Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

Watch that patent provide a real barrier to competitive entry. New business models that provide an ongoing revenue stream, or a secondary stream from advertising, raise your margins and can give you some additional satisfaction. Keeping expenses down must always be top priority. Increasing customer focus and loyalty.

Startup 118

Startup Satisfaction Customer Custom 118

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

I’m not suggesting that a startup should ever disclose patent details to others before filing, but I can’t imagine why a startup would not seek visibility and feedback for their idea and solution while they could still make changes with minimal cost. In my view, this paranoid approach costs them much more than the risk of being open.

Marketing 105

Marketing Startup Search Engine Optimization Ideas 105

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2023

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Be a visible and available expert in your domain.

Startup 111

Startup Training Services Writing 111

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

An excellent example is the initiative by Elon Musk and Tesla Motors a few years ago to give away their battery patents, to infrastructure and competitive car providers, without transactional agreements. Social media relationships fuel the scaling fire. Maintain the agility to quickly pivot or quit. Not everything will work.

IBM 131

IBM IBM Startup Examples 131

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

Registered patents and other intellectual property. In this context, investors are attracted to thought-leaders visible on social media, and people with strong technical credentials. Many key insights to success in any business can’t be learned from books or the Internet.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 111

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Use social media for early marketing. Social media is not rocket science. In this case, the primary cash outflow would be for product development and operating expenses, with potentially enough runway to build the initial product, get a patent, attract some early adopters, and build the initial revenue stream.

Search Engine Optimization 124

Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media Equity 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

Watch that patent provide a real barrier to competitive entry. New business models that provide an ongoing revenue stream, or a secondary stream from advertising, raise your margins and can give you some additional satisfaction. Keeping expenses down must always be top priority. Increasing customer focus and loyalty.

Satisfaction 174

Satisfaction Custom Customer Outsource 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2021

You have done everything to register your brand legally , including domains, copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Pay close attention to social media and online feedback, and never respond defensively. Yet, as an outside advisor, I often see slippage over time on protecting your brand , which can be costly.

Examples 170

Examples Custom Customer Social Media 170

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

But they can otherwise save you much time and effort, and are also safer and more productive than the old-fashioned approach of broadcast emailing or cold-calling every investor you can find in online directories, or responding to the risky spam offers you get for funding on social media.

Platform 94

Platform Equity Invest Technical Advisors 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2022

With today’s worldwide Internet and social media, your brand impact is not set by what you say, but by numbers of followers, influencers, and satisfied customers. As a potential investor, I always look for startups that have filed at least a provisional patent, or can make the case that their solution cannot be easily duplicated.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Social Media Entrepreneur Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

The critical success factors for a product business are well known, starting with selling every unit with a gross margin of 50 percent or more, building a patent and other intellectual property, and continuous product improvement. Be a visible and available expert in your domain.

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2023

Highly saturated domains (more than 10 existing players), such as niche social media sites, are highly risky. Don’t try to explain your technical implementation, your patent algorithm, or your unfair competitive advantage here. Make it ready to play in all media. Are you uniquely qualified to deliver the solution?

Startup 96

Startup Education Ideas Custom 96

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

For example, I’m not sure the world needs one more social media niche site, or another dating site, or yet another flavored drink alternative. I do recommend non-disclosures and patents, but more can be gained than lost by talking to outside experts. Two heads are better than one.

Startup 162

Startup Metrics Ideas Entrepreneur 162

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2017

Get an NDA before detailed patent disclosures. Entrepreneurs should never disclose the details of a planned or current patent application to any outsiders, until after a non-disclosure or other contract has been signed. Some entrepreneurs avoid the patent process, since patent details become public once a patent is issued.

Technical Review 61

Technical Review Patents Ideas Social Media 61

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2020

I’m not suggesting that a startup should ever disclose patent details to others before filing, but I can’t imagine why a startup would not seek visibility and feedback for their idea and solution while they could still make changes with minimal cost. In my view, this paranoid approach costs them much more than the risk of being open.

Search Engine Optimization 174

Search Engine Optimization Ideas Custom Startup 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

Customers today quickly get beyond these, and put a competitive priority on the experience of others, reflected in reviews and social media, and their own total experience with your sales process, delivery, returns, and support on their schedule. Features, availability, and brand are just the price of entry.

Competition 142

Competition Software Review Social Media Custom 142

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2022

They only want a quick overview of the product, not detailed features and patent secrets. Look how many social media ‘likes’ my site has generated.” “I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.” Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Startup Statistics Social Media 109

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2020

Elon Musk and Tesla made their battery patents available to anyone, to clear the path for market infrastructure growth and compatibility, which of course benefits Tesla. Examples include the Nike Run Club app where people participate in challenges and win trophies. Offer an alliance with competitors to expand the market.

Marketing 170

Marketing Examples Startup Custom 170

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2020

Registered patents and other intellectual property. In this context, investors are attracted to thought-leaders visible on social media, and people with strong technical credentials. Many key insights to success in any business can’t be learned from books or the Internet.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Social Media Patents Mentor 126

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Team – higher requirements for caliber of team members Product – focus on truly differentiated and not me-too Market – is it really big enough to provide investor returns** Traction – need more users, partners, patents, etc Timing – are you building for yesterday or 2 yrs from now? Business - how are you actually going to make money?

