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. Project Management: Get a clear understanding of the company's process. Is there a project manager? An account manager?

Software Development 295

Software Development Software Developers Software Review Software 295

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

There are many books written on this subject, but this classic by Chris Ducker, “ Virtual Freedom ,” manages to pack a lot more practical guidance into a small space that many others I have seen. Contractors and freelancers, like any other business, manage their own internal processes, but they can’t manage your business.

Cost 346

Cost Philippines Bandwidth Cofounder 346

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2023

In other parts of the world, innovators often need to develop both the ultimate product or service, as well as the enabling infrastructure that underpins it. Silicon Valley’s conventional model is to integrate local experienced engineering, product development, and marketing people for the big push.

Global 345

Global Silicon Valley Marketing Indonesia 345

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

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. An example would be getting free office space by agreeing to be the property manager for the owner.

Intellectual Property 341

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 341

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2022

Startup investors tell me they invest in a new venture with a higher caliber of people, rather than the product or service, and I agree. In my role as a business advisor, I see successful businesses most often emerging from great teams rather than great products. Avoid surprises through proactive homework.

Hiring 337

Hiring Technical Cofounder Cofounder Retention 337

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 14, 2022

Leaders are judged on key elements of execution, including a focus on priorities, ensuring clear accountability, managing decision making, mobilizing others, adapting quickly, and communicating execution urgency. Research has confirmed that culture is a primary driver for financial performance, customer experience, and team productivity.

Technical Review 323

Technical Review Due Diligence Valuation Leadership 323

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 19, 2024

For this type of company, using AI inventory management systems can be particularly beneficial. These systems apply complex algorithms to parse sales data, forecast demand trends, and manage stock levels efficiently. With this insight, companies can tailor their products to deeply connect with customers.

Technical Review 144

Technical Review Startup Differentiation Social Media 144

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2023

Recently, I’ve seen a lot of discussion about bringing the work back home, since costs have gone up in less-developed countries, there are issues with intellectual property, and time zone and language differences make management difficult. Internal services, like marketing and accounting, are more manageable and have less customer visibility.

Software Review 285

Software Review Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property 285

TechEmpower

JULY 24, 2023

At TechEmpower, we frequently talk to startup founders, CEOs, product leaders, and other innovators about their next big tech initiative. Background Questions Let’s start with some background questions about the business and product. What problem is your product trying to solve? A Product Manager? Wireframes?

Developer 520

Developer Technical Review CTO Hire Fractional CTO 520

TechEmpower

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

When speaking with founders and CEOs, we often hear concerns like this: My project manager is losing confidence in the development team. A strong development team should have the following: A high service level and availability of their product/system. A culture of change management. It’s a good question.

Development Team Review 260

Development Team Review Developer Software Review Technical Review 260

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Sure, we built SaaS products before the term even existed but at 31 it was hard to delineate reality from what all of the monied people around us were telling us what we were worth. In those years I learned to properly build product, price products, sell products and serve customers. Until we weren’t.

Valuation 466

Valuation San Francisco Ratchet Liquidation Preference 466

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2022

I have found it to be more productive and effective to lead with the model that no meetings will take an hour, and may be done in as little as five minutes. The old principle of managing by walking around will give the background, and people always having to wait makes them talk longer when they get your precious attention.

Elevator Pitch 386

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Dividend Leadership 386

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. Administer regular morale and satisfaction surveys.

Employee 371

Employee Salary Hiring Stock 371

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. Only then is it time to focus on the get-big-fast strategy, and the transformation of three key areas from startup to a managed growth company.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 16, 2022

Yet I find, as a mentor and outside consultant, that many of you focus only on working conditions and compensation as the key factors determining team engagement , health, and productivity. This one relates to every team member’s ability to manage stress, control emotions, and cope with business and personal challenges.

Technical Review 353

Technical Review Cofounder Employee Global 353

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 3, 2021

Many product innovations come from quality improvement focuses, like the Japanese Kaizen initiative. Current research indicates that innovation is a discipline, it can be maximized, measured, and managed through formal processes. Innovation must be driven top down by visionary leaders. Innovation is random, and can’t be orchestrated.

Technical Review 431

Technical Review Leadership Operations Networking 431

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

In both cases, it’s easy for them to become frustrated and give up, since most have never been trained in change management, and don’t even know what questions to ask. 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. How do I avoid scope creep?

