Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

I originally conceived it as the Top 11 things that I believe “all entrepreneurs need to succeed.&# If it stuck to this theme then I would stand by my top 11. It isn’t a “must&# for me but it’s certainly a huge positive when entrepreneurs have it. I learned the domain lesson myself. Another example.

Entrepreneur 267

Entrepreneur Startup SaaS San Diego 267

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2022

A common request I get while mentoring entrepreneurs is for a copy of the startup checklist they need to follow, in order to build a successful new business. His checklists cover everything from building a vision, to consistently delivering results, for entrepreneurs up to mature business executives. I wish it was that easy.

Technology 133

Technology Cloud Computing Social Media Networking 133

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

And there is so much money around being thrown at so many entrepreneurs that many firms don’t even care about board seats, governance rights or heaven forbid doing work with the company because that would eat into the VCs time needed to chase 5 more deals. And the truth is that several entrepreneurs prefer it this way.

Venture Capital 471

Venture Capital Writing Invest Pricing 471

socalTECH

MAY 17, 2019

Coming out of ServiceNow around 2013, I realized that a lot of problems that we had been discussing and dealing with with customers adopting applications like ServiceNow into the enterprise, was establishing connections of that data and processes with systems in the enterprise. That's how we started. What specific problem were you seeing?

SaaS 113

SaaS Startup Customer Custom 113

socalTECH

DECEMBER 28, 2017

Sutton Capital Partners is a technology investment banking firm and we are, investors in local SaaS/subscription companies and is well known as the host of the annual Recurring Revenue Conference. One area with headwinds are non-mission critical SaaS niche solutions showing slower growth.

Capital 124

Capital Southern California SaaS SoCal 124

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 29, 2023

While the market isn't short of spritely, innovative entrepreneurs, harsh economic headwinds combined with a pullback in investor spending have made it harder than ever for budding businesses to break through. Brightwheel is a SaaS childcare management solution that provides technology to preschools.

Startup 199

Startup Generative AI Newsletter Tool 199

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Sure, we built SaaS products before the term even existed but at 31 it was hard to delineate reality from what all of the monied people around us were telling us what we were worth. In those years I learned to properly build product, price products, sell products and serve customers. Until we weren’t.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

Based on traditional research, getting new customers is five to ten times harder than getting additional revenue from existing customers. If you are an entrepreneur not using this model, it may be time to consider a pivot. Front-of-the-line model. Network model. Do your homework before jumping in with both feet.

Startup 117

Startup Pricing Customer Custom 117

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

Perhaps the most misused terms I see these days from entrepreneurs involve CAC (customer acquisition costs) and LTV (life time value) and a lack of understanding these critical components is driving many companies to premature failure. So I spend an inordinate amount of time with entrepreneurs focused on payback. End of story.

Metrics 150

Metrics Startup SaaS Course 150

socalTECH

JANUARY 2, 2020

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. One of our SaaS companies made great strides with a new product. What was the biggest news for you/your company this year?

Capital 100

Capital Southern California SoCal SaaS 100

InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 16, 2013

Tracy DiNunzio, Founder and CEO of Tradesy , recently shared her insights regarding the best approach for entrepreneurs to address competition. If there''s a big market opportunity and something that customers really want, you''re probably not the only person who''s going to think of it.". The only thing you have as an entrepreneur.

Competition 254

Competition SaaS Santa Barbara Entrepreneur 254

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

The best entrepreneurs in our industry focus on it year-round as opposed to just once every 18 months. 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

socalTECH

DECEMBER 30, 2019

Every year, at the end of the year, we share some reflections on the past year from our readers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, sponsors, and others in the local technology community. An entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and bestselling author, she is passionate about communication, diversity and inclusion. READ MORE>>.

Startup 100

Startup News SaaS Entrepreneur 100

InfoChachkie

MARCH 16, 2016

I learned the hard way that during a startup’s early days, entrepreneurs should give slightly greater emphasis on developing buyer features, in order to reduce the friction of the sales cycle. In the early 2000’s, SaaS was a nascent concept and most companies were reticent to rent software. Car Door Slam Features.

