Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2022

After many years in business, I’m convinced that none of us has the strengths and interest in all the areas needed for success, including solution changes, finance, marketing, and operations. Idea people often don’t get funded as entrepreneurs, because a new business is all about results, not just ideas.

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Activity Satisfaction Metrics Startup 108

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

My friend Michael Broukhim, founder & co-CEO of FabFitFun and I recently had a catch-up meeting for 3-miles on the Santa Monica “Bird Trail” No company has ever elicited so many questions by friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs, fellow VCs and journalists as has Bird, the company that pioneered the electronic scooter as a service market.

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Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2015

Serious entrepreneurs know that, but too many “wannabes” still fall for that elusive get-rich-quick scheme with no risk. As an active Angel investor, I still hear entrepreneurs asserting large opportunities with minimal risk and no competition. My conclusion either way is that they have no market, or haven’t looked.

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Entrepreneur Startup Marketing Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

All true entrepreneurs operate off a set of tenets that are built into their psyche, or drilled into them from training and mentors. I assert that designers have a lot in common with entrepreneurs, since both must innovate and start a deep understanding of what their customer really wants (“customer-centered”).

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Design Ideas Competition 103

socalTECH

JULY 24, 2018

Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF) recently announced the California Climate Cup ([link] a new startup competition tied into the upcoming Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco in September. How did the competition come about? This is one opportunity to do that.

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Competition Incubator Startup Ideas 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Others, like Guy Kawasaki , have irreverently called some of these “entrepreneur lies,” but I prefer to think of them as innocent enhancements or omissions that can kill your deal. Target market sizing higher than $10 billion. Sales projections are less than one percent market penetration. Skip the hype.

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Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2013

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. It’s important to stand up to competition and wear your reputation on your sleeve. Raise the marketing bar.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Sales 93

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 23, 2010

Maybe the market views this as not worth the price you paid? So by offering convertible debt you can avoid a price discussion in the same way that angel investors sometimes do in order to win competitive early-stage deals. So my view is that VCs and entrepreneurs need to make tougher choices. And it adds up.

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Startup Funding Venture Capital Pricing 290

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2011

The result was a massive increase in startups & a whole group of new funding sources: both angels & “micro VCs&#. With more competition in early-stage many VCs are investing smaller amounts at earlier stages. We all know the result of the over-funding of the asset class – poor returns in aggregate for the industry.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2012

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk drivers that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Examples Social Network Marketing 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2011

All true entrepreneurs operate off a set of tenets that are built into their psyche, or drilled into them from training and mentors. I assert that designers have a lot in common with entrepreneurs, since both must innovate and start a deep understanding of what their customer really wants (“customer-centered”).

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Design Ideas Competition 103

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2018

Most aspiring entrepreneurs are convinced that their idea and passion are so great that failure is not a possibility. They relate quickly to one of the big successes out there today, including Facebook, Airbnb, or Snap, and can give you a dozen reasons that they are in the same category.

Startup 99

Startup Competition Examples Ideas 99

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

He said, “They need an unbiased view of the fund raising environment because there is too much misinformation and everything seems to be changing fast.&#. This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. They have seen one side of a market where many of us have seen the ebb and flow multiple times. I believe that.

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Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

And we wanted a head of global marketing. In the same year they won Business Insider’s Startup competition. And I had been telling my partners for a couple of years that I thought Ethan was one of the more talented entrepreneurs I had come across in San Francisco. Nice sweep! We like to be able to see the concept.

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CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

I rarely talk to any startup entrepreneur or VC who doesn’t feel it and somehow long for simpler times despite the benefits we all enjoy from increased enthusiasm for our sector. For entrepreneurs there’s too much money sloshing around. One needs to be in during bull markets and bear markets.

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Software Review Startup Venture Capital Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2017

Serious entrepreneurs know that, but too many “wannabes” still fall for that elusive get-rich-quick scheme with no risk. As an active angel investor, I still hear entrepreneurs asserting large opportunities with minimal risk and no competition. My conclusion either way is that they have no market, or haven’t looked.

Entrepreneur 68

Entrepreneur Marketing Custom Customer 68

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

In the Los Angeles startup world, there are lots of high profile, buzzy companies which have lots of attention and funding--but which haven''t earned a dime of revenue. Brett Rossman: ConsumerTrack is a performance-based, online marketing company. What is ConsumerTrack all about? What''s the story behind the company?

