Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

In my view, starting a new business has never been easier, and according to reports from the Kauffman Foundation , the numbers are here to show it. Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever.

Tips 161

Tips Startup Social Media News 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

The E-Myth (“Entrepreneurial Myth”) is the mistaken belief that most businesses are started by people with tangible business skills, when in fact most are started by “technicians” who know nothing about running a business. Perhaps an innate business savvy is no longer a requirement for starting a successful business.

Technical Review 136

Technical Review Startup Social Media Satisfaction 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2023

That’s why I’m impressed with the classic book, “ All Dreams on Deck: Charting the Course for Your Life and Work ,” by Jeremy Cage. Hopefully, between the two of us, more of you with big business dreams will follow the leads and generate more successful business results: Start by getting your hands dirty. Marty Zwilling

Ideas 105

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Social Media 105

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2021

An all-too-common question I get from startups and small businesses is “Which is the right social media platform for my business?” If you are in the almost 30 percent of all small businesses who still ignore social media, you need to read the book by Dave Carroll, “ United Breaks Guitars.” Keep up with the competition.

Social Media 142

Social Media Media Platform Customer 142

TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

At TechEmpower, we frequently talk to startup founders, CEOs, product leaders, and other innovators about their next big tech initiative. ” Of course, it’s more complicated than just checking boxes on a question list. Background Questions Let’s start with some background questions about the business and product.

Develop 520

Develop Development Technical Review SEO 520

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2023

Many of the business plans I have seen as an investor, like trying to integrate all the social media features of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn into a new platform, don’t do it. Of course, once you have a brand and more resources, it can pay to expand your book selling to a full e-commerce site. It’s tough for an elephant to be agile.

Startup 114

Startup IBM IBM Social Media 114

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. Pivots and corrections are inevitable for startups in this age of rapid change, and the earlier you make them, the quicker you get to success.

Marketing 105

Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization Ideas 105

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2016

I’ve been online for nearly 30 years (yes, there was CompuServe and Prodigy before the www), blogging for 10 and using social media tools since the earliest days. Of course there was good and bad to this also. Eventually Twitter acquiesced and started putting Tweets that you missed “while you were away.” Will that continue?

Social Media 240

Social Media Snapchat Media Blogging 240

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2019

You will be pivoting your business in your lifetime, whether you are a new startup, or a mature company like Motorola or IBM. It happens on the front end for startups to get traction, and then again later for every company as the economy, competition, and culture changes around them. Carpenter, Gary F. Gebhardt, and John F. Sherry, Jr.,

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Course IBM IBM Social Media 85

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2020

This can be an advantage to startups who don’t have the resources and brand awareness of mature businesses, if they understand and position themselves to win in the decisive moments of the new customer buying process. Great startups manage to continually improve the relationship through outstanding follow-on support and service.

Customer 124

Customer Custom Startup Course 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. Almost anyone can start a company today on a shoestring budget, following these cost-cutting recommendations: Establish a solid legal structure for your business.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2019

Image via Pixabay After a frustrating meeting with a small business client recently who didn’t “have time” for social media, I was surprised to find evidence on the Internet that up to one quarter of small business owners are still hesitant to invest time, money, and effort into a social media strategy.

Social Media 99

Social Media Media Tool Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2020

Many of the business plans I have seen as an investor, like trying to integrate all the social media features of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn into a new platform, don’t do it. Of course, once you have a brand and more resources, it can pay to expand your book selling to a full e-commerce site. It’s tough for an elephant to be agile.

Startup 169

Startup IBM IBM Social Media 169

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2022

This can be an advantage to startups who don’t have the resources and brand awareness of mature businesses, if they understand and position themselves to win in the decisive moments of the new customer buying process. Great startups manage to continually improve the relationship through outstanding follow-on support and service.

Customer 146

Customer Custom Startup Course 146

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

In my view, starting a new business has never been easier, and according to reports from the Kauffman Foundation , the numbers are here to show it. Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media News 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2023

When I heard a friend and business mentor say, “Your startup won’t fail if you don’t quit,” I realized that every entrepreneur should adopt “never give up” as their mantra. Either could improve the statistic that half of startups fail within the first five years. So why do most startups fail?

Startup 135

Startup Entrepreneur Statistics Course 135

socalTECH

JANUARY 8, 2020

For today's interview, we spoke to Bill Curtis , the founder of Malibu-based CurtCo Media (www.curtco.com). We spoke to Bill about CurtCo's move into the podcasting area, and why he thinks podcasting is the next frontier in media. It ends up being good for both. That, of course, is what you're selling to your advertisers.

Media 150

Media Report Advertising Content 150

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

Understanding “The Funding Angle” I sit at enough board meetings to hear conflicting advice given to entrepreneurs about how to handle PR and announcements at startups. In stead of doing my typical big long post with 10 PR tips (like I did there), I’m going to break them up into individual (I hope more digestible) chunks.

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Startup Funding News Press 355

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2020

Maybe we haven’t seen the results yet, but there are thousands of startup opportunities to offer new alternatives and services, to replace those destroyed by the crisis. I hear this term every day, wrongly applied to new social media site, or a new productivity tool. Of course, there are caveats to every opportunity.

