Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This week I wrote about obsessive and competitive founders and how this forms the basis of what I look for when I invest. Sometimes the discussion veers over into whether or not he or she should get an MBA before trying a startup. ” The point isn’t whether one should get an MBA or not – it’s simpler.

Startup 409

Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

socalTECH

JANUARY 24, 2011

The firm was actually spawned out of a UCLA MBA business plan competition. Auditude is venture backed by Granite Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, Greylock Partners, and Redpoint Ventures; the appointment of Helfand came in conjunction with a new, $11M Series B funding round for Auditude.

Woodland Hills 177

Woodland Hills Redpoint UCLA Advertising 177

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Projecting financials is a natural extension of the homework every entrepreneur needs to do on customer opportunity size, product costs, pricing, competition and customer value. You don’t need an MBA to do financial projections for a startup business plan. This allows a quick analysis of price change and revenue impacts.

Startup 116

Startup Pricing Sales Statistics 116

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2021

An MBA or other academic credentials just don’t do it. Examine the marketplace and your competition. Yet there is no standardized testing or certification required or available anywhere to help you decide if you are a good fit for entrepreneurship, or founding a business is right for you.

Entrepreneur 169

Entrepreneur Startup Statistics Guide 169

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2019

You’re in no rush to get an MBA. If you are already an entrepreneur, more education, including an MBA, will only slow you down. If you plan to become an entrepreneur, and already have business experience or an undergraduate business degree, skip the two-year delay and cost of the MBA. Consider it a waste of time.

Entrepreneur 92

Entrepreneur Startup Customer Custom 92

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

He conveyed his message in various ways, but the most memorable was a piece of literature he had them read called The Mouse Driver Chronicles , a true story about two Wharton MBA roommates who passed on their big salary job offers and followed the dream to launch their own business.

Class 231

Class Startup Santa Barbara RSS 231

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2021

In my view, practical business courses in school are better than an advanced degree or MBA. In reality, the business plan is for you, to make sure you have answers for all the relevant requirements, including costs, revenue projections, competition, marketing, and operational considerations. You can win as a team.

Satisfaction 135

Satisfaction Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 135

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

The second annual USC Silicon Beach event, hosted by the four professional schools at USC, featured a pitch competition and a conference filled with informational panels and interviews. Startup Pitch Competition. Pelv-Ice , founded by USC MBA graduate Jill Bigelow, won third place and the $10,000 prize.

USC 98

USC Cornerstone OnDemand Southern California Netflix 98

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Based on a classic study by the Wharton School of Business , in a survey of 11,000 MBA graduates over many years, those running their own businesses ranked themselves happier than all other professions, regardless of how much money they made. Entrepreneurs at this level will seek the minimum cost and quality to be more competitive.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 110

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

If you don’t have a destination, don’t waste your money trying to get there, and don’t expect anyone to support you along the way Projecting financials is a natural extension of the homework every entrepreneur needs to do on customer opportunity size, product costs, pricing, competition and customer value.

Startup 147

Startup Pricing Sales Statistics 147

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

BlackTech Week was created in 2014, and in four short years, they’ve gained over 2700 participants, 150 speakers, and 3 pitch competitions. Driving funding to early-stage startups and small businesses is what we do here and being a part of the Startup of the Year Competition was a no-brainer for us. BlackTech Week (Miami, FL).

Startup 140

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2014

Differentiation is a key requirement for a successful startup rollout, and must be sustainable to keep ahead of new competition. entrepreneur Michael Mazzeo product differentiation Roadside MBA startup' But the results can put you in that coveted 8% that customers remember for real fun and profit. Marty Zwilling.

Product 102

Product Customer Custom Examples 102

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

When I was an MBA student at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, I was frustrated that most of the Professors in the Entrepreneurship Department had never been entrepreneurs. Note: no bonus points should be given for an MBA program, as MBA’s seldom generate great business ideas.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Technical Review Class Patents 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2022

In any career, an advanced degree, such as an MBA or PhD, will at least give you entrée into more opportunities. Not many of us are self-learners by default, and experience and failures take a long time. The key is to keep learning, from mentors, books, and online. Focus on business as an expertise.

Help 130

Help Mentor Paramount Technical Review 130

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2017

You’re in no rush to get an MBA. If you are already an entrepreneur, more education, including an MBA, will only slow you down. If you plan to become an entrepreneur, and already have business experience or an undergraduate business degree, skip the two-year delay and cost of the MBA. Consider it a waste of time.

Entrepreneur 71

Entrepreneur Startup Customer Custom 71

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

You’re in no rush to get an MBA. If you are already an entrepreneur, more education, including an MBA, will only slow you down. If you plan to become an entrepreneur, and already have business experience or an undergraduate business degree, skip the two-year delay and cost of the MBA. Consider it a waste of time.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Startup Customer Custom 107

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

It is rare to find somebody who matches exactly what I’m looking for in a partner so when you find it you act: Academic rigor (Princeton undergrad, Stanford MBA). Competitive (Athlete: skier & rowed at Princeton, hates losing at everything she does). Thus began my marketing campaign.

Venture Capital 408

Venture Capital Startup Outsource Development CitySearch 408

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2019

Differentiation is still a key requirement for a successful startup rollout, and but it must be sustainable to keep ahead of new competition.

