Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. Even artisan-based services, like graphic design and writing good ad copy, have innovative processes and principles. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2015

Aspiring entrepreneurs who rely only on traditional learning vehicles (teachers, classrooms, and risk-free practice) are doomed to failure in founding a startup today. For entrepreneurs, change is the norm, so you have to relish it before you can make it happen. The act of communicating and writing enhances learning.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Social Media Startup Education 102

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2021

In my experience, many entrepreneurs rely too much on the perspective of a trusted advisor, or try to emulate a competitor who is getting attention. The challenge is how to develop that self-leadership in every aspiring entrepreneur and business professional role. Make sure everyone knows your expertise.

Entrepreneur 132

Entrepreneur Course Satisfaction Guide 132

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 16, 2018

Without taking a dime of outside capital, the company has achieved impressive success in a competitive, SaaS market segment, landing companies such as Nike, Intuit, NASA, AutoDesk and PBS. Most companies have a roadmap describing what they’re planning to build, deliver or market. That causes friction internally.

Venture Capital 115

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Santa Barbara SaaS 115

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2014

Perhaps sparked by the recent recession, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Listen to your customers to arrive at acceptable and marketable solutions.

Entrepreneur 102

Entrepreneur Mentor Technical Review Satisfaction 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 14, 2022

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, costs, and tasks you don’t like. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales.

Startup 140

Startup Satisfaction Writing Entrepreneur 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2020

Aspiring entrepreneurs who rely only on traditional learning vehicles (teachers, classrooms, and risk-free practice) are doomed to failure in anticipating change today. For entrepreneurs, change is the norm, so you have to relish it before you can make it happen. The act of communicating and writing enhances learning.

Social Media 127

Social Media Startup Education Entrepreneur 127

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

In the aftermath of the recent pandemic, which caused many businesses to close, a new raft of business workers and entrepreneurs are deciding to pursue their own dreams of being a new business owner, and controlling your own destiny. Pick a name, location, and marketing strategy early. Names and taglines are critical to success.

Social Media 98

Social Media Metrics Media Tool 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

As a business advisor, I listen to many of you entrepreneurs talking about achieving your dreams, but too few of you have structured that dream, and can express it in a set of specific goals, with a timeline for getting there. Avoid fuzzy goals, like making big money or being a market leader.

Writing 139

Writing Startup Summary Activity 139

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2016

Aspiring entrepreneurs who rely only on traditional learning vehicles (teachers, classrooms, and risk-free practice) are doomed to failure in anticipating change today. For entrepreneurs, change is the norm, so you have to relish it before you can make it happen. The act of communicating and writing enhances learning.

Entrepreneur 61

Entrepreneur Social Media Startup Education 61

InfoChachkie

JULY 14, 2009

Hint: He was an entrepreneur. A Writer Is Someone Who Writes. A writer is someone who writes, not someone who goes about telling their friends that they are “a writer”. The same is true of entrepreneurs. These would-be entrepreneurs are best classified as Wantrepreneurs, as discussed in Entrepreneurial Enterviewing.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Ideas Writing Startup 153

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Yet I find that few of today’s workers realize that succeeding as a freelancer requires a whole new focus on “marketing” yourself. In addition, like an entrepreneur with a new business, you have to factor in all the indirect costs previously covered by employers, including training, health care, and time off for vacations.

Startup 98

Startup Outsource Development Competition Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2015

By definition, every startup is predictably unpredictable, since new solutions have no proven track record, startups are usually building a new market, and the world around them is changing faster than ever. Five major elements of every business include your people, product, opportunity, money and marketing.

Startup 105

Startup Entrepreneur Marketing Satisfaction 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2019

Perhaps sparked by the now forgotten recession, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Listen to your customers to arrive at acceptable and marketable solutions.

Mentor 85

Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review Summary 85

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 5, 2020

As an advisor to entrepreneurs, I find that I often have to remind them that the world of customers has changed since they started their last business. But even the older Boomers have learned to use technology and social media as the source of expectations from your business, more so than your own traditional marketing.

Customer 133

Customer Custom Social Media Startup 133

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2012

Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Follow-up for customer satisfaction. These are all minimal-cost survival marketing efforts. They will exit quickly. Show evidence of your expertise. Highlight personal presence and testimonials.