Startup 150

Startup SEM IP SEO 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Highly saturated domains (more than 10 existing players), such as niche social media sites, are highly risky. Don’t try to explain your technical implementation, your patent algorithm, or your unfair competitive advantage here. Make it ready to play in all media. Are you uniquely qualified to deliver the solution?

Startup 166

Startup Education Ideas Custom 166

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

Trademarks, copyrights and even patents can be completed online by anyone through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office site for a few hundred dollars. Take advantage of social media and free websites for marketing. Site marketing is easily extended through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and social media.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Social Media Outsource Development 108

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

An excellent example is the initiative by Elon Musk and Tesla Motors a few years ago to give away their battery patents, to infrastructure and competitive car providers, without transactional agreements. Social media relationships fuel the scaling fire. Maintain the agility to quickly pivot or quit. Not everything will work.

Startup 124

Startup IBM IBM Examples 124

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

In today’s world of information overload, everyone relies on marketing and social media to find solutions to match their needs. Patents are not worth the effort, since big companies will win. Patents can raise startup valuation by investors by as much as a million dollars, and will attract acquisitions rather than copycats.

Technical Review 101

Technical Review Patents Entrepreneur Customer 101

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

I suggest you use social media, blogging, crowdfunding, or documented research to quantify a real demand from people who can afford it, and don’t have a better alternative already out there. Any startup with no patents, trade secrets, or other secret sauce is very high risk today.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Use social media for early marketing. Social media is not rocket science. In this case, the primary cash outflow would be for product development and operating expenses, with potentially enough runway to build the initial product, get a patent, attract some early adopters, and build the initial revenue stream.

Startup 89

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2014

The same is true for filing patents, registering trademarks, and filing copyrights. Social media facilitates marketing and sales. For startups, social media and color printers have essentially replaced the need for external public relations and marketing services. Work out of your home, and keep your own books.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Commerce Social Media 104

SoCal Delicious

JANUARY 15, 2010

Shortcut: sebastian-x.com Blog About Blogroll Links How brain-amputated developers created the social media plague Posted on 12 January, 2010 The bot playground commonly refered to as “social media&# is responsible for shitloads of absurd cretinism. Made by socialized geeks. Designating antisocial geeks.

Social Media 41

Social Media Develop Development Media 41

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2017

A good social cause doesn’t always imply a viable business. With interactive social media and blogging, you have every opportunity to test and tune your idea before spending any real money. Formalize a company entity, website, and social media presence. Test your assumptions in the target marketplace.

Ideas 74

Ideas Social Media Startup Custom 74

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2020

For example, you may feel you are saving money by doing all your own administrative work and monitoring social media feedback. There are complex processes, like filing a patent, and financial tools that may be new to you, including Excel and Quickbooks. Prioritize your tasks ahead of helping others with theirs.

Product 123

Product Startup Tips Entrepreneur 123

socalTECH

MARCH 27, 2015

Tyler Francois: urRadio is an all new, social media app, which allows you to host your own Internet radio station. You also have a vast number of people in the social world, the YouTubers, the Viners, the podcasters, who have all made a living and career, and enjoy being a personality on social media.

Yahoo 100

Yahoo Social Media Content Media 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

Then, he'll need to patent it and create a plan to show opportunity, competition, and financial projections. These days, even with the pervasive Internet and social media, it still takes time and money for your marketing and customer communication efforts to have an impact. Yes, there are a lot of bridges to cross.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2018

And we all know Facebook didn’t invent social media. Certainly I’m not recommending just one more Facebook, with a couple of features from Twitter, since social media has an unlimited potential for innovation. The advantage of imitation, with innovation, is that it gives you a solid base for building experience.

Startup 65

Startup Social Media Study Research 65

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2020

Even the best solutions these days need to be marketed on multiple platforms, including online, social media, and the proper industry and customer channels for customer geographies. Inventors follow a structured process to assemble and test solutions, file patents for intellectual property protection, and define production details.

Startup 124

Startup Entrepreneur Customer Custom 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Use social media for early marketing. Social media is not rocket science. In this case, the primary cash outflow would be for product development and operating expenses, with potentially enough runway to build the initial product, get a patent, attract some early adopters, and build the initial revenue stream.

Startup 108

Startup Search Engine Optimization Outsource Development Social Media 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

They only want a quick overview of the product, not detailed features and patent secrets. Look how many social media ‘likes’ my site has generated.” “I don’t have a business plan, but the technology is disruptive.” Investors are buying part of the business, not the product or service.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Statistics Social Media Startup 124

Xconomy

JANUARY 19, 2018

This scintillating information led to a new social media phenomenon, the “ girther ” movement, and a number of articles questioning the findings of longtime White House physician Ronny Jackson. ” He takes Propecia. He doesn’t have heart problems, had a perfect cognitive test score, and is one pound shy of obese.

Social Media 57

Social Media News Media San Diego 57