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I recently wrote a post about how to manage relationships when you’re at a startup or are busy executive. I had images in my brain of all of the stresses I had placed on my wife in the heyday of my startups. A spouse’s hints for surviving an incredibly busy start-up person.
This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice. Many entrepreneurs who start technology companies are product people, technologists or savvy business people who worked previously for a larger company. Most start-up entrepreneurs have little or no sales experience. I know I didn’t.
It’s the lifeblood of any organization and yet most startups don’t have any sales DNA on their teams. It’s important enough that I dedicate a tab on my blog to startup sales & marketing. should you email before you call? 24:00 Selling a startup today. Telesales versus field sales? Salesforce.
Some really great stuff in 2010 that aims to help startups around product, technology, business models, etc. 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication? 500 Hats , February 1, 2010 When to Use Facebook Connect – Twitter Oauth – Google Friend Connect for Authentication?
Email updates frequently. And as Rob points out – if you email members with short updates more frequently they are more up to speed when you do need them to weigh in. Key point – if your emails are as long as my blog posts you’re forked. Make your emails actionable. Rob is an over communicator.
That’s why people turn up to Buzzfeed. In working with brands, Jon says: “ Vary creative, try lots of things, the costs are so low, why would we put up one piece of branded content? we started this convo at minute 47]. But of course we also focused on making content go viral. It is absolutely MVP of advertising.
Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. A wise leader, Oprah was loyal to the early members of her successful startup, understanding that her success was shared by everyone who contributed to Harpo’s growth. Follow my startup-oriented Twitter feed here: @johngreathouse. Humility – Exude It. “Be Share and Enjoy.
If you’re a startup and you don’t have a close relationship with a few law firms you’re really missing one of the most important relationships that any entrepreneur can have. Many people start companies arse backwards. I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes.
We started with our financial statements. So I changed things up and became much happier with my results. 1. Set two strategic topics per board meeting and start with them – I bet most of you feel that you have pretty talented people around the table but you get stuck talking about the minutiae of your business.
Comedic Tips. Strong Start – Grab your audience’s attention and tell them who you are and why they must listen. Comedians often ask questions to set up their punch lines. Follow my startup-oriented Twitter feed here: @johngreathouse. As such, there is much entrepreneurs can learn from their comic brethren.
This is part of my ongoing posts on Startup Advice. The world has changed much since I started my first company in 1999. Tim started to change our processes. Tim encouraged us to set up a blog and start talking openly about what we were doing as a company and inviting comments. Back then it seemed foreign.
Although it may be comfortable to start a company with your friends, it is a mistake, unless your friend(s) happens to be ideally suited to their role in your venture. One could broadly recast Gates’ quote by saying, “the best way to prepare to become an entrepreneur is to start a business and study how great startups succeed.”.
Business Etiquette Tips for dealing with VCs and Corporates at Conferences. This is part of my ongoing series with Startup Advice. With the LeWeb conference about to start in Paris I thought the timing of this post would be appropriate. Thanks for the tip – we’re now actively engaged in discussion.&#.
Paul Graham and the folks over at YCombinator have done much to reenergize early-stage entrepreneurship and encourage the creation of many new and innovative startups including DropBox, Posterous, Loopt, Justin.TV, Scribd and many others. I have been avoiding it because I wasn’t up for the inevitable public pummeling this week).
If you are not anxious, then you are probably not pushing yourself or your startup hard enough. The inevitable pressures at a startup are not inherently negative. This forces them to be proactively wily – just like a startup founder. The following video epitomizes what it is like to be a startup founder.
I reviewed an email from Kara Nortman, the CEO of Moonfrye who is working on putting together venture debt. I then traded emails with two former senior tech professionals in LA. I will soon announce a few fundings (not yet closed, sorry) and I’m beginning to help them think about how to ramp up their engineering teams.
The promised to follow up with: calls, using your product, talking to customers or “noodle on things.&# Will they? Despite best intentions they probably won’t follow up on their actions. Why don’t VC’s follow up? So don’t expect an unprompted email or phone call next week. So how to proceed?
I never saw it go out with a “tip @techmeme” on Twitter. When I first started writing this blog several years ago I had less followers than you have right now. .” So starting a few years ago I would hit “publish” on a blog post and wait for the clicks & comments to come rolling in.
Communicate frequently and proactively The most effective CEOs that I’ve observed send regular, short, board update emails every few weeks or monthly just to give the board a sense of what is going on. The most updated they are the more prepared they are when they do turn up at board meetings. If you took away actions — follow up.
I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. We had several emails back and forth where he provided basic details on the concept. Was it a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? Did they really need a Startup CTO or Developer or both? Was it a case of needing Homework?
As part of the onboarding process, the app asks both job seekers and employers what they’re looking for - in a text box - while providing a few suggestions in a pop-up. This isn’t just our opinion - our startup metrics prove it! Even with the pop-up suggestions, we saw significant drop-off during user onboarding.
Tip : On panels I believe it is OK for you (even as a panelist and not moderator) to say, “I want to understand whom I’m speaking to. Tip : It is always a good idea to save time on the panel for audience questions. Tip : Get the audience to respect you for your content contributions. Follow up !
As a business adviser, I still see too many new venture founders who skimp on their marketing focus, or start too late. You really need to start marketing your solution before you even build it, to validate the need, and keep your focus on the features that customers really want and need.
