Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology.

Forecast 304

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 304

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many strategies leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 436

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

As part of our Lean LaunchPad classes at Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia and for the National Science Foundation, students build a startup in 8 weeks using Business Model Design + Customer Development. How To Build a Web Startup – The Lean LaunchPad Edition. Write down your 9- business model canvas hypothesis.

Lean 334

Lean Web Coder Business Model 334

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology.

Management 322

Management Entrepreneur Forecast Stock Options 322

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology.

Startup 283

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 283

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

Description of the business entity you plan to form. The most common business entity used for startups is a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), which is the cheapest and simplest to manage. If possible, quantify these in non-technical business terms, such as dollars saved or replacement costs over time.

Business Plan 423

Business Plan Product Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 423

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

This is a guest post by my Startup Owner’s Manual co-author Bob Dorf. While statistics are weak on startup success rates, the worst one I’ve seen suggests that 2 in 1000 venture backed startups will ever achieve $100-million or more in valuation. Can every startup skyrocket like Facebook or Square or Google?

Startup 334

Startup Cofounder Customer Development Viral 334

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

" Today I had two conversations with early stage startups (see Free CTO Consulting ). The other was a consumer play with possible viral growth. Would the consumer one get traction and be viral? In both cases, I was the mentor telling the person that the idea, as I understood it was "not great."

Customer 227

Customer Fractional CTO Viral Lean 227

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

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. Enjoy that first video interview at an industry conference, or the newspaper story which enhances your startup visibility and credibility.

Sweat Equity 296

Sweat Equity Startup Salary Viral 296

Start Up Blog

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

Ross Hill I met while doing my first startup (above) at the MODM event (Melbourne Online Digital Media – run by Cameron Reilly ). A tiny cohort of startup founders who shared ideas on tech before it was trendy. Ross helped me understand social media, blogging, and the emerging business models the internet was facilitating.

Romania 62

Romania Viral Cofounder Australia 62

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2021

There is also more going on in every location, so this personal need and super sensitivity to the local community has spawned a new breed of Internet startups, called “hyperlocal.” The term first appeared at least ten years ago, but the model is now very common. What’s more difficult than building one successful startup?

Finder 361

Finder Startup Curation Seattle 361

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

I’m fully convinced that both inspiration and perspiration are always required in a startup. Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person. A business model that works. Word of mouth advertising and viral marketing cost big bucks these days so budget for it. Marketing is top priority.

Sweat Equity 400

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Startup Viral 400

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2021

Startups are the corporations of the future, so I have long believed that entrepreneurs who study existing corporate models, rather than ignoring them with disdain, will likely profit from the exercise. This occurs when a new product, service, or business model renders the old way of doing business obsolete.

Marketing 339

Marketing Startup Global Viral 339

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many shortcuts leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

The Next Web

DECEMBER 4, 2013

If you’re running a startup, working for one, or just considering turning an idea into a company, calling your work life “busy” is a severe understatement. Here are five essential, efficient ways to eliminate guesswork and make your startup a success on social media. Startup Example: Zappos. Startup Example: Cloudera.

Social Media 158

Social Media Media Viral Startup 158

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

However the Customer Development Model and the Lean Startup work equally well for startups on the web. Union Square Ventures The next morning I got to spend time with Brad Burnham , partner at Union Square Ventures talking about their investment strategy and insights about web-based businesses.

Customer Development 228

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 228

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2020

As an entrepreneur mentor and startup investor, I see with sadness the 50 to 90 percent that fail. Many are just not facing the reality that their passion had a critical business flaw. Every business, young or old, needs to avoid the following six mistakes that he outlines: Anticipating success based on the recent past.

Intellectual Property 310

Intellectual Property Startup Bankruptcy Viral 310

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2013

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. So how do you go about proving the business model? Prove the technical concept.

Business Model 235

Business Model Product Advisory Board Angel Investor 235

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology.

Startup 120

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2016

As an entrepreneur mentor and startup investor, I see with sadness the 50 to 90 percent that fail. Many are just not facing the reality that their passion had a critical business flaw. Every business, young or old, needs to avoid the following six mistakes that he outlines: Anticipating success based on the recent past.

