Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

In case you hadn’t noticed, the key elements of a competitive advantage for your business have changed as businesses move online, and your domain is instantly global. As a business advisor, I have to recommend even to established companies that they review and revamp their competitive strategy now, even if it appears to be working today.

Competition 142

Competition Software Review Social Media Customer 142

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. They are also seeking to find out how you handle one of the many tough questions that a new founder will get in today’s market.

Competition 120

Competition Patents Resource Invest 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2020

As an investor, I always listen carefully to what an entrepreneur says, and does not say, about competition. Every business area has competition and every customer has alternatives, so a smart entrepreneur needs to acknowledge these as a positive in defining a big market, and position the features of a new solution in this context.

Competition 125

Competition Entrepreneur Patents Customer 125

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2019

An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. We have no competition.”. Perhaps buyers cannot obtain attractive financing in the current market. We investors see this all the time. When asked (as we always do,) the response is “This is new. External factors to consider. Consider the state of the economy.

Competition 120

Competition Slides Research Sales 120

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 16, 2013

Tracy DiNunzio, Founder and CEO of Tradesy , recently shared her insights regarding the best approach for entrepreneurs to address competition. Tracy addressed the issue of competition head on, telling the largely student audience, "As I started to think about launching Tradesy, I looked around and there was a lot of competition but.

Competition 254

Competition SaaS Santa Barbara Entrepreneur 254

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2022

Marketing is everything these days. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. I like the guidance from marketing coach David Newman’s classic book “ Do It! Don’t fall into the marketing-speak trap. Good marketing is not rocket science. Marty Zwilling.

Marketing 141

Marketing Startup Social Media Technical Review 141

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

Great marketing is required to generate revenue and grow every business, especially new businesses which have no brand recognition nor loyal customer base. I also look for a commensurate portion of the plan describing the specific innovative marketing deliverables, beyond the traditional marketing items.

Marketing 133

Marketing Customer Custom Outsource Development 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Market and customer positioning. Clearly focusing on the right market and customer profile sets your competitor differentiation. Competitive and leadership leverage. A good strategy provides opportunities for internal actions and leaders to optimize and extend a firm’s competitive advantage.

Competition 110

Competition Sales Customer Custom 110

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2022

In my role of business advisor to startups, I often recommend these to increase initial brand identity and market penetration. With the rate of market change today, and the advent of worldwide competitors, you need every strategy you can muster to keep up, and respond quickly to new threats.

Marketing 119

Marketing Social Media Mentor Conference 119

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 24, 2022

In one industry I know well, the dominant player with 22% market share was acquired by one of the largest companies in the technology world. What if you had abandoned that market, reallocated your resources, and focused instead upon other non–competitive geographical or industry segments? Quietly abandon a niche?

Resource 156

Resource Competition Examples Customer 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2015

In reality, resource constraints should be seen by startups a competitive advantage, by forcing them to develop new markets, and to think differently and act differently than existing players. The result, called resourcefulness, allows entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the face of scarcity. Marty Zwilling.

Resource 98

Resource Entrepreneur Competition Startup 98

Berkonomics

JUNE 16, 2022

We can invent lots of metrics to measure progress for a leader, including revenue, profit, employee satisfaction, cost containment, percentage of available market, and more. Yes, if you are a bad leader of people, you will lose human resources and frustrate your attempt to reach to goal. What is your leadership end game goal?

Resource 156

Resource Satisfaction Metrics Course 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2015

Every entrepreneur I know is short on resources, including time, money, and skills. Waste in a startup is any activity that spends resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. More features and inventory added early will be wasted as you will need to pivot to match the real market.

Resource 105

Resource Startup Entrepreneur Training 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2018

Every entrepreneur I know is short on resources, including time, money, and skills. Waste in a startup is any activity that spends resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. More features and inventory added early will be wasted as you will need to pivot to match the real market.

Resource 52

Resource Training Entrepreneur Activity 52

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2021

In reality, resource constraints should be seen by startups a competitive advantage, by forcing them to develop new markets, and to think differently and act differently than existing players. The result, called resourcefulness, allows entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the face of scarcity. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 164

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Competition 164

TechEmpower

AUGUST 7, 2023

Increasing competitive advantage? Getting something to market and getting funding override any other concerns. More on the Role of the Startup CTO Eric Ries, a great resource, answers the question What Does a Startup CTO actually do? Exploring new technologies? The answer is: it depends. Please write us at blog@techempower.com

CTO Hire 260

CTO Hire Develop Development Fractional VPE 260

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 12, 2023

Let’s examine the relationship between time, quality and competitiveness. There is always a trade-off between cost for testing, time to market and risk of problems. If you are getting the impression from these many insights that complex relationships cause simple problems, you are right. There is little need to reinforce the obvious.

