SoCal CTO
DECEMBER 19, 2012
I was talking with an early-stage founder who has a product vision and wants to get it built. He is not a technical person, but is somewhat web savvy. He wanted to get input from me on what he's doing, and he wants to begin to ask developers what it would take to build his product. I asked some of the same questions I ask in my Free Startup CTO Consulting Sessions and then I get to a very common conversation: Me : Do you have specs?
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 5, 2012
by Vickie Milazzo, author of “ Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman “. The legend goes that prior to becoming the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina (now former CEO of HP) stuffed her pants with socks for a male-dominated meeting. Her message was clear: “I have everything it takes to compete.” Although Fiorina might be alone in literally stuffing her slacks, it’s a sure thing that plenty of other women have gone to great lengths—pulling longer-than-necessary hours, cutting maternity leaves sh
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Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 20, 2012
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. Maybe it’s time to look harder at the mantra of a new breed of gurus and successful entrepreneurs, including Steve Blank and Eric Ries , called “nail it then scale it” (NISI).
deal architect
DECEMBER 18, 2012
I average a book every 2 to 2.5 years and am due one in 2014. I don’t just pick on a buzzword like Gamification or Big Data and start writing. I don’t just listen to Valley VCs on what’s hot.
Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic
Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in
Mike Michalowicz
DECEMBER 18, 2012
Bad Business Habits. There was a time that you loved your work. Maybe you started the business yourself, or you joined a company that was going to take you places. But things have changed, and you hate your company. You dread coming to work. The cause of all this loathing may not be them, it may actually be you. After all we have the sole control over what we think of things.
Gust
DECEMBER 27, 2012
1. Understand your business. It sounds obvious, but the majority of entrepreneurs who pitch me have obviously never thought through many of the major issues surrounding their companies. You should know EVERYTHING about your business, product, customers and competition. You should know every metric regarding customer acquisition, conversion and retention.
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The Next Web
DECEMBER 30, 2012
As we get closer to the New Year, the ritual of making resolutions begins and we all flock to the usual patterns: we want to to eat healthier, work out more, get promoted, or spend more time with our kids and family. These are with no doubt worthwhile goals, but I’d like to pose an important challenge for founders: Make learning and development your key resolution in 2013.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 22, 2012
With another list of the Top 10 Internet Scams and more identity theft , there seems to be a growing population out there worried about all the people intent on hurting them. Why is everyone so paranoid these days? My plea to entrepreneurs is to recognize these concerns as an opportunity, and go the extra mile to make people’s life better, rather than stoke the fires.
This is going to be BIG.
DECEMBER 10, 2012
The other day, I'm in a meeting where someone told me an industry magazine that would be relevent to one of my companies. I texted the founder and got the following response: " Yeah. We were in their last issue.". Oh, umm. yeah. well, carry on. A lot of times, I take meetings with companies that feel a lot more like they're on the outside looking in than they should.
Up and Running
DECEMBER 6, 2012
Today, I want to introduce you to a new concept for starting and growing successful companies: Lean Planning™. Lean Planning is a set of tools for discovering a business model that works, building an action plan to test your assumptions, creating financial models and a plan for a viable business, and tracking your performance so you can adjust your plan on the fly, quickly and easily.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 27, 2012
It’s accepted that the more than 27 million small businesses operating today in the United States form the bedrock U.S. economy. And in 2013, technology will increasingly enable this valuable economic sector to focus on establishing and nurturing client relationships, while automating and streamlining essential business functions, says Jerry Nettuno, founder and CEO of online appointment scheduling service Schedulicity.
crowdSPRING Blog
DECEMBER 7, 2012
Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!
Gust
DECEMBER 13, 2012
There is no one thing (aside from integrity) that is an absolute, and what you need to have when fundraising for a startup will depend to some extent on how you are managing your funding process. A good list of just about everything you could possibly want to have in your arsenal is listed in the answer to What materials or software should I use to pitch a VC?
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 23, 2012
Most of the entrepreneurs I know realize they have some bad habits, like maybe procrastination or not listening well, so they focus on dropping these. New studies indicate that a more productive approach would be adopting new good habits and behaviors that clearly move your business forward, like good time management and implementing customer recommendations.
The Next Web
DECEMBER 1, 2012
“I’ll put you on my schedule.” “I have you marked in my calendar to start next week.” “My schedule is full right now.” Have you ever told a client or potential client any of the above? I have many times. When I started working for myself and taking on client work, I never really “scheduled” client projects.
David Cohen
DECEMBER 10, 2012
Today, Nike announced their first Nike+ Accelerator program, powered by TechStars. Ten companies will participate in a three-month, mentorship-driven program. The technology focus will be about leveraging the success of the Nike+ FuelBand, Nike+ Running and NikeFuel to support digital innovation. Anyone that knows me will tell you I’m a quantified self geek and enjoy data.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 12, 2012
“We need to be like Silicon Valley,” we hear many a startup community organizer around the world intone. After all, Silicon Valley been held up as a shining example as a hotbed for startups and many clamor to copy its success in positioning themselves as a similar scene for innovation and technological entrepreneurship. But early-stage investor and entrepreneur Bred Feld, the co-founder of VC firms Mobius and Foundry, as well as startup accelerator TechStars , thinks trying to be Sil
crowdSPRING Blog
DECEMBER 14, 2012
Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!
