Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2015

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. The result, called resourcefulness, allows entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the face of scarcity. Perhaps success itself needs to be redefined or reframed.

Resource 98

Resource Entrepreneur Competition Startup 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2023

For your own happiness and satisfaction, I recommend you start instead working from that higher purpose and passion. All too often, business owners find the financial returns alone do not provide the long-term satisfaction and success they assumed would come with all the hard work and challenges that come with every business, large or small.

Satisfaction 114

Satisfaction Custom Customer Social Media 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2021

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. The result, called resourcefulness, allows entrepreneurs to create opportunities in the face of scarcity. Perhaps success itself needs to be redefined or reframed.

Startup 164

Startup Resource Entrepreneur Competition 164

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

After some review of available resources, I’m convinced that problem solving is a learnable trait, rather than just a birthright. Listen to your customers to arrive at acceptable and marketable solutions. The best part of the entrepreneur problem-solving lifestyle is that it can bring satisfaction and happiness to your work.

Satisfaction 53

Satisfaction Marketing Mentor Entrepreneur 53

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2015

Many startups and mature businesses have not yet accepted the fact that customer satisfaction and loyalty in this “always connected” age are about more than product and service quality. They are all about how customers broadcast their pleasure or unhappiness to others. Customer upsell: Sell more to existing customers.

Custom 100

Custom Customer Satisfaction Social Media 100

Berkonomics

AUGUST 24, 2017

As my enterprise computer software company which produced innovative lodging systems for hotels and resorts grew quickly, we found ourselves straining to keep up with the hiring and training of good customer support representatives, a critical part of the equation then and still so today in the 24-hour environment of hotel front desk operations.

Training 243

Training Resource Press Satisfaction 243

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2013

Many startups and mature businesses have not yet adapted to the fact that customer satisfaction in this “always connected” age is more than product and service quality. It’s more about which customers broadcast their pleasure or unhappiness to others. Customer upsell, selling more to existing customers.

Custom 97

Custom Customer Satisfaction Social Media 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Every new business I know dreams of building momentum in their business, where growth continues to increase, customers become your best advocates, and employee motivation is high. Unfortunately, with limited resources, this isn’t possible, and it frustrates customers and the team. Focus on the mainstream customer majority.

Technical Review 160

Technical Review Technical Advisors Startup Mentor 160

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2021

But very few are talking about how to measure your results and return on investment (ROI), and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment. Social media is the realm of public opinion and customer conversations. Measure customer response and action. Get the message from your customer.

Social Media 127

Social Media Media Metrics Satisfaction 127

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2021

Great entrepreneurs pride themselves on their ability to isolate opportunities that have minimal risk, by virtue of their trusted relationships, their own expertise, and access to resources. Don’t look to customers for breakthrough ideas. You now have many bosses, including partners, investors, and customers.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Demand Custom 171

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2021

Here are the key reasons that I recommend that aspiring leaders focus on people before process: Customers judge the business by the people quality. Whether it be in person, on the phone, or implied in your marketing, your people and their engagement level is the key driver of customer loyalty, advocacy, and sales growth.

Satisfaction 154

Satisfaction Demand Resource Competition 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2023

For example, a while back a passionate entrepreneur approached me with an innovative solution for reducing world hunger, but hadn’t focused on the fact that hungry people often don’t have any money, and governments are not easy customers. Find market evidence of customers with means who are willing to pay for a solution.

Tips 80

Tips Startup Satisfaction Ideas 80

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

The canvas is a visual chart with elements describing your value proposition, structure, finances, and customers, to help companies identify and align business activities. I look for evidence of the nine major elements of the model canvas, as paraphrased here from the author’s key points and how they apply to teams: Customer segments.

Funding 133

Funding Activity Custom Customer 133

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. Input from outside experts and real customers is always a credibility booster. The suggested change won’t create desired results.

Ideas 116

Ideas Netflix Resource Custom 116

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. Typically this is done by one or more entrepreneurs with personal or family resources, with no business entity yet formed, so they would not yet be considered business owners.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Satisfaction 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2016

In business, this means an entrepreneur who never says no to any customer is doomed to a hard life and some expensive mistakes. Many people will argue that total customer satisfaction is paramount, but I’m a pragmatist who believes that treating everyone the same really means treating all of them poorly.

Custom 65

Custom Customer Startup Satisfaction 65

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Most of the entrepreneurs I meet as an investor and advisor have no shortage of right-brain thinking, showing vision and creativity, but often don’t realize that their potential is being limited by a balancing focus on results, metrics, and customer specifics. Every balanced leader does marketing early.

Technical Review 133

Technical Review Satisfaction Metrics Startup 133

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2021

Able to marshal people and other support resources. Successful entrepreneurs have to be people oriented, to solicit experts with various skills, including marketing, production, operations, and finance. Most importantly, you have to deal with customers, and understand their wants and needs.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Ideas Social Media 158

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Each of these will help you in achieving success and satisfaction while tackling your toughest business issues: Stop attacking symptoms – dig first for the root cause. A broken process or a subtle quality issue can generate a flood of customer satisfaction problems, cost overruns, and loss of market share.

