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. I once met with an entrepreneur who had developed a new algae strain to cure world hunger and make him rich.

Technical Review 131

Technical Review Case Study Mentor Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

Implicit in effective marketing of yourself and your solution are a set of skills that every professional needs and can develop over time in business, whether their focus is on career advancement, or starting your own company. They mentor each other, and seek out experts in domains outside their current expertise and experience.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

Innovative technologies require iterative development, while other ideas are primarily marketing and financial. Assess who you can get for value and mentoring. You may be comfortable driving your future based on vision and emotion, or have long been a stickler for details and metrics.

Startup 94

Startup Ideas Metrics Entrepreneur 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. Use data analysis and metrics to measure for results. Subjectively measuring employee engagement.

Tool 121

Tool Statistics Entrepreneur Metrics 121

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

For example, many investors I know tell me they look for business plans that allocate the largest portion of a requested investment to marketing, but most often see the top “ use of funds ” to be further product or service development. Seek out people who are already known in your space. Allocate resources to handle bumps along the way.

Marketing 133

Marketing Customer Custom Outsource Development 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2020

Implement metrics and set objectives for every organization. This is also the time for business development focus, related social causes, and exploring common ground (coopetition initiatives) with competitors. Spend real time on people development and succession planning. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

Startup 125

Startup Training Entrepreneur Organization 125

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

To give visibility to these companies to: Sources of funding (angels / VCs), business development partners, mentors who have themselves built successful companies, the press and potential employees to hire. One senior mentor to Launchpad LA recently said, “I got more out of Launchpad LA than I even put in.

Venture Capital 287

Venture Capital Funding Startup GRP Partners 287

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

That keeps people from pushing themselves to develop the kind of new solutions that will permanently change the business for the better, versus short-term band-aids. It’s your job as a leader to be the model high performer, quantify the team view with metrics, and expand awareness to the best outside competition and new tools.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2018

Most startups are created by one or two entrepreneurial founders, with a vision and focus on developing an innovative solution, rather than on developing people. Establish metrics on the culture, as well as the product. These metrics need the same top management attention as customer retention and sales metrics.

Metrics 57

Metrics Startup Netflix Customer 57

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. Funding is depleted before customer sales ramp up.

Startup 131

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Customer 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2017

Yet, in my experience as a mentor to entrepreneurs, the majority of failures I see are related to starting and growing the business, not developing the solution. Manage the business with metrics and goals. I have no doubt that starting and growing a business is hard, at least as difficult as developing an innovative solution.

Ideas 72

Ideas Startup Metrics Entrepreneur 72

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2015

Contrary to a popular myth, problem-solving is a talent that can be developed. Don’t hesitate to call in an experienced advisor or mentor to help. Make sure there are metrics for problem counts, resolution time and revenue impact. Very few startup problems are unique. Remember the old adage that you get what you pay for.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Metrics 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 108

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2015

Innovative products and services always take longer to develop than anticipated, and quality problems pop up where least expected. Bring in expert advisors and mentors to set initial goals, and build recovery plans. Make sure all new development is buffered, rather than stretch-oriented. The solution fails to come together.

Startup 105

Startup Entrepreneur Marketing Satisfaction 105

Tech.Co

APRIL 30, 2018

Head of Business Development for U.S. The freight shipment marketplace will match shipper and driver, book loads, optimize routes, track metrics, and manage payments. has partnered with Arlington Economic Development to bring you this story. Headai launched the product in Finland and projects to start in the U.S. in Spring 2018.

Startup 70

Startup Tool Platform Metrics 70

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

There are lots of resources available for the challenge of that activity, including the Internet and mentors like me. Start by developing an “elevator pitch,” that you can deliver in thirty seconds to hook a potential customer or investor. Just because you think it’s a great idea doesn’t mean there is a business opportunity.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

I've previously addressed the role of a CTO in early-stages in my post Startup CTO or Developer. for a Lead Developer: How much will it cost to build what we need to build? for a Lead Developer: How much will it cost to build what we need to build? How can I control costs but effectively get stuff developed? Accounting?

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Cashflow is a basic survival metric for every startup. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cashflow personally every day. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 105

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2019

We have developed a tool that takes scientific, validated methodologies from academia, and use that to assess unconscious bias around race, gender, age, and other personality attributes, in the workplace. Why that it is important, is the metrics associated with this is are how scalable it is. How did the three of you connect?

