Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2020

Patagonia , a successful outdoor products company, combines building safe high-quality products with philanthropic efforts to help the environment. In the name of this cause, the company donates time, services, and at least one percent of their sales to hundreds of grassroots environmental groups around the world.

Tips 174

Tips Framework Customer Custom 174

Berkonomics

JULY 9, 2011

These are so succinct, so well defined, so precise that everyone in sales and everyone involved in marketing must be able to answer these three questions without pause, and convincingly. It would pay you to work over this set of questions in a special session with sales, marketing and senior management in the room at once.

Sales 222

Sales Customer Custom Pricing 222

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

For today's interview, we sat down and spoke with David Loo , the founder and CEO of Perspectium (www.perspectium.com), a startup which is developing service management applications designed to help connect different, enterprise service management software products together. Perspectium recently raised a funding round from TVC Capital.

SaaS 113

SaaS Startup Customer Custom 113

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 8, 2010

Most technology startups seem to be founded by three types of people: product managers, engineers or biz dev types (MBAs and the like). Very few of them are started, in my experience, by sales people and very few early stage companies really understand sales. They work through ROI calculations with customers.

Startup 350

Startup Sales Framework Organization 350

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

So operating at a higher level, helping to set the framework for decision making and then sitting down and watching the game be played, is certainly the way to go.” Here is where I see this really play out: Product Management. Most CEOs fancy their own product skills and like to weigh in on priorities. I did this.

Startup 150

Startup Sales CTO Coach Course 150

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

Sometimes we measure things and see that in the short term they actually hurt sales. If improperly administered, meetings become counter-productive, especially as an organization grows beyond its initial startup phase. We know this is a feature that’s good for customers. Let Your Competitors Chase The Quick Buck.

Tips 223

Tips Framework Metrics Cloud Computing 223

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

The power and influence of paid media advertising, including print ads, TV commercials, radio, and even online digital campaigns is waning, in favor of unpaid earned and owned messaging from your website, social media, key market influencers, and existing customer word-of-mouth. Real customers. Owned media.

Advertising 66

Advertising Marketing Startup Framework 66

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2015

The power and influence of paid media advertising, including print ads, TV commercials, radio, and even online digital campaigns is waning, in favor of unpaid earned and owned messaging from your website, social media, key market influencers, and existing customer word-of-mouth. Real customers. Owned media.

Marketing 100

Marketing Social Media Framework Media 100

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Let me start with Professor Christensen’s definition: “An innovation that is disruptive allows a whole new population of consumers access to a product or service that was historically only accessible to consumers with a lot of money or a lot of skill.&#. So the startups tend to focus on totally new customers.

Startup 376

Startup Framework Marketing Customer 376

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2013

The power and influence of paid media advertising, including print ads, TV commercials, radio, and even online digital campaigns is waning, in favor of unpaid earned and owned messaging from your website, social media, key market influencers, and existing customer word-of-mouth. Real customers. Owned media.

Media 101

Media Marketing Startup Framework 101

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Let’s set up a framework. We’re going to start aggressively spend money on marketing our product. You are particularly vulnerable if: You have revenue concentration (few customers each providing a large total of percentage of your revenue). But what IS the right amount of burn for a company? Gross Burn vs. Net Burn.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

controlling your psychology ) you no doubt have heard me say that raising capital is a sales & marketing process. Decision Dynamics Each firm makes decisions in different ways so understanding the firm’s decision framework matters. This is Sales 101. How does the partnership typically make its final investment decisions?

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Obsess About Customers, Not Colleagues Or Competitors. “We We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”. You can be customer-focused or competitor-focused. The Two Pizza Rule.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Framework Customer 279

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 17, 2019

The framework of the agreement is expected to include VW making an investment into Ford-backed autonomous vehicle startup Argo AI. VW also has a partnership with AV startup Aurora to integrate self-driving systems in custom-designed electric shuttles for VW’s new Moia brand. billion investment in 2018. Take bike share.

San Fernando 217

San Fernando Los Angeles Commerce News 217

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2015

Today I’d like to give that advice in more tangible terms and with a framework to think about your tasks – the funnel. Sales people (and website customer acquisition folks) all think in terms of funnels and yet non-sales professionals seldom do. Lots of people start, very few finish.

Startup 150

Startup Framework Sales Venture Capital 150

Inverted Software

JUNE 15, 2018

Our proprietary processes and unique experience helps us evaluate and correct software development practices that have proven inefficient and instill practices that insure productivity and success. This can create some serious issues for you as most new frameworks out there never make it past a Beta stage or version 1.0.

Software Review 51

Software Review Software Development Outsource Development Development Team Review 51

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 26, 2011

They over think the decision framework. And just as my gut feel about the likely success of startups is often determined by looking at their velocity of product development and market progress of their product, so too is recruiting a factor in my assessment. Check your legal framework. Be open and productive.

