Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2020

In business, and in your personal life, the ability to anticipate and overcome criticism is one of the biggest differentiators between leaders, who make things happen, and followers, who may have great ideas but never seem to get things to go their way. Bacharach, Cornell Professor and cofounder of the Bacharach Leadership Group.

Technical Cofounder 315

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Mobile Differentiation 315

Steve Blank

MAY 28, 2009

Customer/Market Risk Versus Invention Risk One day I was having lunch with a VC sharing what I learned from my students. Our firm has a portfolio of companies across a broad range of markets and the way we look at it is pretty simple – the deals fall into two types: those with customer/market risk and those with invention risk.”

Vertical 167

Vertical Silicon Valley Marketing Customer 167

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 8, 2010

They work through ROI calculations with customers. The reason for “b&# is that most early stage companies survive on “evangelical sales&# as in when you’re having to educate the customer on something new and different and get them to take a leap of faith. They’re always on time. They’re unmanageable.

Early Stage 350

Early Stage Startup Sales Campaign 350

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 6, 2020

As it relates to symptoms, firstly, I would say a likely sign is that your underlying business could be underperforming, whether financially, servicing customers, or not being able to grow or expand. Project are consistently delivered late and over budget. Data is hard to access, its quality is poor, and it doesn’t drive decision-making.

Technical Review 246

Technical Review Small Business Software Review Security 246

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 10, 2025

Solving the Marketing Leadership Gap for Small Business (Marketing Leadership as a Service) written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing Small business marketing can feel like an endless checklist: create content , run Google Ads, post on social media, and optimize for SEO. They fail because they lack marketing leadership.

Leadership 43

Leadership Small Business Marketing Social Media 43

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

Having time to think about “leadership” at most startups feels like a luxury. So spending time thinking about what your leadership style is, whether it’s effective and what you could do to improve it can yield dividends. Here are some quick guidelines on what I think it takes to build a sense of leadership: 1.

Leadership 150

Leadership Southern California San Diego Hiring 150

Genuine VC

SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

The famed business strategist Michael Porter described a set of successful general strategies which firms employ to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage: differentiation strategy and cost leadership strategy for those firms with a broad market scope, and a segmentation strategy for those with a narrow market scope.

Seed Stage 191

Seed Stage Belgium Differentiation LP 191

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

Smart is simply not a differentiator. Simply put – I’d be in search of a VC who had an intuitive sense of my product, my customers, my organizational issues, my competitors, etc. EQ and Team Leadership? Summary: Team Leadership skills, operating knowhow and industry knowledge are all tremendously important.

Portfolio 364

Portfolio Chicago Sales Incubator 364

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2018

Many customers now actively seek out new technologies, rather than wait for many others to try it first. For example, if your new product reduces pollution or world hunger, this adds immediate value and confirms a positive long-term strategy for customers today. The leading edge was too often the bleeding edge.

Marketing 231

Marketing Demand Campaign Differentiation 231

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 29, 2016

This might only cover the cost of system restoration – not the loss of intellectual property or the loss of customer records. These kinds of services are gaps in the market that, once filled, should allow any company to use security as a differentiator when competing to supply services or goods as part of a larger supply chain. .

Differentiation 100

Differentiation Security Intellectual Property Non-Compete 100

Board Effect

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Companies develop their leadership structure based on several things, including the company’s size, type of industry, geographical location, regulations and other criteria. The leadership hierarchy should be arranged so that the company has strong direction and accountability. Managing Director vs. Director: Key Differentiators.

Differentiation 61

Differentiation Management Government Salary 61

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2021

Every one of you business owners I know has worked hard to build your brand, and recognizes the critical value of instant brand recognition and leadership. For example, a few years ago Wells Fargo seriously damaged its brand trying to grow the business by creating accounts without proper customer consent.

Leadership 426

Leadership Management Brazil Differentiation 426

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2009

Since every situation is unique, there is no perfect solution to any engineering, customer or competitor problem, and you shouldn’t agonize over trying to find one. An example of a reversible decision could be adding a product feature, a new algorithm in the code, targeting a specific set of customers, etc.

