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

MAY 23, 2022

New entrepreneurs tend to focus only on getting the product right, and assume that the right culture and ethics will come later simply by hiring good people. I saw a good summary of these in the classic book, “ Ethical Leadership ,” by Andrew Leigh, an expert in this area. Ethical decisions are seldom simple. The reality is different.

Entrepreneur 116

Entrepreneur Software Review Summary Examples 116

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2020

Being very visible in the startup community, I still get an amazing number of badly written emails, rambling executive summaries, and business plans with one paragraph per chapter. In the competitive realm of business, you only get one chance to make a great first impression. Plan the message flow to a logical conclusion.

Writing 125

Writing Entrepreneur Summary Email 125

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2022

Perhaps sparked by the recent pandemic, 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. Problems will occur in every startup, simply because you are stepping into uncharted territory.

Startup 135

Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Technical Review 135

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs. But don’t wait for them to contact you.

Statistics 98

Statistics Entrepreneur Funding Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Product 112

Product Summary Activity Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2023

Many entrepreneurs are so enamored with their product vision that they believe their own hype and are convinced that the market for their solution is so huge that no one will ask them for independent market research data. The wealth of data available online is already much larger than the entire Library of Congress, and much more current.

Statistics 120

Statistics Research Report Newsletter 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2023

Almost every entrepreneur starts their journey by developing a solution, based on their idea of a new technology or required service. But in my experience as a startup mentor, I find that the happiest and most successful entrepreneurs in the long-term are those that continually stretch themselves to get comfortable in the leadership role.

Develop 110

Develop Development Startup Entrepreneur 110

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. As a summary, crowdfunding today can mean any one of the following five quite different models: Rewards model. Donation good-cause model. Startup equity model.

Funding 141

Funding Startup Outsource Development Satisfaction 141

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

” This sentiment is probably familiar to many entrepreneurs and it must certainly resonates with anybody who suspects he or she has ADD. If you have ADD or think you might have it you may enjoy hearing about my story. He specifically notes the people with ADD. It turns out the opposite can be true, but who knew?

Startup 416

Startup Entrepreneur Writing Help 416

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2022

When you have been on the startup firing line, you quickly learn that any insight from experts and entrepreneurs who have been there before you can make the difference between failure and success. Yet, many new entrepreneurs brazenly assume they are bulletproof, and march blindly into the fray. Keep moving forward.

Summary 147

Summary Entrepreneur Activity Resource 147

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

If you really want to start a business your way without a boss or professional investor hovering over you, then just fund it yourself or through friends and family, and grow it organically. Here are the key principles I recommend as an advisor to many entrepreneurs: Start your business in your own home.

Equity 139

Equity Social Media Startup Summary 139

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2023

If you are one of the new age of entrepreneurs who hates the thought of doing a business plan as a first step in starting your new venture you will love this message. Don’t start by committing more than you can afford to lose. Pick a domain where you have some experience and expertise.

Startup 142

Startup Capital Resource Research 142

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2023

With the availability of high-speed Internet and social media access around the world, it’s easy for entrepreneurs to assume that the world is just one big homogeneous market, and project their business will scale accordingly. These components can totally change your customer value proposition, or the business model that you have honed.

Outsource Development 110

Outsource Development Social Media Entrepreneur Summary 110

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2023

If you sold your last startup for $800 million, you probably already know how to build a business, and even conservative investors won’t worry about the quality of your next business plan. The plan must simply answer every relevant business question that you could imagine from your team, partners, and investors. I hope not.

Startup 102

Startup Writing Mentor Sample 102

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

One of the biggest myths I have found in the entrepreneur community is that every startup needs one or more outside investors for credibility and success, and perhaps is even entitled to at least one. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs. But don’t wait for them to contact you.

Funding 173

Funding Tips Startup Statistics 173

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

I recently read a blog post by Beezer Clarkson, Managing Director of Sapphire Ventures about why entrepreneurs should care about from whom their VC funds raise their capital. There are a lot of things I think entrepreneurs should care about when raising from a VC: How big or small their fund is? I could go on for a long time.

Entrepreneur 150

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Invest Funding 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2021

Every entrepreneur realizes that change is now the norm, and they have to adapt their business quickly to survive and prosper. In fact, the best entrepreneurs seem to see breakthrough changes coming even before they really happen, and are able to turn them into huge new opportunities. Technically, this is known as perceptual acuity.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Summary Patents Examples 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2023

One of the things I’ve learned in working with aspiring entrepreneurs is that managing and leading a team is a scary venture into the unknown for many people, even if they have worked as a business professional for years. As an entrepreneur, executive, or team member, you are most impacted by the people you gather around you.

