socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Last week, the University of Southern California 's Viterbi School of Engineering announced that it had established a new, business plan competition, the Maseeh Entrepreneurship Prize Competition ([link] specifically aimed at students in the engineering school. Why a business plan competition, and why in engineering school?

Competition 154

Competition Southern California Mentor USC 154

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

One of the vivid memories I have from being a startup CEO is the feeling that most people in your company have a look in their eyes that like they can do your job as well as you. But if you level up , raise capital and grow customers, revenue and staff – life changes. The “doers” in your organization.

Entrepreneur 385

Entrepreneur CTO Hire Startup Sales 385

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

We have global opportunities from these trends but of course also big challenges. Of course we can’t. 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. Hot, Flat & Crowded.” By definition?—?I’m

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023

Most entrepreneurs start from a base of one or two co-founders, and their vision and focus is on developing an innovative solution, rather than developing people. They do believe it can be accomplished, with the six specific steps paraphrased here: Culture starts by thinking different and thinking big at the top. Marty Zwilling

Organization 108

Organization Startup Satisfaction Customer 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2021

Most entrepreneurs expect to face the “normal” challenges of starting a business, which include finding the right opportunity, building and executing a winning plan, and financing their venture. Yet before you start, you should think about what the impact might be on your psyche, and how to neutralize these challenges in your own plan.

Startup 152

Startup Training Entrepreneur Course 152

InfoChachkie

JULY 29, 2013

Easy To Start, Hard To Control. His talk was entertaining and informative and contained a number of witty entrepreneurial insights, such as: "Startups are like high school. His talk was entertaining and informative and contained a number of witty entrepreneurial insights, such as: "Startups are like high school.

Startup 229

Startup Course Entrepreneur Marketing 229

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2021

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 145

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 145

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2014

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. My first startup was no different. 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.

Sales 382

Sales Help Startup Pricing 382

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2021

The basic alignment framework of strategy, customers, people, and processes hasn’t changed, but the pace of technological, competitive, and social change has increased at an amazing rate. That means keeping all the players and all the organizations centered on what matters amid the crosscurrents of change.

Social Media 143

Social Media Startup Framework Course 143

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

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2020

Most entrepreneurs start from a base of one or two co-founders, and their vision and focus is on developing an innovative solution, rather than developing people. They do believe it can be accomplished, with the six specific steps paraphrased here: Culture starts by thinking different and thinking big at the top. Marty Zwilling.

Organization 160

Organization Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction 160

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

As a business advisor and investor in new startups, I see how difficult it is to make any process work, no matter how well designed, if the team is dysfunctional. Of course, some balance is required. Effective communication in a rapidly changing environment must be two-way and continuous, from all levels of the organization.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2019

In the classic book by Christoph Lueneburger, “ A Culture Of Purpose ,” he details how to build this new culture, and why it is becoming more instrumental in bringing about success, as well as sustainability, in organizations as diverse as Unilever and Walmart. They also tend to stay longer with the organization, reducing costs.

Organization 128

Organization Startup Pricing Customer 128

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2015

If you are one of the many professionals still trapped between jobs by circumstances outside your control, or are about to dump the loser job you have now, you should be actively defining and starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Have startup efforts to highlight in job interviews.

Startup 101

Startup Social Network Activity Ideas 101

Tech.Co

JUNE 5, 2024

Starting or growing a small business in 2024 is no easy feat, and one of the biggest obstacles you will face is securing funding. We round up seven grants that you should know about right now – including their eligibility criteria and funding amount. As the old adage goes, money doesn’t grow on trees.

Coach 138

Coach News Funding Design 138

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 3, 2022

On Lafayette Street in SoHo, young, fashionable women lined up around the block to enter a minimalist, millennial oasis, the most perfect Instagram feed brought to life. billion company in the brutally competitive beauty industry, especially one with such broad appeal. allocate 98% of their funding to startups helmed by men.

Startup 280

Startup Netflix Los Angeles Innocal 280

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

According to a recent Forbes article , UC Santa Barbara''s Technology Management Program offers students a superior startup education over the University of Pennsylvania (home of Wharton), as well Harvard, Northwestern and even its acclaimed southern neighbor, the University of Southern California. Organic Academia. Techpreneurs.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have enough resources to bootstrap our own startups, so we are completely dependent on investors to help turn great ideas into great businesses. Of course, you need to show how your business will make money and provide an impressive investor return, but that should be only the beginning.

Ideas 140

Ideas Entrepreneur Equity Resource 140

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

For what ever reason we’re wired to have amnesia during the run up and prescient memories of how we ‘knew it all along’ as soon as the slide begins. Once you understand both sides of the cycle you start to recognize signs of behavior during each phase. ROI studies were published.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2021

Many professionals in business, from startups to multi-nationals, assume that team leader or executive is an appointed position, and the skills come with the title. Starting a business or a new organization will always cause self-doubt and insecurity. Of course, correcting leadership mistakes is only the beginning.

