Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. Thinking out loud – I’m sure that’s important for entrepreneurs as well. If you haven’t spent time over there you should.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Customer 306

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

socalTECH

APRIL 18, 2017

We are also launching beverages and coffee, two new categories, next month. With brands today, as you probably know, every consumer category is being massively disrupted by the long tail. Additionally, we're very sales and marketing driven. When we started out, it was all about new revenues and new sales.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Services Sales Customer 124

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

I’d like to do a few posts on what life looks like on the way up and perhaps how to keep your head on straight and avoid drinking your own Kool Aid because as I often advise entrepreneurs on irrational exuberance, “ In a strong wind even turkeys can fly.” Poorly implemented this category was the definition of shelfware.

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. A recent book, “ Hunting in a Farmer''s World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

TechCrunch LA

MARCH 23, 2021

The company aims to have its first product approved by European regulators by 2023 and notching commercial sales by 2025. Early Stage is the premier ‘how-to’ event for startup entrepreneurs and investors. Meatable has a long road ahead of it, because, as Gates acknowledged in his interview with MIT Technology Review (ed.

Chief Technology Officer 261

Chief Technology Officer Technical Review Software Review Product 261

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2023

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. Multiple decision makers required to close a sale. Products so innovative that they define a new category.

Case Study 89

Case Study Customer Custom Study 89

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. It’s always impressive to have stand-alone supporting documents for product specifications, sales plan details, and backup financial reports.

Entrepreneur 119

Entrepreneur Technical Review Statistics Startup 119

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2022

Most entrepreneurs realize that doubling their revenue each year puts them in a premium category with investors, so that may be your first target. This can be projected top down from market share assumptions, or bottom up from actual costs and sales results. Investors will test your savvy by asking where your business breaks.

Startup 147

Startup Pricing Sample Customer 147

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2022

Idea people often don’t get funded as entrepreneurs, because a new business is all about results, not just ideas. I find many technologists fit well into this category, but most of them are frustrated by required interfacing to real customers, managing business finances, and marketing. Enablement: provide support and human capital.

Activity 108

Activity Satisfaction Metrics Startup 108

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2015

For example, quarterly sales on one of your most important products suddenly decreases, or your inventory across a whole category has surged. If one metric changes, it may not be significant, but someone needs to monitor whole categories for fluctuations that may be a weak signal. What new boxes are you implementing these days?

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur eBook Metrics Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. Multiple decision makers required to close a sale. Products so innovative that they define a new category.

Case Study 174

Case Study Startup Customer Custom 174

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2021

The recent pandemic was a strong signal for change, and I see most of you entrepreneurs and business owners responding to the business changes required and new opportunities presented. When sales fall off, you need to dig deep for the “why,” rather than just assuming the price needs to go down.

Marketing 162

Marketing Social Media Metrics Customer 162

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 14, 2016

The most obvious, is to drive sales. However, our approach is a whole new product category, part of the marketing cloud. Before we came to market, there had not been the focus on having the right people at marketing events, that tracking people matters, and including those events as part of the sales funnel.

Sales 100

Sales Santa Monica Startup Orange County 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2013

If you are in this category, first know that you are not alone, but then you need to take a look at the advice given by Patricia Sigmon in her book “ Six Steps to Creating Profit: A Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Service-Based Businesses.” entrepreneur Patricia Sigmon plateau profits startup' Raise the marketing bar. But don’t worry.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Sales 93

InfoChachkie

JUNE 16, 2016

Entrepreneurs create their own jobs, why shouldn’t they also create their own degrees? As described in Should Millennial Entrepreneurs Skip College? most young entrepreneurs benefit greatly from the college experience. When trying to cobble together a startup degree, consider the following categories of classes.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Class Course Writing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2013

Many entrepreneurs I know don’t realize that the language they learned in the corporate world, or even their recent MBA class, won’t get them ahead in the startup world today. As a reality check, try this quick test of your entrepreneur savvy. As a reality check, try this quick test of your entrepreneur savvy. Super-angels.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup Web Equity 109

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

The challenge is to transform and hardwire your entire team to think in these terms, rather than the default focus on distinct towers of product quality, closing the sale, or fixing a complaint. If you surveyed your customers today, what percent of your customers would put you in the winning category? Marty Zwilling

Customer 106

Customer Custom Startup Competition 106

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2022

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. It’s always impressive to have stand-alone supporting documents for product specifications, sales plan details, and backup financial reports.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Startup Statistics Social Media 109

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2022

For example, quarterly sales on one of your most important products suddenly decreases, or your inventory across a whole category has surged. If one metric changes, it may not be significant, but someone needs to monitor whole categories for fluctuations that may be a weak signal.

eBook 111

eBook Metrics Examples Startup 111

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

One or more of the following parameters are viewed by most investors as traction indicators, but good entrepreneurs are often creative and define their own to supplement these: Start with sales to-date for a priced offering. As an investor, I would like to see one month of sales, and see how that compares to your projections.

