Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 10, 2022

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. One way of identifying the right characteristics and approaches is to take a hard look at entrepreneurs who have done it.

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Examples Entrepreneur Technology Resource 131

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Being called a lifestyle entrepreneur should be a point of pride, not an insult. Of course, even lifestyle entrepreneurs want to be happy, and want their business to be “successful.” If you are living your passion, you want to interact with customers, and “touch and feel” the product every day. According to William R.

Entrepreneur 148

Entrepreneur Startup Equity Course 148

SoCal Tech Calendar

NOVEMBER 10, 2019

Saturday, November 16, 2019 -- Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum - Transportation. The ways that people and products move around cities worldwide are rapidly changing. As traditional car ownership declines, companies are offering cost-effective alternatives powered by new technology and networks.

CalTech 100

CalTech Entrepreneur Demand Mobile 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2022

Entrepreneurs and business executives seem to be even more focused on their technology than the rest of us, and less inclined to listen to the voice of the customer, even if they remember to ask. Questions that start with “why” invite a defensive response, and usually don’t lead to a productive dialog.

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Customer Custom Product Social Network 104

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 10, 2009

Visible networking is turning into a really great opportunity to get to know people better, get to meet new people, and have some interesting conversations. He has a really interesting background as a product manager and now an entrepreneur. Like many product managers, my background is fairly eclectic.

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Product Entrepreneur Social Media Google 150

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.

Ideas 136

Ideas Entrepreneur Mentor Resource 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2020

In my experience with entrepreneurs, there seems to a wealth of self-proclaimed “idea people” who aspire to start businesses, but only a few who are willing and able to dig in and get the job done. Only rare great entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates and Elon Musk, have proven to be both. Detailed product specifications and prototypes.

Ideas 122

Ideas Entrepreneur Startup IBM 122

Berkonomics

APRIL 8, 2021

Not every new game-related site is a Steam, and surely not every social network is a Facebook. How do you make your product go viral? What are the elements needed to focus upon in making the attempt to take a product viral? Sometimes, it is just the right idea to brand your product inside that of a known presence.

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Sites Product Social Network Press 156

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs I meet in my role as a business advisor still seem to believe networking is all about selling and convincing everyone that what you have will change the world. Effective networkers are quick to empathize with other people, to understand their position and where they are coming from.

Networking 126

Networking Social Media Startup Media 126

socalTECH

JUNE 25, 2018

The Thiel Foundation , the nonprofit formed by maverick technology investor Peter Thiel, named a new class of twenty entrepreneurs as part of its 2018 Thiel Fellows program--including one Los Angeles entrepreneur, Gemma Busoni. Peter Thiel recently moved from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles. READ MORE>>.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Class Training Los Angeles 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2020

As a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always surprised by the fact that some never seem to be able to that first startup going, while many others never seem to stop, starting their second or third initiative before the first one is fully hatched. I’m now convinced that serious entrepreneurs relish the startup process more than success.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Software Review 131

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

It really is possible for an introvert to succeed as an entrepreneur, even though you can’t expect to start and build a business alone. As an introvert myself, I remember worrying that I could never be comfortable giving a sales pitch, or networking to find clients. Turn existing connections into productive relationships.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Mentor Activity Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2020

Most new entrepreneurs don’t anticipate the learning burden of being the leader, including the sense of loneliness and isolation at the top. Even in a single entrepreneur startup, the leader carries a heavy weight. Even in a single entrepreneur startup, the leader carries a heavy weight. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 134

Entrepreneur Activity Organization Course 134

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

and international cities like London, Mexico City, Seoul and Vilnius are building professional social networks for black professionals and blue collar workers, fashion labels, educational tools in augmented reality, kids entertainment, and an interactive entertainment production company. Hardworkers — a Cambridge, Mass.-based

Artificial Inteligence 331

Artificial Inteligence Social Network Los Angeles Snapchat 331

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2010

Social networking is indeed the new business networking. For example, my personal interest is entrepreneurs, and MySpace is for tweens. Every social network, including MySpace, claims to be a mecca for business people to network and sell products. Believe it or not, this is my favorite for entrepreneurs.

Social Network 102

Social Network Networking Entrepreneur Statistics 102

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. Why doesn’t this product or service already exist? Great social entrepreneurs are rare.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Ideas Resource Examples 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2020

Every new entrepreneur has to initiate the right actions to be perceived as a leader in their chosen business domain by their team and by their customers, or the road to success and satisfaction will be lost along the way. Constantly strengthening your network of relationships. No entrepreneur can build a business alone.

Entrepreneur 125

Entrepreneur Training Resource Customer 125

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. Successful business innovators excel at networking, through both strong and weak social ties, to get the resources and support they need. The cycle repeats.

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Product Ideas Resource Capital 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors versus accredited angel investors. Angels are more likely to fund new entrepreneurs, and early-stage or seed rounds, while VCs tend to focus on entrepreneurs with a successful track record, and later stage rounds.

