Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2016

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Ideas 62

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Competition 62

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

A large, wireless carrier (AT&T) was willing to break it’s traditional rules in order to get access to innovation that it believed (correctly) would help it to sell more contracts and win more market share against its primary competitor (Verizon). Why Exclusivity Matters to Your Customers or Business Development Partners.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Startup Customer Custom 150

socalTECH

JULY 8, 2010

Whoever wins, these are some of the local firms in interesting markets--and their tough, well-backed head-to-head competition--worth watching. Funding: Around $4.0M. Funding: $12.8M. HauteLook, one of the first firms to capitalize on the sample/private sales market, is already profitable and is growing rapidly.

Southern California 124

Southern California Rustic Canyon SoCal Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. It takes a long immersion in the marketplace for someone to be a true insider, understand the subtleties of the competitive landscape, recognize the people who are true assets (independent of titles), and look through the propaganda of technical collateral and PR campaigns.

Technical Advisors 105

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Funding process. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 107

Startup Outsource Development Training Outsource 107

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. Streamline management costs.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. Early customers and contracts in progress add value. NewCo doesn’t have any of these yet.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Patents Outsource Development 98

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

To grow faster businesses need resources in today’s financial period to fund growth that may not come for 6 months to a year. The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. You may have leverage when you DO need to fund raise. “COGS” represents the amount that each sale costs you.

Startup 418

Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. It takes a long immersion in the marketplace for someone to be a true insider, understand the subtleties of the competitive landscape, recognize the people who are true assets (independent of titles), and look through the propaganda of technical collateral and PR campaigns.

Technical Advisors 57

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 57

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. Streamline management costs.

Startup 94

Startup Outsource Development Sales Social Media 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. It takes a long immersion in the marketplace for someone to be a true insider, understand the subtleties of the competitive landscape, recognize the people who are true assets (independent of titles), and look through the propaganda of technical collateral and PR campaigns.

Technical Advisors 98

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 98

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2012

The product plan tells your developers what to build, and the marketing team what to market. Enough detail is required so that someone else can build it without you (outsourcing). Equally important, marketing and sales people should be able to identify benefits and marketing strategies, set prices, and validate a business model.

Product 92

Product Outsource Development Competition High Tech 92

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. Streamline management costs.

Tips 92

Tips Startup Services Outsource Development 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2013

Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Funding process.

Outsource Development 92

Outsource Development Training Outsource Metrics 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2011

The product plan tells your developers what to build, and the marketing team what to market. Enough detail is required so that someone else can build it without you (outsourcing). Equally important, marketing and sales people should be able to identify benefits and marketing strategies, set prices, and validate a business model.

Product 93

Product Entrepreneur Outsource Development Competition 93

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

In the initial phases of any new market you’re developing a product (hopefully with a minimal set of features), getting feedback from customers, refining your product based on user feedback and then re-launching your product. Markets develop for a complex set of factors that are often beyond all of our control.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Funding process. What is your business objective?

Startup 102

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2010

Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Funding process. What is your business objective?

Startup 95

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 95

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Others hire consultants, or outsource much of the real work. An obvious reason is limited funds, but a more important reason is the need to know and intimately understand what is really going on in the business and the market. Too many entrepreneurs are reluctant to start the sales process, preferring to tweak and refine the product.

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Template Mentor 103

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. Early customers and contracts in progress add value. NewCo doesn’t have any of these yet.

Startup 108

Startup Invest Patents Outsource Development 108

Tech.Co

MARCH 8, 2018

Fortunately, for those headed to SXSW, Startup Night SXSW 2018 , presented by the Kauffman Foundation and TechCo, will be filled with investors from a multitude of industries who are looking to discover and fund startups building the latest solutions and tech innovations. Lisha Bell, Deal Flow Lead for Pipeline Angels.

