Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2021

Don’t look to customers for breakthrough ideas. Steve Jobs and Henry Ford are famous for their assertion that, contrary to popular belief, the customer isn't always right about what they want next. You now have many bosses, including partners, investors, and customers. There will be time for friends later.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Demand Custom 171

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

Most leaders agree that poor customer service is a business killer today, in terms of lost customers, reduced profits, and low morale. Yet the average perception of customer experience has not improved. You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen.

Competition 99

Competition Services Startup Training 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. Leaders who focus on team communication are also more successful in dealing with partners and customers.

Satisfaction 154

Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

But very quickly, it is becoming obvious to startups that the value and satisfaction exceeds the costs. Even without B-Corp status, entrepreneurs are speaking out more on the positives to support business models that benefit not just shareholders, but customers, workforce, the environment, and the greater community.

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Startup Organization Custom Customer 149

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2023

Leading change is even harder, trying to balance the demands of the customers against the needs and expectations of employees. In parallel with fulfilling your own needs, always use your power to fulfill the needs of customers and team members. But you have to change to survive and thrive.

Satisfaction 130

Satisfaction IBM IBM Summary 130

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2023

These haven’t changed much over the years, but still seem to be often overlooked by business professionals and leaders in their haste to keep up with peers, competitors, and customers in today’s volatile environment. Timely follow-up on customer and team member requests. Stretch here also increases job satisfaction.

Startup 121

Startup Satisfaction Technical Review Ideas 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2022

Too many customers have long felt distanced from many successful brands, seeing them as closed and mysterious environments, focused only on profits and killing competitors. These are responding to the demands of this new world for collaboration, trust, and transparency. Shared leadership (member and customer led).

Organization 126

Organization Social Media Examples Custom 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2021

Most leaders agree that poor customer service is a business killer today, in terms of lost customers, reduced profits, and low morale. Yet the average perception of customer experience has not improved. You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen.

Startup 154

Startup Training Custom Customer 154

Berkonomics

MARCH 26, 2020

The bottleneck itself strains to keep up with demand, often to the point of reducing its own efficiency in the process of attempting to keep up with demand. The effect of your action is magnified several-fold at the output stage of your business, leading to increased customer satisfaction and increased profits.

Organization 156

Organization Demand Satisfaction Training 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

The canvas is a visual chart with elements describing your value proposition, structure, finances, and customers, to help companies identify and align business activities. I look for evidence of the nine major elements of the model canvas, as paraphrased here from the author’s key points and how they apply to teams: Customer segments.

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Funding Activity Custom Customer 133

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2022

As you look forward from where you are today, I recommend that each of you consider the following points that the authors and I all agree are key to your satisfaction, as well as your success in business: You love solution creation more than managing business. No one else can do the solution delivery like you can.

Satisfaction 92

Satisfaction Training Custom Customer 92

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. Higher worker engagement and satisfaction. You can advertise your “greener” strategy, which today will get you greater customer loyalty and advocacy.

Competition 168

Competition Startup Demand Training 168

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2022

The challenge is that every new business needs to be innovative and different, in order to rise above the crowd, bring real change to the world, and give you the satisfaction you seek. Every entrepreneur needs to leverage social media for better marketing, requirements, and customer service. I wish it was that easy. Cloud Computing.

Technology 133

Technology Cloud Computing Social Media Networking 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2013

Most leaders agree that poor customer service is a business killer today, in terms of lost customers, reduced profits, and low morale. Yet the average perception of customer experience continues to decline. You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen.

Customer 92

Customer Custom Startup Services 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2014

There is more and more evidence that a more human-centered or heart-centered leadership yields the best results with your team and with customers in the long run. Demand for coaching, counseling, and discipline training is high. Customer relationships culture is slipping.

Demand 92

Demand Entrepreneur Startup Training 92

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

You will learn to recognize that some friends and colleagues are always downers, and get their satisfaction from snuffing out your aspirations through negative thinking. A first step is empowering yourself to achieve success and feel satisfaction from doing your job. Don’t let anyone kill your dreams and passion.

Startup 122

Startup Satisfaction Summary Coach 122

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2023

Here is my list of eight key strategies and tactics, gleaned from my own observations and feedback, which I believe will define you as a trusted leader, and will result in loyal teams to amplify your business initiatives into long-term success and satisfaction: Share your values and expectations to everyone.

Satisfaction 108

Satisfaction Social Media Coach Training 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2020

Here are some of the key indications that you might be a good match for a lifestyle business, for you to compare and consider against your own objectives and strengths: Enjoy interacting with customers and products every day. If your passion is customers, you definitely will be happier as a lifestyle entrepreneur.

Statistics 124

Statistics Equity Satisfaction Entrepreneur 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

There is more and more evidence that a more human-centered or heart-centered leadership yields the best results with your team and with customers in the long run. Demand for coaching, counseling, and discipline training is high. Customer relationships culture is slipping.

