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6 Reasons To Disclose Your Startup Idea Before Commit

Startup Professionals Musings

Savvy entrepreneurs start testing their ideas on potential customers even before the concept is fully cooked. They become walking public relations machines for themselves, as well as their idea. Marty Zwilling committed idea sniff test startup idea stealth mode

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8 Negative Reactions To New Ideas And How To Prevail

Startup Professionals Musings

One of the complaints I often hear from engaged business professionals is that their new ideas, innovations, and change recommendations are unfairly criticized or dismissed without analysis. This argument is actually not attacking the idea, but shows a generalized resistance to change.

Ideas 113
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5 Tips For Startups Looking For A Great Solution Idea

Startup Professionals Musings

Potential startup founders are always looking for ideas to implement, when they should be looking for problems to solve. Customers pay for solutions, but there is no market for ideas. Start solving a problem today that you can use as the basis for the “idea” for your next startup.

Ideas 142
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5 Attributes To Look For In Your Perfect Startup Idea

Startup Professionals Musings

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. He and I agree that product ideas must be assessed against the following five key qualities: Depth.

Ideas 151
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5 Keys To Taking An Idea From A Vision To A Solution

Startup Professionals Musings

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” In my opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader who can execute.

Ideas 146
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10 Reality Checks On How To Get From Idea To Delivery

Startup Professionals Musings

Most people think innovation is all about ideas, when in fact it is more about delivery, people, and process. While it is true that you can’t get started without an idea, the importance of the Big Hunt is vastly overrated. Ideas are only beginnings.

Ideas 131
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6 Success Stages Every Entrepreneur Idea Has To Pass

Startup Professionals Musings

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business reality.

Ideas 132
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5 Sure-Fire Ideas Just Pending The Right Entrepreneur

Startup Professionals Musings

Yet I still too often hear the question, “Can you give me a really sure-fire idea for starting my own business?” My standard answer is that ideas are a dime a dozen, and success is all about smart execution, not ideas.

Ideas 102
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7 Negative Reactions To New Ideas And How To Prevail

Startup Professionals Musings

In business, and in your personal life, the ability to anticipate and overcome criticism is one of the biggest differentiators between leaders, who make things happen, and followers, who may have great ideas but never seem to get things to go their way. The idea will only make things worse.

Ideas 124
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6 Steps For Advancing New Venture Ideas Into Results

Startup Professionals Musings

Many aspiring entrepreneurs I mentor can talk at length about their innovative ideas and passions, and ask lots of good questions, but never make much progress in building a real business. In my experience, building a business is much more about getting things done than having great ideas.

Ideas 121
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6 Tips For When And How To Disclose Your Startup Idea

Startup Professionals Musings

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). They have probably heard the idea a dozen times already, and are waiting to back the right team on the implementation.

Ideas 156
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6 Tips To Market Your Idea Before Building A Solution

Startup Professionals Musings

Savvy entrepreneurs start testing their ideas on potential customers even before the concept is fully cooked. They become walking public relations machines for themselves, as well as their idea. early marketing idea marketing solution

Ideas 123
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10 Ways to Ensure Creative Ideas and Results at Work

Startup Professionals Musings

Every business I know needs to be on a constant lookout for new ideas, both in what they offer to customers, and in their internal operations, to stay competitive. Fortunately, there are ways to nurture the creation and capture of new ideas.

Ideas 129
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How To Incent Your Team To Find More Innovative Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

In fact, some very innovative individuals, known as ‘idea people’ or inventors, often end up creating the most dysfunctional teams. Innovation is not all about coming up with new ideas. Generate ideas. No idea is born perfect.

Ideas 120
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How Idea People Can Transform Into Visionary Leaders

Startup Professionals Musings

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” In my opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader who can execute. Over the past couple of decades, experts have perfected the art of brainstorming and other idea-generation techniques. Executives and investors are now increasingly exposed to a wealth of ideas.

Ideas 100
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5 Steps To Get You From Your First Idea To A Business

Startup Professionals Musings

One thing I have learned the hard way in business is that implementing new ideas is usually much more difficult than conceiving the idea in the first place. That’s why I caution my aspiring entrepreneur clients against proclaiming to investors that they are a great “idea” person.

Ideas 125
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9 Key Issues That Can Support Your Breakthrough Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

Perhaps hard questions need to come before ideas, rather than after. Why have other smart people failed on a similar idea? Innovation flourishes when diverse ideas and thoughts are aired.

Ideas 114
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7 Due Diligence Checks On Your Idea To Save Some Pain

Startup Professionals Musings

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind?

