Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2020

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.

Startup 171

Startup Entrepreneur Activity Demand 171

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2020

One of the characteristics that every good investor looks for in an aspiring entrepreneur is resilience , or the ability to learn from and bounce back after a failure. With startups, almost every entrepreneur I know has failed at least once, often several times, but never gave up, and ultimately achieved their goal.

Startup 173

Startup Mentor Activity Entrepreneur 173

socalTECH

MAY 3, 2018

On-demand, car wash startup Washe , which lets users connect with professional mobile car washers, said this week that it has raised $3.5M The Boca Raton, Florida-based startup said the lead investor in the round was Ron Zuckerman, a technology entrepreneur and investor. READ MORE>>.

Demand 100

Demand Southern California Seed Funding Startup 100

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 21, 2019

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen executive summaries of business plans in which the entrepreneur seeks $5,000,000 to build the business. First, few startups can use that much money today with all the virtual services available and increasingly inexpensive methods of development, prototyping and marketing.

Startup 120

Startup Invest Summary Resource 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Thus entrepreneurs were able to build prototypes and design new products without the traditional huge prototyping cost. They have also become great networking events for meeting other like-minded entrepreneurs. I believe the Maker Movement and hardware startups with limited resources are made for each other.

Startup 159

Startup Tool Design Demand 159

Xconomy

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

What makes someone an entrepreneur? Most simply defined , an entrepreneur is a person who identifies a need and starts a business to fill that void. But others will argue that a “true” entrepreneur must come up with an innovative new product or service and then operates their business to sell and profit from that innovation.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Startup Demand Examples 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2020

As an angel investor in startups, I’m a believer that smart investors invest more in you as the entrepreneur than the next billion dollar solution you are pitching. I’m not looking for words, but examples of how your habits and attributes have produced results, even before your startup.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Examples Metrics 124

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 8, 2020

Cybersecurity insurance startup At-Bay has raised $34 million in its Series C round, the company announced Tuesday. But where traditional insurance companies have struggled to acquire the acumen needed to accommodate the growing demand for cybersecurity insurance, startups like At-Bay have filled the space.

Startup 288

Startup Demand Los Angeles Customer 288

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

Most aspiring entrepreneurs understand that you can’t build a business if you won’t commit to delivering a product or service, but many are hesitant or refuse to commit to any financial forecasts. Thus, financial projections for up to five years are a necessary element in every business plan. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Startup 147

Startup Pricing Sales Statistics 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2021

As an angel investor in early-stage startups, I’ve long noticed my peers apparent bias toward the strength and character of the founding entrepreneurs, often overriding a strong solution to a painful problem with a big opportunity. Find and enjoy the company of one or more mentors.

Entrepreneur 165

Entrepreneur Mentor Ideas Invest 165

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2022

Here are some key insights that I and others have collected for mature company leaders, as well as serial entrepreneurs. As an angel investor, I expected startups to have a passion for their solution, but also to have done the market research and customer validation to size the real opportunity.

Entrepreneur 144

Entrepreneur Artificial Inteligence Social Media Commerce 144

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs probably have long searched for that special idea that will catapult you and your startup to success. True entrepreneurs are born, not made. It’s true that some people are natural risk-takers, but these often do not make the best entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Satisfaction 171

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

Most entrepreneurs start their company with the highest of ideals, and wouldn’t dream of building one with a culture of indifference or downright unethical behavior. Yet all too many succumb to the pressures of survival, driven by demanding investors or a cutthroat competitive environment. Misunderstood pivots.

Startup 128

Startup Social Media Organization Entrepreneur 128

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2020

Every entrepreneur I know finds it a challenge to balance the joys of entrepreneurship against a set of frustrations they never anticipated. What you don’t expect is to feel out of control , or to always be fighting the many demands for your time. In a startup, this can be a team member, investor, or even a vendor.

Entrepreneur 122

Entrepreneur Startup Course Examples 122

socalTECH

APRIL 13, 2021

For today's interview, we spoke to Dave Eastman, the Director of the Viterbi Startup Garage, a startup incubator that is run by the University of Southern California, out of its location in Marina Del Rey. What is Viterbi Startup Garage? The Startup Garage is located physically in Marina Del Rey, in the twin tower on Admiralty.

Marina Del Rey 150

Marina Del Rey Startup USC Incubator 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

More entrepreneurs want to be socially responsible these days, but fear a negative impact on profits, growth, and the ability to find an investor. But very quickly, it is becoming obvious to startups that the value and satisfaction exceeds the costs. Startups can use social responsibility as a competitive advantage.

Startup 149

Startup Organization Custom Customer 149

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 6, 2012

As part of UC Santa Barbara’s Distinguished Lecture Series, Jason Nazar, Co-Founder and CEO of Docstoc , recently shared ten lessons that emerging entrepreneurs can learn from superheroes. Jason’s inspiration for this 6 ½ minute talk was a blog entry he wrote in 2008, which went viral within the startup community.

