Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 29, 2010

Mark Zuckerberg seems to be me to be one of the most talented young technology professionals of his generation and seems to have an amazing vision for technology and product. Competitiveness - One attribute that I believe most VCs look for in entrepreneurs is competitiveness. This competitive streak paid off.

Competition 296

Competition Entrepreneur Startup GRP Partners 296

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. People love Apple’s whole customer experience, and willingly pay a premium for the product. Much has been written about product design, but designing the total experience from the front rarely happens yet.

Design 105

Design Customer Custom Product 105

Berkonomics

JULY 27, 2017

If that were the ideal mode, many game-changing concepts would never have made it to market, including Fred Smith’s FedEx, first explained to a college professor in a paper returned with a C+ grade and the professorial comment that the idea was “good but impractical”. Your customers know what they want more than you do. Find one to teach you.

Customer 243

Customer Custom Design Conference 243

InfoChachkie

JUNE 20, 2011

Ryan Howard, the fictional Intern on the TV comedy, The Office. Michael Scott, the fictional head of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office, hires an Intern for all the wrong reasons. Due to their lack of practical experience, this delegation/efficiency tradeoff is especially acute with respect to hiring Interns.

Startup 244

Startup Software Review Technical Review Class 244

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2012

A startup begins with a great idea, but all too often, that’s where it ends. Ideas have to be implemented well to get the desired results. That’s why investors invest in entrepreneurs, rather than ideas. Your value chain consists of customers, partners, vendors, internal systems, and your own team.

Ideas 94

Ideas Startup Summary Competition 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2014

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. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Product 101

Product Entrepreneur Summary Activity 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2012

Why is it that most of the business plans I see are really product plans? I define a product plan as a detailed description of your product or service, with a bit of business thrown in at the end. A business plan is a detailed description of your business, with a bit of product description thrown in near the front.

Product 92

Product Outsource Development Competition High Tech 92

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. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2011

Why is it that most of the business plans I see are really product plans? I define a product plan as a detailed description of your product or service, with a bit of business thrown in at the end. A business plan is a detailed description of your business, with a bit of product description thrown in near the front.

Product 93

Product Entrepreneur Outsource Development Competition 93

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

Startup founders are known for their passion for their startup idea, and for their passion to kill every competitor. As small companies, neither startup could afford to extend their product alone, but through creative leadership, we were able to negotiate a win-win strategic partnership for a joint product. You can do the same.

Startup 173

Startup Outsource Development Examples Customer 173

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. People love Apple’s whole customer experience, and willingly pay a premium for the product. Much has been written about product design, but designing the total experience from the front rarely happens yet.

Customer 150

Customer Custom Design Product 150

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. Building through internal development, or organic growth, makes the most sense when you have a core set of skilled internal resources. External scanning for resources.

Organization 132

Organization CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 132

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021

Startup executives need to first build a culture and processes with communication and shared goals, rather than internal competition and bureaucracy. Good ideas come from anywhere, so the more voices the better. Good ideas come from anywhere, so the more voices the better. All team members must be committed.

Study 123

Study Competition Tool Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

My first suggestion is that entrepreneurs need to forget the old myth that all they need to do is sketch an idea on a napkin, and investors will line up to invest. Nice-to have” and “easier-to-use” products, or social ventures needing government support, are not likely to provide a financial return to investors.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Invest Funding Patents 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2016

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. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Product 55

Product Startup Summary Entrepreneur 55

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

When Fred Wilson funded Twitter I guarantee you it wasn’t obvious that it was a billion dollar idea. 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. Far from it.

Funding 362

Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

TechCrunch LA

AUGUST 9, 2022

The funding, a Series C, will be used to continue expanding Boulevard’s product and engineering teams and to build out more tools targeting an ever-wider set of users in the bigger wellness and beauty sector (those product additions are typically big — it most recently added a whole new payments feature).

Help 195

Help Startup UCLA Tool 195

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2015

In building successful businesses, I find that creating a new and innovative product or service is usually the easy part. Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders. Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders. Marty Zwilling.

Product 103

Product Coach Framework Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2017

Most business leaders today realize that smart management of scarce resources is the key to competitive success. Leaders who are able to optimize these find multipliers of 20 percent up to nine times the average productivity. That’s why they manage money so carefully. Reduce organizational drag on every team member.

Product 58

Product Startup Guide Framework 58

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 25, 2015

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. People love Apple’s whole customer experience, and willingly pay a premium for the product. Much has been written about product design, but designing the total experience from the front rarely happens yet.