Venture Capital 125

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Startup Invest 125

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

There is no skill more vital to an entrepreneur than effective networking. You can’t build your business alone, and networking is the best way to open doors, professionally and personally. In business networking settings, it’s not very memorable to talk only about business. Try to find common ground outside of business.

Networking 110

Networking Startup Entrepreneur Conference 110

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2016

I had blogged when I was an entrepreneur. My friends said, “I don’t need another network. That’s what happens when you join a network and have kids. Here’s the thing: If you never try new product and new networks you’ll never learn anything. Right now it’s my favorite network. In 2008 I started VC blogging.

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Snapchat Product Startup AMA 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2012

Every startup needs to understand that the customer paradigm has dramatically shifted over the past two years with pervasive social networks and smartphones. To compete, startups must find ways to provide customers an easier, faster, more pervasive connection to digital networks, via mobile as well as the Internet.

Customer 93

Customer Custom Networking Entrepreneur 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Thus entrepreneurs were able to build prototypes and design new products without the traditional huge prototyping cost. The movement has long since spread across the country and across the globe, spawning innovative products such as the MakerBot Digitizer and all the things you can access from Thingiverse.com.

Startup 159

Startup Tool Design Demand 159

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

These sites (so far) have managed to balance facilitating product discovery and purchase capabilities with users'' desires to entertain and educate themselves without feeling like they are in a marketplace. In contrast, social networking sites drove a record number of clicks, up 20% over the prior year.

Entrepreneur 210

Entrepreneur Commerce Sites Social Network 210

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2019

Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. They skimp on the design of their website, procrastinate on the rollout to make sure the product is perfect, and get so excited about technology features that they forget about creating value for customers. They will call you back.

Marketing 97

Marketing Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 97

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2023

In my experience with entrepreneurs, there seems to a wealth of self-proclaimed “idea people” who aspire to start businesses, but only a few who are willing and able to dig in and get the job done. Only rare great entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates and Elon Musk, have proven to be both. Detailed product specifications and prototypes.

Startup 155

Startup Ideas IBM IBM 155

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

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. Entrepreneurs make fast decisions and move forward knowing that at best 70% of their decisions are going to be right. This paralyzes most people.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

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.

Entrepreneur 91

Entrepreneur Ideas Course Social Media 91

TechCrunch LA

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Launched by Karen Rodgers O’Neil, a longtime marketing executive, and Daniel Perrone, a serial entrepreneur and technology executive whose previous company, BroadMap, was acquired by Apple; The Shed hopes to take the rental model that Home Depot has turned into a billion dollar business line and take it to the masses. .

Startup 285

Startup Product Demand Los Angeles 285

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2023

Savvy entrepreneurs start testing their ideas on potential customers even before the concept is fully cooked. There is real value in doing the key things yourself, before your startup is even started: Demonstrate thought leadership before selling a product. Entrepreneurs who wait to be found are destined to spend a lot of time alone.

Ideas 126

Ideas Startup Social Media Blogging 126

InfoChachkie

JULY 16, 2012

In addition, a number of advertisers have invested significant resources into creating libraries of video content which effectively communicate brand and product attributes but are incapable of eliciting a particular action, such as: clicking to a landing page, completing a lead form, or initiating a purchase.

Custom 226

Custom Customer Entrepreneur Advertising 226

socalTECH

OCTOBER 10, 2014

LinkedIn is one of the largest social networks, with 300 million users, and we fell that it has a higher quality user base. As we were developing the product, we noticed that more and more articles were popping up about people going through dates due to LinkedIN''s platform. This is the first based off of LinkedIn. Why LinkedIn?

Networking 185

Networking Startup Ideas Mobile 185

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.

Entrepreneur 89

Entrepreneur Services Product Search Engine Optimization 89

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

I originally conceived it as the Top 11 things that I believe “all entrepreneurs need to succeed.&# If it stuck to this theme then I would stand by my top 11. It isn’t a “must&# for me but it’s certainly a huge positive when entrepreneurs have it. I’m not sure why you’d do that unless you had to.

Entrepreneur 267

Entrepreneur Startup SaaS San Diego 267

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Our profile this morning is with Network Automation , a Los Angeles company competing in the IT automation market. Southern California--despite the lack of huge, name brand firms-- has a significant number of enterprise software companies, of which Network Automation is just one. You are self funded too, we recall.

Networking 214

Networking IBM IBM Pacific Palisades 214

TechCrunch LA

DECEMBER 8, 2020

Microsoft’s venture fund M12, also a new investor, participated in the round alongside Acrew Capital, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Munich Re Ventures, and Israeli entrepreneur Shlomo Kramer, who co-founded security firms Check Point and Imperva. Cyber insurance is changing the way we look at risk.

Startup 288

Startup Demand Los Angeles Customer 288