Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

As a mentor to many aspiring entrepreneurs, I challenge them to think beyond what I call linear extensions to a current trend, such as another “easier-to-use” app for smartphones, a new dating site for pets, or another niche social network. Great social entrepreneurs are rare.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Ideas Resource Examples 126

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 15, 2020

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand and relate to. Payback on investment. Quantifying the return on investment (ROI) is “top of mind” for every investor and executive.

Technology 165

Technology Social Network Training Startup 165

socalTECH

JULY 7, 2010

One complaint we sometimes hear from venture capitalists visiting Southern California for the first time, is the difficulty of finding experienced entrepreneurs and executives. socalTECH.com has mined its proprietary database of high tech companies and entrepreneurs and identified just a few of the repeat entrepreneurs to watch in the region.

Southern California 228

Southern California Entrepreneur SoCal Mahalo 228

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

In contrast, social networking sites drove a record number of clicks, up 20% over the prior year. Clearly there is a shift occurring in users'' behavior, as social networks continue to hone their product discovery and purchase capabilities. Google is great at search, yet their G+ social network wasn’t the most successful.

Entrepreneur 210

Entrepreneur Commerce Sites Social Network 210

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 21, 2010

One of the investment themes I’ve been focused on in the past 3 years has been Performance-Based Marketing. When I started investing the US advertising market was $300 billion with only 10% of it ($30 billion) of it being online and measurable. I believe that many social networks confused this idea. Thus, we click!

Advertising 284

Advertising Invest RSS CPC 284

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.

Entrepreneur 384

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 384

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2013

The answer is still the same, but I have learned over the years that there is an etiquette to this process, just like there is for social networking. Business groups like TiE-The Indus Entrepreneurs and EO-Entrepreneurs Organization are places to meet people you can help, as well as people who can help you.

Networking 100

Networking Entrepreneur Social Network Activity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2015

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. The most common proposals I hear are for yet another social networking site ( over 200 active ), or another dating site (now over 2500 in the US alone). Followers and linear thinkers need not apply.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 101

socalTECH

OCTOBER 21, 2010

KPCB announced its new sFund, a $250M fund which will invest in entrepreneurs in the social space, specifically highlighting Facebook as "the best place to build the next generation" of social businesses. KPCB said its new sFund will focus on the next generation of social entrepreneurs.

Social Network 201

Social Network Press Conference Networking 201

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

Successful entrepreneurs understand the difference between a good business relationship with more people and having more friends. In fact, the focus on social networking platforms, starting with Facebook, has destroyed the meaning of the word friend and even changed it from a noun to a verb.

Entrepreneur 66

Entrepreneur Social Network Technical Review Social Media 66

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

I invested in LA-based Gogii , one of the fastest growing, most exciting mobile social networking companies you’ve never heard of and maker of a product called textPlus. I only recently invested and I only got here through persistence. The opportunity came up to invest in this one and I pounced.

Gogii 310

Gogii Invest Blogging Startup 310

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2014

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. On the average, the entrepreneurs I know are living on Ramen noodles. The successful ones then invest their time and money in furthering their knowledge base. Read entrepreneur stories. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Startup Mentor Case Study 102

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

Sergey’s diverse experience as an entrepreneur, technology consultant and software executive qualifies him to lead amSTATZ’s technology development. David Cohen from TechStars, someone I look up to as an entrepreneur, says that they don’t invest in ideas, but teams. Sergey Belyankin is our Chief Technology Officer.

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2013

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly require an investment – in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 101

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Metrics 101

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. That’s where I see too much entrepreneur burnout, growth plateaus, and founders being replaced, to their chagrin. Of course, not every entrepreneur wants to tackle this challenge. There is no free lunch.

Sales 147

Sales Metrics Guide Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2015

By most definitions of the term, an entrepreneur is someone who starts a new business, incorporating innovative changes to existing products, services, business models, and creating new markets. Yet very few achieve that great aspiration of really driving economic, social, and environmental changes on a global scale. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Resource Social Network SpaceX 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2014

By most definitions of the term, an entrepreneur is someone who starts a new business, incorporating innovative changes to existing products, services, business models, and creating new markets. Yet very few achieve that great aspiration of really driving economic, social, and environmental changes on a global scale. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 114

Entrepreneur Resource Social Network SpaceX 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2012

I have learned over the years that there is an etiquette to this process, just like there is for social networking. There are other networks that also work, depending on where you are in the world, like Ryze, Plaxo, and Facebook, but setting up an account on MySpace probably won’t help you. Attend an investment conference.

