InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 10, 2014

I have written about some of the wisdom I have received from my wise friends in several mentor articles. In my case, the youngest member of my biking group is nearly 15-years older than me, which causes them to refer to me as a "kid" and a "youngster." Nothing makes a 52-year old feel young like being called "a kid.".

Entrepreneur 193

Entrepreneur Santa Barbara Mentor Research 193

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

When you’re hiring most reference checkers focus on the person’s former bosses. Just literally this week I had breakfast with a guy giving a reference who said, “He’s brilliant. Our founder, Yves Sisteron, was my mentor and board member at my first startup. In many ways that can be way more telling.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Startup CTO Coach Venture Capital 320

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2017

Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. From an entrepreneur perspective, here are the barrier to understanding categories: Unclear frame of reference.

Mentor 61

Mentor Technical Review Entrepreneur Guide 61

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2017

In my experience working with startups, the best approach these days is to find and use a good mentor (been there, done that). Of course, mentoring is not new – it’s been the favored way to learn arts and crafts since way back in the middle ages. But I assert that mentoring in business is making a comeback.

Mentor 61

Mentor Technical Review LAMP Coach 61

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2020

Advisors need to be mentors, looking ahead and directing you on key actions to take or avoid. Mentors have no interest in win-lose relationships. Critics tend to rely on anecdotal or academic evidence to support their position, as opposed to a mentor’s insider perspective based on years of practical experience.

Mentor 124

Mentor Entrepreneur Help Email 124

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

See there are tons of people who play the role of mentor in their own capacity. And that’s why it’s super important to reference check your VC as I wrote in the linked post. And yes, there are some bad actors. Luckily word travels quickly. When everything went up-and-to-the-right of course they loved their VCs.

Startup 363

Startup Venture Capital Coach Press 363

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2014

For those in the know, Jarl has been a savvy angel investor and a mentor to many young tech founders (and a few of us VCs as well). So I called in and took the other side of that debate referring to myself solely as “Mark” and I think the host mentioned that I was an investor. What a load of rubbish.

Riot Games 299

Riot Games Media Startup News 299

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2022

Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. From an entrepreneur perspective, here are the key barrier-to-understanding elements: Unclear frame of reference.

Technical Review 137

Technical Review Entrepreneur Guide Mentor 137

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 3, 2022

Advisors need to be mentors, looking ahead and directing you on key actions to take or avoid. Mentors have no interest in win-lose relationships. Critics tend to rely on anecdotal or academic evidence to support their position, as opposed to a mentor’s insider perspective based on years of practical experience.

Mentor 115

Mentor Entrepreneur Help Email 115

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

You can’t reference check your way into a “yes.” Reference checking is to confirm or disprove a strong, positive intuition you already have about founders that could lead to an investment or a pass. I don’t need to name companies for you to come up with your own examples.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Berkonomics

JUNE 22, 2012

I have a friend in the music business who worked hard to gain introductions to, and become mentored by, several known names in the business. One well known informal mentor called him the “Stevie Wonder of Hip Hop.” How do you define yourself? A mantra, tag line, motto, or logo with your unique brand definition is a good start.

Mentor 136

Mentor Statistics Press Entertainment 136

socalTECH

OCTOBER 24, 2011

To that end, last week, Los Angeles-based MuckerLab (www.muckerlab.com) announced its plans--and a big lineup of local CEO mentors--to start up a new, YCombinator- and TechStars-type program in Los Angeles, headed by former Silicon Valley venture capitalist Erik Rannala , and affiliated with the TechStars Network.

Technical Advisors 176

Technical Advisors Startup Southern California Los Angeles 176

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Once you have some traction, you can approach venture capital organizations , with funding amounts of $1-10 million for the real rollout, often referred to as the “A-round,” or first institutional funding.

Resource 171

Resource Startup Organization Incubator 171

Berkonomics

MAY 23, 2019

I have a friend in the music business who worked hard to gain introductions to, and become mentored by, several known names in the business. One well known informal mentor called him the “Stevie Wonder of Hip Hop.” Sometimes you win when others define your story. Sometimes you reduce your market to increase your positioning.

Mentor 120

Mentor Statistics Press Blogging 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. From an entrepreneur perspective, here are the barrier to understanding categories: Unclear frame of reference.

Technical Review 104

Technical Review Guide Entrepreneur Mentor 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2013

Most startup mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. From an entrepreneur perspective, here are the understanding barrier categories: Unclear frame of reference.

Entrepreneur 101

Entrepreneur Technical Review Guide Mentor 101

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

It goes without saying that if you find yourself in a really negative headspace PLEASE reach out to any trusted mentor, friend or family member. If your company can help with job search, or resume writing or providing references or calling other companies to tell them you did redundancies?—?you I imagine many of you are, too.

Demand 279

Demand Guide Customer Custom 279

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2022

These authors reference real cases and real business leaders, based on their decades of experience in building companies and executive coaching. I offer here their summary of purposes and inspirations that have motivated existing business leaders, with insights from my own mentoring and coaching experience.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Coach Mentor Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2022

It refers to multiplication factors that occur when complementary actions or approaches are used together for greater impact. Seek mentoring from established industry leaders. The right mentors can give you timely and unbiased feedback on your business, industry trends, and emerging competitors.

