Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2014

Winning entrepreneurs have long since supplemented conventional print and video “push” marketing with digital online interactive “pull” marketing, and more recently added social-local-mobile ( SoLoMo ) to the mix. I found some help in catching up via a new book “ Sell Local, Think Global ,” by marketing message expert Olga Mizrahi.

Technical Review 106

Technical Review Startup Innocal Mobile 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. Every startup needs focus, due to limited resources, so setting irrational goals implies overall poor business acumen.

Funding 98

Funding Startup Innocal Entrepreneur 98

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 4, 2016

Nowhere is this more apparent than working in a startup where you are definitionally under-resourced and trying to make big accomplishments in compressed periods of time. I try to steer entrepreneurs away from over-introducers and I often find myself wanting to be careful about them becoming an investor in companies I back.

Innocal 255

Innocal Conference Help Study 255

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice. I like to say to first-time entrepreneurs, picking a VC is more permanent than marriage. Keeping a blog has been great because so many entrepreneurs have written me with questions about their companies and I’ve gotten to know many of you personally through the process.

Venture Capital 297

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 297

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2016

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Struggling entrepreneurs are often so happy to get a funding offer that they neglect the recommended reverse due diligence on the investors. Personally visit another startup funded by this investor. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 63

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 63

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2016

Most entrepreneurs work long and hard to get a handshake agreement from an investor, and then tend to relax and wait for the check to clear. Due diligence is going the next step, to meet and interview all key members of the team, visit the business location and follow-up with early customers and advisors. Skeletons in the closet.

Technical Review 55

Technical Review Help Innocal Startup 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2010

Other writers, like Guy Kawasaki, have irreverently called some of these “entrepreneur lies,” but I prefer to think of them as innocent over-enthusiasm or over-confidence that can kill your deal. Or worse yet, the entrepreneur is so arrogant that he hasn’t even used Google to figure out he has competition just down the street.

Innocal 96

Innocal Entrepreneur Competition IBM 96

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2011

I always advise software startups to file patents to protect their “secret sauce” from competitors, and to increase their valuation. The bad news is that patent trolls can squeeze the lifeblood out of innocent and unsuspecting entrepreneurs, as exemplified by the current mess around Lodsys patent No.

Patents 91

Patents Software Technical Advisors Innocal 91

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2010

In the spirit of highlighting new startup opportunities, I think we need some new companies who can track down and remove unwanted content on the web. These items can kill your business career, as you may remember from the example in Google Results are the Measure of an Entrepreneur. Or is there a better answer? Marty Zwilling.

Content 49

Content Web Technical Review Innocal 49

InfoChachkie

JUNE 25, 2009

Johnnie Cochran was an effective, albeit smarmy, defense lawyer who would say or do anything to defend his clients (anyone up for a glass of OJ?). A startup-oriented lawyer may not be able to convince a jury of a guilty man’s innocence, but they can guide your adVenture through the menacing legal shoals it will no doubt face.

Technical Advisors 124

Technical Advisors Technical Review IP Patents 124

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2016

If you haven’t read Diamond, though, I’d recommend starting with “Guns, Germs & Steel” & then “Collapse” but all three are worth reading. This is truly an inspirational read or listen for any entrepreneur and I can’t recommend it enough. This is truly a stain on American society.

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Innocal Startup Course Framework 236