Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. Don’t let your service be viewed as a commodity.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. Don’t let your service be viewed as a commodity.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

Many writers have outlined the critical success factors for product companies, like sell every unit at a profit, patent the design, and continuous product improvement. The distinction between product companies and services companies is easy to see. The distinction between product companies and services companies is easy to see.

Product 91

Product Services Satisfaction Patents 91

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Start with a service you know and love. Don’t let your service be viewed as a commodity.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Self-employed services specialists are just as important, and most often operate remotely (from anywhere in the world) in this age of the Internet. Tomorrow, a similar change is likely to happen to sales personnel, customer service, even manufacturing and construction jobs. Writing specialists. Information specialists.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Services Search Engine Optimization Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Just for clarification, I characterize a product plan as a formal description of your product or service, with a quick business description at the end for effect. This section of the product plan details every element of the product or service that is your solution. Technology, architecture, and feature descriptions.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 14, 2017

University professors, industry gurus, lawyers familiar with patent law and former executives of competitor companies are typical recruits you might consider. There is no rule as to uniformity of pay, as some advisors may be willing to serve at no cost while others are industry consultants used to receiving fair payment for services rendered.

Knowledge Base 243

Knowledge Base Guide Patents Email 243

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2022

Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. They only want a quick overview of the product, not detailed features and patent secrets. Don’t send investors documents and notes that would be rejected by any high-school teacher. Excuse the typos and cleanup -- I’ve been too busy to finalize.”

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Startup Statistics Social Media 109

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

Self-employed services specialists are just as important, and are a growing part of this new “ age of the entrepreneur ” that I discussed last week. Tomorrow, a similar change is likely to happen to sales personnel, customer service, even manufacturing and construction jobs. Writing specialists. Information specialists.

Entrepreneur 89

Entrepreneur Services Product Search Engine Optimization 89

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2013

Here are five of the most common examples: Failure to document a Founder agreement at the beginning. Disclosing inventions before the patent application is filed. Entrepreneurs often put off the hassle and the cost of filing a patent until first funding. There is no excuse for not filing at least a provisional patent early.

Startup 94

Startup Patents Legalzoom Invest 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2012

Here are five of the most common examples: Failure to document a Founder agreement at the beginning. Disclosing inventions before the patent application is filed. Entrepreneurs often put off the hassle and the cost of filing a patent until first funding. There is no excuse for not filing at least a provisional patent early.

Startup 99

Startup Patents Legalzoom Invest 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Just for clarification, I characterize a product plan as a formal description of your product or service, with a quick business description at the end for effect. This section of the product plan details every element of the product or service that is your solution. Technology, architecture, and feature descriptions.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

For example, “We just patented a new battery technology that will cut your smartphone charge time and cost in half.” Call out your top competitors, highlighting your sustainable competitive advantage, including patents, trade secrets. Document why your team is the best for this challenge. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. They only want a quick overview of the product, not detailed features and patent secrets. Don’t send investors documents and notes that would be rejected by any high-school teacher. Excuse the typos and cleanup -- I’ve been too busy to finalize.”

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Statistics Startup Social Media 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2011

Here are five of the most common examples: Failure to document a founder agreement at the beginning. Disclosing inventions before the patent application is filed. Entrepreneurs often put off the hassle and the cost of filing a patent until first funding. There is no excuse for not filing at least a provisional patent early.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Patents Invest Startup 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2012

Many writers have outlined the critical success factors for product companies, like sell every unit at a profit, patent the design, and continuous product improvement. The distinction between product companies and services companies is easy to see. The distinction between product companies and services companies is easy to see.

Satisfaction 91

Satisfaction Patents Outsource Development Services 91

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

I suggest you use social media, blogging, crowdfunding, or documented research to quantify a real demand from people who can afford it, and don’t have a better alternative already out there. Any startup with no patents, trade secrets, or other secret sauce is very high risk today. Make the product or service come alive.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2015

Passionate entrepreneurs tend to talk on and on about their disruptive technology, their intent to change the world and free services, but if a business can’t provide quantifiable value to real customers, the dream will likely turn into a nightmare. Come unprepared with no written documents. Build up for the punch line at the end.

Startup 104

Startup Summary Patents Examples 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. They only want a quick overview of the product, not detailed features and patent secrets. Don’t send investors documents and notes that would be rejected by any high-school teacher. Excuse the typos and cleanup that I’ve been too busy to finalize.”

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup Statistics 109

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Since this document is outward facing, it is important to keep the terminology and tone consistent with that of your customer set, investors, and business partners. For example, “I just patented a new cell-phone technology that will double battery life for half the cost. The details can be added later. Skip the acronyms and jargon.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2010

Here are some examples: Failure to document a founder agreement at the beginning. Disclosing inventions before the patent application is filed. Entrepreneurs often put off the hassle and the cost of filing a patent until first funding. There is no excuse for not filing at least a provisional patent early.