Marketing 119

Marketing Social Media Mentor Conference 119

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2019

Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. From an entrepreneur perspective, here are the key barrier-to-understanding elements: Unclear frame of reference.

Technical Review 94

Technical Review Entrepreneur Guide Mentor 94

InfoChachkie

JANUARY 12, 2012

Board skills (Startup coaching, mentoring, strategy, operational/growth). He was worse than useless as his frame of reference seldom synced up with my portfolio company. People skills <again> People skills <and again> Market/technology acuity (patterns of success, domain expertise). Fundraising skills.

Venture Capital 239

Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur SaaS 239

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

YOU Selling – My wise old friend & mentor, Ameet Shah, once told me after a meeting we had with clients (when I worked at Accenture), “there are two ways to run a meeting: asking or telling. Even better if you have permission to discuss actual names as a “reference client.&#. You can mention them generically.

Sales 314

Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Another approach is to ask the investor for references, where their involvement has made a real difference, leading to success. That means you and your business must benefit from both the money and mentoring from the investor, and the investor will win from getting a larger return sooner.

Technical Review 138

Technical Review Startup Innocal Offshore 138

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 6, 2014

I admit that I haven’t yet read it but I’ve had numerous discussions with Brad over the years about board structure & conduct and consider him a mentor on the topic. Selling tons of “shelfware” (customers who buy but don’t use your software) and thus having bad customer references. In the Early Days.

Startup 325

Startup Sales Technical Review Venture Capital 325

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2022

A common request I get while mentoring entrepreneurs is for a copy of the startup checklist they need to follow, in order to build a successful new business. This refers to the use of game thinking and software design mechanics to make it more effective and friendly for people to engage with technology. I wish it was that easy.

Technology 133

Technology Cloud Computing Social Media Networking 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Another approach is to ask the investor for references, where their involvement has made a real difference, leading to success. That means you and your business must benefit from both the money and mentoring from the investor, and the investor will win from getting a larger return sooner.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Funding Innocal Offshore 124

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Once you have some traction, you can approach venture capital organizations , with funding amounts of $1-10 million for the real rollout, often referred to as the “A-round,” or first institutional funding.

Startup 122

Startup Funding Organization Incubator 122

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2022

If you are in this second category, you probably don’t like the references behind your back that you are a “control freak” or a “micro-manager.” It will inspire loyalty, provide real satisfaction for work done, and become the basis for mentoring and performance reviews. For a few, delegating comes easily, maybe too easy.

Startup 121

Startup SEO Social Media Satisfaction 121

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2010

Another sure-fire approach to finding what’s available is to check local university resources – almost every one offers some services along these lines, or certainly can refer you to local alternatives. Look first for people there who can help you, by their introductions, mentoring, and experience. Marty Zwilling.

Incubator 93

Incubator Startup Seed Funding Mentor 93

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2022

In my experience as an advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs in business, one of the biggest failures I see is a lack of self-leadership. Ethical behavior refers to actions consistent with personal principles and commonly held values in your business community. You can’t lead a business to success, if you can’t lead yourself.

Capital 114

Capital Coach Satisfaction Ideas 114

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

What does that refer to exactly? What Miigle does is make it easier for entrepreneurs to grow their ideas and startups by connecting them with people including other entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, potential product users who share their interests and want to help. So Luc , you call yourself a ‘Netrepreneur’ and social entrepreneur.

Startup 101

Startup Ideas Platform Entrepreneur 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Another approach is to ask the investor for references, where their involvement has made a real difference, leading to success. That means you and your business must benefit from both the money and mentoring from the investor, and the investor will win from getting a larger return sooner.

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Innocal Offshore Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2010

The article also refers to government data showing that those 55 to 64 and older represent one of the fastest growing groups of self-employed workers. How can you beat finding someone who has been there and done that, able to mentor Gen-Y, has lots of connections to people in your industry, and is often willing to work for equity alone?

Mentor 75

Mentor Statistics High Tech Demand 75

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2015

A common request I get while mentoring entrepreneurs is for a copy of the startup checklist they need to follow, in order to build a successful new business. This refers to the use of game thinking and software design mechanics to make it more effective and friendly for people to engage with technology. I wish it was that easy.

Startup 107

Startup Cloud Computing Social Media Entrepreneur 107

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

After years mentoring young aspiring entrepreneurs , I am now convinced that getting along and becoming more productive with other people is a skill that any professional can learn, or accomplish via a dedicated strategy. Write down your key goals and refer to this list before any interaction with your colleague.

Startup 114

Startup Examples Satisfaction Mentor 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2015

If you are in this second category, you probably don’t like the references behind your back that you are a “control freak” or a “micro-manager.” It will inspire loyalty, provide real satisfaction for work done, and become the basis for mentoring and performance reviews. For a few, delegating comes easily, maybe too easy.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup SEO Social Media 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2015

As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I recognize that it’s easy to spot a dysfunctional team after the fact, but it’s not so easy to spot the right attributes of new team candidates, in the context of existing members.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Coach Mentor 100