Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2016

That’s the right place to start, but real growth and scale requires attracting customers who are not like you. Update your technology to reach new customer segments. Today’s customers want to be mobile and location sensitive. Make your offering part of improving customer lifestyle rather than just solving a problem.

Customer 55

Customer Custom Marketing Social Media 55

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 13, 2016

At least that is the conventional wisdom. Well, even though that acquisition is still playing itself out on the field of battle, it appears quite clear that the new parent has directed its new subsidiary to abandon the lower end of the market and focus upon the larger sales, corporate customers, and major brands.

Resource 120

Resource Competition Examples Customer 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2019

Steve Blank via Flickr by jdlasica I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Nail the solution.

Startup 98

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 98

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2011

For most new high-tech products, the first customers are always “early adopters.” The conventional wisdom is that early adopters are the ideal target for new products, to get business rolling. The dilemma that we all face is that the most valuable customers might be the least vocal (silent majority).

Customer 91

Customer Custom High Tech News 91

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

Theirs is not the autocratic style of leadership, which tells people what to do and dominates them, but a style which treats partners, investors, and customers as family. Visionaries are often “outside the box” of conventional approaches and move toward long-term change and innovation. Willing to take bold actions.

Ideas 101

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Resource 101

InfoChachkie

MARCH 4, 2013

Their deep understanding of their customers, an uncompromising drive to create a quality product and the courage to ignore the music industry's formulaic approach to producing hits resulted in the creation one of the top selling non-compilation albums of all time.

Startup 269

Startup Cloud Computing RSS Writing 269

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

They consistently take bold steps to stay ahead of the curve, often contrary to conventional wisdom. Exceptional outcomes don’t come from standard answers to pre-defined questions by conventional leaders. These few seem more adept at executing market and technology turns, not just incremental evolution.

Summary 95

Summary Organization SpaceX Ideas 95

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 15, 2013

This goes against the conventional wisdom of VCs. This post is about how to work with your largest customers when you’re an early-stage software company and about how you can increase your margins by selling your roadmap. One way of slicing customer segments is by size. That’s why I like deer. Easy to catch.

Customer 297

Customer Custom Pricing Startup 297

InfoChachkie

MARCH 1, 2011

Although this approach was common in the UK, it ran counter to the then current Conventional Wisdom in the US music industry. To learn how to not launch a Freemium solution, see Making Freemium Customers Pay. Assuming the fans had bought the single, I figured they wouldn’t want to hear it again on the album.”. A Valuable Brand.

Product 232

Product Marketing Sales Customer 232

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2013

The sharpest entrepreneurs have a knack for viewing the world from the perspective of their customers. It’s easier than dislodging well-recognized existing products, and waiting for customer change, even if your solution is better. Buck the conventional wisdom. Hit ‘em where they ain’t.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Startup Advertising Social Media 117

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2015

Theirs is not the autocratic style of leadership, which tells people what to do and dominates them, but a style which treats partners, investors, and customers as family. Visionaries are often “outside the box” of conventional approaches and move toward long-term change and innovation. Willing to take bold actions.

Ideas 115

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Resource 115

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 24, 2014

Few customer pitches are too brief - fulfill your customers'' needs by saying less and listening more. Let your actions convey your capabilities - deliver value to your customers rather than promises of future greatness. Contrarians founders usually win the day - revel in your non-conformity and ignore conventional wisdom.

Hollywood 227

Hollywood Santa Barbara Entrepreneur Customer 227

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Nail the solution. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Customer 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2017

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Nail the solution. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Startup 64

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 64

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2017

Theirs is not the autocratic style of leadership, which tells people what to do and dominates them, but a style which treats partners, investors, and customers as family. Visionaries are often “outside the box” of conventional approaches and move toward long-term change and innovation. Willing to take bold actions.

Entrepreneur 67

Entrepreneur Ideas Startup Resource 67

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2015

Entrepreneurship is all about leading – leading customers to a new product or service, leading a startup team to peak performance, and leading a new business to the market opportunity, while providing maximum return to stakeholders. Entrepreneurs need to practice critical thinking to be leaders, rather than following conventional wisdom.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Mentor Coach Customer 108

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2012

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Nail the solution. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Startup 118

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 118

InfoChachkie

JUNE 6, 2011

Entrepreneurs are encouraged to believe that they must pay top-dollar for the ideal booth location, compelling give-aways, and an imposing booth that will capture the imagination of its potential customers. As noted in Conventional Wisdom Isn’t , in many instances, bigger is not better.

Sales 174

Sales Customer Custom Conference 174

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 9, 2012

You must convince dispassionate, objective customers that your value proposition is worthy of their cash. Accomplished entrepreneurs are curious about their customers' desires, competitors' future strategic directions and their industry's technological trends. Conventional Wisdom Is A False Constraint. "When

Tips 277

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Entertainment 277

InfoChachkie

MARCH 1, 2012

Thus, when Come Together – The Business Wisdom of The Beatles was released, my hopes were high for a great read. After alternating very conventional C and D chords, John plays a B7 chord at the end of the line “I think you’ll understand.” You and your competitors are probably using the B7 in all the conventional ways.

