Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2021

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 145

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2015

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. Most investors tend to think of startups without a plan as expensive hobbies. business business plan entrepreneur hobby startup' I hope not.

Startup 109

Startup Writing Mentor Sample 109

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2021

You don’t really understand a new idea, until you try to write it down and succinctly communicate it to peers and critics. Even the best have mentors they really use. A mentor is someone who will tell you what you need to hear, while friends and associates often tell you what you want to hear.

Mentor 139

Mentor Entrepreneur Ideas Networking 139

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. It’s helpful to think of startups as proceeding through several stages, which I have defined some time ago from a funding perspective. Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. Growth and exit stage.

Organization 93

Organization Startup Incubator Ideas 93

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

if you listen you’ll pick up much more than my quick notes below). We talked about what startup CEOs should do in these situations and how to think about these renegotiations. A seed deal hasn’t already been “priced up” to a range where a new investor might be concerned about the valuation relative to performance.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans take too much time, are inaccurate, and rarely add value. You’ve built a successful startup before, and plan to use the same investors. Writing it down promotes both understanding and commitment.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 24, 2014

As a result I didn’t write my first venture capital check until March 2009 – exactly 5 years ago. I divided success into the phases of venture capital and 18 months into writing my first check here was my view (details on each in the link above). Sourcing high-quality leads : 9/10. The monkey on my back. ” Yup.

Venture Capital 387

Venture Capital Downey Writing Press 387

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

After years mentoring young aspiring entrepreneurs , I am now convinced that getting along and becoming more productive with other people is a skill that any professional can learn, or accomplish via a dedicated strategy. Don’t let any hidden agendas or ulterior motives, such as political strategy, throw you off course.

Startup 114

Startup Examples Satisfaction Mentor 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2015

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 103

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). I was telling him that it was much easier when I started because there were fewer deals, life was less public and somehow the world seemed to be spinning more slowly. Web Summit.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

Let me start with the obvious baseline that most people probably know instinctively: Los Angeles is the 3rd largest technology startup ecosystem in the US. Given how efficient markets are when a large market like LA starts to blossom it attracts capital pretty quickly. Of course that’s not disputable.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2013

Of course, there's no law saying you have to go to college to start a business. Current young adults have grown up hearing about Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), who dropped out of Harvard, as the paragon of success. Many colleges offer courses on entrepreneurship, to help you think like one. Build a business plan early on.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Course Education 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Some entrepreneurs love to talk and produce videos, but hate to write anything down. There is no room in this realm for negativism, excuses, or lack of confidence.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. It’s helpful to think of startups as proceeding through several stages, which I have defined some time ago from a funding perspective. Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones. Growth and exit stage.

Funding 94

Funding Startup Organization Incubator 94

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

One of the questions we discussed is, “How much capital should a startup raise?” In his words, [in some instances] “because lots of capital is available, the company takes on the capital and that ends up resulting in no constraints on decision making and so the company decides to do five things in stead of just one.”

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Startup Writing Blogging 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2011

Of course, there's no law saying you have to go to college to start a business. Current young adults have grown up hearing about Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) as the paragon of success. Many colleges offer courses on entrepreneurship, to help you think like one. Supplement course work with practical experience.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Course Education 105

Berkonomics

MAY 29, 2014

Richa is a successful entrepreneur and technologist giving back to the entrepreneurial community in many ways, including his weekly Internet TV program on entrepreneurism, and participation in several mentoring programs. . If you don’t know these things, how are you going to course-correct if things go differently than forecast?

Startup 166

Startup Guide Help Mentor 166

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2012

Fortune 1000 CEOs usually don’t make good startup CEOs, and vice versa. You may have great credentials as a public servant in your home town, but that won’t get you money to build a social network on the Internet, or start a software company. The startup road is guaranteed to be long and hard. Able to communicate a vision.

Startup 94

Startup Resource Social Network Mentor 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

Of course, starting and running your own business comes with financial and personal risks, so I always recommend that you do your homework first, and follow some tried and proven strategies to improve your odds of success. These days, you can’t start and run a business alone. Do a written business plan to validate your thinking.

