Steve Blank

JUNE 14, 2017

Automobile manufacturers shipped 88 million cars in 2016. Tesla shipped 76,000. Yet Wall Street values Tesla higher than any other U.S. car manufacturer. What explains this more than 1,000 to 1 discrepancy in valuation? The future. — Too many people compare Tesla to what already exists and that’s a mistake. Tesla is not another car company. At the turn of the 20 th century most people compared existing buggy and carriage manufacturers to the new automobile companies.

Valuation 280

Valuation Business Model Software Engineering Engineer 280

Hearpreneur

JUNE 14, 2017

Each business has a story. No matter if the business is a Goliath like Wal-Mart, or a local business owned by a couple or family, the business has roots in an idea. For each business owner, the story of their journey can range from monetary needs or the passion for a unique project. Each story is different though the reasons may be the same. No matter the tale, the background behind each and every business is what fuels each and brand.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur South Africa PR Thailand 129

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 11, 2017

Whether you’re a startup looking at taking those first steps into the business world or an established company wanting to expand your customer base, marketing your business is an important step in getting your brand in front of the right people. With the variety of marketing options available to all industries, choosing the right one for you can seem like a long and arduous task.

Database 164

Database Software Review Dividend Social Media 164

ConversionXL

JUNE 13, 2017

Agile marketing may not be a phrase you hear often, but it’s becoming increasingly popular and important. Traditionally associated with development and product management, agile is a lightweight and, well, agile framework for software development and bringing features and products to market. It stands in opposition to “waterfall” production methods that treat analysis, design, coding, and testing as discrete phases – where in agile they are treated as continuous.

SCRUM 112

SCRUM Agile Marketing Development Team Review 112

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

Up and Running

JUNE 14, 2017

Almost on a weekly basis, I meet new aspiring entrepreneurs looking to execute on their ideas. Some believe in the all-in approach to product development: build an advanced app. If it works, they’ll hit it big, and if it doesn’t, they’ll make some changes and do it again. Others believe in the start small, grow strong approach: build a small version of the app, test user demand, and then take it from there.

Technical Review 96

Technical Review Distribution Redemption Demand 96

Hearpreneur

JUNE 10, 2017

Music can change your spirit. If you’re having a bad day and listen to your favorite song, it can change your entire mood. Music can also help you to get through difficult moments in life. One of the hardest things anyone can ever do is start and run a business. We knew that entrepreneurs have the best playlists and we decided to ask them their favorite tracks. #1 – All I do is Win by DJ Khaled.

Entrepreneur 116

Entrepreneur Software Review Iceland Tennessee 116

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 13, 2017

Only one in ten startups succeed. Issues such as lack of managerial experience, and a weak marketing strategy – or bad timing – are often identified as reasons for failure. It can be difficult for an entrepreneur to accept that he is at fault for any of the above; yet many still consider that it is ok to “fail fast, fail often” provided one learns from one’s mistakes on the path to success.

Early Stage 87

Early Stage Silicon Valley Thailand Incubator 87

Up and Running

JUNE 13, 2017

One of the largest banks in the country, with branch locations in your town, advertises everywhere. You know their jingle. Those ads are tempting for small business owners—it’s hard to resist the ten largest banks because they control over $10.1 trillion in assets and have the marketing budget to prove it. After seeing the ads for weeks on TV, you apply for a small business loan.

Community 117

Community Technical Review United States New York City 117

ConversionXL

JUNE 15, 2017

If you’re not following form design best practices, you might be leaving a significant amount of money on the table. While forms aren’t the sexiest part of conversion optimization , they tend to be the closest to the money, the macro-conversions. Spending a little time optimizing forms can be some of the most important optimization work you can do. Of course, best practices don’t work the same on all sites.

Design 91

Design Software Review Mobile Naming 91

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 11, 2017

If you have been caught with this article, ten to one this means you have some great idea for startup. But you do not know how to turn a startup idea into reality, do you? It’s not a secret that it is always difficult to us to start something new: how to start? when to start? what to begin with? The 10 tips offered by Umbrella company in this article will not only suggest you answers to these questions, but will help with setting priorities in the correct way so that you would not miss any

Startup 154

Startup Demand Developer Advertising 154

crowdSPRING Blog

JUNE 11, 2017

What group in the US numbers more than 80 million , has an annual buying power of $200 billion, and makes up nearly half of the US workforce ? Millennials. Sometimes called “Gen Y”, millennials are the much sought after generation born between 1980 and 2000. This generation carries impressive buying power, so it’s no surprise that marketers are focusing on understanding and speaking to this lucrative demographic.

