A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 13, 2015

This is the perennial question for startups who have started to taste success, and are ready to invest in themselves in the form of new helping hands. The question is: How do you decide what role is most important to hire for? Founders typically revert to whatever they’re already expert in, and decide they need more of that. So, a technical founder decides she needs another developer, or a sales-oriented founder decides she needs another sales person.

Part-Time VPE 229

Part-Time VPE Hiring Retention Revenue 229

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 2, 2015

Like many of you I read the Is Web Summit a Scam article making the rounds this week. I have attended Web Summits three times – it is not a scam. Let me get that out of the way. It’s a big conference and all big conferences charge money, make money and serve a diverse set of needs. I even wrote about my experiences attending Web Summit , something I rarely ever write about.

Web 272

Web Las Vegas Technical Review Term Sheet 272

View from Seed

OCTOBER 22, 2015

Step one in building a new company is the YC adage: “Build something people want.”. But how do you go about figuring out what people want? The obvious answer we all give (and receive) in the startup community is to talk to people. “Customer development” has become its own skill and body of knowledge, and there are some crucial nuances to understand up front before beginning your customer dev discussions.

Customer Development 253

Customer Development Developer Customer Seed Stage 253

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 26, 2015

Startup founder Deekron Krikorian of MotionTraxx, was able to pursue his dream of spending a summer abroad in Ibiza, enjoying the music and nightlife of one of the clubbing capitals of the world, while using technology, co-working and other tools to effectively managing his startup and ensuring it moves forward towards its goals while he was abroad.

Cofounder 196

Cofounder Technical Cofounder Denver Technical Review 196

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

Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2015

Many entrepreneurs fantasize about days longer than 24 hours, convinced that their new venture could change the world, if they just had more time. They don’t realize that a more viable solution is to get more done per existing hour, rather than creating more hours. We all know at least one person who is always “very busy” and works plenty of hours, but generates few significant results.

Management 214

Management Technical Review Social Media Email 214

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Successful entrepreneurs show up a lot and make their own luck. And they are resilient – they’re able to bounce back after failure. Both of these traits made all the difference for the two latest guests on Entrepreneurs are Everywhere , my radio show on Sirius XM Channel 111. Phil Randazzo. Joining me in the Stanford University studio were.

Las Vegas 212

Las Vegas Entrepreneur Cofounder Nevada 212

Up and Running

OCTOBER 18, 2015

One of the more common half truths of startups and entrepreneurship is the one about being your own boss. I’ve called it a myth before, but half truth is better because there are some real positives with being your own boss, but there are negatives too. I’ve spent a lot of years as theoretically being my own boss, including more than 10 years as sole proprietor business planning consultant, working on my own with clients; and more than 10 years building a company, as founder and owne

Cleveland 104

Cleveland Software Review Bandwidth Technical Review 104

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 28, 2015

Guest post by Jennifer Maerz, Contributing Editor of Lean Startup Co. The Lean Startup Conference is a one-of-a-kind conference and community of 2,000 thought leaders who meet annually in San Francisco to discuss the ways everyone from big government agencies, multinational conglomerates, scrappy startups, religious organizations, and mission-driven initiatives puts continuous innovation into practice, empowering employees and fostering radical success along the way.

Lean 129

Lean San Francisco Startup Global 129

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 5, 2015

by Professor Dominique V. Turpin, president of IMD. The future is hard to predict and a lot of “experts” regularly get it wrong. However, there are some facts so important and trends so inevitable that leaders would be ill-advised to ignore and not try to anticipate. Here are three of many future megatrends that will not necessarily determine what will happen, but will most likely have a big impact on everybody’s business in the coming years to decades: Changing demography. .

Mozambique 186

Mozambique Tanzania Ethiopia Bangladesh 186

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2015

If an entrepreneur can’t build a culture of excitement and commitment at a startup, the chances of long-term success are negligible. It simply doesn’t matter how great your solution is. Every investor knows this. That’s why they insist on spending a day with your team as part of the due diligence process. A winning culture is easy to see, and a culture of fear and desperation is hard to hide.

Technical Review 210

Technical Review Entrepreneur Due Diligence Social Media 210

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 21, 2015

Startup success starts with passion for a job you want to spend your life doing. And great founders never stop to wonder if they’re qualified to do a startup. Passion and fearlessness — two key ingredients the latest guests on Entrepreneurs are Everywhere , my radio show on Sirius XM Channel 111, leveraged to build their companies. Betsy Corcoran.

