SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

I was asked by a reader how much equity he should give out to early employees and to service providers in a very early stage startup. I'll get to service providers in a later post. Founders vs. Early Employees To help with this discussion, let me start with a definition of "early employee." Steve Blank divides the individuals associated with startups as: Founders Early Employees (Employees # 1-25) Later Employees (Employees # 26-125) The reality is that the definition of founder and em

Equity 391

Equity CTO Hire Startup Examples 391

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Fred Wilson wrote a blog post yesterday called “Real Names” in which he talked about a commenter on his blog who preferred not to comment because he didn’t want to use his real name. It’s all told through a graphic & very short so worth your having a quick read. It’s a powerful concept. The idea of not using one’s real name is something I’ve had to come to understand better through other people providing context.

Social Network 329

Social Network Startup Blogging Venture Capital 329

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

In August 2004, FastCompany published an article titled, Inside The Mind Of Jeff Bezos , written by Alan Deutschman. Although the article is informative, it is the accompanying sidebar that has remained with me over the succeeding years. Under the heading, “The Book On Bezos,” the callout lists ten actionable and impactful nuggets of startup advice.

Tips 279

Tips Startup Framework Customer 279

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based LifeCrowd (www.lifecrowd.com) unveiled its service to help connect people with real life activities. The firm is initially focusing on the Los Angeles market, and connecting people with fun, interesting classes, activities, and more in the local area. The company was founded by Bong Koh, a former EIR at Prism VentureWorks and venture capitalist at Advanced Technology Ventures; he also co-founded ibeatyou.

Startup 271

Startup CTO Coach Activity Software Review 271

Advertiser: Aggregage

Office leases are one of companies’ largest expenses, and if your whole team is working from home with no clear end in sight, you may be wondering what to do about your lease.

Company

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

This is one of my favorite insights, since I lived this one in a positive exit from my computer business. Most people will tell you that there are two kinds of eventual buyers for your business: financial and strategic. A financial buyer will analyze your numbers, past and forecast, to the n’th degree, and calculate the price based upon the result, after carefully comparing your numbers with those of others in the same and similar industries.

Sales 220

Sales Pricing IBM IBM 220

Eric Greenspan

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Sometimes in life, we are just plain wrong. As a fellow TEDster recently said, “I want to correct something i just said. Being wrong does feel like something. It feels like being right.&# – Kathryn Schultz from TED2011. In 2007, my company negotiated an unprecedented marketing agreement with Verizon to sell their FiOS and in turn their technicians in the field would refer Make It Work services to their customers.

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Southern California Customer Custom Services 196

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

By now you probably know that Netflix is splitting its business into two parts: its digital streaming business (retains the name Netflix) and its DVD mailing business, which was its original business (to be called Qwikster). If you haven’t read Reed’s explanation of this split make sure you read it (of course, after you’re done with this post ) —> here.

Netflix 329

Netflix Evite Pricing Hulu 329

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Guy’s latest book, Enchantment , was released in March of 2011, to overwhelmingly upbeat reviews. Of the 225 customer reviews currently posted on Amazon, over 90% are highly positive. I enjoyed the book as well, as evidenced by the review I wrote at the time of its release, which you can read HERE. I even plan to use it in my upcoming UC Santa Barbara Entrepreneurial Selling class.

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Santa Barbara Technical Review Social Media Startup 262

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal , the provider of local online marketing services to small and medium sized businesses run by Zorik Gordon, said this morning that it continues to expand its presence with the opening of three new offices. ReachLocal said it has opened up direct local sales offices in Dusseldorf, Germany; Newcastle, Australia; and Columbus, Ohio.

ReachLocal 247

ReachLocal Woodland Hills Advertising Web 247

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Have you ever noticed how slow time passes when you are in a troubled environment? Conversely, sometimes you look up at the end of a great day and wonder where the time went. Over the years, I have discovered that the difference is not just applicable to the good times, but to the environment, created by the senior executives, that filters throughout the organization.

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West Hollywood Hollywood Organization Email 191

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

A while back, when a startup founder mentioned to me that he wasn’t sure he had the personality to be an entrepreneur, I realized how important that insight was. My first thought is that if you are more annoyed than energized by expert advice, team suggestions, and customer input, then you should probably avoid this line of work. Actually, it’s more complicated than that, but that’s a good start.

Startup 126

Startup Entrepreneur Activity Writing 126

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

This post is admittedly the outcome of a conversation with a few people over some beers. Some of it is a bit tongue-in-cheek and certainly we are greatly simplifying things. The people around the table included a bunch of us who would be prey in some situations. So, please take this in the spirit intended. The conversation centered around a founder who's key question is "Where Do I Find a Developer for My Startup?

