Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. The result, called resourcefulness, allows entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the face of scarcity. Let your constraints drive innovation.

Resource 112

Resource Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 112

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. You need partners, mentors, and investors who can complement your own resources to make it a win-win for all involved.

Resource 131

Resource Startup Capital Mentor 131

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

The part of the movement that resonates the most with me (in my words) is that entrepreneurs should keep their capital expenditures really low while they’re experimenting with their product and determining whether there is a large market for what they do. This benefits you, the entrepreneur. It takes options off of the table.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2019

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Competition 120

Competition Patents Resource Invest 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2020

Most entrepreneurs spend far too much time thinking negatively about competitors, and can’t resist making derogatory statements to their own team, to investors, and even to customers. As an investor, I always listen carefully to what an entrepreneur says, and does not say, about competition.

Competition 125

Competition Entrepreneur Patents Custom 125

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

A continuing question I hear from young entrepreneurs is whether a university degree is important to startup success, or just a distraction in achieving their purpose in the world. Both provide entrepreneurial “head start” programs for aspiring entrepreneurs, free legal guidance, and access to experienced staff members.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2023

Most entrepreneurs spend far too much time thinking negatively about competitors, and can’t resist making derogatory statements to their own team, to investors, and even to customers. As an investor, I always listen carefully to what an entrepreneur says, and does not say, about competition.

Competition 111

Competition Entrepreneur Patents Custom 111

Berkonomics

JULY 20, 2023

An important part of the budget is expected revenue for the coming year, a critical factor in setting hiring and resource expectations for the year. Many entrepreneurs are impatient by nature, not the best of detailed planners. The post What’s the difference between your budget and forecast?

Resource 291

Resource Email Competition Entrepreneur 291

Berkonomics

MARCH 30, 2012

There is still abundant money available for early stage investment, but many of the rules have changed, as well as the processes for accessing these resources. An entrepreneur utilizes online communities to solicit pledges of small amounts of money from individuals who are typically not professional financiers.

Funding 192

Funding Entrepreneur Startup Invest 192

Berkonomics

APRIL 24, 2014

Often I see executive summaries from entrepreneurs who have never managed any form of business, or even managed employees in their past life, and who don’t know the first thing about business formation and managing for growth. I used to tell them to find a partner with knowledge in business creation and management.

Coach 250

Coach Seed Funding Summary Incubator 250

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Most entrepreneurs spend far too much time thinking negatively about competitors, and can’t resist making derogatory statements about them to their own team, investors and even to customers. As an investor, I always listen carefully to what an entrepreneur says, and does not say, about competition.

Competition 107

Competition Entrepreneur Patents Custom 107

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2019

An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. We have no competition.”. Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur come out with that one. It is a failed litmus test for the entrepreneur, even if the plan is for a totally new device or service that could take the world by storm.

Competition 120

Competition Slides Research Sales 120

socalTECH

JANUARY 17, 2013

The coworking space now has plenty of competition (ROC in Santa Monica, Nextspace @ Amplify, NextSpace Culver City, IO/LA, Coloft), but it appears there are enough entrepreneurs and others with an interest in coworking and temporary space that multiple providers are needed to support the community.

Culver City 256

Culver City Santa Monica SoCal Southern California 256

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2021

In my role as mentor to business professionals, I often get the question about your potential of going out on your own as an entrepreneur, versus your current role of working for a boss at an established company. Able to marshal people and other support resources. Entrepreneurs must react and recover quickly.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Ideas Social Media 158

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2014

Don’t bash the competition. Every investor knows how vulnerable a new startup is to competitors, so investors always ask about your sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. That says you are competitive today, have a real barrier to entry, and the potential to remain ahead of the competition for a long time.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Competition Patents Resource 110

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 4, 2014

In fact, for the past 27-years, he has specialized in bringing exotic travel destinations to those of us who are healthy and active but whose competitive sporting days are long behind us. If you could share one startup lesson with a young entrepreneur, what would it be? Ever fantasized about climbing Mt.

Entrepreneur 187

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Advertising 187

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2021

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. The result, called resourcefulness, allows entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the face of scarcity. Let your constraints drive innovation.

Startup 164

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Competition 164

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Entrepreneurs see “no risk” as meaning “no reward.” Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. These are risks that can be mitigated with the right resources. In reality, all risks are not the same.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Resource Metrics Custom 129

Berkonomics

JUNE 1, 2017

An important part of the budget is expected revenue for the coming year, a critical factor in setting hiring and resource expectations for the year. But during the year, if the forecast revenues fall short or are greatly exceeded, it is fair to revise the budget and rethink your hiring and resources.

