Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. I’m a believer in the old saying that investors look for great people, more than great ideas. I’m a believer in the old saying that investors look for great people, more than great ideas.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2021

In startup business plans, a bubble is too many entrepreneurs and too many investors chasing the latest “next big thing,” like Google search engine, Facebook social network, or Amazon e-commerce site. Supply and demand ignored. We all believe that supply and demand meet to create stable prices (reflexive). Cheap money.

Demand 145

Demand Google Commerce Pricing 145

InfoChachkie

JULY 25, 2011

It is seductive to believe one can achieve great things by daydreaming, sleeping or even becoming intoxicated. Great ideas are like earbugs, you cannot shake them. They gnaw at successful entrepreneurs like an itch they cannot scratch, as Messrs. However, the idea underlying FindTheBest was beguiling.

Ideas 260

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Demand 260

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 23, 2022

It’s time for more entrepreneurs to reset their focus, and shift their thinking to completely different ways of doing things. For entrepreneurs, this may mean more learning from experiments, and for organizations it may mean dumping a stagnant team to start over. Don’t settle, demand the best. You decide.

Entrepreneur 133

Entrepreneur Organization Social Media Social Network 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2022

As the entrepreneur, business owner, or leader, your message must never be “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” In this context, the late great Andy Grove , founder of Intel, believed that no change breeds failure. Every good entrepreneur I know has a “ proactive mindset.” New blood and new ideas are keys to agility.

Competition 148

Competition Metrics Demand Customer 148

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the solution. Nail the business model.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. As an angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. Take a hard look at SpaceX or HyperLoop.

Entrepreneur 143

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 143

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Almost every entrepreneur and new business owner I mentor is certain that his/her idea has a very high probability of success, and all find it hard to believe that ninety percent of startups ultimately fail. For example, I believe Bill Gates would have failed without his partners Steve Ballmer and Paul Allen.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

InfoChachkie

JUNE 4, 2012

As an entrepreneur, I helped create companies which achieved two IPOs and two trade sales totaling $385 million. Attempt To License An Idea. Rationale: My idea is so mind-blowingly fantastic, I can sit back and collect licensing fees while someone else does all the work required to turn my idea into a successful business.

Entrepreneur 272

Entrepreneur Outsource Ideas Technical Review 272

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2022

Entrepreneurs and startups are big believers in innovation, but sometimes they forget that innovation must be continual to assure long-term success, rather than the one big-bang idea that initiated their journey. Get the right players on board and enable them to do great things. Hire slowly and fire fast.

Metrics 102

Metrics Startup Organization Demand 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Investors and strategic partners look for entrepreneurs who can execute.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 110

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2016

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. As an Angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. People who shape the future, like Steve Jobs, do this.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 103

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. They can iterate and evolve their business idea with a low burn rate and minimal dependencies. You need money, and plan to do crowdfunding.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2022

I don’t believe these two objectives have to be mutually exclusive. The best entrepreneurs, and the best executives in mature businesses, have learned how to foster both high efficiency and high creativity, in a balance that keeps their business ahead of the pack on both sides of the equation. Encourage an entrepreneurial culture.

Ideas 111

Ideas Framework Summary Organization 111

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

As an Angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Investors and strategic partners look for entrepreneurs who can execute.

Entrepreneur 63

Entrepreneur Product Startup Activity 63

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

If you truly believe that you, your company and your products are exceptional and your company will be valuable then you’re actually doing them a FAVOR by helping them invest in your startup. If you don’t believe in your bones that you’re amazing then it’s no wonder you don’t want to sell them on making the investment.”

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. You shouldn’t be making this decision just because you are mad at your boss, or you would like to be rich, or someone else thinks you have a good idea. Right idea at the right time. Right idea at the right time.

Startup 94

Startup Resource Training Ideas 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

A few months ago I wrote about an entrepreneur, Sam Rosen, whom we brought on as an EIR at Upfront Ventures. His ideas to date hadn’t totally resonated and of course ideas matter, too. So I was doing my job. I enquired what he was going to do. Now remember that Sam is an entrepreneur. He had ideas.

UCSD 340

UCSD Startup Ideas Course 340

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2020

Entrepreneurs and startups are big believers in innovation, but sometimes they forget that innovation must be continual to assure long-term success, rather than the one big-bang idea that initiated their journey. Get the right players on board and enable them to do great things. Hire slowly and fire fast.