Ideas 173
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Entrepreneurs Need To Reality Check Their Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? After all, most great breakthroughs, like a computer in every home, seemed like a crazy idea before Steve Jobs and Bill Gates made it happen. Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Ideas 104
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Ideas Los Angeles

SoCal Tech Calendar

Thursday, June 16, 2016 -- IDEAS Los Angeles. IDEAS – a spark of soul, a measure of brilliance, an act of creation. Ideas are the inspiration, and the ignition, of human endeavor. IDEAS LA aims to capture the essence of our collective ingenuity in a fun and interactive setting. 2 Days 2 Tracks focused on the future of Digital Technology and Content Creation: Media and Entertainment and Health and Lifestyle.

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Ideas Los Angeles

SoCal Tech Calendar

Wednesday, June 15, 2016 -- IDEAS Los Angeles. IDEAS – a spark of soul, a measure of brilliance, an act of creation. Ideas are the inspiration, and the ignition, of human endeavor. IDEAS LA aims to capture the essence of our collective ingenuity in a fun and interactive setting. 2 Days 2 Tracks focused on the future of Digital Technology and Content Creation: Media and Entertainment and Health and Lifestyle.

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Startups Need Great Execution More Than Great Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” In my opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader who can execute. Over the past couple of decades, experts have perfected the art of brainstorming and other idea-generation techniques. Executives and investors are now increasingly exposed to a wealth of ideas.

Ideas 112
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How To Pick The Best Idea For Your Next Business

Startup Professionals Musings

A common request I hear from aspiring entrepreneurs is for an assessment of their latest idea. I don’t even try to assess things at the idea level, since I can’t read minds. Yet I believe that business success is more a function of the person than the idea or the plan, so the best idea is one that is a best fit for you, and only you can assess that. The idea or technology was easy for you to learn. If all you see ahead is stress and pain, look for another idea.

Ideas 106
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7 Ways To Make Your People More Valuable Than Ideas

Startup Professionals Musings

Investors invest in people, not ideas. The simplest way to express appreciation is to simply say, “Thank you” for an idea, some good feedback, time spent together, or an order. Brian Tracy entrepreneur ideas leaders people importantCustomers buy from people, not companies. Employees rally for a great leader. As an entrepreneur, you need relationships to succeed. That means relationships with team members, investors, customers, and vendors.

Ideas 97
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How To Counter Criticism Of Your Million Dollar Idea

Startup Professionals Musings

In business, and in your personal life, the ability to anticipate and overcome criticism is one of the biggest differentiators between leaders, who make things happen, and followers, who may have great ideas but never seem to get things to go their way. In my role as an advisor to entrepreneurs, I often find founders who have such conviction and passion for their new idea, that they can’t believe anyone could challenge it. The idea will only make things worse.

Ideas 91
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6 Strategies for Transforming Ideas Into Results

Startup Professionals Musings

Successful startups are all about turning ideas into action quickly and efficiently. These actions must be the hard part, since entrepreneurs always seem to come to me with ideas, and ask me for help on the actions. That has always seemed strange to me, since the magic is supposed to be in the ideas, and the actions are the same for every business. Your great ideas deserve more than mediocre actions. Start now to turn your innovative ideas into action.

Ideas 107
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8 Disciplines for Transforming Ideas Into Businesses

Startup Professionals Musings

Entrepreneurs are people who dream up new ideas, and then commercialize them into new businesses. Most people believe that the hard part is coming up with the idea, and the easy part is turning it into a business. business entrepreneur idea transformationYet, 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.

Ideas 70
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7 New Business Ideas Whose Time Has Come and Gone

Startup Professionals Musings

As an angel investor, I sometimes worry that all the viable unique ideas must already be taken. We all want to get out there ahead of the crowd, and invest in that truly innovative idea that seems so obvious in its appeal that you wonder why nobody ever thought of it before. I still get about one business “idea” per week for a new networking site, which will combine the “best of all the sites” into a new one. For other ideas, the wave has simply passed.

Ideas 86
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6 Steps To Convert An Idea To A Sustainable Business

Startup Professionals Musings

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business. So a better question than asking about the quality of an idea, is asking about the quality of your plan to cash in on the idea. Now you see why no one should judge business success potential by the idea alone.

Ideas 102
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Visionary Entrepreneurs are More Than Idea People

Startup Professionals Musings

A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million dollar idea.” In my humble opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, outside the context of a visionary leader and a plan. Over the past couple of decades, experts have perfected the art of brainstorming and other idea-generation techniques. Executives and investors are now increasingly exposed to a wealth of ideas.

Ideas 101
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Non-Disclosures Can Protect Your Idea, Or Destroy It

Startup Professionals Musings

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). These professionals value their integrity, like your therapist or financial advisor, and will not share your business details nor steal your idea. Professional investors often challenge early non-disclosure requests for an idea or concept, since it’s an implementation that makes a business, rather than an idea.