Silicon Valley 309

Silicon Valley RSS Startup Agile 309

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 8, 2020

Specializing in fertility and animal care in the pharmacy realm, Hamaed’s unwavering focus on patient education has allowed him to provide unprecedented customer service. When conceptualizing his business plan, Raef Hamaed knew that he had to differentiate his business from that of competing pharmacies.

Entrepreneur 195

Entrepreneur Redemption Leadership Differentiation 195

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 14, 2013

Leadership principles 101. More importantly though, Raynor and Ahmed uncovered three very simple rules that differentiated the best from the rest: 1. “Use your differentiated position to charge higher prices or appeal to more customers. You know the kind – How to hire the best team. Better before cheaper.

Technical Review 174

Technical Review Non-Compete Differentiation Revenue 174

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2018

In business, and in your personal life, the ability to anticipate and overcome criticism is one of the biggest differentiators between leaders, who make things happen, and followers, who may have great ideas but never seem to get things to go their way. Bacharach, Cornell Professor and cofounder of the Bacharach Leadership Group.

Technical Cofounder 168

Technical Cofounder Founder Cofounder Mobile 168

Duct Tape Marketing

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Key Takeaway: In the world of customer experience, mishaps are inevitable. However, by approaching customer recovery with style, empathy, and exceptional ownership, businesses can turn these situations into opportunities to create raving fans. 15:10 What are the best strategies for fixing a poor customer experience? [17:56]

Customer 94

Customer Technical Review Employee Artificial Inteligence 94

ConversionXL

MAY 27, 2022

Longer customer journeys and drawn-out purchase decisions influenced by multiple touchpoints. The right idea should unite your mission with what your customers want to achieve. Look instead at measuring KPIs like close rate, cost per acquisition, cost per lead, conversion rates, average contract value, and lifetime customer value.

Demand 115

Demand Affiliate Audience Leadership 115

crowdSPRING Blog

MARCH 16, 2012

These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Competitive Differentiation that Matters – [link] 7 Rules for Bootstrapping a Business – [link]. Repeat after me: business is always about the customer – [link].

Social Media 94

Social Media Small Business Design Media 94

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 4, 2018

Product lifecycles are shorter, links between manufacturing and the customer are closer and the demands for process improvement and process change have never been greater. A key goal should be a culture where staff trusts leadership enough to speak up. Analyze leadership roles. Promote open and honest communication.

Employee 145

Employee Technical Review Leadership Demand 145

Up and Running

JULY 11, 2017

Meanwhile, Wendy’s poured marketing and operational resources to deliver on their “Hot and Juicy” promise and carved out a niche for customers who wanted fresh, larger burgers with customized condiments. Look closely for other highly differentiated technology that may be hidden in the work you or your team have already completed.

Technical Review 80

Technical Review Development Team Review Differentiation Leadership 80

Hearpreneur

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

While some individuals may possess innate leadership qualities, most successful leaders have honed their skills over time and continue to strive for improvement. No one can prepare you for a bad customer experience until it happens. Every industry and cultural context requires unique leadership styles.

Entrepreneur 133

Entrepreneur Leadership Massachusetts Developer 133

Steve Blank

MARCH 25, 2009

While we sometimes cut the price of graphics boards, it was only because we offered our customers no compelling reasons to buy one that was priced equivalently to the market share leaders. Was SuperMac attempting to introduce radically new products and create a new market ? And we lost money when we did so.

Silicon Valley 161

Silicon Valley Marketing RSS California 161

YoungUpstarts

MAY 2, 2018

Business systems, working conditions, staff behaviour, interactions between staff and customers all come under scrutiny. It will also help you to differentiate between a good pitch and a bad pitch which will be when you reach the stage of seeking investment for your business. The Empire. Dragon’s Den. The Apprentice.

Entrepreneur 176

Entrepreneur Silicon Valley New York City Incubator 176

ConversionXL

JANUARY 18, 2022

Building that connection with customers requires a clear brand strategy to define why you exist and a solid marketing strategy to communicate that purpose with your customers. It’s your reputation and ultimate differentiating factor. Getting your brand strategy right is critical to gaining and keeping customer attention.