SaaS 100

SaaS Startup Software Review Development Team Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2020

Based on traditional research, getting new customers is five to ten times harder than getting additional revenue from existing customers. If you are an entrepreneur not using this model, it may be time to consider a pivot. Front-of-the-line model. Network model. Do your homework before jumping in with both feet.

Startup 168

Startup Customer Custom Netflix 168

socalTECH

APRIL 2, 2018

As part of our sponsor relationship with the conference, we're running a series of interviews with speakers from the conference about their experience in the area of recurring revenue, customer service, and similar topics. We have an incredibly passionate and dedicated team, and they are great advocates for the customer. That's key.

SaaS 100

SaaS Conference Customer Custom 100

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). Only naive people believe that but for inexperienced entrepreneurs you can be fooled into the narrative by the press who sometimes write stories without the actual data. I don’t want to speak to customer service reps!!

Email 339

Email SaaS Venture Capital Google 339

Steve Reich

JUNE 11, 2012

This is not an article about the high moral purpose and the nobility of listening to your customers. It is an article about how to make your company worth a fortune by listening to your customers. It gives the best customer experience of any phone. Listen to your customers and grow rich. Why does Google dominate search?

Customer 97

Customer Custom Software Review SaaS 97

socalTECH

MARCH 30, 2018

As part of our sponsor relationship with the conference, we're running a series of interviews with speakers from the conference about their experience in the area of recurring revenue, customer service, and similar topics. We have an incredibly passionate and dedicated team, and they are great advocates for the customer. That's key.

SaaS 100

SaaS Conference Customer Custom 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2014

We both agree that the later-stage valuations are being driven up to a point that feels irrationally priced [he uses b-round SaaS valuations as an example and I am willing to be even more broad based]. While this is temporarily a good thing for entrepreneurs it will turn sour when we go through the next inevitable downturn.

Venture Capital 309

Venture Capital SaaS Writing Funding 309

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 22, 2011

I suspect the real challenge is not the semantic web technology , but new attractive business models from smart entrepreneurs. Marketing to Reach Your Customers First ,” here are the five key components to watch: Micro-blogging. Many software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications now allow on-demand collaboration. are appearing.

Web 95

Web Entrepreneur Doc Examples 95

socalTECH

DECEMBER 26, 2012

We asked the same four questions of a variety of top technology entrepreneurs, investors, and others, to hear what they're thinking about, and are sharing it here over the next week. It is the number one reason why entrepreneurs have to pivot on their ideas and why small businesses fail quickly. Definitely Software as a Service (SAAS).

Southern California 168

Southern California High Tech SaaS Social Media 168

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 29, 2019

A common request I get while mentoring entrepreneurs is for a copy of the startup checklist they need to follow, in order to build a successful new business. His checklists cover everything from building a vision, to consistently delivering results, for entrepreneurs up to mature business executives. I wish it was that easy.

Technology 86

Technology Cloud Computing Social Media Networking 86

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

They typically have specific budgets lined up, and they're looking for ways to diversity, and also access new customers. That product right now is on 2,000 publisher websites, it's sold under the SaaS model, and a lot of people on the free, ad-supported version. We're able to do that by the traffic we tap into.

Advertising 203

Advertising Startup Google Commerce 203

socalTECH

MAY 16, 2019

For our interview this morning, we caught up with Isaac Garcia , a serial entrepreneur who previously founded and sold his last company, Central Desktop, and now is working on a new startup, Sales Insider. What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs? I don't think anyone is specializing in that. That's a niche we are targeting.

Sales 133

Sales Startup Software Marketing 133

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

I often talk about what I’m looking for when I meet with an entrepreneur. Above all else I’m looking for a genuine passion for what the entrepreneur is doing. You need a great concept in which you will build something that is truly unique and that will be valued by your customers. I fall in love with entrepreneurs.