Satisfaction 152

Satisfaction Mentor Study Startup 152

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Most business professionals I know have been conditioned to think of inflation as highly negative, driving up their costs, and reducing customer buying. I see it as an opportunity to find new ways to attract customers , make long-needed changes to improve productivity, and lower your own costs of doing business.

Outsource 95

Outsource Custom Customer Sample 95

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Of course, drivers have to be backed up by some realities, like necessary resources, adequate skills, relentless determination, and a market of people interested in supporting your dream. Investors, as well as customers, pay a premium for this approach. This is the genesis of all “customer-centric” thinking and marketing.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Startup Technical Review 124

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 30, 2023

Market research can thus be based on real customers and a previously tested market. There is always a related market or new country. The world is now a small place, but startups usually don’t have the resources to saturate all the related markets at once. Attract investors who fear pioneers catching arrows.

Social Media 92

Social Media Study Research Satisfaction 92

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2021

Investors expect a great return for their risk, so they look for people who can look beyond the technology and their own passion to see a customer need that perhaps even the rest of us haven’t yet envisioned. Creating and growing a business requires creativity beyond the product, in the areas of finance, marketing, and operations.

Funding 152

Funding Startup Ideas Resource 152

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2021

The best part of being an entrepreneur is having the independence to make your own decisions, the flexibility for a better work/life balance, and personal satisfaction from driving change. You don’t have enough control over your time, investors, the market, or your startup. But nobody said it would be easy. It’s very frustrating.

Entrepreneur 174

Entrepreneur Search Engine Optimization Satisfaction Social Media 174

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2020

Market research can thus be based on real customers and a previously tested market. There is always a related market or new country. The world is now a small place, but startups usually don’t have the resources to saturate all the related markets at once. Attract investors who fear pioneers catching arrows.

Startup 157

Startup Social Media Study Research 157

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. For example, both need to provide exemplary customer service, build customer loyalty, and provide real value for a competitive price.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2020

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. Typically this is done by one or more entrepreneurs with personal or family resources, with no business entity yet formed, so they would not yet be considered business owners.

Ideas 127

Ideas Entrepreneur Satisfaction Summary 127

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2023

I’m fully convinced that success is all about you rather than the market. Listen to your team, mentors, and customers to recognize real successes and failures, and surround yourself with people who can fill in the gaps. Allocate your time and resources to customer expectations and competitor challenges.

Mentor 104

Mentor Startup Coach Satisfaction 104

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2022

by Donna Cutting, who is a globally-recognized guru on employee culture and optimizing customer service. In my experience, a healthy team is a prerequisite for a thriving business, innovation to meet market needs, and high customer loyalty. Occupational satisfaction. Emotional stability. Environmental safety.

Technical Review 141

Technical Review Mentor Social Media Custom 141

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2017

Test new things and keep testing in your market for things that work. Count the number of new projects, time and resources required to implement, and measure the return in revenue, customer satisfaction, or cost savings. Create a non-online memorable customer experience. Look outside for benchmarks.

Custom 52

Custom Customer Technical Review Summary 52

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2019

But very few are talking about how to measure your results and return on investment (ROI), and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment. Social media is the realm of public opinion and customer conversations. Measure customer response and action. Get the message from your customer.

Social Media 98

Social Media Media Metrics Satisfaction 98

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

If you are the hot-shot technical innovator that invented your solution, make sure you have an equally adept business and marketing expert to complement your skills. “If Pivot early, as required, to tune your features and marketing to meet the market and technical realities. Look for validation from your mainstream customers.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

While this approach appears to cost more on the surface, it often actually costs you less, when you consider the hidden costs of rework, poor customer satisfaction, employee management, and training required. Direct customer-facing non-technical roles should be the last ones outsourced.

Outsource 123

Outsource Startup Technical Review Training 123

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

That takes focus, resolve, resources, and problem solving to make it happen. In reality, every startup brings new unknowns, new people, new competitors, and new customers. Starting a new business does put you in control, but you will face a harrowing new set of demands from partners, investors, suppliers, and customers.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Satisfaction 171

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2020

Of course, most of you expect that raising money will be difficult, as well as staving off competitors, and handling that occasional toxic customer. You expected the difficulty of finding funding, but you never expected it to go so fast into unanticipated expenses, inventory, support, and marketing. Scaling a business is hard.

Entrepreneur 122

Entrepreneur Startup Course Examples 122

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

The canvas is a visual chart with elements describing your value proposition, structure, finances, and customers, to help companies identify and align business activities. I look for evidence of the nine major elements of the model canvas, as paraphrased here from the author’s key points and how they apply to teams: Customer segments.

Activity 100

Activity Custom Customer Resource 100