Eric Greenspan

MAY 29, 2010

Using social media to increase your company’s touch and reach with each of your customers may be the most important reason to jump in to this game changing strategy. Social media can help bridge a long standing gap between customers and the companies they trust with their hard earned cash. Eric Greenspan.

Social Media 214

Social Media Customer Custom Media 214

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2017

Beyond the fear, many really don’t get the value of being willing and able to communicate effectively with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people, both one-on-one and one-to-many. The implications to you and your company are also large, so be prepared. After that it’s practice, practice, practice.

Company 97

Company Companies Entrepreneur Customer 97

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2023

For example, the handmade-item platform Etsy sponsors free entrepreneurship courses for underemployed and unemployed people, including assistance in setting up a store on Etsy, thus adding more artists and artisan sellers to their platform. Write it down, make it specific, expressive, yet succinct and jargon-free.

Framework 95

Framework Customer Custom Tips 95

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 3, 2013

She entered you reservation by writing in a time slot in a paper calendar and you were in. Of course you now book when you want and even choose your restaurant based on availability at the time / day you want and you can book on your mobile phone at 2am or 8pm. .” After hours there was the answering machine.

Development Team Review 324

Development Team Review Course Mobile Writing 324

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2023

Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe. Leading edge technology software and manufacturing require constant course corrections and iterative restarts. Customer-facing services, like call centers, should rarely be outsourced.

Software Review 114

Software Review Technical Review Outsource Development Outsource 114

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

The first check I wrote was just over 10 years ago into a company called Invoca who just announced a new $56 million in funding led by Scott Hilleboe at HIG Growth Partners. Ownership Matters At Upfront we focus our energy on fewer companies where we take meaningful ownership and we continue to invest throughout the lifecycle of the company.

Venture Capital 223

Venture Capital IP Startup Google 223

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 21, 2020

For example, the handmade-item platform Etsy sponsors free entrepreneurship courses for underemployed and unemployed people, including assistance in setting up a store on Etsy, thus adding more artists and artisan sellers to their platform. Write it down, make it specific, expressive, yet succinct and jargon-free.

Tips 174

Tips Framework Customer Custom 174

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2010

Thursday night was the unveiling of the newest batch of Launchpad LA companies. The VC’s & executives were then asked to make “commitments&# (in writing) to 3-5 of the companies that they felt they could make some sort of contribution to. , Commission Junction, MySpace, TicketMaster and many more.

Company 276

Company Companies Startup Southern California 276

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

As a business advisor and advocate for entrepreneurs, I find myself almost always talking and writing about change. With a bit of humor, he provides some serious guidelines for struggling career professionals looking to move up, and new entrepreneurs looking to build a company. Peers and customers alike still expect responsiveness.

Startup 153

Startup Writing Entrepreneur Screening 153

Berkonomics

MARCH 14, 2019

Of course, we are speaking of increased valuation of your company when we speak of “wealth.” One way to mitigate this is by using early money to create a prototype, to perform market research, to complete the first generation of the product, or to deliver the service to a satisfied customer. Make you wealthy someday.

Outsource Development 120

Outsource Development Ideas Resource Patents 120

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

I will add to this as I write more in the coming weeks on the topic. But succinctly this press places a marker in the ground for your company. Yes, you could tell them in a private internal meeting but nothing builds confidence more than their buddies all telling them, “wow, you work for a great company.

Startup 355

Startup Funding News Press 355

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

Yesterday I wrote a post about The Silent Benefits of PR in which I pointed out that most young companies I encounter don’t fully grasp the benefits of PR because they are less measurable than product milestones or customer acquisition analyses (like CAC/LTV). When to start PR? In a startup this is a mistake.

Press 319

Press Startup Writing Training 319

InfoChachkie

AUGUST 10, 2010

However, to a Big Dumb Company (BDC), a startup’s IP is a thing of beauty. As such, they are hesitant to acquire a company which has not sought formal protection of their IP for two reasons. One is obvious, without protection, such IP might prove to be of little worth, as other companies can mimic the technology without recourse.

IP 256

IP Patents Company Companies 256

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2022

Beyond the fear, many really don’t get the value of being willing and able to communicate effectively with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people, both one-on-one and one-to-many. The implications to you and your company are also large, so be prepared. After that it’s practice, practice, practice.

Marketing 113

Marketing Entrepreneur Customer Custom 113

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

Of course passion isn’t enough. You need a great concept in which you will build something that is truly unique and that will be valued by your customers. So of course I want (need) to make money for my investors (LPs). But the two can of course go hand-in-hand. It’s even a direct quote in my Twitter bio.

Venture Capital 373

Venture Capital Startup Course Entrepreneur 373

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

70–80% of the costs of most startups are employee costs so what you’re really talking about when a company is unprofitable is that they are growing their staff ahead of their revenue. Are you looking to potentially sell the company in the next year or two? The Nature of Revenue Matters Of course revenue alone won’t tell you enough.

Startup 227

Startup Venture Capital Sales Course 227

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

In our business lives we’re having to deal with decisions that could have lasting impacts on our companies without any compass to guide us in the direction we’re heading . He produced a very detailed analysis of his customer base and which would be affected. Of course that doesn’t change the outcome, but it’s the humane thing to say.

Demand 215

Demand Guide Customer Custom 215

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2018

Some started asking him for very specific analyses to be completed on his data and wanted his company to crunch the numbers. And my specific response that I recommended was to say, “I can send you our standard data pack but honestly I have too many other firms asking for customized data and we simply can’t send each person custom reports.