Metrics 387

Metrics Technical Review Leadership Framework 387

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

With social media and smart phone apps, real product information spreads at astounding speeds. An agile business doesn’t wait for their current product line to fail, before planning some enhancements. Managing an agile business means managing change, not solidifying a status quo. Continually watch for new opportunities.

Agile 379

Agile Technical Review Leadership Social Media 379

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

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. As one company Chairman says, "The common elements I see in first time CEO's: a) they don't hire fast enough, b) they don't fire fast enough, and c) they don't manage their board and investors well." Most founders are product guys.

Exit Strategy 407

Exit Strategy Leadership Founder Networking 407

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2022

Even after many years mentoring entrepreneurs and advising businesses, I continue to be surprised by the primary focus on products and processes, and the often incidental attention to hiring and nurturing the right people. It’s the same for customers and products, where analytics have long proven their value.

Analytics 303

Analytics Hiring Open Source Employee 303

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2020

The allocation of shares among the founders, and the number and size of outside investments, will tells volumes about the health, stability, and management of the business. 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.

Technical Review 436

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 436

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 12, 2021

Current advertising and public relations startups are already poised along these lines, all the way from clothes shopping, art galleries, online advertising, to managing press releases. Just think of the fertile ground all this opens for startups!

Web 380

Web Search Semantic Software Review 380

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

Building a minimum viable product, with customer validation. Minimum viable products (MVPs) are recommended for validating the market, with iterative enhancement to quickly meet market feedback. Building your public image and presence should start even before product development, through your website, logo, and blogging.

Intellectual Property 404

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 404

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. The challenge is to avoid the bad risks, while actively seeking and managing the smart risks. Plan to deliver a family of products, rather than a one-trick pony.

Forecast 304

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 304

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2023

These should come as no surprise to you, since they haven’t changed in many decades, and I expect will serve you well in the current turbulent times we all face: Spend time nurturing productive work relationships. It’s amazing how quickly these activities lead to leadership or management opportunities. Find what works for you.

Flash 303

Flash Angel Investor Technical Review Social Media 303

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 18, 2021

This is the last step of the process, where surprises in the evaluation of the management team, documentation, and personnel problems can derail the investment. Explain that they may be called, and use the opportunity to check their satisfaction with your company and your product. Validation of product. Size of the market.

Technical Review 380

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Angel Investor 380

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2022

We all just need your help in managing personal data correctly, and making sure you are part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. I see lots of new software put together on a shoestring as a “proof of concept” – but then gets rolled out to customers “asis” due to lack of time or money to “harden” the product.

Technical Review 342

Technical Review Customer Social Network Software Review 342

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. Here investors are looking for feature problems or quality issues on the current product. My best advice is to stick to the middle ground.

Technical Review 296

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Bankruptcy 296

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2022

Founders have to communicate their ideas and products to investors, business partners, and the rest of the team. Some entrepreneurs forget that talking is not communicating. Fortunately these skills can be learned, and the barriers to communication can be overcome one by one.

Semantic 342

Semantic Technical Review Retention Distribution 342

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Finding a customer for your product in the Department of Defense is hard: Who should you talk to? Looking for DoD customers How do you know if they have money to spend on your product? Program Managers (PMs) work with the PEO and manage subsets of the larger program. How do you get their attention? So I wrote one.

Programming 249

Programming Customer Portfolio Government 249

TechEmpower

AUGUST 21, 2023

Other common scenarios that we’ve seen: Scaling and new markets: Your company and product are established, and now you’re scaling or going after new markets. Our goal is to build a decent understanding of your business, your product, and your technology. We then review the answers with the technical and product teams.

Technical Review 260

Technical Review Development Team Review Software Review Architecture 260

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

Then they are surprised to see productivity and creativity take a big dip. This is really an issue of the quality of the people you hire rather than the management or compensation system. Old management models encourage employees to optimize their own task, often at the expense of the overall company objectives.

Startup 337

Startup Technical Review Employee Hiring 337

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 13, 2024

Key Takeaways Efficient workflows can significantly boost productivity and reduce stress. Embracing these tools is pivotal to unlocking new levels of productivity. Project management tools help teams stay organized, track real-time progress, and facilitate seamless communication.

Technical Review 167

Technical Review Software Review Agile Operations 167

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

As an investor in startups, I most often see entrepreneurs who are technologists, or at least have a real passion for a specific product. They rarely highlight their marketing and relationship skills , even though, in my experience, these are more often the key to success in business than product skills.

Silicon Valley 284

Silicon Valley Technical Review Leadership Metrics 284

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