Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2022

Idea people often don’t get funded as entrepreneurs, because a new business is all about results, not just ideas. I find many technologists fit well into this category, but most of them are frustrated by required interfacing to real customers, managing business finances, and marketing. Enablement: provide support and human capital.

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Activity Satisfaction Metrics Startup 108

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2013

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. The challenge here is to generate more sales, while reducing expenses and tweaking costly administrative processes.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Sales 93

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 14, 2016

The most obvious, is to drive sales. We also wanted access to development resources, and we have our product team here, the engineers and designers, all based in Santa Monica. However, our approach is a whole new product category, part of the marketing cloud. We provide an event and experiential marketing platform.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2013

Many entrepreneurs I know don’t realize that the language they learned in the corporate world, or even their recent MBA class, won’t get them ahead in the startup world today. As a reality check, try this quick test of your entrepreneur savvy. As a reality check, try this quick test of your entrepreneur savvy. Super-angels.

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Entrepreneur Startup Web Equity 109

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

The best entrepreneurs in our industry focus on it year-round as opposed to just once every 18 months. But it’s critical for your business, for you as a leader and people who excel at fund raising have an extreme advantage over those who do not. But if there is nothing wrong with you then please don’t let early rejections alter your course.

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Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

InfoChachkie

JULY 26, 2010

Entrepreneurs can emulate de la Guerra’s strategy and make their adVenture appear far larger than reality and thus increasing its influence and market reach while discouraging competitive threats by creating an industry alliance. Revenue – We generated significant fees, over and above our product sales, from our members. Road Rules.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Santa Barbara Startup Conference 168

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

Whenever a VC assesses a potential investment opportunity, they attempt to match the entrepreneur(s), their solution, and intended markets with a pattern they have previously encountered. Conversely, even if a venture is pre-revenue, the operational risk is reduced if the entrepreneurs have a relevant track record of success.

Technical Review 244

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital RSS 244

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

For today's interview, we sat down and spoke with David Loo , the founder and CEO of Perspectium (www.perspectium.com), a startup which is developing service management applications designed to help connect different, enterprise service management software products together. What's your biggest lesson you've learned as an entrepreneur?

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SaaS Startup Custom Customer 113

socalTECH

MAY 30, 2019

Richards--a serial entrepreneur who has been involved in a number of technology companies here, including NTI Group (sold to Blackboard), Internships.com, MP3.com, I love watching people develop their careers, and I love breaking into markets. You've got to have great sales enablement. What is CareerArc?

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Content Social Network Coach Help 193

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2018

As an investor I can tell you that when I meet an entrepreneur who knows very little about our fund or me as an individual it’s a huge turn off. Investment professionals tend to fall into the following categories: Not an investment partner. All of this, of course, is Sales 101. People make this mistake all the time.

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Funding Startup Venture Capital News 215

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. The mistake entrepreneurs make is either writing a lengthy email (everybody has too much email so it will get skimmed / not digested) or not having a deck which means the VC can’t quickly determine his or her fit as a potential investor. The key is WHAT you send.

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Venture Capital Slides Email Startup 261

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2020

For example, every investor I know can tell you about meeting a passionate entrepreneur who is pitching a great technology innovation, but has not done the financial homework on making it a good business. Thus the investor can’t visualize any return on investment (ROI), so the entrepreneur gets no money, and a good opportunity is lost to all.

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Ideas Statistics Invest Marketing 123

socalTECH

JULY 24, 2009

Helping entrepreneurs succeed. An on-line community for entrepreneurs. Your Software Development Partner. Cox Communications - Orange County was recently ranked 2nd amongst Employers Group's, "California's Best Places to Work - 2008" in the Large Companies category. A Stanford alum, Aaron wrote the book on sales 2.0.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. Multiple decision makers required to close a sale. Products so innovative that they define a new category.

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Product Case Study Custom Customer 95

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2010

We have many seasoned entrepreneurs who have built successful companies here and made a lot of money for investors and themselves. I like to repeat the mantra, “necessity is the mother of all invention,&# meaning that because investors have this expectation you find entrepreneurs that focus on nearer term monetization.

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Company Companies Technology Startup 290

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2013

Entrepreneurs who are great problem solvers within any business are the best prepared to solve their customers’ needs effectively as well. Here is a formula from Brian Tracy, in his book “ The Power of Self-Discipline ” that I believe will help entrepreneurs move up a notch in this category: Take the time to define the problem clearly.

Tips 94

Tips Entrepreneur Sales Course 94

socalTECH

OCTOBER 28, 2016

Those were the three categories, for a long time, that tended to be the domain of the LA ecosystems, just in terms of the number of startups house here, the funding, where you could attract talent, and really sort of where LA gained a reputation. Those areas were reflective of the LA startup economy. That's the most important thing.

Startup 100

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. If you don’t, somebody else WILL!”

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. Sales projections are less than one percent market penetration. Entrepreneurs in this category are usually dreamers.

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Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

TechCrunch LA

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Founders and investors circling the space suspect a wave of Silicon Valley interest is coming, however, and that it will alter the category entirely. In fact, new funds have launched there with expertise in the category. We are in phase three of the influencer economy. Bain Capital Ventures' Jamison Hill.

