Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Good hiring, training, and mentoring are the best motivators. Tie incentives to measurable personal goals, as well company achievements. Start today.

Examples 145

Examples Mentor Activity Product 145

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Get connected to the right mentors and your business may catapult to the next level. Don’t and you might make one catastrophic mistake that leaves you in the annals of Effed Companies. I figured if Matt was on the verge of bankruptcy and one mentor changed his trajectory, what if we had a formalized, community-wide program?

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

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. That means making sure the right people are hired, trained, and in the right place at the right time.

Startup 137

Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 137

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.

Customer 55

Customer Custom Startup Coach 55

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2021

Even the simplest of new technologies, such as Zoom for remote meetings, can be a detriment to work satisfaction if workers are not trained on how to use it effectively, causing video and sound problems, as well as background distractions. 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

JANUARY 2, 2021

Johnson , was quick to accept accountability via a company apology on Twitter for a racial profiling incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, even though he could have claimed that a fired employee was at fault. He later closed more than 8,000 of his stores for a day to provide employee racial-bias training.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Whether you are a business professional in a big company, or an entrepreneur with a startup, innovation is a key strategy. Many people believe that new ideas are the critical element of innovation, but in my experience as a mentor and investor, long-term business success is more about implementation than ideas.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114

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. by Donna Cutting, who is a globally-recognized guru on employee culture and optimizing customer service. Emotional stability. Environmental safety.

Technical Review 141

Technical Review Mentor Social Media Customer 141

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

In addition, today’s customers judge a company by perceived people relationships through social media, phone conversations, and sales experiences. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. People-centric leaders drive ownership and engagement down to their customer-facing team members.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2023

I recall a good summary of how to motivate and train a team to accomplish this in the classic book, “ The Business of Creativity: How to Build the Right Team for Success ,” by Keith Granet. It doesn’t take a huge marketing budget to provide public recognition in team meetings for individual initiatives that can benefit the company.

Startup 95

Startup Coach Mentor Social Media 95

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2017

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. The implications to you and your company are also large, so be prepared.

Company 97

Company Companies Entrepreneur Customer 97

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

So mostly we just had to listen to customer feedback from founders, VCs and LPs. Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. Just as Yves mentored me when I became his co-managing partner in 2011, he didn’t seek to ride off into the sunset either. So What Does All This Mean?

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2022

Be sure to encompass all your constituents, especially including customers. Whole Foods , for example, has built their business with a commitment to natural and organic foods, and have a culture of loyal employees and customers, resulting in 500 stores worldwide. Commit to delivering a positive customer experience.

Product 109

Product Training Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2022

I see that model changing today to one of team collaboration and decision making, per companies such as Amazon, Google, and Zoom. Modern companies like Amazon credit much of their growth and success to rewarding of change innovations, including failures. Where do you see your fit in this leadership transformation ?

Organization 105

Organization Mentor Startup Training 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2022

Thus, over the years of my mentoring and consulting efforts with entrepreneurs, I have a key list of practices that I recommend to everyone starting and growing a business. You may think it’s great that demand exceeds your supply chain, but customers only remember it as a loss of your credibility, and will tell others.

Startup 134

Startup Training Tool Demand 134

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

Those companies tend to be around for longer than one year, because of course our faculty are not working on those things full time, they're continuing to teach classes. What we do, is regional customer discovery for teams, typically academic. Companies talk to one another, and there's a lot of back and forth.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

There was no money train. I started my first company in 1999 and was admittedly swept up in all of this: Magazine covers, fancy conferences, artificial valuations and easy money. In those years I learned to properly build product, price products, sell products and serve customers. It was 1991. We still loved every moment.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

By definition, all of you entrepreneurs are leaders, by taking the initiative to start a new company. Johnson accepted full company accountability on Twitter for a racial profiling incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia. A community requires two-way communication and respect – including advisors, partners, and customers.

Coach 162

Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2021

It can come from experience, or from training in a prior company, and it can even be self-taught from the Internet by smart entrepreneurs, just like they learned the skill of establishing a company, negotiating a contract, or filing a patent. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Startup 171

Startup Organization Training Entrepreneur 171

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2021

He speaks from years of work with companies now leading the way, including Walt Disney, HBO, and Morgan Stanley. In my view, every company needs to follow all his action items, including the ones paraphrased here: CEO takes charge personally of improving engagement. Provide growth opportunities to retain the best.