In addition to being a classic children''s tale of good versus evil, the film also contains some surprising 2013 job hunting tips for joining a startup. Though you seldom encounter orcs or dragons in the startup world, the inevitable perils and risks of a startup are more akin to joining an adVenture than simply accepting a job.
Absent a human gatekeeper, you can capture a busy individual''s attention by crafting a compelling and pithy email subject line, voicemail message, Tweet, Quora or Facebook message. Other Networking Tips. Then immediately follow up with an email or direct message, noting the reason you left a voicemail. Sue.Who@acme.com).
seems like an unlikely place to grow one of the next billion-dollar startups in the booming Los Angeles tech ecosystem. But it’s here in the (other) Valley’s southernmost edge that investors have found a startup they consider to be the next potential billion-dollar “unicorn” that will come out of Los Angeles.
Mike Stern (wasn’t sure which one so leave a comment if it’s you): Q: “is it possible to sell your startup without venture investment if the company has big traction and a large user base?&# But most importantly I lectured founders that you can’t avoid the admin of setting up your ESOP. Do it early.
Most of these are easy to avoid if you do your homework up front, but can cost you dearly if you get sucked in. If you feel confused by conflicting time zones, differing currencies, and up-front costs, it’s time to run the other way. Work at home to fund your startup. Chain emails leading to a windfall. Won the lottery.
As Guy notes in the accompanying video interview, his primary goal with Enchantment is to reach a broader audience, beyond the high-tech, startup world. To this end, Guy has written a book that can be used by anyone seeking to further their cause ; from startups, to non-profits, to public policy issues to getting a job.
In addition to being a thought leader within the Lean Startup Movement , Steve is also a professor at Stanford and Berkley. The team failed to understand that marketing's primary role at a startup is to drive sales. it might be the spear, but the tip are the people who are trying to sell stuff.". Marketing's job is to make.
Thus, based on my experience as an entrepreneur as well as a startup investor, there are indeed situations where a non-disclosure is highly recommended, and others where the potential good far outweighs the risk. Here are the key considerations from my perspective: Dealing with known or trusted investors and advisors.
Ten Tips on How to Make it in the Meet-up Scene. The technology meet-up scene is an odd co-mingling of entrepreneurs, engineers, social media mavens, service providers, and up and comers. Here are ten actionable tips to make the most of your meet-ups.
Even in this age of videos and text messages, the quickest way to kill your startup dream with investors, business partners, or even customers, is embarrassingly poor writing. Before you start, make sure you understand your own objective. That context needs to be set before your sales pitch or background story makes any sense.
Some great posts from April 2010 that talk to me in terms of being a CTO at a Startup. Ben Casnocha: The Blog , April 15, 2010 Everyone I spoke with loved the idea. Let me know.
Great content again in September that meets at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. Chris Dixon , September 12, 2010 My most useful career experience was about eight years ago when I was trying to break into the world of VC-backed startups. Why You Should Write. and chartbeat.
It is easier for them to finish up 45 minutes, politely shake your hand and say, “we’ll get back to you&# once they’ve had a chance to “noodle on it.&# Ever heard that? The following are some tips for the debate style VC meeting. Tips in a debate led VC Meeting. Tips in a debate led VC Meeting.
Some great content around the intersection of startups and being a Startup CTO in June this year. This continues my series of posts: Top 29 Startup Posts May 2010 Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March There was some really great content in June. It shows a lack of interest.
Divshot's Founders conceived of their innovative web development solution, which automatically generates professional-grade code during the wire framing process, during a Startup Weekend event in Kansas City. No matter how you end up on the front page of a major news site, getting there is just the first step. Engagement.
From analytical reporting tools to helpful integrations such as email and Slack prompts, you'll be able to run your whole business, not just your remote work teams, in a more efficient manner. In fact, if you don't have a regular meeting on the books, preferably over video, you could end up not seeing your employees at all.
Finding potential customers continues to be a huge challenge not only for established marketing and sales teams but also for startup executives and solo entrepreneurs. Here are some of our top recommendations to get you started: Email Finder Tool – Voila Norbert. Pricing: Valet – up to 1000 leads/month, $49.
If there happens to be a gas station along the way where you can fill up for a reasonable price, great. In 2000, at Expertcity (creator of GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting, acquired by Citrix), we raised $30 million at an $80 million pre-money valuation – for a startup with absolutely zero revenue. However, do not count on it.
StartupTips From College Dropouts: Zuckerberg , Jobs, Gates, Dell, Ellison, Branson and Disney. Startup Lessons From Olympic Innovators. > Your Startup Should Emulate The Beatles, Not A Flock Of Seagulls. > TechStar Co-Founder Brad Feld: Are We Experiencing A Startup Accelerator Bubble? >
In the past, if your startup had a website presence, the company was credible by definition. Yet most startups I know experience the same shock of disappointment when they first open up their website to offer their “million dollar idea” product, and nobody comes. Set up an award, and show winners. People buy from people.
When someone asks me for the best way to fund a startup, I always say bootstrap it, meaning fund it yourself and grow organically. I like his approach, and have extracted some tips from his book and other sources on how to do it: Use a virtual office. Sometimes the tiniest details will throw your startup company into disaster.
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