Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. Team members need your critique of their work to learn, but attacking the person is never productive.

Elevator Pitch 386

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Dividend Leadership 386

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2021

In my view, the increasing consumer demand for personal marketing and personal assistants will soon overcome paranoia, and reasonable boundaries will emerge. In some ways, these aren't that different from the old Amazon.com "recommendation engine," which suggests new products based on your surfing and buying habits, but they go much further.

Web 380

Web Search Semantic Software Review 380

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 19, 2025

Reduce Inventory Costs with Smarter Management For startups that deal with physical products, inventory can tie up significant amounts of cash. Analyzing sales trends can also help businesses predict demand more accurately, preventing overstocking or understocking.

Management 143

Management Startup Forecast Finance 143

TechEmpower

AUGUST 7, 2023

What does the role demand? Here’s a graphic from Socal CTO that illustrates the roles as they change over time: In its earliest days, a startup’s top need is often to produce a product. It’s understandable - a hands-on developer can produce a product. cto , infotech , innovation , product , project , saas

CTO Hire 260

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Fractional VPE Developer 260

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2021

Look for real problems to solve, like losing weight, staying healthy, or gaps in a popular product line. Today it more often means a “trusted friend” who seems real, visible, and doesn’t “push” products. First, pick an opportunity that has a worldwide appeal, like eco-friendly products. Position yourself as an expert.

Technical Review 312

Technical Review Software Review Internet Revenue 312

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2020

In other parts of the world, innovators often need to develop both the ultimate product or service, as well as the enabling infrastructure that underpins it. Silicon Valley’s conventional model is to integrate local experienced engineering, product development, and marketing people for the big push.

Silicon Valley 312

Silicon Valley Indonesia Venture Capital Global 312

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2022

There seems to be an insatiable demand from consumers for a better shopping experience, meaning they will pay a premium to a company that can present them a better match in products to their interests, without jeopardizing their good name.

Technical Review 342

Technical Review Customer Social Network Software Review 342

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

I recommend a trial run with an experiment or MVP (minimum viable product), at full price and cost, before the big bang launch, risking your investment money and a major time commitment. The focus of key leaders has to change from driving innovative initiatives to replicating repeatable processes and tuning the overall product cycle.

Technical Review 329

Technical Review Merger Software Review Acquisition 329

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2020

Every startup success is a function of great people, products, and profits. Self-demanding beats boss-demanding every time. Leapfrog products invent and reinvent markets. Incremental product ideas do not change markets. Sometimes their haste or ego causes them to ignore basics, and they fall hard.

Technical Review 324

Technical Review Entrepreneur Due Diligence Business Model 324

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2020

Work on habits that improve your productivity, and find better tools every day. Develop productive relationships with people around you. The most productive people get things done by working in concert with others, not demanding actions and results, but by orchestrating win-win relationships.

Leadership 380

Leadership Demand Management Founder 380

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels.

Technical Review 345

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 345

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2021

The founder explains that the product or service is so “buzz-worthy” that the merits will spread rapidly through word-of-mouth only, meaning people loving it and recommending it to their friends. It usually implies an opportunity to win big, like a lottery, or experience something sensational, like an incredible video or free product.

Viral 348

Viral Marketing SEM Campaign 348

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2020

This distrust for the scripted message has led to a new demand for unfiltered marketing, and the emergence of business credibility heroes, like Elon Musk, with his bold statements about space travel, and sometime villains, such as Mark Zuckerberg defending Facebook privacy practices. They want the raw data versus a polished message.

Customer 433

Customer B2C Technical Review Social Media 433

TechEmpower

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

An empty textbox, demanding to be filled with a concise, compelling summary to impress potential employers is daunting. Product descriptions and listings require tedious editing to make them engaging - especially after the fortieth one. Are you a founder or CEO or head of product? If you’re remote, use your imagination.)

Generative AI 297

Generative AI Artificial Inteligence Houston America 297

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2020

Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. Taking on equity investors to fund your company is much like getting married – it is a long-term relationship that has to work at all levels.

Technical Review 310

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 310

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

I see entrepreneurs every day who are trying to change the world with a new idea, and startups that are trying to survive their hyper-growth phase by changing processes to meet demand. The last thing you need in a startup is a false start, where you can’t deliver on a product change deadline, or a new marketing channel.

Metrics 387

Metrics Technical Review Leadership Framework 387

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2021

Even if a board member won’t work for equity, and demands a monthly stipend, the value of their contacts can easily make the difference between a successful rollout, versus an expensive pivot. Remember that people make a business, more often than a product. Learn how to budget your time and select productive relationships.

Advisory Board 356

Advisory Board Bandwidth Cofounder Technical Review 356

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2022

They skimp on the design of their website, procrastinate on the rollout to make sure the product is perfect, and get so excited about technology features that they forget about creating value for customers. Working the circuit of big groups of strangers is minimally productive. Don’t waste your time following up.

Marketing 353

Marketing Technical Review Social Media Technology 353

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

Then they are surprised to see productivity and creativity take a big dip. There is new evidence that people want to understand the bigger picture, and business growth financial incentives will increase productivity, rather than lower it. Again, you get what you demand and reward. Sales will be the organization’s sole focus.”