Content 150

Content Training Education Outsource Development 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2016

Implement metrics and set objectives for every organization. This is also the time for business development focus, related social causes, and exploring common ground (coopetition initiatives) with competitors. Spend real time on people development and succession planning. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

Entrepreneur 55

Entrepreneur Training Organization Examples 55

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2017

In the same way, you may think that people assessment is all about skills and experience, but as a mentor to business owners, I have learned to look more for the right attitude, persistence, and determination, as success factors. Develop an attitude of gratitude and humility. Learn to like the things that need done.

Software Review 57

Software Review Technical Review Startup Press 57

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2017

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. Use data analysis and metrics to measure for results. Subjectively measuring employee engagement.

Tool 53

Tool Entrepreneur Statistics Metrics 53

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2016

As a startup investor and mentor, I look beyond the façade to find these eight keys traits in the mindset of every entrepreneur. Sets realistic goals with milestones and metrics to gauge progress. Successful entrepreneurs possess many of the desired attributes, developed to phenomenal levels -- far beyond those of the average person.

Startup 58

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Customer 58

CEO Flow

JUNE 8, 2009

The internet has changed business – in helpful and challenging ways: * We have more information and metrics – and more confusion from all the clutter. * We can develop and deploy products faster – far beyond our clients’ ability to absorb them. * Are we working harder, under more pressure, but running in place?

Metrics 66

Metrics Startup Slides Activity 66

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

The fitness professional network develops business tools that make it easier for fitness professionals to run their businesses and keep their clients engaged between training sessions. Sergey’s diverse experience as an entrepreneur, technology consultant and software executive qualifies him to lead amSTATZ’s technology development.

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

socalTECH

OCTOBER 19, 2016

In today's world, people are lonely, and they are really looking for someone to mentor them, to guide them, to hold them accountable. Third, there's ultimately the real opportunity to develop scientific, validated metrics for wellness. It's all about the app, or the computer screen, or the data.

Coach 100

Coach Startup Study Venture Capital 100

CEO Flow

JUNE 8, 2009

The internet has changed business – in helpful and challenging ways: * We have more information and metrics – and more confusion from all the clutter. * We can develop and deploy products faster – far beyond our clients’ ability to absorb them. * Are we working harder, under more pressure, but running in place?

Metrics 66

Metrics Slides Competition Activity 66

CEO Flow

JUNE 8, 2009

The internet has changed business – in helpful and challenging ways: * We have more information and metrics – and more confusion from all the clutter. * We can develop and deploy products faster – far beyond our clients’ ability to absorb them. * Are we working harder, under more pressure, but running in place?

Metrics 66

Metrics Slides Competition Activity 66

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 10, 2009

That's where I learned I enjoyed interacting with customers and working with development teams to build and launch products. In some ways it is similar to early stage incubators such as Y Combinator, although FI is even earlier stage, focusing on developing the founders themselves as entrepreneurs as opposed to actual companies.

Product 150

Product Entrepreneur Social Media Google 150

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 9, 2014

This was a chance to blow open the story on their companies, to address a room full of potential investors, mentors, partners, customers, and press. In seed stage funding, we’re often told that the investments are ultimately about the people/teams, and not necessarily the metrics. Rapt.FM – Rap battles over live chat.

Startup 111

Startup Mobile Commerce Education 111

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

We make it trivial to quickly aggregate and monitor your key metrics in real-time! Headquarted in Santa Monica, CA, CallFire is dedicated to providing high-availability systems, intuitive user interfaces, furious developer support, and unparalleled customer care in order to transform how companies do business. SuperDemo: Bill Gross.

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

CEO Flow

JUNE 8, 2009

The internet has changed business – in helpful and challenging ways: * We have more information and metrics – and more confusion from all the clutter. * We can develop and deploy products faster – far beyond our clients’ ability to absorb them. * Are we working harder, under more pressure, but running in place?

Metrics 40

Metrics Slides Competition Activity 40

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 9, 2022

One of the attributes that I often recommend to the business professionals and entrepreneurs I mentor is to always be totally accountable for your actions and ideas. Setting your own metrics, and measuring yourself , will facilitate accountability. Be available for mentoring and coaching to others.

Activity 109

Activity Organization Mentor Training 109

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 13, 2013

App developers are coming up with new ideas daily to make our lives easier. My every day is trying to fundraise, reaching, re-reaching out, and trying to keep people updated with metrics. ML: I do mentor and advise a lot of young entrepreneurs, especially from USC since I went to that school.

Technical Review 87

Technical Review Mobile Startup Los Angeles 87