Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article. Writing it down promotes both understanding and commitment.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2021

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. Board rules and governance policies should be articulated in writing and voted upon. In my view, nothing could be further from the truth. Fail to establish adequate structure.

Startup 145

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 19, 2022

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Startup 123

Startup Tips Entrepreneur Mentor 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2023

The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage.

Startup 122

Startup Funding Organization Incubator 122

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

Unfortunately, many of the business professionals I meet these days in my mentoring and consulting activities feel perennially stressed and out of control, versus calm and satisfied with their position. Another alternative is to switch often to less demanding tasks, such as email or managing by walking around.

Demand 103

Demand Activity Email Mentor 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

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. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification. He is an optimist.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 110

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 23, 2011

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Entrepreneur 110

Entrepreneur Startup Tips Mentor 110

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2018

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. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Tips 101

Tips Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 101

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Tips 107

Tips Entrepreneur Startup Mentor 107

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 28, 2018

The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage.

Funding 94

Funding Startup Organization Incubator 94

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

The first step toward a business with any idea is to write it down, and build a business plan around it. Usually these will not give you money, but will provide inexpensive expert mentoring and office services. Let’s take a look here some similar stages from a support perspective: Idea stage.

Organization 93

Organization Startup Incubator Ideas 93

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2015

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. Board rules and governance policies should be articulated in writing and voted upon. In my view, nothing could be further from the truth. Failing to establish adequate structure.

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Mentor Writing 103

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2013

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Company 96

Company Companies Startup Entrepreneur 96

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Use blogging, outside publication, and speaking or mentoring opportunities to establish credibility and stand out above peers. You can’t please everyone all the time, so don’t kill yourself trying to satisfy a bad boss or an overly demanding customer. Write down some target objectives and milestones.

Startup 98

Startup Outsource Development Competition Social Media 98

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Tips 86

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Mentor 86

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

There are lots of resources available for the challenge of that activity, including the Internet and mentors like me. I suggest you use social media, blogging, crowdfunding, or documented research to quantify a real demand from people who can afford it, and don’t have a better alternative already out there.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2023

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. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification.

Entrepreneur 70

Entrepreneur Startup Activity Ideas 70

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

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. Don’t demand or expect immediate gratification.

Entrepreneur 63

Entrepreneur Product Startup Activity 63

Tech Zulu Event

APRIL 1, 2013

Aspiring creators learn by connecting with top web filmmakers and YouTubers on a topics specific to the web: developing a web series, producing web series, writing for genres like comedy & sci-fi, directing, editing, camera, Kickstarter funding, show hosting, distribution, and marketing. How does it work? How many users so far so far?

Web 93

Web USC Course Guide 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Startup 59

Startup Entrepreneur Tips Mentor 59

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 26, 2010

Then there are the additional challenges of balancing the demands of family and friends. Write it down, but even then, keep it to the top ten priority items or less. Discuss the tough ones with a mentor. Having too much on your plate can turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep a written to-do list. Get a good night’s sleep.

Tips 55

Tips Startup Entrepreneur Mentor 55

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 2, 2016

Most entrepreneurs avoid setting up a board of directors for their new business unless or until they sign up an investor who demands a seat on the board. Board rules and governance policies should be articulated in writing and voted upon. In my view, nothing could be further from the truth. Failing to establish adequate structure.

Entrepreneur 58

Entrepreneur Startup Mentor Writing 58

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 11, 2020

Personally I believe that to fund more people of color you need to put check-writing authority in their hands the same way that if you want to see more women funded you need more women GPs. You can hear more about the importance of mentoring from Kobie Fuller, Valence advisor James Lowry, and John Legend?—?yes, yes, THE John Legend?—?in

Funding 314

Funding Venture Capital Entrepreneur Networking 314

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

I finally got around to writing it having read Fred Wilson’s post about what a CEO does. I opened up with a very blunt conversation about self confidence, self doubt, family pressure, peer pressure and the demands on a CEO. And as a VC, mentor, angel investor and founder of Launchpad LA I live it as a routine of my life.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Startup Sales Customer 319

InfoChachkie

JUNE 23, 2016

This was a question that my friend and mentor, Bob Wood and I recently discussed during one of our epic bike rides. At the time, I was heading up Computer Motion’s efforts to go public, writing the S1, orchestrating the all-hands meetings, etc. A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes.

News 150

News Mentor Writing Entrepreneur 150

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

They suffered in trying to live up to public perceptions and the demands to continue their successes. Advisors / Coaches / Mentors. In both cases the biopics portray suffering souls who find extreme and sudden success that casts them into the public eye in a way that they weren’t prepared for. Of course that’s true.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2020

Other companies have only seen a slight decline and may be expecting demand to return to normalcy later in the year. The reality is that when unemployment sinks in demand is likely to get worse. There are large sums of money to be invested and if investors can get comfortable with “downside protections” they’ll still write checks.

Venture Capital 263

Venture Capital Marketing Startup Writing 263