Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are the key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. Education and training roadblocks.

Startup 94

Startup Resource Training Ideas 94

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Every entrepreneur needs to learn how to do this by starting with the six principles of User-Centered Design (UCD) , as outlined by Solis in his book, and already adopted by key International standards organizations: Apply multidisciplinary skills and perspectives. Insist on customer engagement and user-centered evaluation.

Customer 150

Customer Custom Design Product 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are the key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. Education and training roadblocks.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Training 106

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur, technology has served you well. BlackTech Week was created in 2014, and in four short years, they’ve gained over 2700 participants, 150 speakers, and 3 pitch competitions. While winning pitch competitions is great, it’s not the most important thing about Startup of the Year.

Startup 140

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 140

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges.

Ideas 109

Ideas Entrepreneur Patents Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 1, 2015

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are the key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. Education and training roadblocks.

Startup 109

Startup Resource Training Ideas 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2012

Did you ever wonder how a new entrepreneur knows how to “do the right thing” for his business? At the base of these are moral values, but in my view most of the rest are gleaned from experience, parents, and formal education. Most experts believe that the essence of doing the right thing is ethics. Shedd, “ Build a Better B2B Business.”

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Satisfaction 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2012

Educate your customers on your business. Employee loyalty starts with good communication and training on their role, as well as how to better interact with customers. Get to know your customers, and actually call them by name, or even remember their likes and dislikes. Loyalty works from the top down.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Competition 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

One of the biggest challenges I have as an advisor to tech entrepreneurs is to convince you that marketing is required for your product, no matter how great it is, just to get it found with today’s information overload. A comparable problem is to get entrepreneurs to market themselves, for the same reason. In the new book, “ Convinced!:

News 91

News Startup Education Training 91

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are the key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. Education and training roadblocks.

Startup 57

Startup Resource Training Ideas 57

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

These days that’s not the case and it’s a great outcome for entrepreneurs and for innovation. A: Only because it’s a nicer branding for entrepreneurs. I totally agree and have been arguing this to entrepreneurs for years. I always counsel young entrepreneurs to start on the local train.

Venture Capital 308

Venture Capital Training Startup Entrepreneur 308

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

The first thing you are trained on, is to qualify customers and figure out if they need upright or inverted microscopes. Eugene Cho: We had a seed round for less than $3M, and we did a note round with the Tech Coast Angels for $2M after we won their Quick Pitch competition, over about 150 other companies. READ MORE>>.

Tech Coast Angels 124

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2015

As an angel investor, I hear many entrepreneurs making negative comments about competitors or asserting they don’t have any competitors. 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.

Capital 63

Capital Competition Case Study Patents 63

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

I’m a strong proponent of new entrepreneurs starting with a big vision, and believing anything is possible -- but I’m also a pragmatist who believes in factoring some realism into any plan. Entrepreneurs who expect funding at the idea stage are usually disappointed. First-to-market is a key competitive advantage.

Startup 58

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Ideas 58

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2013

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas Patents Training 100

socalTECH

APRIL 26, 2017

The first thing you are trained on, is to qualify customers and figure out if they need upright or inverted microscopes. Eugene Cho: We had a seed round for less than $3M, and we did a note round with the Tech Coast Angels for $2M after we won their Quick Pitch competition, over about 150 other companies. READ MORE>>.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Startup Sales Slides 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2016

The good news is that everyone expects entrepreneurs to make mistakes, since founders explore uncharted territory. If the market is new and competition is minimal, then the time and costs of educating potential customers probably exceeds your survival time and budget. Confidently believe that you have no real competitors.

Startup 59

Startup Training Entrepreneur Customer 59

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 9, 2015

Successful entrepreneurs make similarly educated guesses. Today’s entrepreneurs should take these historical commonalities to heart, as a means of predicting the future. Entrepreneurs who recognize such ramifications are well positioned to shape and commercialize emerging innovations. 1. The Hummingbird Effect.

Examples 100

Examples Startup Press Entrepreneur 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2011

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are the key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. Education and training roadblocks.

Startup 94

Startup Resource Training Ideas 94

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

Tech companies have spent the past decade or more developing innovations that can be applied to old-world industries like agriculture, construction, energy, education, manufacturing and transportation and logistics. Wander is one-such service providing high speed wireless internet in Los Angeles. Sick of your ISP?

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

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. Train every employee to be a customer service champion.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Organization 104

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 25, 2015

Every entrepreneur needs to learn how to do this by starting with the six principles of User-Centered Design (UCD) , as outlined by Solis in his book, and already adopted by key International standards organizations: Apply multidisciplinary skills and perspectives. Insist on customer engagement and user-centered evaluation.

