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How Online Video Companies Can Increase Margin and Build Better Businesses

Both Sides of the Table

The main thrust of the post is that with YouTube taking a 45% of revenue and talent taking 70% of the remaining revenue, YouTube Networks didn’t have sustainable businesses unless they invested heavily in technology as a tool to increase margin and provide defensibility. Build Non-Ad-Based Revenue.

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It’s Morning in Venture Capital

Both Sides of the Table

They compete on features, price and execution. In an over-funding environment companies are encouraged to eschew revenues in a land grab to acquire eyeballs, clicks, page views or whatever other vanity metrics give VCs the false comfort that they’re sitting on a gold mine. This never existed a decade ago.

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Why Startups Need a Well Articulated Strategy (And How to Think About Yours)

Both Sides of the Table

He calls this competing with “non consumption” It was the most profound business strategy book I had read and greatly influenced how I thought about company building and certainly how I think about investing. The money quote. The team has stated it and has built metrics around key goals for future success.

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Acting CTO Role in a Start-up

SoCal CTO

Conduct meetings to ensure understanding and alignment around market opportunities, business model, sources of revenue, immediate needs, growth, product opportunities, and ultimately to establish business and product priorities. You find that the non-technical CEO visionary has trouble directing the action.

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Startup Stock Options – Why A Good Deal Has Gone Bad

Steve Blank

Stock options for all employees of startups served several purposes: Because startups didn’t have much cash and couldn’t compete with large companies in salary offers, stock options dangled in front of a potential employee were like offering a lottery ticket in exchange for a lower salary. Why would they do that? That made sense.

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Embrace Losing – It Will Make You Stronger

Both Sides of the Table

It’s the one thing I miss having switched from player to manager – I love the joy of winning and of competing. I’m dropping everything non-portfolio related in the next few weeks and setting my sights on righting my wrong. I had been competing to win a contract at Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK.

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Embrace Losing – It Will Make You Stronger

Both Sides of the Table

It’s the one thing I miss having switched from player to manager – I love the joy of winning and of competing. I’m dropping everything non-portfolio related in the next few weeks and setting my sights on righting my wrong. I had been competing to win a contract at Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK.

China 328