Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA , which I wrote about previously. Having a good sales methodology can help you ensure your company runs more disciplined campaigns and focuses scarce resources on your best opportunities. It the second rule of sales, “Why Buy Me?”

Sales 336

Sales Startup Competition Customer 336

socalTECH

OCTOBER 28, 2010

How do you take a business you started as your own personal web site, and turn it into an online powerhouse, completely bootstrapped, from the little town of Ojai, California--not exactly known as a technology town? Bruce and I met at the Art Center, and that was when I first discovered the web. In our first year in businss, we had $1.7

Startup 242

Startup Web Design Writing Web 242

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 20, 2016

With a little bit of structure and ingenuity, you can supplement your sales efforts by leveraging channel partnerships. Just take what you would normally spend on a sales lead, and give that to the Channel partner in the form of a revenue share. Compensation doesn’t have to be complicated, either. My response was: FANTASTIC!

Writing 120

Writing Sales Networking Conference 120

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

My sales tax payments were due in the next few days, and I didn’t have the money. But I did have an appointment, a sales opportunity the next morning. I made the sale, and paid my debts. Frank Peters made his money writing software for Wall Street. [Email readers, continue here.] An earthquake struck Los Angeles.

Startup 204

Startup Software Review UCLA Sales 204

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2018

For starters you have to realize that fund-raising is a sales process. A brochure is an easy out for you in the sales process without being rude. We did some outbound sales & marketing, we responded to some inbound enquiries that came “over the transom” from marketing activities and we responded to RFPs (requests for proposal).

Funding 336

Funding Venture Capital Startup Email 336

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2021

The simple answer is that if you want to be found on the Web, the perfect domain name can be well worth a few thousand dollars, but don’t pay a fortune for one. range in the $20 to $40 range for a year registration, but you may be able to find sales on certain extensions for as little as fifty cents per year. Negotiate for the name.

Startup 136

Startup Pricing Tips .Net 136

socalTECH

OCTOBER 4, 2012

You've got a great idea for a web video series, but how do you learn about how to make that happen, to get distribution, and monetize that video? Los Angeles-based CreatorUp (www.creatorup.com) wants to help aspiring online video producers with an online web education series. Michael Tringe: We are an online web series school.

Web 187

Web Content Startup Education 187

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2021

With PPC, the goal is for the search user to not only see your ad, but to click on it to get to your website (click-through), and buy your widget (conversion to sale). It pays only if a customer clicks through AND takes a further action (conversion), such as buying a product or filling out a web form.

PPC 154

PPC SEO Paid Search Search Engine Optimization 154

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. Think of web vs. mobile. Of course it is super helpful if a VC can drop you in to important people for business development, recruiting, PR, sales and eventually M&A. Most VCs are book smart. Connections?

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2019

Equally important, if someone does find your site, your content must stand out above all similar sites, to keep visitors engaged, close a sale, and get customers to return. These days, customers want two-way relationships, and people who follow your writing will feel this bond. Hone your writing style for all communication.

Blogging 85

Blogging Search Engine Optimization Writing SEO 85

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

We not only have our Series A funds that can write $500k?—?$15 If you invest early and then pull back in the next 3 rounds your multiples on cash invested are much higher than if you keep writing checks. As I tell our LPs, “if I’m not making you slightly uncomfortable when I’m writing my first check I’m not doing my job.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2018

I fought with landlords (when the real estate market crashed), venture debt providers (who wouldn’t take a hair cut when everybody else had to), the board (over compensation), our competitors (over everything) and any service provider who didn’t live up to our perceived contract (recruiters, accountants, sales lead companies, web hosting companies).

Startup 199

Startup Writing Demand Equity 199

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

The most important advice I could give you before you set out in fund raising mode is to understand that fund-raising a sales & marketing process and needs to be managed. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them. In sales there are also three rules: Qualify, qualify, qualify.

Venture Capital 332

Venture Capital Funding Startup Sales 332

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

Back then there was no “cloud” so we had to plow money into hardware, software licenses and web hosting. But then you can springboard from there to your next gig and you’ll be an experienced startup employee with functional experience at sales, marketing, product or whatever roles you played.” Angel Yourself.

Startup 409

Startup Invest Venture Capital Writing 409

Berkonomics

JUNE 25, 2015

Sometimes this is called a white label strategy, because your customers offer your product as their own product, writing in their brand name on the blank label in your underlying offering. On the web, not only does no one know much of who you are, but no one cares how you sourced your widgets.

Outsource 120

Outsource Social Media Commerce Writing 120

socalTECH

OCTOBER 30, 2008

Scripped (www.scripped.com) is applying the world of Web 2.0 to the business of script writing, and is looking to combine a free online tool for writing scripts with matching those scripts with content producers. Using this content model, we've made two sales. What's Scripped? A large portion of our users are students.

Content 138

Content Writing Software Review Hollywood 138

InfoChachkie

MAY 16, 2011

1) Expect Independent Channel Sales Reps To Perform Missionary Sales. Rationale: I cannot afford to hire a direct sales force. Fallacy: Third-party, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) representatives succeed once the sales process is defined, proven and documented. 5) Allow Partners To Write Your Agreements.

Startup 242

Startup Outsource Development Outsource Sales 242

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 28, 2013

Alex is a proven web entrepreneur, having led and sold multiple successful startups. Prior to starting KnowledgeBase, Alex founded HostPro, an industry-leading web hosting and application services provider. Additionally, he has extensive application development, web hosting, and data center build-out and management experience.

