Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2022

Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly always require an investment, sometimes large, in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time. As with many startup activities, you only have one chance for a great first impression. Pick the right platform for your business. Marty Zwilling.

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Social Media Media Startup Platform 126

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. Innovate In the early years of a startup there is a lot of kinetic energy of enthusiastic innovators looking to launch a product that changes how an industry works.

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Startup Technical Review Customer Custom 286

TechCrunch LA

APRIL 18, 2022

Investment into alternative proteins, for example, plant-based meats and dairy substitutes was $5 billion in 2021, according to both the Good Food Institute and Crunchbase data. Meanwhile, chicken is one of the most popular meat groups, which is why a lot of plant-based protein startups began here. Image Credits: Nowadays.

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Software Review Metrics Startup Technical Review 187

TechEmpower

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Let's take a look at some of the many ways businesses can benefit from these new models to streamline operations and deliver faster and more accurate results.We’ll begin by looking at some real-world examples and then we’ll dive into more details of how these improved search capabilities can enhance your business.

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Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Tool Knowledge Base 346

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2020

As an angel investor in startups, I’m a believer that smart investors invest more in you as the entrepreneur than the next billion dollar solution you are pitching. I’m not looking for words, but examples of how your habits and attributes have produced results, even before your startup.

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Entrepreneur Startup Examples Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2022

Most startups, and many big businesses, still don’t have a clue on how to use social media productively for marketing their business. Create an action plan with metrics. Good action plans include a listening plan, channel plan, SEO plan, and a content creation plan, with activities and metrics.

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Social Media Framework Media Metrics 135

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2013

What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics. As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for every startup to assess the metrics, technology, and platforms they’re using to manage the business. Customer loyalty and retention.

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Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics. Here is my selection of ten key metrics that every six-sigma joint like GE tracks without thinking, but too many small businesses only monitor haphazardly, if at all: Sales revenue.

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Metrics Startup Sales Statistics 106

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have enough resources to bootstrap our own startups, so we are completely dependent on investors to help turn great ideas into great businesses. Offer an attractive and viable investment equation. In reality, that’s only half the story. Display real commitment to a plan, with milestones.

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Ideas Entrepreneur Equity Resource 140

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

I find it amusing when a journalist writes an article about a prominent startup (either privately held or preparing for an IPO) and decries that, “They’re not even profitable!” Exec Summary: Most companies (98+%) in the world (even tech startups) should be very profit focused. One of them is profitability.

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Startup Venture Capital Sales Technical Review 418

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. Here is my list of key drivers that I find critical to thriving in big businesses, as well as startups: Networking to build and maintain key relationships.

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Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 21, 2022

But startups need to remember that even zero paid media doesn’t mean that marketing is free. They advocate investing in their new framework, where the Z.E.R.O. New products and startups often require a culture shift to drive acceptance, which can best be accelerated by zealots or a visible chief disciple, like Steve Jobs.

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Marketing Framework Social Media Media 127

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Startup Advice. As startup entrepreneurs we all want to work with them because having their name as reference clients makes it so much easier for marketing, PR, selling to other customers, fund raising and even recruiting. Large companies can be strange sometimes. Sometimes it actually does.

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Startup Sales Slides Metrics 298

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

It’s always been tough to start a new business, even when the bottom line was just making a profit to stay alive. The real challenge with the triple bottom line is that these three separate accounts cannot be easily added up. How does any entrepreneur define the right balance, and then measure their performance against real metrics?

Startup 110

Startup Entrepreneur Capital Examples 110

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

There is a universal truth: fewer than one in a thousand start-ups meet or exceed their projected revenues in the periods planned. So how do you use financial projections as valuation metrics when you know the odds of those being accurate predictors of the future are so very unreliable?

Startup 120

Startup Examples Metrics Marketing 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2019

Most social media outlets don’t require a subscription charge, but they certainly always require an investment, sometimes large, in people, in technology, your reputation, and your time. As with many startup activities, you only have one chance for a great first impression. Pick the right platform for your business. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 79

Social Media Media Invest Platform 79

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 24, 2023

They also want to know how they stack up to competitors. Here is a paraphrased summary of the eight-level scale she offers, with my own insights and experience added, for your consideration in starting your own self-assessment and move up: Extreme bias toward status quo as the right way.

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Organization Activity Resource Examples 111

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2023

No matter how well your business seems to have worked for you up to this point, you can be certain that it will need to be heavily transformed for tomorrow’s new world-wide economy and no industry sector boundaries. Don’t let your ego or stubbornness drive you to give up too soon on your transformation efforts.

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Outsource Development Outsource Startup Metrics 140

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Andrew Peterson , the companys CEO, says the company is looking to hire up another 80 people here in the LA area. We caught back up with Andrew to hear about the company, its expansion plans, and what hes learned as a startup entrepreneur. The easiest example is for an online banking system.

