Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

In a market where people aren’t just paid to “innovate” but will need to show real economic value, expect gains to come more slowly. Other companies have only seen a slight decline and may be expecting demand to return to normalcy later in the year. The reality is that when unemployment sinks in demand is likely to get worse.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2020

Great entrepreneurs seek out critical customers and industry experts, and actively listen, but are not afraid to trust their own judgment as well. The best ideas for a new business are solutions to a real customer problem, rather than great ideas looking for a market. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification.

Startup 171

Startup Entrepreneur Activity Ideas 171

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2021

I have found that many people are great critics, or can study a problem forever. The challenge of reinventing almost every aspect of a company on an ongoing basis can be overwhelming to everyone, so you are expected to provide the passion, framework, and incentives for continuous innovation.

News 136

News Framework Demand Study 136

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 19, 2019

Ever had a manager who hung those motivational posters around the office, spoke of “pushing together,” or “you’re empowered to give great service” – and then acted at least once in complete disregard of those statements? You don’t want to be caught even once. An example of doing this right.

Southern California 156

Southern California Examples Customer Custom 156

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 7, 2021

Women have made great inroads into the tech world in recent years, but there remains a long way to go before we reach a truly equitable state of affairs in workforce numbers, remuneration and product development. That number is expected to double to 500 next year, Schwab said.

Mentor 297

Mentor Training Startup Course 297

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

They expect to be surprised and delighted as well by their pre-purchase experience and post-purchase interactions. Your competition is global, so today’s customers are demanding world-class service. Set the expectation for continuous improvement. Make sure the team understands the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ will follow.

Customer 106

Customer Custom Startup Competition 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2020

It will be much more productive to categorize your startup in one of the following five stages, and limit your investor focus accordingly: “I have a great idea and I need money to turn it into a business.” The final product works great, and all the early users love it.” It’s time to scale up and I need money to keep up with demand.”

Startup 148

Startup Ideas Equity Invest 148

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2023

All the business leaders I know have noticed that the problems we all face today are becoming more complex, multifaceted, and our customers are more demanding. I will summarize these here, adding insights from my own experience in business: Great questions generate the best insights. Don’t demand risk elimination by perfectionism.

Demand 84

Demand Course .Net Startup 84

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. A great customer experience today requires an acceptance of these engagement models and building on them, rather than ignoring them. People love Apple’s whole customer experience, and willingly pay a premium for the product.

Design 105

Design Customer Custom Product 105

Berkonomics

JANUARY 17, 2019

If they are not achieved within the expected time, the reasons must be analyzed by you and by your board and acted upon to avoid loss of capital beyond plan or expectation. The lessons learned are difficult to teach and are great assets in the next effort.

Incubator 120

Incubator Venture Capital Invest Capital 120

Berkonomics

JANUARY 17, 2019

If they are not achieved within the expected time, the reasons must be analyzed by you and by your board and acted upon to avoid loss of capital beyond plan or expectation. The lessons learned are difficult to teach and are great assets in the next effort.

Incubator 120

Incubator Venture Capital Invest Capital 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2023

Great entrepreneurs seek out critical customers and industry experts, and actively listen, but are not afraid to trust their own judgment as well. The best ideas for a new business are solutions to a real customer problem, rather than great ideas looking for a market. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 70

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2020

I found some good insights and details on this approach in the classic book, “ How To Be A Great Boss ,” by Gino Wickman and René Boer, who speak from years of experience working with leadership teams of both small and large companies. Try it – you may find and train that great boss you never had. Marty Zwilling.

Tips 152

Tips Training Startup Entrepreneur 152

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

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. Related activities must be defined, including performance expectations, quality certification, and proof of concept. Quality testing and approval processes.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 23, 2022

Serious changes and great successes don’t come from linear thinking. Here are some of the key principles that he espouses, and I support: Force and expect change. Don’t settle, demand the best. Great new ideas are emerging from the massive and frenetic coordination of people online and through connections.

Entrepreneur 133

Entrepreneur Organization Social Media Social Network 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

Young entrepreneurs and startups, in particular, often remain naively unfocused, despite their passion, of what it takes to provide the high-quality service expected. This means personally listening, understanding, and responding to your customers’ evolving needs and shifting expectations. Know your customers intimately.

Competition 99

Competition Services Startup Training 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

I have seen people with mundane ideas hit it big, and really great ideas implemented poorly, with disastrous results. New businesses are expected to be chaotic. Even great leaders tend to assume that the formula that worked once will work again. This is a clear case where one plus one equals three.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Satisfaction 171

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2022

We are living in a new generation of business, where customers drive the experience, and highly engaged employees are required to keep up with customer expectations. We have all heard the examples of the great new company cultures, popularized by Google, Zappos, and Facebook, which seem to imply that company perks are the secret to success.

Customer 152

Customer Custom Coach Satisfaction 152

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. For example, when you think about distribution channels, revenue streams, or the relationship with the customer, ask customers what they expect.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 30, 2018

In a market where there is always another great deal to evaluate, why sign up to one where you know there are going to be bruised egos from the get go? What expectations do you have about valuation? It is not uncommon for a VC to ask about your price expectations in this fund raising process. The “how much have you raised?”