Tips 259

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Product 259

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Theirs is not the autocratic style of leadership, which tells people what to do and dominates them, but a style which treats partners, investors, and customers as family. Visionaries are often “outside the box” of conventional approaches and move toward long-term change and innovation. Willing to take bold actions.

Ideas 104

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Resource 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2012

The sharpest entrepreneurs have a knack for viewing the world from the perspective of their customers. It’s easier than dislodging well-recognized existing products, and waiting for customer change, even if your solution is better. Buck the conventional wisdom. Hit ‘em where they ain’t.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Advertising Social Media Competition 101

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 21, 2010

Real Problem – When buying behavior is boiled down to its essence, it becomes clear that customers purchase solutions to problems. Even luxury goods solve a perceived problem, such as a customers need for enhanced social status. Solvable – Unknown at the outset, although conventional wisdom indicated that the problem was not solvable.

Course 124

Course Examples Ideas Entrepreneur 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2015

They consistently take bold steps to stay ahead of the curve, often contrary to conventional wisdom. Exceptional outcomes don’t come from standard answers to pre-defined questions by conventional leaders. These few seem more adept at executing market and technology turns, not just incremental evolution.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur IBM IBM Summary 105

InfoChachkie

APRIL 16, 2012

The Lean Startup approach dictates that successful customer development is an iterative process. Eric (Ries) was a student in one of the very earliest customer development classes at Berkley. Customer development, in hindsight… was the first of… an emerging stack of entrepreneurial management tools.”. Preaching What You Live.

Startup 229

Startup Class Press Custom Development 229

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2010

We’re here for Greycroft’s CEO Summit – a gathering of the CEO’s of their portfolio companies with guest speakers covering topics including how to build your team, PR, customer development, etc. It is the key to “customer development” that Steve Blank talks about. We learned this weekend that it was named after his East Hampton home.

Startup 279

Startup Venture Capital Tips Custom Development 279

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2014

Entrepreneurship is all about leading – leading customers to a new product or service, leading a startup team to peak performance, and leading a new business to the market opportunity, while providing maximum return to stakeholders. Entrepreneurs need to practice critical thinking to be leaders, rather than following conventional wisdom.

Mentor 103

Mentor Coach Entrepreneur Customer 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Nail the solution. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Startup 114

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 114

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 3, 2017

They consistently take bold steps to stay ahead of the curve, often contrary to conventional wisdom. Exceptional outcomes don’t come from standard answers to pre-defined questions by conventional leaders. These few seem more adept at executing market and technology turns, not just incremental evolution.

IBM 65

IBM IBM Summary Organization 65

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2013

For most new high-tech products, the first customers are always “early adopters.” The conventional wisdom is that early adopters are the ideal target for new products, to get business rolling. The dilemma that we all face is that the most valuable customers might be the least vocal (silent majority).

Marketing 96

Marketing News Pricing High Tech 96

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Entrepreneurship is all about leading – leading customers to a new product or service, leading a startup team to peak performance, and leading a new business to the market opportunity, while providing maximum return to stakeholders. Entrepreneurs need to practice critical thinking to be leaders, rather than following conventional wisdom.

Entrepreneur 116

Entrepreneur Mentor Coach Customer 116

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2012

Theirs is not the autocratic style of leadership, which tells people what to do and dominates them, but a style which treats partners, investors, and customers as family. Visionaries are often “outside the box” of conventional approaches and move toward long-term change and innovation. Willing to take bold actions.

Ideas 103

Ideas Entrepreneur Startup Resource 103

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2019

Conventional business wisdom tells us that entrepreneurs are today’s main source of innovation. Rather than punish them, it may pay you to nurture and manage their outside-the-box thinking, and capitalize on their innovations that help your customers and keep you ahead of the competition.

IBM 53

IBM IBM Java Google 53

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 10, 2011

Other installments include: Words of startup wisdom from Jeff Bezos. He did more for Apple’s shareholders, customers and employees than any other CEO has ever done for their shareholders, customers and employees. Just because an established leader in your industry does not see the wisdom in your ideas, do not waiver.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Santa Barbara Entrepreneur 279

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 19, 2014

They consistently take bold steps to stay ahead of the curve, often contrary to conventional wisdom. Exceptional outcomes don’t come from standard answers to pre-defined questions by conventional leaders. These few seem more adept at executing market and technology turns, not just incremental evolution.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur IBM IBM Summary 106

InfoChachkie

JUNE 6, 2011

Entrepreneurs are encouraged to believe that they must pay top-dollar for the ideal booth location, compelling give-aways, and an imposing booth that will capture the imagination of its potential customers. As noted in Conventional Wisdom Isn’t , in many instances, bigger is not better.

Sales 124

Sales Customer Custom Conference 124

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

the most counter-intuitive fund-raising advice you’ll ever get I’m about to offer you some fund-raising advice that flies directly in the face of what most conventional wisdom will tell you. He instructed me to call the potential customer instead and ask for a meeting. But just putting a customer reference list in a data room?

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336