Startup 50

Startup Patents Entrepreneur Invest 50

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. They only want a quick overview of the product, not detailed features and patent secrets. Don’t send investors documents and notes that would be rejected by any high-school teacher. Excuse the typos and cleanup that I’ve been too busy to finalize.”

Entrepreneur 119

Entrepreneur Technical Review Statistics Startup 119

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2018

Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service. They only want a quick overview of the product, not detailed features and patent secrets. Don’t send investors documents and notes that would be rejected by any high-school teacher. Excuse the typos and cleanup -- I’ve been too busy to finalize.”

Funding 62

Funding Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 62

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2014

Just for clarification, I characterize a product plan as a formal description of your product or service, with a quick business description at the end for effect. This section of the product plan details every element of the product or service that is your solution. Technology, architecture, and feature descriptions.

Product 101

Product Entrepreneur Summary Activity 101

Tech Zulu Event

MARCH 3, 2015

Equally important, is an area many startup founders don’t always prioritize: choosing the right service providers and understanding the value they can bring, especially to early-stage startups. Teaming with the right service providers can have a huge impact on a startup’s ability to succeed. And relying on NDAs is not the answer.

Startup 40

Startup Outsource Development IP Outsource 40

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

Sometimes great new businesses, such as Starbucks, are built on the oldest of base products, but with better customer service, distribution, marketing or a new pricing model, by a smart, determined entrepreneur such as Howard Schultz. Brings realism to solution-development projections.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Pricing Custom Customer 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2016

Just for clarification, I characterize a product plan as a formal description of your product or service, with a quick business description at the end for effect. This section of the product plan details every element of the product or service that is your solution. Technology, architecture, and feature descriptions.

Product 55

Product Startup Summary Entrepreneur 55

socalTECH

MARCH 31, 2014

That''s really where the genesis of this comes from, and we have patents around the idea of continually analyzing both structure and semistructured data from a wide variety of sources, simultaneously. It''s built and deployed as a service in the cloud, with nothing to install. That''s the unique nature of this technology.

Orange County 245

Orange County Startup News IBM 245

InfoChachkie

JUNE 25, 2009

As outlined in Beware the Consultant , be wary when selecting a professional services firm. Like most mature markets, the legal profession is highly segmented with respect to the services provided and markets served. Even so, the majority of firms focus on servicing well-established BDC’s. free weekly Infochachkie articles!

Technical Advisors 124

Technical Advisors Technical Review IP Patents 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

The approach I recommend is to build the investor presentation first, by iterating on the bullets with your team, and then fleshing out the points into a full-blown text-based business plan document. Make sure to communicate the relevance of your product / services to market needs. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”.

Slides 99

Slides Competition Sample Sales 99

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2014

The more conventional VP of Marketing role should cover branding, as well as other marketing advertising, design, public relations and customer service requirements. If your business is managing contracts and patents, it makes sense, but the CLO for most startups is LegalZoom on the Internet. Chief Risk Officer. Chief Legal Officer.

CTO Hire 100

CTO Hire Funding Cloud Computing CIO 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

Well … I have had many late nights and I really didn’t contemplate writing many blog postings this month because I spent November in this interesting venture capital / fund raising dance involving lots of late night sessions reviewing legal documents, rewriting business plans and preparing for pitches. Folksonomy. Free product.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

The more conventional VP of Marketing role should cover branding, as well as other marketing advertising, design, public relations and customer service requirements. If your business is managing contracts and patents, it makes sense, but the CLO for most startups is LegalZoom on the Internet. Chief Risk Officer. Chief Legal Officer.

Startup 97

Startup Invest CTO Hire Cloud Computing 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

The approach I recommend is to build the investor presentation first, by iterating on the bullets with your team, and then fleshing out the points into a full-blown text-based business plan document. Make sure to communicate the relevance of your product / services to market needs. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

Examples – The book is filled with text excerpted from actual funding documents, rather than the generic templates usually found in academic textbooks. Don’t Overemphasize Patents. Their relentless (mostly friendly) mocking of venture capitalists and lawyers adds some welcomed levity to what can be, at times, dry subject matter.

Venture Capital 205

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Writing Guide 205

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2010

An alternative approach, which I prefer, is to build the investor presentation first, by iterating on the bullets with your team, and then fleshing out the points into a full-blown text-based business plan document. Make sure to communicate the relevance of your product / services to market needs. Opportunity sizing.

Slides 94

Slides Competition Sample Sales 94

socalTECH

JULY 29, 2009

It's a very linear process, and allows them to capture knowledge and link to centralized resources that relate to a topic, including documents, pictures, files, video. Milo Sindell: In terms of business model, it's a subscription service. We have patents filed on this process. It has links to supporting web site and resources.

Geni 100

Geni Web Guide Platform 100