Training 142

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2022

They are not having the impact they expected, and they are not feeling the personal satisfaction they need for next level motivation. Your team will quickly sense your insights and sincerity , leading to greater impact and satisfaction by everyone. This is a tough challenge for every coach and mentor.

Entrepreneur 90

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Coach Mentor 90

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2022

People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. Being reward-driven , you are driven to win money, customers, applause, and the admiration of others. These people define their roles in terms of their customers’ or employees’ or coworkers’ needs, not their own.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 110

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

In reality, every startup brings new unknowns, new people, new competitors, and new customers. Starting a new business does put you in control, but you will face a harrowing new set of demands from partners, investors, suppliers, and customers. With innovative startups, every new one is a new challenge.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Satisfaction 171

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2023

Start by getting people comfortable with what they don’t know, showing them you are open to new ideas, and don’t demand perfection in all deliverables. This promotes more psychological safety, better relationships, and allows all to work effectively in uncomfortable situations with customers and peers.

Case Study 112

Case Study Study Startup Examples 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2023

Obviously, it’s not that simple, but making the right first impression is critical for an entrepreneur, not just with investors, but also with partners, customers, and even yourself. Great entrepreneurs seek out critical customers and industry experts, and actively listen, but are not afraid to trust their own judgment as well.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 70

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

While this approach appears to cost more on the surface, it often actually costs you less, when you consider the hidden costs of rework, poor customer satisfaction, employee management, and training required. Direct customer-facing non-technical roles should be the last ones outsourced. Startups all need that flexibility.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

Berkonomics

MAY 2, 2013

The bottleneck itself strains to keep up with demand, often to the point of reducing its own efficiency in the process of attempting to keep up with demand. The effect of your action is magnified several-fold at the output stage of your business, leading to increased customer satisfaction and increased profits.

Organization 222

Organization Demand Satisfaction Training 222

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2019

My simple answer is that they keep their focus on customers, rather than technology. Jeff Bezos has kept his focus on customers. In my view, every startup in today’s world would do well to adopt a management system with the same key objectives: Start with a customer-obsessed business model.

Marketing 123

Marketing Technical Review Custom Customer 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Look for validation from your mainstream customers. No matter how passionately you believe that everyone needs one, and positive feedback from friends and early adopters (false positives), before you invest in scaling the business, make sure you set and meet good metrics in cost of customer acquisition, recurring sales, and margin.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Southern California Edison Blog

MAY 15, 2020

Media and content creation businesses expanding their services to meet future content needs require a network that can support growing media content demands. CDNs allow enterprises to serve their customers or media consumers wherever they are, removing barriers of physical distance. The number of digital video viewers in the U.S.

Content 63

Content Networking Media Demand 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

The canvas is a visual chart with elements describing your value proposition, structure, finances, and customers, to help companies identify and align business activities. I look for evidence of the nine major elements of the model canvas, as paraphrased here from the author’s key points and how they apply to teams: Customer segments.

Activity 100

Activity Custom Customer Entrepreneur 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

It should convince you that no matter how much you know about technology, leading a team, as well as vendors and customers, is a whole new challenge. Over time, I learned that I could get more personal results, as well as satisfaction, by enlisting the natural strengths of others. Practice deep empathy for everyone on your team.

Develop 124

Develop Development Technical Advisors Satisfaction 124

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

If you demand accountability, but expect to make every decision, both of you will fail. Unfortunately, I often see goal misalignments with teams, such as marketing measured on sales volume, or sales measured on customer retention. Doing so will increase both your personal life accountability, as well as your business satisfaction.

Startup 132

Startup Training Metrics Examples 132

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2020

People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. Being reward-driven , you are driven to win money, customers, applause, and the admiration of others. These people define their roles in terms of their customers’ or employees’ or coworkers’ needs, not their own.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Organization Custom Customer 126

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2019

They don’t realize that they are missing out on a great opportunity for “free” promotion, as well as taking a great risk by not listening to what customers are saying, and not monitoring or responding to undeserved challenges to their reputation. Demand professional business skills and customer advocacy.

Social Media 99

Social Media Media Tool Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2019

For example, it may seem quicker and more effective to hand your service desk employees the store policy manual, and tell them to follow the rules, rather than spend time coaching them on how to really listen to customer feedback, and use their strengths to build customer loyalty. Team members want development plus satisfaction.

Coach 95

Coach Technical Review Satisfaction Examples 95

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2020

Of course, most of you expect that raising money will be difficult, as well as staving off competitors, and handling that occasional toxic customer. What you don’t expect is to feel out of control , or to always be fighting the many demands for your time. You need all the positive traction you can get to survive and prosper.

Entrepreneur 122

Entrepreneur Startup Course Examples 122

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Instead of counting and working more hours, I believe there are better ways to improve your productivity, as well as employee satisfaction, in growing your business: Create relevant result targets for all key employees. For example, for a sales person, this metric number would likely measure new revenue or new customers.

Metrics 124

Metrics Entrepreneur Satisfaction Study 124