Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. A few companies are leading the way, including Apple with their iPad and iPhone, offering irresistible stores with friendly experts, elegant packaging, and customer service that never ends.

Design 105

Design Customer Custom Product 105

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2022

Most people think innovation is all about ideas, when in fact it is more about delivery, people, and process. They take you step-by-step through the innovation execution process, in the context the ten most common myths about innovation, which I think makes their approach particularly instructive: Innovation is all about ideas.

Ideas 135

Ideas Startup Resource Research 135

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2014

He wants to compete to be the lead drummer in the competitive ensemble and study under Terence, an obsessive instructor who is hell bent on winning competitions for the school. But the film has my brain buzzing all week about obsessive and competitive people. I absolutely loved the film. I loved the music. We revere musicians.

Competition 394

Competition Startup Writing Marketing 394

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2019

An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. We have no competition.”. Whether you have not been able to find companies doing “something like” the plan, or you has not considered the most obvious killer of new ideas – doing nothing, it is a faux pas that should never be allowed to happen.

Competition 120

Competition Slides Research Sales 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. A few companies are leading the way, including Apple with their iPad and iPhone, offering irresistible stores with friendly experts, elegant packaging, and customer service that never ends.

Customer 150

Customer Custom Design Product 150

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 16, 2013

Tracy DiNunzio, Founder and CEO of Tradesy , recently shared her insights regarding the best approach for entrepreneurs to address competition. Tracy addressed the issue of competition head on, telling the largely student audience, "As I started to think about launching Tradesy, I looked around and there was a lot of competition but.

Competition 254

Competition SaaS Santa Barbara Entrepreneur 254

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that many of you have your most creative ideas for your company’s first big bang , but often get bogged down with details as the company grows. Reward ideas with peer recognition and praise. The key is to flush out ideas quickly, and close in on the final solution.

Company 148

Company Companies Ideas Mentor 148

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2020

They forget that adapting their company and themselves as their customers evolve is the key to long-term survival. Think of Blockbuster and Toys ‘R’ Us , both of whom missed customer changes and the move to online. Create an overt strategy to react to emerging customer trends. Remember when you were a startup?

Customer 143

Customer Custom Examples IBM 143

Berkonomics

JUNE 27, 2019

Especially in your growing company, you are drawn into daily process issues by all of your direct reports, often responding to questions and problems, leaving little time for strategic thought. And that behavior results in leaving little time for outreach to the most critical component in your chain – your key customers. Find the pain.

Customer 120

Customer Custom Course Email 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2020

I find that many entrepreneurs are so passionate about their own idea that they can’t stop selling it to potential partners. A business startup is not an academic environment, or a big company research organization. On the other hand, there are many technology companies successfully started and run by non-technologists.

Competition 174

Competition High Tech Startup Social Media 174

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2023

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. Idea management. Build and manage a pipeline of ideas. Ownership.

Coach 137

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 137

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

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2012

Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” Whether the entrepreneur has not been able to find companies doing “something like” the plan, or s/he has not considered the most obvious killer of new ideas – doing nothing, it is a faux pas that should never be allowed to happen.

Competition 189

Competition Slides Sales Ideas 189

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

A theme I often hear from the entrepreneurs and startups I advise is that once they see that first surge of traction from customers, they can relax and enjoy life for a change. In today’s world of growing competition and customer evolution , holding your own, and growing to the next level is a constant challenge that can never be ignored.

Ideas 77

Ideas Customer Custom Competition 77

Berkonomics

JUNE 2, 2022

Do you have any contacts or friends within the target company? Are you working with or selling to a particularly important competitor to your target customer? Dropping that name will often immediately draw a response if the decision maker is curious or particularly competitive. Here’s an even better way.

Ideas 156

Ideas Sales Competition Venture Capital 156

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 29, 2022

What if we could do it better, do it in a new way, do it to attract new customers, do it to distance ourselves form the competition? Can we rapid prototype this idea into a product and try it out on potential customers? Do we need to co–create this with a “teacher–customer?” What wows? What works?

Design 156

Design Framework Ideas Customer 156

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 26, 2022

We first met the Chicago-based company and its founder and CEO Vitaly Alexandrov last year when we reported that Food Rocket launched in the Bay Area , going up against the likes of Amazon Fresh, DoorDash, Instacart and Gopuff, which is no easy feat given each of the company’s footprint. We are creating new habits of customers.

Funding 246

Funding Demand Los Angeles Competition 246

Berkonomics

MARCH 30, 2017

[Email readers, continue here…] You can expect to have the same attitude if a past employee resurfaces after a layoff, resignation or after being fired, with a plan for a competitive business – or as an employee of a competitor. So, here’s the obvious advice to give to departing employees. “No

Company 120

Company Companies Layoffs Competition 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2019

Is your marketing focus product-centric or customer-centric ? With a wealth of products now available, customers look for the most memorable experience , not just the best product. Amazon is very customer-centric, but it can make all the difference in retail as well as online. Status factors are more important than demographics.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Product Metrics 85

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2019

The most competitive startups do both, all the time and every time. In today’s competitive world, with its accelerating rate of change, no competitive advantage lasts long. The only sustainable competitive advantage is creativity. Celebrate ideas. Flush out ideas and let go of the ones that fail.

