Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2022

Most of the entrepreneurs and business owners I work with recognize that they must occupy and practice a primary leadership position , but many will admit that they are not thriving in this role. Embrace the real you as your competitive advantage. This is a tough challenge for every coach and mentor.

Entrepreneur 90

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Coach Mentor 90

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

Some people feel that organic growth is “better” because it requires real innovation and sustained effort to create long-term competitive advantage through differentiation and efficiency. Teaming with another company, or buying another company, can add new geographical locations and new customer segments to the business.

Organization 97

Organization Competition Startup Acquisition 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2023

Most entrepreneurs relish being their own boss, but find the transition to “ownership thinking” to be more difficult than anticipated. Incidentally, if you never thought of yourself as being an A-Player employee, you probably will struggle even more in the competitive entrepreneur world.

Entrepreneur 85

Entrepreneur Customer Custom Competition 85

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

I thought I’d try to look at it from a different lens, that of the entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur you should assume that. They’re not in search of price fixing or collusion, they’re in search of diligence information about the company. Have you looked at competition? So what is an entrepreneur to do?

Pricing 292

Pricing Entrepreneur Technical Review Venture Capital 292

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

Most entrepreneurs relish being their own boss, but find the transition to “ownership thinking” to be more difficult than anticipated. Incidentally, if you never thought of yourself as being an A-Player employee, you probably will struggle even more in the competitive entrepreneur world.

Entrepreneur 159

Entrepreneur Customer Custom Competition 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2022

In my years of mentoring entrepreneurs, a problem I have seen too often is low self-esteem, and over-compensating through arrogance and ego. These entrepreneurs find it hard to respect customers or team members, and their ventures usually fail. Identify and redirect unhealthy competition and comparisons.

Startup 101

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2022

Big company powerhouses, like IBM and Xerox, took fifty years to make the cycle, but new companies today, in the age of the Internet, often make the cycle in five to ten years, or even less. Thus it behooves every entrepreneur to start watching these things more carefully from the very start. Consider MySpace and Webvan.

Startup 142

Startup Web 2.0 IBM IBM 142

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

By definition?—?I’m I’m over-paying for every check I write into the VC ecosystem and valuations are being pushed up to absurd levels and many of these valuations and companies won’t hold in the long term. And the truth is that several entrepreneurs prefer it this way. dot-com bonanza. Seed has become an option factory for many.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

However, certain questions can be tricky for an entrepreneur to answer. Below are five common questions an entrepreneur will encounter when seeking venture funding. Handled appropriately, these questions provide investors a window into an entrepreneurs’ soul, which minimizes the chances of a future misalignment.

Entrepreneur 253

Entrepreneur Google Invest RSS 253

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2021

Of course, we would all like to have a magic list based on more definitive tracking of many real startups over time. As it turned out, 17 of the 27 companies were still in business seven years later, which is at least double that of other studies. Of all those variables tested, only seven proved to be reliable predictors of survival.

Startup 170

Startup Study Journal Sample 170

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2015

In my years of mentoring entrepreneurs, a problem I have seen too often is low self-esteem, and over-compensating through arrogance and ego. These entrepreneurs find it hard to respect customers or team members, and their ventures usually fail. Identify and redirect unhealthy competition and comparisons.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Satisfaction Competition 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

By definition, all of you entrepreneurs are leaders, by taking the initiative to start a new company. Most investors will readily admit that they invest in entrepreneur leadership, more so than innovative ideas, but they often find it difficult to separate aspiring leaders from those that are clearly extraordinary.

Coach 162

Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2014

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment.

Product 101

Product Entrepreneur Summary Activity 101

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 25, 2013

Yet there will be some entrepreneurs can’t seem to make the decision to take a break. They forget that they probably became entrepreneurs, according to the recent DNA of an Entrepreneur study, for just this flexibility. Entrepreneurs love the continuous challenges of a startup, and the satisfaction of tackling them.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Satisfaction Study 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2022

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are the key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. Money should not be the big driver here. Visualize the future.

Startup 115

Startup Resource Training Ideas 115

Berkonomics

MARCH 5, 2020

In the creation of a young company, there are five principal risks to be addressed by the entrepreneur. So, it is important for the entrepreneur to identify, address and mitigate each of these in order to increase valuation and decrease the risk of ultimate loss of the business. And fifth: Competitive risk. .

Outsource Development 156

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 156

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 4, 2014

In fact, for the past 27-years, he has specialized in bringing exotic travel destinations to those of us who are healthy and active but whose competitive sporting days are long behind us. My research led me to Wildland Adventures, one of the pioneering companies in the ecotravel space. Ever fantasized about climbing Mt.

Entrepreneur 187

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Resource 187

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

Many entrepreneurs I know are confused by the definition and need for an Advisory Board versus a Board of Directors. By definition, Advisory Boards are voluntary and have no fiduciary responsibility. Do you expect involvement in company operations? I suggest a few simple considerations will clarify the alternatives.

