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. Training and coaching. Innovation is not a random walk into the unknown.

Coach 144

Coach Metrics Social Network Competition 144

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2020

These must be countered by a focus on changes and training that benefit your people, as well as your business. Set up training courses that highlight agility, and adopt agile working practices. They grew sales by 28% in 2009, while most companies were hunkered down and losing share.

Metrics 122

Metrics Training Satisfaction IBM 122

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2021

In my experience, less than half of founding entrepreneurs even aspire to stay and scale their company. Switch your focus from product development to sales. Explosive growth to an enterprise normally requires a scalable sales model, a well-documented process with incentives, training, and metrics for tracking and management.

Startup 151

Startup Course Sales Entrepreneur 151

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

I realized a while back that creating a new company for the first time is a lot like whipping up a great dinner entree for the first time – you need a recipe, even though it may look simple. In all cases, don’t skip the basic training. All the investment money in the world won’t make your company succeed, if you have the wrong team.

Startup 112

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 112

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2023

Everyone in the company must adopt the principles of customer-first focus, agility in responding to change, and constant innovation to improve your processes as well as the solution. Measure progress through metrics on sales, revenue, and penetration. Seek customer feedback on ways to improve value and satisfaction.

Customer 91

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 91

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2020

As a business advisor, I have too often seen technical entrepreneurs get a product or service off the ground with ease, but then struggle mightily when their business reaches a couple of million in annual sales, or the employee count grows beyond a handful. Implement metrics and set objectives for every organization.

Startup 125

Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 125

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

According to one study a while back, only 45% of founders plan to exit after stage one, and my guess is that less than half the remainder survive the next stage in their own company. Switch your attention from product development to sales. Managing business growth is more than metrics. Optimize the total customer experience.

Startup 97

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 97

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Your goal must be to make every aspect of a customer interaction a joy to both you and them, starting from the shopping experience, to the sales close, to delivery and service. Use metrics to assess needs and growth economics. Really listen to feedback from the team, and empower them with the ability to make customers happy.

Customer 114

Customer Custom Satisfaction Metrics 114

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

I realized a while back that creating a new company for the first time is a lot like whipping up a great dinner entrée for the first time – you need a recipe, even though it may look simple. In all cases, don’t skip the basic training. All the investment money in the world won’t make your company succeed, if you have the wrong team.

Startup 156

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2019

For example, one of the first home grocery delivery companies, Webvan, was so enamored with early traction in Silicon Valley, it raised and spent nearly a billion dollars and went public, before filing for bankruptcy three years later. Document processes and metrics for economies of scale.

Metrics 86

Metrics Startup Training Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2020

Implement the key business metrices you will live by. Identify the three most important metrics your business must hit every week to achieve growth goals. These will almost always be related to sales and marketing, since they must tie back to cash flow. There are also many more stories of companies that pivoted too late.

Metrics 140

Metrics Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction 140

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2018

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. Training and coaching. Innovation is not a random walk into the unknown.

Entrepreneur 64

Entrepreneur Coach Metrics Competition 64

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

According to one study a while back, only 45% of founders plan to exit after stage one, and my guess is that less than half the remainder survive the next stage in their own company. Switch your attention from product development to sales. Managing business growth is more than metrics. Optimize the total customer experience.

Startup 108

Startup Sales Metrics Entrepreneur 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2016

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. Training and coaching. Innovation is not a random walk into the unknown.

Coach 64

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 64

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

According to one study a while back, only 45% of founders plan to exit after stage one, and my guess is that less than half the remainder survive the next stage in their own company. Switch your attention from product development to sales. Managing business growth is more than metrics. Optimize the total customer experience.

Startup 56

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 56

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2015

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. Training and coaching. Innovation is not a random walk into the unknown.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 101

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

According to one study , only 45% of Founders plan to exit after stage one, and my guess is that less than half the remainder survive the next stage in their own company. Weinfurter, who has made the leap a couple of times himself, and spent many years consulting with other companies who have done the same.

Sales 96

Sales Metrics Startup Entrepreneur 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

In fact, most small companies still pay many key employees by the hour, without regard to their output. Based on my own many years of experience as both an employee and an executive, here are my key recommendations to improve your business productivity, traction and momentum: Implement business metrics, and tie incentives to results.

Training 105

Training Entrepreneur Tool Metrics 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2018

I realized a while back that creating a new company for the first time is a lot like whipping up a great dinner entrée for the first time – you need a recipe, even though it may look simple. In all cases, don’t skip the basic training. All the investment money in the world won’t make your company succeed, if you have the wrong team.

