Steve Blank
JULY 11, 2017
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I was visiting with an ex-student who’s now the CFO of a large public tech company. The company is still one of the hottest places to work in tech. They make hardware with a large part of their innovation in embedded software and services.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 1, 2017
The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. I often get asked about the real alternatives to bridge this valley, and there are some good ones I will outline here.
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YoungUpstarts
JULY 25, 2017
by Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of “ The Membership Economy: Find Your Super Users, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue “ In recent years, the Membership Economy has been disrupting the old methods of doing business in a major way. Essentially, companies focus on long-term relationships rather than short-term profits, and customers respond with “forever transactions.” It’s all part of a major paradigm shift in which many businesses are rethi
Up and Running
JULY 24, 2017
What is an executive summary? An executive summary is the brief introduction to a business plan. It should describe your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights. What should an executive summary include? Who you are. Start with your business’s name, location, and contact information. What you offer and the problem your business solves.
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
Version One Ventures
JULY 20, 2017
As Ada Support launches its automated chat platform from stealth and announces an impressive $2.5 million seed round, we’re looking back at our journey with founders Mike Murchison and David Hariri. The story underscores the importance of perseverance and having the right founding team. Just after closing Fund II in October 2014, Boris took a trip to Toronto.
Feld Thoughts
JULY 26, 2017
My favorite Onion article of all time (from 2010) is U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion. It starts off with some Bernanke brilliance. “Though raising interest rates is unlikely at the moment, the Fed will of course act appropriately if we…if we…” said Bernanke, who then paused for a moment, looked down at his prepared statement, and shook his head in utter disbelief. “You know what?
Start Up Roar brings together the best content for start up professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 17, 2017
Every startup lucky enough to get some traction gets to the point where they decide to hire some “regular employees” for sales, marketing, and administrative tasks. Then they are surprised to see productivity and creativity take a big dip. What they should be doing is hiring only “entrepreneurs,” meaning people who think and act as if this is their own business.
YoungUpstarts
JULY 4, 2017
by Nate Vickery, editor-in-chief of Bizzmarkblog.com. In 2017, SEO can be described in two words: turf war. There are over 1 billion active websites and a lot of them understand the value of ranking at the top of Google’s search results, so they are doing everything in their power to crush their competitors and push them out of the picture. SEO is a game of keyword- and research-driven efforts, wrapped around a technical understanding of how search engines work and what factors they use in orde
Up and Running
JULY 10, 2017
Five months ago, the five members of our Chanty team gathered around a small table in a coffee shop to try to answer the ultimate question for our business: “How will Chanty make money?”. Determining the right monetization strategy is by far the most important issue for every SaaS business. You can have all traction in the world—acquire, activate, and retain users, but until your startup earns money, you are doing charity work, not running a business.
YFS Magazine
JULY 29, 2017
Driving traffic to your website isn't enough if those visitors don't convert into customers. Here are four smart ways to boost website conversions.
David Cohen
JULY 18, 2017
Of course nobody wants their startup to fail, but the fact is that it happens and it’s a completely normal part of company building. Investors understand this and realize that failure is often a part of the process. If your company has failed, make sure you go out of your way to let all of your investors know what’s going on. At Techstars, part of our Code of Conduct is to communicate with your investors at least every six months.
Mike Michalowicz
JULY 26, 2017
As a business owner, it can be easy to throw on the blinders and focus exclusively on profitability. But what if becoming permanently profitable and supporting the causes closest to your heart could come hand in hand? Social entrepreneurship can actually boost your employee retention rate and their productivity. Individuals, especially millennials, are increasingly expressing a desire to do meaningful work.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 19, 2017
How many times have investors heard startups start their pitch by touting that their technology is “disruptive?” What entrepreneurs forget or don’t realize is that most customers are wary of all technology, educating the market on new technology is expensive, takes a long time, and people buy problem solutions rather than technology. Investors will likely wait for more traction.
