Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2021

On the business side, I am adapting here his seven success principles, too often overlooked by people who leap before they look: Find a niche to help real people. Provide website forums to help customers solve their own problems. Use the Internet to outsource staff. Let your audience help with content creation.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Case Study Software Review Startup 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. Quantify the implementation challenges.

Outsource Development 124

Outsource Development Ideas Tool Outsource 124

SoCal CTO

DECEMBER 10, 2012

This is important whether you are outsourcing or building it in-house. If you are outsourcing, then this person will also be protecting you from issues like being able to access the source code and making sure can bring it in-house at a later time. Get an advisor to help supplement where there are gaps.

Technical Advisors 332

Technical Advisors CTO Coach Technical Review CTO Hire 332

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 5, 2019

On the business side, I am adapting here his seven success principles, too often overlooked by people who leap before they look: Find a niche to help real people. Provide website forums to help customers solve their own problems. Use the Internet to outsource staff. Let your audience help with content creation.

Technical Review 97

Technical Review Case Study Software Review Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2016

On the business side, I am adapting here his seven success principles, too often overlooked by people who leap before they look: Find a niche to help real people. Provide website forums to help customers solve their own problems. Use the Internet to outsource staff. Let your audience help with content creation.

Startup 107

Startup Technical Review Case Study Software Review 107

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2012

Great startups are getting ahead of the game with “anticipatory customer service,” like providing smart phone access to product and account data to head off complaints. Self-service technologies, social media, and smart phones have created a new set of expectations for high-tech consumers today. You probably won’t get a second chance.

Custom 97

Custom Customer Services Startup 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2015

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. Quantify the implementation challenges.

Ideas 107

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Tool 107

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

As an entrepreneur and startup investor, I have helped create companies which achieved two IPOs which collectively raised over $100 million, as well as two acquisitions which totaled $385 million. However, it is my hope that this article will help you avoid learning the following lessons the hard way. 8 ) Grant Exclusivity.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2013

Great startups are getting ahead of the game with “anticipatory customer service,” like providing smart phone access to product and account data to head off complaints. Self-service technologies, social media, and smart phones have created a new set of expectations for high-tech consumers today. You probably won’t get a second chance.

Custom 89

Custom Customer Services High Tech 89

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

He writes with a great perspective and is well worth reading. I told people privately my perfect spec: computer science undergrad from MIT (or any other great school), 2-years at McKinsey but no more than that (I love the analytical framework that the top strategy consulting firms provide. I had to laugh a bit reading it.

Startup 337

Startup Venture Capital Study Course 337

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2014

Here are the key objectives that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. Quantify the implementation challenges.

Outsource Development 105

Outsource Development Startup Ideas Tool 105

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

We could provide a steady stream of Internet shoppers at our Return Bar, and use that foot traffic to build out our network, and help anyone operating a typical retail store with providing foot traffic. Customers expect the retailers to pay for those returns, they expect returns to be free, and they expect outbound shipping to be free.

Training 100

Training Custom Customer Software Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2013

On the business side, I am adapting here his seven success principles, too often overlooked by people who leap before they look: Find a niche to help real people. Provide website forums to help customers solve their own problems. Use the Internet to outsource staff. Let your audience help with content creation.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Case Study 105

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2018

Here are six results that you can achieve by building a prototype, which are really the reasons that investors and partners will give you a whole new level of credibility as they evaluate your startup for potential funding: Something you can touch and feel helps validate opportunity. Quantify the implementation challenges.

Ideas 53

Ideas Outsource Development Tool Outsource 53

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

Testing is what helps determine whether you’re really on to something. Great product ideas (and even potentially great companies) are being thrust at us in an attempt to go more quickly. Will (many more) millions help you get five years into one?&#. The former was outsourced, the latter was our own team.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2014

Even if you are looking in all the right places, it helps to know what you are looking for. If one of your core values is exceeding your customer expectations for quality and service, and your potential partner ascribes to the low cost, high profit mantra, a successful partnership is highly unlikely over the long-term. Marty Zwilling.

Software Review 107

Software Review Entrepreneur CTO Hire Outsource Development 107

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2012

On the business side, I am adapting here his seven success principles, too often overlooked by people who leap before they look: Find a niche to help real people. Provide website forums to help customers solve their own problems. Use the Internet to outsource staff. Let your audience help with content creation.

Technical Review 99

Technical Review Case Study Startup Software Review 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

A question I get all the time is “Can I ever expect any backing from my bank for a great opportunity?” The short answer is that some banks will help, if you do your homework. If you don''t have a team on staff, then a banker is going to want to hear about outsourcing and advisors. Management with a strong track record.

Technical Advisors 75

Technical Advisors Entrepreneur Equity Ideas 75

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

Even if you are looking in all the right places, it helps to know what you are looking for. If one of your core values is exceeding your customer expectations for quality and service, and your potential partner ascribes to the low cost, high profit mantra, a successful partnership is highly unlikely over the long-term.

