Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

What I’m talking about here is a level of discipline and skill necessary to collect and analyze the relevant business data, known as metrics. Here is my selection of ten key metrics that every six-sigma joint like GE tracks without thinking, but too many small businesses only monitor haphazardly, if at all: Sales revenue.

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Metrics Startup Sales Statistics 106

SoCal CTO

MARCH 1, 2010

Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition | For Entrepreneurs , February 2, 2010 Looks at the critical equation around customer acquisition cost vs. customer lifetime value similar to what I discussed in Startup Metrics but in more depth. Great stuff. This post looks at the implementation details of HTML 5 video.

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Pricing Acquisition Customer Custom 150

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

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. In those years I learned to properly build product, price products, sell products and serve customers.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Me: At what price? Him: It wasn’t priced. So you did raise with a price. It’s just a maximum price. Him: But when I raised my first round we didn’t know how to price the company. There were no metrics. How will you price the next round? Him: On metrics. We raised a seed round.

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Venture Capital Capital Pricing Doc 417

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2021

For example, I commonly see metrics to keep track of revenue per employee, overtime, and absenteeism, but I don’t often see measures of overall customer satisfaction with individual employees. Incentives should be a combination of metrics and recognition to highlight results. Incent and reward employees who delight customers.

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Customer Custom Technical Review Metrics 147

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2023

Proof of any business model starts with a finished product or solution, sold to a new customer for full price, with high satisfaction for the value received. Decide early where and when money will come from, set some milestones and metrics, and work to a plan, or be caught short. Word of mouth is not adequate for marketing and sales.

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Customer Custom Satisfaction Sales 109

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

On the other hand, the biggest winners will turn out to be much larger than the prices people paid for them and this will happen faster than at any time in human history. However, to be a great VC you have to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at the same time.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 7, 2019

What metrics will you use to fairly evaluate each direct report? Many companies do not take the time to perform such reviews and end up paying the price in adverse rulings by courts or commissioners based upon verbal statements alone. In terms of time, this can be expensive and disruptive to you and your direct reports. Our conclusion.

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Metrics Report Email Pricing 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2022

For example, if it’s getting harder to charge a price premium for the product you’re marketing, or others are offering your subscription service for free, it may be time to start thinking in a new box. Another example is seeing substitute versions of a product, like eBooks, for a low price displacing hardcover books.

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eBook Metrics Examples Startup 111

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

Obviously this definition is generic, so my first recommendation is that you take the lead in defining traction metrics for your startup, and then selling your results convincingly to investors. Investors want evidence that the “dogs are eating the dog food,” and your financial projections are not just a dream.

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Startup Metrics Customer Custom 121

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2021

When sales fall off, you need to dig deep for the “why,” rather than just assuming the price needs to go down. Establish and evaluate metrics at multiple levels. As times change, you may need new metrics, such as total experience, web site hits, and social media complaints. Don’t dismiss any new thing as a “flash in the pan.”

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Marketing Social Media Metrics Customer 162

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

It must be understandable, written down, and verifiable, with regular measurements and metrics to make it real, benchmarked against the competition. In the past, competitive advantage was all about economies of scale, advertising power, and service versus price. Make your service deliver process “happy.”

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Competition Services Startup Training 99

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing. Use metrics to measure results of marketing initiatives. The risks you want to take are the ones that you planned for in your resources, set up metrics to measure, and manage on an ongoing basis. Find a strategic partner to accelerate growth.

Resource 121

Resource Metrics Entrepreneur Customer 121

socalTECH

MARCH 21, 2016

TrueCar, which provides upfront pricing on vehicles to automotive buyers, has already been tracking similar metrics for new cars; the new data and awards comes thanks to the acquisition of ALG, a provider of automotive residual value projections, back in 2011.

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Truecar Santa Monica Metrics Pricing 100

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Most of the entrepreneurs I meet as an investor and advisor have no shortage of right-brain thinking, showing vision and creativity, but often don’t realize that their potential is being limited by a balancing focus on results, metrics, and customer specifics. Every balanced leader does marketing early.

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Technical Review Satisfaction Metrics Startup 133

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Managing business growth is more than metrics. You can hire the best salespeople, have great products and define good metrics, but without decisive and innovative managers, the sales organization will not reach its full potential. Marketing shapes the concept, branding, packaging, pricing, and positioning.

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Sales Metrics Guide Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2021

Proof of any business model starts with a finished product or solution, sold to a new customer for full price, with high satisfaction for the value received. Decide early where and when money will come from, set some milestones and metrics, and work to a plan, or be caught short. Word of mouth is not adequate for marketing and sales.

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Sales Customer Custom Social Media 165

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2021

I’m sure all you accountants will agree that fixing the mistakes listed here does not require rocket science, but I’ve seen them so often that to be forewarned is to be forearmed: Failing to factor in fixed costs when pricing. Always use a break-even analysis to measure what volume and price are required to offset total costs.

Technical Review 151

Technical Review Startup Summary Pricing 151

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2019

With the real data from that surge, you need to take a hard look at business model realities, cost of customer acquisition, inventory costs, and other key metrics. Control costs and adjust prices to maintain your margin. Document processes and metrics for economies of scale.

