YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
by Jonathan Aspatore, CEO of ExecRank. The right advisor can have a greater impact on the success of your small business than any other hire you ever make. Here are seven ways that advisors can immediately help your small business achieve the next level of success: Assist With Strategies & Connections to Have Record Revenue & Profit in 2016.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
One of the least understood parts of the venture capital industry and venture capital firms is how investment decisions actually get made. The truth is that each firm is different and there isn’t one standard but over the years I’ve talked with enough of my peers to get sense of how many firms work. Often if it’s a bigger firm (say 4 partners or more) and it’s a super small investment for their fund size (let’s say $250-500k when they normally invest $5-7 million) t
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Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
There is an old saying that good lawyers run away from risk, while good businessmen run towards risk. Entrepreneurs see “no risk” as meaning “no reward.” In reality, all risks are not the same. Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure.
Steve Blank
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
Starting up requires both passion and a willingness to learn from mistakes, and gender balanced teams outperform imbalanced teams. Those were the messages from the two latest guests on Entrepreneurs are Everywhere , my radio show on Sirius XM Channel 111. Anand Sanwal , co-founder and CEO of CB Insights ; and Chris Shipley , executive producer of MIT’s Solve initiative, joined me in the studio to discuss the day-to-day chaos of building a company.
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
A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
Oh how the media loves superlatives (but only because that’s what we click on and share). Jake Lodwick wrote an article on PandoDaily entitled “An acquisition is always a failure.” He explains: Either the founders failed to achieve their goal, or – far likelier – they failed to dream big enough. The proper ambition for a tech entrepreneur should be to join the ranks of the great tech companies, or, at least, to create a profitable, independent company beloved by employees, cus
Brandanew
SEPTEMBER 7, 2015
Social networks never fail to surprise us. After the initial upheaval, we have now settled down with a few networks that have survived the battle and emerged with their own dedicated user bases. But even then we often come across a lot of interesting factoids that makes us wonder what exactly is going on. Today we bring you ten such fun factoids that will surprise, amuse as well as educate you. 1.
Start Up Roar brings together the best content for start up professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
When most people think of John Shahidi two words come to mind. Bieber & Mayweather. Yes, that Bieber (67 million Twitter followers, 73 million on FB) & that Mayweather (6.4 million Twitter followers, 12 million on FB). The reason being – John Shahidi counts both as investors and friends. So. You’re probably thinking, “slick talking, super confident, tall, extroverted, arrogant, LA kinda dude.” You’d be dead wrong.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
Entrepreneurs who experience success with their first startup are often amazed to realize that the risks and fears of doing it right the second time go up, rather than down. Encores are tough, especially in the high-risk world of startups, yet every entrepreneur I know can’t wait to start over and do it again. Sometimes their haste or ego causes them to ignore basics, and they fall hard.
Occam's Razor
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015
The difference between a Reporting Squirrel and Analysis Ninja? Insights. As in, the former is in the business of providing data, the latter in the business of understanding the performance implied by the data. That understanding leads to insights about why the performance occurred, which leads to so what we should do. Do you see how far away a Reporting Squirrel's job is from that of an Analysis Ninja?
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
Your company is running smoothly enough, but you know things could be better. Sometimes, a project gets hung up a few days too long, or meetings that once felt productive and useful now seem to drag on for hours. It can feel like wheels spinning in the mud, and it’s hard to get that traction back. How can you fix these kinds of issues? By focusing on improving the efficiency of your business.
David Cohen
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
Alex King recently passed away after a two year battle with cancer. Alex was not one of my closest friends, but his passing hit me very hard. I was riding in a car from the airport yesterday when I got the news from his wife, and I just started crying. I got to know Alex because he was a mentor in Boulder in the early years of Techstars. He totally leaned into mentoring startups and never for a moment asked what was in it for him.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
By Brian Sutter, Director of Marketing, Wasp Barcode Technologies. The definition of a rock star is a celebrity in any field or profession who is highly admired. While most people think of a musician when they hear that word, small business owners should be able to think about their employees as rock stars too. Hiring someone who will be “highly admired” in the workplace is the ultimate goal when filling any type of position.
