Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

In my consulting work, when I ask team members in startups and small businesses how they know whether they are doing a good job, the typical response I get is “Nobody has yelled at me today,” or “No news is good news.” A little competition for results is always a good thing. Tell them why it is important and how good you feel.

Startup 133

Startup Mentor News Coach 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2023

Every startup and every new business needs a unique selling proposition (USP) to get people’s attention these days, and make it stand out in the information overload we all see. I’m looking for the “hook” right up front, or I lose interest quickly, just like every customer and investor these days. Is the opportunity large and growing?

Startup 96

Startup Education Ideas Custom 96

Tech Zulu Event

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Music Prodigy , a Los Angeles based music education technology firm serious on improving the way people learn, play and interact with music beat over 70 startups with their app Rock Prodigy to win the Silicon Beach Awards. Beat 70 Start-ups. it’s like a video game! Winning Combination.

Education 106

Education Startup Technology Patents 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

They are devastated when their business growth never starts or stalls, and they have no idea how to get it moving again. As an advisor to many startups, I often spend hours with business owners helping them anticipate every possible obstacle to the adoption of their solution, and developing a rollout plan to include antidotes.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Custom Customer 174

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

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. Educational. Highly relevant and educational content if irrelevant if you can’t make it easy for people to understand. Your content must continue to deliver new ideas.

Content 146

Content Newsletter Competition Writing 146

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2021

Thus, in my role as mentor to young entrepreneurs, I always recommend that you first take a hard look at your own values and priorities, before jumping into any new startup, as the founder, or even as a side hustle. Timing is critical for every startup. Of course, if you wait for the perfect time, you may never start.

Startup 159

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Equity 159

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2022

How many times have investors heard startups start their pitch by touting that their technology is “disruptive?” What entrepreneurs forget or don’t realize is that most customers are wary of all technology, educating the market on new technology is expensive, takes a long time, and people buy problem solutions rather than technology.

Startup 89

Startup Technical Review Technology Social Media 89

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

Fortunately, the Startup of the Year program aims to make it easier for founders to connect with resources. In 2006, a passion to help startups grew into Tech Cocktail , a company whose mission was to showcased burgeoning companies in bars around the country. Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (Fargo, ND).

Startup 141

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 141

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

The passion has to be in the business context – meaning results oriented, customer oriented, and sensitive to competition. Thus you should do the same or more due diligence on educational background, previous work, and references. Look impartially from all angles and do the follow-up on all relevant previous roles.

Software Review 154

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2021

If your innovation is real, it brings added value to the table, so most customers, especially early ones, are willing to pay a premium over competitive products. This pricing strategy started primarily associated with buffet restaurants, but the concept has now been applied to many other businesses.

Pricing 145

Pricing Startup Competition Examples 145

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Ironically, as a startup investor and mentor, I have seen too many failures caused by just the opposite – too much money spent too soon, taking time to get product perfection, and assuming customers will wait. How many times have you actually made up work to keep an idle person busy? Find new ways to augment. Marty Zwilling

Resource 112

Resource Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2021

In my role as mentor to many of you aspiring entrepreneurs, I often find you convinced that all you need to start is a unique innovation or idea , and now you are ready to jump in with both feet and enjoy the ride. Remember that being an entrepreneur is all about starting and running a business, after the initial invention.

Satisfaction 135

Satisfaction Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 135

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 11, 2021

The link-in-bio business is heating up as more mobile website builders compete for a coveted slice of real estate on a creator’s TikTok, Instagram or Twitter. Linktree has been around since 2016 and has more funding than its up-and-coming competitors. Now, Snipfeed enters the ring with its own $5.5 Image Credits: Snipfeed.

Platform 286

Platform Commerce Tool Startup 286

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2021

Every entrepreneur tries to maximize his startup growth by building and selling more product and services for the widest geographic area that he can support. In every startup, as well as in mature companies, there is no substitute for constantly maintaining a pipeline of alternatives. External scanning for resources.

Organization 132

Organization CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 132

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2023

The challenge is to find the time and initiative to keep up with the information wave, and be able to curate the data into knowledge that must be learned, unlearned, or relearned. It requires an attitude of self-education, versus an assumption that someone else will provide the education. Marty Zwilling

Social Media 120

Social Media Startup Entrepreneur Education 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

I believe these principles, paraphrased here, should be adopted by every entrepreneur struggling to accomplish innovation in a startup in any market: Innovation can come from anywhere in the organization. Startup leadership and survival is all about execution. That culture has to come from the top down, by your actions and messages.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Google Startup Organization 114

Southern California Edison Blog

DECEMBER 8, 2021

Malicious attackers perceive tech startups as vulnerable, valuable targets: startups often have fewer infrastructure protections and smaller IT teams than their more established counterparts, and multiple connections to larger companies with lucrative data. . Recognize the signs of malware: pop-ups and disabled programs.