Platform 170

Platform Marketing Tool Venture Capital 170

SoCal Delicious

MAY 6, 2012

where entrepreneurs share their stories. 63 Los Angeles Entrepreneurs To Be Proud Of By mario on May 2, 2012 in Features , grid. Free Corporations For First-Time Entrepreneurs. Right now they’re setting up 500 free corporations for first time entrepreneurs. Here are 62 63 Los Angeles entrepreneurs we can be proud of.

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Los Angeles Entrepreneur Angel Fractional CTO 78

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 13, 2010

During the down market they were able to double down on recruiting, sales, outsourcing, new market entries and marketing (yes, with Tiger ads ). There seem to be a lot of market entrants in every category where it becomes hard to differentiate them all from each other. Bryce is a bit like the entrepreneurs I search for.

Technical Review 302

Technical Review Marketing IP Outsource Development 302

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2012

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. The challenge here is to generate more sales, while reducing expenses and tweaking costly administrative processes.

Startup 94

Startup Outsource Development Sales Social Media 94

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Entrepreneurs who are great problem solvers within any business are the best prepared to solve their customers’ needs effectively as well. Here is a formula from Brian Tracy, in his book “ The Power of Self-Discipline ” that I believe will help entrepreneurs move up a notch in this category: Take the time to define the problem clearly.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Sales Course Advertising 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2016

Good entrepreneurs are all about managing change, but too many forget that they have to change themselves as their dream evolves from a startup to a scalable business. Many entrepreneurs gave grown to prefer the relative quiet and isolation of their garage, and their ability to set their own schedule.

Social Network 59

Social Network Startup Demand Entrepreneur 59

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. I spoke about how Amazon Web Services deserves far more credit for the last 5 years of innovation than it gets credit for and how I believe they spawned the micro-VC category. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs. What a bubble means for each entrepreneur.

Pricing 309

Pricing Marketing Startup Venture Capital 309

socalTECH

AUGUST 8, 2018

We then allow you to use the print cloud, where we develop, print, and mail pieces very easily. If you seen the entrepreneurs that disrupt big categories, they came at it from a very different approach, which is not iterative, but is transformative. What has the biggest lesson you've learned so far as entrepreneurs?

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Marketing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2010

Two top-notch analysts in this area, Eric Schmidt and Ross Muken say in Forbes “True innovation and products with a more durable revenue stream are coming from the biotechnology side of the industry,” They argue that biotech drugs treat life-threatening diseases - so recessions barely dent sales growth. Infectious diseases. Marty Zwilling.

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Startup Venture Capital Sales Entrepreneur 77

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2016

What every entrepreneur is asking me these days, is “How do I get to be a unicorn?” Yet there are a common set of driving factors that every entrepreneur should know, including the following: Extraordinary marketplace traction. If your new venture is still in the idea or development stages, don’t even think about a high valuation.

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Company Companies Startup Statistics 100

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

We worked together for four years, and I ended up heading up media buying at that company, and he headed up sales. There''s lots of technology development behind what you do - can you talk about that? We have been smart about how to make investments in our business, and when we jump into a new category or vertical.

Startup 239

Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2011

Entrepreneurs who are great problem solvers within any business are the best prepared to solve their customers’ needs effectively as well. Here is a formula from Brian Tracy, in his book “ The Power of Self-Discipline ” that I believe will help entrepreneurs move up a notch in this category: Take the time to define the problem clearly.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Sales Course Advertising 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2011

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. The challenge here is to generate more sales, while reducing expenses and tweaking costly administrative processes.

Tips 92

Tips Startup Services Outsource Development 92

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Guide to Evaluating Startup Ideas - Tony Wright dot com , May 27, 2010 A great developer I once worked with was kvetching at lunch one day. Why Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers. Through advertising or direct sales, these sites harvest intent. They’re deep into Customer Development ,” he said. Innovative. Disruptive. We get it!

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Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Using his connections, he was able to raise funding from his family and other investors to co-found Appboy , a customer relationship management platform for mobile app developers and marketers. In other words, when did you get “bitten” by the entrepreneur bug? I’m a creative thinker, and tech has allowed me to do this.

Startup 82

Startup Mobile Platform Ideas 82

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 25, 2012

The diligence and tireless effort paid off and as a result came a hand-selected class 75 future entrepreneurs eager to begin their next adventure in life and to eventually join on with a local startup. Something a “corporate” job would not do.) great jobs.

Education 86

Education Startup Software Review Technical Review 86

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Hautelook was able to help define--and conquer--the online flash sales category, in record time. Brett Markinson: The best place to start, is I'm a serial entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, I'm drawn to disruptive dynamics and business opportunities, and to the sea change enabled by technology driven disruption.

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Southern California Startup Custom Customer 200

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

Here’s the thing: entrepreneurs who aren’t at all of our private meetings really didn’t know what do think about the situation. It sure wasn’t when I was a first-time entrepreneur. To entrepreneurs thinking about raising money now or in the future – I think there was a lot of signal. Same thing.

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Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287