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Metrics Startup Training Customer 86

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2021

It must be understandable, written down, and verifiable, with regular measurements and metrics to make it real, benchmarked against the competition. In the past, competitive advantage was all about economies of scale, advertising power, and service versus price. Make your service deliver process “happy.”

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Startup Training Customer Custom 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

Have you set the right price for your entree, and correctly included all costs? Develop metrics with which to measure yourself and use these to incrementally expand and improve your offering as fast as the market and capital will allow. But don’t practice too long. time-to-market is critical) Viable financial model. Don’t stand still.

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Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 112

SoCal CTO

MARCH 11, 2013

If you do build the MVP and show it to them, they will ask you about your metrics. They really want metrics, not a product. The real question you should be asking is "When I've built this product and show you the following metrics, would you invest?"

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Metrics Venture Capital News Product 264

Berkonomics

MAY 20, 2021

Email readers, continue here…] One way to fall into the time bankruptcy trap is to release a product too early and pay the price by forcing the architect and most skilled developers to drop off their important tasks to put out fires in the field and fix problems one at a time. An easy way to fall into time bankruptcy.

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Resource Outsource Development Metrics Customer 156

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing. Use metrics to measure results of marketing initiatives. The risks you want to take are the ones that you planned for in your resources, set up metrics to measure, and manage on an ongoing basis. Find a strategic partner to accelerate growth.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Resource Metrics Customer 129

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

2 preamble issues having read the comments on TC today: 1: I know that the prices of startup companies is much great in Silicon Valley than in smaller towns / less tech focused areas in the US and the US prices higher than many foreign markets. You can be pissed off, but I don’t set prices. That’s stupid.

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Startup Pricing Technical Review Marketing 336

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 10, 2023

Products and services for a business need to be attuned to customer requirements, cost and quality tradeoffs, with milestones for pricing and completion. For progress and success assessment, each of these needs some metrics defined, a training plan, and responsibility assignments within your team. Solution development and delivery.

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Outsource Development Startup Competition Ideas 115

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2023

For example, consider Whole Foods , whose focus on healthy foods and a sustainable environment is legendary, even though their prices are often a bit higher. Put operational systems and metrics in place early. These days, customers are drawn to support worthy causes, such as saving the environment or feeding the hungry.

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Marketing Resource Training Startup 116

Tech.Co

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

See our full Trello Pricing guide for more. The Dashboard offers a bird's-eye view of projects, letting you see key metrics such as due dates, assigned cards, and cards-per-list so bottlenecks can be prevented before they begin. New workflow views and features should make Trello more useful for a wider number of teams and businesses.

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Software Review Guide Technical Review Class 152

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

For example, if it’s getting harder to charge a price premium for the product you’re marketing, or others are offering your subscription service for free, it may be time to start thinking in a new box. Another example is seeing substitute versions of a product, like eBooks, for a low price displacing hardcover books.

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Entrepreneur eBook Metrics Examples 93

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

Typically this means describing interactions with customer groups, real customer feedback, and showing an understanding of price sensitivity, alternatives, and competitive offerings. Using metrics to measure results and commitments. Maintaining an insatiable curiosity about change.

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Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2019

Incorporate AI-powered data and metrics systems. Their pricing algorithm crawls the Web daily, and adjusts prices to always match the lowest price found anywhere, offline or online. They help hiring managers raise the bar for every interview. Make your company a ground-breaking invention machine.

Marketing 123

Marketing Technical Review Customer Custom 123

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2021

If you have had to pivot from the consumer market to enterprise customers, that requires new pricing models and new sales channels. Re-evaluate processes as they are today and set metrics to better represent the new sales, operational, and service needs. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Update delivery systems and processes.

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Social Media Startup Framework Course 143

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 6, 2012

Many companies do not take the time to perform such reviews, and end up paying the price in adverse rulings by courts or commissioners based upon verbal statements alone. Is it really worth the time and effort when measured from the perspective of the company and of the employee?

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Metrics Email Pricing Tool 153

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Have you set the right price for your entree, and correctly included all costs? Develop metrics with which to measure yourself and use these to incrementally expand and improve your offering as fast as the market and capital will allow. But don’t practice too long. time-to-market is critical) Viable financial model. Don’t stand still.

Startup 156

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 26, 2021

Well-articulated goals and metrics. Avoid egotistical price wars and emotional outbursts, but make competitors think you are prepared to win at all costs. It comes naturally with a small highly motivated team, but it’s increasingly difficult to maintain in the face of size and success. Build it at the start and don’t ever lose it.

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Startup Resource Entrepreneur Metrics 154

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2021

Explosive growth to an enterprise normally requires a scalable sales model, a well-documented process with incentives, training, and metrics for tracking and management. Switch your focus from product development to sales. Of course, customer relationships, and penetration into new market segments are also critical elements.

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Startup Course Sales Entrepreneur 151

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

Dig deep to get beyond the best price or best service, to find a higher cause or unique benefit that they can remember and be happy to advocate. Proactively use metrics and customer feedback before a crisis hits, to recognize when a pivot or product adjustment is required. Show customers how you bring more value to them.

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Marketing Customer Custom Outsource Development 133