Funding 217

Funding Newsletter Venture Capital Email 217

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. SEO / SEM are promotional techniques for marketing through the Google distribution channel, which have yielded huge benefits to many companies – Yelp being a prime example. It’s worth a quick read. My argument is pretty simple.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

But if there is nothing wrong with you then please don’t let early rejections alter your course. Let’s say you have built a SaaS company where a large part of the early revenue comes from a few big customers or a large part of the revenue is services based vs. software based. Let me give you an example.

Funding 236

Funding Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 236

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2020

Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe. Leading edge technology software and manufacturing require constant course corrections and iterative restarts. Customer-facing services, like call centers, should rarely be outsourced.

Outsource Development 122

Outsource Development Outsource Software Review Technical Review 122

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Of course not. Where else are consumers going to find your product, if no one else is offering it or if other companies offer it, but haven’t found the right niche audience? Keep your customer in mind. Here’s a quick nod to the folks at Colour Graphics for urging me to write this insight. Why Is niche marketing important?

Marketing 266

Marketing Resource Advertising Social Media 266

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2013

In my first enterprise software company we developed a methodology for sales that we called PUCCKA , which I wrote about previously. Having a good sales methodology can help you ensure your company runs more disciplined campaigns and focuses scarce resources on your best opportunities. by your customers.

Sales 336

Sales Startup Competition Customer 336

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Many MBA programs still cater too much to the needs of large, corporate management jobs or prepare students to enter big consulting companies or investments banks. Here is a sample of the reading list for the course that gives you a flavor for just how modern and practical this course is.

Startup 319

Startup Sales Course Competition 319

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. Ever notice how some companies tend to be in the press all the time and your big new product launch struggled for inches?

Marketing 389

Marketing Press Blogging Startup 389

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

For much of 2013 I watched the press write articles about how the YouTube “MCNs” (multi-channel networks) were doomed and tried to square that with the data I was watching at the one I invested in, Maker Studios, who has had one hell of a year. Selling at smaller retailers will net you fewer customers and higher margins.

Networking 366

Networking Media Content Customer 366

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 2, 2009

As noted in Pour and Stir Part I , the key to the successful execution of this strategy is managing the following equation: The cost to acquire a customer < lifetime value of a customer. Decreasing Your Customer Acquisition Costs. This is equivalent to being handed a free customer for every ten customers you acquire.

Customer 164

Customer Custom Advertising SEM 164

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 14, 2014

In fact 61% of all mobile searches where a customer contacts a business it is via a phone call (source: Google). It’s why the first company I ever invested in as a VC – Invoca – just announced a $20 million funding by Accel Partners. People don’t want to speak to customer service reps. PHONE CALLS.

Email 339

Email SaaS Venture Capital Google 339

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Do you need a board when you first start you company? Of course it happens all the time?—?especially Time based as in “a guaranteed right for 12 months, which can be renewed by mutual board consent” and event based “a guaranteed right until the company has raised $x million from new investors.”

Startup 236

Startup Venture Capital Tips Capital 236

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. I’ve seen too many companies go off track by a VC hell bent on the team pursuing the VCs strategy which at times is about chasing the next shiny object. Most VCs are book smart. I call them “ VCs Seagulls.”

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2021

Unfortunately the comments you don’t hear from customers, business partners, and peer leaders are the ones that do you the most damage. Evidence continues to mount that companies with trusted leaders, such as Zappos , tend to outperform others in financial results, as well as team satisfaction, by as much as three to one.

Social Media 101

Social Media Examples Satisfaction Media 101

Tech Zulu Event

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Having paying “Customers” is what makes the cash register roar. An entrepreneur having low self worth is the number one deterrent for a potential customer not buying into what you are selling. An entrepreneur having low self worth is the number one deterrent for a potential customer not buying into what you are selling.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Marketing SEO 85

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

If you are looking for funding and customers for your new business, you need to identify your “unique selling proposition” (USP) right up front, in 30 seconds or less, to differentiate yourself in today’s information overload. Investor and customer attention spans are short, and both will write you off quickly.

.Net 73

.Net Examples Customer Custom 73

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 27, 2014

I consider this trip the anniversary of the company’s starting up, and made the trip 11 years in a row. I’d often say: “I created the company so no one could fire me.” I never took a business course, never wrote a business plan, and never raised any outside capital. I had to be successful at my new software company.

Startup 204

Startup Software Review UCLA Sales 204

InfoChachkie

APRIL 16, 2012

No matter how much you think you know about Steve’s lean startup philosophy, Eric Ries’ contributions to the movement, or the methodologies by which companies have put lean startup tenets into practice, I am confident you will be enlightened and entertained by Steve’s frank and insightful remarks. . If you find one, you become a company.

Startup 229

Startup Class Press Custom Development 229

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

.&# When I talk to people about sales I often describe the sales process as a series of hurdles (objections) that are put up to avoid making a purchase and your responsibility is to work through these common objections with your customer. In the evangelical phase you’re working through these with customers on the fly.

Sales 289

Sales Startup Training Pricing 289

socalTECH

MARCH 12, 2013

The company--which is in the business of operating a content delivery network (CDN) to accelerate the delivery of web graphics, multimedia, applications, and more to end users-- recently disclosed it more than doubled its revenues in 2012, and has grown to over 230 employees--all due to a huge amount of demand for CDN services by its customers.

CTO Hire 248

CTO Hire Content Networking Web 248