Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2020

With interactive social media and video everywhere, everyone needs to feel they have a relationship with their leaders, and every brand needs leader personification for customers to relate. He speaks from a wealth of personal experience in private equity, as well as top executive positions at American Express, Sears, and Citigroup.

Social Media 128

Social Media Metrics Customer Custom 128

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Potential customers these days rely more and more on name recognition for credibility and new brand adoption. These days, customers are drawn to support worthy causes, such as saving the environment or feeding the hungry. These advisors need a stake in your success, like a monthly stipend, or an equity share of the business.

Marketing 116

Marketing Resource Training Startup 116

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2021

Of course, that means a mindset willing to give up much more equity, and taking on a whole new level of risk. Explosive growth to an enterprise normally requires a scalable sales model, a well-documented process with incentives, training, and metrics for tracking and management. Isolate marketing from sales for maximum customer focus.

Startup 151

Startup Course Sales Entrepreneur 151

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2023

Market research can thus be based on real customers and a previously tested market. Most equity investors tend to avoid truly disruptive technology startups, since they take longer and more money to scale. Timing is critical, as well as focus on marketing and customer satisfaction. Martin Zwilling

Social Media 92

Social Media Study Research Satisfaction 92

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2020

Market research can thus be based on real customers and a previously tested market. Most equity investors tend to avoid truly disruptive technology startups, since they take longer and more money to scale. Timing is critical, as well as focus on marketing and customer satisfaction. Martin Zwilling.

Startup 157

Startup Social Media Study Research 157

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

I like the summary of the competitive reality in a new book, “ Rethinking Competitive Advantage: New Rules for the Digital Age ,” by Ram Charan, who relates a wealth of current experience from global clients: Customers expect a personalized experience. Features, availability, and brand are just the price of entry.

Competition 142

Competition Software Review Social Media Customer 142

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

As you may have seen on the Shark Tank TV show, offering a tiny equity amount for a large investment will not endear you to investors. They need to believe your valuation, based on current revenue and intellectual property, and feel the equity offered gives them a real return for the risk. Emphasize the value and skills of your team.

Ideas 140

Ideas Entrepreneur Equity Resource 140

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2017

But very few are talking about how to measure your results and return on investment (ROI), and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment. Social media is the realm of public opinion and customer conversations. Measure customer response and action. Get the message from your customer.

Social Media 69

Social Media Media Metrics Satisfaction 69

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

To keep you on a positive track with potential investors, I recommend the following logic principles, to balance your passion in presenting your vision of a new business: Make sure your plan includes some business metrics. For example, if you have ever watched the Shark Tank show on TV, they always ask about the cost of customer acquisition.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Social Media Examples Metrics 162

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2018

With interactive social media and video everywhere, everyone needs to feel they have a relationship with their leaders, and every brand needs leader personification for customers to relate. He speaks from a wealth of personal experience in private equity, as well as top executive positions at American Express, Sears, and Citigroup.

Social Media 96

Social Media Metrics Customer Custom 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 5, 2013

But very few are talking about how to measure your results, and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment. Jim Sterne, who has written many books on Internet advertising, marketing, and customer service, tackled this complex world of social media metrics in his book titled " Social Media Metrics."

Social Media 102

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Metrics 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2019

A recent high-profile one, Theranos , the blood-testing company, had no trouble getting customers, but promised more than their technology could deliver, Another, Shyp , an early on-demand delivery platform, blamed their demise on premature scaling. Focus on existing customer retention and repeat business.

Startup 88

Startup Demand Training Customer 88

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

With interactive social media and video everywhere, everyone needs to feel they have a relationship with their leaders, and every brand needs leader personification for customers to relate. He speaks from a wealth of personal experience in private equity, as well as top executive positions at American Express, Sears, and Citigroup.

Social Media 99

Social Media Metrics Customer Custom 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Managing business growth is more than metrics. Optimize the total customer experience. There is no free lunch.

Startup 97

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 97

socalTECH

DECEMBER 11, 2017

From a customer standpoint, though, it's pretty clear. So, from the customer side, it was much easier. We sold that to a very large private equity company. You have to make sure your cost of acquisition, retention rates, and conversion metrics are all in place. We had to simplify all of this for them to use us.

Startup 174

Startup Metrics Customer Custom 174

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

We can’t wait for customers to use the product for 12–18 months and do customer interviews or look at purchase cohorts. It’s just now that we’re Seed Investors. The biggest change for us in early-stage investing is that we now need to commit earlier. Investments in the intersection of data, technology and biology.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. In every case, the relevant pitch needs to start by highlighting a real customer problem, then outlining a new solution, with all the features and disruptive technology.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Managing business growth is more than metrics. Optimize the total customer experience. There is no free lunch.

Startup 108

Startup Sales Metrics Entrepreneur 108

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

Your historical trading information including financials and a “customer file” which shows the history of your transactions so that investors can run “cohort” analyses Customer reference, personal references, key team members, compensation, cap table, stock option plan, etc. But just putting a customer reference list in a data room?