Examples 136

Examples Organization Startup Course 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2021

They are quick to claim the credit for things in their domain that work, but also quick to disclaim responsibility for problems that keep popping up. In today’s world, every organization needs to be in a constant state of change to stay competitive. Communication must be positive and consistent, both up and down the line.

Training 173

Training Examples Startup Social Media 173

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2022

Of course, experience is the ultimate teacher of the differences between smart and wise. We all know a smart entrepreneur who wouldn’t give up the CEO role, and lost the company. Wise leaders give up an existing role when it is time. That means nurturing partnerships and cooperation with competition, for the greater good.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Course 117

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

In December 2007, I described how I commonly take on an Acting CTO Role in a Start-up. However, I’ve now begun questioning how and what an early-stage / startup CTO should be. What worries me a bit is how often I read that startups should hire a developer / hands-on lead developer. Gap closed, right? Probably not.

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 30, 2012

I generally encourage my UC Santa Barbara students to complete their formal education before joining or creating a startup. In Michael's case, he promised his parents that he would return to school if the sales at his startup did not meet his expectations. "I Effective startup mentorship can come from unlikely sources.

Tips 247

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Santa Barbara 247

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2015

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 103

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

Yesterday I wrote a post about “ the politics of startups ” in which I asserted that all companies have politics, which in its purest sense is just about understanding human psychology. Of course it makes no sense to have great people management and a crappy product. She started it with a partner, 50-50.

Startup 340

Startup Technical Review Course Press 340

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 22, 2018

According to a job listing from Lime seeking a “Retail Store Manager,” the startup plans to open a “lifestyle brand store in Santa Monica” that “will place heavy importance on brand experience and customer engagement.” Often you’ll see scooters from Lime and Bird lined up right next to each other.

Santa Monica 221

Santa Monica Startup Technical Review Education 221

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

As the school year kicks off for college students, one of the big tasks of the year is buying books for their courses. One startup, SwoopThat (www.swoopthat.com)--started by a recent college grad Jonathan Simkin --has made it much easier to buy books for student, by pulling up books based on a student's schedule.

UCSD 185

UCSD Course Startup Sites 185

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2023

Of course, margin and profitability are important, but must be committed to adding more value to the lives of your clients, and making the world a better place. These start with your brand image, search visibility and process, and extend to the actual sales transaction. Define and focus on a mission to add value.

Customer 91

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 91

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 1, 2021

In my experience, a level of disagreement among key team members is a sign of a healthy organization, allowing it to survive and prosper in this age of multiple disruptive trends. Of course, any highly emotional and unmanaged conflict can certainly lead to chaos and a dysfunctional organization.

Activity 145

Activity Organization Examples Satisfaction 145

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2013

But very quickly, it is becoming obvious to startups that the value and satisfaction exceeds the costs. To legally facilitate startups who want to give top priority to socially conscious solutions, seventeen states, starting with Maryland in 2010, have passed legislation allowing incorporation as a Benefit Corporation (B-Corp).

Startup 101

Startup Organization Entrepreneur Customer 101

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Capitalism is fundamentally about timing, since market competition is about finding opportunities before others. When should you start a company? What company should you start? Most startups die. It’s obvious that we can be too late to these decisions of course. Start evaluating your predictions: were they correct?

Venture Capital 202

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2010

Conventional wisdom in most companies is that “the competition is the enemy&# – it’s the rallying cry to dig deeper, get more features out the door, issue press releases citing differences and attack the competition’s weaknesses in sales presentations. A healthy respect for your competition will serve you well.

Cloud Computing 320

Cloud Computing Competition Press Startup 320

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 4, 2011

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. I was recently talking with a startup company who wanted me to try their product. You’ll have no idea when you’re off course.

Metrics 346

Metrics Startup SEO Customer 346

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2021

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. In fact, the process of organizing and documenting these elements is the best way to make sure you understand the answers yourself. I hope not.

Sample 137

Sample Writing Mentor Content 137

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

I recently did a post for startups on understanding sales people. A few people have asked me to try and define the perfect startup organization chart. But I do have more insight into understanding your startup team. Often I’m asked by startup CEO’s about how to best build an engineering team.

CTO Hire 400

CTO Hire Fractional VPE Startup Outsource Development 400

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Other companies, including Ritz-Carlton , now incent their employees to build real relationships with guests, by authorizing them to spend up to $2,000 per guest to solve an individual concern. This has to start with doing the customer interaction work to isolate the needs and drivers in the market you intend to serve.

Customer 133

Customer Custom Satisfaction Examples 133