Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Use metrics to measure results of marketing initiatives. Build your business with minimum outside funding.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Resource Metrics Customer 129

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2022

Thus, over the years of my mentoring and consulting efforts with entrepreneurs, I have a key list of practices that I recommend to everyone starting and growing a business. Betting on funds you don’t yet have has crashed many businesses I know. Use metrics on key deliverables to assure quality results.

Startup 134

Startup Training Tool Demand 134

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. Seek out people who are already known in your space. Allocate resources to handle bumps along the way.

Marketing 133

Marketing Customer Custom Outsource Development 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 19, 2021

As a mentor, my mission is to recommend actions that can strengthen your image with investors and peers, as well as help you get the startup job done. Define and use real metrics to measure progress. In fact, these same attributes also bound your leadership skills. Don’t play the blame game.

Customer 157

Customer Custom Metrics Ideas 157

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Count on six months from beginning the funding process until a new check is cashed. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. You will make mistakes.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2022

As a mentor to business professionals, I find that many are frustrated that peers and managers don’t recognize the true value of their contributions. It is important to set the expectations for success early, as well as the appropriate metrics. Use the results to gain support, commitment, influence, and funding for related efforts.

Examples 133

Examples Metrics Startup Customer 133

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I tend to see many of the same obstacles appearing in every new startup, and since I don’t want to appear to be a downer , I’m not sure how to properly warn people ahead of time to be on the alert for these challenges. Funding is depleted before customer sales ramp up.

Startup 131

Startup Entrepreneur Examples Customer 131

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. Do you have the skills and interests to overcome problems, lead people, and find partners and funding?

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Ideas Resource Examples 126

socalTECH

JUNE 1, 2012

Can you talk about how your company is funded? Michael Wong: We're with StartEngine, and have received a small amount of seed funding from them. We're also funding it out of pocket. The big thing for us has been those connections to investors and mentors. The feedback, mentors, and connections are amazing.

CTO Coach 223

CTO Coach Startup Mobile Artificial Inteligence 223

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2014

He’s an incredibly smart investor and somebody that I actually consider to be a mentor to myself. His fund is > $500 million and I guaranfuckingtee he ain’t calling me if that company is crushing it. You have a big fund. I offered to fund the seed round of a guy I’ve known for years. Is it plausible?

Venture Capital 333

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Email 333

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2015

In my perspective as an advisor and mentor to many entrepreneurs, there are a set of basic strategies that can be applied to every startup to dramatically improve the odds of success, no matter what the business domain. Funding is only one of the critical resources you need to start a business.

Startup 101

Startup Metrics Resource Mentor 101

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

It’s your job as a leader to be the model high performer, quantify the team view with metrics, and expand awareness to the best outside competition and new tools. Distinguish growth opportunities from survival efforts, and make sure they are adequately funded, rewarded, and measured. Attract, train, and reward only the best leaders.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Layoffs Social Media Metrics 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Use metrics to measure results of marketing initiatives. Build your business with minimum outside funding.

Startup 115

Startup Resource Metrics Entrepreneur 115

socalTECH

AUGUST 28, 2017

That is all gearing up for a Series A funding, which will happen in the summer of 2018. The last thing, is you really need to understand what your business metrics are, and make sure you are looking at the most important metrics. Don't be enamored with vanity metrics like for us, growth of photos.

Technical Advisors 100

Technical Advisors Technical Review Metrics Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

Create a written plan, with target milestones and metrics. Once you have achieved some success as an idea person who has implemented a business, you can broaden your positive impact by mentoring and coaching other aspiring entrepreneurs, supporting worthy causes, writing a book, and speaking at leadership conferences.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Use metrics to measure results of marketing initiatives. Build your business with minimum outside funding.

Startup 113

Startup Resource Metrics Entrepreneur 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Use metrics to measure results of marketing initiatives. Build your business with minimum outside funding.

Resource 64

Resource Metrics Entrepreneur Customer 64

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Investors I know highlight this problem with the mantra that they fund founders and teams who can execute, rather than ones who just talk about their great ideas. Here are the key principles she espouses, extended to leadership teams, based on my own background and mentoring new entrepreneurs: Learn to trust yourself and your team.

