Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2022

Here are some key insights that I and others have collected for mature company leaders, as well as serial entrepreneurs. Innovative product and process solutions are only temporary, as they quickly become a commodity in the minds of customers and competitors. I advise working the next one as thoroughly as the first one.

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Entrepreneur Artificial Inteligence Social Media Commerce 144

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. What you don’t realize is these famous investors only deal with entrepreneurs who sold their last company for a $100M dollars or more. You need both to survive.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2012

I have seen some entrepreneurs go into first meetings willing to share almost anything about their company. I’ve seen this back fire on entrepreneurs who say things like, “Well, we’re not talking financials with investors yet.”. The only real benefit of their having this information is in preparation for a term sheet.

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Technical Review Venture Capital Customer Custom 316

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and get rich these days. It’s really a multi-step process, with the first step getting you from an idea to a viable product, and the remaining steps creating a sustainable business. Attend trade shows and network to find the right players and pitch your product.

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Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2020

Every business wants and needs top performers, but most entrepreneurs and executives assume that if they hire and train the smartest and most experienced people, they will get exceptional performance. Informal feedback should be provided weekly or daily, with more formal sessions scheduled at least semi-annually.

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Entrepreneur Coach Satisfaction Resource 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2016

If you define your self-worth as an entrepreneur by how busy you are, it’s time to find another lifestyle. For survival, entrepreneurs need to be all about accomplishing results that matter for themselves, their team, and their customers. That’s productivity. That is a huge hit on productivity. Why is this so hard?

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Product Entrepreneur Framework Social Media 60

SoCal Tech Calendar

MARCH 16, 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 -- Join us at the Pepperdine West Los Angeles Graduate Campus and learn invaluable information about what it means to be an entrepreneur. Are you looking to expand your knowledge of new product innovation and commercialization? Breakfast provided.

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Product Pepperdine West Los Angeles Los Angeles 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2020

I recognize that entrepreneurs tend to substitute vision and passion for formal processes, but using no discipline or process in building something new is a sure way to spend money, rather than see any return and build a self-sustaining business. Formalize the use of tools and information technology. Solution development and delivery.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2021

Anyone who works with entrepreneurs will tell you that all are different. His framework seems to be picking up some traction, and is already in use informally by several entrepreneurship platforms, universities, and even high school programs. The Opportunist is the speculative part of the entrepreneur in all of us. Specialist.

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Entrepreneur Framework Mentor Web 134

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

The entrepreneur cannot wait to show me their product via a demo. Most entrepreneurs seem confused by my reaction and often say something like: “VCs love demos. You’re the first one I’ve met who didn’t want to see our product.” GUI Fever – Entrepreneurs are often justifiably proud of their clever, clean user interfaces.

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Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. With information overload due to the Internet, you need to find your customers, rather than assume they will find you.

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Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2023

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. Great entrepreneurs are able to think on their feet, and are always prepared.

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Startup Sales Entrepreneur Customer 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2021

If you define your self-worth as an entrepreneur by how busy you are, it’s time to find another lifestyle. For survival, entrepreneurs need to be all about accomplishing results that matter for themselves, their team, and their customers. That’s productivity. That is a huge hit on productivity. Why is this so hard?

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Framework Product Entrepreneur Social Media 153

socalTECH

DECEMBER 8, 2016

Los Angeles-based KidGuard.com , a startup backed by Lawrence Ng's OnRamp Fund, said this week that it has launched a new product which can help parents monitor their children's texting and cell phone usage. Ng is a serial entrepreneur, and is best known for founding Oversee.net. READ MORE>>.

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Oversee.net Product Snapchat Social Media 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

I thought I’d try to look at it from a different lens, that of the entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur you should assume that. They might not actively “collude&# and say “let’s collectively keep the price down&# but in the resulting discussion pricing information will flow – whether intentional or not.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2021

In today’s mobile hardware environment, that means able to set up meetings, convert text messages to voice, find contact information quickly, and search the Web intelligently for outside info. A good assistant know how get things done efficiently, recognizing user hardware and software limitations. Memorable personality.

Web 152

Web Entrepreneur Software Review Google 152

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

I use George Bush vs. Al Gore as allegory and I’ve been using it with entrepreneurs for years to sink in a simple point about how to communicate with the market. Most Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs I know are more like Al Gore. It is election season. But here’s the thing. They have very accomplished backgrounds.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2011

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? I thought I’d talk a bit about the differences I’ve experienced between being an entrepreneur & a VC – you know, from “both sides of the table.&#. On Being an Entrepreneur.

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Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 384

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2019

If we build it, they will come ” may have worked as a movie theme for Kevin Costner, but as an investor, I tell entrepreneurs a great solution is not enough. They nurture connections to other innovators and entrepreneurs, financial benefactors, organizational leaders, and potential customers. The cycle repeats.