Entrepreneur 279

Entrepreneur Startup eBook Course 279

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Some entrepreneurs start polling venture capitalists for that multi-million dollar investment before they even have a business plan. Every entrepreneur needs help and support along the way, from developing the initial idea, to selling off the successful business (exit strategy). Don’t waste your resources on the wrong ones.

Resource 171

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 171

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Yet I’m still often approached by aspiring entrepreneurs who have neither.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2021

As an advisor to startups and entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that all new businesses must start with a great idea. I believe the best entrepreneurs start by finding a large opportunity, and only then use good ideas to capitalize on that opportunity. I have to disagree.

Startup 112

Startup Ideas Examples Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2022

As a startup advisor, I see many aspiring entrepreneurs whose primary motivation seems to be to work part time, or get rich quick, or avoid anyone else telling them what to do. Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 110

Tech.Co

JULY 25, 2017

The successor to social media, at least in terms of cultural significance, are the on-demand apps that have us reaching for our phones not just to message friends, but to make transactions. On-demand companies broke into the national consciousness as much as a cultural phenomenon as a commercial one.

Demand 74

Demand Startup Social Media Venture Capital 74

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. It’s up to you to clear the way. Diagnosing and understanding the customer problem.

Entrepreneur 134

Entrepreneur Startup Sales Customer 134

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Saturday, November 16, 2019 -- Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum - Transportation. Join John Roussant and a panel of nationally recognized visionaries, vehicle manufacturers, startups and investors in the advanced mobility space who will explain the massive changes and focus on opportunities for innovation.

CalTech 100

CalTech Entrepreneur Demand Mobile 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential investors see you, and especially how they view the maturity stage of your startup. Congratulations!

Startup 148

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 148

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2021

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for customers that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Use that same technical and business expertise that served you well on this startup to find the next opportunity. Ignore the voices of dissent again.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Custom 167

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2022

In the old days, every entrepreneur planned on taking their startup public, and making it big. Today the rate of startups going public (IPO – Initial Public Offering) is finally up from the dead zone of the last two decades, and is now double the rate back in 1999. Startup founders don’t fit in a public company.

Startup 98

Startup Report IBM IBM 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

When an entrepreneur first incorporates a business, they may find themselves the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock, commonly called founder’s shares. Startup owners need to assume a three to five year wait for a liquidity event, such as acquisition or going public, before they can cash out. In the U.S.,

.Net 96

.Net Startup Entrepreneur Acquisition 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2014

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. Successful entrepreneurs today must practice human-centered leadership to compete and win. Great leaders learn to listen actively to conversations, so people don’t hold up progress just to be understood.

Demand 92

Demand Entrepreneur Startup Training 92

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Most entrepreneurs looking for an investor can tell you how much money they need, but few have given much thought to what they are willing to give up for it. In very early startups, which have no valuation, the term sheet may specify a convertible note. A startup board of five or fewer members is optimal.

Demand 105

Demand Startup Equity Invest 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Most aspiring entrepreneurs understand that you can’t build a business if you won’t commit to delivering a product or service, but many are hesitant or refuse to commit to any financial forecasts. Thus, financial projections for up to five years are a necessary element in every business plan. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Startup 116

Startup Pricing Sales Statistics 116

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Reducing consumption by expanding the notion of the rental economy and giving people access to tools and equipment has been something of a startup holy grail for some time. Rodgers O’Neil came up with the concept back in 2012 when she was working as a marketing executive for General Electric out of Boston. hopes to change that.

Startup 285

Startup Product Demand Los Angeles 285

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

Every startup lucky enough to get some traction gets to the point where they decide to hire some “regular employees” for sales, marketing, and administrative tasks. What they should be doing is hiring only “entrepreneurs,” meaning people who think and act as if this is their own business. Again, you get what you demand and reward.

Startup 134

Startup Training Sales Entrepreneur 134

Xconomy

APRIL 29, 2019

Successful management of any new enterprise, regardless of industry, is a process demanding of concerted effort to realize opportunity with a finite set of resources.

Entrepreneur 103

Entrepreneur Startup Demand Resource 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2021

Career survival today requires thinking and acting like an entrepreneur starting a business, staying nimble and resilient, willing to pivot, and supersensitive to the market realities of supply and demand. Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn, helped me crystallize these similarities with his classic book “ The Start-up of You.”

Startup 143

Startup Entrepreneur Demand Competition 143

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2013

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. In fact, most of the rich entrepreneurs you know actively turned away early equity proposals. Need to spread the risk.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Equity 100

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 7, 2018

Investors are pouring millions into the creation of a network of shared kitchens, storage facilities, and pickup counters that established chains and new food entrepreneurs can access to cut down on overhead and quickly spin up new concepts in fast food and casual dining. Other deep pocketed companies have also stepped into the fray.

Startup 279

Startup Los Angeles Demand Pasadena 279