Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2012

Porter proposed his Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment which I think makes even more sense today. Every existing business, as well as every startup, needs to reassess their product or service in the context of these five forces: Intensity of competitive rivalry. Way back in 1979, Michael E.

Competition 94

Competition Startup Pricing Framework 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

If your customers would benefit by having products from both companies, you might negotiate the opportunity to include the other’s product as an add-on. Where your competitor isn't really competing with your direct market, you can refer business to each other without anyone losing customers. Marty Zwilling

Startup 105

Startup Outsource Competition Entrepreneur 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2021

Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references. Visit reference customers, partners, and vendors. Visit reference customers, partners, and vendors. Use this opportunity to validate their satisfaction and support for your company and your solution.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 151

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

leadership, mentorship, competitiveness, communications, relationship-building?—?and Kara said “no” because she wanted to start her own company, which she did and I backed. The fact that Kara doesn’t have what my wife likes to refer jokingly as my “Y chromosome problem” is beside the fact. So What Does All This Mean?

Venture Capital 361

Venture Capital Startup Invest CitySearch 361

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

If there are financial anomalies, or someone on the team doesn’t know the current strategy, or is unhappy with you or the company, the investment will be jeopardized. Ask everyone to update their resume, and personally call probable references, so there are no surprises. Call a company meeting to communicate what is happening, and why.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Summary 152

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage. For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023

Creating the right company culture must be a top priority of every entrepreneur and business leader. You need to paint a compelling future for your company that they can all connect with. As they rack up – with your leadership – yet more and more positive reference points, they internalize the causes and consequences.

Organization 108

Organization Startup Satisfaction Customer 108

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Workships, according to workplace expert Dr. Jan Yager, refers to those workplace relationships that haven’t yet developed into full-blown friendships, but are closer than mere acquaintances. In reality, their effectiveness is usually more related to how well they develop their work relationships with peers and business leaders.

Mentor 91

Mentor Competition Summary Coach 91

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Creating the right company culture must be a top priority of every entrepreneur and business leader. You need to paint a compelling future for your company that they can all connect with. As they rack up – with your leadership – yet more and more positive reference points, they internalize the causes and consequences.

Company 59

Company Companies Organization Startup 59

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage. For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. You have no shelf life, so you can’t make money while you sleep.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

I know all of this because every VC knows this because we’ve all either funded companies that have marketing technology or we’ve seen a pitch with a company that does this. Your deck should be so good that a VC asks you for permission to show it to his or her portfolio companies. Many of my colleagues do, too. A deck is a deck.

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2020

If your customers would benefit by having products from both companies, you might negotiate the opportunity to include the other’s product as an add-on. Where your competitor isn't really competing with your direct market, you can refer business to each other without anyone losing customers. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 126

Startup Outsource Competition Acquisition 126

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Of course you need to discount any investor competitive positioning, but local investment group leaders will quickly tell you the strengths and terms of active investors in your area.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

SoCal Tech Calendar

OCTOBER 25, 2016

Costume Categories: - Owner/Pet best look alike - Best company mascot costume - Best celebrity impression - Funniest/most creative One winner will be chosen per category at the event in a high stakes judging competition. Adult treats and puppy treats included! If you're unable to join us in person, have no fear!

Social Media 100

Social Media Education Media Competition 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

The best candidates quickly figure out that companies that don’t respond, demonstrate chaos during interviews, or keep delaying a decision are not a good opportunity. Your gut-feelings are important, but need to be validated by normal background and reference checks. Failure to include company culture in the hiring criteria.

Organization 104

Organization Satisfaction Entrepreneur Screening 104

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

Meredith Perry came up with the idea for uBeam while still in college at University of Pennsylvania and like many great inventors won her school’s business plan competition. With Meredith I did every on-reference-sheet call I could make and many off-reference-list calls. Would they build a world class team.

Technical Review 418

Technical Review Software Review CTO Hire IP 418

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2012

A satisfied customer is necessary, but not sufficient, to be a loyal customer who will come back repeatedly, refer their friends and family to you, and be faithful even when your price is not the lowest. You hear a lot of talk these days about the importance of customer satisfaction, but customer loyalty is the real win.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Competition 104

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Especially if they have sold their companies and live comfortably upon the proceeds, these people are often the most willing to help and the most patient through the process. His average percentage of a company was 5% in return for spending a day a week as I recall. Original 1994 book. were ultimately sold at a tremendous profit.

Coach 243

Coach Organization Resource IBM 243

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2012

Companies today are paranoid, afraid that even their friends will steal their business. It’s a great survival strategy for small companies or entrepreneurs, and a good expansion strategy for even the largest companies. You see this every day in retail outlets that are not “ company stores.” Cross endorsement.

Company 96

Company Companies Startup Examples 96

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2020

Creating the right company culture must be a top priority of every entrepreneur and business leader. You need to paint a compelling future for your company that they can all connect with. As they rack up – with your leadership – yet more and more positive reference points, they internalize the causes and consequences.

