Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2023

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything. Use every marketing channel available.

Case Study 89

Case Study Customer Custom Study 89

Tech.Co

MAY 31, 2023

But while competition remains fierce, the advancement and accessibility of smart solutions are making it easy than ever for startups to find their feet. Yet, with so many tools vying for the attention of business owners, navigating the over-saturated market can be overwhelming. From its 4.3-inch

Tool 128

Tool Startup Software Review Technical Review 128

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything. Use every marketing channel available.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2021

With the advent of the Internet, social media, and instant communication via texting, customer expectations for service, as part of their entire customer experience, have changed. They expect you to be there, to know their history as a customer, and to treat them with priority and respect. Company finds customers based on interests.

Customer 171

Customer Custom Social Media Design 171

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

If your startup is great enough to get a term sheet from angel investors or a venture capitalist, the next step for the investor is to complete the dreaded due diligence process. All need to know who will be there and what you expect. If the product is in customer hands, expect some customers to be interviewed.

Technical Review 152

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Summary 152

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

They expect to be surprised and delighted as well by their pre-purchase experience and post-purchase interactions. The challenge is to transform and hardwire your entire team to think in these terms, rather than the default focus on distinct towers of product quality, closing the sale, or fixing a complaint.

Customer 106

Customer Custom Startup Competition 106

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

I know all of this because every VC knows this because we’ve all either funded companies that have marketing technology or we’ve seen a pitch with a company that does this. Your pitch deck should really be your best marketing tool Your pitch deck shouldn’t contain your deepest, darkest secrets and plans. A deck is a deck.

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

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. In my experience, competition is the biggest challenge here. We all need to play to our strengths, and team with others for complementary needs.

Activity 108

Activity Satisfaction Metrics Startup 108

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2022

Almost instantly, via the Internet or on their smartphone in the store, they can find the lowest price alternative or their favorite features, without waiting for push marketing or listening to your best sales person. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. Build a relationship and trust quickly.

Customer 146

Customer Custom Startup Course 146

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. Here are the major elements of the best product plans: Market requirements section. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

socalTECH

JULY 17, 2019

We were not expecting that kind of a reception at all, and we were really excited about it. Five years ago, somebody in the market for a car might go to three or four dealerships before deciding which vehicle to purchase. The other thing that is great about AR, is it's not just about gaming. That's not the case anymore.

Sales 124

Sales Research Content Edmunds 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

Very few entrepreneurs have the range of skills and experience to be the solution creator as well as business creator, or operational as well as sales leader. If both of you are experts at software development, even though one loves design and the other loves coding, that still won’t get the marketing done. Marty Zwilling.

Software Review 154

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2020

They expect to be surprised and delighted as well by their pre-purchase experience and post-purchase interactions. The challenge is to transform and hardwire your entire team to think in these terms, rather than the default focus on distinct towers of product quality, closing the sale, or fixing a complaint.

Customer 168

Customer Custom Services Startup 168

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2011

Value Prop Twitter Style : “Ringrevenue’s call performance marketing platform enables ad networks, agencies, advertisers & publishers to generate more inbound sales calls.”. In today’s market, so much focus is placed on transacting business online. Who do you view as your biggest competition? You’re right.

Marketing 209

Marketing Advertising Paid Search Startup 209

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2021

You get great satisfaction from overcoming all obstacles, and you have no problem with living or dying by your own decisions. You have read all the stories of Google and Apple hitting on a great idea, beating the odds, and being worth millions in just a couple of years. It means you'll be facing a lot less competition.

Startup 168

Startup Ideas Satisfaction Entrepreneur 168

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

You alone will never find enough hours in a day to keep with all the challenges of sales, support, and scaling the business, in addition to developing and delivering your solution. Intellectual property is required for a competitive edge. Even the best solutions require marketing to survive.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Berkonomics

APRIL 18, 2019

How do you manage a great business, as opposed to be a survivor? But if a good person is failing at their job, it may be because you have not provided the resources necessary for that person to do the job expected. How do you efficiently get your offering from development to market? The fourth “P” is for process.

Help 120

Help Resource Product Email 120

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

In short, the VC industry is very sharp-elbowed amongst some very competitive people who are used to winning and most deals don’t have enough space to share investment rounds so people were naturally pretty quick to judge A16Z. But privately now most VCs I know contend that it has gone much better than they had initially expected.

Venture Capital 264

Venture Capital Invest Funding Competition 264

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2021

Like the old saying, you only get one chance for a great first impression. Usually that means have a Plan B and Plan C, just in case your initial source doesn’t materialize, or takes much longer to finalize that you expected. Choose a large market in a growth industry. Reassess new entrants and competitors every month.

