Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2021

I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. Product development. Customer retention. Here are a few: Business networking.

Technical Review 333

Technical Review Startup Software Review Retention 333

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

Who would not want to join the unicorns (recent startups with a current valuation of over $1 billion)? Excellent detailed resources are everywhere, including a classic book, “ The Startup Checklist ,” by serial entrepreneur and founder of the New York Angels, David S. Building a minimum viable product, with customer validation.

Intellectual Property 404

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 404

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

There are several effective steps to launch a profitable custom software development startup. In today’s innovative digital ecosystem, you can establish a powerful software development company, even if you do not have a previous technical background. Hire A Team Of Software Developers. Market Your Software Product.

Software Developers 158

Software Developers Software Development Software Developer 158

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 26, 2011

That doesn’t work in a startup. There’s a certain cadence that you can feel when you spend time hanging any well-run startup company. The startup entrepreneur knows that they’re going to be wrong often. Only half of this adage is accurate for startups. 3 months is a lifetime in a startup. Hiring at a Startup.

Hiring 335

Hiring Technical Review Startup Framework 335

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2013

“Scope creep” (or feature creep) is an insidious disease that kills more good startups than any other, especially high-tech ones, and yet most founders (who may be the cause) never even see it happening. This term refers to the penchant to add just one more feature to the product or service before first delivery, just because you can.

Technical Review 275

Technical Review Startup Software Review Database 275

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Reading the NY Times article “ Jeffrey Katzenberg Raises $1 Billion for Short-Form Video Venture, ” I realized it was time for a new startup heuristic: the amount of customer discovery and product-market fit you need to find is inversely proportional to the amount and availability of risk capital. ” Fire, Ready, Aim.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 5, 2025

Whether you are trying to increase your revenue or improve your customer satisfaction, taking your business to the next level means looking at all of your strategic opportunities. Your goals might include increasing market share or maybe launching a new product. It could also be improving customer retention.

Software Review 147

Software Review Technical Review Retention Campaign 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2013

Product development is stuck at that 90% mark, a key person leaves, and customers are talking but not buying. I challenge any startup to show me they have avoided all of these: One of the founders isn’t delivering. As I asserted earlier, virtually every new startup experiences these problems. Things go wrong.

Founder 250

Founder Startup Software Development Software Developers 250

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2010

If you’re interested in recruiting sales people, I wrote on the topic of startup sales people: who to hire & when – understanding the roles of Journeymen, Mavericks & Superstars. Evangelical sales – Understanding startup sales people and process. I only found out through customer meetings.

Hiring 346

Hiring Sales Startup Early Stage 346

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2023

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. Offer free solutions to bring in more customers. No startup can afford to do these serially.

Intellectual Property 312

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 312

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 21, 2020

Product development involves the creation or modification of a product, satisfying a market niche or newly defined customer. Now more than ever, plastics are very useful in product design because there are a lot of benefits of using plastic. The process can be a critical part of product development.

Product Development 123

Product Development Developer Product Technical Review 123

The Startup Magazine

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

DataRails , the financial analysis and reporting software startup, has announced the hiring of David Rosenberg as the company’s new VP of customer success. In his 17-year career, Rosenberg has developed key insights into the minds of CFOs and FP&A teams, with strengths in both customer-facing leadership and data analytics itself.

Hiring 172

Hiring Software Review Customer Israel 172

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2023

In my experience, the Silicon Valley startup model, focused on disrupting established industries, has treated the USA well and created some great global businesses. It has played almost no role in the emergence of current non-US bred startups, including Alibaba in China, Waze from Israel, Paytm in India, and many more.

Global 345

Global Silicon Valley Marketing Indonesia 345

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2012

In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Most investors and startup professionals expand this concept of focus to apply to key issues of every aspect of strategic and tactical planning in a startup.

Startup 254

Startup Technical Review Dilution Early Stage 254

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. Offer free solutions to bring in more customers. No startup can afford to do these serially.

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 436

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2019

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Join a startup incubator. Commit to a major customer.

Finance 320

Finance Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 320

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2020

In my experience, the Silicon Valley startup model, focused on disrupting established industries, has treated the USA well and created some great global businesses. It has played almost no role in the emergence of current non-US bred startups, including Alibaba in China, Waze from Israel, Paytm in India, and many more.

Silicon Valley 312

Silicon Valley Indonesia Venture Capital Global 312

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2017

In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Most investors and startup professionals expand this concept of focus to apply to key issues of every aspect of strategic and tactical planning in a startup.

Customer 191

Customer Entrepreneur Technical Review Dilution 191

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

One of the most highly anticipated startup IPOs of recent years, we now get a peek inside Airbnb’s business. But ops & customer support is another 17-20% of revenue and arguably you couldn’t run the business if you took that away. Airbnb’s public S-1 dropped Monday afternoon.

North America 401

North America IPO Europe Prospectus 401

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 12, 2022

It is true that founding a startup in times of crisis may look more challenging. Investors can also be skittish, and winning new customers is not easy. However, a crisis can also be a golden opportunity to launch a new product or service, as long as the startup at the origin applies specific methods.

