Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

These might include anyone bringing in a new customer, representing the company in a good social cause, or participating in a video or social media campaign on their own time. A single marketing coordinator can accelerate your efforts by being the coach and mentoring key members of the team on soft marketing. Reward success.

Marketing

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2022

The challenge for each of you is to get it handled quickly and effectively, without losing the trust of constituents , as well as customers. Look for a mentor, or expert in this area, and ask their advice. Every business leader expects to encounter one or more crises eventually. Get advice before jumping to conclusions.

Development

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

In my business of mentoring new entrepreneurs and advising small company owners, I recognize that most don’t start as experienced leaders, and most don’t realize that people leadership is a primary key to their future success. Building a business is not a one-person job, and leading by edict rarely works today.

Development

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2017

As a long-time mentor and business advisor, I find it ironic that many look only to friends for advice. They forget that friends tell you what you want to hear, while good mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you probably don’t need the mentor anymore, but you always need the friend.

Mentor

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. Because I knew that Ethan was on to a powerful idea and one in which he had developed huge competence and domain knowledge in. The company was called Red Beacon. I was standing with him when he won the TechCrunch 50 award. So there you have it.

CTO Coach

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2020

For example, if you as an entrepreneur come across as arrogant or too casual, many people you need to deal with in business, including investors, suppliers, and customers, will run the other way. Shares views and learns from a personal mentor. These can be honed over time, and can’t be easily faked.

Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their knowledge of a new technology or required service. Developer skills are necessary, but not sufficient, to build a business. developer entrepreneur Herminia Ibarra leadership startup' Marty Zwilling.

Development

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2021

Developed a higher level of mental complexity. High scoring leaders seek and positively respond to feedback from three critical groups: peers, customers, and direct reporting team members. Find and enjoy the company of one or more mentors. In both cases, the beliefs tended to become realities.

Entrepreneur

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2013

What''s the idea behind the incubator--which gives its startups $20,000 in capital, education, mentoring, working space, and more--and how is it tied to USC? We''re giving them access to capital, mentors to build companies, and all here in Los Angeles. UTA is very, very good in strategic business development.

Incubator

InfoChachkie

MARCH 5, 2012

If you use the mentor-driven model that we pioneered at TechStars, you get entrepreneurs who are deeply connected with the broader entrepreneurial landscape. Many experienced entrepreneurs choose to go through an accelerator because of the network effect and the dynamics of the mentor help that they get.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

As a long-time mentor to new entrepreneurs and business owners, I have noticed that many no longer associate more fulfillment and satisfaction with more money, power, and success. In fact, customers today also seem more attracted to companies with a higher purpose than profit. Mentor others to share what you have learned.

Satisfaction

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2018

Most of our mentors are people who have been successful entrepreneurs and investors, who have been there, and understand how to get a company to the next sage. Matt Stodder: The most important thing is to understand their customers, and who they are going after. Blake Caldwell: We believe heavily in customer in customer development.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2023

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their idea of a new technology or required service. These idea and developer skills are necessary, but not sufficient, to build a business. Slowly but surely a more central and enduring leader identity will take root.

Development

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Mark Zuckerberg, while still in school, tested the viability of his “ FaceMash ” technology as a business by rolling it out to other students at Harvard as customers. He learned quickly that several pivots were required for business, legal, and customer acceptance reasons. Take advantage of free startup programs and mentors.

Entrepreneur

Tech.Co

JANUARY 10, 2018

“Focusing on emotion is key when communicating with female customers. Maxeme Tuchman, CEO and cofounder of Caribu.co , an app that allows you to video call and have story time with your children together from anywhere in the world, targeted her company’s efforts on gaining referrals from women customers.

Tips

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2015

We have about 350, nationally certified, trainers on the platform, all vetted internally by us, and by our mentor network. Jonathan Kohn: We've been out now in the LA market for four and a half months, we've done close to 1500 sessions in that time, very strong retention, and our average customer works out six times a month.

Training

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Your leadership skills do not develop without effort. Even the best college degree is not a substitute. Survival requires regular updates.

Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2016

Some will argue that people leadership is a skill you have to be born with, but I’m convinced that it can be learned from experience, mentoring, and failures. They reach to find mentors who have been there, read books on the subject, and participate in leadership development programs. Work on improving your communication skills.

Mentor

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2009

At your stage of development do you really think a shit-hot VP Sales is going to join you to head up sales? And you can always bring on a senior person as a mentor / coach to help guide you personally to become a better sales leader until you’re ready for somebody more senior on your team. Well, first let’s be honest.