Startup 81

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 81

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2018

If you are one of these owners who wants to do the right thing to survive and delight your customers, but doesn’t know where to start, I am here to recommend some best practices that I see successful companies, and many startups, who have focused on this issue. Define stretch goals and challenge your team to deliver.

Technical Review 84

Technical Review Customer Custom Startup 84

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Without taking a dime of outside capital, the company has achieved impressive success in a competitive, SaaS market segment, landing companies such as Nike, Intuit, NASA, AutoDesk and PBS. What makes their story more remarkable, in the age of 20-something billionaires, is that both of the company’s founders are in their 50’s.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

I realized a while back that creating a new company for the first time is a lot like whipping up a great dinner entrée for the first time – you need a recipe, even though it may look simple. In all cases, don’t skip the basic training. All the investment money in the world won’t make your company succeed, if you have the wrong team.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2019

In the popular press, it’s easy to find articles that will convince you that companies with a good culture, such as Google, do it by lavishing perks and benefits , including some combination of free meals, trips and parties, financial bonuses, gyms, and a dog-friendly environment. What the team feels is more important than what they know.

Competition 76

Competition Coach Case Study Statistics 76

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2012

Technologists often insist that new things can’t be invented on a schedule, but successful companies seem to be able to do it on a regular basis. Longer-term, enhanced product value begets superior company valuation through your organization’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Training and coaching. Accountability.

Coach 98

Coach Ideas IP Sales 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Even if you are doing the work yourself, you need to document requirements, features, metrics, and milestones.

Startup 107

Startup Outsource Development Training Outsource 107

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2016

As a business advisor, I have too often seen technical entrepreneurs get a product or service off the ground with ease, but then struggle mightily when their business reaches a couple of million in annual sales, or the employee count grows beyond a handful. Implement metrics and set objectives for every organization.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Training Organization Examples 55

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

The fitness professional network develops business tools that make it easier for fitness professionals to run their businesses and keep their clients engaged between training sessions. We knew there’s a better personal training experience to be had, so we set out to create one. Who is on your team? How does it work practically?

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

An alternate outcome that I also unfortunately observe in some cases are companies who had extreme early success with an initial product adoption but failed in key areas that limited the growth and therefore the ultimate financial outcomes. I see many companies that don’t make this transition well.

Startup 286

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2011

Technologists often insist that new things can’t be invented on a schedule, but successful companies seem to be able to do it on a regular basis. Longer-term, enhanced product value begets superior company valuation through your organization’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Training and coaching. Accountability.

Coach 93

Coach Ideas IP Sales 93

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 24, 2016

What you Before Sets the Course for How Well the Day Goes Make sure you send your financial and operating metrics no less than 72 hours before the board meeting — even better if it can be a week in advance. It shouldn’t be the place where they ask why you have 8 sales reps and not 6. So here’s a short guide to achieving that.

Guide 196

Guide Startup Metrics Conference 196

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2013

This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Even if you are doing the work yourself, you need to document requirements, features, metrics, and milestones.

Outsource Development 92

Outsource Development Training Outsource Metrics 92

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2012

I realized a while back that creating a new company for the first time is a lot like whipping up a great dinner entree for the first time – you need a recipe, even though it may look simple. In all cases, don’t skip the basic training. All the investment money in the world won’t make your company succeed, if you have the wrong team.

Startup 96

Startup Writing Metrics Marketing 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Even if you are doing the work yourself, you need to document requirements, features, metrics, and milestones.

Startup 102

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 102

socalTECH

JULY 10, 2019

The company has raised $1.9M We spoke with CEO and co-founder Spencer Price to learn more about the company. Spencer Price: Halla is the only software company to dynamically profile human tastes so we can help people make better choices. We're an AI company that works at the intersection of personalization and food.

Pricing 113

Pricing Startup North Hollywood Platform 113

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. There is an inherent value that any company has. I acknowledged this in the article.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

InfoChachkie

MAY 22, 2012

However, the greater degree you can sequentially follow these steps and maintain your discussions with each venture capitalist (VC) at relatively the same stage, the sooner you can spend less time in the company of investors and get back to running your business. Such follow-up are akin to a train whistle. Prep Steps.

Venture Capital 236

Venture Capital Capital Research Customer 236

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2010

This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Even if you are doing the work yourself, you need to document requirements, features, metrics, and milestones.

Startup 95

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 95