Training 116

Training Startup Entrepreneur Summary 116

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2023

Being very visible in the startup community, I still get an amazing number of badly written emails, rambling executive summaries, and business plans with one paragraph per chapter. In the competitive realm of business, you only get one chance to make a great first impression. Plan the message flow to a logical conclusion.

Tips 123

Tips Writing Startup Summary 123

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Every entrepreneur wishes that he could predict whether his idea could be the “next big thing,” before he spent his life savings and years of energy on it. Investors, on the other hand, typically don’t even look very hard at the product or service, but prefer to evaluate first the entrepreneur, and secondly the business plan.

Ideas 155

Ideas Startup Summary Examples 155

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

As an advisor to new hardware entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that a business plan is no longer required to find an investor, if your idea is good enough. You may have heard that venture capitalists in Silicon Valley no longer read business plans. You need both to survive. Quantify the market opportunity in business terms.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2021

By definition, all of you entrepreneurs are leaders, by taking the initiative to start a new company. Most investors will readily admit that they invest in entrepreneur leadership, more so than innovative ideas, but they often find it difficult to separate aspiring leaders from those that are clearly extraordinary.

Coach 162

Coach Startup Resource Competition 162

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2021

Great entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates, are great at both. That’s the bar you should aspire to. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. It doesn’t work if you don’t follow up on networking opportunities, networking referrals, and ongoing networking relationships.

Activity 133

Activity Startup Ideas Technical Review 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2020

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Many entrepreneurs have a passion and an idea, or even invent a new product, but are never able to execute to the point of creating a startup. Startup and development stage.

Ideas 127

Ideas Entrepreneur Satisfaction Summary 127

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Most entrepreneurs, and members of any small team, naively assume that the key to their success is hard work, dedication, and long hours in the business. It behooves all entrepreneurs and team members to recognize the positives and negatives of each type of relationship. Workship - Advocate. Workship - Trailblazer. Friendship.

Mentor 91

Mentor Competition Summary Coach 91

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2022

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. Also suggesting that they check out your website or video and tell you what they think will not likely peak their curiosity.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Startup Statistics Social Media 109

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2011

tl;dr version: If you’re an entrepreneur or VC or will be working in this industry - buy this. Or what “participating preferred&# stock is and how it can screw you. Used egregiously and you’ll have problems later. You need to understand them. This article originally ran on TechCrunch.

Venture Capital 304

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Guide Blogging 304

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Do they bet on the entrepreneur (jockey) or the business idea and plan (the horse)? If you are looking for money, this question will certainly come up in one form or another when you approach professional or organized angel or VC investors. What if you see a great idea but no team to execute? This is serious stuff.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 120

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Do they bet on the entrepreneur (jockey) or the business idea and plan (the horse)? If you are looking for money, this question will certainly come up in one form or another when you approach professional or organized angel or VC investors. What if you see a great idea but no team to execute? This is serious stuff.

Venture Capital 120

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Ideas Summary 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 1, 2019

When you have been on the startup firing line, you quickly learn that any insight from experts and entrepreneurs who have been there before you can make the difference between failure and success. Yet, many new entrepreneurs brazenly assume they are bulletproof, and march blindly into the fray. Keep moving forward.

Entrepreneur 88

Entrepreneur Summary Activity Resource 88

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. If everyone has a different view of reality, you have no reality. Make sure all business processes are documented and integrated.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Startup Satisfaction Invest 118

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2022

The bad news is that it’s still a jungle fight for survival for entrepreneurs of all ages and demographics, with over 80 percent not having access to bank loans or venture capital. I support being socially and environmentally conscious, but you can’t help anyone else if you don’t eat. If you want to survive.

Startup 112

Startup News Framework Outsource 112

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

With the current volatile economy, as an active startup mentor, I’m seeing a new surge of entrepreneurs and startups, with the commensurate scramble for funding. It sounds like a great way to raise money, but here are some of the challenges you need to consider before trying it: Make sure the shell you choose is squeaky clean.

Funding 104

Funding Summary Entrepreneur Acquisition 104

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

“Hi [entrepreneur], I hope all is well. It looks as though you’ve built a very interesting business, and I’d love to spend some time getting a better understanding of your future plans for the company and if there is an opportunity to partner with [My Firm]. What fits your schedule? He’s on a fishing trip.

Venture Capital 294

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Email Equity 294

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2022

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. Finally, it’s an opportunity to “give back” what you have learned in your own career for the next generation. Start in a business domain you know well. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust.

Startup 120

Startup Invest Equity Incubator 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. Finally, it’s an opportunity to “give back” what you have learned in your own career for the next generation. Start in a business domain you know well. Fund an entrepreneur you know and trust.

Invest 89

Invest Entrepreneur Startup Equity 89