Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

And one day a remarkable thing happened: we started making more than five dollars a day in revenue. BillSeitz - yes, but that was already true back in 2004. Slowly, over time, we optimized (or eliminated) each step in the process of becoming a customer by giving us money. May 8, 2009 2:27 PM Eric said.

SEM 164

SEM San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 164

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 7, 2022

Marcel is the CEO & Co-Founder of Parakeeto, a company dedicated to helping agencies measure and improve their profitability by streamlining their operations and reporting systems. Optimizing Your Agency For Profitability written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with Marcel Petitpas.

Cofounder 94

Cofounder Hosting Networking Software Review 94

Hearpreneur

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

Airbnb founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia had difficulty securing funding, so they launched a mini project to build some funds and catch investors' attention. Using this capital , the founders launched and enjoyed exponential growth in their first year, with 10K users and thousands of listings. Photo Credit: Jack Underwood.

Entrepreneur 127

Entrepreneur Bankruptcy Southern California South Africa 127

Seeing Both Sides

AUGUST 16, 2012

Last week, I wrote about Akamai , a company with strong network effects that successfully transitioned from a single product to build a platform that garners over a billion dollars in revenue and is now a core part of the Internet’s fabric. TripAdvisor, in effect, was a model lean start-up with an engineering-driven, product-focused founder.

Part-Time VPE 54

Part-Time VPE Software Review Costa Rica Technical Review 54

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 4, 2022

Cameron is t he founder of the COO Alliance, the World’s Leading Network for Seconds in Command. And that was, you know, 2004, 2005 was, I was realizing that it was no longer about working harder. Understanding The Role Of The Chief Behind The Chief written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. This is John Jantsch.

CTO 94

CTO Cofounder Networking Operations 94

Hearpreneur

JUNE 14, 2017

I’m Shelia Fitzgerald, owner and founder of EliteFitz, a destination inspired women’s boutique. We have an amazing co-parenting style that works for both of us, and we’re both happy. Thanks to Emily Reynolds, founder of R PR Firm ! #4 I started my business back in 2004 when I wanted to escape the corporate rat race.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur South Africa PR Thailand 129

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

What is the mix of revenue between ads, subscriptions, digital downloads & ecommerce. My favorite quote of the show, “Gregg, what’s the mix of revenue types?&# JibJab doesn’t do ad revenue at all. Working with a family member (Evan, the co-founder is his brother)? It changed everything.

Viral 303

Viral Investment Bankers Video Business Model 303

YoungUpstarts

MAY 7, 2019

BHAGs were established by management guru Jim Collins in his 1994 book “ Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great) “ , co-authored with Stanford professor Jerry Porras. billion in revenue, with a total revenue of $136.3 But a BHAG shouldn’t focus solely on revenue or growth.

Connecticut 180

Connecticut New York City New York Australia 180

Gust

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

For more page-turning corporate drama, including the feud between Intermix co-founders and UCLA college buddies Brett Brewer and Brad Greenspan, Nasdaq delisting, proxy contest and lawsuits by Greenspan after he was fired as CEO, see Stealing MySpace by WSJ reporter Julia Angwin. Redpoint, led by Geoff Yang , invested $11.5

Valuation 98

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Merger Vesting 98

The Next Web

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

Monty Munford is the founder of Mob76 , a company that helps companies become investible and prepares them for exit. It has made and wasted billions of dollars in oil revenues and outside Lagos the country is corrupt and doesn’t even run a Postal service for its people. Moreover, investment in the country has been slow to accelerate.

Nigeria 148

Nigeria Africa Reputation Email 148

BeyondVC

AUGUST 27, 2007

It was John who also first introduced me to the company in July of 2004 when I decided to participate in their angel round. Yes, there was no revenue model at the time but it was quite clear how engaged the audience was and we knew that we could eventually layer in contextual advertising and other sources of revenue.

Media 78

Media Sales Cofounder Audience 78

www.ericsink.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

2004-07-08 15:59:32 Hazards of Hiring. But in a small company that is funded by its own revenues, it is almost always a mistake to hire for a position before it is absolutely clear that hiring is the right thing to do. The decision was primarily being driven by myself and one of my co-workers named Mary. About Eric. Version 7.0

Hiring 40

Hiring Software Review Coder Illinois 40

Berkonomics

JULY 10, 2014

Why fight about valuation, or disappoint the founder at the outset? The first is of a 2004 startup that I cofounded and led the investment group for several early rounds, then VC rounds. The first is of a 2004 startup that I cofounded and led the investment group for several early rounds, then VC rounds.

