Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Ironically, as a startup investor and mentor, I have seen too many failures caused by just the opposite – too much money spent too soon, taking time to get product perfection, and assuming customers will wait. Startups funded by rich uncles rarely think about productivity. Rethink or reframe the challenge.

Resource 112

Resource Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2023

So why do I see some many funding requests for products along these lines? Here are some key drivers that will likely lead you to a fundable idea: A business crisis. Other countries can provide e-commerce with different business models, outsource manufacturing at low cost, and a huge market for new products. Marty Zwilling

Ideas 118

Ideas Outsource Development Outsource Course 118

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2021

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. Believe me, it’s no fun to see a competitor implement a good idea that slipped your mind.

Ideas 132

Ideas PPC Customer Custom 132

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2020

Savvy entrepreneurs start testing their ideas on potential customers even before the concept is fully cooked. They have enough confidence in their ability to deliver that they don’t worry about someone stealing the idea to get there first, and they don’t forget to listen carefully to critical feedback.

Ideas 124

Ideas Tips Marketing Social Media 124

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

APRIL 4, 2021

The real solution is better productivity and less procrastination, to put you back in control of your business. Jan Yager, a recognized expert on the subject of time management, addressed this issue in the classic edition of her book, “ Work Less, Do More: The 14-Day Productivity Makeover.” Rest makes you more productive.

Product 153

Product Email Customer Custom 153

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2022

I’m not talking here about time spent promoting yourself to others, but time spent listening and learning, and making these people feel appreciated and valuable. All productive business relationships must be based on some shared goals and common interests, potentially in different industries.

Product 102

Product Mentor Startup Activity 102

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

If you haven’t read Adam Lashinsky’s awesome new book about Apple , you should. It takes on many of the lessons MBA programs and Corporate America have been teaching about business for the past 50+ years and questions whether lessons from Apple might be more applicable in thinking about the future.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I’m super excited to announce that GRP Partners led the investment in Ethan Anderson’s new company MyTime (link has LA-based merchants but will give you a good feel for the product). ” So Ethan went to work as a product manager at Google Video. When Ethan was considering leaving Google we talked about it.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2016

Gregg Johnson, CEO of Invoca For the first 5 years or so after I became a VC I didn’t talk much about what I thought a VC should be excellent at since frankly I wasn’t sure. It’s easy to think the role of a VC is to have strong opinions about markets, trends, tech dynamics and so forth. I don’t think this is the job.

Venture Capital 150

Venture Capital Capital CTO Coach Startup 150

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

We did know about Snapchat as early as anybody. It was a “disappearing text app” where the founders told me that they named the company because the idea came from how Tiger Woods got caught cheating on his wife because all of his mistresses had evidence that he cheated because they saved text messages from him. I should have.

Snapchat 214

Snapchat Invest Technical Review Dollar Shave Club 214

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 11, 2009

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 -- Golden Opportunities: New Product Ideas. How do you find new product ideas that are likely to succeed? Join TechBiz Connection and two experts from Sage and Salesforce.com to learn more about the ecosystems and how to play in an established company ecosystem. Techbizconnection.

Ideas 100

Ideas TechBiz Product Entrepreneur 100

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 15, 2014

.” I have been weighing in slowly on the topic over the past few weeks on Twitter but have avoided writing a blog post about it until now. I have thought a lot about anonymity over the years and actually have enjoyed debating the topic with those passionate about anonymity’s benefits because of course that’s how I learn.

Technical Review 329

Technical Review Blogging Examples Startup 329

TechEmpower

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Here are some items to think about: Have you defined the functionality? Ensure that you investigate the designers' past work, samples of their work product, and their process. Quality of Work: The end product should not only look good but function as expected. tew_cta text="Do you have an idea for a software project?

Software Development 295

Software Development Software Review Develop Development 295

socalTECH

MAY 28, 2013

In real life, you can just about bargain a price for anything you want to buy--a car, a house, even that new stereo from your local electronics store. Joe Marrapodi: GreenToe is a name your own price marketplace for products. However, rather than travel services, it''s for products. But, online, that''s not the case.

Pricing 273

Pricing Product Help Sales 273

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Yet I can assure you that people who are paranoid, or want to avoid all risks, won’t be happy as entrepreneurs, so it’s all about balancing the risk-reward scale.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Ideas Sample 101

socalTECH

OCTOBER 5, 2011

To understand how one local company is making that transition, we talked with Los Angeles-based All About Addiction (www.allaboutaddiction.com), a company that grew out of Adi Jaffe's work at UCLA as a trained psychologist. First, what is All About Addiction about? The idea is really to make the process as simple as possible.

UCLA 204

UCLA Research Tech Coast Angels Offshore 204

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

In fact, some totally avoid it, assuming their product or solution will speak for itself later. Contributing to industry blogs, or starting your own, is an ideal way to express your positive values, and build a reputation that can save you later if your product stumbles, or you receive some negative challenges.

Product 127

Product Entrepreneur Technical Advisors Technical Review 127

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

I saw him on stage at the event talking about how he used social media to engage audiences. And after one meeting they started asking for his advice about marketing, customer engagement, product design, monetization – whatever. Five-and-a-half years ago I first met Chamillionaire at a tech conference in LA.

