Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2016

With the pace of change ever escalating, entrepreneurs today can’t afford to acquire talent through traditional hiring alone, and need to revise the perception that “talent” is only full-time employees. Build an on-demand team of strategic do-ers. At the same time, more people in the workplace don’t want to be “employees.”

Demand 99

Demand Training Outsource Development Entrepreneur 99

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2020

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. The fuel for any good demand generation program is relevant, buyer-centric content. Demand generation revenue performance.

Marketing 174

Marketing Invest Demand Metrics 174

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Is it any wonder why so few entrepreneurs ever find the professional investors they seek? Yet I’m still often approached by aspiring entrepreneurs who have neither.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Startup Summary Product 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 27, 2020

As a startup advisor, I see many aspiring entrepreneurs whose primary motivation seems to be to work part time, or get rich quick, or avoid anyone else telling them what to do. Yet, for those with more realistic expectations and the right motivation, the entrepreneur lifestyle can be the dream life you envisioned.

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Organization Customer Custom 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2018

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. The fuel for any good demand generation program is relevant, buyer-centric content. Demand generation revenue performance.

Metrics 57

Metrics Demand Marketing Paramount 57

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2019

Every so often a promising entrepreneur seems to freeze in the oncoming headlights and gets run over by his competition. The company's market is the same. Lewis, author of the timeless book “ Why Flip A Coin? This is a problem with many product-based companies. It's difficult to create a high-demand product by guessing.

Entrepreneur 92

Entrepreneur Ideas Research Demand 92

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2021

With the pace of change ever escalating, entrepreneurs today can’t afford to acquire talent through traditional hiring alone, and need to revise the perception that “talent” is only full-time office employees. Build an on-demand team of strategic do-ers. In addition, more people in the workforce don’t want to be resident employees.

Demand 143

Demand Training Outsource Development Organization 143

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2022

Most of the entrepreneurs and business owners I work with recognize that they must occupy and practice a primary leadership position , but many will admit that they are not thriving in this role. Be prepared to create and train a dedicated support group that can keep up with your now larger and growing install base of demanding customers.

Entrepreneur 90

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Coach Mentor 90

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2022

Every so often a promising entrepreneur seems to freeze in the oncoming headlights and gets run over by his competition. The company's market is the same. Lewis, author of the timeless book “ Why Flip A Coin? This is a problem with many product-based companies. It's difficult to create a high-demand product by guessing.

Ideas 155

Ideas Entrepreneur Research Demand 155

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Most entrepreneurs assume that success is dependent on their product expertise, coupled with some knowledge of how to run a business. Successful entrepreneurs today must practice human-centered leadership to compete and win. Effective entrepreneur leaders focus on getting people needs satisfied early.

Training 142

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 142

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 8, 2014

” It’s the most common refrain I hear from investors and even entrepreneurs these days. What is perhaps different from other regions is that we have large indigenous aerospace industry and a big high-tech import/export trade as opposed to a lot of software companies. “There’s something going on in LA.”

Entrepreneur 376

Entrepreneur Snapchat Startup Google 376

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2023

I recognized this as I was reading the classic book, ” The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need ,” by Anthony Iannarino, who is an international sales leader and expert on optimizing results. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. Building a company and selling are all about gaining commitments.

Startup 154

Startup Sales Entrepreneur Customer 154

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2021

Career survival today requires thinking and acting like an entrepreneur starting a business, staying nimble and resilient, willing to pivot, and supersensitive to the market realities of supply and demand. Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn, helped me crystallize these similarities with his classic book “ The Start-up of You.”

Startup 143

Startup Entrepreneur Demand Competition 143

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

More entrepreneurs want to be socially responsible these days, but fear a negative impact on profits, growth, and the ability to find an investor. I believe this option will continue to spread to other companies, states and countries. There are currently over 3,500 Certified B Corporations in more than 70 countries.

Startup 149

Startup Organization Customer Custom 149

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2022

Entrepreneurs and startups are big believers in innovation, but sometimes they forget that innovation must be continual to assure long-term success, rather than the one big-bang idea that initiated their journey. Check out the classic book, “ Advancing Innovation: Galvanizing, Enabling & Measuring for Innovation Value! ”

Metrics 102

Metrics Startup Organization Demand 102

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2015

Every so often a promising entrepreneur seems to freeze in the oncoming headlights and gets run over by his competition. The company''s market is the same. Lewis, author of the classic book “ Why Flip A Coin? This is a problem with many product-based companies. It''s difficult to create a high-demand product by guessing.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Ideas Research Demand 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. A few companies are leading the way, including Apple with their iPad and iPhone, offering irresistible stores with friendly experts, elegant packaging, and customer service that never ends. Now is the time to do it.

Design 105

Design Customer Custom Product 105

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

With the advent and growth of crowdfunding over the past few years, many entrepreneurs have predicted the demise of those demanding angel investment groups and venture capital organizations. These groups are now largely run by volunteers at no cost to entrepreneurs. This can hurt the company, and jeopardize all investors.