SaaS 92

SaaS Cloud Computing CIO Web 92

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

Where Stealth is Good – There’s a lot of discussions on the web about whether startups should be stealthy before they launch or not. Marketing futures can be really good for enterprise software companies where the information is passed between sales rep and potential customer in terms of near-term roadmap.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business.

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 11, 2011

We talked about a lot of great stuff in the video including how to do sales calls and a how a new “culture of writing&# is emerging as a critical skill set in business today. If you want something to be shared virally on the web it has to be short.&#. That’s why people turn up to Buzzfeed.

Buzzfeed 354

Buzzfeed Content Tips Blogging 354

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

Frankly, it’s the life of ANY executives with whom you want to sell product, do a business development deal with, execute M&A, a journalist you want to write about your company?—?anybody. I always tell people that fund raising is a sales process. I know this sounds exaggerated but this is the life of an investor.

Software Review 381

Software Review Startup Email Conference 381

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2010

The VC’s & executives were then asked to make “commitments&# (in writing) to 3-5 of the companies that they felt they could make some sort of contribution to. Lee Essner is formerly a senior exec from WeddingChannel and has much experience in running a successful web property. And of course we had, TheMan.

Company 276

Company Companies Startup Southern California 276

InfoChachkie

JUNE 4, 2012

As an entrepreneur, I helped create companies which achieved two IPOs and two trade sales totaling $385 million. Public relations at a startup is a sales process. Your commitments to investors must be significant enough to compel them to write you a check. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”.

Entrepreneur 272

Entrepreneur Outsource Ideas Technical Review 272

TechEmpower

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

” In our performance consulting work, we often hear variations of the following: “Our web application was running fine with a few hundred users. Web application performance is a broad discipline. Meanwhile, Amazon famously claimed 1% fewer sales for each additional 100ms of latency. “It was running fine.”

Web 200

Web Technical Advisors Framework Technical Review 200

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Then when hiring a developer to build the project, show the developer you already have sales and offer them a percentage of passive income if they work at a lower or no charge rate. web & mobile development resources to find and hire a developer. web & mobile development resources to find and hire a developer.

CTO Hire 81

CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop Development 81

Tech.Co

MAY 26, 2020

Jeff Bezos didn't get to be the world's richest man by writing a lot of checks, and one recent way to keep Amazon's profits healthy has been to cut its affiliate commissions scheme. Its aim is to serve as the “largest database of unbiased product recommendations on the open web,” with an emphasis on “unbiased.” commission).

Technical Review 130

Technical Review Buzzfeed News Networking 130

socalTECH

JUNE 30, 2009

I am someone who likes to interact with my Representatives and Senators, by way of writing letters, emailing, and what not. When I was listening, I made a point to try to do that, but when I did, I found I had to go to twenty sites to find the information I needed--whether that was to write a letter, send an email, or whatever.

Startup 100

Startup Writing Southern California Email 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 9, 2012

You may have already found several articles, web pages, or books about writing the perfect executive summary. They all offer a list of requirements that might take 50 pages to address, but of course they ask you to write concisely. This one had better grab their attention, or they won’t look further. Executive team.

Summary 97

Summary Writing Competition Sample 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business.

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 2, 2011

It’s apropos because there is so much noise these days with email, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, web shows, etc. If I check Twitter it’s usually because I’m waiting for a meeting to start and I never write posts during the day. I like customer service but I also need to do sales, marketing, finance & operations.

Email 287

Email Blogging Venture Capital Writing 287

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 14, 2009

Cliff Allen is someone I've known for quite a few years and he's a go to person for me when I'm thinking about issues around marketing, sales, technology, startups and networking. I moved into writing software to analyze audience data, and wrote a lot of computer graphics software. Cliff, remind me about your background? Great stuff.

Los Angeles 150

Los Angeles Networking Marketing Startup 150

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

As automotive web sites go, there are lots of review and information sites giving you information about new and used cars, magazines and information sites for auto enthusiasts, and discussion sites and groups for all kinds of cars. The other thing that struck me, is because it is only men, they tend to write with lots of testosterone.

Truecar 204

Truecar Writing Edmunds Sites 204

socalTECH

AUGUST 27, 2014

We worked together for four years, and I ended up heading up media buying at that company, and he headed up sales. We started looking at the landscape, and as I was getting my MBA at the time, ended up writing the business plan for ConsumerTrack. We''re able to track everything we''re doing, and report back on it.

Startup 239

Startup El Segundo Marketing Media 239

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Telesign provides authentication services for the largest web companies in the world. A real simple example, is someone comes to register for a particular web service, puts their name, and contact information into a site, and our clients asks them for a valid phone number. That ended up as a $200 million sale to Microsoft.

Marina Del Rey 238

Marina Del Rey Startup IP Examples 238

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2016

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. On the product side, once you have a proven product and business model, all you need is money to build inventory, and a sales and marketing operation to drive the business.

Services 61

Services Startup Training Writing 61

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I promised I would write this post with some thoughts and ideas on the topic. The bad news is that Finding Developers is Tough Here in Los Angeles and even people willing to pay have a hard time finding Web Development in Los Angeles. Here's an example of that kind of email. The bad news is that they can get a good paying job anytime.

CTO Hire 211

CTO Hire CTO Coach Startup Equity 211