Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

Many aspiring entrepreneurs I mentor can talk at length about their innovative ideas and passions, and ask lots of good questions, but never make much progress in building a real business. In my experience, building a business is much more about getting things done than having great ideas. It’s time to get the help you need.

Ideas 121

Ideas Writing Startup Entrepreneur 121

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2011

In the early days you don’t really want 3 extra teams hearing your ideas and gearing up to compete before you feel you’ve got a solid head start. They think that only by being open and testing your ideas in an open marketplace can you be successful. But once a VC has heard your idea he can’t “un-think&# it.

Marketing 380

Marketing Startup Press Technical Advisors 380

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. When Ethan was considering leaving Google we talked about it. The company was called Red Beacon.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2015

As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business. Now you see why no one should judge business success potential by the idea alone.

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Ideas Mentor Resource Entrepreneur 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2021

In other words, the entrepreneur quality is more important than the idea -- in investor jargon, people invest in the jockey, and not the horse. High leaders continually challenged their own ideas and were quicker to adapt them to encompass new information, experiences, and meaning. Find and enjoy the company of one or more mentors.

Entrepreneur 165

Entrepreneur Mentor Ideas Invest 165

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2021

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for customers that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Here are the key recommendations from both of us, based on my own business mentoring insights: Re-launch using your enhanced core competency.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Customer 167

socalTECH

APRIL 10, 2018

Most of our mentors are people who have been successful entrepreneurs and investors, who have been there, and understand how to get a company to the next sage. Matt Stodder: The most important thing is to understand their customers, and who they are going after. There are lots of people who create ideas, without places for them to go.

Startup 172

Startup Seed Funding Mentor Ideas 172

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Most colleges have now added classes in entrepreneurship to include the necessary business focus to technical majors that usually drive innovative ideas. Mark Zuckerberg, while still in school, tested the viability of his “ FaceMash ” technology as a business by rolling it out to other students at Harvard as customers.

Entrepreneur 157

Entrepreneur Mentor Class Resource 157

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs probably have long searched for that special idea that will catapult you and your startup to success. Yet, my experience as a business advisor and investor has convinced me that the magic is not the idea, but you and the execution. Every investor I know hears the same ones over and over again.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Satisfaction 171

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2017

As a long-time mentor and business advisor, I find it ironic that many look only to friends for advice. They forget that friends tell you what you want to hear, while good mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you probably don’t need the mentor anymore, but you always need the friend.

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Mentor Coach Help Ideas 72

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Most entrepreneur that fail are quick to offer a litany of constraints that caused their demise – not enough money, time, customers, or support from the right players. Subtraction leads to simplicity, better usability, and easier education of your customers. Find new ways to augment.

Resource 112

Resource Ideas Competition Entrepreneur 112

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2020

For example, if you as an entrepreneur come across as arrogant or too casual, many people you need to deal with in business, including investors, suppliers, and customers, will run the other way. Shares views and learns from a personal mentor. These can be honed over time, and can’t be easily faked.

Entrepreneur 168

Entrepreneur Mentor Metrics Customer 168

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

That’s why all those so-called million dollar ideas I hear about as an investor don’t get me excited, and entrepreneurs find that working twenty hours a day often generates nothing more than sweat, instead of the desired sweat equity. Here are five key ones to celebrate: Enjoy the feedback from every satisfied customer.

Satisfaction 174

Satisfaction Custom Customer Outsource 174

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

The idea came from having been recently married herself and seeing how expensive it can be to buy a new wedding dress. She focused on her customer. The premise is that you should blog for your customers, suppliers and ecosystem – not for your peers. Once off the ground she could attract mentors from her industry.

Startup 363

Startup Entrepreneur SEO Venture Capital 363

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

In my role as advisor and mentor to many new entrepreneurs, I often find myself suggesting that they think bigger. Ideas to improve the usability of an existing product, or ways to extend its audience, are not likely to be unique to you, and difficult to win over competitors. Marketing should begin even at the idea stage.

Startup 162

Startup Metrics Ideas Entrepreneur 162

socalTECH

APRIL 8, 2013

What''s the idea behind the incubator--which gives its startups $20,000 in capital, education, mentoring, working space, and more--and how is it tied to USC? We''re giving them access to capital, mentors to build companies, and all here in Los Angeles. There''s a shortage of those types of people in Los Angeles.

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Incubator USC Startup Artificial Inteligence 233

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2023

Ask for help from advisors and mentor your team. Thus you need to listen and learn the current reality from your customers, your team, advisors, and experts. In business, to get from dreams to reality, it takes effective communication with many others, including your team, customers, investors, and partners.

Ideas 105

Ideas Startup Entrepreneur Social Media 105

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

As a mentor to many business professionals and owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs, I find a wealth of innovative ideas, but often less insight on what it really takes to transform ideas into an income stream that can excite new customers into long-term business success. Believe it or not, customers are not all like you.

Ideas 145

Ideas Startup Case Study Writing 145

socalTECH

APRIL 11, 2013

I don''t know if you''ve heard, but it''s actually tough for music teachers, tutors, and others to truly find enough customers to pay their bills and keep them involved in their passions. The idea is that products have moved to the web in a big way. Who''s your ideal customer for this?