Entrepreneur 203

Entrepreneur Cofounder Washington New York City 203

Brandanew

OCTOBER 14, 2015

When all businesses are using social media , why should restaurants be left behind? However, due to very nature of their business, the social strategies across industries need to be customized. For restaurants- similar to many brick and mortar businesses, the key interest is using social to increase physical footfalls. Let us have a look at how restaurants are using social media effectively and what you can learn from them (you could tailor them to your industries too!).

Social Media 184

Social Media Media Technical Review Channel 184

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 8, 2015

You’re running lots of tests? Great stuff. Now, here’s a piece of the puzzle you may not have thought about: what is the most appropriate way to archive test results? Surely, any mature organization can use insight from past test results as an indicator of where to go in the future. Trouble is, there is no single correct way to do this, and barely anyone is talking about how to do it well.

Database 86

Database Oregon Campaign Metrics 86

Hearpreneur

OCTOBER 30, 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.

Entrepreneur 94

Entrepreneur Australia Software Review LLC 94

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 5, 2015

By Vicky Oliver, author of “ Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots “ Remaining at a job even though you’re unhappy or unappreciated is like dangling on a low rung in Purgatory. Staying in your position may have its financial rewards, but it’s not doing you — or the company — any good. In fact, a new movement has CEOs offering to pay employees to leave if they’re not interested in staying.

Exit Strategy 169

Exit Strategy Social Media Reputation Networking 169

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

Most technologists have little interest in the mechanics of starting and building a business. That’s why I recommend that they find a co-founder who loves business challenges, including marketing and finance. I usually envision a 50-50 ownership split for their efforts, but every engineer believes the technology side deserves the majority share. In fact, an entrepreneur friend of mine, who made millions on her marketing expertise, asserted recently that most inventors fail in business because th

Technical Review 209

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 209

Up and Running

OCTOBER 8, 2015

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my business career. Some mistakes were hard to avoid, but one of the biggest and most expensive ones could have been dodged by simply doing a little homework. I fell victim to a trap that plenty of entrepreneurs fall into every day: I fell in love with a product idea. Back in the late 2000s, my team and I came up with what we thought was a great idea for a product.

Marketing 108

Marketing CTO Hire Forecast Finder 108

Start Up Blog

OCTOBER 7, 2015

The Brooklyn, the Golden Gate, the Sydney Harbour… name a bridge leading to a major city and anyone who drives over it during peak hour will know the pain. In fact driving on any major roadway towards a Central Business District is generally a horrible experience. I read this article today about Australia blowing its luck as the lucky country largely due to traffic and transport issues.

Technical Review 89

Technical Review Australia Government Cost 89

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 23, 2015

You spend most days analyzing and interpreting numbers, right? You’re constantly sifting through Google Analytics dashboards, Formisimo reports, Mixpanel data – the list is endless. When you spend so much time focusing on the numbers, it’s easy to forget about the people generating those numbers. That’s where qualitative conversion research comes into play.

Conversion 97

Conversion Retention Audience Software Review 97

Jeff Hilimire

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Wow. I’m just finally getting my feet back under me after the inaugural 48in48 event last weekend. When I first conceived of this event over a year ago, I never envisioned it would be so successful. The amount of support and passion that people showed was awe-inspiring, and we did it! We built 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hours! I’ll be sharing more details soon, but I thought I’d start with sharing the weekend via some pictures I took along the way.

Atlanta 61

Atlanta Cofounder Web Development Web 61

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 8, 2015

By Rick Gillis, author of “ PROMOTE!: It’s Who Knows What You Know That Makes a Career “ Google “self-promotion” and up come the haters. In a flash, you’ll see countless negative articles and posts. From “Why Self-Promotion Is a Terrible Idea” to “The Braggart’s Dilemma” to “Please Shut Up,” there’s no shortage of spewing. Here’s the problem: In today’s intensely competitive, hyper-social work world, self-promotion is no longer just a professional responsibility.

Flash 168

Flash Technical Review .Net Search 168

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2015

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Without risking all your life savings, you may find that corporate desk you have as an alternative is a lot more satisfying.

Technical Review 209

Technical Review Entrepreneur Stock Options Due Diligence 209

Up and Running

OCTOBER 22, 2015

This is the phone call you’re trying to avoid. The old adage says “you can’t please everyone.”. However, when it comes to customer complaints, this is often one time you should try to set things right. Not only that, but a customer complaint can be an excellent way to make your product or service better next time. While the truth is that the customer may not always be right, a customer issue is almost always a chance to improve your business.

