Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2020

In the entrepreneur world, your perception is equally critical, except the “managers” in this world are your investors, customers, vendors, business partners, and team members. Use the idea to kick-start your relationships with co-founders, investors, customers and business partners. Remember the rule of one.

Startup 132

Startup Tips Ideas Entrepreneur 132

Tech Coast Venture Network

MARCH 9, 2011

After years of cloudy skies in Startupland, the sun is peeking out, and investors are tipping their toes back into the wading pool. To help you get a jump-start with fundraising, I’ve gathered tips from active early-stage investors and entrepreneurs who managed to beat the odds by raising capital during and after the Great Recession.

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Tips Capital Tech Coast Angels Screening 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2012

All the experts these days are talking about the increasing need for customer focus and maximizing sales. Typically entrepreneurs and even professional sales people think this means more emphasis on the customer selling process, when in fact it really means spending more time understanding the customer buying process (view from the customer).

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Sales Customer Custom Competition 96

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

Among many other recommendations, they offer some practical tips on how any organization can make their work culture more meaningful and satisfying: Match people to work that stimulates and challenges them. For an employee who enjoys direct people interaction, adding floor time with customers would better serve everyone.

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Tips Satisfaction Training Mentor 96

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Most importantly, it’s more about being a proactive leader who connects to customers and the team deeply, rather than a bright light that struggles to be seen amidst the glare of a million other bright lights. Maybe it’s time to take a hard look at your people connections, and use these tips to kick your results up a notch.

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Customer Custom Entrepreneur Tips 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2022

Take full advantage of every mentoring and coaching opportunity, and network with peers both inside and outside the company. Businesses today include an increasing diversity of team members, as well as customers, due to remote work and a global market. Actively build trust and integrity into every relationship.

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Tips Social Media Mentor Technical Review 121

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 2, 2015

Here are ten tips from the book that I’ve easily extrapolated to the business startup environment: Team unity: Make the team, not an individual, the rock star. Is it more customers, more revenue, more profit, or killing competitors? Balanced optimism: Find and focus on the winning scenario. The first step is to define “winning.”

Tips 101

Tips Startup Coach Entrepreneur 101

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Provide and seek coach and advocate relationships. The best coaches are people who care about you as a person, without any ulterior motives, and intend to inspire you to be the best that you can be. A good coach is not a critic. Make it a point to get to know other teams and customers.

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Tips Mentor Coach Activity 95

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2016

While I do agree that many attributes of a good entrepreneur, such as curiosity, confidence and determination, are largely determined by early-life experiences, a good education is critical in understanding the elements of creating a business and wooing customers. Don’t forget business writing and communication.

Entrepreneur 98

Entrepreneur Tips Writing Coach 98

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2017

You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. How many customers will have any idea what this means to them? I like the guidance from marketing coach David Newman’s classic book “ Do It!

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Tips Marketing Technical Review Startup 75

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2022

You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. How many customers will have any idea what this means to them? I like the guidance from marketing coach David Newman’s classic book “ Do It!

Marketing 141

Marketing Startup Social Media Technical Review 141

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 2, 2019

In this era of rapid change, you can’t afford to stop learning, or you will find that your competitors, your customers, and your team, may soon be following someone else. Most people agree that leadership is primarily a set of behaviors that capitalize on relationships and a current market and customer understanding in a complex world.

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Tips Mentor Coach Metrics 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2019

Your biggest challenge may be members of your own family, some of your best customers, or a key business partner or investor. You have to manage your business with more people not like you, as well as a more diverse set of customers. Always be civil and diplomatic, and don’t allow emotions to cloud the situation.

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Tips Technical Review Examples Coach 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2014

Also dont confuse a business advisor with a business coach. An advisors aim is to teach you what to do and how, in specific situations, unlike a coach who helps you develop your generic skills for deciding what to do and how. The advisor helps the entrepreneur fill an experience gap, and a coach helps fill a skill gap.

Mentor 104

Mentor Coach Tips Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

Unfortunately, I often find team members who are not believers, or have a different view of the customer. Thus you need to understand how quickly anyone on your team can be the key to attracting a new set of customers, or the reason that critical partners, vendors, investors, or customers walk away. The result is no deal.

Marketing 71

Marketing Tips Technical Review Social Media 71

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2019

You can have the best technology, but if customers don’t know you exist, or they don’t know how your technology solves a real problem for them, your startup will fail. How many customers will have any idea what this means to them? I like the guidance from marketing coach David Newman’s classic book “ Do It!

Marketing 97

Marketing Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review 97

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 23, 2016

Here are my top ten tips to get the best ones interested in you, as well as deciding if the entrepreneurial fit is right for you: Optimize visibility and image on the Internet. This is important for finding a startup job, and later when you have your own startup, it’s important for finding investors, business partners, and even customers.

Tips 58

Tips Startup Entrepreneur News 58

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

One tip – depending on seniority – you can sometimes hire independent reference check firms. You can certainly get coaching from your VC on how to play the negotiations since they do it more often than you do. Very customer focused. But I doubt they’ll dig in as deep as you will in the reference checks.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

See How To Create A Celebratory Culture for other tips regarding how your team can revel in its small victories. For many years after Microsoft became highly successful, its executives (yes, including Mr. Gates) flew coach. the lobby, customer training rooms, etc.). You should never be embarrassed to ask for a discount.