Startup

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

Nobody likes to hear you say, “we can’t tell you anything we’re in stealth mode&# so develop some generic talking points that don’t give anything away when you’re asked what you do. You always have too much technical debt, too many problems, staff members quitting, not enough capital, customer complaints, etc.

Marketing

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2020

The servant leader serves the people they lead through mentoring, direct assistance, listening, and acting on their employees input. The concept was developed by Robert K. Do people believe that you are committed to helping them develop and grow? If the answers surprise you, it may be time to find a leadership mentor.

Mentor

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Here are the key principles she espouses, extended to leadership teams, based on my own background and mentoring new entrepreneurs: Learn to trust yourself and your team. All your competitors, investors, and customers are making the same assessment on you. by Erica Peitler, a well-known leadership performance coach.

Development

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2011

In a company’s early days, it is often the developers and product marketing team who must create the product. As a company continues to mature, the customer support and professional services teams become vital in order to retain customers and the accounting department has to properly manage the company’s cash flows. Monkey See.

Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2022

The concept of “ force multipliers ” originally was developed in military science, but certainly applies equally well to business. You may focus only on Facebook, and missing customers who expect to see you on Instagram and YouTube. Get interactive with online users and customer feedback. Show potential customers that you care.

Marketing

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

We have about 8500 customers there, but only a small percentage have built great communities that took off, and the rest floundered. That's why we built FanMix, to solve our own problem, and help our SocialEngine customers to promote their own sites. We have some great mentors now. After TechStars, how did you end up in LA?

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

Aspiring entrepreneurs ask me why their great idea hasn’t sold; they talk about it endlessly, and they expect others to do the development, finance, and marketing work for them. It can also be very inspiring, as you watch your dream morph into reality, or as you feel each little element of success: Watch your team develop new skills.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

Identify customer executives who need your solution. Many savvy entrepreneurs are able to convince high-potential customers that investing early in a high-value solution, perhaps through an advance on royalties, is in their best interest. Reach out to your biggest fans for investor leads.

Funding

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2021

As a mentor, I’m regularly frustrated by people who try to cover their lack of confidence with ego and arrogance , rather than working on the base issue. Develop a mindset of self-worth and ability to adapt. Confidence and self-esteem are critical to your success as an entrepreneur, or any business role.

Mentor

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

Today, with the Internet and social media, if you aren’t visible in a positive way to everyone, including customers, your leadership efforts will be lost. You need to be visible in marketing efforts, viral videos, and interactions with key customer segments. Build relationships with known business leaders.

Mentor

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

At the B-round great teams often hire their first business development person. Your job is to challenge his thinking because you’ve been spending the last few years in front of customers, competitors, partners and investors and you should have a more intuitive sense of the future. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader.

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

In my own business career, many years as a business advisor, and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I have validated the following strategies to practice and guide you. A broken process or a subtle quality issue can generate a flood of customer satisfaction problems, cost overruns, and loss of market share. Then pick the best one.

Satisfaction

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

Everyone is a rock star developers, every company is crushing it and when they’re not crushing it they’re killing it. I really don’t understand why so many first-time entrepreneurs are becoming “mentors” or “advisors” to other startups when that is a distraction to your own success.

Software Review

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

The program is based on a highly developed process created by entrepreneurial thought-leader and Ivy League educator Steve Blank , author of the book The Four Steps to the Epiphany. Customer Development. There is a mentor program that accompanies the class. Business Model Generation via the Business Model Canvas.

Class

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Based on my own experience as a business advisor, I’m convinced that it is all about your mindset for success, and the habits you have developed for tackling problems and challenges. Rather than get angry and upset, fall back to your initial process for evaluating markets, customer needs, and financial implications.

Mentor

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2021

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. Subtraction leads to simplicity, better usability, and easier education of your customers. It allows them turn resource constraints into stunning new businesses.

Startup

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 23, 2012

1) Get A Mentor. "I When enhancing your value proposition, ask the same question a newcomer would ask, "what is the best way for users to interact with the new features, irrespective of the existing customer experience?" Develop a solution for a problem, market and/or user group about which you are passionate.

Startup

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 5, 2010

How-to get that guy as your mentor - Gabriel Weinberg , September 20, 2010 Forming a couple of good mentor relationships can help bridge the gap between startup failure and success, especially for first-time entrepreneurs. But how do you actually get the right people to be your mentors? Want to start up in France?

Startup