Software Review 103

Software Review Equity CTO Hire Outsource Development 103

Tech Zulu Event

DECEMBER 26, 2013

Sure you can get help, but the exercise of creating your executive summary is an important one. The act of distilling your business down to its core will not only result in a compelling story, but it will help you to identify your greatest strengths and focus your company. This is a great guiding principle. Do it yourself.

Summary 76

Summary Tips Startup Writing 76

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2011

Even if you are looking in all the right places, it helps to know what you are looking for. If one of your core values is exceeding your customer expectations for quality and service, and your potential partner ascribes to the low cost, high profit mantra, a successful partnership is highly unlikely over the long-term.

Software Review 96

Software Review CTO Hire Startup Outsource Development 96

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2010

A question I get all the time is “Can I ever expect any backing from my bank for a great opportunity?” The short answer is that some banks will help, if you do your homework. If you don't have a team on staff, then a banker is going to want to hear about outsourcing and advisors. Management with a strong track record.

Technical Advisors 80

Technical Advisors Startup Equity Ideas 80

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2011

A great recent example of this was a successful group of entrepreneurs who had created a company that will do $10-12 million in revenue at their system integration business (read: services business) in 2011 after having done $5 million or so in 2010 and $2-3 million in 2009. We were a great services business. This team is talented.

Services 332

Services Venture Capital IP Startup 332

Berkonomics

JUNE 28, 2018

Consultants, outsourcing, and scrapping the system. If improving individual steps is not the solution, then scrap the process entirely and attempt to define a way to meet the goal through a differing route, such as outsourcing parts or the entire process, doubling the capacity of a segment of production, or redefining the goal itself.

Company 226

Company Companies Outsource Resource 226

Tech Zulu Event

JUNE 16, 2014

Unless people feel a certain level of appeal towards what you are doing, they are less likely to want to help you. What differentiates us from other platforms is that our members are helping each other – it’s about startups helping each other. We thought we had a great idea and we wanted to see how people responded to it.

SoCal 104

SoCal Southern California Startup Platform 104

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2023

I believe it all starts with you as a leadership role model, and the mindset and expectations you broadcast to your team. A great incentive is highlighting learning and praising change requests in front of peers. Share constraint info and ask team to help. Outsourcing of manufacturing is another option.

Resource 111

Resource Competition Outsource Development Startup 111

SoCal CTO

JUNE 26, 2012

In three of the cases, the founder was finding that the software teams (1 in-house, 2 outsourced) were delivering relatively well in the short-run. Actually, you are setting yourself up to be in the situation of the two founders that had outsourced. We are finding and fixing bugs. Making small changes. Why do I need this?

Outsource Development 254

Outsource Development Software Development Develop Development 254

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 19, 2015

Almost the instant the concept of the sharing economy was introduced, it has skyrocketed into hundreds of successful and established brands by offering everyone a chance to be their own boss, and others the ability to outsource needs saving time by providing convenience. Before she knew it, her income from the site surpassed her parents.

Resource 40

Resource Outsource Development Guide Research 40

Berkonomics

JUNE 11, 2011

If improving individual steps are not the solution, then scrap the process entirely and attempt to define a way to meet the goal through a differing route, such as outsourcing parts or the entire process, doubling the capacity of a segment of production, or redefining the goal itself.

Outsource 149

Outsource Resource Metrics Email 149

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

I received a great question via LinkedIn: I'm the founding engineer and working hard to launch my startup. For example it includes the following kinds of things that a CTO should be addressing, but that may not be part of the expectation, time allocation, etc. What do we build in-house or outsource? When will key hires come on?

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

Frank Addante

AUGUST 27, 2007

Outsourcing ► April (1) GoogleClick - Who owns your cash register? You may hire someone that doesn’t perform 100% to your expectations. It builds confidence in the employee, it builds up your confidence and your team’s confidence in that employee and their strengths help correct the weakness. A BIG THANK YOU.

Startup 40

Startup Venture Capital Outsource Development Web 2.0 40

Frank Addante

MAY 24, 2007

Outsourcing ► April (1) GoogleClick - Who owns your cash register? If I only had 1 part of that equation (big market or great team), I wouldnt be here -- having both is essential. PS - We are looking for great, A++ team members in the Los Angeles (Santa Monica) area. FounderBlog’s 1 Year Anniversary!

Advertising 40

Advertising Startup Venture Capital Outsource Development 40

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

August was a slow month in terms of traffic and I was away for a lot of the month, but there were some really great posts at the intersection of startups, technology, product and being a Startup CTO. thought it would be helpful to put some of my thoughts into a blog post and hopefully spur some conversation in the comments and over email.

Startup 191

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Hire 191

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 5, 2010

In a perfect world they’d be in your home office but this is one area where I feel remote tools can help bridge gaps. As long as you have a great product management function and the remote people have established norms of being good independent workers these situations usually work well. What about outsourcing?

Technical Advisors 335

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Offshore Startup 335