Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

Even if you know your product/service suite down cold, understand the strengths/weaknesses of the competition, and have built pro forma financials that are sane. Make the repayment terms as clear as possible at either the beginning or end of the Executive Summary. They will likely only read your plan’s Executive Summary – at first.

Writing 97

Writing Summary Ideas Research 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2013

Many entrepreneurs seems to be convinced that the “crowd” of regular people using the Internet will somehow solve their startup funding needs, when they sense a lack of interest from accredited investors. When pitching to consumers, online or offline, the feedback will likely be on features and design.

Funding 106

Funding Equity Entrepreneur Sample 106

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2014

Here is a summary, with some of the pros and cons or special considerations for each: Product or service is free, revenue from ads. Here your objective is to make money with the portfolio, with high markup and low markup items, depending on competition, lock-in, value delivered, and loyal customers. Tiered or volume pricing.

Startup 114

Startup Pricing Customer Custom 114

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Build an investor presentation and summary. Start early on this one, or you will lose the opportunity. Build a prototype product.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2013

Here is a summary, with some of the pros and cons or special considerations for each: Product or service is free, revenue from ads. Here your objective is to make money with the portfolio, with high markup and low markup items, depending on competition, lock-in, value delivered, and loyal customers. Tiered or volume pricing.

Pricing 116

Pricing Product Customer Custom 116

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2012

Here is a summary, with some of the pros and cons or special considerations for each: Product or service is free, revenue from ads and critical mass. Here your objective is to make money with the portfolio, some with high markups and some with low, depending on competition, lock-in, value delivered, and loyal customers.

Pricing 112

Pricing Competition Customer Custom 112

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Build an investor presentation and summary. Tags: entrepreneur startup funding angel investors. Build a prototype product. Marty Zwilling.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2011

Certainly both of these crowd-funding approaches provide the entrepreneur with an opportunity to hone his pitch, and get some real consumer feedback on the idea. When pitching to consumers, online or offline, the feedback will likely be on features and design. Crowd sample size and makeup not representative of market.

Funding 92

Funding Startup Social Media Sample 92

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2017

I was mentoring some graduate students at a local university recently, and I sensed again that profit seems to be a dirty word these days to many aspiring entrepreneurs. It is a very competitive approach, but requires design and development effort for value at every level. Low entry price, with priced features additional.

Pricing 66

Pricing Customer Custom Advertising 66

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 9, 2014

I’m hoping this will help to save entrepreneurs time in their hunt for success, whilst adding some more meaning to their businesses. This helps to add some constraints to the design process as everyone has a clear idea of what the product isn’t. This is a missed opportunity (and demonstrates a misunderstanding of what design is ).

Startup 78

Startup Design Customer Custom 78

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2010

Here is a summary, with some of the pros and cons or special considerations for each: Product or service is free, revenue from ads and critical mass. Here your objective is to make money with the portfolio, some with high markups and some with low, depending on competition, lock-in, value delivered, and loyal customers.

Pricing 98

Pricing Product Startup Competition 98

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 16, 2015

There’s plenty of capital out there, but there’s also a lot of competition for startup funding. These are usually the first sources entrepreneurs tap. Designate a point person to handle the relationships. According to Shayne, only 1 out of 1000 business plans might get VC funding. These usually come into play at the seed stage.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Equity Funding 40

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 3, 2009

There are now a second generation of entrepreneurs and companies that have learned from their last successes and are producing great new companies like TopSpin Media , Sometrics and GumGum. As should Eric Sikola and ExpenseBay who won the “Showoff&# judges competition ( Photos featured here taken by (cc) Kenneth Yeung – [link] ).

Twiistup 228

Twiistup SoCal Southern California Yammer 228

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2010

Certainly both of these crowd-funding approaches provide the entrepreneur with an opportunity to hone his pitch, and get some real consumer feedback on the idea. When pitching to consumers, online or offline, the feedback will likely be on features and design. Tags: entrepreneurs crowd-funding startups business. Marty Zwilling.

Funding 59

Funding Startup Social Media Sample 59

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

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

Summary notes, as always, provide below. He was a life-long entrepreneur and the first business he created out of college (actually, he founded it while he was at Caltech) was a company that manufactured high quality audio speakers. Too many entrepreneurs focus on dilution. It was a pleasure to write them myself.

Competition 350

Competition Idealab Product CitySearch 350

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2023

I’ve heard it many times from technical entrepreneurs who should know better than to believe the old “ Field of Dreams ” sports fantasy movie theme in today’s Internet information overload environment. “If we build it, they will come.” Give credit.

Startup 95

Startup Coach Mentor Social Media 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I often feel the frustration of someone trying to build a startup in the wrong place and time, and wrongly attributing their struggle to personal limitations. Apple has since capitalized on the top technical talent in Silicon Valley to stay ahead of the competition.

Resource 131

Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

I heard it again recently from a technical entrepreneur who should know better than to believe the old “ Field of Dreams ” sports fantasy movie theme in today’s Internet information overload environment. “If we build it, they will come.” Give credit.

Marketing 130

Marketing Develop Development Startup 130

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

The popular view of a real entrepreneur is someone with a big vision, and a stubborn determination to charge straight ahead through any obstacle and make it happen. His new book on this subject, “ The Lean Startup ,” lays out how today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Platform Customer 102

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I raised money as an entrepreneur, like you, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 for two different companies. Executive Summary. If you want to watch the video version summary of my advice on fund raising it’s here. I never suggest that entrepreneurs just randomly pitch VCs. Don’t believe otherwise. Meet early.

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2012

The popular view of a real entrepreneur is someone with a big vision, and a stubborn determination to charge straight ahead through any obstacle and make it happen. His popular book on this subject, “ The Lean Startup ,” lays out how today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses.

Course 109

Course Startup Platform Entrepreneur 109

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2016

I heard it again yesterday from a technical entrepreneur who should know better than to believe the old “ Field of Dreams ” sports fantasy movie theme in today’s Internet information overload environment. “If we build it, they will come.” Give credit.

Marketing 89

Marketing Coach Mentor Social Media 89

Frank Addante

JUNE 4, 2006

. – Digital Messaging Infrastructure Company (incubated by Addante and Associates, LLC) Age: 25 - 29 (present) Time Period: 2002 - present My Role: Founder High Point: TBD Here is a summary of my experiences to-date with StrongMail: 1. Additionally, entrepreneurs get tired. Relaxing 2. Incubation 3. Go-to-Market 5.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Email CTO Hire 40

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

They need inside intrapreneurs who think and act like the outside entrepreneurs who are disrupting their business. I just completed a new book on this challenge, “ Disrupt-It-Yourself ,” by Simone Bhan Ahuja, which includes a great summary of the required attributes to maximize your success potential in this area.

Company 93

Company Companies Software Review IBM 93

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 5, 2010

The conversations bleed into the sales messages the next time, they wend their way into software designs and form the plan of attach against competition. For me one of the tell tale signs of a real entrepreneur is that they know how to network well enough to find technical talent to join them. What about offshoring?

Technical Advisors 335

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Offshore Startup 335