Valuation 71

Valuation Cofounder Founder Revenue 71

View from Seed

JANUARY 26, 2016

For reference, First Round Capital and Softech were founded in 2004 (although they were less institutional early on), Floodgate in 2006, Harrison Metal in 2008, etc. technical co-founder). Third, founders at this stage have an incentive to minimize dilution at the point when their equity is the least valuable.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Early Stage Cofounder Finance 120

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 18, 2011

SocialMediaExplorer.com is owned, co-authored and edited by Jason. Shama is a bestselling author with her book - The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue. Read each of the five posts that follow and click our entry form link to match the guest star with their post.

Small Business 61

Small Business Marketing Social Media Cofounder 61

Hearpreneur

OCTOBER 30, 2015

In January of 1999, I co-founded a marketing agency with a former boss. After taking another year to build a second email marketing startup (with Anvil running in the background), I finally decided it was time for me to commit to building my own team and Anvil grew in earnest in 2004. Thanks to Mike Samson, crowdSPRING. #3 software.

Entrepreneur 48

Entrepreneur Australia Software Review LLC 48

BeyondVC

AUGUST 27, 2007

It was John who also first introduced me to the company in July of 2004 when I decided to participate in their angel round. Yes, there was no revenue model at the time but it was quite clear how engaged the audience was and we knew that we could eventually layer in contextual advertising and other sources of revenue.

Media 60

Media Sales Cofounder Audience 60

Berkonomics

JANUARY 28, 2021

Why fight about valuation, or disappoint the founder at the outset? The first is of a 2004 startup that I cofounded and led the investment group for several early rounds, then VC rounds. The first is of a 2004 startup that I cofounded and led the investment group for several early rounds, then VC rounds.

Early Stage 62

Early Stage Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder 62

Mike Michalowicz

NOVEMBER 11, 2021

Buzz, as most call him, has simplified digital marketing success with The Rule of 26 and is on a mission to double the website revenue of service-centric businesses across America. Ashlee Berghoff, MBA, is the founder of A Squared Online. My wife Mirta, a professional chef from Paraguay, and I started the business in 2004.

Paraguay 84

Paraguay Cofounder Cleveland Email 84

Reid Hoffman

MARCH 19, 2019

Google realized that being the way to find the world’s information was a blitzscalable market, thanks to the network effects in its AdWords revenue engine. Paul’s track record as a serial entrepreneur was far more impressive than either Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick or Lyft co-founder Logan Green.

Cofounder 28

Cofounder Business Model IPO Non-Compete 28

Reid Hoffman

OCTOBER 15, 2013

What I’ve honorably been able to do, however, is share the deck I used to pitch LinkedIn to Greylock for a Series B investment back in 2004. the consumer internet landscape in 2004 vs. today. Put another way, the ideal financing partner is a financing cofounder. the evolution of LinkedIn as a company.

Finance 78

Finance Cofounder Early Stage Networking 78

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

If a company has reached a level of success, has been around for a few years and you believe the company has potential to break out into a much bigger company then you should let the founders take money off of the table. Founders however are asked to take low salaries and never really get back the time they worked for free.

Founder 329

Founder Liquidation Preference Term Sheet Participating Preferred 329

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

What I’ve honorably been able to do, however, is share the deck I used to pitch LinkedIn to Greylock for a Series B investment back in 2004. the consumer internet landscape in 2004 vs. today. In 2004, the consumer internet was just beginning to rebound. we had no revenue. the evolution of LinkedIn as a company.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Viral Revenue Networking 111

Eric Friedman

JULY 12, 2016

Previously, Eric was the Global Senior Director of Sales and Revenue Operations for Foursquare. Eric graduated from George Washington University in 2004 with a degree in Marketing. Previously, Mike was the Co-Founder & COO of Tunetap , a crowdfunding platform for musicians to raise money for their concerts.

