Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Outsource Development 124

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2015

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Outsource Development 99

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 99

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2019

When you are starting a new business, every resource is precious, including time, funding, and people. Daily updates from the top and documented processes are critical. Outsourcing services that could be done in-house. Outsourcing is an expensive solution for poor planning. People with the wrong tools or no training.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Metrics Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of specifying and documenting “formal business processes.” Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. Funding process.

Startup 107

Startup Outsource Development Training Outsource 107

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. In the midst of high-tech development, funding, and selling, someone has to keep the office network running, get processes documented, and manage to keep everyone happy and busy. Outsourcing any of these critical roles is very expensive, and usually not very effective.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 123

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2016

As a startup investor, I often see business proposals looking for funding that really look like expensive hobbies looking for donations. I still see entrepreneurs who spend money and time for months on a new business idea without any separation of personal and business funds, and any formal accounting system for their new business.

Ideas 62

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Competition 62

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

To avoid the tax implications of co-mingling personal and business funds and assets, create your business entity before you hire anyone or spend money building the product. Proper documentation will minimize later legal claims and issues. You’ll also need to save tax records, bank statements, canceled checks, and contracts.

Startup 84

Startup Outsource Development Entrepreneur News 84

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2014

What you really need is a VP of Marketing and Customer Development, who can help with lead generation and honing the message, rather than an executive to manage a sales team and existing customers. If your business is managing contracts and patents, it makes sense, but the CLO for most startups is LegalZoom on the Internet.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Funding Cloud Computing CIO 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2013

Like it or not, you are now entering the dreaded realm of specifying and documenting “formal business processes.” Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. Funding process.

Outsource Development 92

Outsource Development Training Outsource Metrics 92

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2015

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Ideas 107

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Tool 107

socalTECH

JULY 8, 2010

DocStoc, based in Santa Monica, is headed by Jason Nazar , and offers a way for people to share and purchase professional documents. Funding: Around $4.0M. Funding: $12.8M. Funding: Over $41.0M. Funding: $50.0M. Funding: $150.0M. Funding: $300.0M. In the other corner: Scribd - Profile.

Southern California 124

Southern California Rustic Canyon SoCal Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2014

Here are the key objectives that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity.

Outsource Development 105

Outsource Development Startup Ideas Tool 105

socalTECH

MAY 18, 2009

This morning's interview with Daryl Bernstein , CEO and co-founder of Santa Barbara-based RightSignature (www.rightsignature.com), a firm which has created an online, software-as-a-service offering to collect legally binding signatures on documents. We've also got a huge list of additional document types in the works.

Outsource Development 100

Outsource Development Santa Barbara Education SaaS 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2018

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. As a startup, you need all the leverage you can get.

Ideas 53

Ideas Outsource Development Tool Outsource 53

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

Fallacy: Third-party, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) representatives succeed once the sales process is defined, proven and documented. I am differentiating here between outsourced services that execute rote, routine tasks and consultants hired to performed ad hoc, mission critical engagements. 8 ) Grant Exclusivity.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. Even if you are doing the work yourself, you need to document requirements, features, metrics, and milestones. Funding process.

Startup 102

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 102

socalTECH

MARCH 26, 2014

We also have a cloud-baesd, billing and practice management solutions, which enables them to manage all of their internal financial processes, and we also have solutions for billing and cloud-based outsourcing of back office tasks. Dan Rodrigues: Yes, we''ve raised around $70M in venture funding to date.

Startup 160

Startup El Segundo CTO Hire Outsource Development 160

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. In the midst of high-tech development, funding, and selling, someone has to keep the office network running, get processes documented, and manage to keep everyone happy and busy. Outsourcing any of these critical roles is very expensive, and usually not very effective.

Technical Advisors 105

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 105

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2010

Use a simple accounting tool like QuickBooks, get away from co-mingled funds, and you have the first business process you need. Develop your business plan. Product development process. Even if you are doing the work yourself, you need to document requirements, features, metrics, and milestones. Funding process.

Startup 95

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 95

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 3, 2015

To make sure your IP is protected — As I’ve written before, failing to develop an IP strategy, including a plan for protecting your IP as well as avoiding unwitting infringements of someone else’s, is a huge mistake. Make sure you have a lawyer to help draft your contracts and guide you’re communicating policies and procedures.

Startup 40

Startup Outsource Development IP Outsource 40

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2012

A business plan is an “outward facing” document for external investors, or for C-level executives within your own company. The product plan tells your developers what to build, and the marketing team what to market. Enough detail is required so that someone else can build it without you (outsourcing). Development and rollout.