The Equity Kicker
DECEMBER 19, 2012
Every now and again I come across a phrase which I wish I’d come up with myself and this is one: Plans are worthless, but planning is indispensable. Chris Dixon used it as a title for a post yesterday, and at first I thought the credit was due to him (which wouldn’t have surprised me), but it turns out that President Eisenhower uttered these words in a 1957 speech.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 21, 2012
Have you noticed that more companies beg you to participate in their business today? 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. They do it because engaged customers become loyal advocates and buyers. Welcome to the “Participation Age” of marketing.
The Next Web
DECEMBER 24, 2012
Like many top VC firms, Mangrove Capital has been increasing its focus on Berlin this past year. Last month, they put on a big party here in a venue consisting of old shipping containers – what could be more Berlin than that – as they continue their search for the next big thing. One of the biggest names behind Luxembourg-based Mangrove is Michael Jackson.
Growthink Blog
DECEMBER 3, 2012
The saddest lament of entrepreneurs and owners of private companies seeking to sell and exit their companies is that they want their businesses to be valued on their future potential , and not its CURRENT profitability. Given that the typical, offered purchase multiples for smaller businesses – as in those with less than $5 million in EBITDA – can be as low as 1 or 2 times last year’s tax return profits, this is understandable.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 5, 2012
“I have become a number… And if you are even slightly active on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you have become a number too…” So begins “ Return On Influence: The Revolutionary Power of Klout, Social Scoring, and Influence Marketing “, a slim volume delving into the world of social scoring.
crowdSPRING Blog
DECEMBER 21, 2012
Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!
The Equity Kicker
DECEMBER 13, 2012
New research from Ofcom has found that Britain leads the world in usage of several key technologies: Most likely to access TV content over the internet: 23% of us do so every week (USA is second with 17%). Use more mobile data: In Dec 2011 the average mobile connection downloaded 424 megabytes of data (Japan was second with 392 megabytes). Spend more money online: Average per head spending on ecommerce in 2011 was £1,082 (Australia was second with £842).
ConversionXL
DECEMBER 11, 2012
Sometimes A/B testing is made to seem like some magical tool that will fix all problems at once. Conversions low? Well run a test and increase your conversions by 12433%! It’s easy! Setting up and running tests is indeed easy (if you’re using the right tools), but doing it right requires thought and care. 1. Most A/B tests won’t produce huge gains (and that’s okay).
This is going to be BIG.
DECEMBER 21, 2012
This week, three companies that I met super early and passed on raised significant rounds of funding. Actually, I wouldn't even really call them passes, because in a couple instances, they were just conversations--"Pre Deck" if you will. Devrim Yasar just raised an additional $7.25 million for Koding.com. I met him in April of 2010--almost two years before he got a venture round.
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 10, 2012
My wife & I have a close friend who recently entered the workforce for his first-ever job. On his first day of work my wife was kind enough to write down words of wisdom from her years on the job. I don’t write about Tania very often – mostly at her request. Otherwise I’d shout from the mountain tops how smart & capable she is.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 20, 2012
With the rapid rate of development in new technology there is no surprise that this is the fastest growing sector of the market. Whether it is the latest smartphone, or a digital camera that also makes toast, pretty much everybody has enjoyed the guilty pleasure of indulging in a new gadget of some kind, shape, or description. As a result of the high levels of productivity this is a very crowded market place, which really plays into the hands of the shopper.
deal architect
DECEMBER 21, 2012
The Orlando Sentinel ran a story “Vendors complain after Orlando spends $ 8.7m on software without bids” I sent the reporter and the Editor this email “I read your article and would like to share some reactions. I am a.
The Equity Kicker
DECEMBER 14, 2012
About a month ago I dropped my old Samsung Galaxy Nexus on the floor at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris and when I picked it up the screen was quite badly cracked. I was of course annoyed at myself for dropping the phone but a little part of me was quite pleased, because the new Google Nexus 4 was due for release a couple of days later and now I could get one with a clean conscience.
Steve Blank
DECEMBER 3, 2012
Almost every large company understands it needs to build an organization that deals with the ever-increasing external forces of continuous disruption , the need for continuous innovation , globalization and regulation. But there is no standard strategy and structure for creating corporate innovation. We outline the strategy problem in this post and will propose some specific organizational suggestions in follow-on posts. —-.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 14, 2012
To be successful as an entrepreneur, you don’t have to be a fabulous person, but it helps. Some people, and some entrepreneurs, have that something extra, like Simon Cowell is searching for on the X-Factor , that you can’t quite put your finger on. But the entrepreneurs that have “it” seem to be able to effortlessly get team members, investors, and customers to follow them anywhere.
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 15, 2012
My Blackberry died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know. It seems so long ago that we had to start hiding our Blackberry’s in our pockets to avoid always being chastised. If you were caught sending out an email on your Blackberry you had to quickly whip out your iPhone to show that – wait! – I have one of these, too. It is stunning to think about the blind spots that market leaders can develop.
A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks
DECEMBER 4, 2012
I get a constant stream of requests to look at new startups or to announce something that a startup just did. As you’d guess, I can’t do it, as much as I love to chat about startups, by which I mean swapping wisdom with fellow entrepreneurs, by which I mean stoke my ego by telling strangers what to do with neither repercussion nor responsibility.
deal architect
DECEMBER 11, 2012
McKinsey says we are already critically short of “data scientists” even as the hype about Big Data takes off.
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