Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2020

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Startup Competition 131

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

Every entrepreneur wants to hear “yes” during the fund-raising process but I would argue that being too risk averse and not pushing hard enough and be willing to hear a “no” is what holds back many people from “yes.” I believe people generally hate making decisions and especially so when they involve commitments and risks.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

As organizations we have become more open and I believe this is great for businesses and their customers. We spent time out in the marketplace talking with customers, looking at their solutions, comparing ourselves with our competition and then squirreling ourselves away in our offices designing our next set of features.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Others schedule exhaustive training sessions for everyone on the team, including showcase customers, to make sure that everyone paints a consistent picture. Due diligence always involves on-site visits, informal discussions with any or all members of the team, vendors, and good customers as well as bad. Traction in the marketplace.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

socalTECH

DECEMBER 10, 2013

Los Angeles-based Family Archival Solutions is hoping that its new, online service will help address those issues, by letting users manage both their digital--and physical--documents. The company''s partners include Iron Mountain, a major provider of document storage, who the company said is providing document storage for its customers.

Email 196

Email Los Angeles Sites Services 196

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2023

I see too many business plans that are really product plans for customers, touting free services and long feature lists. No product, even with a large opportunity, is ready to scale until you can show it working, with multiple customers paying the full price, to validate the business model. Attract and relish investor funding.

Tips 135

Tips Invest Startup Outsource 135

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

Even with advantages that independent startups can never hope to match, including brand recognition, customers, financial capital, and distribution, I don’t often see the entrepreneurial passion for innovation, agility, and team perseverance exhibited by new startups. Commit a source of internal or external seed funding.

Incubator 143

Incubator Seed Funding Metrics Customer 143

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 24, 2020

The company, which employed about 160 people, laid off 57 workers, according to documents filed with the California Employment Development Department. It was enough to get the attention of investors and at least two global OEMs as customers. Divergent can’t name the customers because of non-disclosure agreements.

Startup 251

Startup Technical Review Outsource Development Platform 251

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. Practice being a good communicator.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

socalTECH

DECEMBER 20, 2016

San Diego-based eSUB Construction Software , a startup developing mobile and cloud-based project management and document control software for the construction industry, has raised $5M in a Series A funding, the company announced this morning. The funding came from Revolution Ventures. The funding came from Revolution Ventures.

Software 100

Software San Diego Mobile Invest 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

What used to be an “A” round in 2011 is now routinely called a Seed round and this has been so engrained that founders would rather take less money than to have to put the words “A round” in their legal documents. If we wanted to we could have sold > 2x the fund easily in the secondary markets with significant upside remaining.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2023

The Internet is the problem, by facilitating constant change, and it’s the solution, by providing an absolutely current view of customers, trends, and best practices. The Internet is the source of data for alternative views, and social media allows direct customer interactions to test these views.

Social Media 120

Social Media Startup Entrepreneur Education 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Every investor expects to see some business traction, both before and after a funding event. Here are some tips which will signal traction and fundability to investors, as well as to your team: Document your business plan. Now investors will pay attention, since scale-up funding is less risky and has a time frame.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2018

Co-mingling personal and business funds and accounts creates legal risk and tax liability, and makes your efforts look like a hobby. Prepare a pitch deck to document and share your plan. Validate your solution with a prototype and real customers. You need something real that investors and customers can touch and feel.

Funding 73

Funding Social Media Slides Platform 73

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2022

I have long believed that each of you is responsible for documenting and communicating your own value, without bragging or hyperbole. Documenting your input early, and follow-up later by quantifying customer revenue is your only way to make sure your value in the revenue growth process is not forgotten.

Examples 133

Examples Metrics Startup Customer 133

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price. Practice being a good communicator.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2020

I see too many business plans that are really product plans for customers, touting free services and long feature lists. No product, even with a large opportunity, is ready to scale until you can show it working, with multiple customers paying the full price, to validate the business model. Attract and relish investor funding.

Startup 154

Startup Outsource Ideas Research 154

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2021

If customers don’t know you exist, you can’t solve their problem, they won’t buy. Getting customer attention often takes more innovation today than solving the tough technical problems. If you can’t state clearly why your startup is the only choice, then it’s time to regroup before spending your hard-fought funding.

Technical Advisors 154

Technical Advisors Tips Marketing Case Study 154

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2021

How are you funded and backed? In project management software, we have many competitors, in document management we have many competitors, and in goals management we have many competitors. Who are your typical customers? That's what we hear when we speak to our customers, and that's also for ourselves, internally.