Startup 121

Startup Metrics Customer Custom 121

InfoChachkie

JULY 26, 2010

Entrepreneurs can emulate de la Guerra’s strategy and make their adVenture appear far larger than reality and thus increasing its influence and market reach while discouraging competitive threats by creating an industry alliance. Revenue – We generated significant fees, over and above our product sales, from our members. Road Rules.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Santa Barbara Startup Conference 168

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

The best entrepreneurs in our industry focus on it year-round as opposed to just once every 18 months. But it’s critical for your business, for you as a leader and people who excel at fund raising have an extreme advantage over those who do not. But if there is nothing wrong with you then please don’t let early rejections alter your course.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2020

The challenge is to transform and hardwire your entire team to think in these terms, rather than the default focus on distinct towers of product quality, closing the sale, or fixing a complaint. If you surveyed your customers today, what percent of your customers would put you in the winning category? Marty Zwilling.

Customer 168

Customer Custom Services Startup 168

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 95

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

We're here to help them solve the problem of compliance and retail policy enforcement, and to understand what people are saying about their products next to their buy buttons, what kind of reviews they are getting, and to understand other things that influence sales. We provide analytics on the velocity of sales across their channels.

Artificial Inteligence 140

Artificial Inteligence Startup Commerce Sales 140

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

Whenever a VC assesses a potential investment opportunity, they attempt to match the entrepreneur(s), their solution, and intended markets with a pattern they have previously encountered. Conversely, even if a venture is pre-revenue, the operational risk is reduced if the entrepreneurs have a relevant track record of success.

Technical Review 244

Technical Review Startup Venture Capital RSS 244

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2020

Most entrepreneurs realize that doubling their revenue each year puts them in a premium category with investors, so that may be your first target. This can be projected top down from market share assumptions, or bottom up from actual costs and sales results. Investors will test your savvy by asking where your business breaks.

Startup 123

Startup Pricing Sample Customer 123

Tech.Co

OCTOBER 28, 2020

Merchants can target campaigns by gender, age, user behavior, and video category, with their total cost varying based on merchants' needs and budget. Shopify is also a mammoth competitor in the ecommerce industry, with over half a million active stores that have realized a total of $135 billion in sales.

Help 150

Help Platform Startup Social Media 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2020

Many new entrepreneurs are so excited by their latest idea that they can’t resist contacting every investor they know, assuming the investor will be equally excited and want to contribute immediately. It’s always impressive to have stand-alone supporting documents for product specifications, sales plan details, and backup financial reports.

Technical Review 124

Technical Review Statistics Startup Social Media 124

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

The CFO requires financial acumen driven from metrics, which can be had from sales and operational information, however, they're often locked into these silo'ed application stacks. David Loo: In my mind, at this stage, it's the ability to have sales efficiency with enterprise customers.

SaaS 113

SaaS Startup Customer Custom 113

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 7, 2021

Unfortunately, in today’s world where time is of the essence, none of us can afford to make all the mistakes personally and learn from them, so I always try to recommend some key strategies for moving more quickly into the wise category: Keep your eye on the big picture, to temper your passion.

Patents 138

Patents Mentor Customer Custom 138

socalTECH

MAY 30, 2019

Richards--a serial entrepreneur who has been involved in a number of technology companies here, including NTI Group (sold to Blackboard), Internships.com, MP3.com, I've learned a lot, and my partner Paul has through our companies, and as a result, a lot of mistakes you make as an entrepreneur, we're not going to make.

Content 193

Content Social Network Coach Help 193

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

The most obvious way to explain this is with sales people. If you hire 6 senior sales reps in January at $120,000 / year salary then you’ve taken on an extra $60,000 per month in costs yet these sales people might not close new business 6 months. I often ask entrepreneurs to consider, “What’s your objective?

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. The mistake entrepreneurs make is either writing a lengthy email (everybody has too much email so it will get skimmed / not digested) or not having a deck which means the VC can’t quickly determine his or her fit as a potential investor. The key is WHAT you send.

Venture Capital 261

Venture Capital Slides Email Startup 261

Tech.Co

MAY 31, 2023

Launching and growing a startup is one of the biggest missions an entrepreneur can undertake. The platform allows users to create custom categories and run reports for improved visibility, and its app even lets users track miles driven on business trips.

Tool 131

Tool Startup Software Review Technical Review 131