Startup 198

Startup Technical Review Ghana Guerilla 198

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2013

Yet I believe that many more have benefited from this approach, especially in early startup stages. If your product is highly innovative, and speed to market is critical, you won’t get it right the first time anyway, no matter how cautiously you plan. business early execution entrepreneur planning ready-fire-aim startup'

Startup 250

Startup Technical Review Cost Entrepreneur 250

YoungUpstarts

MAY 21, 2020

You envision your business as the next Uber or Spotify, yourself as the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, reaching that prestigious ‘unicorn’ startup status in record time. Like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably mapped out the business plan, dreamed up the layout and you’re already snapping up domains and emailing developers with your plan.

Product 264

Product Cofounder Audience Product Development 264

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2013

I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. For entrepreneurs, effective networking is required to find investors, partners, and customers. Product development. Customer retention. Here are a few: Business networking.

Entrepreneur 275

Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review Retention 275

Steve Blank

AUGUST 3, 2012

Long before there was the Lean Startup, Business Model Canvas or Customer Development there was a guy in Santa Barbara California who had already figured it out. Frank Robinson of SyncDev has been helping companies figure out their minimum viable product and pivots since 1984, long before I even knew what it meant.

San Jose 261

San Jose Technical Review Customer Development Software Review 261

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 19, 2010

This is Part 2 of the series: 5 lessons from 150 startup pitches.??? About twenty people on Answers OnStartups have asked this question in one form or another: When I meet an angel investor, he may ask: "What if a big company copies your idea and develops the same website as yours after your website goes public?".

Software Review 325

Software Review Technical Review Development Team Review Bolivia 325

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2013

In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Most investors and startup professionals expand this concept of focus to apply to key issues of every aspect of strategic and tactical planning in a startup.

Entrepreneur 252

Entrepreneur Marketing Technical Review Dilution 252

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 15, 2019

Once upon a time every great organization was a scrappy startup willing to take risks – new ideas, new methods, new customers, targets, and mission. If they were a commercial company, they figured out product/market fit; or if a government organization, it focused on solution/mission fit. Companies Run on Process.

Government 322

Government Technical Review Acquisition Metrics 322

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 24, 2014

Do you want the product, or does your target market want the product? When I began developing the customer search engine SocialCentiv using Twitter, I envisioned the project as an add-on to our already popular SocialCompass. Go to tradeshows and network with customers. The answer to these questions lies in data.

Fractional CTO 228

Fractional CTO Product CTO Hire Merger 228

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2019

Yet I believe that many more have benefited from this approach, especially in early startup stages. If your product is highly innovative, and speed to market is critical, you won’t get it right the first time anyway, no matter how cautiously you plan.

Technical Review 233

Technical Review Startup Cost Product Development 233

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. Join a startup incubator. Commit to a major customer.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2019

In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Most investors and startup professionals expand this concept of focus to apply to key issues of every aspect of strategic and tactical planning in a startup.

Technical Review 255

Technical Review Dilution Early Stage Product Development 255

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 30, 2021

If you’re new to marketing and amid a startup, all of it can seem overwhelming. A lot of work goes into starting a business, developing and launching products, and running the day-to-day operations, so marketing often gets put on the back burner. Buyer personas help establish your ideal customer. Choose a Brand Name.

Developer 159

Developer Marketing Social Media Startup 159

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

by Steve Owens, Founder and CTO of Finish Line Product Development Services. The reasons for startup failures are well documented in numerous sources. Poor Product – 17%. Ignore Customers – 14%. Product Mis-Timed – 13%. There is no product, processes or history to guide decisions.

Startup 133

Startup Product Development Revenue Distribution 133

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

But the thing I am most proud of about Rob is that he has taken a company with a uniquely talented founder & CTO – Nick Halstead – and managed to build a very tight working relationship with Nick where we drive world-class product development without having the usual founder / CEO conflicts. Startup Advice'

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board Fractional CTO CTO Hire Los Angeles 365

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 2, 2014

These cycles are particularly pronounced in the technology industry, where rapid innovation leads to rapid product releases, and often to rapid failures. The startup community prides itself on supporting risk-taking and embracing failure. Innovation involves risk. Don’t Make the Same Mistakes. Brands are fueled by competition.

Product 222

Product Technical Review Software Review Green 222

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2014

In this short clip below, Nanea emphasizes this important point – if you create a product customers love, it will ultimately be a good business decision as well. I asked Nanea about how she differentiates between managing engineers and product managers across her organization. Leadership Startup Lessons'

Technical Review 315

Technical Review Leadership Engineer RSS 315

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2012

There are unknowns at every turn, leading product development, attracting customers, managing cash, and dealing with human resources and office politics. Probably 80% of the startups I know have found human resource issues to be the most treacherous. Too slow or too fast to change. Marketing is done in fits and starts.

Advisory Board 240

Advisory Board Forecast Early Stage Product Development 240