Search Engine Optimization 96

Search Engine Optimization Entrepreneur Sites Advertising 96

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2016

I had blogged when I was an entrepreneur. I went to an industry event where people actually called me self-centered for writing publicly. Some people draw satisfaction by pointing at you and saying, “See! In 2007 I started using Twitter and most of my friends & colleagues wondered why people would care what I ate for lunch.

Snapchat 150

Snapchat Product Startup AMA 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2015

In fact, the willingness and determination to overcome the risks of a new venture is one of the first criteria that defines an entrepreneur. Generations of successful entrepreneurs, including Thomas Edison, categorized every failure as an experiment, and each one told him successfully what didn’t work. Every human grieves over a loss.

Entrepreneur 99

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Metrics Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. Even artisan-based services, like graphic design and writing good ad copy, have innovative processes and principles. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2015

Perhaps sparked by the recession recovery, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Listen to your customers to arrive at acceptable and marketable solutions.

Mentor 105

Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review Satisfaction 105

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. Even artisan-based services, like graphic design and writing good ad copy, have innovative processes and principles. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 9, 2012

As Seth Epstein makes clear in this talk , entrepreneurs constantly experience breakdowns, followed by breakthroughs. A common theme among successful entrepreneurs is that making money is not a primary motivator. Great entrepreneurs (as well as successful venture capitalists) are intellectually curious. " [Tweet this quote].

Tips 277

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Entertainment 277

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2017

They flocked to businesses like Apple, when influencer Steve Jobs was at the helm, and anxiously await the next moves from visible entrepreneurs, including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. Entrepreneurs who are clearly willing to give as well as take in business become influencers because people feel the urge to reciprocate.

Social Media 58

Social Media Customer Custom Entrepreneur 58

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2019

Image via Pixabay Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales.

Startup 70

Startup Satisfaction Writing Entrepreneur 70

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business. Even artisan-based services, like graphic design and writing good ad copy, have innovative processes and principles. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 20, 2013

Publish a regular blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Follow-up for customer satisfaction. These are all minimal-cost survival marketing efforts. entrepreneur startup website business' They will exit quickly. Show evidence of your expertise. Marty Zwilling.

Search Engine Optimization 105

Search Engine Optimization Startup Advertising SEO 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Every entrepreneur I meet in my role as a small business advisor dreams of making the business run like clockwork, even without them. Frankly, I’ve never been sure what to tell entrepreneurs who want to break free of these bonds. It’s easier to use screen-captures and notes on existing processes, rather than write detailed manuals.

Resource 60

Resource Examples Design Entrepreneur 60

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 96

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Writing 96

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2017

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 59

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 59

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2014

You cant isolate your customers from language idiosyncrasies and empowerment issues, per reduced customer satisfaction highlighted a while back by the Wall Street Journal. Internal services, like marketing and accounting, are more manageable and have less customer visibility. Marty Zwilling.

Outsource Development 95

Outsource Development Outsource Offshore Software Review 95

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 97

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 97

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 95

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Writing 95

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2010

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one – someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. You really need a partner who is complementary, and can tackle the operational roles, like marketing, finance, and sales. Most startups can’t afford that.

Startup 82

Startup Entrepreneur Satisfaction Writing 82

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2010

Publish a daily blog, contribute to relevant social networks, and write a “white paper” on your technology. Follow-up for customer satisfaction. These are all minimal-cost survival marketing efforts. They will exit quickly. Show evidence of your expertise. Highlight personal and product testimonials.

Tips 92

Tips Search Engine Optimization Startup Advertising 92

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

A huge shout out to Ricky Wong of NYCSteals for helping me with the write-up. He knew he was an entrepreneur because he couldn’t stop thinking about ideas. Leverage a feedback platform like Get Satisfaction or UserVoice. Meebo’s current focus is US market.&#. Then iterate and improve based on feedback.

Startup 286

Startup Venture Capital Web Ideas 286

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 1, 2010

aka: An Open Letter to the Next Big Social Network) - 500 Hats , November 1, 2010 I've held off writing this post for a long time, because I couldn't quite get my head around all the issues. But I didn’t write it for you; I wrote it for myself. How to Take Down Facebook -- Hint: It Ain't Twitter. but: Something is Still Missing.

Technical Review 175

Technical Review Startup Product Technology 175

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 20, 2013

Brad Feld seems to write books faster than I can read and write about them. He teamed up with his wife, Amy Batchelor , to write about about the impact that entrepreneurship has on relationships and what to do about it. This time he has written a book that is far more important than most management books you will read.

Entrepreneur 370

Entrepreneur Startup Writing Social Network 370