Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2019

Recognizing this is as much about culture as about language, ensures an understanding of regional motivators, cultural taboos and local customs – so that your solutions are ideally designed and marketed to deliver value that has genuine local relevance. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Marketing 94

Marketing Patents Offshore Startup 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

I like the summary of the competitive reality in a new book, “ Rethinking Competitive Advantage: New Rules for the Digital Age ,” by Ram Charan, who relates a wealth of current experience from global clients: Customers expect a personalized experience. Features, availability, and brand are just the price of entry.

Competition 142

Competition Software Review Social Media Customer 142

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. The same is true for filing patents, registering trademarks, and filing copyrights. Social media facilitates marketing and sales.

Entrepreneur 162

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Outsource Development 162

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 22, 2019

Blueland’s cleaners — a bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, and multi-purpose cleaner — are sold as tablets that customers add to the cleaning containers the company provides. That would have been a botox bar that would sell cosmetic treatments to folks who wanted treatments, but didn’t want to pay high prices for them.

Design 161

Design Patents Los Angeles Ideas 161

Berkonomics

MAY 8, 2014

The company has created a product that can be delivered as a service to medical clinicians anywhere in the world, enhancing their ability to understand their patents’ problems and needs in less time, using the expertise built into an expert system created by the best minds in many medical specialties.

Company 166

Company Companies Writing Education 166

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2018

In other words, inventions are necessary but not sufficient to create real value for investors and customers. You need a viable business model and customers. Investors expect proof that your invention can be manufactured in volume, and can justify a sales price at least double the cost, to a large customer set that has money to spend.

Technical Review 86

Technical Review Patents Ideas Journal 86

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2015

Recognizing this is as much about culture as about language, ensures an understanding of regional motivators, cultural taboos and local customs – so that your solutions are ideally designed and marketed to deliver value that has genuine local relevance. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Patents 106

Patents Startup Offshore Demand 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

In my experience, the key steps I look for always include the following: Testing the idea against customers who have money to spend. Any startup with no patents, trade secrets, or other secret sauce is very high risk today. Prepare your marketing story for customers and investors. Implement a strategy for growth and improvement.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Relevant questions include the type of business entity (LLC or C-Corp), licensing or manufacturing, sales and marketing, and staffing.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Instead, find and quantify the specific demographics of the subset that your solution best fits, and target all your features and messaging to those customers. A near-term customer value proposition. In all cases, you need customer support, formal processes and training in place. Sustainable competitive advantage.

Pricing 100

Pricing Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Recognizing this is as much about culture as about language, ensures an understanding of regional motivators, cultural taboos and local customs – so that your solutions are ideally designed and marketed to deliver value that has genuine local relevance. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Marketing 54

Marketing Patents Offshore Startup 54

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2014

In other words, inventions are necessary but not sufficient to create real value for investors and customers. You need a viable business model and customers. Investors expect proof that your invention can be manufactured in volume and can justify a sales price at least double the cost to a large customer set that has money to spend.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Recognizing this is as much about culture as about language, ensures an understanding of regional motivators, cultural taboos and local customs – so that your solutions are ideally designed and marketed to deliver value that has genuine local relevance. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Offshore 97

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Investors want to hear about customers with money who have a painful problem that you can solve now. Investors are looking for a concise description of your product or service without technical jargon or fuzzy marketing terms with value quantified in customer terms. What are your specific marketing and sales plans?

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2012

Recognizing this is as much about culture as about language, ensures an understanding of regional motivators, cultural taboos and local customs – so that your solutions are ideally designed and marketed to deliver value that has genuine local relevance. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Marketing 104

Marketing Startup Patents Offshore 104

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out.

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2016

In other words, inventions are necessary but not sufficient to create real value for investors and customers. You need a viable business model and customers. Investors expect proof that your invention can be manufactured in volume, and can justify a sales price at least double the cost, to a large customer set that has money to spend.