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Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2010

I’ve seen too many entrepreneurs try to do things on the cheap. But there are also problems / risks: - the funding environment might change dramatically – there may never be a next round (see: March 2000, September 11, 2001 and September 2008). - Google suddenly makes your product category free). -

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Startup Venture Capital Capital Competition 319

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2014

Serious entrepreneurs know that, but too many “wannabes” still fall for that elusive dream of a get-rich-quick scheme with no risk. As an active Angel investor, I still hear entrepreneurs asserting large opportunities with minimal risk or no competition. There is no real business opportunity without risk. Operational.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Marketing Custom Customer 93

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. You may have leverage when you DO need to fund raise. There is a healthy tension between profits & growth.

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Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2019

Every aspiring entrepreneur I know is convinced that his or her idea could be the next big startup, blossoming into a billion dollar unicorn. Yet I find that only a few are able to put their passion aside for a moment, and compare their solution to the attributes that really attract a large market of new customers.

Startup 91

Startup Custom Customer Examples 91

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2012

All true entrepreneurs operate off a set of tenets that are built into their psyche, or drilled into them from training and mentors. I assert that designers have a lot in common with entrepreneurs, since both must innovate and start a deep understanding of what their customer really wants (“customer-centered”).

Startup 94

Startup Design Entrepreneur Ideas 94

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2013

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk drivers that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 104

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Social Network 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2012

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. It’s important to stand up to competition and wear your reputation on your sleeve. Raise the marketing bar.

Startup 94

Startup Outsource Development Sales Social Media 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2016

Whether you are talking to peers, competitors or investors, you as an active entrepreneur will be judged on your familiarity with today’s startup and funding jargon. In that context, I offer you my latest collection of popular investor-to-entrepreneur terms and concepts. Frothy is good for entrepreneurs.

Startup 57

Startup Software Review Equity Invest 57

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 ). So eventually you have your company funded but only 2 of the 5 people who started the company are still around. the link is here.

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Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

In our industry we applaud the efforts for entrepreneurs to have tried and we know that today’s failure can bring the experience for tomorrow’s success. Market Size. It’s ok to target a small market and you can probably build a niche business that is extremely valuable to you as an individual.

Startup 150

Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2014

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. Most entrepreneurs, with no experience, believe that they can make good money with lower margins than competitors. Show red ink to match your funding request.

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Equity Venture Capital Invest Pricing 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

As an entrepreneur looking for professional investors, one of the quickest ways to lose credibility and get rejected is to start with a ridiculously high pre-money valuation. It’s like trying to sell a home still being built at next year’s dream market price. Get premium for billion-dollar markets with double-digit growth rates.

Startup 71

Startup Patents Invest Blogging 71

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2013

Most entrepreneurs struggle with financial projections, not wanting to commit to numbers they can’t deliver, and having no clue what investors might consider reasonable. Most entrepreneurs, with no experience, believe that they can make good money with lower margins than competitors. Show red ink to match your funding request.

Startup 97

Startup Equity Entrepreneur Venture Capital 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2011

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. It’s important to stand up to competition and wear your reputation on your sleeve. Raise the marketing bar.

Tips 92

Tips Startup Services Outsource Development 92

socalTECH

APRIL 14, 2010

I was working with sponsors and partners, and finding that they were interested in identifying smaller markets where they could hone in on an audience, versus buying ads on something like iVillage with millions of eyeballs. Those are our three biggest categories as far as sponsorship and readership. Is this competitive with Modern Mom?

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Networking Social Media Startup Search Engine Optimization 230

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2010

An alternative is to start a niche company with an orphan drug that, if successful, is protected from competition for several years. Each one has the potential of annual sales more than $1 billion, which puts it in the new “blockbuster" drugs category: Metabolic disorders. Drugs in this category are commonly called “statins.”

Startup 77

Startup Venture Capital Sales Entrepreneur 77

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2012

” And because most startups have 12-18 months’ cash-on-hand at any point in time (usually less that 1 year, actually), the age old neurosis of whether to fund raise now or “wait and see what buyers might propose” comes up. “Giving up 1% of your market cap to take out biggest threat is a savvy move.”

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Venture Capital Pricing Social Network Acquisition 316

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. I might also be concerned about taking my idea directly to a large, well funded competitor who is know for innovation. Since I fall into the expert category, my belief is that you should be pretty open with me. You’ll get suggestions for improvements.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk sources that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 89

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Social Network 89

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Photos that are prime real estate and have never been monetized before, until one very ambitious Silicon Beach startup, GumGum , recognized the opportunity and created the first and largest in-image advertising platform, and an entirely new market. Though competitors have sprung up, Tanz welcomes the competition to help define the market.

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Advertising Santa Monica Startup Content 98