Equity 164

Equity Statistics Platform Entrepreneur 164

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2013

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. In fact, most of the rich entrepreneurs you know actively turned away early equity proposals. Your company has outgrown you.

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Technical Review Equity 100

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2022

What they should be doing is hiring only “entrepreneurs,” meaning people who think and act as if this is their own business. This commitment to hire people who think like entrepreneurs, or instill an “owner’s mindset” in every employee, should be a high priority in every business. Again, you get what you demand and reward.

Startup 134

Startup Training Sales Entrepreneur 134

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2015

Many entrepreneurs still don’t understand that building a business culture today of doing good, like helping people (society) and planet (sustainability), is also a key to maximizing profit. Every company needs this focus to attract the best minds and loyalty in both categories. Doing good opens the door to a broader customer base.

Entrepreneur 117

Entrepreneur Organization Startup Pricing 117

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.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2016

I recognized this as I was reading a new book, ” The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need ,” by Anthony Iannarino, who is an international sales leader and expert on optimizing results. His focus is on sales, but I see the same skills needed for entrepreneurs. Building a company and selling are all about gaining commitments.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Sales Startup Customer 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2017

What they should be doing is hiring only “entrepreneurs,” meaning people who think and act as if this is their own business. This commitment to hire people who think like entrepreneurs, or instill an “owner’s mindset” in every employee, should be a high priority in every business. Again, you get what you demand and reward.

Entrepreneur 69

Entrepreneur Startup Training Sales 69

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2022

Many entrepreneurs still don’t understand that building a business culture today of doing good, like helping people (society) and planet (sustainability), is also a key to maximizing profit. Every company needs this focus to attract the best minds and loyalty in both categories. Doing good opens the door to a broader customer base.

Organization 143

Organization Startup Pricing Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2022

Early-stage entrepreneurs rightly keep their focus on creating an innovative product or service. That’s where I see too much entrepreneur burnout, growth plateaus, and founders being replaced, to their chagrin. Of course, not every entrepreneur wants to tackle this challenge. There is no free lunch.

Sales 147

Sales Metrics Guide Startup 147

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2014

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for others, that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Everyone and every company needs to continually learn from their experience and adapt to a changing world to thrive. “If Ignore the voices of dissent again.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Summary 105

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

After many years in business, working in large companies as well as startups, I’m no longer surprised at why mature and successful companies struggle with introducing innovative new ventures as the market and environment changes. Make sure everyone comes with an entrepreneur mindset for real innovation.

Incubator 143

Incubator Seed Funding Metrics Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2022

These are responding to the demands of this new world for collaboration, trust, and transparency. In fact, Conscious Capitalism companies, for example, historically have outperformed the S&P 500 index by a factor of ten. They may not have noticed the wave of “open businesses,” spawned by the Internet and social media.

Organization 126

Organization Social Media Examples Customer 126

InfoChachkie

MARCH 2, 2015

Despite the fact that I teach entrepreneurship at UC Santa Barbara , I do not believe that entrepreneurs are created in classrooms. Instead of trying to teach students to be an entrepreneur, I expose my entrepreneurial students to tools that will help them solve real-world problems. My courses are rigorous and demanding.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Class Course Case Study 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2023

One of the things I’ve learned in working with aspiring entrepreneurs is that managing and leading a team is a scary venture into the unknown for many people, even if they have worked as a business professional for years. As an entrepreneur, executive, or team member, you are most impacted by the people you gather around you.

Training 116

Training Startup Entrepreneur Summary 116

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2020

Entrepreneurs and startups are big believers in innovation, but sometimes they forget that innovation must be continual to assure long-term success, rather than the one big-bang idea that initiated their journey. Check out the classic book, “ Advancing Innovation: Galvanizing, Enabling & Measuring for Innovation Value! ”

Startup 138

Startup Organization Demand Customer 138

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2013

I continue to see stories of really young entrepreneurs, like this article on Business Insider , with pre-teens as young as 9 years old who make millions more than their parents. Another one is The Little Entrepreneur by Michael H. They assert, "It's never too early! and Jay Arrington. The positives include: Learn to make money.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Education Commerce Training 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2014

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.

Entrepreneur 113

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Customer 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2022

Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. To sustain long-term growth, every company needs to build a repeatable process for innovation and finding new opportunities before their core business growth disappears.

Startup 106

Startup Pricing Cloud Computing Customer 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2018

With the pace of change ever escalating, entrepreneurs today can’t afford to acquire talent through traditional hiring alone, and need to revise the perception that “talent” is only full-time employees. Build an on-demand team of strategic do-ers. At the same time, more people in the workplace don’t want to be “employees.”

Demand 92

Demand Startup Training Outsource Development 92

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. The canvas is a visual chart with elements describing your value proposition, structure, finances, and customers, to help companies identify and align business activities. Key partners.

Funding 133

Funding Activity Customer Custom 133