Venture Capital 324

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Invest 324

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2020

They expect to be surprised and delighted as well by their pre-purchase experience and post-purchase interactions. Your competition is global, so today’s customers are demanding world-class service. Set the expectation for continuous improvement. Make sure the team understands the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ will follow.

Customer 168

Customer Custom Services Startup 168

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2020

In my opinion, great examples in today’s entrepreneur world include Elon Musk (Tesla), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), and Richard Branson (Virgin Group). Great leaders provide opportunities and personal growth assignments that go far beyond conventional training programs. Measure by relationships as well as competitiveness.

Oracle 124

Oracle Organization Examples Coach 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2022

People may jump into the lifestyle to be their own boss, achieve great wealth, start a new trend, or all the above. Don’t wait for the harsh reality of the demanding business world to start thinking about these tradeoffs. Your great idea for the next Facebook may make you wealthy, but it probably won’t help the hungry.

Startup 130

Startup USC Entrepreneur Statistics 130

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 28, 2018

While this reaction to such a valuation is understandable, to anybody who has seen the meteoric rise in consumer demand and actual revenue the valuation is much less surprising and may turn out to be quite conservative. You can expect some strong competition, but it’s unlikely that there will be 5 great scooter companies.

Santa Monica 256

Santa Monica Funding Startup Course 256

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2023

Customers have come to expect disruptive change, so yet another social network is not the way to get traction. The best leaders find a team and every individual unique strength to do great work and make a difference beyond chasing profit. Dragged down by excuses, inertia, and negative energy.

Entrepreneur 118

Entrepreneur Startup Social Network SpaceX 118

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2020

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. A great customer experience today requires an acceptance of these engagement models and building on them, rather than ignoring them. People love Apple’s whole customer experience, and willingly pay a premium for the product.

Customer 150

Customer Custom Design Product 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned. People see you as great for demanding customers and team bonding. This determined nature can help you accomplish great things in new organizations.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 110

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2017

I long ago learned that the customer is not always right, but you can turn most around to be great. Thus the first step in understanding difficult customers is to put yourself in your customer’s position, and think how often you find yourself in one of the following difficult customer categories: Expecting what was promised but not delivered.

Customer 89

Customer Custom Demand Pricing 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2021

Young entrepreneurs and startups, in particular, often remain naively unfocused, despite their passion, of what it takes to provide the high-quality service expected. This means personally listening, understanding, and responding to your customers’ evolving needs and shifting expectations. Know your customers intimately.

Startup 154

Startup Training Customer Custom 154

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2019

If you have an employee potentially ready for management, executive shadowing can be a great way to expose them to critical elements of other jobs, while they are still learning in their current role. It is also a great way for employees to more formally explore potential career opportunities internally, before they jump ship to a competitor.

Coach 95

Coach Technical Review Satisfaction Examples 95

Berkonomics

JANUARY 12, 2012

If they are not achieved within the expected time, the reasons must be analyzed and acted upon to avoid loss of capital beyond plan or expectation. The lessons learned are difficult to teach and are great assets in the next effort. With the first round of funding, there should be milestones to be achieved.

Incubator 149

Incubator Venture Capital Invest Entrepreneur 149

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2021

A great way to make more money more easily online is to replace one-time sales with automatically renewing subscriptions. With a stable base of subscribers, this can mean a continuing revenue stream from newsletters, support, or advice on demand. Even with all this, don’t expect it to be easy. Focus on recurring revenues.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Case Study Software Review Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2022

Great entrepreneurs have learned how to realistically assess and manage both sides of the coin in the following business opportunity and risk categories: Strategic. Only shortsighted leaders assume that customers have unreasonable expectations, or their demands will increase once you have a relationship.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Marketing Customer Custom 153

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2018

Steve Jobs proved it with the iPhone, and Elon Musk can’t produce his electric cars fast enough to keep up with demand. However, such changes don’t yet happen automatically, so it still takes proactive strategies and key actions to create new demand where none exists. Use social media and the media to build demand for change.

Marketing 92

Marketing Demand Examples Social Media 92

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. Related activities must be defined, including performance expectations, quality certification, and proof of concept. Quality testing and approval processes.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 25, 2015

I take my hat off to people like Adam Miller , the CEO of LA-based Cornerstone on Demand, who started at the exact same time as I did (November 1999) and is still the CEO but now of a public company valued at around $2 billion. Jason was adamant that selling the great company he had helped build wasn’t his objective.

Demand 150

Demand SaaS Startup Sales 150

socalTECH

MAY 2, 2014

To get some insight into how those names are changing--we caught up with Steve Banfield , SVP and GM of Registrar Services over at Rightside (www.rightside.co) -- which is in the midst of spinning out from Santa Monica-based Demand Media. Steve Banfield: What will become Rightside has been part of Demand Media. READ MORE>>.

Demand 231

Demand HTML Web Media 231