Product 92

Product Outsource Development Competition High Tech 92

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. In the midst of high-tech development, funding, and selling, someone has to keep the office network running, get processes documented, and manage to keep everyone happy and busy. Outsourcing any of these critical roles is very expensive, and usually not very effective.

Technical Advisors 57

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 57

Tech Zulu Event

AUGUST 6, 2014

Develop your financial projections. Once you’ve worked these out, you’ll be in a position to balance them against your available funds. Hire only for those positions you actually need and rely on contract staff, part-time employees, and freelancers for as much as you can. Decide whether you need to pursue outside funding.

Tips 101

Tips Startup Outsource Development Sales 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. In the midst of high-tech development, funding, and selling, someone has to keep the office network running, get processes documented, and manage to keep everyone happy and busy. Outsourcing any of these critical roles is very expensive, and usually not very effective.

Technical Advisors 98

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2016

Finding creative ways to fund activities. While the CFO usually takes the lead in finding professional investors, everyone needs to look for ways to reduce the burn rate and maximize alternative funding sources, including bartering for services, finding partners willing to accept deferred payments and talking to friends and family.

Entrepreneur 59

Entrepreneur Activity Training Outsource Development 59

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2013

Hopefully it’s not as a way of avoiding fund raising or finding quick pockets of money. With a well architected product that has well-documented APIs and proper core product abstractions then all custom work should be build above the API stack. If not specified in contract you might find yourself with future litigation over IP.

Software Review 321

Software Review Software Services Company 321

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2011

A business plan is an “outward facing” document for external investors, or for C-level executives within your own company. The product plan tells your developers what to build, and the marketing team what to market. Enough detail is required so that someone else can build it without you (outsourcing). Development and rollout.

Product 93

Product Entrepreneur Outsource Development Competition 93

SoCal CTO

JUNE 26, 2012

They didn't feel they had visibility into timelines and costs for development of their software. In three of the cases, the founder was finding that the software teams (1 in-house, 2 outsourced) were delivering relatively well in the short-run. My belief is that you shouldn't sign that contract.

Outsource Development 254

Outsource Development Software Development Develop Development 254

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Develop your financial projections. Once you’ve worked these out, you’ll be in a position to balance them against your available funds. Hire only for those positions you actually need and rely on contract staff, part-time employees, and freelancers for as much as you can. Decide whether you need to pursue outside funding.

Tips 90

Tips Startup Venture Capital Outsource Development 90

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Steve Gilison worked as a market researcher and product manager at a startup where my company, TechEmpower , did the software / web development. I have about 11 years in the technology sector including roles doing market research, sales and product development. My focus has been marketing strategy and product development.

Los Angeles 179

Los Angeles Product Angel Startup 179

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Don’t outsource the job. It’ll also help you to hone your selling skills…which you’ll need to draw on heavily to be successful at raising funds. They won’t do that if they are faced with a poorly written, lengthy, and vague document. Here’s what not to do when crafting your executive summary. Don’t skip formalities.

Summary 40

Summary Outsource Development Writing Outsource 40

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2010

A business plan is an “outward facing” document for external investors, or for C-level executives within your own company. The product plan tells your developers what to build, and the marketing team what to market. Enough detail is required so that someone else can build it without you (outsourcing). Development and rollout.

Product 48

Product Outsource Development Competition High Tech 48

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

I know that this all seems obvious now with the movements started by Steven Blank ( Four Steps of Epiphany ) with the whole Customer Development processes / Lean Startup movements also popularized by people like Eric Ries. Being transparent about our workload, our struggles, our fund raising, whatever. Back then it seemed foreign.

Organization 280

Organization Customer Custom Tips 280

socalTECH

JULY 27, 2009

William--who, among prior experience developed Stamps.com's security architecture--sat down with us to explain the firm's products and plans. It's like an intranet, but has collaborative features like document management. What does Mobophiles do, and what the idea behind the product is?

SaaS 127

SaaS Web Google Sites 127

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

To be clear, I define a product specification as the technical definition of your product, to be used for development and testing purposes, with a quick business summary for context. Document why your team is the best for this challenge. Target income and expense by year, including funding. You need both to survive.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

500 Hats , January 10, 2010 Developing new startup ideas - Chris Dixon , March 14, 2010 Batch Processing Millions and Millions of Images - Code as Craft , July 9, 2010 jQuery Plugin: Give Your Characters a NobleCount - The Product Guy , March 23, 2010 How do the sample Series Seed financing documents differ from typical Series A financing documents?

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2011

This ended up developing into Visual Basic for Applications , the strategy for programmability in Microsoft Office. Do you see product managers as a hindrance to software development? Companies historically have structured their development teams in different ways. Communicating with the developers who write code.

Software Review 285

Software Review Software Blogging Startup 285