Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2022

Marketing is everything these days. Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. I like the guidance from marketing coach David Newman’s classic book “ Do It! Don’t fall into the marketing-speak trap. Good marketing is not rocket science.

Marketing 353

Marketing Technical Review Social Media Technology 353

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 12, 2021

In my view, the increasing consumer demand for personal marketing and personal assistants will soon overcome paranoia, and reasonable boundaries will emerge. I believe the current major drive to mobile devices and apps has slowed the progress toward this new semantic environment, but it’s coming.

Web 380

Web Search Semantic Software Review 380

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

The rate of new entrepreneurs increased between 2013 and 2021, from 280 to 360 out of 100,000 of the adult population. Of course, that’s both the good news and the bad news for aspiring entrepreneurs, since it means more competition, and the business landscape is changing faster than ever.

Intellectual Property 261

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Angel Groups Social Media 261

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Success often hinges on careful strategic planning and adapting to market shifts. Entrepreneurs need to define their market niche and craft effective competitive strategies to counteract competitive pressures. Understand Your Market Deep knowledge of the market is crucial for any effective competitive strategy.

Technical Review 146

Technical Review Startup Differentiation Social Media 146

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

He illustrated his talk with regulatory horror stories in the telecom market , electronic health records , and Covid antigen tests. Unfortunately, for startups entering a regulated market following this advice this might not be the optimum path. But regulated markets are different. Regulation What’s regulatory capture?

Washington 319

Washington Government Marketing Silicon Valley 319

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

How might our next phase of the journey seem brighter, even with more uncertain days for startups and capital markets? And then in the late 90’s money crept in, swept in to town by public markets, instant wealth and an absurd sky-rocketing of valuations based on no reasonable metrics. What happened? People were building.

Valuation 466

Valuation San Francisco Ratchet Liquidation Preference 466

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. Pew says the Boomer demographic is the largest mainstream pool of experienced talent in the market today, and will be for the foreseeable future.

Advisory Board 368

Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor Cofounder 368

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 25, 2021

Every entrepreneur with a new technology tells me that his innovation will be industry-disrupting, meaning that it will render the existing technology obsolete, and create a new market. I suspect that several of these will surprise most entrepreneurs as being counter-intuitive to their thinking.

Non-Compete 394

Non-Compete Technical Review Forecast Social Media 394

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

He is regarded by many as the number-one authority on virtual staffing and personal outsourcing, and is himself a successful entrepreneur based in the Philippines. I was impressed with his summary of the top ten outsourcing mistakes made by entrepreneurs, followed by real guidance on how they can and should be avoided. Be flexible.

Cost 346

Cost Philippines Bandwidth Cofounder 346

Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. It’s a company that creates multiple startups in-house, then finds entrepreneurs who take them over to grow them.

Technical Cofounder 368

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 368

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2020

In my experience, consummate entrepreneurs tend come up with more startup ideas than they can ever implement, and some of the ideas may not even make business sense. But how does any entrepreneur know which ideas to implement, and which ones are best left behind? Find a recognized billion dollar and growing market.

Technical Review 434

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Internet 434

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2022

Very few entrepreneurs have the range of skills and experience to be the solution creator as well as business creator, or operational as well as sales leader. Most entrepreneurs work long hours and weekends to get the job done. Look at the big picture first of development, finance, and marketing/sales.

Partner 385

Partner Software Review CTO Hire Cofounder 385

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2020

As a long-time business executive and adviser to entrepreneurs, I see a definitive shift away from customer trust in traditional business messages, and the executives who deliver them. I believe that the sooner every entrepreneur and brand builder adapts to this emerging trend, the sooner they will find success.

Customer 433

Customer B2C Technical Review Social Media 433

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

In fact, I often have to tell aspiring entrepreneurs that their inventions have zero value, at least not until they are put in the context of a business plan, with qualified people committed to executing the plan. Experts and market research agree you are first. Early adopters are not a big market.

Technical Review 391

Technical Review Intellectual Property Early Stage Global 391

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

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. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Entrepreneurs that are not listening, not engaging, and not changing are destined to be left behind even in the best of times. It is required today for new innovation strategies, analyzing markets for new opportunities, and organizational changes. Business agility is defined as the ability to adapt rapidly and cost efficiently.

Agile 379

Agile Technical Review Leadership Social Media 379

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2021

As a logical and data-driven business advisor, I have long focused on facts, technology, and quantifiable pain in guiding entrepreneurs. By focusing your marketing activities on key individuals known to wield influence in your target customer market, you can deliver a more "authentic" message.

Customer 432

Customer Social Media Dividend Technical Review 432

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

My first advice for new entrepreneurs is to pick a domain, such as online web sites and smart phone apps, that doesn’t have the sky-high up-front development costs. In reality, the financing valley of death tests the commitment, determination, and problem solving ability of every entrepreneur. Are you ready to start? Marty Zwilling.

Intellectual Property 341

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 341

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2022

In my experience as an angel investor to startups, goodwill disagreements are perhaps the most common reason that you will fail to close interested investors as an entrepreneur. If you are the entrepreneur or owner, every potential investor takes a hard look at you. Brand recognition and market influencer support.