Email 60

Email Washington Incubator Cofounder 60

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

Kayak was started here in my backyard of Boston… co-founder & CTO Paul English and the product/engineering team is based here in Concord MA. Co-founder & CEO Steve Hafner and the business team are based in Norwalk, CT. Founding Date: 2004. Financial Snapshot: 2010 Revenue: $170 million.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

Agile VC

MAY 26, 2011

Many assume it was a cakewalk, based on the success LinkedIn has enjoyed over time and the current stature of our founder/CEO Reid Hoffman (now Chairman). Google is still a private company (their IPO was Aug 2004). conference happened at the end of 2004). It’ll be nearly two years before the concept of “Web 2.0″

Term Sheet 178

Term Sheet Silicon Valley Technical Review Social Network 178

mashable.com

JUNE 11, 2013

In fact, recent research shows that 75% of startups fail (based on a study of 2,000 startups that received VC funding from 2004 to 2010). Or maybe the co-founders have a poisonous relationship that will hinder the companys growth. Check out the tips below from founders, CEOs and investors alike. Leave it in the comments.

Cofounder 111

Cofounder Technical Review Startup Software Review 111

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Jeff Katzenberg has a great track record – head of the studio at Paramount, chairman of Disney Studios, co-founder of DreamWorks and now chairman of NewTV. Tech IPO prices exploded and subsequent trading prices rose to dizzying heights as the stock prices became disconnected from the traditional metrics of revenue and profits.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Professor VC

JUNE 20, 2011

Since the iControl system chronicles all meetings, I was able to find the automatic picture snapped from my first meeting with the founders, Reza Raji and Chris Stevens on April 22, 2004. I took a look back at our original financial model we presented to VCs in 2004.

San Jose 28

San Jose Angel Investor Term Sheet Venture Capital 28

Hippoland

JULY 24, 2018

And I enjoy working with founders immensely. To give you some perspective, my salary today is less than what I made at my first job out of college…in 2004. Having raised money before for my startup and having coached a lot founders on fundraising over the last few years, I’ve grown to love it.

Salary 48

Salary Capital Call Bootstrapping Cofounder 48

Hippoland

JULY 24, 2018

And I enjoy working with founders immensely. To give you some perspective, my salary today is less than what I made at my first job out of college…in 2004. Having raised money before for my startup and having coached a lot founders on fundraising over the last few years, I’ve grown to love it.

Salary 48

Salary Capital Call Bootstrapping Cofounder 48

Hunter Walker

JANUARY 15, 2016

Dogster launched January 12, 2004 (Happy 12th Birthday Dogster!) I wish I could claim I deftly foresaw this, but I was just seeking recurring revenue to to cover OneMatchFire’s office expenses. How do founders think about whether it’s time to move on or not? This was pre-Google images, pre-MySpace/Facebook.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Startup Cofounder SMS 48

mashable.com

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Facebook Co-Founder’s Startup Asana Launches Publicly. Joshua Baer is the co-founder and CEO of Otherinbox , a prolific angel investor and the director of Capital Factory , Austin’s seed-stage incubator. He founded SKYLIST in 1996 from his college dorm room at Carnegie Mellon, and created UnsubCentral in 2004.

Social Media 80

Social Media Startup Angel Investor RSS 80

online.wsj.com

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

His findings are based on data from more than 2,000 companies that received venture funding, generally at least $1 million, from 2004 through 2010. Consider Daniel Dreymann, a founder of Goodmail Systems Inc., Mr. Dreymann moved his family from Israel in 2004 after co-founding Goodmail in Mountain View, Calif.,

Venture Capital 107

Venture Capital Software Review Rhode Island North Dakota 107

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 10, 2010

This episode of This Week in Venture Capital featured Michael Montgomery, president of Montgomery & Co. If you don’t know Montgomery & Co it is one of the premier technology & media focused investment banks in the country (and as Michael corrected me they also have a strong Healthcare / Med tech practice). students.

IPO 242

IPO Venture Capital Private Placement Cofounder 242

Hearpreneur

SEPTEMBER 15, 2017

And like the LITERATI, professionals we work with are educated on how to market their business in order to increase revenue opportunities. When I decided to quit the corporate world and build my company in 2004, I saw very few companies focused on helping SMB with digital marketing services. co” URL or name, Walker approached Yahoo!

Naming 103

Naming Entrepreneur Green LLC 103

www.chubbybrain.com

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

spent $20 million to get back to the same revenue that I had when I was CEO. created a vastly higher cost structure; I had 80 people mostly on base salaries under $100,000 and was bringing in revenue at the rate of $20 million annually. .”). Furthermore, founders become highly emotional about their companies.

Software Review 79

Software Review Startup Technical Review Vesting 79