Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. The more revolutionary the solution, the more important it is to educate customers on a solution’s existence and value.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2023

Your concept has to be understood by customers and investors in 30 seconds or less, and everyone needs to immediately see how awesome it would be, or that they would be nuts not to have it. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.

Startup 96

Startup Education Ideas Customer 96

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Your concept has to be understood by customers and investors in 30 seconds or less, and everyone needs to immediately see how awesome it would be, or that they would be nuts not to have it. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.

Startup 166

Startup Education Ideas Customer 166

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

For example, I usually hear about an aggressive marketing budget, with a plan to penetrate a few big retail chains, and some videos to catch your attention on YouTube. What I want to hear is an innovative marketing and growth strategy that will set you apart in the minds of investors, as well as customers.

Marketing 170

Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2021

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. That means educating targeted supporters is key, even before you start to sell. A startup needs to find a voice relevant to its ecosystem.

Education 151

Education Customer Custom Sales 151

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2021

It seems to be more a function of mindset and principles, more than education or natural ability. We have all heard of examples where people have overcome physical odds to success, such as Richard Branson with dyslexia, causing him to get low marks in school and communicate poorly as a young business person.

Education 148

Education Mentor Customer Custom 148

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2012

A while back, I wrote about the value of Michael Porter’s Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment, and using every opportunity to highlight and emphasize your relative advantages, whether they be price, features, or bargaining power. Exceed customer expectations. Continuous customer service innovation.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Organization 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

A while back, I wrote about the importance of a “ sustainable competitive advantage ,” and outlined the business plan value and limitations of patents and competitor feature comparisons. But once you start selling products, all of these pale in comparison to your level of customer service. Exceed customer expectations.

Customer 90

Customer Custom Services Startup 90

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

A good overall example is the synergy between Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as well as long-time Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt. The passion has to be in the business context – meaning results oriented, customer oriented, and sensitive to competition. Conflicting visions won’t work.

Software Review 154

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

Current examples include Conscious Capitalism® , popularized by John Mackey, The B Team , founded by Sir Richard Branson, the 1% for the Planet organization, and the Benefit Corporation (B Corp) now available in 35 States. Most customers today won’t pay you five times the cost of alternatives, just because yours is “green.”

Startup 110

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 110

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

If you are looking for funding and customers for your new business, you need to identify your “unique selling proposition” (USP) right up front, in 30 seconds or less, to differentiate yourself in today’s information overload. Investor and customer attention spans are short, and both will write you off quickly.

.Net 73

.Net Examples Customer Custom 73

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2022

Here are a few of their key points, with my own insights added: Workers today are more educated and aware of options. They are more sensitive to customer needs and see peer collaboration as the most effective decision process. Examples of the new tools include online meetings through Zoom or GoToMeeting.

Outsource 133

Outsource Training Organization Social Media 133

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. The more revolutionary the solution, the more important it is to educate customers on a solution’s existence and value.

Product 95

Product Case Study Customer Custom 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2020

Instead, they need to validate a customer problem and real market need first. Don’t create solutions looking for a problem , since investors ignore these, and customers other than early adopters will be hard to find. Customers buy solutions, not technology. Prototype your solution for customers, and discount friends and family.

Technology 127

Technology Marketing Social Media Customer 127

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Rather than enhancing the offering you have, develop and offer new products that capitalize on the customers that you already know well. For example, Facebook added WhatsApp as a cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) service to enhance the self-sustaining growth their social media platform before any downturn.

Examples 99

Examples IP Acquisition Social Media 99

Berkonomics

APRIL 8, 2021

Discord is a great example of a company going viral mostly from word of mouth. And the tools for most are available, sometimes free, for the educated marketer. And, like the story of Discord and Twitter, it takes continual product and feature updates to stay ahead of the competition or overtake a sleepy competitor.

Sites 156

Sites Product Social Network Press 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2019

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. That means educating targeted supporters is key, even before you start to sell. A startup needs to find a voice relevant to its ecosystem.

Startup 97

Startup Education Customer Custom 97

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2018

For example, consider how many years it took for the market to move from radio to television, or fully accept personal computers on every desktop. Many customers now actively seek out new technologies, rather than wait for many others to try it first. The leading edge was too often the bleeding edge. Concept marketing is critical.

Marketing 92

Marketing Demand Examples Social Media 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Most young people who are completing their educational degree today think they will have learned all they need for their career ahead. The facts, as well as what motivates your peers, customers, and business leaders are changing daily. Smart employers look for these as they contemplate your competitiveness for new roles.

Examples 85

Examples Social Media Competition Guide 85

Southern California Edison Blog

MARCH 2, 2021

Optical wavelength networks provide organizations with several capabilities that enable them to promote workplace productivity and stay competitive. Usually, customers leveraging optical networks receive a dedicated wavelength of light solely for their use, which keeps their data transfers fast and private. High Security.

