Berkonomics

MARCH 14, 2019

Of course, we are speaking of increased valuation of your company when we speak of “wealth.” Especially if you are in the early stage of growing a business, these five risks can and often do derail entrepreneurs before realizing the riches of a great exit. So, let’s examine them and mitigate them. Make you wealthy someday.

Outsource Development 120

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

Elon Musk and Tesla made their battery patents available to anyone, to clear the path for market infrastructure growth and compatibility, which of course benefits Tesla. Innovative marketing content is focused wholly on healthy living and earth-conscious eating, rather than the conventional food product offerings and price.

Marketing 170

Marketing Startup Examples Customer 170

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

As the school year kicks off for college students, one of the big tasks of the year is buying books for their courses. Every price comparison out there, whether that's Google Products, Bizrate, or other sites, can find books, but you can only do it one at a time. You've got to find each one, and research them online.

UCSD 185

UCSD Course Startup Sites 185

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2018

Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business. Investors expect proof that your invention can be manufactured in volume, and can justify a sales price at least double the cost, to a large customer set that has money to spend. You need a viable business model and customers.

Technical Review 86

Technical Review Patents Ideas Journal 86

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2019

Market change happens too frequently these days, and organizations need to quickly change course just to survive. And without knowing where you stand, there is no way to set a course. It might be a patented technology, but it could also be the creativity of employees or logistic competencies of the company.

Organization 88

Organization Course Patents Entrepreneur 88

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2019

Of course, we all know there are no guarantees, and we like your passion and commitment to future results. We all know the challenges involved in getting and protecting a patent, but patents are still strong evidence of a competitive advantage, generally sustainable for twenty years.

Competition 86

Competition Patents Startup Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2012

Look how the Japanese entered the auto industry, or how McDonalds imitated White Castle, or how Wal-Mart “perfected” the low-price high-volume approach. Of course, the first one gets the patent. But patent disclosure requirements often make imitation easier, and smart technologists can work around most patents anyway.

Patents 84

Patents Startup Statistics Course 84

Berkonomics

AUGUST 10, 2017

And professional investors often penalize the company with lower-priced down rounds or expensive loans as a result. Yes, there were other issues such as a protracted patent rights fight that drained cash, but the largest problem, inefficient use of R&D time burning fixed overhead, led to the demise of the company.

Venture Capital 243

Venture Capital Product Resource Marketing 243

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

And of course we help with business development introductions and with fund raising events. Often we are asked to get involved in executive-level recruiting. Board work does involve a lot of conflict at moments throughout the company.

Startup 217

Startup Technical Review Equity Report 217

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2011

Look how the Japanese entered the auto industry, or how McDonalds imitated White Castle, or how Wal-Mart “perfected” the low-price high-volume approach. Of course, the first one gets the patent. But patent disclosure requirements often make imitation easier, and smart technologists can work around most patents anyway.

Startup 91

Startup Patents Statistics Course 91

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

It is a truism that with more capital you will hire people more quickly and spend more liberally whether it’s on external contractors, PR firms, attending events, doing legal work (trademarks, patents) or whatever. You will build out features or expend to platforms — often before you have enough market feedback to warrant it.

Startup 292

Startup Software Review Pricing Entrepreneur 292

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2014

Of course, it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business. Investors expect proof that your invention can be manufactured in volume and can justify a sales price at least double the cost to a large customer set that has money to spend. You need a viable business model and customers.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2017

Market change happens too frequently these days, and organizations need to quickly change course just to survive. And without knowing where you stand, there is no way to set a course. It might be a patented technology, but it could also be the creativity of employees or logistic competencies of the company.

Organization 69

Organization Course Patents Entrepreneur 69

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2015

Market change happens too frequently these days, and organizations need to quickly change course just to survive. And without knowing where you stand, there is no way to set a course. It might be a patented technology, but it could also be the creativity of employees or logistic competencies of the company.

Customer 102

Customer Custom Organization Course 102

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

The patents Overture held became known in small circles as Google’s ’361 problem as outlined here. Of course that’s not disputable. To some extent – of course they are. acquired Overture for $1.63 billion (Upfront Ventures was an early Overture backer). Yes, Google won. It is different. More substantive.

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2016

Of course it helps to have innovative technologies before you start building a business. Investors expect proof that your invention can be manufactured in volume, and can justify a sales price at least double the cost, to a large customer set that has money to spend. You need a viable business model and customers.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Patents Ideas Journal 60

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2013

You have figured out how to undercut your competitor’s price, and still hold your margin. Working on that unique design, or completing the breakthrough for an innovative patent, are moments of inspiration that you will never forget, especially if they become your competitive edge. Love that sustainable competitive advantage.

Startup 100

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2012

You have figured out how to undercut your competitor’s price, and still hold your margin. Working on that unique design, or completing the breakthrough for an innovative patent, are moments of inspiration that you will never forget, especially if they become your competitive edge. Love that sustainable competitive advantage.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Ideas 102

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

Market change happens too frequently these days, and organizations need to quickly change course just to survive. And without knowing where you stand, there is no way to set a course. It might be a patented technology, but it could also be the creativity of employees or logistic competencies of the company.