Design 61

Design Product Customer Custom 61

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

However, to be a great VC you have to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at the same time. They might be ideas they hatch internally (via a Foundry) or a founder who just left SpaceX and raises money to search for an idea. On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

socalTECH

MARCH 14, 2014

How do you bring an outside perspective and a startup''s nimble perspective to your products, if you''re a big, established company? Are developers willing to invest their time and energy in building solutions around your products, company, or organization? Tell me a little bit about your hackathons, what they are all about?

Edmunds 172

Edmunds Southern California Ideas Startup 172

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

Los Angeles-based Enrou (www.enrou.co) thinks it has a way--by connecting people with products that also help support international development and causes, via its own online marketplace. Ann Wang: Enrou is an online, content driven marketplace for products in developing communities around the world.

Commerce 140

Commerce Help UCLA Organization 140

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2010

Conventional wisdom in most companies is that “the competition is the enemy&# – it’s the rallying cry to dig deeper, get more features out the door, issue press releases citing differences and attack the competition’s weaknesses in sales presentations. A healthy respect for your competition will serve you well.

Cloud Computing 320

Cloud Computing Competition Press Startup 320

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 8, 2016

I met Andrew Stalbow and Petri Järvilehto from Seriously several years ago after they had just left Angry Birds where they were responsible for international business development / licensing and the game studio, respectively. It started with a series of books and is now a multi-billion dollar franchise with products, theme parks and games.

Startup 150

Startup IP Class Media 150

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 1, 2013

Obviously these folks were serious about winning this competition, and had no time to worry about who the guy taking pictures with his iPhone. Microsoft , MySpace , WIX and Nokia all joined the Sponsors list by providing funds and products to distribute as awards. We’ve got to admit, their app was quite dazzling.

UCLA 96

UCLA Ideas Yahoo Competition 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

My first suggestion is that entrepreneurs need to forget the old myth that all they need to do is sketch an idea on a napkin, and investors will line up to invest. Nice-to have” and “easier-to-use” products, or social ventures needing government support, are not likely to provide a financial return to investors.

Funding 123

Funding Startup Entrepreneur Invest 123

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2022

In building successful businesses, I find that creating a new and innovative product or service is usually the easy part. Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders. Great entrepreneurs are not just idea people and then managers, they are extraordinary leaders.

Coach 114

Coach Framework Entrepreneur Tool 114

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2023

Look for more ways to demonstrate a competitive advantage, and partner with complementary organizations if you need strength in manufacturing, distribution, or customer support. Productivity and results are a result of personal commitment and accountability, rather than hours worked. Assure team members are always fully engaged.

Customer 91

Customer Custom Marketing Startup 91

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2010

Why is it that most of the business plans I see are really product plans? I define a product plan as a detailed description of your product or service, with a bit of business thrown in at the end. A business plan is a detailed description of your business, with a bit of product description thrown in near the front.

Product 48

Product Outsource Development Competition High Tech 48

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Great Startup Ideas Come From Everywhere. "At "At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top – I'm afraid that's not quite right." They also internalize their professional failures while externalizing their team’s successes. " [Tweet this quote].

Tips 275

Tips Startup IP Santa Barbara 275

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2015

New product process. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics. Creating intellectual property, including patents, is the key to long-term value and a sustainable competitive advantage. Idea management.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2022

Of course, growth is implied in that equation, and is also required for maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage. I think you will find that most investors will relate to the following strategy for keeping the right perspective and getting the profit versus growth balance right: Pick an idea that has the potential to make money.

Platform 118

Platform Snapchat Startup Course 118

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

You’d imagine that companies selling tons of shelfware would quickly meet their deserved fate in the market, yet the spin around a category of software can fool buyers into thinking they “must have this product to compete.” How frequently they’re using the product? ROI studies were published. I know, I know.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

The fact that entrepreneurs tend to think outside the box with passion and persistence is a big positive, and it's clearly the reason many large companies now fund or buy successful startups for new innovations rather than depend on internal projects. Great ideas will have no trouble getting funded.

Startup 58

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Ideas 58

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

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. And believe me they were vocal about it.

Help 365

Help Invest Venture Capital Technical Review 365

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 31, 2014

Darren Gao, the event organizer from Wowfand, stated, “I put on this even not only to promote wowfand.com as an international fan funding website, but also to support student startup projects in Southern California.”. The pitch competition was split into two categories, a technology and nontechnology section.

Startup 101

Startup USC UCLA Southern California 101