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
My partner Greg Bettinelli is an avid sports fan who throughout his career has developed an expert understanding in online ticketing (at eBay has was a champion of the StubHub acquisition) and online marketing. Greg knows consumer businesses and customers, which has added tremendously to our team where I admittedly have more of a background in enterprise software, data and online video.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe that a great idea alone will assure business success. Experts argue that it’s more important to have a great plan, and personal business acumen. Hardly anyone mentions selling principles. Yet in this age when customers have a thousand alternatives, and are overwhelmed by a multitude of messages, sales efforts can make or break a business.
Hearpreneur
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
Summer is over. While many were going on vacations and traveling, business was still being completed for many entrepreneurs and business owners. The time flew by and as school starts, the weather changes and the temperature drops, we decided to connect with entrepreneurs and business owners to see how their summers went and what were some of their accomplishments.
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
How can you market your startup more effectively? Offering a free trial of your product or service in exchange for a review on a well-trafficked blog is one creative way. In a recent article, Palo Alto Software founder Tim Berry equates startup marketing to throwing darts at a dartboard. While existing companies can get away with throwing their “marketing darts” a little aimlessly, a startup has to be more careful and precise.
Version One Ventures
SEPTEMBER 16, 2015
Back in July, we wrote about network effects in marketplaces and social platforms and how they are critical to defensibility. In the post, we talked about the difference between direct and indirect network effects, and how they may or may not relate to virality. Since then, we have been further developing our investment thesis on social platforms and want to add more nuance to the discussion.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015
by Rhys Arkins, founder of Key Location. Singapore has a thriving economy, particularly when it comes to international business, so there are plenty of different paths to get rich in Singapore. Although with hard work and ingenuity you can get rich in almost any industry, you can certainly increase your chances by hitching a ride on a hot one. Some seem to be inherently lucrative in all countries, but may wax and wane over time.
Mike Michalowicz
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
Also Available On. Show Summary. Scott Spiro and Tony Lillios join us for Episode 44 of the Profit First Podcast. Scott sheds some light on the importance of credibility. Tony shares his success story with Speck products and how his company skyrocketed to profitability. Our Guests. Scott Spiro . Scott Spiro is founder and President of Computer Solutions Group, Inc (CSG), and author of the book “Hassle Free Computer Support”.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 5, 2015
Most of the technologists I know inherently believe that the terms inventor and entrepreneur mean the same thing, so they are frustrated and surprised when they build their products and no business evolves. They don’t understand that most great entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, had a partner with complementary skills on the business or technical side.
SiliconHills
SEPTEMBER 7, 2015
In 2012, Ian Warshak, a software developer in San Antonio, came down with what he thought was a cold. But within a few days he got really sick with a bacterial infection in his lungs. The infection spread and led to septic shock. He was put on life support and put into an induced coma […] The post Overcoming Obstacles to Hike Mt. Kilimanjaro appeared first on SiliconHills.
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
Running a small business is a daunting challenge. Statistically, less than 50 percent of small businesses are still operational after five years. Globalization has increased the level of competition and introduced more turmoil to the business environment. If you want to take your business to the next level, you’ll need to be open to the current realities of the new global economy, and get more creative.
ConversionXL
SEPTEMBER 24, 2015
Here’s an uncomfortable truth about conversion rate optimization: lots of people are running bad tests without even knowing it. They’re making decisions based on false positives, they’re acting on inconsistent data, they’re avoiding the issue of sample pollution – I could go on. For example, at CTA Conference in Vancouver, Bart Schutz of Online Dialogue took the stage and asked 400+ marketers to raise their hands if they know what sample pollution is.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
by Eliot Burdett, co-founder and CEO of Peak Sales Recruiting. Building a sales team from scratch is one of the most difficult and important tasks of a CEO. Generating revenue through sales, especially as start-up capital diminishes, can make or break a company’s success. However, hiring the wrong salespeople costs dearly in time and treasure. Fortunately, there is a well-defined formula for success.