Company 90

Company Companies Competition Netflix 90

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

As a mentor to many business professionals and owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find a wealth of innovative ideas, but often less insight on what it really takes to transform ideas into an income stream that can excite new customers into long-term business success. A great innovation starts with at least three ideas.

Ideas 145

Ideas Startup Case Study Writing 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 28, 2023

Strategic partnerships with other companies are a good way to extend the boundaries of your business and recombine resources. It all starts with a customer perspective to uncover problems and frustrations, and then design solutions from the customer backward. Extrapolate the insight into a new idea or solution.

Startup 128

Startup Entrepreneur Tool Ideas 128

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 15, 2013

Potential startup founders are always looking for ideas to implement, when they should be looking for problems to solve. Customers pay for solutions, but there is no market for ideas. I’m often approached by people with a “million dollar idea,” but I haven’t seen anyone pay that for one yet. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 99

Ideas Startup Competition Demand 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2017

Entrepreneurs are people who dream up new ideas, and then commercialize them into new businesses. Most people believe that the hard part is coming up with the idea, and the easy part is turning it into a business. Don’t assume anything until you have done market research and listened to real customers.

Ideas 72

Ideas Startup Metrics Entrepreneur 72

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2022

I call this linear thinking , and it’s a sure way to be ultimately overrun by your competition. For example, Elon Musk, who owns many battery patents , normally kept for a competitive edge, decided to open them all to any competitors in an effort to expand the market for his electric vehicles. Always practice thinking outside the box.

Competition 139

Competition Examples Customer Custom 139

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2020

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. Idea management. Build and manage a pipeline of ideas. Ownership.

Coach 144

Coach Metrics Social Network Competition 144

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2017

Potential startup founders are always looking for ideas to implement, when they should be looking for problems to solve. Customers pay for solutions, but there is no market for ideas. I’m often approached by people with a “million dollar idea,” but I haven’t seen anyone pay that for one yet. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 55

Ideas Startup Competition Demand 55

Berkonomics

MARCH 5, 2020

In the creation of a young company, there are five principal risks to be addressed by the entrepreneur. One way to mitigate this is by using early money to create a prototype, to perform market research, to complete the first generation of the product, or to deliver the service to a satisfied customer. And fifth: Competitive risk. .

Outsource Development 156

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 156

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

I’m a believer in the old saying that investors look for great people, more than great ideas. While these investors, and early customers, will always argue that they found you, I’m convinced that there is no substitute for aggressive networking on your part. Ability to relate aspirations to customer needs.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2021

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. 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. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 171

Ideas Patents Training Entrepreneur 171

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Small Business Grants to Apply For Today If your business doesn't have enough capital to take on future debts or has a unique specialism or back story that could catch the eye of grantors, it might be a good idea to apply for a grant. It's competitive though – last year 18,000 applicants competed for only 12 slots.

Technical Review 194

Technical Review Software Review Startup Competition 194

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

The most competitive startups do both, all the time and every time. In today’s competitive world, with its accelerating rate of change, no competitive advantage lasts long. The only sustainable competitive advantage is creativity. Celebrate ideas. Flush out ideas and let go of the ones that fail.

Competition 135

Competition Netflix Ideas Metrics 135

Berkonomics

MARCH 10, 2010

Your customers know what they want more than you do. Find one to teach you. This insight came from personal experience and from a good friend who advanced the notion of the “teacher-customer” years ago. Together we would work out solutions in the form of new functions, new controls, new reports, and new safeguards.

Customer 149

Customer Custom Design Conference 149

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2022

Every so often a promising entrepreneur seems to freeze in the oncoming headlights and gets run over by his competition. Why is it that his idea which seemed so fundable only months ago fails to attract investors today? The company's market is the same. The idea here is that following a process can actually force you to think.

Ideas 155

Ideas Entrepreneur Research Demand 155

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2012

A startup begins with a great idea, but all too often, that’s where it ends. Ideas have to be implemented well to get the desired results. That’s why investors invest in entrepreneurs, rather than ideas. Your value chain consists of customers, partners, vendors, internal systems, and your own team.

Ideas 94

Ideas Startup Summary Competition 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

A product plan has tremendous value inward facing, telling your product people what to build, while the business plan has maximum value outward facing, explaining to the rest of the world how your new company will survive and prosper. These requirements must be based on market analysis, expert input, and existing customer feedback.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. 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. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 109

Ideas Entrepreneur Patents Training 109