Activity 97

Activity Networking Entrepreneur Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2014

Many entrepreneurs think that adapting to the new technologies, like smart phones and Internet commerce, are the key to attracting new customers. In fact, businesses need to adapt just as completely to the changes in the buying and social behavior of consumers. business change entrepreneur social innovation startup'

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Social Media Technical Review Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas. These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas.

Technical Review 107

Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur Examples 107

Berkonomics

APRIL 2, 2020

Take for example, the public’s quick acceptance of Facebook, Instagram, Twitted and other social networking portals, leaving early leader MySpace wondering what happened to their comfortable lead and large fan base. The answer is simple, but somehow out of reach for most senior executives and entrepreneurs.

Southern California 177

Southern California Examples Social Network Press 177

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

A while back, I published an article on “ Startup Due Diligence Is Not a Mysterious Black Art ,” describing what investors do to validate your startup before they invest. The investment community in any geographic area is not that large, and most investors have relationships or knowledge of most of the others.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Offshore Invest Social Network 96

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 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.

Entrepreneur 176

Entrepreneur Startup Venture Capital Ideas 176

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2012

Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas. These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas.

Entrepreneur 133

Entrepreneur Technical Review Startup Examples 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2018

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand and relate to. Payback on investment. Quantifying the return on investment (ROI) is “top of mind” for every investor and executive.

Social Network 91

Social Network Training Startup Technology 91

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. On the average, the entrepreneurs I know are living on Ramen noodles. The successful ones then invest their time and money in furthering their knowledge base. Read entrepreneur stories. It won’t happen.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Mentor Case Study 93

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2017

By most definitions of the term, an entrepreneur is someone who starts a new business, incorporating innovative changes to existing products, services, business models, and creating new markets. Yet very few achieve that great aspiration of really driving economic, social, and environmental changes on a global scale.

Entrepreneur 56

Entrepreneur Resource Social Network SpaceX 56

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2013

Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas. These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Tips Startup Technical Review 111

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2022

Many entrepreneurs think that adapting to the new technologies, like smart phones and Internet commerce, are the key to attracting new customers. In fact, businesses need to adapt even more completely to the changes in the buying and social behavior of consumers. Authority – the guiding light.

Customer 122

Customer Custom Social Media Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2012

You have probably heard plenty of times that being an entrepreneur is a risky business, and investors talk all the time about reducing the risk. Here is my own priority list of key risk drivers that every entrepreneur and every investor should evaluate and minimize in starting a business: Team experience and depth risk.

Entrepreneur 108

Entrepreneur Examples Social Network Marketing 108

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Reserve the company name on social networks to protect it. A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest. Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

I hear a lot of entrepreneurs contemplating their great “idea” for several years with little discernable progress, and looking for money to start. Show personal investment. milestones entrepreneur startup funding business' Traction means forward progress. Become a visible expert. Marty Zwilling.

Funding 112

Funding Entrepreneur Startup CTO Hire 112

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Use the Internet and social networking instead of public relations companies and advertising agencies. As a result, being an entrepreneur in now within the financial reach of almost everyone. Do basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Marketing (SEM) yourself. Sales and marketing costs. Savings can be huge in these areas.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Search Engine Optimization SEM 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2014

Young entrepreneurs often are so excited by new technology or their latest invention that they forget to translate it into a value proposition that their customers or potential investors can understand. Payback on investment. Quantifying the return on investment (ROI) is “top of mind” for every investor and executive.

Customer 98

Customer Custom Technology Startup 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2011

If you are an entrepreneur today, and not using social media to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly require an investment – in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 93

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Platform 93

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2020

Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas. These differences are the reason that investors say that they invest in people, rather than ideas.

Technical Review 123

Technical Review Startup Entrepreneur Examples 123

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2010

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. On the average, the entrepreneurs I know are broke. The successful ones then invest their time and money in furthering their knowledge base. Read entrepreneur stories. Join us if you dare. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 96

Entrepreneur Startup Mentor Case Study 96