Guide 296

Guide Startup Mobile Framework 296

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

It’s very common for startup companies to have COO’s. So I know I’m getting myself into a bit of trouble by writing this. But … Startups don’t need – shouldn’t have – COOs. I have this conversation with every startup that comes to see me and has a CEO & a COO. I think usually a COO title at a startup is an ego thing.

Startup 325

Startup Technical Review Sales Report 325

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

Nithin Jilla was 14-yrs old when he became involved in Kenya Dream. Over the past four years, Nithin has generated national coverage for his from several leading cable news networks, as well as a number of local and regional newspapers. He has also combined his passion for dance to further expand Kenya Dream’s audience by establishing a series of Ken-Ya Dance showcase events festivals.

UCI 259

UCI Class Southern California News 259

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Los Angeles is looking to prove it is a center of the social media universe next week, with a roster of events for Social Media Week Los Angeles. According to local event organizers, the Los Angeles Social Media Week events--75 in all--are expected to have well more than the 4,000 who participated last year. The week long list of events includes parties, celebrity social media personalities, conferences and panels, and a keynote by Robert Tercek.

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Social Media Media Los Angeles Activity 232

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Announcing EIGHT new mini-books and eBooks by Master Entrepreneur, Dave Berkus , just released by The Berkus Press. Covering important business growth subjects, these books are a must-have for you and your associates. As a bonus, the “quick read&# eBook and Kindle editions are priced as “singles&# at only $2.99 each. Featuring a total of 202 of Dave’s insights from BERKONOMICS and ADVANCED BERKONOMICS, these books are easy reading, cover important business issues, and help you

eBook 168

eBook Press Metrics Startup 168

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Maybe it’s time to look harder at the mantra of a new breed of gurus and successful entrepreneurs, including Steve Blank and Eric Ries , called “nail it then scale it” (NISI).

Startup 114

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Customer 114

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

One of the readers asked my opinion around sharing your startup concept: My first question has always been - how do you protect your idea while shopping around for feedback, partners, developers, etc.? Especially if the idea could be whipped-up by a few 24-year olds in a few weeks? Lots of thoughts here. First, if your idea really is something that a couple programmers can whip up in a few weeks, then you may not have much of a business here.

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Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Email. Ah, email. That great productivity drain that we somehow all buy into. I’ve taken to saying, “Email is our personal to-do list that anybody adds to – whether they know us or not.” I was lamenting it tonight when I saw the most brilliant response Tweet by Andrew Hyde . “inbox = tetris getting zero lines doesn’t win it just makes the next move easy.” Brilliant!

Email 314

Email Product Startup Writing 314

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Team Above Self – the Team’s objectives supersede those of the Individual. The ninth tenet outlined in Core Values. When I was an operational startup executive, I seldom lost my temper in the workplace. However, one of the few things that angered me at a base level was when an employee would place their personal interests above those of the company.

Entrepreneur 226

Entrepreneur Startup Customer Custom 226

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Los Angeles- and London-based casual gaming developer King.com said Thursday that it has launched a new Facebook game, Bubble Witch Saga. According to King.com, the newest title was launched in the run up to Halloween, and focuses on bursting bubbles around a witch's cauldron. King.com said it now has over 200 games running online, via Facebook, on mobile, and tablets.

Los Angeles 223

Los Angeles Mobile Angel Develop 223

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

This is an exercise I perform with my boards no less than once every several years in planning exercises attended by the board and senior management, sometimes augmented with an industry consultant or expert from the outside. Use a white board visible to the entire group. Draw and label four columns and ten rows. The columns: “Name of candidate acquirer”, “what they want”, “what we want” and “likelihood”.

Company 168

Company Companies Resource Email 168

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Investors invest in people, not ideas. Customers buy from people, not companies. Employees rally for a great leader. As an entrepreneur, you need relationships to succeed. That means relationships with team members, investors, customers, and vendors. One of the best ways to build a good relationship with anyone is to make them feel important. One of my favorite authors, Brian Tracy, in his book “ No Excuses!

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Customer Custom 107

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

The Spotlight: LA Tech Fall is garnering some excellent companies being submitted and most of which I wish could all be part of this amazing night. To help curate and show off the best that LA has to offer we called in a few friends. So with out further ado I present the Spotlight: LA Tech Fall 2011 Judges! Mike Jones , Investor and Advisor Located In Los Angeles.

Tech Coast Angels 96

Tech Coast Angels Idealab Angel Startup 96

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

Yesterday I saw a Tweet from Chris Sacca fly by that prompted me to want to write a blog post helping entrepreneurs understand why they should push back against VCs asking for “super pro-rata” rights. I’ll explain what they are and why you should avoid them if you can. A primer on “pro-rata” rights. Institutional investors will always insist on pro-rata rights.