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Product Ideas Resource Capital 93

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 4, 2010

But there are a lot of things that become norms in the VC industry that always drove me crazy from entrepreneur’s side of the table. Translation for any first time entrepreneurs can mean one of: a. As an entrepreneur you’re used to being optimistic and finding a way to make things work despite the odds. I get that.

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Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Java 297

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2014

As an entrepreneur, what steps can you take to help your business not only survive the data hurricane, but to thrive under these new and challenging conditions? Look for and reward quantum changes, like cutting cycle time in half, in your processes, products, and services. Make strategic versus opportunistic decisions. Marty Zwilling.

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Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

You don’t need to invent an innovative product to be a real entrepreneur. 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. Many of these new entrepreneurs were regular employees a few years ago, focused on a skill specialty.

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Entrepreneur Services Product Search Engine Optimization 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

An entrepreneur is literally “one who creates a new business.” In researching this question, I reviewed a classic book by Bryan Mattimore, “ Idea Stormers: How to Lead and Inspire Creative Breakthroughs ,” which details eight attributes of the most creative people, which seem to match the mindsets of some of the best entrepreneurs I know.

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Entrepreneur Ideas Course Social Media 91

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

(In case it’s not obvious it’s a play on the Nike slogan, “Just Do It.&# ) I believe that being successful as an entrepreneur requires you to get lots of things done. You are constantly faced with decisions and there is always incomplete information. Good entrepreneurs are wrong often. He looked stunned.

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Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I also wonder about the entrepreneur who would sign a term sheet that came from somebody they hadn’t gotten to know over time. Great entrepreneurs pivot.

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Entrepreneur Startup Google Yammer 291

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2016

In my experience in large businesses as well as years of advising startups, I see far too much focus on product skills, and too little on people and process skills. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. Great entrepreneurs are able to think on their feet, and are always prepared.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Sales Startup Customer 106

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2016

I had blogged when I was an entrepreneur. It was a break from information overload of Facebook. Here’s the thing: If you never try new product and new networks you’ll never learn anything. In 2007 I started using Twitter and most of my friends & colleagues wondered why people would care what I ate for lunch.

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Snapchat Product Startup AMA 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2023

Entrepreneurs seem to have blinders on when looking at competitors. Up-sell related products or cross endorsement. If your customers would benefit by having products from both companies, you might negotiate the opportunity to include the other’s product as an add-on. Benchmark your practices against a true peer.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2023

Many entrepreneurs are so enamored with their product vision that they believe their own hype and are convinced that the market for their solution is so huge that no one will ask them for independent market research data. These are also important for your product positioning in the competitor section of your business plan.

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Statistics Research Report Newsletter 120

InfoChachkie

MARCH 21, 2019

Realizing the supportive linings represented a stand-alone product, Ida and Enid began giving away one bra for each dress purchased. Products such as the Symington Side Lacer were designed to flattened women’s breasts. Products such as the Symington Side Lacer were designed to flattened women’s breasts. Go Against The Flow.

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Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2022

One of the quickest ways to become an entrepreneur these days is to develop and publish a smartphone app. Through a free base product, you give the first taste of the service or game away for free, get users hooked, and then convert as many as possible to paying customers. Commoditize complementary products.

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Develop Development Platform Mobile 138

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 19, 2023

Entrepreneurs need to be effective team leaders, since no one can transform an idea into a product and a business without some help. The only real alternative is to find a cofounder who can build and lead the team, while you focus on the product. If your team has trouble finding you, you won’t make productive connections.

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Technical Review Development Team Review Startup Activity 127

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2022

Aspiring entrepreneurs who struggle in a corporate environment often can’t wait to start their own company, only to find that relationships are even more critical and volatile there. The message here is not to use the public personas of leaders and entrepreneurs as the model for building and maintaining your business relationships.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2023

I recommend that every entrepreneur and small business investigate and implement as many as possible of his seven new business force multipliers that I will paraphrase here: Information sharing through social media networks. Every team member needs to constantly seek forces that can multiply their impact and productivity.

Social Media 106

Social Media Software Review Course Networking 106

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2015

Entrepreneurship is all about leading – leading customers to a new product or service, leading a startup team to peak performance, and leading a new business to the market opportunity, while providing maximum return to stakeholders. Authentic entrepreneurs lead through the power of personal influence, rather than coercion.

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Entrepreneur Mentor Coach Customer 108

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

“Hi [entrepreneur], I hope all is well. I know the firm well and I know the entrepreneur & his business well. But if that’s all that they’re after then entrepreneurs should definitely be wary of taking these calls. These founders burn through precious time and divulge sensitive information.

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Venture Capital Entrepreneur Email Equity 294

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

Entrepreneurs are now measured against the “triple bottom line” (TBL or 3BL) of people, planet, and profit. How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics? Many young entrepreneurs seem to think that capitalism and making profit are dirty words.

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