Startup 337

Startup Technical Review Employee Hiring 337

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2021

Leaders have found that keeping everyone on top of changes in technology, competition, and customer demands is critical to success. It’s a core process that must be up and effective when you deliver your first product or service. Service people need this as required team support. Involve, empower, and inspire.

Technical Review 385

Technical Review Salary Metrics Matching 385

View from Seed

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Airbnb’s availability as a marketplace and its aggregation of substantial consumer demand has actually meant certain forms of lodging have been newly built or converted into rooms for the primary purpose of listing on Airbnb.

North America 401

North America IPO Prospectus Europe 401

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2020

Investors know that the fun of a startup turns into managing production processes, sales processes, and personnel in a few years. According to National Venture Capital Association statistics , only 16% of venture-backed startups recently used this alternative, due to high liability concerns, demanding shareholders, and high costs.

Exit Strategy 376

Exit Strategy Startup Private Equity Equity 376

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2022

They have become a by-product of innovation rather than the cause of it: Conglomerates grew from industrialization, not innovation. Many countries have learned to make products cheaper and better. Customers today demand products and services personalized or tailored to local needs with embedded quality of life services.

Artificial Inteligence 315

Artificial Inteligence Offshore Merger Technical Review 315

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

Products that are sold commercially and to the DoD are called “dual-use.”). The goal is to meet its local chip demand by 2030. This is a radical change in where advanced technology comes from. In the U.S., Semiconductor industry. is dependent on TSMC , located in Taiwan, for its most advanced logic chips.

Technical Review 407

Technical Review Taiwan Technology Silicon Valley 407

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

In other words, how do you recognize the challenges that really need your leadership , versus the less critical demands that seem to always bubble to the top? Meetings with your team seem to be non-productive. A healthy team culture is another key driver for growth and winning. That’s a payback you can’t afford to ignore.

Leadership 301

Leadership Founder Salary Demand 301

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2023

Work on habits that improve your productivity, and find better tools every day. Develop productive relationships with people around you. The most productive people get things done by working in concert with others, not demanding actions and results, but by orchestrating win-win relationships.

Management 291

Management Leadership Demand Founder 291

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 22, 2024

By integrating AI into your system, you can take efficiency to the next level to reduce delays: AI can analyze patterns in your data to forecast demand, identify potential bottlenecks, and optimize workflows. Machine learning algorithms can predict stock levels, ensuring you never run out of key items or overstock unnecessary products.

Artificial Inteligence 144

Artificial Inteligence Customer Technical Review Operations 144

VC Cafe

MARCH 16, 2025

The integration of AI and generative AI is radically transforming how consumers interact with technology, potentially leading to a wave of innovative products and services. The potential is HUGE. Take a look at the summary in gallery below. I’ve seen many founders that don’t have a CTO and outsourced development.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review B2C Generative AI IPO 78

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2023

These should come as no surprise to you, since they haven’t changed in many decades, and I expect will serve you well in the current turbulent times we all face: Spend time nurturing productive work relationships. In my experience, relationships are still the key to career opportunities, new clients, and collaborative results.

Flash 303

Flash Angel Investor Technical Review Social Media 303

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2020

Although his focus is naturally on bigger companies, I contend that his recommended strategies apply equally well to entrepreneurs and startups: Demand a mindset of deep thinking for the long term. Cote, former Chairman and CEO of Honeywell. Don’t wait for a short-term crisis, or a long-term one, to force process improvements.

Technical Review 312

Technical Review Due Diligence Merger Social Media 312

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 30, 2020

As a bleeding-edge startup, you can be assured of product quality problems, missing business processes, and customer support issues. If your product is really new and disruptive, make sure you have supply to meet the demand at rollout, and a patent to prevent others from jumping in quickly.

Technical Review 314

Technical Review Advisory Board Silicon Valley Due Diligence 314

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills.

Silicon Valley 284

Silicon Valley Technical Review Leadership Metrics 284

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2023

Every startup success is a function of great people, products, and profits. Self-demanding beats boss-demanding every time. Leapfrog products invent and reinvent markets. Incremental product ideas do not change markets. Sometimes their haste or ego causes them to ignore basics, and they fall hard.

Technical Review 229

Technical Review Due Diligence Business Model Demand 229

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2022

It started with an email survey on your last stay at their hotel, but now includes requests for online product reviews, to social media input on the design of future products. Partner with others to create unique solutions that might benefit your brand, product, or solution. Welcome to the “Participation Age” of marketing.

Customer 267

Customer Technical Review Social Media Partner 267

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Key Takeaways Efficient workflows can significantly boost productivity and reduce stress. Embracing these tools is pivotal to unlocking new levels of productivity. These benefits collectively skyrocket productivity by eliminating the silos and inefficiencies that often hinder progress.

Technical Review 167

Technical Review Software Review Agile Operations 167

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 6, 2024

The main reasons are: Ever-evolving Customer Base: From mobile phones to customised gadgets, from televisions to Desktop Computers, the consumer base is getting more diverse and assorted, with different age groups, genders, ethnicities, and races demanding different products and services.

Operations 158

Operations Management Software Review Technical Review 158