Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Cashflow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cashflow personally every day.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2023

Many experts will tell you that you can’t succeed as a part-time entrepreneur, as any good startup will require a 100 percent commitment of your time and energy. Thus I often recommend that entrepreneurs keep their day job until the startup is producing revenue. But the entrepreneur lifestyle is still more fun, even part-time.

Startup 110

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Metrics 110

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2014

In addition, we all know that patent disclosure rules often facilitate legal reverse engineering, and innovation at this point is now much cheaper. The auto industry and others have used this model for generations, so business processes and metrics for innovation are well documented.

Technology 103

Technology Entrepreneur Study Research 103

socalTECH

AUGUST 12, 2019

We've helped entrepreneurs raise over $225M in early stage, venture funding. Their goal is to partner in really unique ways with entrepreneurs, accelerators and investors, to create businesses and brands in new categories for P&G. We're here as a support ecosystem, to help founders build their companies.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Metrics Los Angeles Help 124

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2020

Many experts will tell you that you can’t succeed as a part-time entrepreneur, as any good startup will require a 100 percent commitment of your time and energy. Thus I often recommend that entrepreneurs keep their day job until the startup is producing revenue. But the entrepreneur lifestyle is still more fun, even part-time.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Metrics 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

As a startup advisor and investor, I find that more and more entrepreneurs avoid using the term “profit” in pitching their new venture. Thus I was pleased and a bit surprised to see a new book, “ The Purpose Is Profit ,” by Ed “Skip” McLaughlin, an entrepreneur who has both succeeded and failed in starting multiple businesses.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Ideas Pricing Customer 58

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

That’s why I caution my aspiring entrepreneur clients against proclaiming to investors that they are a great “idea” person. Then, he'll need to patent it and create a plan to show opportunity, competition, and financial projections. Create a written plan, with target milestones and metrics.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2020

More importantly, I look for entrepreneurs and owners like you who are not afraid to hold themselves accountable for the success of the business. Every investor can recite examples of passionate entrepreneurs who seek funding for a worthy cause, like feeding the hungry, without a real business case for who will pay.

Startup 113

Startup Examples Coach Metrics 113

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea. Any startup with no patents, trade secrets, or other secret sauce is very high risk today. Present at trade shows and network with your ten-slide pitch to build your following.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2016

As a startup investor in this age of the entrepreneur, I see many more startups, but innovation is still hard to find. An entrepreneur looking for a sure thing will never innovate. It starts with a vision, but benefits quickly from a structured process of idea generation, evaluation, prototyping, customer feedback, and success metrics.

Coach 64

Coach Metrics Competition Ideas 64

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 22, 2016

In reality, that’s the definition of a successful startup these days, so every aspiring entrepreneur should take note, as well as every existing corporate executive. I like their seven step approach, which I have paraphrased here for entrepreneurs as follows: Pull together a great multi-functional team. A dream is not enough.

Startup 56

Startup Metrics Entrepreneur Resource 56

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2017

I hear it all the time as an angel investor, but I also see that same naïve or cavalier attitude come back to haunt entrepreneurs once they really get out in the marketplace. A strong work ethic is great, but patents and intellectual property are critical. What metrics should you use to measure success?

Metrics 58

Metrics Resource Startup Training 58

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

It’s the nature of most entrepreneurs, honestly. Another thing entrepreneurs f**k up? The full financial details and metrics were in the deck. So my time was freed up to call board members in advance and walk them through our metrics and understand any concerns. Who is leading your patent filing program?

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Metrics Startup Sales 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2016

Many experts will tell you that you can’t succeed as a part-time entrepreneur, as any good startup will require a 100 percent commitment of your time and energy. Thus I often recommend that entrepreneurs keep their day job until the startup is producing revenue. But the entrepreneur lifestyle is still more fun, even part-time.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Metrics 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Too many entrepreneurs look for that one magic bullet -- an exciting new technology, perhaps, or their own determination to make the world a better place -- to override any shortcomings in their startup model. As an entrepreneur, you have the responsibility to build and execute a solid plan to turn your dream into a reality.

Pricing 100

Pricing Technical Review Entrepreneur Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. As a mentor to many entrepreneurs and startups, here are my best recommendations for keeping the burn rate low, planning ahead and maintaining credibility with investors: Manage cash flow personally every day.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 108

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

I feel too many people are discouraging, and as a result, too many entrepreneurs are discouraged and give up. Any thoughts on my recent post Startup Metrics ? The Startup Metrics post is a good example of what I call “holocognics.” Startup Metrics discusses what a Startup needs to consider before “going live.”

Startup 150

Startup SEO Pepperdine Blogging 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2014

Many experts will tell you that you can’t succeed as a part-time entrepreneur, as any good startup will require a 100 percent commitment of your time and energy. Thus I often recommend that entrepreneurs keep their day job until the startup is producing revenue. But the entrepreneur lifestyle is still more fun, even part-time.

Startup 109

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Metrics 109

Tech Coast Venture Network

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Design the Job – Include reporting relationships, authority, responsibilities, and performance metrics. Entrepreneurs who have the discipline to plan well significantly increase their odds of success. Being an Entrepreneur is Risky Success tends to go not to the person who is error-free, because he also tends to be risk-averse.

Design 100

Design Resource Metrics Patents 100

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Why Lawyers Don’t Run Startups - Steve Blank , May 27, 2010 Startups need to have a great lawyer, accountant, patent attorney, etc. Why Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers. In many of them I get asked similar questions, including the inevitable “what makes a great entrepreneur?” If you’re an entrepreneur, the glib answer is “no.”

Startup 248

Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248