Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2023

I recognize that entrepreneurs tend to substitute vision and passion for formal processes, but using no discipline or process in building something new is a sure way to spend money, rather than see any return and build a self-sustaining business. Solution development and delivery. Hobbies are developed ad-hoc, driven by personal needs.

Outsource Development 115

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 115

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 11, 2012

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Don’t outsource your core competency. Protect your intellectual property.

Outsource Development 89

Outsource Development Outsource Software Development Software 89

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2011

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Don’t outsource your core competency. Protect your intellectual property.

Outsource Development 90

Outsource Development Outsource Software Development Software 90

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2020

Every aspiring entrepreneur I know is talking about the fact that there are over 2,000 billionaires in the world today, and how their innovative idea could make them one of the next ones. Becoming an entrepreneur is actually a commitment to a new lifestyle, certainly very exciting, but also facing many unknowns and risks.

Outsource Development 154

Outsource Development Social Media Software Review Customer 154

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2010

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Don’t outsource your core competency. Protect your intellectual property.

Outsource Development 51

Outsource Development Outsource Software Offshore 51

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2021

With the pace of change ever escalating, entrepreneurs today can’t afford to acquire talent through traditional hiring alone, and need to revise the perception that “talent” is only full-time office employees. With contract players, you assume a project duration, with easy transition to new players for the next campaign.

Demand 143

Demand Training Outsource Development Organization 143

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2021

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. It’s here that entrepreneurs must shift their thinking from tactical and operational, to strategic and managerial. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Startup 171

Startup Organization Training Entrepreneur 171

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2019

In the interests of helping you work smarter and last longer, I would like to offer my top ten list of key resource drains to avoid in early businesses and startups, based on my years of advising entrepreneurs and my own business experience: Expanding your product line too quickly for scaling. People with the wrong tools or no training.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Metrics Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happily surprised when I found the classic book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 123

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 22, 2010

On why you should be an entrepreneur, “A lot of people do what they have to do. He said that he noticed a lot of tech entrepreneurs don’t speak into the mic, don’t project their voices with confidence and aren’t necessarily paying attention to the mood or energy of the audience.

Entrepreneur 356

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Startup Email 356

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2016

The job of chief financial officer (CFO) may sound like a nightmare assignment to technical entrepreneurs, but the tasks and skills required are key to every new venture. The best entrepreneurs take the initiative on these rather than wait for a CFO to drive them. Investors love to see a former CFO running a new business.

Entrepreneur 59

Entrepreneur Activity Training Outsource Development 59

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2013

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. Maintenance contracts are another great way to create a brand-new revenue stream. Streamline management costs. Mix things up.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Sales 93

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2019

Los Angeles-based BiasSync (www.biassync.com) was founded by three, very experienced serial entrepreneurs-- Michele Ruiz (broadcast journalism), Robin Richards (CareerArc, Internships.com, NTI Group, MP3), and Dan Gould (former VP of Technology for Tinder). That's what we do over the course of our two year contract.

Content 150

Content Training Education Outsource Development 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happily surprised when I found the classic book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. The financial suit.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2012

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. It’s here that entrepreneurs must shift their thinking from tactical and operational, to strategic and managerial. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Organization Training 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2011

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. It’s here that entrepreneurs must shift their thinking from tactical and operational, to strategic and managerial. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Startup Organization Training 111

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2015

I recognize that entrepreneurs tend to substitute vision and passion for formal processes, but no discipline or process in building something new is a sure way to spend money, rather than see any return and build a self-sustaining business. Solution development and delivery. Hobbies are developed ad-hoc, driven by personal needs.

Outsource Development 99

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 99

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2012

Others hire consultants, or outsource much of the real work. A diligent entrepreneur should certainly work the important details for his or her startup, especially when it comes to assessing any negative fluctuations in the business. These executives won’t survive long in a startup environment. Balance the long-term with the short.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Template Mentor 94

InfoChachkie

JULY 18, 2011

Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham and Marcia Brown’s Stone Soup , the seemingly innocuous board game Monopoly has played a pivotal role in the edification of several generations of entrepreneurs. Monopoly is a great training ground to develop rudimentary cash management skills. This is worthwhile, real-world lesson.