Startup 221

Startup Pricing Entrepreneur Email 221

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2010

Here are some tips and resources from both of us to address these concerns: Always start a business that fits with your personal life. Networking does not require unsavory schmoozing or pandering to get to know potential partners, investors, and customers. These can also provide coaching, marketing, and other important resources.

Entrepreneur 89

Entrepreneur Startup Resource Tips 89

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2019

I found some good guidance on this subject in a new book, “ The Leader You Want To Be ,” by Amy Jen Su, a managing partner in an executive coaching and leadership development firm. Here are five concrete tips on doing it right, which I am paraphrasing from the author: Do your homework first, and ask for help on specifics.

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Help Entrepreneur Course IBM 123

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

Most importantly, it’s more about being a proactive leader who connects to customers and the team deeply, rather than a bright light that struggles to be seen amidst the glare of a million other bright lights. Maybe it’s time to take a hard look at your people connections, and use these tips to kick your results up a notch.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Tips Coach Product 109

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2014

Most importantly, it’s more about being a proactive leader who connects to customers and the team deeply, rather than a bright light that struggles to be seen amidst the glare of a million other bright lights. Maybe it’s time to take a hard look at your people connections, and use these tips to kick your results up a notch.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Tips Coach Product 107

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2014

Sponsored by VISA Business Running a small business as an entrepreneur is a never-ending challenge of new products, customers, competitors, and an unpredictable economy. Often times, you will find yourself working with people who "don''t know the ropes" and require extensive coaching and assistance.

Startup 92

Startup Tips Satisfaction Entrepreneur 92

socalTECH

MARCH 28, 2019

Any good tips you gathered from listening to the speakers? The last thing, is understanding how open and receptive all of these CEOs were to feedback, coaching, and improvement. It was just really great content, that frankly, all entrepreneurs, not just women, can benefit from. Meredith Finn: There were a couple of things.

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Capital Entrepreneur Invest Artificial Inteligence 162

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2019

As an advisor to entrepreneurs for many years, I strongly disagree, and still see the value of at least combining intuition with logical analysis, as we face customers and markets driven by relationships, emotions, and unpredictable social trends. Repetition increases skill and defeats the critic.

Examples 81

Examples Tool Statistics Tips 81

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2009

For this morning's interview, we thought we'd try something different, and put together a virtual panel of venture capitalists to give us a few tips on pitching your company. The proof nowadays is certainly in winning customers--whether that is a consumer or in the enterprise.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Ideas Entrepreneur Invest 100

Jason Nazar

APRIL 2, 2016

Balance “Coaching and Cheerleading” vs. “Doing and Directing” (via Bob Walters ). At least 20% of their time goes towards recruiting top talent (tip: some say 50% via Vinod Khosla ). Create an ingrained culture, not one of platitudes (tip: read “ The Four Obsessions of Extraordinary Executives ). Product / Customer Evangelist.

Entrepreneur 46

Entrepreneur Tips Organization Sales 46

Tech Coast Venture Network

AUGUST 11, 2015

Great benefits and a workplace that is fun and dedicated to making customers happy all fit in with the Zappos approach to company culture — when you get the company culture right, great customer service and a great brand will happen on its own. Portions of the budget are dedicated to employee team building and culture promotion.

Examples 100

Examples Company Companies Google 100

Tech Coast Venture Network

AUGUST 11, 2015

Great benefits and a workplace that is fun and dedicated to making customers happy all fit in with the Zappos approach to company culture — when you get the company culture right, great customer service and a great brand will happen on its own. Portions of the budget are dedicated to employee team building and culture promotion.

Examples 100

Examples Company Companies Google 100

Jason Nazar

JUNE 2, 2016

Nobody Else Will Figure it Out for You – Nobody else will get your customers, or figure out the toughest business challenges for you. TIP: read The E-Myth). TIP: read “What a CEO Does by Fred Wilson”. TIP: take Ben Horowitz’s advice: Get Made & Master the Unnatural). Then step aside.

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Tips Coach Resource Startup 40

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 24, 2011

It may sound counterintuitive, but the greater constraint investors place on their financial resources during a downturn, the better your chances of success, given (of course) that your adVenture is able to either secure funding or generate adequate revenue from customers, as described below in reason #7 – Customer Dollars Taste Great.

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Company Companies Startup Study 257

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Then engage your would-be Bro as a peer, a courtesy they may seldom experience from most of their harried, self-absorbed customers. Such similarities lead to liking and liking ensures that your Bro will relate to you as a kindred soul, rather than another anonymous customer. Bro Deal Tips. that you and your Bro have in common.

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Class Southern California Startup Slides 100

InfoChachkie

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

Without their buy in, we don’t get the opportunity to interact with end customers. My brand marketing experience is making a big difference with our audiences since hospitality is all about a ‘brand experience’ and they want their stuff to look great, be a reflection of their brand and get customers excited.

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Startup Design Mobile Social Network 233