Valuation 368

Valuation Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor 368

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

This article explores the pressing challenges in nursing home safety and shines a light on the groundbreaking solutions that forward-thinking entrepreneurs are developing to protect residents and empower their families. Entrepreneurs must ensure that their innovations comply with federal and state laws designed to protect residents.

Technical Review 158

Technical Review Startup Software Review Algorithm 158

The Startup Magazine

JANUARY 21, 2025

Entrepreneurs entering this field should consider adopting environmentally friendly technologies to stay competitive. Entrepreneurs can position themselves advantageously by staying abreast of these opportunities, contributing to environmental goals and business profitability.

Technical Review 144

Technical Review Government Operations Demand 144

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2023

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. In that spirit, I offer my perspective on ten common startup failure sources that rarely get admitted by entrepreneurs: Choose to skip the written business plan.

Intellectual Property 312

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 312

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2021

As a starting point, I like the Wikipedia simple definition of innovation as “the application of better solutions to meet new requirements or market needs.” Solution innovations need to be perfected before going to market. I also enjoyed the classic book, “ 63 Innovation Nuggets for Aspiring Innovators ,” by George E.

Technical Review 431

Technical Review Leadership Operations Networking 431

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Entrepreneurs see “no risk” as meaning “no reward.” There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. If the customer need is obvious and large, the calculated risk is in the quality of your solution, your team, and marketing.

Forecast 304

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 304

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

The key elements of leadership in a company, both individual and organizational, are less tangible, but very critical in setting a market value for investment, acquisition, or going public. For startups, the entrepreneur and founder is almost always the face of the company. Leadership brand development.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

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. What they should be doing is hiring only “entrepreneurs,” meaning people who think and act as if this is their own business. Employees will lose focus on their work.”

Startup 337

Startup Technical Review Employee Hiring 337

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 16, 2021

Confidence and self-esteem are critical to your success as an entrepreneur, or any business role. Some of us are proud to be technologists, while others love marketing or team building. It allows you to change and learn as the market evolves, and your business needs change. Prioritize your passions in improving competence.

Leadership 435

Leadership Marketing Developer Entrepreneur 435

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2023

For the elite startups and entrepreneurs who manage to attract the investor they dream of, and survive the term sheet negotiation, there is still one more hurdle before the money is in the bank. A smart investor will take an independent final reading in the market on barriers to entry, active competition, demographics, and price sensitivity.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2022

Thus it behooves every entrepreneur to start watching these things more carefully from the very start. That’s a tall order, especially when your business culture has to fit into the myriad of international and local cultures that are part of every market these days. This business phase is where every entrepreneur starts.

Dilution 355

Dilution Startup Merger Flash 355

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2022

Perhaps sparked by the recent pandemic, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Listen to your customers to arrive at acceptable and marketable solutions.

Startup 338

Startup Technical Review Restful Partner 338

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2022

Moore titled “ Crossing the Chasm ,” but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them. There are other chasms out there just as deadly as the technology one, such as the ones below: Market requirements chasm. Marketing and sales chasm. Marketing costs can be a deep hole.

Technical Review 375

Technical Review Startup Dilution Early Stage 375

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2021

To complement local face-to-face networking, you can always use one of the many online matchmaking sites that have sprung up in the last few years, like CoFoundersLab and Startbee (think eHarmony™ for entrepreneurs, or Match.com meets LinkedIn). They need an operational CEO who knows the market and the marketing game.

Exit Strategy 407

Exit Strategy Leadership Founder Networking 407

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2022

My recommendation to entrepreneurs is to recognize these concerns as an opportunity to make people’s life better, rather than worry and dodge the risk. Market your solution and user benefits, not the mysterious technology behind it. Make your company visible, reachable and responsive through social networks.

Technical Review 342

Technical Review Customer Social Network Software Review 342

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. But it only works if you observe the following principles: Never hide from your team.

Elevator Pitch 386

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Dividend Leadership 386

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Most entrepreneurs I meet are reluctant to disclose anything about their idea to investors before getting a signed confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). Yet I can assure you that people who are paranoid, or want to avoid all risks, won’t be happy as entrepreneurs, so it’s all about balancing the risk-reward scale.

Non-disclosure Agreement 254

Non-disclosure Agreement Technical Review Due Diligence Angel Investor 254

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Whether you are a business professional in a big company, or an entrepreneur with a startup, innovation is a key strategy. Developing the ideal product the first time around is unlikely, high risk, and very expensive in today’s chaotic market. Everyone has ideas, but only a few can make them happen.

Artificial Inteligence 286

Artificial Inteligence Technology Leadership Business Model 286

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 11, 2023

In reality, based on my experience as a startup advisor and investor, these constraints lead the best entrepreneurs to the most innovative solutions and new markets otherwise overlooked by their peers and competitors. Most businesses stay focused on their core solution until they face growth stagnation and competition.

Technical Review 277

Technical Review Partner Matching Channel 277