YoungUpstarts
JULY 24, 2017
by Drew Klebine, lead writer and co-owner of uxax.org. We live in an age of information. When applying this idea to how consumers shop online, it’s safe to assume that they already know everything about you and your company. Even if they don’t know everything, they can do their research to figure out whatever they want, and they will. Remember the olden days when consumers chose to simply trust whatever marketers and salesmen were saying, even the shady stuff?
Up and Running
JULY 19, 2017
In 2013, a Pew Research Center study revealed some sobering insights into the reasons why 34 percent of millennial women weren’t interested in becoming a boss or top manager. But beyond gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace, some experts also referred to a confidence gap—less self-assurance compared to men—as essential as competence for success.
VC Cafe
JULY 5, 2017
According to the IVC Meitar exits report for H1 2017, Israeli high-tech exits total $1.95 billion in the first half of the year in 57 deals, a five-year low, both in terms of deal number and total amount. The report sums up the exits of Israeli high-tech companies in merger & acquisition deals and initial public offerings, as well as buyout deals, from 2012 to H1/2017.
Duct Tape Marketing
JULY 21, 2017
10 Must Have Tools to Monitor, Analyze and Respond to Brand Mention written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing. What are people saying about your brand? I am not speaking about those paid advertisements or reviews on popular blogs that you have been orchestrating. I mean real, organic brand mentions from your user base. Chances are you have no idea, not unless it has been a major complaint that has come directly through your customer service office.
ConversionXL
JULY 25, 2017
Software businesses have a conversion problem that’s both getting worse and going mostly unsolved. And that problem is mobile. Though the topic of mobile conversion rates of ecommerce websites is often broaches, it’s rare we talk about SaaS or B2B. It’s mostly been written off. “People don’t buy on mobile,” we say. However, this is often a problematic view (if you care about your business or the customer experience, that is).
crowdSPRING Blog
JULY 30, 2017
Silicon Valley has dominated the U.S. startup ecosystem for many decades. Despite repeated efforts, only a few cities outside the Valley (New York and Boston) have historically had the critical mix of funding, network, and talent to fuel vibrant startup centers. But this is becoming less true today, as more and more entrepreneurs find their way across the U.S.
YoungUpstarts
JULY 11, 2017
Whether you have a small business or a super large corporation, you will need a website. But it cannot be just any website. It has to be a website that is going to work for you. It needs to work on both a technical level and a personal level. It has to resonate with your readers. If you have no idea where to get started, you are in luck. Everything you need to know to point you in the right direction can be found here: Get The Best Hosting Possible.
Up and Running
JULY 26, 2017
Website, web app, or a mobile app—what would be the right “form” for your business idea ? Since the release of the very first iPhone, everyone has been treating the mobile-first business model as the new gold rush. Some, on the contrary, say that the modern user is already experiencing app fatigue and that people tend to use just three apps at most , so competing for desktop attention still remains easier.
Hunter Walker
JULY 10, 2017
My undergrad degree was in history, but I always qualify it as “social history,” which to me means not just focusing on “names, dates, wars” (aka high school history) but understanding the past through stories. Alyssa Bereznak covers tech for The Ringer and her reporting appeals to me for the same reasons. Alyssa doesn’t write wrote explainers about Instagram’s latest feature updates but she will go deep into the Plantsagram subculture.
thebarefootvc
JULY 3, 2017
Over the past month, Silicon Valley has been at the forefront of many conversations outside of the technology world. Unfortunately not for groundbreaking technology, but for rampant sexual harassment and predatory behavior. The stories outlined by a number of brave women in the NY Times last week recount investors using their power and position to proposition female founders.
ConversionXL
JULY 25, 2017
Software businesses have a conversion problem that’s both getting worse and going mostly unsolved. And that problem is mobile. Though the topic of mobile conversion rates of ecommerce websites is often broaches, it’s rare we talk about SaaS or B2B. It’s mostly been written off. “People don’t buy on mobile,” we say. However, this is often a problematic view (if you care about your business or the customer experience, that is).