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Startup Funding Technical Review Software Review 113

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

As a tech startup grows it needs to develop more process & management if it is to scale. Some objections are real and they end up becoming changes to your product, your service plan or your pricing / bundling. Some examples of common objections across many companies: 1. You can have best of both worlds.

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Sales Startup Training Pricing 289

TechCrunch LA

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

When should you start a company? What company should you start? When should a VC invest? Most startups die. We can miss the round of financing, we can start a company a year or two behind someone else and lose the first-mover advantage. Start writing down predictions about people, companies, and markets.

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Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Invest 202

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

Continuing my series of posts that I’ve been collecting that live at the intersection of Startups and being a Startup CTO : Startup CTO Top 30 Posts for April 16 Great Startup Posts from March here are the top posts from May 2010. It is to out friend. Enjoyed this post? Disruptive. We get it! I Be specific.

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Startup Venture Capital Conference Social Media 248

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2021

A winning linked focus example is to choose a higher purpose common to all cultures, such as protecting the environment, or helping the underprivileged. Your goal must be to make every aspect of a customer interaction a joy to both you and them, starting from the shopping experience, to the sales close, to delivery and service.

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Customer Custom Satisfaction Metrics 114

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

Many startup businesses – tech or otherwise – fail. Trying outrageous new things or even trying mundane things but in new ways but with extreme quality & innovation is what fuels the tech startup industry. But today I want to give you advice on how to decrease your odds of failure in a startup.

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Startup Marketing Study SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2022

For example, your work nurturing important customer relationships may be key to timely changes based on emerging trends, but these efforts are easily overlooked as a source of value at the end of a change process. It’s up to you to think early about adding value, rather than just working on any project.

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Examples Metrics Startup Customer 133

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2022

One of the first harsh realities that every entrepreneur has to learn is that most of the things that are critical to startup success are outside of their direct control. Like attracts like, and if you invest early in becoming a person others can trust, business people who you can trust will be attracted to you. Never make people ask.

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Startup Entrepreneur Metrics Writing 116

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. I said both in the article but felt compelled to provide a statement up front for the skimmers.

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Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

But startups need to remember that even zero paid media doesn’t mean that marketing is free. They advocate investing in their new framework, where the Z.E.R.O. They advocate investing in their new framework, where the Z.E.R.O. In the book, Jaffe introduces three new sets of metrics for gauging progress: Medium-term metrics.

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Advertising Marketing Startup Framework 66

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Yet it always amazes me that I can find two different startups, seemingly working on the same problem, with one having a burn rate several times higher than the other. They understand startup realities. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Search Engine Optimization 103

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 103

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Under the heading, “The Book On Bezos,” the callout lists ten actionable and impactful nuggets of startup advice. We don’t give up on things easily. Our third-party seller business is an example of that. We didn’t give up.”. “ If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon.

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Tips Startup Framework Customer 279

SoCal CTO

MARCH 11, 2013

Yesterday, I was talking to a startup founder about their MVP and they said something that finally got me to write this post: "I have a few investors interested but they want to see a product." If you do build the MVP and show it to them, they will ask you about your metrics. They really want metrics, not a product.

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Metrics Venture Capital News Product 264

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

Based on my own years of experience in startups and big business, and more recently as an angel investor, I often cringe when I see one of you entrepreneurs missing a cue that I have seen work for many before you. For example, if you have ever watched the Shark Tank show on TV, they always ask about the cost of customer acquisition.

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Entrepreneur Social Media Examples Metrics 162

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Launchpad LA today announces it will accept applications for its third class of Los Angeles-based tech startups. But the most important metric has been the deep and lasting relationships that have been built with startups and also between senior executives. There are at least 6 incubators now being set up in LA.

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Venture Capital Funding Startup GRP Partners 287

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2015

I was out to raise my first seed money in my second startup of $500,000. Neither did Y Combinator, 500 Startups, TechStars, Amplify, Mucker and countless others. And importantly they play an important role in helping to introduce you to the right A-round VC based on your startup type. It is, of course, a very recent phenomenon.

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Venture Capital Startup Invest Cloud Computing 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Yet it always amazes me that I can find two different startups, seemingly working on the same problem, with one having a burn rate several times higher than the other. They understand startup realities. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2023

Thus they are blindsided and try to react quickly when a new competitor starts stealing customers. For example, we all remember when Blockbuster realized too late that Netflix was stealing customers by offering videos online rather than via DVDs, but even then they were unable to adapt their processes and their thinking.

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Metrics Training Netflix Resource 71

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

For example, many investors I know tell me they look for business plans that allocate the largest portion of a requested investment to marketing, but most often see the top “ use of funds ” to be further product or service development. Follow up and follow through with existing customers.

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Marketing Customer Custom Outsource Development 133