Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

But like the company Kyriba, where we recently sold our position at above $1 billion, it took time until the revenue exceeded $100 million recurring and then the industry really competed to back this amazing company since it had scale, defensible technology and long-term, committed customers. VCs have different views and strategies on this.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

You help them on stories, act as a source, develop real relationships, read their stories and eventually when you have news they’re more willing to have a conversation. I pointed out the fact that they only ever talked to the press when the had an announcement and that it was a continual process. It’s a continual process.

Startup 349

Startup Writing Press Blogging 349

InfoChachkie

APRIL 16, 2012

The Lean Startup approach dictates that successful customer development is an iterative process. By conceptualizing, selling, gathering feedback and then developing a product, startups achieve success more quickly and economically. According to Steve, “The original version (of Four Steps) was printed on tree bark at Café Press.

Startup 229

Startup Class Press Custom Development 229

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2020

Frequent discussions with peers and customers on open questions will keep you from being led astray by your own biases. It’s better to write 100 lines of new code every day, recognizing that you will have to iterate to perfection, rather than expecting a week of work to happen all in one night. Frequency keeps the pressure off.

Startup 173

Startup Writing Blogging Ideas 173

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2019

What every entrepreneur needs more than anything else, after they have built an innovative new product or service, is visibility, credibility, and trust by customers, potential employees, and future business partners. If you use a publisher, they may add more visibility with press releases and book-signing events.

Writing 19

Writing Technical Review Entrepreneur Advertising 19

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Are you cynical about their chances in the market just because they seem to be hot in the press and that bugs you? Albert Wenger from Union Square Ventures wrote a great post the other day that reminded me I’ve been meaning to write about this topic. That plus great press & it’s working on some level.

Startup 313

Startup Press Writing News 313

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2016

I have experienced many first-time entrepreneurs with too much hubris if fund-raising came easily and press was fawning and employees joined in droves and customer adoption has been rapid. In London when founders failed they were ostracized in the press and culturally I believe it became harder to raise capital.

Startup 261

Startup Press Blogging .Net 261

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. But don’t let this information get out into the general press and don’t market more than a few months out.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

But for some strange reason they make you file your progress on fund raising, which is the widely picked up by the press. I plan to write about it early next year when we’re all through. But it’s hard to know that from the press. The press who trusted me enough to report on our successes. Entrepreneurshit.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

For much of 2013 I watched the press write articles about how the YouTube “MCNs” (multi-channel networks) were doomed and tried to square that with the data I was watching at the one I invested in, Maker Studios, who has had one hell of a year. Developing O&O (owned & operated) businesses (outside of YouTube).

Networking 366

Networking Media Content Customer 366

socalTECH

JUNE 11, 2018

For our interview this morning, we caught up with Scot Lawrie , the President and technical Co-founder of Los Angeles-based Coverfly (www.coverfly.com), and John Rhodes , Coverfly's head of Marketing and Business Development, to learn a bit more about the early stage, bootstrapped startup focused on Hollywood script writers. What is Coverfly?

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Hollywood Platform Competition 100

socalTECH

OCTOBER 30, 2014

We were sick and tired of writing up fake descriptions of places to make them sound like they were luxury, when they were not necessarily luxury. Who is your typical customer? They hired me to help with business development, which is what I did for about a year. That''s why we went with the anti-luxury theme with the site.

Sites 213

Sites Startup Customer Custom 213

InfoChachkie

JUNE 3, 2013

I said, ''Hey, listen were going to start writing this newsletter and it''s going to highlight our trials and tribulations, our failures and our successes. The opening paragraphs of that first newsletter are indicative of the captivating and accessible writing style, which eventually cultivated a huge audience. And of those 35 people.

Newsletter 233

Newsletter Startup Entrepreneur Writing 233

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

But the thing I am most proud of about Rob is that he has taken a company with a uniquely talented founder & CTO – Nick Halstead – and managed to build a very tight working relationship with Nick where we drive world-class product development without having the usual founder / CEO conflicts. ” I know it sounds obvious.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

So I know I’m getting myself into a bit of trouble by writing this. Of course they “need&# the title to convince customers, biz dev partners and VCs that they’re to be taken seriously. I had heads of sales, marketing, business development, product management, technology and customer service.

Startup 325

Startup Technical Review Sales Report 325

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

This is a post I’ve been dying to write for 18 months. OK, that sounds like an interesting business, but nothing to write a freakin’ blog post about? You fish where your customers are. I know this category has gotten a lot of press. Mostly, I love writing. They have no interest in an early exit.

Gogii 310

Gogii Invest Blogging Startup 310

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

I’m sitting at my computer now at 9.00pm writing this – which is an hour earlier than I normally write (there are about 8 women at my kitchen table having a book club (aka excuse to drink wine & gossip so I’m locked in another room writing. Mostly during the day I’m in meetings or doing work.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

InfoChachkie

JUNE 3, 2013

I said, ''Hey, listen were going to start writing this newsletter and it''s going to highlight our trials and tribulations, our failures and our successes. The opening paragraphs of that first newsletter are indicative of the captivating and accessible writing style, which eventually cultivated a huge audience. And of those 35 people.

Newsletter 133

Newsletter Startup Entrepreneur Writing 133

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

With nearly 25 million customers using Netflix it’s clear that everyone will have an opinion on this. In my opinion it’s the most natural fit and it would give Netflix a very strong presence in Los Angeles and in TV (obviously subject to getting the right writes from the studios). Indeed, my Twitter stream tells me so.

