Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2009

Yesterday I had lunch with a really interesting and capable serial entrepreneur who is raising his A round. So I thought I’d try to lay out a framework for how you should think about it as many you will inevitably be faced with this experience. Many strategics have less experience in helping entrepreneurs.

Venture Capital 279

Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur Framework 279

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2012

As the business economy rebounds, many entrepreneurs are thinking that life will soon get easier, and their opportunity can only grow. Porter proposed his Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment which I think makes even more sense today. Way back in 1979, Michael E. Threat of new competitors entry.

Competition 94

Competition Startup Pricing Framework 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2013

These things change so fast these days that the primary role of the entrepreneur as CEO is to be the Master of Realignment. The basic alignment framework of strategy, customers, people, and processes hasn’t changed, but the pace of technological, competitive, and social change has increased at an amazing rate. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 94

Startup Social Media Entrepreneur Framework 94

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Porter proposed a Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment which I think still makes a lot of sense today. These plans just list a few key competitors out there now, compare feature richness, quality considerations, and pricing. Tags: competition entrepreneur startup five forces business. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 86

Startup Competition Pricing Framework 86

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 15, 2016

As I have pointed out in previous posts , 91% of VCs surveyed believe prices are declining (30% believe substantially) and 77% believe that funding will take longer than it has in the past. I’m surprised how few entrepreneurs have this open conversation with their investors. Wouldn’t you rather know where you stand?

Startup 150

Startup Capital Funding Invest 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Let’s set up a framework. In a world where the economy only heads in one direction (read: 2009-2014) most investors & entrepreneurs forget to pay attention to gross burn. A Framework to Guide You: So putting it all together, you should always be mindful of your personal circumstances and market conditions.

Startup 383

Startup Company Companies .Net 383

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2012

A while back, I wrote about the value of Michael Porter’s Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment, and using every opportunity to highlight and emphasize your relative advantages, whether they be price, features, or bargaining power.

Customer 104

Customer Custom Startup Organization 104

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2011

I hope I straddled people’s points of view well enough not to have offended anybody while adding a framework for how I think about the service. Babak Nivi is one of the most understated, helpful & important people on the entrepreneur / startup scene in NorCal. But it +is+ an anti-entrepreneur stance.&#

Venture Capital 267

Venture Capital Writing Blogging Startup 267

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

The starting point of product IS marketing, which is what a lot of young entrepreneurs that never studied business don’t realize. Product is simply about defining a physical good or service that would be valued by consumers of the product more than existing alternatives based on functionality, quality and/or price.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

It's quite a different framework from an Airbnb or HomeAway. By that time, I had figured out the cadence of pricing for hotel rooms, and had been traveling back and forth between LA and San Francisco for three or four days each week. Plus, prices were starting at $180. It gives our hosts an opportunity to not live by a calendar.

Startup 100

Startup Los Angeles Mobile Pricing 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

I told people privately my perfect spec: computer science undergrad from MIT (or any other great school), 2-years at McKinsey but no more than that (I love the analytical framework that the top strategy consulting firms provide. But there are plenty of partners and successful entrepreneurs who don’t have MBAs. What you lose: 4.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

While there is no right or wrong answer, having seen the extremes I’d like to offer you a framework for considering the right answer for yourselves. This is not to mention the fight you’ll see if you want to bring in a new investor to lead the next round to set an objective price. I love that. And it’s kind of true.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Startup Invest Pricing 314

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 20, 2014

The morning, spent with the incredible group of entrepreneurs fostering # bigDOCC (Big “D” Open Coffee Club – Dallas that is ), was focused on not just what it means to be a startup in Dallas, but Texas, and the role that industry plays therein. . * WordPress, by way of $15M via North Bridge Growth Equity in WPEngine.

Technical Review 71

Technical Review Commerce Yahoo Web 71

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2017

My goal is to lay out a basic framework for anybody unsure whom to listen to as a way of helping you think about a way to orient your own views. But I also believe that the backlash that will happen against ICO fraud will likely burn some people to future participation until and unless there are some frameworks for oversight of the market.

Course 280

Course Startup Framework Marketing 280