Technical Review 70

Technical Review Startup Software Review Entrepreneur 70

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2012

Others hire consultants, or outsource much of the real work. An obvious reason is limited funds, but a more important reason is the need to know and intimately understand what is really going on in the business and the market. Too many entrepreneurs are reluctant to start the sales process, preferring to tweak and refine the product.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Template Mentor 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2010

The product plan tells your developers what to build, and the marketing team what to market. Enough detail is required so that someone else can build it without you (outsourcing). Equally important, marketing and sales people should be able to identify benefits and marketing strategies, set prices, and validate a business model.

Product 48

Product Outsource Development Competition High Tech 48

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. Trust me – that kind of encounter can mean the difference between securing a contract, protecting yourself from getting turfed or getting acquired one day.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

We spent time out in the marketplace talking with customers, looking at their solutions, comparing ourselves with our competition and then squirreling ourselves away in our offices designing our next set of features. Our sales guys were on the front line and heard what they needed to win deals. Tim started to change our processes.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Two founders have spent $200K of personal and family funds over a one year period to start the company, get a prototype site up and running, and have already generated some “buzz” in the Internet community. Early customers and contracts in progress add value. NewCo doesn’t have any of these yet.

Startup 93

Startup Patents Outsource Development Web 93

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. You’ll refine your sales and investor pitch.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

socalTECH

MARCH 20, 2009

It seems like you'd be somewhat competitive to what they do. All of them are a non-issue, because we're either paying for it, or it's through a legacy contract with them through the ABCSearch side. How is the company funded? Dan Yomtobian: The company was funded from selling stock in my other company, Findology.

PPC 113

PPC Sherman Oaks Advertising Yahoo 113

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. You’ll refine your sales and investor pitch.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

InfoChachkie

JULY 18, 2011

When you play Monopoly with your children, you can subtly underscore an entrepreneurial mindset in their gameplay which will ultimately help them develop valuable startup skills, as described below. Monopoly is a great training ground to develop rudimentary cash management skills. Hands On Learning.

Entrepreneur 216

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Paramount 216

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

1) Expect Independent Channel Sales Reps To Perform Missionary Sales. Rationale: I cannot afford to hire a direct sales force. Fallacy: Third-party, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) representatives succeed once the sales process is defined, proven and documented. Public relations at a startup is a sales process.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 1, 2009

A number of international versions were developed soon after its initial release, but America has consistently remained the bastion of Monopoly’s popularity. Monopoly is a great training ground to develop cash management skills. Often, these funds are all that sustain a player and allow them to remain in the game.

Outsource Development 154

Outsource Development Entrepreneur Training Startup 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

To be clear, I define a product specification as the technical definition of your product, to be used for development and testing purposes, with a quick business summary for context. Call out your top competitors, highlighting your sustainable competitive advantage, including patents, trade secrets. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 3, 2013

But while universities are developing online content they are not fundamentally disrupting leaning because the method of delivery is not a new business model. We also spoke about technology systems in the perspective of global competition. The numerator (return) encourages more sales, which is fine. I don’t believe it.

Venture Capital 403

Venture Capital Education Offshore Outsource Development 403

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2018

Whether you’re fund raising from angels, seed investors and VCs?—?as It’s like the entire industry wants to outsource its brain to the smartest person they know and then follow that person. I mention this because it’s critical that you not let the fund raising process psyche you out. as an industry we succumb to “herd mentality.”

Press 232

Press Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 232

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

They are: Fred Wilson: Lead Investors, Dipshit Companies, and Funding Every Entrepreneur. I've funded some myself. The expanding pool of angel, seed, and super seed funds is another. He blogs to 10,000 web entrepreneurs at Software by Rob and co-hosts the podcast Startups for the Rest of Us. twenty in your wallet? Final Thought.

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 18, 2009

You’ve got to put the competition into perspective. We were strong in the UK and they were strong in Germany and Israel (where they had a development office). I had developed a great relationship with the CEO whom I still admire (he left many years ago). So Apax went ahead and funded iScraper without us.

Entrepreneur 298

Entrepreneur Startup GRP Partners Venture Capital 298