Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2017

The advent of social media and real-time interactive feedback via the Internet allows every customer to build and expect a relationship with your business, rather than just touchpoints. Engagement and an emotional connection will make a customer relationship the driving force for loyalty and differentiation.

Customer 213

Customer Product Technical Review Marketing 213

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site. You need a big differentiator in these arenas. These historically have included work-at-home, restaurants, telemarketing and social-service providers.

New York City 315

New York City Silicon Valley Startup Bootstrapping 315

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 5, 2010

Still, I think that to succeed they really need to focus on vertical niches where they can differentiate and have more focus on content quality and user acquisition. They have come a long way since then. Their product direction and demo increased 10x.

San Francisco 254

San Francisco Technical Review Los Angeles Software Review 254

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

But when you create a product for a large segment of users who previously couldn’t afford products due to price or complexity and if that product can work at “Internet scale” you have the chance to do something truly amazing. I have written this up before if you’re interested – I call it Deflationary Economics.

Technical Review 401

Technical Review Startup Business Model Non-Compete 401

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 12, 2018

Of course we have to believe that there is a viable market, a differentiated product offering and a chance to build something defensible but if you do those basics right you still get crushed without an amazingly talented founder. He was steadfast.

Security 247

Security Los Angeles Silicon Valley Video 247

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2018

Bold entrepreneurs now can credibly talk about entirely new markets, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), genetic modifications, and privatized space travel. A compelling story can make or break your ability to differentiate your solution from dozens of others. The change must also include long-term benefits, as well as short-term.

Marketing 231

Marketing Demand Campaign Differentiation 231

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 6, 2020

That definition is nearly 30 years old, and hadn’t evolved with the pace of technology changes, from mainframe computers to the Internet to the cloud, and much more. Staying on top of tech debt is especially difficult for SMBs that might not have the technology departments, CIOs, and CTOs of larger organizations.

Technical Review 246

Technical Review Small Business Software Review Security 246

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2014

On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site. You need a big differentiator in these arenas. These historically have included work-at-home, restaurants, telemarketing and social-service providers.

New York City 254

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 254

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 1, 2011

Mike believed that search was an essential part of the Internet experience, and he guessed that it would evolve towards commercial search. Mike believed that any valuable page was going to be monetizable on a cost-per-click basis in relation to every page on the Internet. He decided to join. How Quigo Went Head-to-Head With Google.

Semantic 302

Semantic Acquisition Valuation Angel Investor 302

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2023

On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site. You need a big differentiator in these arenas. These historically have included work-at-home, restaurants, telemarketing and social-service providers.

New York City 246

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 246

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2010

And as we know that means your device is with you at all times, is location aware, has advanced features such as a camera and accelerometer but also has the drawback of having short battery lives, slower bandwidth than our typical Internet consumption and importantly smaller physical screens / real estate for content.

Mobile 282

Mobile Management Southern California Application Development 282

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

How do we differentiate between B2B start-ups that sell to many vs. sell to a few? Why Internet Companies Don’t Buy From The Enterprise Kings (techcrunch.com). Practically all consumer companies fall into the “sell to many” category, but what about on the enterprise side? Sell to few”: Traditional enterprise sales.

Fractional CTO 154

Fractional CTO Software Review Viral Sales Cycle 154

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2016

We believe that it is incrementally harder to differentiate on simple Internet products or mobile apps and while great companies are built doing this, our goal as a fund is to try and fund things that can be 100x returns if they work. We’re not Pollyannaish about this. In short, we’re after venture returns.

Cofounder 207

Cofounder Differentiation Hosting Design 207

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2020

The internet is an excellent resource for learning and acquiring knowledge. Since we believe that prevention is better than cure, here’s a lowdown on some of the worst SEO advice doing the rounds over the internet. Google crawlers can differentiate good links from bad ones and determine the relevancy. SEO is a One-Time Thing.

SEO 147

SEO Semantic Web Development Engineer 147

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2018

On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site. You need a big differentiator in these arenas. These historically have included work-at-home, restaurants, telemarketing and social-service providers.

New York City 202

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 202

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2023

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. Choose a business model that will win in the market. Selling below cost doesn’t do it, nor does giving it away free, and hoping to make it up in volume. Pay attention to the market.

Technical Review 201

Technical Review Government Agile Differentiation 201

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Companies that score highest in this criteria are typically: E-commerce businesses that fulfill regular needs and offer a differentiated experience or SaaS businesses that help businesses or individuals manage core activities. As a VC, the biggest challenge in evaluating LTV models is that metrics can dramatically change at scale.

Churn Rate 168

Churn Rate Viral Acquisition Cofounder 168

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 27, 2012

Besides the obvious answer (to make money), I believe the Internet is already overrun with free stuff. So you need to find a differentiator; in my case, I decided the Deluxe edition of the eBook would also include the original Photoshop sources. Why charge at all ? Isn’t fame and glory and RSS subscribers enough?

Sales 279

Sales Software Review RSS Web 279

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

People who are naturally talented still differentiate themselves by having put in the effort in the areas that are important for success. The Internet wasn’t there. Your attributes (whether nature or nurture) are formed and hard to change. You’re not born into being a world-class software developer.

Silicon Valley 289

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur United States Leadership 289

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 12, 2011

I don’t care if the job description is “sit in that corner and work multi-variate differential equations.” Includes my favorite articles from around the Internet as well as my own advice that you might not have heard before. ” Everyone has to be able to communicate clearly. Here's a load of advice.

