Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

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. I found their five phases of the process to be compelling, based on my own years of experience mentoring startups: Nail the pain.

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Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2021

But privately, as a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I see mindsets and attributes that may be equally critical to success, but are not readily admitted, for fear of being too wacky. Don’t look to customers for breakthrough ideas. You now have many bosses, including partners, investors, and customers.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Demand Customer 171

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills. In addition to listening, they spent much of their time communicating their vision and marketing themselves to everyone they encountered.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

It goes without saying that if you find yourself in a really negative headspace PLEASE reach out to any trusted mentor, friend or family member. In the words of my friend and a CEO with whom I work, “Yeah, I know I need to make some cuts because our demand has changed, but I want to do this with a scalpel and not with an axe.”

Demand 215

Demand Guide Customer Custom 215

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Some get stuck in a rut and get run over by competitors with new technology, like Eastman Kodak, and others get pushed into a crisis, like Apple did, before they reinvent themselves into a new market. Here are the key recommendations from both of us, based on my own business mentoring insights: Re-launch using your enhanced core competency.

Technical Review 99

Technical Review Marketing Mentor Entrepreneur 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2021

Every one of you business leaders I know struggles with the competing demands of finding and keeping employees motivated and satisfied, versus building and enforcing a set of repeatable processes that work. You need their full support in today’s rapidly changing market. Dysfunctional teams will cause even the best processes to fail.

Satisfaction 154

Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2020

You need a faster and more flexible on-demand hiring strategy, based on the current gig-economy of remote freelancers, contract personnel, and specialists. Freelancers and consultants have to demonstrate results, without training and mentoring, so they can help you more quickly and probably at a lower total cost.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2022

Thus, over the years of my mentoring and consulting efforts with entrepreneurs, I have a key list of practices that I recommend to everyone starting and growing a business. You may think it’s great that demand exceeds your supply chain, but customers only remember it as a loss of your credibility, and will tell others.

Startup 134

Startup Training Tool Demand 134

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2023

Anyone can build a new web site, or publish a smartphone app for a few thousand dollars, but getting market penetration requires a lot more. Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 118

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network SpaceX 118

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Almost every entrepreneur and new business owner I mentor is certain that his/her idea has a very high probability of success, and all find it hard to believe that ninety percent of startups ultimately fail. Pivot early, as required, to tune your features and marketing to meet the market and technical realities.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2022

In addition, today’s customers judge a company by perceived people relationships through social media, phone conversations, and sales experiences. Today’s pace of change in the market and in technology is unprecedented. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. Leaders need direct and open team communication.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2023

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

Funding 125

Funding Startup Ideas Equity 125

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2022

A common request I get while mentoring entrepreneurs is for a copy of the startup checklist they need to follow, in order to build a successful new business. The next phase of evolution will demand device independence, enabling an uninterrupted computing experience as we move from device to device throughout our daily lives.

Technology 133

Technology Cloud Computing Social Media Networking 133

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2020

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification.

Startup 171

Startup Entrepreneur Activity Ideas 171

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2023

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 70

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

Many entrepreneurs I have mentored make big mistakes in this area, by hiring low-cost friends and family, with minimal skills or training, and expecting them to have the same work ethic , passion, and business knowledge as the founder. Direct customer-facing non-technical roles should be the last ones outsourced.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

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.

Startup 98

Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

Anyone can build a new web site, or publish a smartphone app for a few thousand dollars, but getting market penetration requires a lot more. Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 143

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 143

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2023

These leaders not only recognize team members who have high potential, but they willingly and selflessly customize their coaching to what these special protégés really need. They mentor protégés on talent spotting, creativity, and motivation as well as strategy. Good connections and team building are the keys to success.

Oracle 94

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

You can learn to be an entrepreneur by working in a startup, talking to peers, and mentoring. In reality, every startup brings new unknowns, new people, new competitors, and new customers. Markets, customers, and competitors evolve, and you must continually update the business to stay ahead.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Satisfaction 171

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2015

Los Angeles is the capital of on-demand apps, for just about anything you want. One of those areas that combines LA's passion for on-demand apps, and its active lifestyle, is Fitspot (www.fitspotapp.com), which brings athletic trainers to you or your local fitness center. Ninety percent of our customers are on packages.