Conference 150

Conference Slides Social Media Summary 150

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Should I trust my instincts for founders and products or should I be more focused on the market size or business plan? I’m not saying that lawyers were my screening process – simply that they knew about deals early on and they had voted with their time and pocketbooks so I knew I had a degree of filtering. What stage?

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2015

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. Attend trade shows and network to find the right players and pitch your product.

Ideas 104

Ideas Mentor Resource Entrepreneur 104

Eric Greenspan

MAY 9, 2013

There’s great ideas everywhere. My idea is to never plant anything you can’t eat. We’d end hunger and rid the world of dangerous pesticides used in mass production. The time is ripe for the next generation keyboard idea. Keyboard idea 1. Keyboard idea 2. About my company: [link].

Ideas 117

Ideas Screening IBM IBM 117

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2019

Image via Pixabay In my role as a new business advisor and occasional investor, I hear lots of people talking about their dreams of “someday” starting and running a new venture. They can talk with passion about their innovative new idea, and ask lots of questions, but never seem to really get started.

Ideas 99

Ideas Slides Writing Startup 99

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2014

Most people think innovation is all about ideas, when in fact it is more about delivery, people, and process. At the same time, myths about innovation are commonplace in business. While it is true that you can’t get started without an idea, the importance of the Big Hunt is vastly overrated. Marty Zwilling.

Ideas 107

Ideas Startup Resource Entrepreneur 107

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018

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. Here are seven key considerations for how you should make your own best entrepreneur business idea decision in this context: Pick something you really enjoy doing.

Ideas 78

Ideas Startup Satisfaction Entrepreneur 78

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2019

Having a breakthrough idea or technology alone does not assure business success. “ Successful businesses require innovative people, who have built an abundance of innovation capital, to win support and resources for their ideas. Professional investors are adept at looking for innovation capital, beyond the passionate pitch.

Product 93

Product Ideas Resource Capital 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2015

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Yet I can assure you that people who are paranoid, or want to avoid all risks, won’t be happy as entrepreneurs, so it’s all about balancing the risk-reward scale.

Ideas 106

Ideas Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur 106

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2013

Some entrepreneurs seem to never stop talking about themselves, and all their accomplishments. The best ones talk more about how they have assembled a well-rounded team, and will continue to fill in the gaps. Talks about the implementation plan, not the idea. Customer needs and benefits first, then product features.

Ideas 108

Ideas Entrepreneur Funding Customer 108

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

And yet, such relationships properly used and never overused, can quickly and precisely help you cut through delays in government agencies, speed the process of product planning and ultimate release, aid in positioning in the market and help you avoid a myriad of mistakes that could prove costly in time and money.

Class 194

Class Organization Technical Review Activity 194

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

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. Here are seven key considerations for how you should make your own best entrepreneur business idea decision in this context: Pick something you really enjoy doing.

Ideas 108

Ideas Satisfaction Entrepreneur Activity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2014

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. Attend trade shows and network to find the right players and pitch your product.

Ideas 107

Ideas Mentor Entrepreneur Resource 107

Berkonomics

JULY 7, 2022

Skip or stay with me; but think about your balance in your leadership methods either way. Many times, it is a customer, an employee, or an industry conference that sparks the idea that drives you to create and express your vision of the future for your company or product line. Another leadership development bit?

Metrics 293

Metrics Ideas Conference Email 293

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2015

I’m sure she had no idea just how powerful that word and that concept would become. Fred Wilson immediately weighed in on her analysis , a meme was born and we were off to the races talking about “Unicorns.” I’m not talking about raising money at a billion dollars. ” Are there enough unicorns?

Startup 150

Startup Venture Capital Course Marketing 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2015

These days, everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, pitching their latest and greatest new idea, and looking for someone to give them money. Talk is cheap, but entrepreneurs who show you a working model of their idea know how to execute. Many ideas I hear sound great, but I have no idea if they can be implemented.

Ideas 107

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Tool 107

socalTECH

MAY 1, 2019

We caught up with Brian to hear more about the startup. I thought it was about time to do something about that, to make sure small business ownersnot just multi-million and billion dollar, Fortune 500 companiescould have access to all of the benefits and protection of the law. It's more about product differentiation.

Legalzoom 127

Legalzoom Startup Incubator Services 127

socalTECH

AUGUST 29, 2013

Can tapping the power of the crowd not only help you find customers and help fund your project, but also help you shape your startup idea and find funding? A new, Los Angeles area startup, JumpStartFund (www.jumpstartfund.com) recently launched, offering up a combination of crowdfunding and crowd-advice for entrepreneurial ideas.

Ideas 178

Ideas Patents Funding Startup 178

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Many people believe that new ideas are the critical element of innovation, but in my experience as a mentor and investor, long-term business success is more about implementation than ideas. Everyone has ideas, but only a few can make them happen. Experiment and pivot to avoid ‘big bang’ expectations.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Ideas Satisfaction Customer 114