Allegis 139

Allegis Startup Acquisition Entrepreneur 139

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2016

For all entrepreneurs, starting a business is the route to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” no matter how risky. According to an old article and poll by Startups.co.uk , having the independence to make your own decisions is considered the key benefit of being an entrepreneur. Beat the competition and discover yourself.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Startup Satisfaction Competition 55

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 25, 2012

Yet there will be some entrepreneurs can’t seem to make the decision to take a break. They forget that they probably became entrepreneurs, according to a recent DNA of an Entrepreneur study, for just this flexibility. Entrepreneurs love the continuous challenges of a startup, and the satisfaction of tackling them.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Satisfaction Study 93

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

Entrepreneurs are now measured against the “triple bottom line” (TBL or 3BL) of people, planet, and profit. How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Many young entrepreneurs seem to think that capitalism and making profit are dirty words.

Startup 110

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2022

The simple reason is that it’s impossible to make money for investors when the goal of the company is to not make money. In the US, a nonprofit is technically any company who qualifies as tax exempt through IRS Section 501(c). Obviously, these companies still need money to get started, or finance growth, just like a for-profit company.

Funding 130

Funding Equity Technical Review Organization 130

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2017

Thus one of my key messages to entrepreneurs, as a business advisor and angel investor, is “focus.” For example, it’s all too common for a technology entrepreneur to highlight a new battery technology as the ultimate power for smartphones, medical heart pacemakers, and home lighting. Realistically characterize the competition.

Entrepreneur 63

Entrepreneur Competition Customer Custom 63

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 3, 2022

billion company in the brutally competitive beauty industry, especially one with such broad appeal. After all, Glossier’s founder and CEO Emily Weiss is very, very far from the first entrepreneur to profit off of our desire to look good. Then, Amoruso started a company called Girlboss that was likened to “Linkedin for Women.”

Startup 280

Startup Netflix Los Angeles Innocal 280

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

Starting an entrepreneurial business, or maintaining the competitiveness of a mature business, requires innovation. As a starting point, I like the Wikipedia simple definition of innovation as “the application of better solutions to meet new requirements or market needs.” Real innovation only happens in entrepreneurial organizations.

Organization 94

Organization Ideas Technical Review Research 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2011

Other writers, like Guy Kawasaki, have irreverently called some of these “entrepreneur lies,” but I prefer to think of them as innocent over-enthusiasm or over-confidence that can kill your deal. It always amazes me how an entrepreneur can define his market opportunity so broadly, then assess his competition so narrowly in the next breath.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Funding Innocal Competition 108

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. It takes a wealth of hungry buyers to sustain a great business idea.

Ideas 145

Ideas Startup Case Study Writing 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 3, 2023

One of the reasons that now is the time to be an entrepreneur is the explosion of startup assistance organizations, usually called incubators or accelerators. I believe their competitive advantage is their top on-site leadership, exclusivity, and connections to investors. That’s about the same ratio that angel investors claim.

Organization 92

Organization Incubator Startup Resource 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

I often wonder whether you as the entrepreneur have worked as hard on your pricing strategy as you have on your innovative solution. If your innovation is real, it brings added value to the table, so most customers, especially early ones, are willing to pay a premium over competitive products.

Pricing 145

Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 29, 2012

However, certain questions can be tricky for an entrepreneur to answer. Below are five common questions an entrepreneur will encounter when seeking venture funding. Handled appropriately, these questions provide investors a window into an entrepreneurs’ soul, which minimizes the chances of a future misalignment.

Entrepreneur 145

Entrepreneur Google Invest RSS 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2021

As a business adviser, I often see entrepreneurs practicing what Tom Peters calls the “ ready-fire-aim ” go-to-market strategy to their detriment. There is no substitute for talking to customers, analyzing your competition, and honing your solution to meet a target market segment. Cost of a solution execution experiment is low.

Marketing 138

Marketing Demand IBM IBM 138

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2013

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are the key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. business entrepreneur startup strategic plan think'

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Training 97

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2013

Big company powerhouses, like IBM and Xerox, took fifty years to make the cycle, but new companies today, in the age of the Internet, often make the cycle in five to ten years, or even less. Thus it behooves every entrepreneur to start watching these things more carefully from the very start. Consider MySpace and Webvan.

Company 75

Company Companies Startup Web 2.0 75

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2013

Entrepreneurs are now measured against the “triple bottom line” (TBL or 3BL) of people, planet, and profit. How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Many young entrepreneurs seem to think that capitalism and making profit are dirty words.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Satisfaction 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2021

He makes a convincing argument that it’s time for every company to get prepared for the next customer generation, or your company is heading toward life support. More and more, I see evidence that customers want to be pulled to your company, rather than feel that you are pushing yourself on them.

Customer 173

Customer Custom Social Media Outsource Development 173