Version One Ventures
SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
The Blockchain is such an innovative and fundamentally transformative technology, but Bitcoin and Blockchain apps have not yet scaled as much as I would have liked. This slow traction is likely due to two things. First, Bitcoin startups that focus on commerce/payment solutions in North America are competing with existing products with strong network effects.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 13, 2015
In my years of advising startups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideas start and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. That’s why investors say they invest in people (bet on the jockey, not the horse), rather than the idea. Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team.
Hearpreneur
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
BLOGS. PODCASTS. VIDEOS. DIGITAL MARKETING. SEARCH. HACK. + GO PLUS. FREE TRIAL. LOG IN / REGISTER. MEMBERS ONLY. MASTERMIND. CONTACT. Menu. PLUS. Inspiration. Storytelling. Entrepreneur. Profiles. Biographies. Leaders. Video. MORE. START. MASTERMIND. FAQ. NEWSLETTER. HACKS. ABOUT. SITES. GUEST POSTS. CONTACT. VISIBILITY AUDIT. Search for. Sidebar. Random Article.
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
You’re running a small business. You’d dearly love to have high visibility on Google for organic search engine traffic and leads—but you’re being overwhelmed by big competitors with deep pockets and an army of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialists at their disposal. Cheer up! You can still win at SEO, but you have to be smart—very smart—about how you deploy your resources.
crowdSPRING Blog
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
A bicycle-riding robot? What other wonders could the world yet hold? Why if we can get a small machine to balance and adjust its center of gravity like this little fella, how long can it be until those flying cars finally go on the market? Well, I’m not holding my breath, but it does give me some hope that technology may save us after all. Or at least give us some modest entertainment.
ConversionXL
SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
When you’re putting together copy for a website you may not have the luxury of only having to speak to one audience. In fact, you may have multiple audiences you need to address. Which means you’ve got a juggling act on your hands. Who is most important? What if both audiences require equal attention? How do you write copy that attracts more than one audience on a page without confusing your messaging?
Both Sides of the Table
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
What Can You Do if a VC Pulls Their Term Sheet? I was asked to answer this exact question on Quora and I did so some time ago. The beauty of evergreen content is that it resurfaces all the time and it is as relevant today as it was years ago when I answered it. One of my favorite ways to resurface content is when I see people on Twitter put out a Tweet linking to an old post.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 27, 2015
These days, with the many Internet articles and new courses available, most new professionals readily cross the gap from lack of business knowledge to knowing, but many never make it over the knowing versus doing gap. Investors I know highlight this problem with the mantra that they fund founders and teams who can execute, rather than ones who just talk about their great ideas.
Hearpreneur
SEPTEMBER 14, 2015
Being in love is great. Being in love with your business, when you’re an entrepreneur, is even better. Waking up each morning knowing you are getting to do exactly what you love is more than most people could ever say about any “job” they have had. Although there are days when tossing in your hat seems like a viable option, remembering how much you love your “job” can quickly snap an entrepreneur out of that mentality.
Up and Running
SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
Starting your own business may sound like an undertaking of epic proportions. The truth is, it’s not. Yes, you’re going to have to work hard, and commit to working on it at all hours of the day, but actually getting set up is simply down to making sure you’ve “checked all the boxes,” which is exactly what this list aims to help you do. I’ve broken the tasks down into manageable categories and included links that will help you complete each stage of getting started.
crowdSPRING Blog
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015
Jack Anderson was a student at Dodge College when he made this video for his student thesis project. Clearly talent and hard work went into the project and it paid off with awards from major festivals and competitions, including recognition as a finalist in the 2015 Student Academy Awards, a finalist in the 2015 Student BAFTA Film Awards, and winning the Best Student Film honors at the Nashville Film Festival!
ConversionXL
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
As you almost certainly know, copy is what sells. That’s true in print, and it’s equally true on the web. A completely unstyled site with strong copy will sell infinitely more than a beautifully styled site with none. And since the average website is between 90 and 95% text, one leading expert wisely observes that “web design is ninety-five percent typography.”.
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