Course 243

Course Resource Email Competition 243

Berkonomics

AUGUST 5, 2011

Over the years, I have often heard the complaint from CEO friends that they have become so swamped by the demands of their growing businesses that they feel themselves further and further from the center of their industry, no longer at the forefront of information and competitive development.

Marketing 191

Marketing Demand Media Resource 191

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Get help with grant funding and incubator resources. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Class Startup Resource 110

socalTECH

JUNE 20, 2012

We caught up with Sam Teller , who is directing efforts at the accelerator, to help fill entrepreneurs in on where the program fits in the world of technology and startup acceleration. It was really just something built for the community to help support entrepreneurs. For readers, LaunchpadLA is all about?

Class 261

Class Mentor Startup Santa Monica 261

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Many entrepreneurs after taking outside investment defer to their board for matters of direction that include setting the vision, as well as executing the plan. The board then assures that management receives or has resources to affect the vision, monitoring progress at each step. Email readers, continue here.]

Resource 217

Resource Email Competition Entrepreneur 217

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. Too many entrepreneurs think that expert external advisors are suspect, or will slow them down.

Startup 131

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Custom 131

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. Startups simply don’t have the resources to keep ahead of large competitors who see initial traction and go after it. Investors check connections.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 5, 2013

It is most often missed assumptions about the market, the competition, the speed of adoption, or other critical metrics you’ve researched, or selected, or even just guessed at to create your plan. Without a trace of how the business will get that one percent, the entrepreneur confidently shows that this is all it takes to make us all rich.

Metrics 239

Metrics Startup Marketing Demand 239

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 25, 2018

They soon learn that they are entrepreneurs who will launch a magical venture that involves a restorative meal, a communal celebration and reassurance that better days are ahead. Every entrepreneur is faced with making something out of nothing. Dishonest entrepreneurs are unsuccessful in the long run.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Ideas 153

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2021

As I have said many times, the cost of entry for an aspiring entrepreneur has never been lower, and the total wealth of opportunities has never been larger. I was inspired by the classic book, “ Resource Revolution: How to Capture the Biggest Business Opportunity in a Century ,” by Stephan Heck and Matt Rogers.

Startup 162

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Social Media 162

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

This conversation seems to come up very frequently these days both with portfolio companies and with entrepreneurs just looking for mentorship. I like to tell entrepreneurs that the “fairway&# of fund raising is 25-33% per round. Only … ONLY … if there’s a sense of competition on the deal.

Help 303

Help Startup Competition Framework 303

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

Many questioned whether it could survive under the fail whale, inevitable competition from Facebook, founder fighting, fights with 3rd-party developers let alone become a revolutionary business that could make money. He simply is inspirational as an entrepreneur, an inventor and as somebody who wants to make a difference in the world.

Funding 362

Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Each of these activities should have associated costs and resource requirements.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and get rich these days. There are lots of resources available for that question, including the Internet and mentors like me. As an example of a good resource, I enjoyed the classic book, “ Idea To Invention ,” by Patricia Nolan-Brown, that does a great job on the key steps.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

Smart founders use this extra resource to their advantage. Ability to source information easily to help build a thesis around companies / industries / competition. Great networking skills, which are critical when you want to be about to reference entrepreneurs & concepts and bounce your ideas off of other people in the industry.

Help 365

Help Invest Venture Capital Technical Review 365

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2022

Most people agree that entrepreneurs have to think differently and take risks to have much chance of building a successful business. In the classic book “ The Entrepreneur Mind ,” from serial entrepreneur Kevin D. Johnson, he outlines 100 essential beliefs, insights, and habits of serious entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Startup Custom Customer 117

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Entrepreneurs will have a relative willing to devote time, a school friend with business experience, professionals who charge for the service, investors with a reason to promote your success and more. We had no term for such work in those days, and created the phrase “resource capitalist” to describe the person and process.

Coach 243

Coach Organization Resource IBM 243

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 6, 2011

Pull Quote: “If you are smart, competitive, hard working and passionate about what you do you will have the best experience of your life. With that said, what books, blogs or other resources do you recommend for emerging entrepreneurs? If you don’t possess all of those things, it will suck and you will be fired.

Entrepreneur 232

Entrepreneur Competition Software Review Course 232