Venture Capital 373

Venture Capital Startup Course Entrepreneur 373

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 28, 2015

A common request I get while mentoring entrepreneurs is for a copy of the startup checklist they need to follow, in order to build a successful new business. His checklists cover everything from building a vision, to consistently delivering results, for entrepreneurs up to mature business executives. I wish it was that easy.

Startup 107

Startup Cloud Computing Social Media Entrepreneur 107

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 14, 2019

That makes it difficult to figure out what it costs to acquire a customer, and what a customer is worth. Dan LeBlanc: I used to run customer analytics for a brand called ProFlowers. Their customers are starting brands, and using their e-commerce platform to really accelerate and grow.

Startup 113

Startup Platform Commerce San Diego 113

socalTECH

OCTOBER 6, 2017

We're the official mobile app for whatever our customer is. Previous to this, I ran a custom, mobile application development shop. Combining that with my previous experience, which was in the platform and SaaS market, and sports, was really a home run. What's the biggest lesson you've learned here so far as an entrepreneur?

Mobile 162

Mobile Platform El Segundo UCLA 162

InfoChachkie

APRIL 24, 2012

Kim Kovaks, Founder and CEO OptionEase , recently spoke to a class of emerging entrepreneurs at UC Santa Barbara. With over 700 customers, OptionEase has become the leading enterprise class SaaS solution for stock option and equity compensation tracking and compliance. There are a lot of things that entrepreneurs need to do.

Startup 258

Startup Santa Barbara Entrepreneur Class 258

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

Jackson, CEO and co-founder of CapLinked (www.caplinked.com), which is developing tools to help entrepreneurs and investors connect. Eric is an experienced entrepreneur, and was a very, very early employee at PayPal, where he was recruited by Peter Thiel. Jackson: It's actually two audiences, both the entrepreneur and investor.

Southern California 243

Southern California Entrepreneur Software Review Yammer 243

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2015

I have written about the deceiving nature of early successes before – in particular in the SaaS or B2B world leading to a phenomenon called “shelfware.” ” This, too, is a must read for any entrepreneur. ” If you didn’t read it I recommend it. It’s important to understand.

Product 150

Product Startup Metrics Technical Review 150

socalTECH

DECEMBER 26, 2018

Editor's note: All this week, and into the start of next year, we'll be featuring reflections on 2018 from notable investors, entrepreneurs, and others from Southern California's technology community. You'll be able to browse all of those contributions here. Here's Jim Andelman of Bonfire Ventures. Happy Holidays!

Southern California 100

Southern California SoCal Venture Capital News 100

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 2, 2014

A common request I get while mentoring entrepreneurs is for a copy of the startup checklist they need to follow, in order to build a successful new business. His checklists cover everything from building a vision, to consistently delivering results, for entrepreneurs up to mature business executives. I wish it was that easy.

Cloud Computing 99

Cloud Computing Social Media Entrepreneur Networking 99

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

I’d like to do a few posts on what life looks like on the way up and perhaps how to keep your head on straight and avoid drinking your own Kool Aid because as I often advise entrepreneurs on irrational exuberance, “ In a strong wind even turkeys can fly.” It’s when the game slows. ” The Lessons of Shelfware. .”

Marketing 354

Marketing Case Study Metrics Sales 354

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 13, 2018

As a VC and former entrepreneur let me offer you some advice. The mistake entrepreneurs make is either writing a lengthy email (everybody has too much email so it will get skimmed / not digested) or not having a deck which means the VC can’t quickly determine his or her fit as a potential investor. The key is WHAT you send.

Venture Capital 261

Venture Capital Slides Email Startup 261

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

And so do entrepreneurs who are quick to pivot to new businesses or to sell in an acquihire. It’s been high tide since 2009 so an entire batch of entrepreneurs don’t know what low tide even looks like. It might be for technical reasons or it might be for customer adoption reasons. “What exits have you had?

Startup 390

Startup Venture Capital Entrepreneur Technical Review 390