Develop 103

Develop Development Coach Metrics 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Count on six months from beginning the funding process until a new check is cashed. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. You will make mistakes.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2017

Yet, in my experience as a mentor to entrepreneurs, the majority of failures I see are related to starting and growing the business, not developing the solution. New business owners are often quick to spend outside investment funding, and quick to delegate money management to accountants in the business.

Ideas 72

Ideas Startup Metrics Entrepreneur 72

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Count on six months from beginning the funding process until a new check is cashed. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. You will make mistakes.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 108

socalTECH

OCTOBER 26, 2016

This morning, Techstars (www.techstars.org), the startup accelerator which has had great success in spreading its approach to helping to get startups to the next stage of their life�usually, funding�announced it has opened up its third accelerator in Los Angeles, Techstars LA. The focus is on helping the startup. billion combined.

Startup 100

Startup Los Angeles Mentor Class 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Investors I know highlight this problem with the mantra that they fund founders and teams who can execute, rather than ones who just talk about their great ideas. Here are the key principles she espouses, extended to leadership teams, based on my own background and mentoring new entrepreneurs: Learn to trust yourself and your team.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Cashflow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Count on six months from beginning the funding process until a new check is cashed. Always add 20 percent to your best estimate of funding requirements when approaching investors. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young. You will make mistakes.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 105

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

Every $10 million financing only puts more pressure on the founders to figure out how to hit the metrics to get to the next milestone and every company that raises $25 million puts a ton of pressure on their 10 competitors who haven’t. Advisors / Coaches / Mentors. Every founder knows this. Startups are All Naked in the Mirror.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2016

It’s easy to declare yourself an entrepreneur, but it’s not so easy to convince investors, your team and customers that you are that special one to fund and follow. As a startup investor and mentor, I look beyond the façade to find these eight keys traits in the mindset of every entrepreneur.

Startup 58

Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur Customer 58

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 26, 2010

Most often at the earliest point in the life of a startup, the dominant need is certainly to produce product to get something in the market, get funding, etc. What metrics are going to be the key startup metrics and how do we get those metrics without too much cost? What specific technical innovations might make sense?

Fractional CTO 225

Fractional CTO CTO CTO Hire CTO Coach 225

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2019

Michele Ruiz: Robin Richards and I formed the company, after he approached me, after having been a business mentor for me for fifteen years. The key to the LA tech scene is finding people who really understand content, and funding pepole in content who understand technology, and getting together. How did the three of you connect?

Content 150

Content Training Education Outsource Development 150

Jason Nazar

JUNE 1, 2016

Read what other startup mentors have to say about attracting investor attention. Create scarcity ; let them know that this funding round is closing soon and we’re really here to see if we’re the right fit for each other. Communicate these metrics in the first five minutes of your meeting. Don’t Get Defensive.

Slides 49

Slides Startup Entrepreneur Metrics 49

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 23, 2013

Through ongoing analysis and refinement of existing processes, establishment of standards and metrics, team building and mentoring, Sergey has established a foundation and culture in which developers can flourish. Have you raised any funding yet? Our team is very well-rounded, so we don’t worry too much about the competition.

Social Network 92

Social Network Networking Training Summary 92

SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

Welcome to the Lost Decade (for Entrepreneurs, IPO’s and VC’s) - Steve Blank , July 15, 2010 If you take funding from a venture capital firm or angel investor and want to build a large, enduring company (rather than sell it to the highest bidder), this isn’t the decade to do it. Metrics availability. Not so bad. Performance.

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 9, 2014

This was a chance to blow open the story on their companies, to address a room full of potential investors, mentors, partners, customers, and press. In seed stage funding, we’re often told that the investments are ultimately about the people/teams, and not necessarily the metrics.

Startup 111

Startup Mobile Commerce Education 111

Tech Zulu Event

JANUARY 30, 2012

We make it trivial to quickly aggregate and monitor your key metrics in real-time! Start Engine offers a team of mentors who have proven themselves as successful entrepreneurs – not professional investors – ensuring that its startups are guided by the right people for the right reasons. SuperDemo: Bill Gross.

CalTech 91

CalTech Company Companies Idealab 91

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 10, 2009

For me, FI was great for networking with Adeo and the other mentors, who are all world class successful entrepreneurs themselves, as well as the other founders in the program. I'm working quite a bit with startups who are leveraging social media, but I'm finding it hard to predict success and metrics. How did you do that?

Product 150

Product Entrepreneur Social Media Google 150