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Can you guess 10 tests for your success?

Berkonomics

Test yourself as to whether you can identify the size of your market niche, and whether you can overcome the many barriers to access customers within your niche. Is it the advantage of time – years of development ahead of any competitor? A core patent or “thicket” of patents protecting your offering?

Patents 286
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6 Lessons Most Entrepreneurs Only Learn On The Street

Startup Professionals Musings

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Your leadership skills do not develop without effort. Even the best college degree is not a substitute.

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8 Entrepreneur Mistakes That Turn Off Real Investors

Startup Professionals Musings

After many years of working with angel investors seriously trying to find new ventures worthy of their hard-earned money, I find their frustration often exceeds that of entrepreneurs sincerely looking for financial help. Here is my list of red flags that cause many investors to look elsewhere: No well-defined need or viable customer set.

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6 Keys To Aiming Your Product To Mainstream Customers

Startup Professionals Musings

Every technical entrepreneur is an early adopter of technology, so naturally they build things with people like themselves in mind. Unfortunately, for most solution markets, early adopters represent only 10 to 15 percent of the total opportunity, so it’s easy to get mislead on the real requirements of mainstream customers.

Customer 117
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6 Drivers For Aspiring Entrepreneurs To Finish School

Startup Professionals Musings

A continuing question I hear from young entrepreneurs is whether a university degree is important to startup success, or just a distraction in achieving their purpose in the world. He learned quickly that several pivots were required for business, legal, and customer acceptance reasons. Learning by doing is the only way to go.

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6 Cost-Cutting Recommendations For New Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

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. The same is true for filing patents, registering trademarks, and filing copyrights. A programmer can build a new smartphone app for a few thousand dollars.

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Why Smart Entrepreneurs Build Plans For Their Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

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. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Development schedule and checkpoints. Provide details on the business model.