Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2021

Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reach and hold that critical mass of online customers. If you can’t justify both a web site and a blog, skip the old-fashioned web site, and make your blog do double duty as described below.

Blogging 135

Blogging Services Search Engine Optimization Web 135

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 4, 2011

One of the things I discuss the most with the portfolio companies I’m involved with is that “you manage what you measure.”. It’s a very important concept for me because in a startup you are constantly under pressure and have way too many distractions. Commitment & urgency are key drivers of success in startup businesses.

Metrics 346

Metrics Startup SEO Customer 346

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2015

As the number of sites on the Internet floats around one billion, the challenge with every new startup is to be found and stand out. More important, if someone does find your site, the content better be enticing enough for them to come back. A great solution is necessary, but not sufficient, to build a great startup.

Blogging 110

Blogging Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media 110

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 9, 2009

I just had an all-too common conversation with the founder of a startup who had spent more than a year working with a software development company who had produced a mess. The mess really comes from a developer who was willing to get started on a product that was not fully thought out. SEO for Startups )?

Software Development 292

Software Development Develop Development Startup 292

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize. The start of marketing is figuring out a market need and a way to solve that need better than anybody else.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

Many startup businesses – tech or otherwise – fail. Trying outrageous new things or even trying mundane things but in new ways but with extreme quality & innovation is what fuels the tech startup industry. But today I want to give you advice on how to decrease your odds of failure in a startup.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2021

In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Put yourself on the site. People buy from people.

Web 117

Web Search Engine Optimization eBook Advertising 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2014

With the estimated 510 million live websites at last year-end, and 280,000 new ones being added every day, the biggest challenge for an entrepreneur is to get found, and get some credibility for a new startup. The biggest excuse most startup founders mention is too much to do building a product, mapping strategy, investors, etc.

Startup 101

Startup Blogging Writing Google 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reach and hold that critical mass of online customers. If you can’t justify both a web site and a blog, skip the old-fashioned web site, and make your blog do double duty as described below.

Blogging 95

Blogging Startup Search Engine Optimization Writing 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2022

Most startups, and many big businesses, still don’t have a clue on how to use social media productively for marketing their business. Good action plans include a listening plan, channel plan, SEO plan, and a content creation plan, with activities and metrics. You spend the months influencing the influencers. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 135

Social Media Framework Media Metrics 135

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

Some great content around the intersection of startups and being a Startup CTO in June this year. This continues my series of posts: Top 29 Startup Posts May 2010 Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March There was some really great content in June. It shows a lack of interest.

Startup 175

Startup Venture Capital Slides Blogging 175

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 14, 2010

Yesterday I wrote a post about top-down versus bottom-up thinking. So they create a task list of all the marketing activities an organization can do: press releases, web site updates, customer case studies, blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook fan page, attending conferences, etc. You have a marketing department with three people.

Startup 323

Startup Press Development Team Review SEM 323

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2012

It seems like everyone has an Internet startup these days. The cost of entry is so low – you can create a web site for almost nothing - and you are on your way to riches with ecommerce, your latest invention, or personal services. Mashable claims there are 150,000 new web sites created per day. Content is king of the road.

Startup 96

Startup Social Media Content Paid Search 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2019

Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reach and hold that critical mass of online customers. If you can’t justify both a web site and a blog, skip the old-fashioned web site, and make your blog do double duty as described below.

Blogging 88

Blogging Search Engine Optimization Web Writing 88

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2013

In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Put yourself on the site. People buy from people.

Search Engine Optimization 105

Search Engine Optimization Startup Advertising SEO 105

socalTECH

MARCH 2, 2016

We caught up with co-founder and CEO Vic Belonogoff to learn more about Render Media, whose flagship site is Opposing Views. Vic Belonogoff: We are a digital publishing company. He was a co-founder of Applied Semantics, which started the AdSense technology, which they sold to Google in 2003. Tell us about Render Media?

Media 100

Media Content News SEO 100

SoCal CTO

APRIL 1, 2009

I am excited to be participating in and announcing the of: Southern California Tech Central This is a community of people in Southern California who have come together to help find and organize the best content from blogs, news sources and other web sites all around technology in So Cal. And perhaps to stimulate new connections.

Southern California 150

Southern California TechEmpower Technology Council Metrics 150

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 17, 2009

He’s done several startups and is a board member of the Technology Council of Southern California (which is where I met him originally). A typical day starts with email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Yammer checks/updates. What's keeping you up at night? I recently posted about SEO for Startups. Love the minis!

Acquisition 170

Acquisition Customer Custom Ideas 170

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 8, 2010

I’d embed the video but it doesn’t seem to allow you to do this so here’s the link the This Week in Startups, Inaugural show. My answer: “no.&# I believe that the team is high potential but the valuation seems stratospheric to me for the stage of the company. sites still dominate. Burstly ( Led by … me!