Ideas 104
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Ideas Are Only The Beginning Of Startup Innovation

Startup Professionals Musings

Most people think innovation is all about ideas, when in fact it is more about delivery, people, and process. They take you step-by-step through the innovation execution process, in the context the ten most common myths about innovation, which I think makes their approach particularly instructive: Innovation is all about ideas. While it is true that you can’t get started without an idea, the importance of the Big Hunt is vastly overrated. Ideas are only beginnings.

Ideas 105
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7 Keys To Improving The Odds On Your New Idea Success

Startup Professionals Musings

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? After all, most great breakthroughs, like a computer in every home, seemed like a crazy idea before Steve Jobs and Bill Gates made it happen. Separate nice-to-have ideas from ones solving painful problems.

Ideas 82
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5 Entrepreneur Ideas That Investors See Too Often

Startup Professionals Musings

Those are hard, since someone has to invent something innovative, but I do have some views on other ideas whose time has come and gone. I still get about one business “idea” per week for a new networking site, which will combine the “best of all the sites” into a new one. I hope you have a better idea than Women Behind Bars , or Herpes-Date.com. For other ideas, the wave has simply passed. What’s your idea? business entrepreneur investors old ideas startups

Ideas 108
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Entrepreneurs Need Creative Thinking After the Idea

Startup Professionals Musings

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges. Due to learned habits and routines, new ideas default to be similar to old ones. You cannot will a new idea.

Ideas 106
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Latest Oculus Rift Idea: The Matrix, But For Chickens

socalTECH

Irvine-based Oculus VR , the virtual reality technology developer which was just picked up by Facebook for $2 billion--has a lot of developers with great virtual reality game and simulation ideas and software in the works. However, the latest idea to make the rounds is an original one: to use the hardware to create what would essentially be "The Matrix", for chickens.

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Here is Why Non-Obvious Startup Ideas Can Yield the Largest Results

Both Sides of the Table

These are young, urban dwellers who don’t have the time, means or inclination to schlep stuff to an awful location on the outskirts of their city and pile their goods into a 6×6 box where 60 days later they’ll have no idea what they put in there and no easy means of getting it returned. The post Here is Why Non-Obvious Startup Ideas Can Yield the Largest Results appeared first on Bothsides of the Table. Amazon. It is a household name.

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7 Keys To Selecting A Startup Idea That Works For You

Startup Professionals Musings

A common request I hear from aspiring entrepreneurs is for an assessment of their latest idea. I don’t even try to assess things at the idea level, since I can’t read minds. Yet I believe that business success is more a function of the person than the idea or the plan, so the best idea is one that is a best fit for you, and only you can assess that. The idea or technology was easy for you to learn. If all you see ahead is stress and pain, look for another idea.

Ideas 77
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How Much Should You Get For Your Invention Idea?

Startup Professionals Musings

Early-stage ideas fall in the same category. I have the greatest respect for inventors and idea people who think outside the box to envision and create solutions never before seen. If you have been working alone, perfecting your idea, with no new business track record, your best strategy is to license the technology to a company or team with real business experience. Test your idea with experts, scientific journals and trade publications.

Ideas 104
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Bill Gross Backs Startup Idea Marketplace IdeaMarket

socalTECH

Bill Gross , the founder of Pasadena''s Idealab , is stepping out of the lab, and into the market--saying Monday that it has co-founded a new startup called IdeaMarket , which will let investors submit funded, high level startup ideas, let the public provide feedback, and allow technically oriented talent make a bid to help bring those ideas to life. All of those ideas have a pre-commited amount of capital from investors willing to back those ideas.

Ideas 159
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How To Take Your Business Idea From Dream To Reality

Startup Professionals Musings

They can talk with passion about their innovative new idea, and ask lots of questions, but never seem to really get started. The challenge we all have as business founders is to move from the idea stage to a real business. I found these bite-sized chunks to be far more achievable and satisfying than making that one big step from your dream to a success business: Get the idea out of your head and onto paper.

Ideas 98
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How to Turn Your Million Dollar Idea Into a Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

Based on my own experience and feedback from friends, every investor is approached by at least ten entrepreneurs with a “hot idea” for a new business, for every one who has a real “plan” for a new business. That’s why I often say that ideas are worth nothing, until they are put in the context of a business plan and real people committed to executing the plan. In fact, you can find websites full of ideas, like these “ Free Innovative Ideas ,” by serial entrepreneur Kim E.

Ideas 104
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Bam Ventures Launching Incubator for Brian Lee's Ideas

L.A. Business Journal

Bam Venture Partners has started raising a second $30 million fund which it will use, in part, to invest in and incubate startup ideas thought of by Brian Lee, co-founder of the fund and chief executive of the Honest Co. of Playa Vista. What capital isn’t used for the incubator will be invested in seed and early stage deals, similar to the sort of investments made by the first Bam Ventures fund, said Lee. The Playa Vista venture firm’s first fund was $6 million

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