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2018

Market research can thus be based on real customers and a previously tested market. Most equity investors tend to avoid truly disruptive technology startups, since they take longer and more money to scale. Timing is critical, as well as focus on marketing and customer satisfaction. Martin Zwilling.

Startup 65

Startup Social Media Study Research 65

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

We have customers from so many different industries like software, financial services, healthcare, and media. We could also spend time talking with customers rather than updating investors. Within six months we launched with a minimum feature set that a few customers were willing to pay for.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Managing business growth is more than metrics. Optimize the total customer experience. There is no free lunch.

Startup 56

Startup Sales Metrics Guide 56

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2013

They need a large infusion from venture capitalists, private equity, bank loans, or mezzanine financing. These only come with the proper training, investment in tools, and focus on customer relationships. Managing business growth is more than metrics. Optimize the total customer experience. There is no free lunch.

Sales 96

Sales Metrics Startup Entrepreneur 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2014

Market research can thus be based on real customers and a previously tested market. Most equity investors tend to avoid truly disruptive technology startups, since they take longer and more money to scale. Timing is critical, as well as a focus on marketing and customer satisfaction.

Technology 103

Technology Entrepreneur Study Research 103

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

As startup entrepreneurs we all want to work with them because having their name as reference clients makes it so much easier for marketing, PR, selling to other customers, fund raising and even recruiting. I’ve already made clear that I think raising equity from “strategic money&# is an oxymoron. Common Mistakes.

Startup 298

Startup Sales Slides Metrics 298

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2012

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution.

Competition 113

Competition Metrics Startup Invest 113

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2016

Market research can thus be based on real customers and a previously tested market. Most equity investors tend to avoid truly disruptive technology startups, since they take longer and more money to scale. Timing is critical, as well as focus on marketing and customer satisfaction. Martin Zwilling.

Technology 57

Technology Startup Study Research 57

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2011

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution.

Competition 116

Competition Metrics Startup Sales 116

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Partly out of the fact that in 1 week I depart for England to speak at LeWeb, attend our DataSift board meeting and generally make myself available to the DataSift team to meet their customers, partners and employees. You may know how much to pay in cash or equity for your new VP Engineering. And by now we all consider him a friend.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 16, 2015

This can be a great way to test your product and get customer feedback. Expect to be diluted by 20-25% with each equity round. They’re typically issued at a 10-20% discount to equity depending on the timeframe; higher range is for longer timeframes. They will want board seats and a say in decision-making. Crowdfunding.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Equity Funding 40

Tech Coast Venture Network

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Design the Job – Include reporting relationships, authority, responsibilities, and performance metrics. Two Basic Colors – Debt (borrow) and Equity (buy). Hire the Right Team – Not just on qualifications, but personality and team chemistry. Five Diagnostic Questions – Provide a starting point for good planning.

Design 100

Design Resource Metrics Patents 100

SoCal CTO

APRIL 8, 2010

Death By Competitive Analysis - Steve Blank , March 1, 2010 Trading emails with a startup CEO building an iPhone app, I asked him why potential customers would buy his product. You might be surprised why this is the case. In response he sent me a competitive analysis.

Startup 150

Startup Software Review Competition SoCal 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2010

In fact, a business plan is needed more by you than investors, as the blueprint for your company, team communication, and progress metrics. Terms like “every customer needs this” and “next generation platform” are far too soft, and should be avoided. Clearly define the customer, channel, and revenue model associated with this solution.

Invest 74

Invest Tips Competition Metrics 74

CEO Flow

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

By Connie Loizos, of peHUB (Thomson-Reuter’s private equity blog). Everyone was more concerned than ever about scaling while acquiring customers more cheaply, a tall order considering that “standard budgeting apparently went out the window in October,&# according to one seasoned CEO.

Sales 40

Sales Metrics Organization Customer 40

CEO Flow

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

By Connie Loizos, of peHUB (Thomson-Reuter’s private equity blog). Everyone was more concerned than ever about scaling while acquiring customers more cheaply, a tall order considering that “standard budgeting apparently went out the window in October,&# according to one seasoned CEO.

Sales 40

Sales Metrics Organization Customer 40

CEO Flow

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

By Connie Loizos, of peHUB (Thomson-Reuter’s private equity blog). Everyone was more concerned than ever about scaling while acquiring customers more cheaply, a tall order considering that “standard budgeting apparently went out the window in October,&# according to one seasoned CEO.

Sales 40

Sales Metrics Organization Customer 40

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Once you build it, they will now ask you about the key metrics that they need proven in order to see if you really are a good investment. The second bullet, getting feedback from customers is most often not valid either. The real reason to build an MVP is to do early tests of key Startup Metrics for the business.

Technical Review 338

Technical Review CTO Hire CTO Coach Software Review 338