Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2022

That means making sure the right people are hired, trained, and in the right place at the right time. This is also the time for business development focus, related social causes, and exploring common ground (coopetition initiatives) with competitors. Spend real time on people development and succession planning.

Startup 137

Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 137

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2011

Mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you don’t need the mentor anymore. In that sense, you should think of a mentor more like your advisor who has done all he can. Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. Friends tell you what you want to hear.

Mentor 98

Mentor Coach Ideas Entrepreneur 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Many people believe that new ideas are the critical element of innovation, but in my experience as a mentor and investor, long-term business success is more about implementation than ideas. Search for customer pain rather than high margins. Provide outside training opportunities and hiring to promote this culture.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 19, 2011

Get connected to the right mentors and your business may catapult to the next level. I figured if Matt was on the verge of bankruptcy and one mentor changed his trajectory, what if we had a formalized, community-wide program? He is very hands-on and helpful – especially for any company looking into customer acquisition.

Acquisition 304

Acquisition Startup Customer Custom 304

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. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. People-centric leaders drive ownership and engagement down to their customer-facing team members.

Coach 128

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 128

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2023

I recall a good summary of how to motivate and train a team to accomplish this in the classic book, “ The Business of Creativity: How to Build the Right Team for Success ,” by Keith Granet. A single marketing coordinator can accelerate your efforts by being the coach and mentoring key members of the team on soft marketing.

Startup 95

Startup Coach Mentor Social Media 95

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.

Develop 101

Develop Development Entrepreneur Startup 101

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2022

One of the attributes that I often recommend to the business professionals and entrepreneurs I mentor is to always be totally accountable for your actions and ideas. I too often see people who are quick to make excuses, blame failures on peers or customers, or see management as the reason for their lack of productivity.

Activity 109

Activity Organization Mentor Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2022

Be sure to encompass all your constituents, especially including customers. Whole Foods , for example, has built their business with a commitment to natural and organic foods, and have a culture of loyal employees and customers, resulting in 500 stores worldwide. As a result, they recently were acquired by Amazon for $13.5

Product 109

Product Training Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2022

Yet I believe it is possible, and even more fun, to challenge your thinking and practices, to develop that innovative mindset that can keep you on the forefront of business. One way to do this is to nurture mentoring relationships with experts in other disciplines, as Bill Gates did with Warren Buffet.

Competition 139

Competition Examples Customer Custom 139

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

If you aren’t yet adapting to the market and your customers, you are falling behind. I define business agility for my consulting clients as the ability to change your business rapidly to meet customer and environmental changes, with minimal organizational disruption and cost. Be proactive rather than reactive to market change.

Competition 148

Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

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. It allows startups to rent virtualized servers and associated services needed to develop, test, and run applications. I wish it was that easy. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Technology 133

Technology Cloud Computing Social Media Networking 133

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

In my experience of many years as a business founder, consultant, and executive, I offer the following list of situations that always imply a real need for people and business leadership, and have the potential for long-term positive impact to your bottom line and business success: Your business image is slipping in the eyes of customers.

Coach 120

Coach Satisfaction Customer Custom 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2021

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance. It means mentoring less experienced team members, and quickly replacing incompetent staff members.

Startup 171

Startup Organization Training Entrepreneur 171

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 152

Satisfaction Mentor Study Startup 152

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

I found many more helpful suggestions in a new book, “ The Culture Question ,” by Randy Grieser, Eric Stutzman, Wendy Loewen, and Michael Labun, who have spent years providing leadership and professional development training to companies around the world. Proactively provide support and training.

Tips 96

Tips Satisfaction Training Mentor 96

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Message delivery must be customized for each investor. There is no substitute for experience and trained skills in the business area you are attacking.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2015

We have about 350, nationally certified, trainers on the platform, all vetted internally by us, and by our mentor network. The flat rate includes use of those locations during training sessions. We offer six different genres of fitness: Crossfit, strength training, Pilates, boxing, yoga, and stretching.

