Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2019

Image via jisc Potential startup founders are always looking for ideas to implement, when they should be looking for problems to solve. Customers pay for solutions, but there is no market for ideas. My reaction is, if there is no competition, then there is no market demand for your product, so why are you building it?

Startup 80

Startup Ideas Competition Demand 80

Tech.Co

AUGUST 16, 2017

Finding potential customers continues to be a huge challenge not only for established marketing and sales teams but also for startup executives and solo entrepreneurs. You need to find lead gen tools that will convert leads, fill your sales funnel, and increase your revenue effectively. You need to have a strategy.

Tool 79

Tool Startup Help Template 79

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

For today's interview, we sat down and talked with Mike Whitmire , the CEO and Co-founder of Los Angeles-based FloQast (www.floqast.com), a developer of financial close management software for enterprise accounting. The company, which started in 2014, now has over 40 employees. We're not an accounting system.

Startup 124

Startup Cornerstone OnDemand Software Review Woodland Hills 124

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

At the time when you did a search on Lycos, Alta Vista or similar for a category such as Cars you ended up getting 9 spam results and 1 proper website to meet your needs. The idea actually came to him from the Yellow Pages business. So the Yellow Page business was always “pay for placement.&#.

Competition 350

Competition Idealab Product CitySearch 350

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2013

Customer service has always been reactionary, meaning someone has to wake up and answer website email requests. That’s just not savvy enough to hold today’s fickle, less loyal, and ready to jump customer. This exemplary customer service is just savvy marketing. Respect your customer’s view of usability.

Customer 89

Customer Custom Services High Tech 89

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2014

I’ll try to get write-ups shortly but for now here is an overview of my interview with Nanea Reeves – President and COO of textPlus. In our video we discussed leadership topics such as managing product and engineering teams, communication and company organization. Ownership and accountability on feature releases.

Technical Review 315

Technical Review Blogging RSS Organization 315

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

But should you actually write one if you’re a startup, an industry figure (lawyer, banker) or VC? People often ask me why I started blogging. It really started simply enough. I’ll bet your customers, business partners or suppliers would love similar. Who are your customers, partners or suppliers?

Blogging 373

Blogging Startup Writing Venture Capital 373

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2010

It’s a great topic, his post is well written and given that he’s going through it right now in his startup it’s worth reading his point of view on the topic. Startups often make this mistake. Like everything, I screwed this up in my first startup. I was too much Accenture, not enough Startup.

Startup 333

Startup Class Conference Product 333

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2019

Image via Pixabay In my role as a new business advisor and occasional investor, I hear lots of people talking about their dreams of “someday” starting and running a new venture. They can talk with passion about their innovative new idea, and ask lots of questions, but never seem to really get started.

Ideas 99

Ideas Slides Writing Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

If you have a unique creation or invention, and you are not selling it around the world on the Internet, now is the time to start. In the early days (20 years ago), most new e-commerce sites cost a million dollars to set up. Be sure it matches your business, and get a hosting agreement from one of the popular providers like GoDaddy.

Commerce 99

Commerce Startup Sites Tool 99

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2012

Jeremy Gocke: With Fliptu, we're aiming to fix the disjointed media and product discovery process for consumers and brands. What Fliptu does, is it enables brands to sync and import all of their social media accounts into a comprehensive, single display. Does this look like a Facebook page, or is this a separate site?

Social Media 268

Social Media Media Social Network Seed Funding 268

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2017

Potential startup founders are always looking for ideas to implement, when they should be looking for problems to solve. Customers pay for solutions, but there is no market for ideas. My reaction is, if there is no competition, then there is no market demand for your product, so why are you building it?

Ideas 55

Ideas Startup Competition Demand 55

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2017

I can’t change who your board members are so let me offer some thoughts on how to make your interactions with your board more productive. But I find that the more informed your board is and the more you’re staying on their radar screen the more effective they’ll be for you.

Tips 212

Tips Slides Startup Technical Review 212

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. Ever notice how some companies tend to be in the press all the time and your big new product launch struggled for inches?

Marketing 389

Marketing Press Blogging Startup 389

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

This is part of my series on Startup Advice. I love working with Aussies because their outlook on life seems very similar to what I grew up with in California. They don’t take the time to realize what your true motivations are because they’re too busy telling you what they THINK you want to hear.

Sales 314

Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans take too much time, are inaccurate, and rarely add value. 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.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

If you have a unique creation or invention, and you are not selling it around the world on the Internet, now is the time to start. In the early days (20 years ago), most new e-commerce sites cost a million dollars to set up. Be sure it matches your business, and get a hosting agreement from one of the popular providers like GoDaddy.

Commerce 88

Commerce Startup Sites Tool 88

Tech.Co

AUGUST 1, 2017

Once a novelty act reserved for indie band albums and curious art projects, crowdfunding is starting to play a major role in the world of startups and new products. In fact, the majority of your work should be finished by the time you start your campaign. Rule #3: Do Your Homework.

Startup 93

Startup Social Media Tips Ideas 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Behind most great startup success stories is a long list of mistakes! But rather than dwell on the failures, I’ve tried to extract from them a list of practical action items that will improve your survival probability. Every startup mentor has his favorite list of basic strategies to avoid pitfalls, and I’m no exception.

