Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2019

It’s always tempting to think that more product variations will satisfy more customers and lead to new sales. People with the wrong tools or no training. It’s no secret that some people are more productive than others, due to skills, training, or commitment. Outsourcing services that could be done in-house.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Metrics Technical Review 122

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The combination of technical insight, founder authority, and sales experience is a hard-to-beat advantage in a competitive market. The financial suit. The operations superstar.

Technical Advisors 123

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2021

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. They run into difficulty when their business reaches the $1-2 million annual sales range, or their employee count exceeds 5-10. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Startup 171

Startup Organization Training Entrepreneur 171

socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2018

Ahead of the conference, we sat down and spoke with Kevin Anderson , co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Appetize (www.appetizeapp.com), a rapidly growing developer of point-of-sale software, on the topic of customer service. Lots of startups talk about trying to outsource all their customer support.

Customer 113

Customer Custom Services Conference 113

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 22, 2014

Outsourcing can be an extremely cost-effective solution here. Not only will you avoid adding to overhead costs at this early stage, but you’ll save management time — and free yourself to focus on developing your business. At a minimum, you should engage a lawyer to draft and/or review every contract you enter into.

Startup 97

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Sales 97

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2013

So when I meet with GRP portfolio companies that do enterprise sales I try to emphasize the following: 1. Often your sales engineers can do the customizations without bugging the core eng team. Importantly, make sure that you retain IP rights to your custom work which needs to be part of the engagement contract. rollout support.

Software Review 321

Software Review Software Services Company 321

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

I recently did a post for startups on understanding sales people. I know this will fall like a lead balloon to the many people who believe it is possible to have a [insert: startup incubator or technology accelerator or technology consultant or outsource firm] build your technology. I don’t believe that one exists.

CTO Hire 400

CTO Hire Fractional VPE Startup Outsource Development 400

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2015

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Solution development and delivery. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation.

Outsource Development 99

Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 99

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 19, 2013

The era of VCs investing in successful consumer Internet startups such as eBay led to a belief system that seemed to permeate many enterprise software startups that hiring sales or implementation people was a bad thing. But the “no sales people” mantra isn’t what I’m here to take on. I believe it’s flawed.

Startup 403

Startup Sales Software Review Technical Review 403

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

I am not a government contracting expert. Government customers abundantly waste both of these assets by negatively impacting a startup’s cash flows while causing it to spend unnecessary time participating in laborious approval processes and elongated sales cycles. The Downside Of Government Contracting.

Startup 207

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Sales 207

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

A large, wireless carrier (AT&T) was willing to break it’s traditional rules in order to get access to innovation that it believed (correctly) would help it to sell more contracts and win more market share against its primary competitor (Verizon). Why Exclusivity Matters to Your Customers or Business Development Partners.

Outsource Development 150

Outsource Development Startup Customer Custom 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2014

Develop your business plan. This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important.

Startup 107

Startup Outsource Development Training Outsource 107

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 28, 2016

Entrepreneurs need to document a process of responding to a market need, sizing opportunity, assigning a specific business model, and planning for marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction. Solution development and delivery. Typically some production and delivery is outsourced, requiring formal contracts and documentation.

Ideas 62

Ideas Outsource Development Startup Competition 62

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The combination of technical insight, founder authority, and sales experience is a hard-to-beat advantage in a competitive market. The financial suit. The operations superstar.

Technical Advisors 105

Technical Advisors Outsource Development Startup High Tech 105

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 10, 2012

When I started my first tech company in 1999 I had pretty good tech chops and had led teams but had very little exposure to many other things that matter in a startup including sales, marketing & business development. And those long contracts they want you to sign with terms that seemed more like Latin than English.

Startup 322

Startup Training Outsource Development Design 322

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2013

Develop your business plan. This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important.

Outsource Development 92

Outsource Development Training Outsource Metrics 92

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The combination of technical insight, founder authority, and sales experience is a hard-to-beat advantage in a competitive market. The financial suit. The operations superstar.

Technical Advisors 57

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 57

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2013

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. Maintenance contracts are another great way to create a brand-new revenue stream. Streamline management costs.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Outsourcing your core competency does not work. The sales professional. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. The combination of technical insight, founder authority, and sales experience is a hard-to-beat advantage in a competitive market. The financial suit. The operations superstar.

Technical Advisors 98

Technical Advisors Startup Outsource Development High Tech 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Develop your business plan. This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important.

Startup 102

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 102

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 6, 2012

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. Maintenance contracts are another great way to create a brand-new revenue stream. Streamline management costs.