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Patents Ideas Journal 60

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

By profit, I simply mean offering a product or service to customers for a price that exceeds the total costs associated with the solution, thus providing some basis for recovering sunk costs and generating a return for stakeholders. Solve a painful problem for customers who have money to spend.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Ideas Pricing Customer 58

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

Unfortunately, customers look for value in solving their problem, and new technologies alone scare them, so these solutions don’t get bought by customers, or funded. Attracting business investors is as tough as attracting customers, but it’s a different challenge. Business model showing costs, pricing, and margins.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2011

Recognizing this is as much about culture as about language, ensures an understanding of regional motivators, cultural taboos and local customs – so that your solutions are ideally designed and marketed to deliver value that has genuine local relevance. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Patents Offshore Startup 103

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2013

There''s been a revolution in the last few years with the dropping price and increasing accessibility of 3D printers--those devices which let you print practically anything using just your own personal computer, 3D software, and a special printer. Erik Adams: Deka makes a fashionable, customizable, personalized Bluetooth headset.

Startup 241

Startup Slides Orange County Design 241

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. If you don’t have a high level of commitment and passion, you customers won’t seek you out.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2010

Recognizing this is as much about culture as about language, ensures an understanding of regional motivators, cultural taboos and local customs – so that your solutions are ideally designed and marketed to deliver value that has genuine local relevance. An international brand will command higher prices and additional customer demand.

Startup 89

Startup Patents Offshore Demand 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2014

It wasn’t so many years ago that starting a new e-commerce business on the Internet was a complex custom development project, usually costing a million dollars or more. The same is true for filing patents, registering trademarks, and filing copyrights. Social media facilitates marketing and sales.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Commerce 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

When top tier investors compete for a piece of the action, the price can go up exponentially. If you don’t yet have a hundred investors knocking on your door, it’s time to put more focus on viral marketing, closing customers, and exponential growth. Active interest by a multitude of investors. Keep working on increasing the momentum.

Company 100

Company Companies Startup Statistics 100

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

I love the enthusiasm, the boundless energy and the sense of possibility that comes from having an idea that hasn’t yet been beat up in the marketplace of competing ideas, customer contracts, VC skepticism, jaded journalists or fickle consumers who are on the The New, New Thing. They can help you with pricing. Board Preparation.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Metrics Startup Sales 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2013

Scan the Internet for existing patents and some “credible unbiased third party” data that confirms there is really a market for a solution resulting from your idea. Just because you or your friends think it is a great idea or great technology, that doesn’t mean that a large number of customers will buy it. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 106

Ideas Startup Summary CalTech 106

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Every price comparison out there, whether that's Google Products, Bizrate, or other sites, can find books, but you can only do it one at a time. Jonathan Simkin: I was actually in high school when I decided I'd either start a company when I graduated, or go into patent law. What's SwoopThat?

UCSD 185

UCSD Course Startup Sites 185

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2012

Scan the Internet for existing patents and some “credible unbiased third party” data that confirms there is really a market for a solution resulting from your idea. Just because you or your friends think it is a great idea or great technology, that doesn’t mean that a large number of customers will buy it. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 97

Ideas Summary Startup CalTech 97

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2015

Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Relevant questions include the type of business entity (LLC or C-Corp), licensing or manufacturing, sales and marketing, and staffing.

Ideas 104

Ideas Mentor Resource Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 7, 2011

Scan the Internet for existing patents and some “credible unbiased third party” data that confirms there is really a market for a solution resulting from your idea. Just because you or your friends think it is a great idea or great technology, that doesn’t mean that a large number of customers will buy it. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 104

Ideas Entrepreneur Summary Startup 104

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 10, 2009

However, what happened as we worked with clients on AdBook, we got deep into the trenches with online ad sales and learning the operational nuances--there are plenty--we realized that there were a couple of big gaps in the market. Because of that, the sales team is left with a data entry problem. It's an automatic proposal builder.

Advertising 127

Advertising Startup Sales Tool 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2014

Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Relevant questions include the type of business entity (LLC or C-corp), licensing or manufacturing, sales and marketing, and staffing.

Ideas 107

Ideas Mentor Entrepreneur Resource 107

socalTECH

MARCH 9, 2015

It''s really designed as an easy to use product, to maximize the likelihood of customer success with the 3D printer. What''s unique about the MOD-t, is we have a patent pending motion system for two of our 3 axis of motion. It would be a shame to invest lots of time and money in a product, and not have it attractive to customer.

Idealab 100

Idealab Design Product Ideas 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

Ask some potential customers to see if there is real interest, and start thinking about price versus cost. File at least a provisional patent and one or more trademarks. Relevant questions include the type of business entity (LLC or C-Corp), licensing or manufacturing, sales and marketing, and staffing.

Ideas 56

Ideas Mentor Resource Product 56