Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2022

This is still one of the most important competitive differentiators that you can offer. Anyone can have ideas, passion, and faith about an important business opportunity. They insist on greater efficiency, try new business models, organizational improvements, and better cash management. Applied faith.

Technical Review 297

Technical Review Angel Investor Differentiation Business Model 297

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2013

Every early-stage startup should explore this new funding alternative. Venture capital dispensed quarterly to startups actually declined again in the first quarter of 2013 to $6.3 VCs are finding that they don’t need the “large” funds of $100M to $500M to support a portfolio, if they focus on early-stage startups.

Angel Investor 231

Angel Investor Entrepreneur Early Stage Silicon Valley 231

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 22, 2024

When it comes to startups, the focus often gravitates toward acquiring new customers, expanding market reach, and chasing growth metrics. However, amidst the frenzy of attracting fresh clientele, many startups overlook a critical aspect of sustainable success – client retention.

Retention 148

Retention Reputation Startup Social Network 148

YoungUpstarts

JULY 17, 2013

You want the starting market you have chosen to be narrow enough to allow your product/service to be easily differentiated, but not so narrow that there isn’t enough market for the business to be viable. Build a business model that scales. As you build your business model, dig deep to find the “what ifs.”

Georgia 238

Georgia Atlanta Sales Cycle Business Model 238

View from Seed

DECEMBER 6, 2018

Another full-stack short-term rentals startup ? It seems as though in many categories, especially in consumer internet space, a handful of startups pursuing quite similar or even apparently identical ideas launch within months of each other. Another d2c gourmet pet food company ? Another affinity-based co-working space?

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Cofounder Stealth 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2023

Choose a business model that will win in the market. You need a business model that provides a good return for you and your team, long-term growth, value to your customer, and differentiates you from competitors. Many startups I know fail by simply giving up too soon.

Technical Review 201

Technical Review Government Agile Differentiation 201

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

The other aspect of the people roadmap is org-level team building necessary to unlock or accompany certain stages of the business. The decision around sequencing is equally (if not more) important, especially in the first 12-18 months of the business as you search for PMF and test out your initial go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

Part-Time VPE 195

Part-Time VPE Seed Stage CTO Hire Forecast 195

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 16, 2011

During today's roundtable, we had four Microsoft BizSpark Startup India Challenge grant finalists present. Freshdesk First, Girish Mathrubootham from Chennai, India, pitched Freshdesk , a SaaS company that provides small and medium businesses with on-demand customer support software that offers multi-channel social support.

India 123

India Bootstrapping Non-Compete Entrepreneur 123

Up and Running

DECEMBER 6, 2012

Lean Planning is a set of tools for discovering a business model that works, building an action plan to test your assumptions, creating financial models and a plan for a viable business, and tracking your performance so you can adjust your plan on the fly, quickly and easily. Do startups have a manual?

Lean 147

Lean Silicon Valley Forecast Technical Review 147

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 14, 2019

Your genius idea has a company name behind it, and you’re finally in the startup phase of your budding business. Hiring new talent is an inevitable and critical part of starting your own business, and it’s an exciting indication that your original idea has finally found its footing— now it just needs the manpower.

Hiring 128

Hiring Employee Social Media Technical Review 128

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

The “product” value is difficult to quantify, the costs are nebulous, and entrepreneurs have to clone themselves to scale the business. Many are reluctant to really “market” themselves, and have trouble differentiating their offerings to clients, except by price. They expect reviews and testimonials from other clients.

Differentiation 141

Differentiation SBA Social Media Dividend 141

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

Mike Yavonditte is the founder of the “super hot&# Hashable , a startup out of NYC that has been described as a “ Mint.com for Social Capital ” Mike sold his previous company, Quigo , to Aol for $340 Million. Of course, monetization of search became one of the best business models in the history of business.

Semantic 302

Semantic Acquisition Valuation Angel Investor 302

The Startup Magazine

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Also, before you invest a dime, the franchisor will give you a Franchise Disclosure Document, laying out in detail, pertinent information about the franchisors history, its business model, any litigation and much more. George contributes to the startup community with his business development advice and guidance.

Technical Review 139

Technical Review Differentiation Operations Restful 139

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2011

Within a small startup with 3 engineers, everyone will work on all aspects of the site. The community they had developed was extremely valuable and is what differentiated StackOverflow from the free, open source alternatives that were created in response to StackExchange. There is no perfect structure. Monetizing StackExchange.

Software Review 285

Software Review Software St. Louis API 285

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2011

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. I support her assertion that a business model consists of at least the first seven of the following ten basic elements: Value proposition.

Business Model 246

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 246

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. The most common failures are solutions looking for a problem, lack of a defined market, or an inadequate revenue model. Target market.

Business Model 256

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 256

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2012

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. I support her assertion that a business model consists of at least the first seven of the following ten basic elements: Value proposition.

Business Model 242

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 242

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 21, 2012

One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability. So what are some of the most common revenue models being used by startups today?

Business Model 282

Business Model Revenue Portfolio Differentiation 282

ReadWriteStart

OCTOBER 2, 2023

I’ll start by taking you to the world of Startup X, a passionate team of entrepreneurs who believed they had the next big thing in the world of software as a service (SaaS). It’s disheartening, but sadly, this is one experience that many startup founders face. Do you find yourself and your project in a similar position?

Design 105

Design Product Churn Rate Architecture 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Too many entrepreneurs look for that one magic bullet -- an exciting new technology, perhaps, or their own determination to make the world a better place -- to override any shortcomings in their startup model. Yet, magic bullets are not sufficient to assure business success. A large and growing market opportunity.

