socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2018

As part of the lead in to the conference, and as a part of our sponsor relationship with the conference, we're running a series of interviews with speakers from the conference about their experience in the area of recurring revenues, customer service, and similar topics. We respond very quickly to all of our customers. Kevin Anderson.

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Customer Custom Services Conference 113

InfoChachkie

APRIL 20, 2015

Rather than directly explaining their value proposition with all the passion and heartfelt stridency that only an entrepreneur can deliver, they outsource this communication to a Public Relations (PR) firm. Beyond PR, such roles include: Sales, Product Development, Strategic Planning and Fund Raising. Image: AP Photo/Francois Mori.

Outsource Development 100

Outsource Development Outsource Allegis Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

Yet if that leaves you with no documented business plan or unclear strategy, most investors and even customers will walk away. Don’t forget the wealth of “gig” experts for outsourcing at a low cost. Your productivity can be severely compromised by lack of balance, making you ineffective in managing key tasks and people around you.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2011

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Don’t outsource your core competency. Product or services. Technology level.

Outsource Development 90

Outsource Development Outsource Software Development Software 90

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2023

Ready to scale is when you have a proven product and a proven business model, about to expand to new geographies and markets. A software product is a classic example of a scalable solution, since it costs real money to build the first copy, but unlimited additional copies can be quickly cloned for almost no incremental cost.

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Tips Invest Startup Outsource 135

SoCal CTO

APRIL 2, 2012

Hiring seems to be the preferred use of seed funds (by investors and founders), whereas I'd prefer a focus on customer acquisition. The problem is you don't yet have product/market fit, and until you do, you don't really know what to build. When product vision is truly clear, then it makes sense to execute it, and hiring follows.

CTO Hire 205

CTO Hire Outsource Development CTO Coach Develop 205

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

Los Angeles-based The/Studio , a startup offering up custom manufacturing of products through a worldwide network of apparel manufacturers, accessory makers, textile manufacturers, and many others, has raised $11M in a funding round. The company says it has offices in China, Romania, Philippines, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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Customer Custom Networking Los Angeles 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2023

For example, only a few people today still think of Amazon as an online provider of books and related goods, now that they have exploded their business world-wide into every product arena, added web services (AWS), television and film production (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), a bricks-and-mortar grocery chain (Whole Foods), and more.

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Outsource Development Outsource Startup Metrics 140

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2010

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Don’t outsource your core competency. Product or services. Technology level.

Outsource Development 51

Outsource Development Outsource Software Offshore 51

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2022

Good managers improve focus and productivity through effective communication and coordinating disparate activities. They are more sensitive to customer needs and see peer collaboration as the most effective decision process. Outsourcing and working from home needs coordination.

Outsource 133

Outsource Training Organization Social Media 133

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2021

Even before the recent pandemic, when more people began working remotely , I noticed the dynamics changing in many workplaces, both between employee interaction with peers, and interactions with customers. Customers will be impacted and less likely to have a memorable experience. Measure results in terms of customer satisfaction.

Satisfaction 108

Satisfaction Outsource Study Platform 108

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

Here are five key ones to celebrate: Enjoy the feedback from every satisfied customer. This is the confirmation that your product or service fills a real need in the marketplace. Similarly, it will be very satisfying to see the productivity increases from your leadership and mentoring. Increasing customer focus and loyalty.

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Startup Satisfaction Customer Custom 118

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

TaskUs recently reached 15,000 employees , by offering up a range of customer service and business process outsourcing services.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Southern California Outsource Santa Monica 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

You can’t succeed in business without an operational model that delivers value to customers at a reasonable price, with an underlying cost that allows you to make a profit. A target market is the group of customers that the startup plans to attract through marketing and sales their product or service. Production.

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Sales Customer Custom Outsource 102

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2020

Ready to scale is when you have a proven product and a proven business model, about to expand to new geographies and markets. A software product is a classic example of a scalable solution, since it costs real money to build the first copy, but unlimited additional copies can be quickly cloned for almost no incremental cost.

Startup 154

Startup Outsource Ideas Research 154

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2014

The days are gone when a techie or a genius could build things in his garage and customers would find and buy the product, based purely on the “wow factor” of the technology. They want a personable brand, before they will consider the product. Thus customers and partners rely more and more on personal engagement with people.

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Customer Custom Startup Content 99

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. You can now skip the mandatory office space rental, with secretary and bookkeeping staff, or outsourcing. Work out of your home, and keep your own books.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2023

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation. Solution development and delivery.

Outsource Development 115

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 115

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 23, 2019

Canoo is locking in final contracts with its vendors and is going to be in production with prototypes before the end of the year. The company touts that its different cabins can be tailored to suit the needs of different customers — ranging from commuter vehicles, public or group transportation, delivery vehicles, and private cars.

