Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

In my experience as an employee, up to an executive, in large companies as well as small, I’ve found that people who are consistently negative and complain are a big constraint on productivity, as well as the most difficult management problem that most business leaders face. The result is a positive and productive work environment for all.

Employee 371

Employee Salary Hiring Stock 371

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2021

Look for real problems to solve, like losing weight, staying healthy, or gaps in a popular product line. Today it more often means a “trusted friend” who seems real, visible, and doesn’t “push” products. Hiring virtual assistants for each specific project can be a lot more efficient and cheaper than hiring and managing employees.

Technical Review 312

Technical Review Software Review Internet Revenue 312

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2020

One of the harsh realities for most product entrepreneurs is that they have deal with hiring and firing as their company grows, and they have no experience or idea where to start. Thus you don’t need to invent an innovative product or technology to be a real entrepreneur. Staffing Professional.

Startup 410

Startup Angel Investor Social Media LLC 410

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Hire and train your own managers for internal and external work projects. Labor rates are lower in some countries, but culture and language match are the real keys to productivity. You should never hire internal or external staff based solely on what they can do now. Bored and unmotivated teams are never cost-effective.

Cost 346

Cost Philippines Bandwidth Cofounder 346

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. Then they are surprised to see productivity and creativity take a big dip. Hire employees who have strong skills, with the motivation to learn new ones.

Startup 337

Startup Technical Review Employee Hiring 337

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2021

The CEO must focus on key management team hires and assume a few mistakes which need to get fixed. A great hire can make a company, but a single bad one can break it. Most founders are product guys. The CEO is the check and balance on the constant parallel pushes for more development, more marketing, and more growth.

Exit Strategy 407

Exit Strategy Leadership Founder Networking 407

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2020

Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. In reality, more features will more likely make the product confusing and less usable to all. Broad product offerings require too much infrastructure.

Startup 424

Startup Bandwidth Distribution Agile 424

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 20, 2024

One increasingly popular strategy is to hire a fractional chief marketing officer (CMO). Early-stage startups often operate with tight budgets, making it impractical to hire a full-time CMO. Hiring a full-time CMO, according to Salary , can cost your startup around $360,672 a year.

B2B 148

B2B Hiring Salary Early Stage 148

VC Cafe

MARCH 31, 2025

Also, try using your competitors’ products. Launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) quickly: Aim to get something into users’ hands within two months, regardless of the initial state. If a potential hire doesn’t increase the company’s average intelligence, it’s a mistake.

Cofounder 88

Cofounder Silicon Valley Technical Review PR 88

TechEmpower

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Ensure that you investigate the designers' past work, samples of their work product, and their process. Quality of Work: The end product should not only look good but function as expected. While the appearance matters, remember you are hiring the development firm primarily for its development skills, not its graphic design skills.

Software Developers 297

Software Developers Software Development Software Review Software 297

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2022

New entrepreneurs tend to focus only on getting the product right, and assume that the right culture and ethics will come later simply by hiring good people. Hire only ethical people, so further time on business ethics is not needed. The reality is different. We’ve never broken the law so we must be ethical. Marty Zwilling.

Software Review 291

Software Review Offshore Entrepreneur Leadership 291

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Use Contracts to Your Advantage Whether you’re hiring employees, working with vendors, or entering into agreements with partners, contracts are essential. These can range from intellectual property theft to employee disputes, contract disagreements, or product liability issues. Image Credit 4.

Intellectual Property 119

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Entrepreneur Limited Liability Company 119

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2020

Products that can be easily produced and sold via multiple channels, including the Internet, are more easily scaled world-wide. Minimize permanent hiring and customized operational facilities. In this age of the gig-economy, you can more quickly hire and manage freelancers, contract workers, and contract operations.

Merger 386

Merger Software Review Acquisition Social Media 386

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2020

Every startup success is a function of great people, products, and profits. Hire for character, competency, and compatibility. Hiring is the single most important thing you do as a leader, and firing is second. Hiring people who are just like you may eliminate revolts, but it won’t get you outside your own box.

Technical Review 324

Technical Review Entrepreneur Due Diligence Business Model 324

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2021

Here are my recommendations for training and managing your team to keep their delivery memorable for customers, as well as profitable for your business: Hire team members who enjoy customer interaction. Encourage employee innovation in service, just like you must always be looking for ways to improve your product offerings.

Customer 369

Customer Technical Review Metrics Employee 369

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2021

As a simple example, the Wal-Mart website now shows shoppers more products that they may like, based on previous purchases. Select new hires with attention to values. The Wal-Mart home page is customized for each shopper based on location, local weather, and the customer search and purchase history.

Software Review 355

Software Review Algorithm Global IPO 355

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2021

Idea people must surround themselves with people who build momentum and get things done, including production, marketing, finance, and sales. Unfortunately for them, building a business is all about implementation. As an example, I worked with Bill Gates early on, but I fear he may have failed without partners Steve Ballmer and Paul Allen.

Entrepreneur 341

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Partner Software Developers 341

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 4, 2023

Otherwise, they will (sooner or later) experience the resource drain, high overhead costs & low employee productivity. Moreover, while the new employee is getting trained, the company’s productivity gets significantly affected. It affects employee morale, decreases productivity, and causes high turnover rates.