Small Business 60

Small Business Marketing Social Media United States 60

Austin Startup

JUNE 15, 2017

Last week RideAustin’s two most senior executives — CEO Andy Tryba and COO Marisa Goldenberg —  published a Medium piece detailing “what they learned” during the first week following Uber’s and Lyft’s return to the Austin market, given that their ride volume immediately fell by 55 percent. Yesterday Tryba stated that RideAustin’s trip volume declined an additional 16 percent the subsequent week, and in response RideAustin would be immediately lowering its (already-low) rates to price-match Uber

Austin 48

Austin Demand Security Community 48

Duct Tape Marketing

JUNE 15, 2017

What Your Customers Really Need Is…More Site Testing? written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Why do your customers buy? What are they looking for? Why do they convert on your site? Ask most marketers or business owners these questions and you’ll usually get a lot of very specific answers. “We have the best prices”…“Our product has more features than the competition”…“Our customer service is incredible”… Now, all of these answers are great, but most of the

Customer 52

Customer Conversion Design Audience 52

deal architect

JUNE 15, 2017

As I pointed out in my book, Silicon Collar, for years now analysts like Gartner and academics at places like Oxford U have been predicting doom and gloom in massive job loss from machines. Even years after their predictions, there.

210

210

crowdSPRING Blog

JUNE 13, 2017

Brand building at-scale can be different than brand building for a startup or small business. Nevertheless, smart entrepreneurs and small business owners pay careful attention to important market forces and trends that shape some of the world’s best brands. WPP and Kantar Millward Brown just released their latest BrandZ report on the most valuable global brands.

Small Business 53

Small Business Startup Global Design 53

Austin Startup

JUNE 14, 2017

TL;DR : No. Most top startup lawyers have clients in many different cities, and lawyers specializing in emerging tech/startup work usually only exist in denser tech ecosystems. Background Reading: Bad Advisors: The Problem with Localism Navigating Referrals in a Connected Startup Ecosystem How to avoid “Captive” company counsel Gatekeepers v. Ecosystems If you live in a small town/city and need specialized (not general practice) medical care, you most likely need to look to a larger city to find

Silicon Valley 48

Silicon Valley Houston San Antonio Austin 48

Duct Tape Marketing

JUNE 14, 2017

Convert Your Ideas and Messages Into Memorable Narratives written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with Ron Ploof. Podcast Transcript. I enjoy it when someone can take a complex idea and make it simple without removing its initial power and intent. Storytelling is all the rage these days, but few are equipping people to actually use the power of stories.

Technical Review 51

Technical Review Social Media Distribution Engineer 51

deal architect

JUNE 12, 2017

In The New Polymath I had profiled Francisco D’Souza and the company he helped found, Cognizant as “born global”. The son of a diplomat, he has lived and worked around the world and has grown Cognizant into a nearly $.

Global 210

Global Conversion 210

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 13, 2017

By Paula Conway, President of Astonish Media Group. If you want to build a business and expand your brand and wealth base, you have to show up and make it count. Now is the time to put all of the old baggage behind you and push your skills and raw talent forward. Discerning between the do’s and don’t’s in business can be confusing, so let’s get really clear on what will move the dial and what won’t.

New York City 206

New York City New York Small Business Early Stage 206

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2017

By definition, most entrepreneurs are thought leaders. They have the ability to recognize a market need, the skills to design and implement a solution, and the drive to start a business from that solution. It all comes from within themselves. A business leader does the same thing and more through the people around them. Most entrepreneurs are not both.

Leadership 171

Leadership Venture Capital Hiring Community 171

Rembrandt Communications

JUNE 15, 2017

Christmas starts in October. Are you ready for holiday marketing? It’s that time of year when you prepare for graduations, Father’s Day and upcoming vacations. But there is something else you need to think about now… Christmas. That’s right. Summer is not even officially here yet, but the winter holiday sales season starts in just […]. The post Summer is Not Here Yet, But Holiday Marketing Time Is!

Marketing 180

Marketing Sales Public Relations Email 180

deal architect

JUNE 11, 2017

In The New Polymath I had profiled Francisco D’Souza and the company he helped found, Cognizant as “born global”. The son of a diplomat, he has lived and worked around the world and has grown Cognizant into a nearly $.

Global 199

Global Conversion 199

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 12, 2017

If you’re just starting out in a new field or job, it can be intimidating understanding how to network. Networking is a process of building connections with people that can lead to opportunities in your professional (and personal) growth. You want these connections to be meaningful and authentic, but that can be difficult, especially upon meeting new people.

Networking 189

Networking Social Media Media Conversion 189

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2017

If your startup is looking for an angel investor, it makes sense to present your plan to flocks of angels, and assume that at least one will swoop down and scoop you up. Or does it? Actually numbers and locations are just the beginning. The challenge is to find the right angel for you, and for your situation. Here are some basic principles: Angels invest in people, more often than they invest in ideas.