Startup 335

Startup Technical Review Framework Entrepreneur 335

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I would argue that this mostly consists of consumer Internet companies (although not exclusively) and it is predominantly early-stage people who are product gurus and have a mildly technical bend to them. I’m a product geek more than a spreadsheet ninja. The product feedback will be invaluable. Mobile app?

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2013

Every entrepreneur’s first priority should be the alignment of interests across the range of constituents required for success – partners, investors, customers, vendors, and employees. If you have had to pivot from the consumer market to enterprise customers, that requires new pricing models and new sales channels.

Startup 94

Startup Social Media Entrepreneur Framework 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2012

Every entrepreneur’s first priority should be the alignment of interests across the range of constituents required for success – partners, investors, customers, vendors, and employees. If you have had to pivot from the consumer market to enterprise customers, that requires new pricing models and new sales channels.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Social Media Startup Framework 93

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

A financial model forces you to think through all of the variables that affect the potential profitability of your business from staffing and professional service requirements to sales and marketing costs. For example, when do you expect to start selling your product? How will your product be sold? Validate your assumptions.

Startup 85

Startup Acquisition Invest Framework 85

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

A year ago I blogged about one of my most common mantras that applies to sales, biz dev & fund raising alike: “ Time is the Enemy of all Deals.&#. I thought I’d try to offer a framework for thinking about the topic. So here’s my framework. Sometimes this pays off, other times it doesn’t.

Help 303

Help Startup Competition Framework 303

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2016

Patagonia , a successful outdoor products company, combines building safe high-quality products with philanthropic efforts to help the environment. In the name of this cause, the company donates time, services, and at least one percent of their sales to hundreds of grassroots environmental groups around the world.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur Framework Customer Custom 54

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Kathy Sierra at Business of Software 2009 - Business of Software Blog , May 4, 2010 "In the old days, getting customers was easy. Putting customers first. Legendary customer support. Through advertising or direct sales, these sites harvest intent. You could just outspend. There is a much better technique. Innovative.

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 9, 2014

Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle framework “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” Simon Sinek If your customers believe in your mission, then they’ll warm to you and listen to what you offer and how. Having a clear focus means it’s easier to communicate what your product is and who it’s for. Here are two examples.

Startup 78

Startup Design Customer Custom 78

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

You might be aware of their products – perhaps having seen their digital media signs in your favorite local restaurant or bar, but what you might not know is their compelling founders’ story and unique company culture. Their unique “provide value to customers first” mantra sets them apart in the digital signage industry.

Social Media 106

Social Media Startup Screening Advertising 106

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Team members and customers expect startup founders to be innovative. Instead, set long-term business objectives and develop a framework for the trajectory your team needs to get there. Effective entrepreneurs actually enjoy spending time actually doing work (such as selling to customers) rather than just supervising.

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Template Mentor 103

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

You might be aware of their products – perhaps having seen their digital media signs in your favorite local restaurant or bar, but what you might not know is their compelling founders’ story and unique company culture. Their unique “provide value to customers first” mantra sets them apart in the digital signage industry.

Social Media 81

Social Media Startup Screening Advertising 81

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2012

Team members and customers expect startup founders to be innovative. Instead, set long-term business objectives and develop a framework for the trajectory your team needs to get there. Effective entrepreneurs actually enjoy spending time actually doing work (such as selling to customers) rather than just supervising.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Template Mentor 94

Tech.Co

MARCH 1, 2018

That’s why Canecto developed a cutting-edge, AI framework designed to be a web analytics assistant and help provide owners relevant insights around their customer base and learn how visitors interact with their content. Think of looking at a dot graph of your business sales in virtual reality. Culpability (Atlanta, GA).

Startup 79

Startup Mentor Platform Help 79

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 7, 2010

Moderator: Vince Thompson, Managing Partner, Middleshift LLC Speakers: Carrie Coffee, Mobile Sales Specialist, Mobile Advertising, Microsoft Evan Neufeld, VP Marketing, GROUNDTRUTH. The new app has translated into enhanced relationships with consumers and increased sales, but also bolstered the effectiveness of the overall marketing mix.

Mobile 40

Mobile Media Case Study Advertising 40

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

The need for creativity extends well beyond product design. Yet most startups seem to constrain creativity to product design. The creative process - Whenever I need to do any task that requires insight I have to be able to visualize – to literally SEE the decision framework. Many people are visual thinkers.

Writing 356

Writing Startup Ideas Summary 356

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2011

Some investors are team focused, others market focused, others seems to look for product / market fit. Only then can I even care about product, market or their nebulous “fit.&#. I want somebody who can inspire you to produce great products but not know your trade better than you do. They fund people with no customers.

CTO Hire 363

CTO Hire Technical Review Startup Demand 363

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2010

The following is not meant to be a deep dive but rather a framework for understanding the issues. Given how Apple’s products are normally delivered to near perfection it is likely to be a huge holiday hit this year. This is where the digital media puck is going. This will change in the next 2 years.

Content 386

Content Google Media Hulu 386