Netflix 329

Netflix Evite Pricing Hulu 329

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

A great leader knows customers and has direct relationships with them. She can anticipate reactions to price increases or product changes by customers and she can sustain competitive challenges because she knows the customer will stick by her. The reality of most startups is about survival. Winning paves over any flaws.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2018

Frequent discussions with peers and customers on open questions will keep you from being led astray by your own biases. It’s better to write 100 lines of new code every day, recognizing that you will have to iterate to perfection, rather than expecting a week of work to happen all in one night. Frequency keeps the pressure off.

Startup 57

Startup Writing Blogging Entrepreneur 57

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

If you’re an early investor like I am that often means writing the first $2-3 million check into a business that previously had either survived on fumes or on a $500,000 angel round. At the B-round great teams often hire their first business development person. Your job is to sit down with him and plan out a strategic roadmap.

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 22, 2013

Frequent discussions with peers and customers on open questions will keep you from being led astray by your own biases. It’s better to write 100 lines of new code every day, recognizing that you will have to iterate to perfection, rather than expecting a week of work to happen all in one night. Frequency keeps the pressure off.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Blogging 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2016

Frequent discussions with peers and customers on open questions will keep you from being led astray by your own biases. It’s better to write 100 lines of new code every day, recognizing that you will have to iterate to perfection, rather than expecting a week of work to happen all in one night. Frequency keeps the pressure off.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Blogging 60

InfoChachkie

MAY 5, 2011

Relinquish Press Release Capabilities. If you allow your prospective partner or customer to milk the cow for free , they will resist paying for it. If you enter into a development or trial partnership for free, you are allowing the BDC to forestall its ultimate determination of the value of the partnership. Press Release Rights.

Outsource Development 244

Outsource Development Entrepreneur Resource Press 244

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2014

They don’t show up in a calculation that says I spent $7,000 and I got X-thousands inches of press. Business Development - Biz Dev is hard. Fund Raising – No self respecting VC would admit (even to themselves) that they are influenced by what they read about you in the press. Press matters. They are silent.

Press 415

Press Google Course Writing 415

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

Instead of BS’ing me he said, “we spent 18 months building out our product and a set of graphic editing tools when we realized we had developed in the wrong platform. If you’re in front of a customer and you had some very public bad press that week don’t pretend it didn’t exist.

Venture Capital 264

Venture Capital Startup Training Sales 264

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

I received a press pass to DeveloperWeek 2015 last week in order to attend the “Advice to Live by from Women Developers” career panel moderated by the lead of Dice’s engineering team, Jennifer Petersen. Several Gamergaters have also stated that she must have gotten others to write the code for her.

Web 40

Web Software Engineering Press Design 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

If you’re raising a round where a new lead investor would invest $5 million the VC fund must have no less than $100 million and if you’re looking for them to write $15–20 million as the lead their fund realistically should be at least $400 million. Your job is to push politely until you either get a “soft no” or more engagement.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

socalTECH

AUGUST 3, 2009

Sean McDonald is founder of Jute Networks (www.jutenetworks.com), which is in a startup developing highly visual, graphical tools to help people use their professional networks and connections to further their business. Their relationship with you is not as important as the one they have with the people that write them checks.

Networking 113

Networking Startup Social Network Software 113

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I will write more about this in the next 2 weeks. I suppose I should have imagined that this line would get more press than all other comments combined. Huge structural under-employment in much of the country and full employment in some niche tech markets where it’s impossible to hire developers, designers or sales professionals.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

I spoke a lot about the need for “personal branding” which I plan to write about soon. But the problem with being all in – all in for me, let’s say I can write $10 to $12 million per company. If I write $2 million and we hit a bump in the road, I can write another $2 million. Am I allowed to say this?

Startup 337

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Venture Capital 337

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

So I thought I’d write a post about how I drive my personal creativity. (A The key is channeling what you learn when you drive onto paper for retention purposes so you have to write it down soon afterward. When I write a blog post I often see the words before I write them. These are all creative processes.

Writing 356

Writing Startup Ideas Summary 356

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2009

A Writer Is Someone Who Writes. A writer is someone who writes, not someone who goes about telling their friends that they are “a writer”. If your character cracks under the heat of a startup, your stakeholders will feel cheated, just like the ceramic customers in ancient Greece. Hint: He was an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Ideas Writing Startup 153

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2018

Founders read the tech press every day filled with stories about these $20 million fund-raisings by this firm and that firm and it sounds like everybody else is doing it except for you. When you read about the funding in the press it sounds like it was a walk in the park. But if you can stay in the game you can often find that one yes.

Press 232

Press Funding Venture Capital Technical Review 232

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 1, 2011

We were invited to play with double Grammy winners Arrested Development and got great reviews, but when it came to marketing our shows and our album, we found that the tools out there for artists were a disaster. I was the second employee at a startup affiliate network called Affiliate Fuel here in Los Angeles, handling business development.

Startup 80

Startup Design Advertising Search Engine Optimization 80

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Photo by Hope House Press - Leather Diary Studio on Unsplash It’s also true that there will be tough moments in your company’s journey where you will want to be able to carry people behind the tough decisions you want. You can write this as a narrative in 3–5 key bullet points. But what are the KEY ISSUES management is grappling with.

Startup 226

Startup Slides Metrics News 226