Design 61

Design Product Customer Custom 61

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 15, 2016

On September 10th of this year I spent an entire day in California State Prison with people who had committed felonies and worked with them on business plans to help them create legal enterprise upon their release as part of Defy Ventures 6-month training program. I hadn’t cried this much maybe since childhood. And they didn’t want pity.

Writing 150

Writing Startup Design Training 150

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Natalia Oberti Noguera: Pipeline Fellowship is a program to educate and bring more women into the investment side of business. We also want to create more capital for women entrepreneurs to increase the chances of being funded and connected to a bigger network. Entrepreneurs are everywhere and capital isn’t.

Mentor 84

Mentor Invest Entrepreneur Startup 84

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2010

Out of 41 companies who submitted their software for approval, only three were accepted--us, McGraw Hill, and Peoples Education. Ramit Varma: From the entrepreneur's standpoint, we were really focused on cost, and building a business that was profitable at the margin level, from the beginning. But, that's also why we are in software.

Software Review 178

Software Review Technical Review Education Startup 178

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

Anne Fulton: I've always been a technology lover, although I'm an organizational psychologist by training. Anne Fulton: I've always been an organizational psychologist crossed with a serial entrepreneur. I can't help myself in being an entrepreneur. How did you start the company? This is like my fifth business.

Help 100

Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

The majority of our users are highly educated, young professionals between 25-39 years of age. Unfortunately he didn’t own a car so, in order to visit her, he had to shell out a lot of money each weekend on expensive train tickets. Any competition back home? What made the founders decide to become entrepreneurs?

Training 82

Training Marketing Competition Platform 82

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2010

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle and career move. From my experience, and the experience of other entrepreneurs, here are some key elements you should think about as part of the process: Personal interests and aspirations. If you are thinking non-profit (social entrepreneur), can you rally the world around your cause?

Startup 53

Startup Resource Training Ideas 53

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 10, 2012

Here are just a few: Nolan Bushnell , a seasoned entrepreneur who founded both Atari, Inc. He can also spin fire while balancing on a circus ball and whistlin – but not just any whistling, eric finished in the top 10 at the world’s whistling competition in Louisburg, North Carolina. for ourselves, our culture, and our planet.

Technical Advisors 89

Technical Advisors Design Education Study 89

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2011

This is especially true for companies with expensive and complex products or services that are more consultative in nature, like insurance, financial services, home services, education and travel, etc. Do you have any words of caution or advice for entrepreneurs who attempt to “Get Their Band Back Together”? “In You’re right.

Marketing 209

Marketing Advertising Paid Search Startup 209

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2011

Did you ever wonder how a new entrepreneur knows how to “do the right thing” for his business? At the base of these are moral values, but in my view most of the rest are gleaned from experience, parents, and formal education. Most experts believe that the essence of doing the right thing is ethics. Shedd, “ Build a Better B2B Business.”

Startup 91

Startup Coach Satisfaction Customer 91

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2010

Due in large part to the current economy and an ultra-competitive job market, a Gen-Y entrepreneurial tsunami is already upon us. Like you, an intern will wear multiple hats at a startup – amazing training at ground level for a young professional. In return, the intern benefits immensely from the experiential education.

Competition 96

Competition Startup Technical Review IBM 96

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2011

I’m investing in businesses that reinvent education. And while Maker Studios is pure entertainment, TreeHouse is pure education. The goal for today’s business is to educate broad groups of people in the existing workforce to improve their skills, broaden their knowledge and get ahead. And he makes it work.

Invest 295

Invest Carson Technical Review Education 295

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 12, 2018

Founder, Founder, Founder At Upfront we talk regularly about how 70% of our investment decision in Seed and A rounds is the quality of the entrepreneur and 30% is the quality of the idea. Jamie Siminoff is not only one of the single best true entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, he’s amongst the best we’ve worked with in the country.

Startup 247

Startup Pricing Product Marketing 247

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Image via Flickr by Side Wages Some entrepreneurs forget that they need an innovative business model along with an innovative solution to have a successful startup. Business experts recommend that entrepreneurs start their marketing first to confirm that they have real customer interest and an appealing product concept.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Startup Social Media Competition 60

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

He blogs to 10,000 web entrepreneurs at Software by Rob and co-hosts the podcast Startups for the Rest of Us. They are: Fred Wilson: Lead Investors, Dipshit Companies, and Funding Every Entrepreneur. Often board members give entrepreneurs two bits of advice regarding scale: Get a mentor. Dec 26, 2009). twenty in your wallet?

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 10, 2010

It’s the story of what’s broken with the education system in the US. It’s an important film and the most important topic of our generation if we as a country want to remain competitive in a world that has globalized. Yesterday I went to see the film Waiting for Superman. Wasn’t that the American promise?

Class 340

Class Education Technical Review Writing 340