Startup 96

Startup Email Networking Southern California 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2012

Herein lies an opportunity for startups to beat the big guys. Whatever the reasons for the change, and there are many, it represents a big opportunity to the small businesses and startups who recognize it. Educate your customers on your business. Customers say it takes ten good experiences to make up for one bad one.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Competition 104

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

The sweeping infrastructure package put forward today by President Joe Biden comes with a price tag of roughly $2 trillion (and hefty tax hikes) but gives startups and the broader tech industry about $1 trillion worth of reasons to support it. The vast majority of those are nowhere up to modern codes. ” Climate resiliency .

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 23, 2012

"I started the site when I was 19. "When you give everyone a voice and give people power, the system usually ends up in a really good place. " When asked about the competition he feared most, Bill Gates is alleged to have said, "the two guys inventing away in a garage somewhere." 1) Get A Mentor. "I

Startup 268

Startup Tips CTO Coach Technical Review 268

socalTECH

OCTOBER 10, 2013

In what is a fairly unusual move, last week, Tradesparq (www.tradesparq.com), a Chinese startup in the area of B2B trade information, said it was planning on setting up its operations here in Southern California, as part of an expansion and scaling of the company. Michael Kleist: We started in 2010. What is Tradesparq?

Southern California 170

Southern California Startup SoCal CTO Hire 170

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2022

In these changing times, if you already have a startup, with no plan, maybe it’s time to think ahead for a change. Do you love managing your own schedule, overcoming obstacles, starting a new adventure, facing financial risk, and relish the opportunity to change the world? Education and training roadblocks. Visualize the future.

Startup 115

Startup Resource Training Ideas 115

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. Techpreneurs. All-Star Alumni.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

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. While these may be necessary for funding, they may not be sufficient to make your startup the great success embodied in your vision.

Startup 97

Startup Education Custom Customer 97

SoCal Tech Calendar

MAY 2, 2019

The New Venture Fair (NVF) is a valuable part of Cal Lutheran's entrepreneur education experience, in which student teams share their innovative startup projects in a competitive environment. The NVF is a dynamic and exciting evening where the community gets its first look at Cal Lutheran's exceptional student entrepreneurs.

Education 100

Education Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2023

The cost of any new product these days must include education and rollout marketing, perhaps equal or greater than the development costs. These disruptive technologies also have the potential for exposing your business to new competitors, including a wealth of startups that can jeopardize your core business, and redefine the marketplace.

Product 141

Product Services Technical Review Artificial Inteligence 141

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. While these may be necessary for funding, they may not be sufficient to make your startup the great success embodied in your vision.

Education 151

Education Customer Custom Sales 151

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

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Let me start with the news that I’m excited to share with you. Competitive (Athlete: skier & rowed at Princeton, hates losing at everything she does). Startup CEO experience (Founded P.S. XO along with my good friend Soleil Moon Frye. She rolls up her sleeves and helps get tasks done rather than just directing people.

Venture Capital 408

Venture Capital Startup Outsource Development CitySearch 408

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2020

I believe these principles, paraphrased here, should be adopted by every entrepreneur struggling to accomplish innovation in a startup in any market: Innovation can come from anywhere in the organization. Startup leadership and survival is all about execution. That culture has to come from the top down, by your actions and messages.

Artificial Inteligence 165

Artificial Inteligence Google Startup Organization 165

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

It’s always been tough to start a new business, even when the bottom line was just making a profit to stay alive. The real challenge with the triple bottom line is that these three separate accounts cannot be easily added up. Starting and running any business is hard work, so the last thing you need is “success” with no satisfaction.

Startup 110

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 110

InfoChachkie

MARCH 9, 2019

As a Professor at UC Santa Barbara , I constantly battle Hollywood’s stereotype of the rapacious, maniacal businessperson, by teaching my students that Honesty is a competitive advantage. Lesson: “To a contrarian like me, constant advice not to do something almost always starts me quickly down the risky, unpopular path.”

Startup 100

Startup Netflix Entrepreneur Metrics 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2015

Social media is so pervasive in today’s world that every entrepreneur believes instinctively that they know how to use it for their startup. Startups should begin by selecting just a few of the vast array of social media offerings out there, and customize based on results. Concentrate your efforts on two to three platforms to start.

Social Media 108

Social Media Media Startup Tips 108

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.” Educate them on the benefits, educate them on safety, and provide helmets.”

Santa Monica 221

Santa Monica Startup Education Technical Review 221

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2014

Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. Educational. Highly relevant and educational content if irrelevant if you can’t make it easy for people to understand. Your content must continue to deliver new ideas.

Startup 103

Startup Content Newsletter Writing 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

As an advisor to many startups, I often see business principles espoused that may make sense for a large and established business trying to foster innovation but won’t work for a new startup. Startups don’t typically find any funding from investors until they prove they can execute, have a proven model and are ready to scale.

Startup 58

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Ideas 58