Exit Strategy 120

Exit Strategy Technical Review Distribution Viral 120

Up and Running

MARCH 11, 2020

When starting a new business you should consider the potential industries your company may have the best opportunity to compete in. To help with this, we’ve compiled a list of the top 4 industries that show the most promise for startups in 2020. Why Transportation Industry Businesses are Trending. SAAS Business Startup Guide .

Technical Review 97

Technical Review Green Silicon Valley Non-Compete 97

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

This is still one of the most important competitive differentiators that you can offer. Anyone can have ideas, passion, and faith about an important business opportunity. They insist on greater efficiency, try new business models, organizational improvements, and better cash management. Applied faith.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Angel Investor Differentiation Business Model 134

ConversionXL

JUNE 14, 2021

In this guide, you’ll learn how to differentiate your business and attract your ideal customers by creating a unique selling proposition. This leads to brands and startups playing a game of catch up on each other’s features. How do they differentiate from other competitors (including yourself) and handle objections?

Software Review 158

Software Review Audience Differentiation Framework 158

wordsting.com

APRIL 4, 2013

Fat startup: Learn the lessons of my failed Lean Startup. by Word Sting in Lean Startup , Software copywriting , Copywriting for startups. Those that do will likely fall under the influence of the celebrated Lean Startup movement. Yet the company failed -- more of a fat startup than a lean startup.

Lean 61

Lean Startup Software Review San Francisco 61

VC Cafe

APRIL 4, 2024

This creates a challenge, but also an opportunity for startups in the generative AI space. 70% of the startups in the current batch (170 out of 243) are AI companies. How can startups even compete against big tech, scale ups and other startups? Case in point: this week was Ycombinator’s W24 demo day.

Generative AI 78

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Technical Review ChatGPT 78

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2014

One of the toughest decisions for a startup is how to price their product or service. The implications of the decision you make are huge, defining your brand image, your funding requirements, and your long-term business viability. So what are some of the most common revenue models being used by startups today?

Revenue 287

Revenue Startup Business Model Retention 287

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 24, 2020

Every existing business, as well as every startup, needs to reassess their product or service in the context of these five forces: Intensity of competitive rivalry. This is where most current business plan analyses focus today. A key is your differential advantage from alternatives. Way back in 1979, Michael E.

Differentiation 378

Differentiation Framework Equity Business Plan 378

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 20, 2017

by Amanda Setili, author of “ Fearless Growth: The New Rules to Stay Competitive, Foster Innovation, and Dominate Your Markets “ Growth has always been fundamental to business success, but it’s never been more critical than it is now. Problem is, the same forces that make growth imperative also make it incredibly daunting.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Malaysia Agile Employee 147

Steve Blank

JANUARY 4, 2010

A lot of entrepreneurs think that their startup is the next big thing when in reality they’re just building a small business. How can you tell if your startup has the potential to be the next Google, Intel or Facebook? A first order filter is whether the founders are aiming for a scalable startup. The Scalable Startup.

Hockey Stick 303

Hockey Stick Venture Capital Startup Cofounder 303

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2022

Every entrepreneur needs this kind of focus to build a minimum viable product, target the right customer segment, differentiate from competitors, and drive business growth. Offense, for entrepreneurs, means leading with a new business model, new marketing, and new technology. Smash the box and think outside the box.

Startup 376

Startup Differentiation Business Model Global 376

SoCal CTO

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Fantastic post by Christian Gammill - Startup Delta Force… From a competitive perspective (e.g. all the other folks out there that will try to enter the same market) the barriers have been dropping over the last few years. Now, given our current economic crisis and VC ‘challenges’, the barriers to funding have gone up significantly as well.

Business Model 150

Business Model SEM IP Syndication 150

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 13, 2019

Being an entrepreneur also allows you to choose the business model that proves most beneficial for you, your clients, and your team. Because you make the decisions, you can build your business around your long-term life and career goals. Operating from a Profit-Oriented Business Model . Marketing Expenses.

Software Review 82

Software Review Business Model Lead Generation United States 82

Steve Blank

MARCH 5, 2012

One of the confusing things to entrepreneurs, investors and educators is the relationship between customer development and business model design and business planning and execution. When does a new venture focus on customer development and business models ? Here’s an attempt to put this all in context.

Search 326

Search Business Model Customer Development Agile 326

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Write your business plan and develop your business model with this in mind so you can avoid these issues. . You can choose from a few different types of business plans depending on your needs. If you’re seeking investment, you need a traditional business plan. Target market: Who is your ideal buyer? Be specific.

Business Plan 154

Business Plan Technical Review Forecast Software Review 154

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

This raises a big red flag with potential investors, who conclude that no competitors means no market, or you haven’t looked, and the new startup is likely not investable. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups. Startup team with experience and connections is this domain.

Intellectual Property 417

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Dilution Differentiation 417

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Startups with a solid business plan and great pitch deck have a far greater chance of gaining investment. The best business plans help investors understand the opportunity, the risk, and of course the potential return. I’d recommend any business raises cash for at least 18 months. Republished with permission.

Business Plan 107

Business Plan Technical Review Initial Public Offering Due Diligence 107

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2021

The best approach is to listen and learn from them – and clarify your brand marketing, customer service, business model, or just find the right customers. As you expand the business into new geographies and market segments, focus on culture inclusivity rather than trying to manage multiple subcultures.

Leadership 426

Leadership Management Brazil Differentiation 426