Social Media 98

Social Media Metrics Media Tool 98

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Startups are hard. You join teams that got good write-ups on TechCrunch, have great VCs, have star CEO’s, whatever. We tell startup stories. Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. You’ve heard that a million times. Those that we survive with become family.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2010

The competition is set up to award $50,000 to the best team each year, and is also tied to a class on entrepreneurship for engineering students. What I thought we would do instead, was to try to come up with a business plan competition for only engineers and innovators that came through the engineering school.

Competition 154

Competition Southern California Mentor USC 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2022

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. As a startup, you as the entrepreneur are the brand, the brand builder, and the major lead generator.

Marketing 113

Marketing Entrepreneur Customer Custom 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2010

A little known, but valuable resource, every startup should investigate is a formal or informal connection to your local university. Start by contacting a professor in your area of interest or expertise. Every university has educational courses and can provide assistance on creating your initial plan. Research and development.

Help 94

Help Startup Mentor Incubator 94

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

Just two weeks into it we are just starting to come to grips with what will no doubt wreak big financial, emotional and obviously dire health consequences and suffering for many. It goes without saying that if you find yourself in a really negative headspace PLEASE reach out to any trusted mentor, friend or family member.

Demand 215

Demand Guide Customer Custom 215

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2021

Of course, this kind of leadership has a big risk, since you have no one to blame if you get it wrong. This may mean attending industry conferences, taking college courses, or reading some key books. It may be time for you to start your own blog, write a book, or volunteer as a speaker at public events in your domain.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Course Satisfaction Guide 132

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Some entrepreneurs love to talk and produce videos, but hate to write anything down. There is no room in this realm for negativism, excuses, or lack of confidence.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

Of course, there's no law saying you have to go to college to start a business. Current young adults have grown up hearing about Bill Gates as the paragon of success. Many colleges offer courses on entrepreneurship, to help you think like one. More important are standard business, finance, and economics courses.

Technical Advisors 90

Technical Advisors Startup Course Entrepreneur 90

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2014

I got a call a few years ago from a well-known investor up North. He’s an incredibly smart investor and somebody that I actually consider to be a mentor to myself. Of course I ask more politely that than. I’ve seen you write a $10 million check before. He opted for two big VC funds up North who split $1.5

Venture Capital 333

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Email 333

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Fortune 1000 CEOs usually don’t make good startup CEOs, and vice versa. You may have great credentials as a public servant in your home town, but that won’t get you money to build a job board on the Internet, or start a software company. The startup road is guaranteed to be long and hard. The size of the race is also important.

Startup 93

Startup Resource Mentor Writing 93

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2013

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. As a startup, you as the entrepreneur are the brand, the brand builder, and the major lead generator. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 116

Startup Entrepreneur Customer Custom 116

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

Based on my experience as a mentor and an entrepreneur, if you fail on your first startup, you are about average. Every young entrepreneur knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Statistics show that the failure rate for new startups within the first 5 years is higher than 50 percent.

Startup 100

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Resource 100

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

We caught up with Ryan (who calls himself an "anti-VC") to hear more about his investment firm, which has invested in such companies as Heal , Elite Daily , Saucey , and FragMob. Tell us a bit of the story on how you started HashtagOne? We want to have startups we can get productive or generating revenue pretty quickly.

Venture Capital 100

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article. Writing it down promotes both understanding and commitment.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2016

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. High-performing startups today are the ones that use every resource at their disposal. I recommend three or five members to start (an uneven number prevents tie votes).

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Startup Mentor Writing 58

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2021

With some coaching and mentoring from other leaders, I was able to do it myself, so I know you can do it too, by committing to the following strategies: Train yourself to always look for positives, not negatives. Write down your top 5 core values and review them often. Do the same for any commitments to the community and family.

Coach 137

Coach Training Satisfaction Mentor 137

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

I’m sitting at my computer now at 9.00pm writing this – which is an hour earlier than I normally write (there are about 8 women at my kitchen table having a book club (aka excuse to drink wine & gossip so I’m locked in another room writing. They could chat about it with their peers or mentors.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 5, 2013

You don’t really understand a new idea, until you try to write it down and succinctly communicate it to peers and critics. Even the best have mentors they really use. A mentor is someone who will tell you what you need to hear, while friends and associates often tell you what you want to hear. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Mentor Ideas Startup 101