Marketing 128

Marketing Campaign Software Review Tulsa 128

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 17, 2018

As with sales, these core reasons need to be compelling to candidates, while being as unique to you (competitive differentiation) as possible. impactful work (we point to specific features that are being used by 100s of customers) and 3. As an example, the reasons we provide to prospective engineers are 1.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Elevator Pitch Hiring Dividend 164

crowdSPRING Blog

APRIL 18, 2013

These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Stop Building Things Your Customers Don’t Really Want or Need | by Andrew Gluck – [link]. Why I Love My Angriest Customers – [link]. The *real* pivot – [link].

Social Media 91

Social Media Small Business Design Media 91

ConversionXL

JUNE 15, 2021

Speaking to your audience’s needs, intent, goals, and desires throughout the customer journey drives desired action (e.g., It also demonstrates how important storytelling is to their brand identity and differentiation strategy. Align storytelling with the marketing funnel for a seamless customer journey. If so, how?

Audience 153

Audience Retention Campaign Video 153

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 5, 2010

If you were a newly minted, venture-backed consumer Internet company you had to have a deal with AOL to reach your customers. might have been a lot less differentiated. We know that Twitter is leading to customer service opportunities for businesses but the opposite is also true. They controlled distribution to the masses.

Social Network 318

Social Network Networking Internet Technical Review 318

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

In business, and in your personal life, the ability to anticipate and overcome criticism is one of the biggest differentiators between leaders, who make things happen, and followers, who may have great ideas but never seem to get things to go their way. Bacharach, Cornell Professor and cofounder of the Bacharach Leadership Group.

Technical Cofounder 120

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Mobile Differentiation 120

YoungUpstarts

JULY 1, 2019

So are your product, your customer experience, and your SEO tactics. It’s what you mean to your customer. Everything your business does either reinforces your meaning, solidifying and growing its place in the customer’s mind — or it weakens that meaning, blurring its place in the customer’s mind.

Software Review 138

Software Review Social Media Differentiation SEO 138

YoungUpstarts

JULY 30, 2019

As we wrote previously : A brand is the sum total of the experience your customers and customer prospects have with your company. A strong brand communicates what your company does, how it does it, and at the same time, establishes trust and credibility with your prospects and customers.

Social Media 173

Social Media Curation eCommerce Channel 173

ConversionXL

MAY 11, 2017

Knowing what the competitors are doing – how they are thinking about the market, what tactics they are using, how they are crafting messages and design – can make all the difference in the battle for the customers’ mind share and conversions. How do my customers think of my company compared to the competitors? How do we stand out?

SEO 131

SEO Analytics Conversion Search 131

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 11, 2019

Customer needs evolve. A good example of self-disruption is finding ways to differentiate yourself from competitors. I often suggest letting customers or clients know your training and experience up front. Leadership means unsettling ourselves and others. Marketplaces shift. New technology emerges. Employees come and go.

Florida 153

Florida Employee Technical Review Differentiation 153

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 20, 2017

Rapid changes in technology, shifting customer expectations, disruptive business models, and quickly evolving regulations force organizations to innovate quickly and invest in new lines of business that will fuel future growth. You can also target niche customer groups that you can uniquely please.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Malaysia Agile Employee 147

Brandanew

AUGUST 19, 2016

There are plenty of reasons it is used as a content management system for websites, such as full control, good user interface, customer support, and a wide range of themes. Effective usage differentiates you from those who fail to get productive results. Here are few tips on how to use effectively use WordPress as a CMS.

PHP 100

PHP Widget HTML Portfolio 100

ConversionXL

JUNE 30, 2019

Knowing what the competitors are doing—how they’re thinking about the market, which tactics they’re using, how they’re crafting messages and design—can make all the difference in the battle for customers. How do customers think of my company compared to competitors? Interview your competitors’ customers.

SEO 126

SEO Conversion Analytics Design 126