Outsource Development 191

Outsource Development Startup Outsource San Diego 191

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

Here are five key ones to celebrate: Enjoy the feedback from every satisfied customer. This is the confirmation that your product or service fills a real need in the marketplace. Similarly, it will be very satisfying to see the productivity increases from your leadership and mentoring. Increasing customer focus and loyalty.

Satisfaction 174

Satisfaction Customer Custom Outsource 174

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2019

In the interests of helping you work smarter and last longer, I would like to offer my top ten list of key resource drains to avoid in early businesses and startups, based on my years of advising entrepreneurs and my own business experience: Expanding your product line too quickly for scaling. Outsourcing services that could be done in-house.

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Outsource Development Outsource Metrics Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Start the product design process by thinking about what a historian in the future would look back on as the one big thing that changed everything. This idea helps to distill down the most important things to make or sell in a product. Amazon uses this technique internally for all new product design efforts.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Design 158

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2023

It's far less expensive to nail down repeat business from your existing customers than it is to land new ones. Now is the time to reap the benefits of those good customer relationships that you've been cultivating. Viral marketing campaigns to lure new customers will cost you big money. Focus on your core competency.

Capital 93

Capital Geni Layoffs Entrepreneur 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2012

Customer service has always been reactionary, meaning someone to wake up and answer website email requests. That’s just not sufficient to hold today’s fickle, less loyal, and ready to jump customer. I found a good summary of these new expectations in a book just published by Micah Solomon, “ High-tech, High-touch Customer Service.”

Customer 97

Customer Custom Services Startup 97

Berkonomics

JUNE 25, 2015

Sometimes this is called a white label strategy, because your customers offer your product as their own product, writing in their brand name on the blank label in your underlying offering. But, more often, this is just the virtualization of what we used to call outsourcing. Do you want zoom in your camera? How much zoom?

Outsource 120

Outsource Social Media Commerce Writing 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2021

In my experience as a business advisor and occasional investor, many of you won’t make it that far, succumbing to the high costs of getting those first customers, funding an initial inventory, and building an operational support process. Use this strategy to fill gaps in your product line without great new cash outflow.

Startup 161

Startup Resource Customer Custom 161

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2022

You may feel good when that first burst of customers arrives, but don’t assume that “ word of mouth ” and those early adopters will grow your business to match your dreams of success. In these days of global competition via multiple channels, you need continuous marketing to find more customers. They won’t find you.

Technical Review 142

Technical Review Social Media Conference Customer 142

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2023

In fact, that feeling of autonomy makes everyone more productive, more loyal, and feel valued. People respond to positives, such as new growth, versus problems implying costs and loss of customers. This also applies to key customers as well as strategic partners. Outsourcing of manufacturing is another option.

Resource 111

Resource Competition Outsource Development Startup 111

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

Strategic partnerships in this context can take the form of joint ventures, intellectual property licensing, outsourcing agreements, or even cooperative research. Up-sell related products or cross endorsement. Sometimes you have to put aside the emotion and the passion, and just look at what is best for your business.

Startup 105

Startup Outsource Competition Entrepreneur 105

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 10, 2019

Publicly traded sensor technology developer, FLIR Systems , is investing in a strategic round of funding for the outsourced drone imaging company, DroneBase. Like myself, many DroneBase pilots relied on FLIR products when they served in the military. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Training 147

Training Outsource Development Outsource Capital 147

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2020

I suggest looking for painful problems to solve, rather than “easier to use” or “nice to have” solutions, for customers with money. Customers line up to believe and buy from people who are viewed as leaders or experts relative to a specific solution. Collaborate with customers to tune your solution.

Outsource Development 154

Outsource Development Social Media Software Review Customer 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2016

For too many small businesses, customer service is still seen as a “burden.” The report also indicates that customer problem experiences continue to increase, up four percent to 54 percent since the last study. These days, relationships and online reviews are key drivers for over 80 percent of new customers.

Customer 56

Customer Custom Startup Satisfaction 56

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2021

Look for real problems to solve, like losing weight, staying healthy, or gaps in a popular product line. Today it more often means a “trusted friend” who seems real, visible, and doesn’t “push” products. Provide website forums to help customers solve their own problems. Use the Internet to outsource staff.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Case Study Software Review Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2020

It's far less expensive to nail down repeat business from your existing customers than it is to land new ones. Now is the time to reap the benefits of those good customer relationships that you've been cultivating. Viral marketing campaigns to lure new customers will cost you big money. Focus on your core competency.

Geni 172

Geni Layoffs Entrepreneur Outsource 172

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2022

Software products and apps can be quickly wire-framed with free tools such as MockFlow , or even Microsoft Powerpoint to lay out the key screens. When you wave your arms and describe your future product, everyone sees what they want to see, and it looks great. Reduce the time to production and rollout.

Outsource Development 110

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 110