Organization 98

Organization Course Entrepreneur Patents 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

Of course, you wouldn’t include this data in your customer product pitch. Business model showing costs, pricing, and margins. Patents, trade secrets, and trademarks are very attractive to investors, since these are not easily overcome by competitors. Solo entrepreneurs have a hard time finding an investor.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2014

All of these are competitors in terms of speed, price, or luxury. Here are some of the key ones: Patent protection in place as a barrier to entry. Of course, a great competitive advantage won’t do you much good if your market opportunity is small or not growing, or you don’t have the resources to deliver.

Competition 93

Competition Startup Patents Slides 93

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

By profit, I simply mean offering a product or service to customers for a price that exceeds the total costs associated with the solution, thus providing some basis for recovering sunk costs and generating a return for stakeholders. The best differentiation is a patent or other intellectual property that also provides a barrier to entry.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Ideas Pricing Customer 58

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

But, of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. When top tier investors compete for a piece of the action, the price can go up exponentially. Patents and other intellectual property are a necessary initial “barrier to entry,” but these are just the beginning. Active interest by a multitude of investors.

Company 100

Company Companies Startup Statistics 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2010

You have figured out how to undercut your competitor’s price, and still hold your margin. Working on that unique design, or completing the breakthrough for an innovative patent, are moments of inspiration that you will never forget, especially if they become your competitive edge. Love that sustainable competitive advantage.

Startup 88

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 88

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2014

The same is true for filing patents, registering trademarks, and filing copyrights. Of course, not all new businesses can benefit from all these recommendations, so think carefully about what you can do, and what you can’t. Required legal fees now average $5K or less, compared with $20K or more as a minimum.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Commerce 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2016

It’s like trying to sell a home still being built at next year’s dream market price. Patents filed, even provisional, as well as trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets count as barriers to entry and sustainable competitive advantages. Equally bad is professing no valuation estimate at all, asking investors to “make me an offer.”

Startup 71

Startup Patents Invest Blogging 71

Berkonomics

MARCH 30, 2010

And professional investors often penalize the company with lower-priced down rounds or expensive loans as a result. I have one story that remains as vivid in my mind as when it happened several years ago. Lots of good jobs were lost and many investors including myself were left with the question.

Venture Capital 212

Venture Capital Product Resource Marketing 212

Berkonomics

AUGUST 31, 2023

The phone could be used for receiving incoming calls when in the restaurant, on the golf course or anywhere. There was even talk of some phone companies using the patented system for serving communities of guests, not just from a single hotel. The guest could even make room-to-room or concierge calls as if dialing from the room itself.

Competition 156

Competition Research Summary Pricing 156

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. File a provisional patent, register a trademark, and reserve your company domain names. Of course, a real contract or purchase order from a big customer is even better. Get a real customer and real revenue. Register some intellectual property.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

They can help you with pricing. A great CFO will make sure you’re accurately measuring your CAC (along with a great marketer, of course) and your LTV. Who is leading your patent filing program? They can show the projections on what this does to burn rate. Another thing entrepreneurs f**k up? Timing of cash payments.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Metrics Startup Sales 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2012

It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. File a provisional patent, register a trademark, and reserve your company domain names. Of course, a real contract or purchase order from a big customer is even better. Get a real customer and real revenue. Register some intellectual property.

Startup 104

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2011

It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. File a provisional patent, register a trademark, and reserve your company domain names. Of course, a real contract or purchase order from a big customer is even better. Get a real customer and real revenue. Register some intellectual property.

Startup 101

Startup CTO Hire Press Customer 101

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 24, 2011

It may sound counterintuitive, but the greater constraint investors place on their financial resources during a downturn, the better your chances of success, given (of course) that your adVenture is able to either secure funding or generate adequate revenue from customers, as described below in reason #7 – Customer Dollars Taste Great.

Company 257

Company Companies Startup Study 257

Berkonomics

JULY 6, 2017

The phone could be used for receiving incoming calls when in the restaurant, on the golf course or anywhere. There was even talk of some phone companies using the patented system for serving communities of guests, not just from a single hotel. The guest could even make room-to-room or concierge calls as if dialing from the room itself.

Competition 266

Competition Research Summary Pricing 266

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2010

It doesn’t prove your business model of pricing, distribution, and support. File a provisional patent, register a trademark, and reserve your company domain names. Of course, a real contract or purchase order from a big customer is even better. Get a real customer and real revenue. Register some intellectual property.

Tips 88

Tips Startup CTO Hire Press 88

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

The phone could be used for receiving incoming calls when in the restaurant, on the golf course or anywhere. There was even talk of some phone companies using the patented system for serving communities of guests, not just from a single hotel. The guest could even make room-to-room or concierge calls as if dialing from the room itself.

Marketing 247

Marketing Competition Research Summary 247

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

He said it was better than the Yellow Pages because he would provide pricing transparency. And now, of course, UberSocial, Bill’s latest project. We talked about patents. I brought up the fact that I find many larger companies abusing the patent system to slow down smaller competitors which is actually anti competitive.

Competition 350

Competition Idealab Product CitySearch 350