Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

Image via Wikipedia The challenge for all of us in business is to improve competitiveness by improving employee productivity and reducing costs. I loved it when my boss gave me the additional responsibility of mentoring others in solving tough problems. Many companies also promote local mentoring and coaching opportunities.

Tips

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

In my experience as an advisor and mentor, I have assimilated the following most frequent negative reactions from others to your ideas, with my own suggestions and feedback from other experts on how to counter them, build your credibility, and be more productive: The implementation does not fit the way we do things.

Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2018

I believe these insights can and must be extended to you and your career, in line with the following guiding principles: Make your interest in learning your competitive advantage. Smart employers look for these as they contemplate your competitiveness for new roles. Define personalized learning goals with a timetable.

Examples

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2018

For example, I still find businesses asking you to print, sign, and return documents by mail in lieu of digital signatures or email. It takes a well-rounded and motivated team to run a competitive business today. Yet, I’m still frustrated by the number of business owners that haven’t updated their business-as-usual practices.

Technical Review

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

Document and communicate a solid business plan. Assess who you can get for value and mentoring. Disruptive technologies require the vision and willingness to take a big leap, whereas incremental changes to existing competition must be managed with data and finesse. Devise a strategy for your long-term role or exit.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Based on my experience as an angel investor and a mentor to dozens of entrepreneurs, having no business plan is the quickest way to define yourself as just a dreamer, or at best a hobbyist. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment. No mention usually means no plan and not competitive. The details can be added later.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2017

This shortcut to avoid hard discussions and signed documents leads to more dysfunctional businesses and broken relationships than you could imagine. Advisors and mentors enhance the learning and effectiveness of even the best business leaders. Count on family members and friends to grow the business.

Entrepreneur

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 price base, make money on disposables.

Pricing

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2018

Of course, you may not have the time or desire to read through every document in your space, but it’s not so hard to find and follow some key influencer blogs on social media. Find mentors and advisors who have more relevant business experience, insist you see things that aren’t on your radar, and spot what’s coming around the corner.

Customer

Frank Addante

MAY 12, 2007

Since India still seems to be the most popular place to outsource, I will give my ratings based only on my experiences (directly and indirectly) on outsourcing to India: Cost (Today = 2; 5 Years Ago = 4): Costs in India have been rising as competition for resources grows. While still considerably less then the U.S.,

Outsource Development

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2023

Based on my experience as an investor and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, one of the quickest ways to kill your credibility and your startup is to offer a poorly written business plan, or none at all. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Startup

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

And as I’ve written about before – building a personal brand is extremely important in today’s competitive job market. I was building a document management company and he was building a document signature company. Without inventing the browser he has single-handedly created a personal VC brand on a shoestring.

SaaS

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2021

Based on my experience as an investor and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, one of the quickest ways to kill your credibility and your startup is to offer a poorly written business plan, or none at all. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Sample

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2015

Based on my experience as an investor and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, one of the quickest ways to kill your credibility and your startup is to offer a poorly written business plan, or none at all. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Many aspiring entrepreneurs I mentor can talk at length about their innovative ideas and passions, and ask lots of good questions, but never make much progress in building a real business. Write all goals in the future tense, be as specific as possible, and make an effort to raise each goal one level higher to set you above your competition.

Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Too many aspiring entrepreneurs I mentor can talk at length about their innovative ideas and passions, and ask lots of good questions, but never make much progress in building a real business. This three percent with written goals will earn as much as ten times more than the ninety-seven percent without documented goals.

Writing

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2023

Many aspiring entrepreneurs I mentor can talk at length about their innovative ideas and passions, and ask lots of good questions, but never make much progress in building a real business. Write all goals in the future tense, be as specific as possible, and make an effort to raise each goal one level higher to set you above your competition.

Writing

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2020

In my years of mentoring and working with startups, I’ve seen and read about some amazing disruptions, as well as recoveries, and I’m sure each of you could add your own. Every startup needs to build and monitor their list of top competitive risks, and size the cost of a quick direction shift if the worst case happens.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2014

In my years of mentoring and working with startups, I’ve seen and read about some amazing disruptions, as well as recoveries, and I’m sure each of you could add your own. Every startup needs to build and monitor their list of top competitive risks, and size the cost of a quick direction shift if the worst case happens. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2022

In my years of mentoring and working with startups, I’ve seen and read about some amazing disruptions, as well as recoveries, and I’m sure each of you could add your own. Every startup needs to build and monitor their list of top competitive risks, and size the cost of a quick direction shift if the worst case happens.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2015

In my years of mentoring and working with startups, I’ve seen and read about some amazing disruptions, as well as recoveries, and I’m sure each of you could add your own. Every startup needs to build and monitor their list of top competitive risks, and size the cost of a quick direction shift if the worst case happens.

Startup