Duct Tape Marketing
JULY 6, 2017
Is Your Virtual Team a Mess? These Apps Can Help written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing. What does it take to run a successful business? Every entrepreneur has their own viewpoint. Their personal idea of what it takes to achieve success. Steve Jobs, had this to say: “It’s not the tools you have faith in–tools are just tools–they work, or they don’t work.
YoungUpstarts
JULY 6, 2017
When you are running a business online , you need to think about what makes a customer tick. And, perhaps more importantly, what makes a customer buy. There can be a lot of factors that determine a customer’s buying behavior, and you need to be aware of them all. You need to make sure that there are no issues that could stop a customer buying from you and that there are lots of strategies in place to ensure that they keep coming back to your business.
Up and Running
JULY 11, 2017
Most successful business plans entail launching a new product, service, or distribution outlet that attacks existing market competitors on what military planners would term an exposed flank. In battle, an effective flanking attack hits the opponent (or competition ) where they are less able or unable to respond. A smart commander will mass forces against this flank, just as an astute business leader will pour resources into their flanking effort.
Both Sides of the Table
JULY 16, 2017
Like many people these days, I spent much of my 20’s and early 30’s thinking about work & fun and not too much about “the future.” Like characters from one of my favorite novels “ The Unbearable Lightness of Being ” life seemed very light. My first son was born the day before my 35th birthday so the decade that followed was very heavy and consequential.
deal architect
JULY 12, 2017
The buzz at Infor’s annual user conference (and a side analyst summit) was around Coleman, the AI platform Infor announced to use “powerful machine learning to improve processes such as inventory management, transportation routing, and predictive maintenance”. The name Coleman.
Steve Blank
JULY 25, 2017
I was at Stanford in the Graduate School of Business and was interviewed by Peter Gardner of StartGrid for his On The Road podcast. I shared my current thinking about innovation in companies and government agencies. It’s worth a listen. BTW, it seems every podcast has a trick last question. This one was, “if I was on a road trip what’s the destination and what’s playing on the radio?
Duct Tape Marketing
JULY 6, 2017
Why You Must Optimize for Conversions Before Awareness written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing. When marketers plan their campaigns, the objective is usually to achieve one of two goals: increase brand awareness or maximize conversions. These two styles of marketing work together but they’re distinct from one another. Awareness marketing involves establishing a reputation within your niche, differentiating yourself from competitors and bringing people into the top of your funnel.
YoungUpstarts
JULY 26, 2017
by Pravya Pravin, product marketer at iZooto. In 2017, with 5X times faster growth than traditional software market, SaaS finds itself outrunning traditional software product delivery. Cloud software model will account for 1 dollar for every $4.59 spent on traditional software by 2019. A mammoth decline in traditional software can be seen in the coming future.
Up and Running
JULY 18, 2017
Dr. James R. Bailey, of George Washington University School of Business and the Centre for Management Development, London Business School. As a founder, you’ve probably been focused on writing your business plan , building out your financial forecasts to position yourself to get funding, and managing the day-to-day minutia of running a business. But have you thought about how your leadership skills and your ability to shape positive company culture can affect your startup’s survival ?
Pascal's View
JULY 9, 2017
Andrew Krowne and I recently co-wrote an article in Tech Crunch , Why SAFE Notes Are Not Safe for Entrepreneurs. We’ve received numerous constructive comments, both privately and on social media, from attorneys, VCs, and CEOs who are well aware of the problem (including several who are experiencing it in real time). This is a fundamental issue that does, indeed, boil down to understanding the post-money valuation of a company.
deal architect
JULY 6, 2017
At SapphrieNow a few weeks ago, SAP’s Hasso Plattner painted the vision of “Intelligent Applications” to include Intelligent Transactions – automate high-frequency repetitive tasks Analytics – make data-driven insights available to everybody Collaboration – tap into the collective intelligence of.
Steve Blank
JULY 19, 2017
Two good things just happened in Washington – these days that should be enough of a headline. First, someone ideal was just appointed to be Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. Second, funding to teach our Hacking for Defense class across the country just was added to the National Defense Authorization Act. Interestingly enough, both events are about how the best and brightest can serve their country – and are testament to the work of two dedicated men.
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