Entrepreneur 216

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Paramount 216

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Develop your business plan. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Manage human resources.

Startup 107

Startup Outsource Development Training Outsource 107

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2018

With the pace of change ever escalating, entrepreneurs today can’t afford to acquire talent through traditional hiring alone, and need to revise the perception that “talent” is only full-time employees. With contract players, you assume a project duration, with easy transition to new players for the next campaign.

Demand 92

Demand Startup Training Outsource Development 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2016

I recognize that entrepreneurs tend to substitute vision and passion for formal processes, but no discipline or process in building something new is a sure way to spend money, rather than see any return and build a self-sustaining business. Solution development and delivery. Hobbies are developed ad-hoc, driven by personal needs.

Ideas 62

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Competition 62

socalTECH

OCTOBER 20, 2011

Back in 2003 and 2004, we were focused on the international market, and started outsourcing to India and the Philippines for call center services. In terms of tactics, we went from 20-odd people at the company to just three people, myself and two developers. The original company found that getting IVR deployed was actually very hard.

Outsource Development 190

Outsource Development Startup Outsource Altadena 190

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2016

With the pace of change ever escalating, entrepreneurs today can’t afford to acquire talent through traditional hiring alone, and need to revise the perception that “talent” is only full-time employees. With contract players, you assume a project duration, with easy transition to new players for the next campaign.

Demand 99

Demand Training Outsource Development Entrepreneur 99

socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2018

Ahead of the conference, we sat down and spoke with Kevin Anderson , co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Appetize (www.appetizeapp.com), a rapidly growing developer of point-of-sale software, on the topic of customer service. Lots of startups talk about trying to outsource all their customer support. His name is Quinton Myers.

Customer 113

Customer Custom Services Conference 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

A big trend in business these days is hiring freelancers or contract personnel for the duration of a project, rather than permanent staff. 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

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 10, 2012

When I started my first tech company in 1999 I had pretty good tech chops and had led teams but had very little exposure to many other things that matter in a startup including sales, marketing & business development. And those long contracts they want you to sign with terms that seemed more like Latin than English.

Startup 322

Startup Training Outsource Development Design 322

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2013

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Develop your business plan. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Manage human resources.

Outsource Development 92

Outsource Development Training Outsource Metrics 92

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

I am not a government contracting expert. In fact, during my many years as an operational entrepreneur, I explicitly avoided working with governments, for the reasons described below. In the parlance of government contracting, this approach is termed a “prime and sub-prime relationship.” The Downside Of Government Contracting.

Startup 207

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Sales 207

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 31, 2021

Tech companies have spent the past decade or more developing innovations that can be applied to old-world industries like agriculture, construction, energy, education, manufacturing and transportation and logistics. A Biden presidency doesn’t need a Green New Deal to make progress on climate change. ” Climate resiliency .

Startup 229

Startup Technical Review Invest Research 229

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2017

In case you haven’t noticed it, the rapid evolution of do-it-yourself (DIY) facilities for developers, including 3-D printers, SketchUp and makerspaces such as TechShop , have scaled down the cost of prototypes and hardware design by an order of magnitude. Quick low-cost design and fabrication alternatives are extremely valuable.

Ideas 61

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Education 61

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

The part of the movement that resonates the most with me (in my words) is that entrepreneurs should keep their capital expenditures really low while they’re experimenting with their product and determining whether there is a large market for what they do. This benefits you, the entrepreneur. It takes options off of the table.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2013

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. It’s here that entrepreneurs must shift their thinking from tactical and operational, to strategic and managerial. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Startup 109

Startup Entrepreneur Organization Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Develop your business plan. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Manage human resources.

Startup 102

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 102

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happy to see a recent book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Advisors 105

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2016

Good entrepreneurs are all about managing change, but too many forget that they have to change themselves as their dream evolves from a startup to a scalable business. When the business starts to scale, you need documented processes and people with the right skills and training who can do the right work without you.

Social Network 59

Social Network Startup Demand Entrepreneur 59

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happy to see a new book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Advisors 98

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 98