Product 124

Product Customer Custom Examples 124

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

Competitive sportswoman. Stanford MBA. Kara on one side of the table showing me market sizes, competitive dynamics, product roadmaps, pricing plans for physical products with COGS and gross margins. Remember, it’s about Lines, Not Dots. I first met Kara 5 years ago. I considered her one of LA’s great talents.

Startup 398

Startup Design Downey Activity 398

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2020

Based on a classic study by the Wharton School of Business , in a survey of 11,000 MBA graduates over many years, those running their own businesses ranked themselves happier than all other professions, regardless of how much money they made. Entrepreneurs at this level will seek the minimum cost and quality to be more competitive.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 126

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2013

You’re in no rush to get an MBA. If you are already an entrepreneur, more education, including an MBA, will only slow you down. If you plan to become an entrepreneur, and already have business experience or an undergraduate business degree, skip the two-year delay and cost of the MBA. Consider it a waste of time.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Customer Custom 105

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 8, 2011

As I note in MBA Education and Other Oxymorons entry, my roommates and I hosted a weekly poker game while attending Wharton. Amarillo’s advice is consistent with my comments in the Startup Competition ; get to know your competitors on a personal basis, while appearing as innocuous as possible. Poker is one such game.

Startup 207

Startup Entrepreneur Competition Guide 207

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 3, 2022

billion company in the brutally competitive beauty industry, especially one with such broad appeal. Watson, who holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has raised $4.5 Glossier’s commoditized feminism aside, it’s no easy task to launch a $1.8 — Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso) June 1, 2022.

Startup 280

Startup Netflix Los Angeles Innocal 280

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

We take MBAs. No amount of persuasion would work so I asked simply if I could be staffed on one of his projects to teach some of his MBA geniuses about computer networks since they were working on defining telecom product offerings for the Internet age. And then he began telling his colleagues that I was useful even without my MBA.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Entrepreneurial Finishing School - Steve Blank , May 10, 2010 I usually hear the “Should I get my MBA?” Should I Get My MBA? No One Wins In Business Plan Competitions - Steve Blank , May 17, 2010 Last week one of the schools I teach at invited me to judge a business plan contest. question at least once a month. Where Do You Fit?

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2017

From my perspective, projecting financial returns is part of the homework every business person needs to do in sizing customer opportunity, product costs, pricing, competition and customer value, before expending their own resources in a highly risky venture. For investors, it’s more of a credibility and intelligence test.

Pricing 57

Pricing Startup Entrepreneur Invest 57

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

But for my sins I got an MBA and did “strategy&# consulting. One of our core tasks was “market analysis,&# which consistent of: market sizing, market forecasts, competitive analysis and then instructing customers on which direction to take. It was originally COBOL and DB2 – so what? Numbers are important.

Statistics 415

Statistics Startup Report Research 415

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

We started looking at the landscape, and as I was getting my MBA at the time, ended up writing the business plan for ConsumerTrack. It''s very competitive in the Los Angeles market, and we''ve had a real focus on culture, to differentiate ourselves and continue to hire the top talent in the LA area.

Startup 239

Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2016

An MBA or other academic credentials just don’t do it. Examine the marketplace and your competition. Yet there is no standardized testing or certification required or available anywhere to help you decide if you are a good fit for entrepreneurship, or founding a business is right for you.

Startup 71

Startup Statistics Guide Entrepreneur 71

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2015

Differentiation is a key requirement for a successful startup rollout, and must be sustainable to keep ahead of new competition.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Examples Social Media 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2018

Differentiation is still a key requirement for a successful startup rollout, and but it must be sustainable to keep ahead of new competition.

Customer 63

Customer Custom Examples Product 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2013

An MBA is helpful, but not required. Most schools have business plan competitions, and even give out seed money to winners. Many colleges offer courses on entrepreneurship, to help you think like one. More important are standard business, finance, and economics courses. Build a business plan early on. Pick an idea, any idea.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Course Education 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2013

An MBA or other academic credentials just don’t do it. Examine the marketplace and your competition. Yet there is no standardized testing or certification required or available anywhere to help you decide if you are a good fit for entrepreneurship, or entrepreneurship is right for you.

Entrepreneur 114

Entrepreneur Startup Statistics Guide 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2015

If you don’t have a destination, don’t waste your money trying to get there, and don’t expect anyone to support you along the way Projecting financials is a natural extension of the homework every entrepreneur needs to do on customer opportunity size, product costs, pricing, competition and customer value.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Pricing Sales 102

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2015

According to a study by the Wharton School of Business , in a survey of 11,000 MBA graduates over many years, those running their own businesses ranked themselves happier than all other professions, regardless of how much money they made. Entrepreneurs at this level will seek the minimum cost and quality to be more competitive.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 101

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

Not necessarily those who went to the best schools, but who are really street-smart…and we want competitive people. Would you rather bet on a top engineer who can solve really complicated problems or an MBA who can do an internal rate of return or an NPV? A lot of times, it’s the last man standing.

Press 260

Press Software Review Startup IBM 260

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2018

According to a study by the Wharton School of Business , in a survey of 11,000 MBA graduates over many years, those running their own businesses ranked themselves happier than all other professions, regardless of how much money they made. Entrepreneurs at this level will seek the minimum cost and quality to be more competitive.

Entrepreneur 66

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 66