Business Model 120

Business Model Intellectual Property Startup Bankruptcy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2023

As an entrepreneur mentor and startup investor, I see with sadness the 50 to 90 percent that fail. Many are just not facing the reality that their passion had a critical business flaw. Every business, young or old, needs to avoid the following six mistakes that he outlines: Anticipating success based on the recent past.

Intellectual Property 314

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Bankruptcy Viral 314

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2011

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. So how do you go about proving the business model? Prove the technical concept.

Business Model 234

Business Model Advisory Board Startup Angel Investor 234

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 23, 2013

So no, this upside-down business model isn’t what a SaaS business should construct. I wish the modern startup community would understand the mindset that gets a company to this point, and resist it. Use viral growth to offset cancellations. SaaS companies earn their revenue over time.

Business Model 335

Business Model .Net Revenue IPO 335

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2012

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. So how do you go about proving the business model? Prove the technical concept.

Business Model 248

Business Model Advisory Board Entrepreneur Angel Investor 248

Up and Running

JULY 10, 2017

Determining the right monetization strategy is by far the most important issue for every SaaS business. You can have all traction in the world—acquire, activate, and retain users, but until your startup earns money, you are doing charity work, not running a business. Nick, our CEO, taking a photo of the Chanty team.

Startup 110

Startup Non-Compete Viral Software Review 110

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

The Next Web

AUGUST 19, 2013

His passions are business process automation, surfing, and his new baby girl Maya. ?. Sales are the bloodstream for most businesses, and tech startups are no exception. However, figuring out the way your startup should make money could be challenging, especially for us left­-brained founders.

Belarus 137

Belarus Viral Channel Startup 137

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology.

Forecast 161

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 161

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

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 8, 2023

As for Metaverse — businesses should keep an eye on it as it is not clear yet whether this is hype or a trend. TikTok and Influencers One viral video on TikTok can reach 1.5 5000 , a blog about the fastest-growing business models. million people and generate monthly revenue.

eCommerce 185

eCommerce Technical Review Software Review Analytics 185

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

That last bit should sound familiar if you follow theories of Startup Laws & Metrics. Similarly, we hold up “viral growth” as the best sort of growth, because exponential curves overwhelm all others, thus once the mechanism is stable and the company gets large enough to be noticed, it’s neigh-impossible for competitors to catch up.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Viral Metrics Salary 120

www.forentrepreneurs.com

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Blog About Log in Register Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition In the many thousands of articles advising entrepreneurs on what they have to focus on to build successful startups, much has been written about three key factors: team, product and market, with particular focus on the importance of product/market fit.

Acquisition 103

Acquisition Cost Customer Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2020

Every startup dreams of achieving that milestone, when they can focus more on scaling the business and enjoying their earnings, rather than fighting for another investment infusion. Most modern investors still look for a business model that embodies a gross margin over 50%, and a net margin in the 20% range.

Revenue 434

Revenue Valuation Viral Retention 434

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, September 22, 2008 The three drivers of growth for your business model. Master of 500 Hats: Startup Metrics for Pirates (SeedCamp 2008, London) This presentation should be required reading for anyone creating a startup with an online service component. Choose one.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco CPA SEM CTO Hire 167

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2016

There is an old saying in the startup investor community, “Smart investors invest in the team, not the idea.” Beyond basic business and technical credentials, here are some of the key startup team attributes that every investor is looking for: Team shows an appreciation and plan for marketing.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence Angel Investor 134

Steve Blank

APRIL 20, 2021

Having just retired from a career as an entrepreneur I had started thinking about why startups were different from large companies. Over the last two decades Shawn has seen hundreds of startups use the Lean Methodology. Many startups fall into the trap of building toward a “mission” rather than a minimum viable product (MVP).

Product 436

Product Viral Channel San Francisco 436

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 6, 2021

Since the internet is the dominant force in every industry, startups need to conquer many challenges to succeed these days. The competition is incredibly fierce – modern consumers demand more and more with each passing day, while business trends come and go so quickly that it’s hard to keep track. Choose the Right Business Model.

Social Media 173

Social Media Affiliate Audience Startup 173