Custom 167

Custom Customer Startup Outsource Development 167

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2022

It’s the province of game designers and creators of new social media platforms. Of course, it normally takes more than the right mindset to master the creative mind. Smart entrepreneurs leverage their startup creativity with techniques like involving everyone early and often, ideation, and attending to the details.

Startup 141

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Course 141

Tech.Co

JANUARY 15, 2018

It was over 11 years ago that I saw a need to better connect startups and innovators with the communities around them so they could connect for partnerships, funding, amplification, and support. The experiences and lessons Jen and I have gained since leaving AOL to build our own media brand have been numerous.

Media 175

Media News Organization Content 175

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

This is part of a series on a Board of Directors at a Startup. High Functioning Startup Boards High-functioning boards have a tight-knit relationship between all members based on mutual trust and admiration. They are able to divide responsibilities and work to gain consensus on tough decisions that every startup inevitably faces.

Startup 269

Startup Venture Capital Layoffs Resource 269

socalTECH

MARCH 18, 2009

Santa Monica-based Topspin Media , the online music startup of former Yahoo Music GM Ian Rogers, said today that the firm has inked a deal with Berkleemusic.com, the online continuing education division of the Berklee College of Music, to partner on a set of online music courses. READ MORE>>.

Course 124

Course Redpoint Santa Monica Education 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 1, 2013

Entrepreneurs and startups often ask if they should use social media for marketing, digital media, or traditional media. The place to start today is if your company only uses traditional media for marketing, or no marketing. Focus first on the social media trinity.

Social Media 103

Social Media Media Marketing Startup 103

SoCal CTO

MAY 22, 2012

I recently posted about the Increase in Early-Stage Startup Activity in Los Angeles. In that post, I mentioned how one of the signals is the big increase in number of startup events and the number of attendees at those events. Of course, given the size of this list and having kids, I really can't attend a lot of these.

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Los Angeles Southern California Angel Enterprise Forum 198

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2020

That’s why I’m impressed with the classic book, “ All Dreams on Deck: Charting the Course for Your Life and Work ,” by Jeremy Cage. Hopefully, between the two of us, more of you with big business dreams will follow the leads and generate more successful business results: Start by getting your hands dirty. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 117

Startup Entrepreneur Social Media Coach 117

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Draw up a list of the best prospects, and put together your best story for follow-up. But don’t wait for them to contact you.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2013

An all-too-common question I get from startups and small businesses is “Which is the right social media platform for my business?” If you are in the realm of the 47% of small businesses who still ignore social media, you need to read the book by Dave Carroll, “ United Breaks Guitars.” Keep up with the competition.

Social Media 108

Social Media Media Startup Platform 108

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

If you want to make a great first impression on a startup investor or an advisor like me, don’t try to convince me or show me how busy you are. I’m sure you all know someone who always seems to be overworked, but often comes up short on the delivery side. As an entrepreneur starting a new business, you have a lot to learn.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2019

Image via Pixabay Most startups, and many big businesses, still don’t have a clue on how to use social media productively for marketing their business. Valid social media objectives for a business should include one or more of the following: increased brand awareness, lead generation, service and support, or reputation management.

Social Media 96

Social Media Media Marketing Metrics 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2019

In fact, according to the latest Index of Startup Activity by the Kauffman Foundation and recent press reports , these Baby Boomers are actually driving a new entrepreneurship boom. With longer life expectancies and greater health in later life, older generations are moving to start new firms -- and mentor young entrepreneurs.

Startup 119

Startup Technical Review Technical Support Entrepreneur 119

socalTECH

AUGUST 6, 2012

Santa Monica-based Demand Media (www.demandmedia.com) has seen its share of ups and downs as one of the highest visibility technology and media companies to come out of Southern California's technology ecosystem in recent years. What is Demand Media doing nowadays? Our whole goal is to create content for real life.

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Demand Media eHow Content 240

socalTECH

APRIL 30, 2013

However, Mobigirl Media (www.mobigirlmedia.com), a new mobile advertising network, is looking to change that by specifically creating an ad network focused on girls. We caught up with Jennifer Noonan, one of the company''s founders, to learn more. Jennifer Noonan: Mobigirl Media is the only mobile ad network targeting girls.

Mobile 208

Mobile Networking Media Advertising 208

TechCrunch LA

JUNE 3, 2022

On Lafayette Street in SoHo, young, fashionable women lined up around the block to enter a minimalist, millennial oasis, the most perfect Instagram feed brought to life. allocate 98% of their funding to startups helmed by men. It’s no wonder, then, how we’ve ended up with the paradox of the “girlboss.” . It’s not a compliment.

Startup 280

Startup Netflix Los Angeles Innocal 280

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2021

At the highest level, startups must remember what Jim Barksdale of Netscape and FedEx famously said, “The main thing is to keep the Main Thing the main thing.” Then it’s time to speed up with a set of ambitious initiatives, and finally going all out to engage all the constituents in enduring change. Realign all elements of the plan.

Social Media 143

Social Media Startup Framework Course 143

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

conversation literally every week with startups. What felt great when you raised it $5 million on $20 million now feels like a noose around your neck because raising at an up-round of $8–10 million at a $40–50 million pre-money valuation is stratospherically harder than raising at a $20 million valuation. million or $4 million.

Startup 292

Startup Software Review Pricing Entrepreneur 292