Doc 203

Doc San Diego Demand Product 203

socalTECH

MARCH 7, 2012

in an equity funding. The funding came from VTB Capital. Shrank, the former President and CEO of HireRight, offers up a cloud-based, platform-as-a-service (PaaS) for electronic document management applications, case management, customer compliant handling, social services, and more. Eccentex, which is led by Glen E.

Culver City 145

Culver City Equity Platform Services 145

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

These requirements must be based on market analysis, expert input, and existing customer feedback. It allows all members of your team, including marketing, support, and sales, to size and build the business plan processes they need to find customers, deliver, and maintain grow the business.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

The days of lengthy, text-heavy, business plan documents prepared by expensive experts are behind us. Building a minimum viable product, with customer validation. Early customer feedback will position your solution, and help you make pivots before critical time and money are lost. Just make sure you can fill in all the details.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media News 104

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2020

It allows investors to come into alignment with customers. Focus relentlessly and passionately on the customer. Bezos asserts that the advantage of being customer focused is that customers are always dissatisfied. Bezos asserts that the advantage of being customer focused is that customers are always dissatisfied.

Slides 137

Slides Customer Custom Satisfaction 137

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

I see too many business plans that are really product plans for customers, touting free services and long feature lists. No product, even with a large opportunity, is ready to scale until you can show it working, with multiple customers paying the full price, to validate the business model. Attract and relish investor funding.

Funding 67

Funding Startup Outsource Ideas 67

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

We caught up with Ken Button , the co-founder and CEO of the company, to learn more about why the startup already has signed up such customers as California Pizza Kitchen, Obvious Ventures, Fandango, Greenspire, and others to the service. Typically, these documents are a mess. How are you funding this so far?

Doc 100

Doc Software Review Help Startup 100

Tech.Co

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Who Owns Anthropic, and Who Funds It? Who Owns Anthropic, and Who Funds it? During Anthropic's first funding round, which took place in early 2021, the company raised an impressive $124 million – which included investment from Skype Co-founder Jaan Tallin. You'll also see how Claude differs from ChatGPT in key areas.

ChatGPT 139

ChatGPT Artificial Inteligence Training Startup 139

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

Finally you create and document your recipe (business plan). If you can’t identify customer interest, it doesn’t matter how good your product is. Don’t be afraid to test your ultimate entree on customers. This means find some hungry people who would love a good dinner, and be willing to pay for it. Make them “feel the love.”

Startup 112

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 112

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

The size of the document should be based on your style, but 10-20 pages or slides are usually more than adequate to outline even a complex business. Most of these scenarios involve attracting outside investors, strategic partners, or key team members: You are the team and you don’t need outside funding.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2021

Once you are able to achieve some real “traction” with your business (paying customers, revenue stream), it may seem the time to relax a bit, but in fact this is the point where many founders start to flounder. The key is to make decisions from data and feedback, once your business has real customers and real products.

Entrepreneur 169

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Mentor 169

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

The result is fewer and fewer new ideas are volunteered by prospective leaders and key team members, and the business suffers from poor customer satisfaction or loss of market share. Here I recommend that you narrow your focus, if possible, and document specifics of impact, cost, and value.

Ideas 116

Ideas Netflix Resource Customer 116

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2015

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Outsource Development 99

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 99

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

With the sudden death of its founder, Gerald Cotton, customers are owed an estimated $190 million due to a missing password only he knew. A huge amount of cryptocurrency is believed to be stored on a device that is now inaccessible, leaving customers in the dark as to what has happened to their funds. Bitcoin Cash: 11,378.79082.

News 159

News Customer Custom Commerce 159

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

A business is an entity which exchanges goods and services with people outside the business (customers) for money, social good, or something of equal value. While legally the entrepreneur has created a business entity, there is nothing of value yet to own since the company has no solution to offer, no customers, and no revenue.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Satisfaction 108

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 29, 2022

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Outsource Development 110

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 110

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 30, 2021

Several times in my investing life, as the final board member making the arrangements to dispose of remaining assets, I have literally been the one to turn out the lights, carry out the documents, books and records to my car, and become the only remaining contact between the failed business and the investors, bankruptcy court, or creditors.

Entrepreneur 156

Entrepreneur Training Invest Email 156

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2014

This person may be an extraordinary communicator, who rallies employees, customers, and colleagues around the vivid future he sees. What you really need is a VP of Marketing and Customer Development, who can help with lead generation and honing the message, rather than an executive to manage a sales team and existing customers.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Funding Cloud Computing CIO 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2013

The instigators are all well-intentioned – executives talk to potential customers who “must have” a few more things; or the technical team edicts some “technically elegant” options that they can’t resist adding before release. Here are five basic rules to live by: Document the requirements. Lock down the sign-off authority.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Startup Software Review High Tech 110