Startup 138

Startup Organization Demand Customer 138

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. What was Bill Gross’s heretical idea as portrayed to the tech elite? Ad Words as you likely know are the paid results you see when you do a Google search. “There’s something going on in LA.”

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 20, 2018

Every entrepreneur wants to hear “yes” during the fund-raising process but I would argue that being too risk averse and not pushing hard enough and be willing to hear a “no” is what holds back many people from “yes.” I believe people generally hate making decisions and especially so when they involve commitments and risks.

Funding 189

Funding Software Review Entrepreneur Venture Capital 189

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

Yesterday I saw a Tweet from Chris Sacca fly by that prompted me to want to write a blog post helping entrepreneurs understand why they should push back against VCs asking for “super pro-rata” rights. They might own 8% of your company after the first funding but demand up to 33-50% of your next round of financing.

Entrepreneur 310

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Writing Invest 310

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2013

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. You shouldn’t be making this decision just because you are mad at your boss, you would like to be rich, or someone else thinks it’s a good idea. Right idea at the right time. Right idea at the right time.

Entrepreneur 97

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Training 97

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

However, certain questions can be tricky for an entrepreneur to answer. Below are five common questions an entrepreneur will encounter when seeking venture funding. Handled appropriately, these questions provide investors a window into an entrepreneurs’ soul, which minimizes the chances of a future misalignment.

Entrepreneur 253

Entrepreneur Google Invest RSS 253

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2014

Back in the early 2000s, the Maker Movement took hold in California, based on the emergence of such do-it-yourself (DIY) tools as 3-D printers, Google''s SketchUp and makerspaces such as TechShop, with all the tools you need to make almost anything. I believe the Maker Movement and startups are made for each other.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Tool Design Demand 98

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

The part of the movement that resonates the most with me (in my words) is that entrepreneurs should keep their capital expenditures really low while they’re experimenting with their product and determining whether there is a large market for what they do. This benefits you, the entrepreneur. Rinse & repeat.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

In my experience as an angel investor for new startups, I’m always surprised by how many entrepreneurs are looking for funding without outside advisors. For example, I once was approached by an entrepreneur, passionate that his new algae strain would cure world hunger and make him rich. Bandwidth is a constraint we all feel.

Startup 142

Startup Technical Review Equity Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2020

It seems that most of you entrepreneurs I meet in my role as business advisor are convinced that starting a new business requires equity investors, exponential growth, and a plan to go public via IPO. If your passion is customers, you definitely will be happier as a lifestyle entrepreneur.

Statistics 124

Statistics Equity Satisfaction Entrepreneur 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2022

Thus, in my mentoring of potential technical entrepreneurs who have a real passion for their technology, I often recommend that they find a co-founder who can manage the marketing and execution elements of the new venture. Many smart people I know fall into the category of “idea” people. Pay attention to all.

Mentor 133

Mentor Startup Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. You shouldn’t be making this decision just because you are mad at your boss, you would like to be rich, or someone else thinks it’s a good idea. Right idea at the right time. Right idea at the right time.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Training 106

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

When Fred Wilson funded Twitter I guarantee you it wasn’t obvious that it was a billion dollar idea. When the early teams: angels, lowercase capital & first round capital funded Uber they had no idea it would be one of the most revolutionary ideas of our time. Almost nobody believed and now look at it.

Funding 362

Funding Technical Review Ideas Startup 362

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the solution. Nail the business model.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Customer 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2014

It’s time for more entrepreneurs to reset their focus, and shift their thinking to completely different ways of doing things. For entrepreneurs, this may mean more learning from experiments, and for organizations it may mean dumping a stagnant team to start over. Don’t settle, demand the best. You decide. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Organization Social Media Social Network 100

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2018

Most aspiring entrepreneurs are convinced that their idea and passion are so great that failure is not a possibility. If you really believe your idea has no competition, perhaps you haven’t looked, or there is no real business. Focus on doing one thing well rather than many things.

Startup 99

Startup Competition Examples Ideas 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2018

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. As an angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. People who shape the future, like Steve Jobs, do this.

Entrepreneur 86

Entrepreneur Social Network SpaceX Ideas 86

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. As you know I believe in Lines, not Dots. And we wanted a head of global marketing. “No choice at all! .” The company was called Red Beacon.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

There's lots of noise in the on-demand tutoring space, especially connecting people virtually, however, in my experience, it's in the best interest of consumers to get in-person, local tutoring. You mention it's very difficult to make hyper-local workwhat is it that you are doing that allows you to make it work yourself?

Startup 113

Startup Venture Capital Beverly Hills Acquisition 113