Tips 102

Tips Help Startup Blogging 102

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

I have been watching ProductPlan for several years, as the founders are both friends and pillars of the Santa Barbara Startup Community. Greathouse: We’ve known each other for a long time but let’s start with the basics for my readers. I have always worked on early stage products. Semick: They are.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

socalTECH

JUNE 27, 2011

Well, you shouldn't have to be -- or at least, that's the premise behind Payoff.com (www.payoff.com), a new startup launching today. I built up the company, the Walz Group, with partners. In 2009, I teamed up with my partner, co-founder Eden Warner. So, we set up to start up the company.

Startup 197

Startup Ideas Southern California Social Network 197

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2013

If you have a unique creation or invention, and you are not selling it around the world on the Internet, now is the time to start. In the early days (20 years ago), most new e-commerce sites cost a million dollars to set up. Be sure it matches your business, and get a hosting agreement from one of the popular providers like GoDaddy.

Sites 78

Sites Commerce Startup Tool 78

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2016

As the human ear ages it loses its ability to hear high-pitched sound frequencies (above 15-16 kHz) through a condition known as presbycusis that starts at 18 years old. That’s like you saying you don’t want to go to cocktail parties and network anymore while every 25-35 year-old VC steals your customers.

Snapchat 150

Snapchat Screening Venture Capital Guide 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 15, 2013

Potential startup founders are always looking for ideas to implement, when they should be looking for problems to solve. Customers pay for solutions, but there is no market for ideas. My reaction is, if there is no competition, then there is no market demand for your product, so why are you building it?

Ideas 99

Ideas Startup Competition Demand 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2012

In my experience, there is no magic gene involved, just simple good habits executed consistently and convincingly until everyone around you in a startup wants to follow your example. Be accountable for your actions. " Check your ego at the door (and keep it there). Promote resilience. Manage around obstacles.

Startup 104

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Ideas 104

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2011

Messenger : Rob Duva , Co-Founder, COO RingRevenue, prior Director of Customer Acquisition, CallWave. This is especially true for companies with expensive and complex products or services that are more consultative in nature, like insurance, financial services, home services, education and travel, etc. You’re right.

Marketing 209

Marketing Advertising Paid Search Startup 209

socalTECH

MARCH 24, 2010

Van Nuys-based Audiolife (www.audiolife.com), a new startup focused on providing e-commerce tools to musicians, recently raised $1M in angel funding. For today's interview, we spoke with Brandon Hance, the firm's founder, about how his startup is helping musicians to sell both digital and physical merchandise on the web.

Van Nuys 191

Van Nuys Tech Coast Angels Startup Web 191

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2011

By John Williams Fast Company magazine recently reported that PayPal founder Paul Thiel is giving away $100,000 to twenty-four young men and women to finance startup businesses. Thiel is providing his mentees with capital to make their startups a reality. People love the fact that Microsoft was started in a garage.

Startup 92

Startup Capital Blogging Ideas 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2014

Sponsored by VISA Business Running a small business as an entrepreneur is a never-ending challenge of new products, customers, competitors, and an unpredictable economy. Almost nine in ten respondents (87%) found benefits from running or working in a small company, like flexible working hours and being in control of your life.

Startup 92

Startup Tips Satisfaction Entrepreneur 92

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 8, 2010

It’s also a great way to build relationships with people interested in your topic area. Define your customers, partners and other relevant people to your organization (e.g. That’s blogging to the echo chamber unless they’re your target customers. How to find your “voice&# ?

Blogging 286

Blogging Startup Writing Summary 286

Eric Greenspan

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Well, I caved and signed up. How they knew anything about us is beyond me, but that is where we got started. I told them I’d be happy to sign up if that rating was increased to an A. Your BBB has formed a strategic alliance to help save you money in your everyday costs starting immediately.

Santa Barbara 265

Santa Barbara Technical Advisors Email Technical Review 265

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 22, 2016

Less than a month ago, Snapchat opened custom on-demand geofilters to everyone. Industry news was excited, but for how amazing of a product they are, custom Snapchat geofilters have remained stunningly under the radar. Geofilters first started appearing a little less than a year ago , and they’ve taken off from there.

Customer 40

Customer Custom Snapchat Design 40

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2011

Potential startup founders are always looking for ideas to implement, when they should be looking for problems to solve. Customers pay for solutions, but there is no market for ideas. My reaction is, if there is no competition, then there is no market demand for your product, so why are you building it?

Startup 92

Startup Ideas Competition Demand 92

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

Brands didn’t advertise their web pages they advertised “AOL Keywords.&# If you were a newly minted, venture-backed consumer Internet company you had to have a deal with AOL to reach your customers. By the mid-nineties we had the World Wide Web, which gave us a standard way to publish web pages using HTML.

Social Network 297

Social Network Networking Web 2.0 Web 297

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 15, 2014

Much has been written about when it is time to hire a “professional CEO” to run a startup company and of course that has long been a norm in Silicon Valley when founders find that their inexperience may be a limiting factor in company growth ( know as the Peter Principle ). It now seems that Mark is more firmly in control.

CTO Hire 309

CTO Hire Organization Google Course 309

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2013

In my experience, there is no magic gene involved, just simple good habits executed consistently and convincingly until everyone around you in a startup wants to follow your example. Be accountable for your actions. " Check your ego at the door (and keep it there). Promote resilience. Manage around obstacles.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Ideas 104

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

It was an online community like CompuServe and eventually started offering people dial-up access to the Internet for a monthly fee. Brands didn’t advertise their web pages they advertised “AOL Keywords.&# You couldn’t pick up a magazine in the 96-99 timeframe without seeing AOL Keywords advertised everywhere.

Social Network 318

Social Network Networking Web 2.0 Startup 318