Services 52

Services Networking Southern California Organization 52

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2019

Current examples include Conscious Capitalism® , popularized by John Mackey, The B Team , founded by Sir Richard Branson, the 1% for the Planet organization, and the Benefit Corporation (B Corp) now available in 35 States. Most customers today won’t pay you five times the cost of alternatives, just because yours is “green.”

Startup 93

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 93

Southern California Edison Blog

JANUARY 28, 2021

Optical wavelength networks provide organizations with several capabilities that enable them to promote workplace productivity and stay competitive. Usually, customers leveraging optical networks receive a dedicated wavelength of light solely for their use, which keeps their data transfers fast and private. High Security.

Services 54

Services Organization Southern California Networking 54

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. The TMP is an example of lean academia.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Southern California Edison Blog

JANUARY 28, 2021

Optical wavelength networks provide organizations with several capabilities that enable them to promote workplace productivity and stay competitive. Usually, customers leveraging optical networks receive a dedicated wavelength of light solely for their use, which keeps their data transfers fast and private. High Security.

Services 52

Services Organization Southern California Networking 52

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2014

Investors hear this as trying to do too many things with limited resources, meaning the startup will not shine at anything, and will not survive the competition. Keep these balanced and aligned between people (customers, employees) and process (quality, service, revenue), and keep the scope realistic (eliminating world hunger is too broad).

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Competition Technical Review Oracle 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2017

Your concept has to be understood by customers and investors in 30 seconds or less, and everyone needs to immediately see how awesome it would be, or that they would be nuts not to have it. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days.

Startup 58

Startup Education Ideas Customer 58

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Marketing is considered an art by many individuals because it requires keen insight in how to approach a product, service, or brand, and how to effectively deliver those things to customers. Consumers and businesses, in an ever-competitive marketplace that has been energized by the internet, no longer wants ads that just tell them something.

Advertising 69

Advertising Training Customer Custom 69

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2013

Investors hear this as trying to do too many things with limited resources, meaning the startup will not shine at anything, and will not survive the competition. Keep these balanced and aligned between people (customers, employees) and process (quality, service, revenue), and keep the scope realistic (eliminating world hunger is too broad).

Startup 103

Startup Competition Technical Review Oracle 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2013

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. That means educating targeted supporters is key, even before you start to sell. A startup needs to find a voice relevant to its ecosystem.

Startup 117

Startup Education Customer Custom 117

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2015

They don’t realize that knocking competitors is assessed as a weakness and denying that you have any competition suggests there is no market for your solution. Smart investors, competitors and smart customers, will listen and watch carefully as you position your new offering. Use real case studies and customer feedback.

Capital 63

Capital Competition Case Study Patents 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2019

A good overall example is the synergy between Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as well as long-time Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt. The passion has to be in the business context – meaning results oriented, customer oriented, and sensitive to competition. Conflicting visions won’t work.

Software Review 88

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 88

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

I had worked along with some of these organization son the ground, who were employing people, providing microfinancing, education, and help. Ann Wang: For example, we partner with one of the brands called Hiptipico, which is based out of Guatemala. That''s really what I wanted, and what I saw that my friends and the community wanted.

Commerce 140

Commerce Help UCLA Organization 140

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2016

Some investors seem to focus wholly on the strengths of the management team, or a sustainable competitive advantage, and in reality these are the core attributes for every funding equation. That means educating targeted supporters is key, even before you start to sell. A startup needs to find a voice relevant to its ecosystem.

Capital 58

Capital Startup Education Customer 58

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Instead, they need to validate a customer problem and real market need first. Don’t create solutions looking for a problem , since investors ignore these, and customers other than early adopters are hard to find. Customers buy solutions, not technology. Look for customer willingness and ability to pay.

Technology 114

Technology Startup Social Media Customer 114

socalTECH

MAY 28, 2013

That gauge helps make sure the offers that consumers place are realistic, for example, not offering $200 for a $2000 Canon camera. The customer gets a great price, and the retailer gets both a new customer and a new sale. Plus, they also get to acquire a new customer. So there are two value propositions for the retailer.

Pricing 273

Pricing Product Help Sales 273

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

With a tiny organization, small businesses can make decisions quickly, allowing them to respond quickly to customer input and changes. As a small business owner and entrepreneur, you may relish the flexibility and the challenge of getting that first traction and customer recognition. Sharing the same space also facilitates creativity.

Sales 69

Sales Organization Entrepreneur Examples 69

InfoChachkie

JUNE 4, 2012

Fallacy: Startup ventures tend to evolve, especially after you begin speaking with pesky customers and demanding partners. In addition to paying the consultant, you must invest time to educate them. Thus, you have negotiating leverage as long as a legitimate, competitive threat exists. Perform China Syndrome Market Analysis.

Entrepreneur 272

Entrepreneur Outsource Ideas Technical Review 272