Startup 94

Startup Outsource Development Sales Social Media 94

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

Looong Appendix (only for those interested in reading another story about losing a sale & key lessons): A personal story of losing a sale that haunted me for years. I had been competing to win a contract at Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK. I was to tell noone until the contract was signed.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

Looong Appendix (only for those interested in reading another story about losing a sale & key lessons): A personal story of losing a sale that haunted me for years. I had been competing to win a contract at Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK. I was to tell noone until the contract was signed.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

InfoChachkie

APRIL 13, 2015

Because I am cheap and I know that car dealers are incentivized by the manufacturer to hit quarterly and annual sales goals. Thus, the value of a sale at the end of a quarter can be significant, if the sale contributes to obtaining a manufacturer''s incentive. Avoid The End-Of-The-Quarter Trou Drop.

Pricing 100

Pricing Startup Sales SaaS 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2010

By Ernst Gemassmer Once you have succeeded in developing a solution and obtained initial funding, the next challenge is to penetrate the relevant domestic and international markets. Channel conflict is inevitable as you add additional sales channels. Ensure proper product and technical training. Avoid exclusive arrangements.

Startup 85

Startup Outsource Development Training Resource 85

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2010

Develop your business plan. This will include the first version of many critical processes that can be split out later, including market opportunity, requirements, product definition, business model, sales process, and organization. Product development process. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important.

Startup 95

Startup Outsource Development Writing Training 95

socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2013

Darren Marble: I spent the last ten years in enterprise sales, selling enterprise software and services to Fortune 500 companies. I'm a guy that gets things done as a sales person. That's great training for the startup world. Lots of them were in online media and entertainment. It's all about execution. Where's the service now?

Hollywood 256

Hollywood CTO Hire Social Media Platform 256

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2011

A good many startups I know have been “successful” over a couple of years in overcoming the challenges of starting the business, including incorporation, services development, funding, and setting up operations. Maintenance contracts are another great way to create a brand-new revenue stream. Streamline management costs.

Tips 92

Tips Startup Services Outsource Development 92

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

In the initial phases of any new market you’re developing a product (hopefully with a minimal set of features), getting feedback from customers, refining your product based on user feedback and then re-launching your product. Markets develop for a complex set of factors that are often beyond all of our control. What did he know?

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Startup Resource 374

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 9, 2016

Most begin by doing the product development, marketing and sales alone, but struggle making the transition to hiring and coaching others, defining repeatable processes and focusing on future strategy. Trust your gut, and ignore naysayers. Take pride in your ability to get things done yourself. It’s a big change.

Social Network 59

Social Network Startup Demand Entrepreneur 59

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2013

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. They run into difficulty when their business reaches the $1-2 million annual sales range, or their employee count exceeds 5-10. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Startup 109

Startup Entrepreneur Organization Training 109

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Assign value to all paid professionals, as their skills, training, and knowledge of your business technology is very valuable. Early customers and contracts in progress add value. Early customers and contracts in progress add value. Every customer contract and relationship needs to be monetized, even ones still in negotiation.

Startup 108

Startup Invest Patents Outsource Development 108

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 29, 2010

It's a fairly straightforward system design, and is essentially what Urenco developed. In the New York Power Authority contract, the use was halfway between two substations. They're kind of risk-adverse and conservative, and a little slower to respond to new developments. READ MORE>>.

Design 138

Design Training Southern California Outsource Development 138

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2009

I had been competing to win a contract at Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK. They were looking for a collaboration tool to manage all of their large water development projects. The initial contract was worth about $500,000 and the whole value of the contract would have been worth a couple of million over the years.

Startup 151

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review 151

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

I could easily go into the board rooms of major European companies (I was based in London) and land $500k – $1 million contracts so my order book grew rapidly. We had to do intense training sessions. It soaked up all of our development resources and didn’t allow us to focus on what we felt our company strategy was.

Startup 389

Startup Customer Custom Resource 389

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Others hire consultants, or outsource much of the real work. Instead, set long-term business objectives and develop a framework for the trajectory your team needs to get there. Too many entrepreneurs are reluctant to start the sales process, preferring to tweak and refine the product. Balance the long-term with the short.

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Template Mentor 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2012

Entrepreneurs often have formidable technical expertise, key to developing a new product or service, but a great naïveté in management skills. They run into difficulty when their business reaches the $1-2 million annual sales range, or their employee count exceeds 5-10. It means not only hiring, but training and measuring performance.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Startup Organization Training 94