Employee 194

Employee Management Software Review Technical Review 194

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2020

If the company has been around for more than a couple of years, and still has no product or revenue flow, there better be a good explanation. Every startup should have at least a couple of outside advisors who are not major investors or family members, anxious to talk to new investors and key new hires.

Technical Review 436

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 436

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. He had a track record of taking small teams and growing them into successful product lines.

Technical Cofounder 368

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 368

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 15, 2019

If they were a commercial company, they figured out product/market fit; or if a government organization, it focused on solution/mission fit. HR processes, legal processes, financial processes, acquisition and contracting processes, security processes, product development and management processes, and types of organizational forms etc.

Government 322

Government Technical Review Acquisition Metrics 322

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2020

Then when you have to hire people, you will pick the best. Work on habits that improve your productivity, and find better tools every day. Develop productive relationships with people around you. While highly productive relationships lead to success, dysfunctional relationships make you a poor employee and a bad boss.

Leadership 380

Leadership Demand Management Founder 380

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

Research has confirmed that culture is a primary driver for financial performance, customer experience, and team productivity. Investors want organizations that manage people talent and growth, through good hiring, performance feedback, development on the job, and building commitment. Focus on talent and people growth.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

One of the most stressful and unanticipated challenges that comes with starting a new business is hiring and managing employees. For example, if I need help with product installation or customization, I don’t want to see someone who is clearly new to this role or inexperienced. You contract expertise rather than train employees.

Technical Review 308

Technical Review Due Diligence Startup Employee 308

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2020

Hire a professional marketing and public relations agency once you have a good revenue stream but you don’t need them to start a free blog, establish Facebook and Twitter accounts with initial content and complete the basics of search engine optimization. Cash flow can be drastically reduced by working out of your garage.

Burn Rate 310

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Salary Angel Investor 310

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2022

By definition, most startups begin as a result of some innovation in product, process, or service. The problem is that innovations in most business areas are coming so fast these days that yours can be overrun while still being scaled up across geographies and other products. Product-line expansion. Geographic expansion.

Dilution 355

Dilution Startup Merger Flash 355

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2020

Research has confirmed that culture is a primary driver for financial performance, customer experience, and team productivity. Investors want organizations that manage people talent and growth, through good hiring, performance feedback, development on the job, and building commitment. Focus on talent and people growth.

Valuation 311

Valuation Technical Review Due Diligence Leadership 311

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2021

The founder explains that the product or service is so “buzz-worthy” that the merits will spread rapidly through word-of-mouth only, meaning people loving it and recommending it to their friends. It usually implies an opportunity to win big, like a lottery, or experience something sensational, like an incredible video or free product.

Viral 348

Viral Marketing SEM Campaign 348

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. Every organization must constantly review its hiring practices, training, and leadership to make sure the focus is on people who are motivated, open-minded, and empowered. They don’t realize that business as usual is gone forever.

Agile 379

Agile Technical Review Leadership Social Media 379

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 17, 2020

The organization can’t keep up the pace of change, and soon loses motivation, productivity, and all sense of where they are headed. Tends to hire helpers and not develop talent. Idea people are so bright that they don’t see the need to leverage the capabilities of others, or hire people smarter than they are in any given domain.

Founder 329

Founder Cofounder Bandwidth Matching 329

TechEmpower

AUGUST 14, 2023

Specifically, they should know about, and help with: Asking and answering the 53 Questions Developers Should Ask Innovators Knowing when and how to bring on development talent ( Hiring Developers Before Product/Market Fit? , Then, a month later, the product is still 90% done. And six weeks later – 90% again!

Technical Review 260

Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO Software Review 260

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 12, 2020

While your branding, marketing campaigns, and product quality will be at the forefront of your mind, you must not overlook the importance of network and data security. You must also routinely review your data security plan as you hire more employees and create more departments. Embrace Managed IT Services.

Security 273

Security Software Review Technical Review Networking 273

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Actually, building and nurturing the right team is the hard part, requiring communication, hiring, and leadership. You may think that patents and copyrights are not required, since your products are so innovative, but you will find that competitors are quick to copy your idea if you don’t protect it.

Intellectual Property 432

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Technical Review Angel Investor 432

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

For example, early adopters may be easily sold, but new technology product success really hinges on adoption by certain demographics, perhaps more influenced by celebrities or mommy bloggers. The last thing you need in a startup is a false start, where you can’t deliver on a product change deadline, or a new marketing channel.

Metrics 387

Metrics Technical Review Leadership Framework 387

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 29, 2020

Since employees have been working remotely, organizations have seen a significant increase in productivity and communication, making employers more open toward hiring or partnering with people that are located throughout the US and all over the world. It’s a win for both sides.

Technical Review 275

Technical Review Cofounder Leadership Employee 275

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2021

You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen. It’s a core process that must be up and effective when you deliver your first product or service. Their eight initiatives should be required reading for every entrepreneur: Find and retain quality people.

Technical Review 385

Technical Review Salary Metrics Matching 385

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

One of the harsh realities for most product entrepreneurs is that they have deal with hiring and firing as their company grows, and they have no experience or idea where to start. Thus you don’t need to invent an innovative product or technology to be a real entrepreneur. Staffing Professional.

Angel Investor 267

Angel Investor Social Media LLC Viral 267