Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2017

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 an investor, I sometimes see CEOs who negotiate to send their VP of Marketing to talk.

Company 97

Company Companies Entrepreneur Customer 97

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.

Develop 124

Develop Development Technical Advisors Satisfaction 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2013

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 an investor, I sometimes see CEOs who negotiate to send their VP of Marketing to talk.

Startup 116

Startup Entrepreneur Customer Custom 116

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Most of the guidance you see for entrepreneurs is aimed at those who are selling a product (Apple, Tesla, Xiaomi), or selling a service (Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat). The “product” value is difficult to quantify, the costs are nebulous, and entrepreneurs have to clone themselves to scale the business. Don’t forget seminars and events.

Social Media 56

Social Media Pricing Technical Review Demand 56

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

I’m often asked about the differences between being at a VC and being an entrepreneur and whether I prefer one or the other. I think the best firms try to continue to reinvent themselves as markets change as we would encourage startups to do. And we had to shift to be with our customers and prospects.

Rancho Palos Verdes 150

Rancho Palos Verdes Santa Monica Venture Capital Startup 150

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

Those who are more involved in traditional entertainment are seeing a major shift online which is why an additional one-day seminar was created to coincide with Silicon Beach Fest Hollywood as a partnership called, Idea to Screen. Online content isn’t a small market, nor is it going away anytime soon.

Hollywood 100

Hollywood Screening Ideas Entertainment 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2010

Many say it’s just marketing hype applied to old principles that have been around for a long time. That’s about 25 words which I’m certain doesn’t paint much of a picture to the entrepreneurs I know. That allows them to focus on their core competencies, reduce overall costs, and be more agile in responding to market changes.

Cloud Computing 48

Cloud Computing Demand IBM IBM 48

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2016

You can’t make any money unless you bill your customers on a timely basis, and follow-up regularly on missed payment commitments. You should investigate the wide variety of software systems that are on the market, and pick one you makes you comfortable, since you will probably be doing the basic data entry yourself.

Startup 65

Startup Patents Tool Organization 65