founded by Sir Richard Branson, the 1% for the Planet organization, and the Benefit Corporation (B Corp) now available in 35 States.

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Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 110

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2019

My simple answer is that they keep their focus on customers, rather than technology. Jeff Bezos has kept his focus on customers. In my view, every startup in today’s world would do well to adopt a management system with the same key objectives: Start with a customer-obsessed business model.

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Marketing Technical Review Customer Custom 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

As a business advisor, I have to recommend even to established companies that they review and revamp their competitive strategy now, even if it appears to be working today. As a simple example, the Wal-Mart website now shows shoppers more products that they may like, based on previous purchases.

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Competition Software Review Social Media Customer 142

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

Loo--who was the very first employee at ServiceNow--explains what that means, and why companies use the startup's software. We're in the space, and leading the thought process on what needs to be combined, for example, CRM with ITSM tools, to create meaningful results that you can act on at the C-level. What is Perspectium?

SaaS 113

SaaS Startup Customer Custom 113

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2019

The power and influence of paid media advertising, including print ads, TV commercials, radio, and even online digital campaigns is waning, in favor of unpaid earned and owned messaging from your website, social media, key market influencers, and existing customer word-of-mouth. Real customers. Owned media.

Media 95

Media Framework Social Media Metrics 95

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2016

That’s the right place to start, but real growth and scale requires attracting customers who are not like you. For example, Starbucks found initial success with professionals aged 25 to 40 in urban areas and with moderately high income but later looked to a new market of millennials who wanted a place to sit and chat, study or work.

Customer 55

Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 55

Steve Reich

JUNE 11, 2012

This is not an article about the high moral purpose and the nobility of listening to your customers. It is an article about how to make your company worth a fortune by listening to your customers. It gives the best customer experience of any phone. Listen to your customers and grow rich. He runs a tight ship.

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Customer Custom Software Review SaaS 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2019

For example, one of the first home grocery delivery companies, Webvan, was so enamored with early traction in Silicon Valley, it raised and spent nearly a billion dollars and went public, before filing for bankruptcy three years later. Other customers routinely pay late, or only after they receive one or more prompts from you.

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Metrics Startup Training Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2020

For the business to prosper, every employee, and your customers, must know and relate to your core values, such as product excellence, care for the environment, and personal integrity. Implement the key business metrices you will live by. There are also many more stories of companies that pivoted too late.

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Metrics Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction 140