Startup 170

Startup Study Journal Sample 170

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2022

People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above. Your great idea for the next Facebook may make you wealthy, but it probably won’t help the hungry. The right time to jump is a function of favorable career, personal, and market circumstances. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 130

Startup USC Entrepreneur Statistics 130

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2021

As a consumer, I rarely pay attention to your marketing pitch, but I certainly always remember a exceptionally positive total experience with your team, based on a memorable set of interactions from first contact to discussions with friends. You need to treat your employees just as you expect them to treat customers.

Customer 147

Customer Custom Technical Review Metrics 147

Berkonomics

MAY 2, 2012

If a good person is failing at the job, it may be because you have not provided the resources necessary for that person to do the job expected. Like a great orchestra, it takes a skilled conductor to bring the best out of the collective members of the group. How to get your offering from development to market?

Resource 228

Resource Product Email Competition 228

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 11, 2014

For instance, a team comprised solely of engineers is greatly handicapped, as is a team exclusively made up of sales and marketing executives. Competitive Rivalry - Constructive internal competition that does not derail a startup from achieving its strategic goals will enhance your teams overall performance.

Startup 257

Startup Santa Barbara Competition Journal 257

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2020

Almost instantly, via the Internet or on their smartphone in the store, they can find the lowest price alternative or their favorite features, without waiting for push marketing or listening to your best sales person. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. Build a relationship and trust quickly.

Customer 124

Customer Custom Startup Course 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

Here are the motivation elements that investors expect to hear: Size and growth potential of the market opportunity. Your customers don’t care if you are targeting a billion-dollar market and growing at double-digit rates, but investors will skip small or shrinking opportunities. First to market” is not sustainable by a startup.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. I can’t control the market. Private markets for stocks are the opposite.

Startup 336

Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

In reality, there isn’t much overlap between the business pitch I expect, versus a product pitch. Here are the unique business elements that I expect to hear as a potential investor: Target market size and growth projections. Intellectual property and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2021

With PPC, the goal is for the search user to not only see your ad, but to click on it to get to your website (click-through), and buy your widget (conversion to sale). You may be getting great traffic, but poor conversions. Both have the same end goal of getting people to your website. Tracking and performance reporting.

PPC 154

PPC SEO Paid Search Search Engine Optimization 154

Tech Coast Venture Network

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

Businesses today are striving for the same thing.record setting performance, or out-performing the competition. What Makes A Great Competitor? In business, as in sports, great competitors possess certain qualities that set them apart from the competition. A Self-Driven Work Ethic Great athletes don't need to be pushed.

Competition 100

Competition Demand Research Sales 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

For example, it’s great to pursue a higher purpose, like feeding the hungry, but don’t forget that running any business is a hungry mouth you have to feed. It still amazes me that some entrepreneurs seem totally at a loss on this question, or customer retention rate, or even margin expectations.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Social Media Examples Metrics 162

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. In today’s information overload, marketing is everything. Use every marketing channel available.

Product 95

Product Case Study Customer Custom 95

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

I agree with YouTube (that they provide more (hosting, ad sales, etc.) Of course it’s a competitive market so MCNs competing for top talent not only compete on rev share to talent but also to services that they provide talent. But we’re a technology company that produces great video not the other way around.

Networking 366

Networking Media Content Customer 366

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. Here are the major elements of the best product plans: Market requirements section. Opportunity segmentation and competitive environment.

Product 101

Product Entrepreneur Summary Activity 101

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2017

As an angel investor and business advisor on new ventures, I expect to see five-year financial projections from every entrepreneur. Founders point to the great number of financial unknowns in any new business, and are reluctant to “commit” to any numbers which may come back to haunt them later. Project unit-volume and price levels.

Pricing 57

Pricing Startup Entrepreneur Invest 57

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

The part of the movement that resonates the most with me (in my words) is that entrepreneurs should keep their capital expenditures really low while they’re experimenting with their product and determining whether there is a large market for what they do. Nascent startup markets are like fine wine, they take time to develop.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2012

I need your help in getting it to market.” Investors expect energy, conviction, and commitment from entrepreneurs. How do you expect them to get excited, if your startup sounds like a dull subject to you? Unlike [competition], we [differentiation].” Quantify the market. Present a sustainable competitive advantage.

Startup 113

Startup Patents Template Competition 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2019

Very few entrepreneurs have the range of skills and experience to be the solution creator as well as business creator, or operational as well as sales leader. If both of you are experts at software development, even though one loves design and the other loves coding, that still won’t get the marketing done. Marty Zwilling.

Software Review 88

Software Review CTO Hire Outsource Development Startup 88