Software Review 156

Software Review Examples Competition News 156

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2014

This raises a big red flag with potential investors, who conclude that no competitors means no market, or you haven’t looked, and the new startup is likely not investable. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Thought leadership position in your market and customer set.

Competition 93

Competition Startup Patents Slides 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2020

Instead, they need to validate a customer problem and real market need first. Smart entrepreneurs build market-driven solutions, per the following principles: Size the opportunity and customer interest first. Your passion isn’t enough to create a market. Disruptive technologies require customer education to create a new market.

Technology 127

Technology Marketing Social Media Customer 127

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2012

Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” Perhaps buyers cannot obtain attractive financing in the current market. That statement has killed more investment deals than almost any other. Well, come to think of it, this is especially true in such an instance.

Competition 189

Competition Slides Sales Ideas 189

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

This raises a big red flag with potential investors, who conclude that no competitors means no market, or you haven’t looked, and the new startup is likely not investable. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Thought leadership position in your market and customer set.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 4, 2021

Every entrepreneur I know is short on resources, including time, money, and skills. Waste in a startup is any activity that burns resources, but creates no value or competitive advantage in the eyes of customers. More features and inventory added early will be wasted as you will need to pivot to match the real market.

Startup 161

Startup Resource Training Entrepreneur 161

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

As an investor, I always listen carefully to what an entrepreneur says, and does not say, about competition. Every business area has competition and every customer has alternatives, so a smart entrepreneur needs to acknowledge these as a positive in defining a big market, and position the features of a new solution in this context.

Competition 107

Competition Entrepreneur Patents Customer 107

Berkonomics

AUGUST 16, 2018

Markets and competitors change. 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 120

Marketing Demand Media Entrepreneur 120

Berkonomics

JANUARY 25, 2024

If you are lucky enough to create competition among investors for your company, you can select the investor or group with an individual who has experience in your niche and identifies with your vision. We had no term for such work in those days and created the phrase “resource capitalist” to describe the person and process.

Coach 156

Coach Organization Resource Equity 156

Berkonomics

MAY 28, 2020

But for most, the true sign of success and potential for even more is in the landing of a major account, one that validates the pricing, quality and competitive advantages of a company’s offering. Aim high for that major account. How large a fish can you handle? A personal story about dealing with too large a company.

.Net 156

.Net Resource Competition Customer 156

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

Classic marketing teaches us that this is the best way to define our audience, and to make appropriate pitches that will elicit favorable response from the target audience. She doesn’t fit into the demographic mold, and she will be missed when using any of the traditional marketing methods of communication.

Marketing 120

Marketing IP Email Class 120

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 8, 2020

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. Where did you get the data to drive your assumptions of market size or market share? What is your market size?

Company 156

Company Companies Metrics Resource 156

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2013

Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic growth) of increasing revenue and market share. Economies of scale also apply to marketing, distribution, and sales. New management skills.

Organization 97

Organization Competition Startup Acquisition 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2019

Marketing is everything these days. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. I like the guidance from marketing coach David Newman’s classic book “ Do It! Don’t fall into the marketing-speak trap. Good marketing is not rocket science. Marty Zwilling.

Marketing 97

Marketing Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 97

Berkonomics

AUGUST 5, 2011

Markets and competitors change. 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

NOVEMBER 26, 2014

Most technical entrepreneurs cringe when they finally realize that marketing is still king, despite the power of technology, and they are up against competitors who have a hundred times their spending power. The cost of entry to market on these is low, and marketing leverage has very little to do with the size of your budget.

Marketing 101

Marketing Startup Case Study Resource 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2022

Once your business is running and sustainable , everyone these days expects it to grow, as an indication of long-term health and competitiveness. Everyone is looking for that magic strategy that will keep them growing, even during market and company changes. Trim your overhead and reduce spent resources.

Organization 128

Organization Acquisition Competition Resource 128

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2023

Even though many of these can be mitigated by testing and early customer feedback , you will find that it pays big dividends to do your homework before building and rolling out every new initiative: In today’s customer data overload, marketing is essential. Even more important than solution marketing is building your brand.

Product 141

Product Services Technical Review Artificial Inteligence 141

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

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. If the customer need is obvious and large, the calculated risk is in the quality of your solution, your team, and marketing. In reality, all risks are not the same.

Resource 121

Resource Metrics Entrepreneur Customer 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2015

Entrepreneurs and startups often ask if they should select only social media for marketing, or stick with digital media, or just count on traditional media. None should be considered competitive mutually exclusive to any other. Social media as a marketing tool is here to stay, and is now widely accepted.

Social Media 108

Social Media Media Marketing Resource 108

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

Eventually you need a VP of Product to handle your product roadmap, a CTO for engineering leadership and VPs of sales, marketing & biz dev. If you hire truly talented people you end up definitionally with a lot of competitive peers who will inevitably jockey for resources and control. A larger marketing team?

Entrepreneur 385

Entrepreneur CTO Hire Startup Sales 385