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 Custom 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.

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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.

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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 Custom Customer 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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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

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

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

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

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).

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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.

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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

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

I had the pleasure of sitting down for an hour with Dmitry Shapir o of AnyBeat this week. The last startup he did raised $70 million for the online video space before being sued for more than $1 billion by Universal. He won the battle (the lawsuit) but lost the war (went bankrupt, with pending litigation he couldn’t get funded. He’s back in the game as an entrepreneur and this time he wants to take on Facebook.

Veoh 269

Veoh Netflix Social Network Blogging 269

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Note: This is Part I in the Startup Team Building series. Each generation, a few magnetic personalities emerge and generate a mania of public interest. Before Elvis, there was Sinatra. Before Sinatra, there was Bing. Before Bing, there was Caruso and before Caruso, there was Blondin. Jean Francois Gravelot, who wisely abandoned his given name and dubbed himself The Great Blondin , was a true rock star of the 19th Century.

Startup 243

Startup Equity Funding Help 243

InfoChachkie

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Acrobatic ninjas, the Austin Police and several livid tradeshow executives – a perfect recipe for a reality television show, but not a great combination for Seth Epstein’s startup, Social Stay. Seth discusses below what happened in Austin when he tried to rock the largest hospitality tradeshow of the year and what he learned from this humorous, but stressful experience.

Marketing 230

Marketing Conference Startup Santa Barbara 230

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 Custom Customer 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

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

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.

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Email Startup Ideas Burbank 218

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.

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Startup Satisfaction Paramount Help 217

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Our profile this morning is with Network Automation , a Los Angeles company competing in the IT automation market. Southern California--despite the lack of huge, name brand firms-- has a significant number of enterprise software companies, of which Network Automation is just one. We spoke with Gary Bishop, the firm's CEO, to learn more about the company.

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Networking IBM IBM Pacific Palisades 214

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

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

An analysis of the most social-media savvy cities, released this week, ranked the City of Ventura as number 4 in its list of cities with the most social companies, based on the social media usage of business people. According to NetProspex, a provider of business contact information, its analysis found that Ventura was fourth out of the top 25 social cities, behind San Francisco, San Jose, and New York.

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Ventura Orange County Social Media Report 208

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Los Angeles-based US Renewables Group , the private equity firm focused on renewable energy, said Wednesday that it is investing $344M in what it says is the largest residential solar project in U.S. history. The firm said it is financing a project, led by SolarCity, to install solar panels on military housing across the United States. The funding comes in the form of debt, via USRG Renewable Finance.

Invest 207

Invest Equity Los Angeles Funding 207

socalTECH

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Los Angeles-based BackAtYou.com , a new startup headed by former SodaHead.com founder Michael Glazer, launched itself Wednesday, saying it is providing a self-service platform to help business owners and marketers to create, launch, and analyze social media marketing campaigns and promotions. The startup said its technology at engaging and growing a customer base for companies, after an initial "Like" or "Follow".

Social Media 206

Social Media Media Marketing Los Angeles 206