Venture Capital 232

Venture Capital Capital SEO Yahoo 232

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2013

Probably every one of you who has a business and a website have been approached through email or personal contact, and asked to spend money on paid search results (appear on the first page of search results, right hand column, despite low SEO rank). This is NOT the same as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Cost per action (CPA).

Paid Search 90

Paid Search PPC Organization SEO 90

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2011

A while back I emphasized how important is to have a company website these days ( Publish Your Website Or Customers Won’t Find You ). Unless someone searches for your company by name, it won’t show up in the first few pages of any search results. Contact related web sites that are well known, to request reciprocal links.

Google 93

Google SEO Search Engine Optimization SEM 93

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2011

(if you get some value out of the notes consider checking out his company or Twitter feed). Richard De Silva started off as a journalist with the Washington Post after growing up in D.C. In the late 90’s he saw the internet boom and helped start IronPlanet.com, a construction equipment marketplace that is nearing an IPO.

Capital 265

Capital Venture Capital Veoh Startup 265

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Put yourself on the site. People buy from people.

Search Engine Optimization 88

Search Engine Optimization eBook Advertising SEO 88

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

So they create a task list of all the marketing activities an organization can do: press releases, web site updates, customer case studies, blog posts, daily Tweets, Facebook fan page, attending conferences, etc. It’s actually quite hard to lay out an annual company strategy that is articulate and underpinned by facts.

Activity 164

Activity Conference Press Case Study 164

socalTECH

MARCH 2, 2010

Alec Shankman is CEO of Santa Monica-based Gotcast (www.gotcast.com), an online site focused on casting of actors for television shows, movies, and other productions. The firm is venture and angel backed, and was co-founded by Wil Schroter, who is involved with a number of other startups here, including Affordit.

Hollywood 252

Hollywood Startup Sites SEO 252

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2017

Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reach and hold that critical mass of online customers. If you can’t justify both a web site and a blog, skip the old-fashioned web site, and make your blog do double duty as described below.

Blogging 69

Blogging Search Engine Optimization Web Writing 69

socalTECH

APRIL 14, 2010

Our interview this morning is with Lolita Carrico, founder of Gloss Network for Women (www.mygloss.com), an online network of sites focused on women. Lolita was founder of ModernMom.com, which she sold to Richard Rosenblatt's Demand Media last year, and we caught up with Lolita to learn more about her newest venture.

Networking 230

Networking Social Media Startup Search Engine Optimization 230

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2010

In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Put yourself on the site. People buy from people.

Tips 92

Tips Search Engine Optimization Startup Advertising 92

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2013

million new pages added to the Internet every day, the biggest challenge for every entrepreneur is to get found, and get some credibility for a new startup. The biggest excuse most startup founders mention is too much to do building a product, mapping strategy, investors, etc. Your Google ranking will go up dramatically.

Blogging 104

Blogging Product Startup Writing 104

socalTECH

OCTOBER 25, 2012

The site is the brainchild of Tracy DiNunzio , who took her experience running RecycledBride.com and is now applying the same concept to women's clothing. That item is then live on Tradesy, and we clean up the image, add some additional data to the listing. How did you come up with the idea of handling all the shipping details?

Startup 236

Startup Education Acquisition Funding 236

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2010

Search engine marketing is simply buying advertising for your business from Google or another search engine company. This is NOT the same as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). For sites displaying the ads, this is called pay per click (PPC). That business model doesn’t compute in the startup stage, but that’s another story.

SEM 90

SEM Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization 90

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

A while back I emphasized how important is to have a company website these days ( Startups Without a Website Won’t Start ). Unless someone searches for your company by name, it won’t show up in the results. Yet my random poll of a dozen company sites found 25% were missing even the most basic tag info.

SEO 48

SEO HTML Search Engine Optimization Web 48

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2012

Let me be clear – a product or consulting startup today without a blog, even with a static website, risks not being competitive in cost and time to reach and hold that critical mass of online customers. If you can’t justify both a web site and a blog, skip the old-fashioned web site, and make your blog do double duty as described below.

Blogging 96

Blogging Search Engine Optimization Writing Social Network 96

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

It seems like everyone has an Internet startup these days. The cost of entry is so low – you can create a web site for almost nothing - and you are on your way to riches with e-commerce, your latest invention, or personal services. Mashable claims there are 150,000 new web sites created per day. Content is king of the road.

Social Media 93

Social Media Content Startup Web 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2012

In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Put yourself on the site. People buy from people.

Search Engine Optimization 96

Search Engine Optimization Entrepreneur Sites Advertising 96

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 23, 2009

San Diego-based Newsforce (www.newsforce.com) is a startup which is looking to take advantage of the hunger of the newspaper and media business for revenue, and has created a product which takes press releases and commercial content, and inserts them onto news sites in "sponsored content" blocks. Our tool is integrated onto their site.

News 124

News Advertising Press Sites 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2017

In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Put yourself on the site. People buy from people.

Search Engine Optimization 54

Search Engine Optimization eBook Advertising SEO 54