Hiring 282

Hiring Employee Ruby Java 282

Version One Ventures

APRIL 30, 2013

While my portfolio is primarily centered around consumer internet as well as enterprise SaaS startups, I typically talk to two to three hardware startups each week. As a result, most venture capitalists are reluctant to touch hardware projects, opting for the lower costs and smaller risks of software. Patents versus traction.

Venture Capital 128

Venture Capital Software Review Incubator Startup 128

Duct Tape Marketing

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

In this episode, I talk with CEO and Co-Founder of Leadferno, Aaron Weiche, about how Leadferno is powering businesses to create better conversations and close more leads faster with Omni-channel messaging – combining SMS and messaging tools from some of the internet’s biggest platforms.

SMS 101

SMS Marketing Cofounder Software Review 101

View from Seed

DECEMBER 6, 2018

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. Sure, network effects provide clear competitive advantages in many markets, but it hardly guarantees success without other differentiation.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage Startup Cofounder Stealth 120

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

In the competitive world of cable and Internet, the company’s callback service makes this company different than all the rest, and they have my business because of it. Give them a call, a polite voice comes on and tells you how to use the system, and approximately how long it will be for a return call. The Callback Service. Conclusion.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Technology Customer Differentiation 100

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

If you are not sure what words to use in particular, you can create buyer personas in analytic tools to get keywords that your potential customers are using to look for solutions on the internet. If you hire a professional copywriter, they will be able to guide you in the right direction to create the right content. Highlight the Benefits.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Audience Startup Differentiation 147

View from Seed

AUGUST 17, 2021

You’ll never have the staying power to commit when things get tough or to get really good and build real differentiation if you just keep jumping to the next new thing. I remember when I first started NextView and I was giving a talk to an audience in Boston about innovative new consumer businesses and internet business models.

IRR 205

IRR Dilution Founder Portfolio 205

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 17, 2017

Solution 2: Use the McKinsey Three Horizons Model to differentiate among the three types. In most industries, manufacturing is no longer a core competence of the U.S. The result will be agency leadership creating new organizational structures that make innovation a continual process rather than an ad hoc series of heroic efforts.

Community 244

Community Silicon Valley Technical Review Incubator 244

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2015

It has become so synonymous with Internet companies that the French have invented a disdainful term including Amazon: “les GAFA,” which they refer to as Google-Apple-Facebook-Amazon to talk about American dominance of the Internet. It is a household name. But can you really tell me MakeSpace is a tech company?

Technical Review 150

Technical Review San Diego Dallas Startup 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2021

I’m often surprised when you as an aspiring entrepreneur, looking for investors, tell me your solution is so innovative that you don’t have to worry about differentiating it from competitors, and customers will flock to it without a real marketing campaign. Personalization is the ultimate differentiation.

Restful 336

Restful Differentiation Social Media Dilution 336

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 24, 2011

How to differentiate yourself in a crowded market (and when perhaps you shouldn’t try). If you can’t get people to take it for free, even if it is early stage, then I think that’s a bad indication that you still don’t have enough differentiators from those other three. That’s easy, that’s super easy.

Cofounder 208

Cofounder Technical Review Software Review Differentiation 208

YoungUpstarts

MAY 11, 2016

Complementary domains” simply means differentiating the url through the top-level domain (TLD), while keeping the domain name itself static. The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) summarizes the benefits in this way: Companies can create shorter and easy-to-remember internet addresses.

SEM 100

SEM Los Angeles Software Review Naming 100

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 24, 2021

This is the basis of an effective differentiation strategy. Differentiate the messaging between your brand and personal profiles. . Michael Fertik, the founder of Reputation.com, said in an interview : “People, employers, and customers find you because of the internet. Not every person that buys from you will be a superfan.

Reputation 134

Reputation Audience Management Social Media 134

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 9, 2012

There’s no denying how much the Internet has empowered today’s consumers. Differentiation is almost always a better strategy: Offer superior products and/or services that customers are willing to pay more for. by Chip Averwater, author of “ Retail Truths ”. Reputations are made on price-sensitive items, margins on the rest.

Sales 190

Sales .Net Cost Advertising 190

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2016

On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site. You need a big differentiator in these arenas. These historically have included work-at-home, restaurants, telemarketing and social-service providers.

New York City 120

New York City Silicon Valley Startup Bootstrapping 120

Up and Running

JULY 7, 2021

Millions of people all around the world use YouTube as their primary source of internet entertainment. This eventually led to larger video consumption – 82% of internet users prefer videos to other types of content. One more important thing that differentiates YouTube is that you have to actually use keywords in your videos.

Channel 149

Channel Small Business Video Audience 149

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2021

In this age of the Internet and global communication, it is virtually impossible to isolate individual subcultures, and market your brand uniquely to each. Differentiate your brand based on a higher cause. Attempts to do this have resulted in more confusion than value, as well as high management and marketing costs.

Leadership 426

Leadership Management Brazil Differentiation 426

Start Up Blog

APRIL 11, 2019

The Energy Internet Emerges: We will be trading energy with each other through a new type of distributed energy grid. It will be akin to the way we trade information with each other on the internet now – except it will be energy – and we will generate excess energy on our buildings.

Software Review 91

Software Review Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Non-Compete 91