Training 100

Training Startup Orange County Malibu 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2020

That means making sure the right people are hired, trained, and in the right place at the right time. This is also the time for business development focus, related social causes, and exploring common ground (coopetition initiatives) with competitors. Spend real time on people development and succession planning.

Startup 125

Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 125

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. It’s the same for customers and products, where analytics have long proven their value.

Tool 121

Tool Statistics Entrepreneur Metrics 121

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2010

Mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you don’t need the mentor anymore. In that sense, you should think of a mentor more like your advisor who has done all he can. Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. Friends tell you what you want to hear.

Mentor 49

Mentor Coach Entrepreneur Ideas 49

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2020

Others pivoted quickly based on customer need changes, rather than just spending more money on advertising and charging ahead. As a mentor to business owners, I still see many praying for the day when things stabilize, their processes are working, and they can relax and enjoy business growth.

Startup 124

Startup Customer Custom Statistics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

As a mentor to startups, I see more startups that are really an individual professional, marketing themselves as a consultant or freelancer in this new gig economy. Software Development Professional. For existing trained professionals, it’s an opportunity to become an entrepreneur. Administrative Professional.

Startup 106

Startup Social Media Course Entrepreneur 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2022

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. As your company grows, you have to host customer seminars.

Marketing 113

Marketing Entrepreneur Customer Custom 113

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2020

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.

Startup 124

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2020

As a mentor to startups, I see more startups that are really an individual professional, marketing themselves as a consultant or freelancer in this new gig economy. Software Development Professional. For existing trained professionals, it’s an opportunity to become an entrepreneur. Administrative Professional.

Startup 164

Startup Social Media Course Entrepreneur 164

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. That keeps people from pushing themselves to develop the kind of new solutions that will permanently change the business for the better, versus short-term band-aids.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2023

I found some guidance in the classic book, “ Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results ,” by Victor Prince and Mike Figliuolo, two top thought leaders in the field of leadership development. Equally important is leadership in the marketplace, with customers, outside partners, and industry thought drivers.

Resource 107

Resource Entrepreneur Startup Guide 107

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

You need to build business relationships with partners, team members, investors, and of course customers. Yet I soon found that knowledge is power, and a little training and determination goes a long way toward removing the qualms. Asking someone to be your mentor is not a sign of weakness, and most mentors love to help.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2019

Too many companies think of employee development efforts and benefits as an expense that must be minimized. They don’t recognize that employees drive customer growth, improve productivity, and drive company success. Hire and mentor people who show engagement in prior roles. Measure your investment in engagement as an asset.

Mentor 97

Mentor Examples Report Training 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2022

This is a tough challenge for every coach and mentor. The support currently provided by product service can become inadequate to satisfy new customers, as your growth and image becomes better known. To thrive as a business leader, you need to assume there will be change and crises, and develop resilience to bounce back and adapt.

Entrepreneur 90

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Coach Mentor 90

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Message delivery must be customized for each investor. There is no substitute for experience and trained skills in the business area you are attacking.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2015

The authors found these to be achievable through self-training and practice, rather than requiring a genetic endowment. 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.

Mentor 104

Mentor Ideas Entrepreneur Study 104

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. Customers demand more engagement and flexibility. People-centric leaders drive ownership and engagement down to their customer-facing team members.

Coach 94

Coach Organization Mentor Startup 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2022

In my years of mentoring entrepreneurs, a problem I have seen too often is low self-esteem, and over-compensating through arrogance and ego. These entrepreneurs find it hard to respect customers or team members, and their ventures usually fail. He assures us that anyone can train themselves to get on track to stay on track.

Startup 101

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Competition 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2014

In that sense, you should think of an advisor more like your mentor who has done all he can. An advisors aim is to teach you what to do and how, in specific situations, unlike a coach who helps you develop your generic skills for deciding what to do and how. An advisor knows what to look for, and sees what your customers see.

Mentor 104

Mentor Coach Tips Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

In addition, like an entrepreneur with a new business, you have to factor in all the indirect costs previously covered by employers, including training, health care, and time off for vacations. Here are some key strategies that I recommend to every worker today: Develop and highlight your competitive differentiation.

Startup 98

Startup Outsource Development Competition Social Media 98