Customer 107

Customer Social Media Reputation Software Review 107

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 14, 2015

Today Twitter announced it had laid off around 336 jobs or 8% of its workforce. Nobody should celebrate, cheer or shout, “it’s about time.” This is about 336 people whose lives are altered and need to begin looking for work, saying goodbye to friends & colleagues and go on that journey of transition that most people dread. I wish all of them well and feel confident that anybody employed at one of the most innovative companies of the past 10 years will land on his or her fe

Burn Rate 311

Burn Rate San Francisco Private Equity LP 311

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 28, 2015

More choice equals freedom, right? Well, yes, but there’s a good body of evidence that the more choices we are presented, the less happy we are with the one we make. What does that mean for conversions, though? Retention? Revenue? The Psychology of Choice. The most famous, and I believe the first, study that pointed to the adverse effects of choice was in 2000 and the subject was jam.

Conversion 98

Conversion Software Review Retention Email 98

View from Seed

OCTOBER 22, 2015

Hey hey, check it out , we recently launched our new NextView website and did a refresh on our brand. The home page and the NextView blog are good starting points to explore. We also now have a dedicated page for exploring our platform of resources focused on helping startups gain traction, found here. Below are a few reflections about having gone through this process, but please, please let us know what you think!

Seed Stage 261

Seed Stage Startup Portfolio Institutional Investors 261

deal architect

OCTOBER 13, 2015

I swear there is a patron saint that CIOs pray to. A common prayer is to shield some of their favorite small tech vendors from being gobbled up by larger vendors. Another prayer is to shield them from the chaos.

250

250

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2015

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.

Programming 208

Programming Entrepreneur Partner Design 208

Up and Running

OCTOBER 1, 2015

While we all dream of making it alone, the reality is that sometimes we do need help on the path of entrepreneurship. That is where joint ventures come in; they give your business the chance to grow thanks to someone who shares your vision. However, in a joint venture, you lose some control of business decisions, and it is therefore important to enter a venture with someone who has your best interests at heart.

Intellectual Property 100

Intellectual Property Technical Review Exit Strategy Due Diligence 100

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2015

Let me start the post with three statements. 1. I have attention deficit disorder, it is a real condition , I have been diagnosed including having radioactive isotopes through my brain to map my development and yet I’m a leader, I have accomplished much, I did well in school and went on to earn a master’s degree and I can actually concentrate when I want to.

LP 306

LP Lean Chicago Video 306

ConversionXL

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Are you familiar with the expression, “The most valuable customer is the one you never lose”? In the CRO industry, it’s easy to focus on simply converting more leads all day, every day. More visitors to the landing pages, more emails submitted, more phone numbers captured, etc. A higher conversion rate is great, but as Peep says, “If you want to increase conversions, make everything that you sell one cent, conversions go way up, but you go out of business.

Retention 97

Retention Conversion Acquisition Social Media 97

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 27, 2015

I’m still surprised when I find unexpected connections with innovation in different industries. —– In a recent workshop with a large company focused on the Innovation@50x process, I mentioned that founders and intraprenuers operate more like artists than accountants – on day one they see something no one else does. One of the innovators in the room said, “It sounds like you’re describing exactly what Ed Catmull the CEO of Pixar wrote in Creativity, Inc.”.

Founder 249

Founder Lean Hawaii Incubator 249

View from Seed

OCTOBER 22, 2015

In a world of pre-seeds , seeds, seed extensions, super-seeds , and more, figuring out the right amount to raise for a startup’s seed round can seem like a moving target. And if you do land on a “right” amount, is that the actual best number for the “ask” in a pitch deck ? Conventional VC wisdom says entrepreneurs should raise 18 months of runway. This rule of thumb is directionally correct.

Seed Capital 239

Seed Capital Seed Stage Demand Finance 239

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2015

In this world of constant change, new technologies, and a thousand cultures, it’s evident and somehow comforting to me that the basic rules for business prosperity really haven’t changed in the last hundred years. Business success is still more about the people than the technology or idea involved. As an angel investor and a mentor to entrepreneurs I still see this every day.

Entrepreneur 220

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Differentiation Business Model 220

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 27, 2015

by Paul Scolardi is the CEO of Super Trades LLC. When it comes to finding financial success, so many people focus on having to build their financial portfolio for years and years and to wait decades until they can make the money they want and live the life they have always wanted to have. However, there is a young man by the name of Matthew Owens that is proving that philosophy wrong.

Stock 213

Stock LLC CPA Programming 213

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2015

A while back when I was reading the press I saw a quote from Randy Komisar, a partner at Kleiner Perkins that was simple, yet profound. He was quoted as saying, “Being a great partner is as important as being smart or being right.”. I liked it so much I wrote it down and tried to think about what it meant to me and I promised myself I would write about that one day.

Partner 301

Partner Product Startup 301