Training 100

Training Startup Orange County Malibu 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2022

You need to realize that the business role, including financials, marketing, personnel, and team building, only grows over time and your creative role is reduced. But the more you get involved with mentoring and training, the less time you have to enjoy the creative process. No one else can do the solution delivery like you can.

Satisfaction 92

Satisfaction Training Customer Custom 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. There are lots of resources available for that question, including the Internet and mentors like me. Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

For example, if you have a proven product, real revenue, a big potential market, and are ready to scale up the business, every investor will be interested. On the other hand, if you are a new entrepreneur, still in the idea stage, professional investors will only tell you to come back later when you have traction (customers and revenue).

Startup 148

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 148

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2019

In this era of rapid change, you can’t afford to stop learning, or you will find that your competitors, your customers, and your team, may soon be following someone else. Most people agree that leadership is primarily a set of behaviors that capitalize on relationships and a current market and customer understanding in a complex world.

Tips 97

Tips Mentor Coach Metrics 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2022

I believe these same mindsets are equally applicable to the entrepreneurs I mentor, and all of you small business leaders, so I offer you my summary of the authors’ conclusions, paraphrased here, with my own insights: Be bold in vision, strategy, and resource allocation. Get organization alignment through culture and talent.

Template 109

Template Demand Social Media Summary 109

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

In the short term you need customers to find you at any price, and in the longer term you need revenue, profit, and return loyalty. Although his focus is naturally on bigger companies, I contend that his recommended strategies apply equally well to entrepreneurs and startups: Demand a mindset of deep thinking for the long term.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

The NSF determined eight to ten years ago that the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants they were funding to academic teams, to commercialize technology, they were losing, because not many academics had the background to understand how to go out and source customers, and did not know how to run a startup.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2019

Image via Pixabay As a mentor to many small business owners, I always caution them that you can never relax completely, just because your initial solution or product set appears to be getting traction, and the market buzz is positive. Other customers routinely pay late, or only after they receive one or more prompts from you.

Metrics 86

Metrics Startup Training Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Yet I find that few of today’s workers realize that succeeding as a freelancer requires a whole new focus on “marketing” yourself. As you know, things can change quickly, as businesses try to survive and adapt to an evolving market, so it’s better to be prepared than caught off guard. Walk away from a bad role or customer.

Startup 98

Startup Outsource Development Competition Social Media 98

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 6, 2013

We talked to Ted Dhanik, the founder of Engage:BDR, about his company and the future of marketing. I moved in marketing for NextTag and I was part of the team that launched consumer lending products. After MySpace was acquired by Fox, I learned that there was a huge market for ad inventory. Let’s talk about marketing.

Marketing 96

Marketing Startup Incubator Advertising 96

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2018

As a long-time advisor to entrepreneurs and business owners, I rarely find someone who doesn’t proclaim that the business world is changing rapidly, with new technology, new customer expectations, and new cultures. Others still routinely have phone hold queues for customer contact that can last up to an hour, with no alternative options.

Technical Review 84

Technical Review Customer Custom Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2020

These leaders not only recognize team members who have high potential, but they willingly and selflessly customize their coaching to what these special protégés really need. They mentor protégés on talent spotting, creativity, and motivation as well as strategy. Good connections and team building are the keys to success.

Oracle 124

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2019

In addition, today’s customers judge a company by perceived people relationships through social media, phone conversations, and sales experiences. Today’s pace of change in the market and in technology is unprecedented. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. Leaders need direct and open team communication.

Coach 94

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 94

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Unlike most university programs that are over architected and underfunded, the TMP evolved organically, based on the demands of its students and input from the local community. This allowed the curriculum to efficiently find its product / market fit. The TMP began in the late 1990''s as a single class inside the Engineering College.

Santa Barbara 258

Santa Barbara Technical Review Startup Venture Capital 258

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

And we wanted a head of global marketing. I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. And because I wanted Ethan to be able to attract a great team, build & iterate a product, test it with initial customers and refine his strategy before having to take the wrappers off of his company.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for customers that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Here are the key recommendations from both of us, based on my own business mentoring insights: Re-launch using your enhanced core competency.

Technical Review 59

Technical Review Mentor Entrepreneur Customer 59