Organization 160

Organization Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction 160

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2020

Workships, according to workplace expert Dr. Jan Yager, refers to those workplace relationships that haven’t yet developed into full-blown friendships, but are closer than mere acquaintances. In reality, their effectiveness is usually more related to how well they develop their work relationships with peers and business leaders.

Mentor 135

Mentor Competition Summary Coach 135

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA , which I wrote about previously. Having a good sales methodology can help you ensure your company runs more disciplined campaigns and focuses scarce resources on your best opportunities. The first post covered the topic of “P” or pain.

Sales 336

Sales Startup Competition Customer 336

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. We know that an executive’s job is not easy. Nor is there much time in a typical day for outreach of any kind. That’s bad behavior! Find the pain.

Customer 120

Customer Custom Course Email 120

Southern California Edison Blog

FEBRUARY 22, 2018

Big data and the insights that companies can glean from big data analytics has become a transformational tool for enterprises across all industries. million for the typical Fortune 1000 company, making big data analytics an essential step for a competitive enterprise. Gain a Competitive Advantage with Big Data.

Organization 59

Organization Competition Networking Customer 59

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

The passion has to be in the business context – meaning results oriented, customer oriented, and sensitive to competition. How the leaders of your company handle adherence to the spirit as well as the letter of the law will be seen by all employees, customers, and investors. Believe in the same ethical and diversity boundaries.

Software Review 154

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2020

The best candidates quickly figure out that companies that don’t respond, demonstrate chaos during interviews, or keep delaying a decision are not a good opportunity. Your gut-feelings are important, but need to be validated by normal background and reference checks. Failure to include company culture in the hiring criteria.

Organization 135

Organization Satisfaction Entrepreneur Screening 135

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2014

Nor do they exist in the investors of early-stage companies. They are the lifeblood of many companies yet they are different than the traditional technology startup DNA so the ways that you hire, motivate, compensate and assess performance of these individuals will be different. Sure, you need to be competitive on price.

Sales 382

Sales Help Startup Pricing 382

socalTECH

DECEMBER 11, 2018

Those references drive trillions of dollars of commerce. We're really latching onto the growing trend of building products that detect product references in social messaging. We automatically add tracking and point those product references to e-commerce merchants. Who is providing the funding and backing for the company?

San Diego 159

San Diego Social Media Commerce Snapchat 159

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

It’s insanely competitive to get into our industry so most have degrees from institutions like Stanford, Harvard, Wharton and University of Chicago (blatant plug ;-). I’ve seen too many companies go off track by a VC hell bent on the team pursuing the VCs strategy which at times is about chasing the next shiny object.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels. Of course you need to discount any investor competitive positioning, but local investment group leaders will quickly tell you the strengths and terms of active investors in your area.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Funding Innocal Offshore 124

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 18, 2014

If the deal is from out of your geography and/or out of your focus area or a deal is being referred by a well-know investor who normally co-invests with similar syndicates – at least ask yourself, “Why am I so lucky to be getting this call.” I wrote here about why I avoid party rounds. I never thought of it that way.”

Venture Capital 337

Venture Capital Invest Ideas Entrepreneur 337

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2012

I have seen some entrepreneurs go into first meetings willing to share almost anything about their company. Obviously if we continue in discussions with you we would be more than happy to organize reference calls for you to validate our success. ” But very few companies can get away with this. The First Meeting.

Technical Review 316

Technical Review Venture Capital Customer Custom 316

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2013

Porter proposed his Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment which I think makes even more sense today. Every existing business, as well as every startup, needs to reassess their product or service in the context of these five forces: Intensity of competitive rivalry. Way back in 1979, Michael E.

Startup 80

Startup Framework Competition Pricing 80

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2014

At Expertcity and Computer Motion, despite the fact that both companies were comprised of about 50 – 200 employees at the time, we routinely recruited 30 - 50 interns each summer. Competition – Make it clear that only the best interns will be granted offers for full-time positions. We typically hired about one third of our interns.

Startup 257

Startup Santa Barbara Competition Class 257

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2015

Make sure everyone accurately posts their role with your startup on social media profiles, resumes, and references. Visit reference customers, partners, and vendors. Visit reference customers, partners, and vendors. Use this opportunity to validate their satisfaction and support for your company and your solution.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2019

To me, that means treating your career more like a business than a job – with a continual and global focus on keeping up with competition, finding customers, preparing for changes ahead, and taking responsibility for your own finances. Build your reputation and visibility beyond your company. Market your business expertise.

Artificial Inteligence 96

Artificial Inteligence Startup Social Media Training 96

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

You company is the product and you’re selling an equity ownership in your company but much more broadly you’re selling trust & confidence that you’re going to build something enormously valuable and that you’re going to be enjoyable to work hand-in-hand with over the coming decade of each other’s lives.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314