Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Business success is all about having the best team, yet the average entrepreneur has little prior experience with hiring people and building top-notch teams. Most new entrepreneurs assume their passion will attract and motivate the right team members. Hiring before organizational structure is defined. It won’t happen by default.

Organization 104

Organization Satisfaction Entrepreneur Screening 104

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Without taking a dime of outside capital, the company has achieved impressive success in a competitive, SaaS market segment, landing companies such as Nike, Intuit, NASA, AutoDesk and PBS. The problem is that stakeholders, like marketing and sales, don’t know what the latest version of the roadmap is.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2020

Business success is all about having the best team, yet the average entrepreneur has little prior experience with hiring people and building top-notch teams. Most new entrepreneurs assume their passion will attract and motivate the right team members. Hiring before organizational structure is defined. It won’t happen by default.

Organization 135

Organization Satisfaction Entrepreneur Screening 135

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2012

It’s a well-accepted axiom in the investor community that entrepreneurs learn more from their failures than their successes. Don’t focus too much on the competition. You hear about all the parallel entrepreneurs, like Steve Jobs running Apple and Pixar at the same time. Wise people can become great entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Tips Startup Ideas 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2011

Equally important, marketing and sales people should be able to identify benefits and marketing strategies, set prices, and validate a business model. Competition analysis. Here is where you pick a few of these, characterize what they do, and position your own product to show your competitive advantage. Market research.

Product 93

Product Entrepreneur Outsource Development Competition 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2019

Yet it is the one element that too many entrepreneurs focus on only as an afterthought. A couple of years ago, I saw a classic primer on the key elements of great online content that I like, in “ Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition ,” by Michael Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com.

Customer 93

Customer Custom Marketing Tips 93

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

The best entrepreneurs in our industry focus on it year-round as opposed to just once every 18 months. How to get your Series A mojo back The rest of the outline I’ll write as a series to come back to this blog if you want to read more. … But if there is nothing wrong with you then please don’t let early rejections alter your course.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

The most important advice I could give you before you set out in fund raising mode is to understand that fund-raising a sales & marketing process and needs to be managed. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them. In sales there are also three rules: Qualify, qualify, qualify.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2020

Even in this age of videos and text messages, the quickest way to kill your startup dream with investors, business partners, or even customers, is embarrassingly poor writing. In the competitive realm of business, you only get one chance to make a great first impression. Keep your writing voice friendly and courteous.

Writing 125

Writing Entrepreneur Summary Email 125

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 109

Startup Writing Mentor Sample 109

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Unless you are a serial entrepreneur with a string of successes behind you, you need a business plan to convince investors that you can build a business out of the dream that has been driving your passion to change the world. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment. Marketing, sales, and customer experience.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2011

Alain Theriault, better known as StartupCoach , tells entrepreneurs that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start by writing a cook book (business plan), you work in the kitchen for a while, you learn some tools of the trade, you experiment with a few recipes, you test on willing clients. then you can start writing a recipe.

Entrepreneur 91

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Metrics 91

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 24, 2011

On this blog I’m often trying to combine lessons for entrepreneurs and market commentary. I have long wanted to write about FNAC (feature, not a company) because it’s part of my normal lexicon to push teams that present to me to think harder about where the economics in their industry is coming from.

Email 270

Email Writing Blogging Competition 270

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This week I wrote about obsessive and competitive founders and how this forms the basis of what I look for when I invest. I had been thinking a lot about this recently because I’m often asked the question of “what I look for in an entrepreneur when I want to invest?” It’s gonna suck, I know. Angel Yourself.

Startup 409

Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. It’s insanely competitive to get into our industry so most have degrees from institutions like Stanford, Harvard, Wharton and University of Chicago (blatant plug ;-). VCs, how to select a VC, etc.) Most VCs are book smart.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Berkonomics

MAY 29, 2014

Richa is a successful entrepreneur and technologist giving back to the entrepreneurial community in many ways, including his weekly Internet TV program on entrepreneurism, and participation in several mentoring programs. . By JJ Richa. Business planning is a crucial part of a successful business. assess past performances.

Startup 166

Startup Guide Help Mentor 166

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Most sophisticated investors ignore them, focusing their attention on an entrepreneur's pitch and presentation materials, financial forecast and executive summary. As noted in Entrepreneurs Shouldn't Pitch Their Ideas To Venture Capitalists , most sophisticated investors place their bets on people rather than opportunities.