Startup 260

Startup Education Study Ideas 260

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

I have often thought that creative endeavors where one has a quick turn-around between idea and realization of one’s work as one of the more fulfilling experiences in life. In those years I learned to properly build product, price products, sell products and serve customers. There was no money train. It was 1991.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Tech.Co

DECEMBER 4, 2020

It’s with profound sadness we mourn the loss of a true visionary, author, mentor, thought-leader, investor, and friend, Tony Hsieh. We also shared a passion for seeing others launch new ideas and grow them. By Frank Gruber and Jen Consalvo. Readers may be interested to know that Tech.co co-founders.

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Commerce Statistics Customer Custom 198

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 18, 2021

But privately, as a mentor to many entrepreneurs, I see mindsets and attributes that may be equally critical to success, but are not readily admitted, for fear of being too wacky. They know there is nothing wrong with having passion for a new idea, but they don’t let it influence business decisions.

Entrepreneur 171

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Demand Custom 171

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2020

But we all know that these are not solutions by themselves, but require integration into an innovative framework to solve real customer problems. Here are some keys to that mindset that I have seen working for successful entrepreneurs: Think customer-centric rather than technology-centric. Be forever curious and optimistic.

Startup 134

Startup Artificial Inteligence Ideas Entrepreneur 134

SoCal CTO

JULY 23, 2012

Learning, Networking, Mentors From the question, this person is clearly looking at the issue of how to grow into this role. And it's quite common for people to get together outside of meetings to discuss issues they face and/or to seek a kind of mentoring relationship. Get in front of customers as often as you can.

CTO Coach 231

CTO Coach CTO Hire Outsource Development Develop 231

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 16, 2020

As an angel investor and a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I’m always disappointed to see founders who seem stressed out most of the time, and more annoyed than energized by the abundance of challenges they see in building their startup. Proactively seek input, but make your own decisions. Viewed by others as a successful problem solver.

Startup 171

Startup Entrepreneur Activity Ideas 171

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 10, 2014

And while this might sound to the inexperienced person like a sensible idea – it is not. Often it is a good idea to have a junior PR person in your company to interface with whatever PR firms you work with. You’re the coach, mentor, cheerleader. Other B-round scaling issues?

Startup 381

Startup Resource Venture Capital Activity 381

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2021

For example, Elon Musk says he seeks out innovations from his team by constantly asking them how they can make things better, how often they get out of internal meetings and into customer shops, and actively encouraging them to try new things. Spend more time mentoring and coaching your team.

Tips 159

Tips Satisfaction Coach Mentor 159

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. With information overload due to the Internet, you need to find your customers, rather than assume they will find you.

Entrepreneur 173

Entrepreneur Patents Startup Technical Review 173

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2022

Every entrepreneur I know is dismayed by the number of friends who approach them with a line such as “I have an even better idea that will change the world, and one of these days I’m going to get around to starting my own business.” There must be something deeper that slows people down. Unable to maintain their focus and resist distractions.

Entrepreneur 153

Entrepreneur Startup Ideas Knowledge Base 153

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2022

Thus, in my mentoring of potential technical entrepreneurs who have a real passion for their technology, I often recommend that they find a co-founder who can manage the marketing and execution elements of the new venture. Many smart people I know fall into the category of “idea” people. Pay attention to all.

Mentor 133

Mentor Startup Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Every entrepreneur and every business I meet in my consulting and mentoring role has great intentions of bringing real innovation to the market, yet I find that most ideas are merely small extensions to existing solutions. Both fail to look first at what customers really need, and are willing to pay for.

Startup 146

Startup Mentor Entrepreneur Ideas 146

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

Aspiring entrepreneurs ask me why their great idea hasn’t sold; they talk about it endlessly, and they expect others to do the development, finance, and marketing work for them. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the results of your mentoring and leadership. Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person.

Startup 160

Startup Patents Competition Social Network 160

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2021

In my role as mentor to business professionals, I often get the question about your potential of going out on your own as an entrepreneur, versus your current role of working for a boss at an established company. Most people think success depends on first having that innovative and unique idea, but I would beg to differ.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Ideas Social Media 158

socalTECH

DECEMBER 26, 2012

As the founder of an accelerator, I'm constantly being approached by ambitious people with big ideas, and generally we invest in 1/100th of what comes to us. We were also about to build a really solid mentor network in a short period of time, pulling in about 250 CEO's and CTOs, from all backgrounds and locations.

Southern California 168

Southern California High Tech SaaS Social Media 168

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2020

often with other people sharing our homes who have their own ideas of how to use our collective space and time. It goes without saying that if you find yourself in a really negative headspace PLEASE reach out to any trusted mentor, friend or family member. What do we eat? Where do we shop? What is safe? What are my parents doing?—?are

Demand 279

Demand Guide Customer Custom 279

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 26, 2021

As an entrepreneur mentor, my mission is to foster the attributes in you as a startup founder that I believe will lead to success. For example, I worked with an entrepreneur a while back who was clearly intelligent, had a great idea, and communicated well. I sometimes find entrepreneurs who highlight that their strength is “ideas.”

Entrepreneur 136

Entrepreneur Ideas Examples Mentor 136

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that many of you have your most creative ideas for your company’s first big bang , but often get bogged down with details as the company grows. Reward ideas with peer recognition and praise. The key is to flush out ideas quickly, and close in on the final solution.

Company 148

Company Companies Ideas Mentor 148