Mentor 155

Mentor Startup Training Resource 155

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

In my experience of many years as a business founder, consultant, and executive, I offer the following list of situations that always imply a real need for people and business leadership, and have the potential for long-term positive impact to your bottom line and business success: Your business image is slipping in the eyes of customers.

Coach 120

Coach Satisfaction Customer Custom 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

If you aren’t yet adapting to the market and your customers, you are falling behind. I define business agility for my consulting clients as the ability to change your business rapidly to meet customer and environmental changes, with minimal organizational disruption and cost. Be proactive rather than reactive to market change.

Competition 148

Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

The traditional model for hiring permanent employees who can grow their career with your company just doesn’t work, and can jeopardize your business before it even gets traction. Many successful new companies have moved more to self-management, or decentralizing the decision-making with few managers.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2021

It’s good for professionals, who get more control, and good for companies, who need more flexible staffing. The bad news is we have to think like a business, with all the implications of branding, finding customers, and competitors. As a new business advisor and mentor myself, I enjoyed her recommendations on many of these issues.

Pricing 149

Pricing Mentor Entrepreneur News 149

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2022

These authors have enjoyed leadership positions in big companies, as well as small, and distill their advice from interviews with dozens of business owners of all sizes around the country. You may be able to train others to do the work you do, but they may not have your passion or unique quality.

Satisfaction 92

Satisfaction Training Customer Custom 92

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2021

When I started mentoring entrepreneurs and startups a few years ago, I anticipated that I would get mostly tough technical questions, but instead I more often hear things like “Where do I start?” Good business leadership begins with defining both the direction and the destination of your company. That’s where you start.

Entrepreneur 138

Entrepreneur Activity Guide Patents 138

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2022

One way to do this is to nurture mentoring relationships with experts in other disciplines, as Bill Gates did with Warren Buffet. In particular, new generations of customers, including millennials, are often looking for something really innovative, as the fashion industry has found out many times.

Competition 139

Competition Examples Customer Custom 139

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2021

Obviously, both are required for a company to stay healthy and growing. 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. Even process changes require people first.

Satisfaction 154

Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2020

Based on my experience and a business advisor and mentor, this is the ideal time to get back to the basics of business leadership and innovation. Provide the resources and training to get the job done. Be sure to tie changes back to the “why” – customer value, business objectives, and competition.

Mentor 122

Mentor Ideas Competition Examples 122

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2023

Most companies I work with, like yours, are still reeling from the effects of COVID-19, the rise of inflation, and talent shortages. By demonstrating positivity and mentoring, you can make collaboration and connecting with others a productive and enjoyable experience, rather than a burden. Act fast and lead with a strong calm purpose.

Training 86

Training Resource Competition Satisfaction 86

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

I recall a good summary of how to motivate and train a team to accomplish this in the classic book, “ The Business of Creativity: How to Build the Right Team for Success ,” by Keith Granet. It doesn’t take a huge marketing budget to provide public recognition in team meetings for individual initiatives that can benefit the company.

Marketing 130

Marketing Develop Development Startup 130

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2019

In fact, I have found from personal experience and mentoring that both of these are necessary, but not sufficient, for building a business. There is more and more evidence that a more human-centered or heart-centered leadership yields the best results with your team and with customers in the long run.

Training 123

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

I found many more helpful suggestions in a new book, “ The Culture Question ,” by Randy Grieser, Eric Stutzman, Wendy Loewen, and Michael Labun, who have spent years providing leadership and professional development training to companies around the world. Proactively provide support and training.

Tips 96

Tips Satisfaction Training Mentor 96

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2015

We have about 350, nationally certified, trainers on the platform, all vetted internally by us, and by our mentor network. The flat rate includes use of those locations during training sessions. We offer six different genres of fitness: Crossfit, strength training, Pilates, boxing, yoga, and stretching.

Training 100

Training Startup Orange County Malibu 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2020

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Good hiring, training, and mentoring are the best motivators. Tie incentives to measurable personal goals, as well company achievements. Start today.

Product 129

Product Examples Mentor Activity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2022

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. The implications to you and your company are also large, so be prepared.

Marketing 113

Marketing Entrepreneur Customer Custom 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2020

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. That means making sure the right people are hired, trained, and in the right place at the right time.

Startup 125

Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 125