Venture Capital 211

Venture Capital Summary Technical Review Template 211

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2017

Yet it is the one element that too many entrepreneurs focus on only as an afterthought. A couple of years ago, I saw a classic primer on the key elements of great online content that I like, in “ Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition ,” by Michael Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com.

Content 67

Content Marketing Newsletter Writing 67

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage.

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2013

Too many entrepreneurs still believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and investors will throw money at you. This is sad, since “how to write a business plan” is a frequent topic found in every business journal, and a common title in the business section of every book store. No problem. Marty Zwilling.

Sample 92

Sample Writing Startup Summary 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2: As expected at least one person accused me of writing this post because I want to see lower valuations. I have conversations with entrepreneurs and other VCs on a daily basis about fund raising, the prices of deals, how much companies should raise, etc. I acknowledged this in the article. I’m just making the commentary.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2014

Yet it is the one element that too many entrepreneurs focus on only as an afterthought. A couple of years ago, I saw a modern-day primer on the key elements of great online content that I like in “ Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition ,” by Michael Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com.

Startup 103

Startup Content Newsletter Writing 103

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

The path I went down after a few years was to hire more process driven people and devolved more daily operational ownership to people running individual functions such as product management, sales management, finance, etc. One of the most obvious places where you see this is in sales & marketing. Ditto the CFO. I was the laggard.

Sales 296

Sales Pricing Startup Customer 296

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. I have had this discussion with many a first-time entrepreneur.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2012

Yet it is the one element that too many entrepreneurs focus on only as an afterthought. Not too long ago, I saw a modern-day primer on the key elements of great online content in “ Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition ,” by Michael Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com. Then write it down.

Content 99

Content Startup Newsletter Writing 99

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 1, 2010

You’ll get sales information from your VP of Sales, marketing information from your VP Marketing, tech information from your CTO and so on. An obvious example would be in sales. By going on sales calls you pick up directly the feedback of what customers want and also what they’re telling you about competition.

Startup 308

Startup CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 308

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 21, 2012

Too many entrepreneurs still believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and investors will throw money at you. This is sad, since “how to write a business plan” is a frequent topic found in every business journal, and a common title in the business section of every book store. No problem.

Sample 96

Sample Writing Summary Startup 96

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2010

I get paid (well) for interesting people to come in and tell me how they want to change the world – Being an entrepreneur is like having blinders on. At least for the best entrepreneurs. Some people do the conference circuit too much, get involved in lots of side projects and attend every entrepreneur dinner. I love it.

Venture Capital 312

Venture Capital Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur 312

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2012

Equally important, marketing and sales people should be able to identify benefits and marketing strategies, set prices, and validate a business model. Competition analysis. Here is where you pick a few of these, characterize what they do, and position your own product to show your competitive advantage. Market research.

Product 92

Product Outsource Development Competition High Tech 92

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

I recently read a post over on VentureHacks titled, “ Top Ten Reasons Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers &# written by Scott Walker (who blogs on legal issues for entrepreneurs ). I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. Shame about not getting it in legal writing that you owned the original IP.

Startup 318

Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

I believe that it is part of the DNA of an entrepreneur – being so competitive that you’re practically sick when you lose. Entrepreneurs are neurotic about it. They’re competitive. Write things down. We helped the write out their requirements for a system. Be gracious.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

I believe that it is part of the DNA of an entrepreneur – being so competitive that you’re practically sick when you lose. Entrepreneurs are neurotic about it. They’re competitive. Write things down. We helped the write out their requirements for a system. Be gracious.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2012

You may have already found several articles, web pages, or books about writing the perfect executive summary. They all offer a list of requirements that might take 50 pages to address, but of course they ask you to write concisely. Your competitive advantage. Don’t kill your credibility by saying you have no competition.

Summary 97

Summary Writing Competition Sample 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2011

Yet it is the one element that too many entrepreneurs focus on only as an afterthought. I just finished a modern-day primer on the key elements of great online content in “ Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition ,” a new book by Michael Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com. Then write it down.

Content 94

Content Startup Newsletter Writing 94

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2010

Too many entrepreneurs still believe the urban myth that you can sketch your idea on a napkin, and investors will throw money at you. This is sad, since “how to write a business plan” is a frequent topic found in every business journal, and a common title in the business section of every book store. No problem.

Startup 91

Startup Funding Sample Writing 91