Entrepreneur 310

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Writing Invest 310

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Richard White, author of The Entrepreneur’s Manual , surveyed a number of venture capitalists, asking them to identify the characteristics of successful, serial entrepreneurs. One of the attributes identified by all of the venture capitalists questioned was, “Frugal use of capital.” In fact, several of the venture capitalists pointed out that successful entrepreneurs often have to be encouraged to spend more aggressively.

Startup 221

Startup Pricing Entrepreneur Email 221

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

Santa Barbara-based Make It Work , the provider of in-home and on-site technical support and services headed by Eric Greenspan, said today that it has inked a deal to offer up its services for sale at Costco Wholesale Corporation locations in Southern California. According to the firm, it is in an initial pilot rollout within 20 Southern California Costco locations, in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

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Santa Barbara Tech Coast Angels Technical Support Southern California 220

Daradiction

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

Marshall McLuhan was a post modern day prophet. Read his prediction of the internet from 1962, “The next medium, whatever it is – it may be the extension of consciousness – will include television as its content, not as its environment, and will transform television into an art form. A computer as a research and communication instrument could enhance retrieval, obsolesce mass library organization, retrieve the individual’s encyclopedic function and flip into a private line to speedil

Research 67

Research Organization Content 67

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. On the average, the entrepreneurs I know are struggling. But one thing they all seem to have in common is a love for learning and change. They rush in with a passion to better the world, and money is just an indication of their progress.

Startup 103

Startup Mentor Case Study Course 103

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

That’s right folks TechZulu has just struck the most amazing loot for all you gaming enthusiast out there. TechZulu is sending 5 lucky gamers to the first mobile 3D gaming tournament being held here in Los Angeles to compete! LG Thrill™ 4G in a partnership with Gameloft™ bring their gaming alive in a larger-than-life 3D gaming tournament and spectacle at Hollywood’s illustrious Hollywood & Highland Center and Rolling Stone LA Lounge on September 20.

Mobile 90

Mobile Hollywood Entertainment Los Angeles 90

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Sales. It’s the lifeblood of any organization and yet most startups don’t have any sales DNA on their teams. It’s important enough that I dedicate a tab on my blog to startup sales & marketing. This week I had the chance to have an hour-long discussion with Vince Thompson (ran West Coast sales for AOL for 7 years – back in the day when AOL was what Facebook is today) and Mo Ali , who has the awesome Twitter handle @BornToCall – runs sales at This Week In.

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Software Review Sales Tips Help 300

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

“Whenever it is possible, a boy should choose some occupation which he should do even if he did not need the money.”. William Lyon Phelps, American Author. Growing up, I dreamed that one day I could say, “I don’t have to work.” My parents were both government employees of modest means and thus the goal of retiring as a relatively young person was a fantasy to nearly everyone I knew growing up – everyone but me.

Startup 217

Startup Satisfaction Paramount Help 217

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

In the day and age of digital photos, too often the photos we take end up filed away untouched on your computer, or buried on your iPhone. Unlike the past, when photos were treasured and shown off to friends and family, it seems like photos are almost disposable. However, Los Angeles-based Postcard On The Run (www.postcardontherun.com) is trying to recapture that sense of value of physical photographs, with its new service, which turns digital photos into postcards.

Email 218

Email Startup Ideas Burbank 218

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

BSAK Errors. I always loved the term … ”Between seat and keyboard.” Normally it was my tech team just being cheeky with me about my withering technology chops. But … … was thinking about a very common BSAK error that I see committed – the “flaming email.” Or when I worked at Accenture we called these “CLMs.” (career limiting maneuvers).

Writing 292

Writing Email Startup Ideas 292

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

I was an entrepreneur for years. I must have pitched 40-50 VCs over the years. Possibly more. As I talked about on many occasions when I was an entrepreneur – and blogged publicly about - I learned a lot about my business and myself in these meetings. It was largely a positive experience. [Make sure to watch the video ]. Still, it was bloody annoying, too.

Venture Capital 292

Venture Capital Blogging Conference Google 292

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

I recently wrote a post about why I didn’t think early-stage startups should have COOs. I expected it to be controversial and it was. To be clear, I said that most companies I see pitching have COOs & I don’t have a rule against it. I’ve had several COOs at companies in which I’ve invested. In bringing up the issue I wasn’t “hating on COOs&# – I’m just challenging you to think about whether your CEO + COO structure really provides the right amo

Startup 292

Startup CTO Hire Sales Email 292