Angel Investor 167

Angel Investor North America Accredited Investor Angel Groups 167

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 13, 2017

Today Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) announced their support for Global EIR , a cause for which I care deeply. As you may know, over breakfast in 2015 Jeff Bussgang and I launched Global EIR with the hope of advancing the startup visa effort on a local and state level after it stalled in Congress. Since then, Global EIR has grown to 13 university programs across the country, helping 42 international founders start companies.

Silicon Valley 187

Silicon Valley Matching Global Boston 187

deal architect

JUNE 11, 2017

As part of my research for Silicon Collar I found a whole bunch of new “jobs” which are not properly tracked – I called them Alt-Jobs, and they include those in franchises, alternative healthcare like chiropractors, and those on technology.

Technology 199

Technology 199

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 12, 2017

If you’re a businessman, then you should be aware that people who are under 35, or those simply called Millennials, is a great demographic you should target for your business. However, the traditional marketing strategies often do not work with this particular group. This presents a challenge for your business to capture their loyalty to your brand.

Marketing 180

Marketing Social Media Advertising Mobile 180

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 16, 2017

Every startup wants to be a predictable success, yet so few ever achieve this enviable position. In reality, getting there is not a random walk, and requires an understanding of the stages that every business must navigate and the organizational characteristics necessary at each stage. Les McKeown, in his classic book “ Predictable Success ” outlines these stages and characteristics for any business.

Startup 146

Startup Framework Employee Management 146

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 12, 2017

I’ve come to despise the phrase “culture fit.” I don’t remember when I first heard it, but it was many years ago. Over time, it became woven into the world of entrepreneurship, as companies used it as a primary frame of reference for hiring. VCs turned it into a cliche, espousing the importance of culture fit during the entire spectrum of company creation, from the functioning of the very earliest teams through scaling a business.

Hiring 177

Hiring Conversion Search Naming 177

The Next Web

JUNE 13, 2017

Move over WeWork, CaveDay is the new co-working space on the block. CaveDay is a pop-up collective that only operates on Sunday. The Manhattan space is available to entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers or anyone with a short attention span. However, this isn’t just any co-working space 一 they take your phone away once you step in. According to the company website: “It’s a day of heads-down, facilitated, distraction-free productivity so you can treat yourself to prioritize YOU and getting your pe

Web 162

Web Operations Entrepreneur Startup 162

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 15, 2017

by Bob Adams, serial entrepreneur and founder of BusinessTown.com. Many people toy with the idea of starting a business but hesitate to actually take the plunge and go out on their own. There are many reasons that people are held back from starting their own business. One of the most common reasons that keeps people from starting a business is that they don’t feel comfortable about starting a business in a field in which they don’t have related experience.

Social Media 154

Social Media Small Business Operations Matching 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2017

If every entrepreneur could predict the future, starting the right new business would be easy. Since my experience and interests have been primarily with technology, I’ve been watching those trends for a long time, and I see rapid change, but predicting impact is a challenge. Recently I’ve changed my focus a bit to people demographics, and I find the implications a bit more concrete.

Architecture 144

Architecture Forecast Demand Technology 144

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 14, 2017

I’ve met and emailed with many pre-seed and seed GPs in the past year. Over sushi last night with two of them, who are also long-time friends, one of them asked me “Brad, how do you think we are differentiated?” This generated a rant from me that went something like this. There are over 500 seed funds in the market right now. Maybe there’s a thousand.

Differentiation 147

Differentiation Later Stage Equity Founder 147

For Entrepreneurs

JUNE 14, 2017

Part of finding product/market fit is turning early wins into repeatable, scalable, and profitable sales. In my talk given at Heavybit as part of their speaker series, I discuss how to design a great sales process, analyze the buyers journey, and shorten the time to customer conversion from trials, freemium and open source products. Using examples from companies.

Open Source 150

Open Source Sales Conversion Design 150

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 15, 2017

by Ernie Rossi, Audit Partner at Sensiba San Filippo. Fraud and identity theft is a constant concern for both individuals and businesses. Hackers and thieves use various types of schemes to con millions of people and businesses each year. Here are some practical tips to help keep business owners and individuals alert, prepared and guarded against fraud: Fraud prevention for business. 1.

Security 153

Security Social Media Employee Hiring 153

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2017

True business success and leadership starts with real personal values, extends to building a team, and finally to inspiring customers and your community. That’s a huge leap from an entrepreneurial idea, to a product, to making money. Is it any wonder that the majority of startups fail? My job as a new business advisor is to help entrepreneurs get over this chasm early.

Leadership 137

Leadership Reputation Metrics Partner 137