TechEmpower

JULY 2, 2013

'July marks the fourth month of our ongoing project measuring the performance of web application frameworks and platforms. We''ve just posted Round 6, which includes several more developer community-provided framework test implementations: Beego, Dart, Hapi, Jester, Luminus, Nancy, Yaf, Plack, Play-Slick, and Undertow. The results web site has been improved with test-type and hardware-type navigation, allowing you to share links to a specific results chart, such as Round 6, Fortunes on EC2.

Framework 521

Framework Software Review Technical Review EC2 521

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 16, 2013

'I work with a lot of startups. I start to notice when bad behavior creeps into the system as a whole. I have seen much of that behavior over the past 2 years get worse. Nobody seems to want to make money any more. I remember just a decade ago in 2003 when we all laughed at how dumb people in the 90′s were talking about the race to “capture as many eyeballs as possible” before your competition.

Venture Capital 412

Venture Capital Startup Funding Snapchat 412

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2013

'Tech mogul Elon Musk , who has proved that you can, indeed, build your own rocketship to space with his success with Hawthorne-based SpaceX , said today that he plans to unveil a brand new transportation system called Hyperloop. Musk said in a tweet that he will release the plans for Hyperloop, which will deliver people between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than half an hour, on August 12th.

Santa Monica 269

Santa Monica SpaceX Hawthorne Los Angeles 269

Berkonomics

JULY 4, 2013

'This is one of those “My dad used to say” homilies. You’ve probably heard the accompanying “It takes just as much effort to sell a small deal as a big one,” over the years. The truth of this is more nuanced. Some businesses will prosper in the shadow of larger competitors by specializing in those smaller accounts that are just not attractive to those with higher overheads and larger aspirations.

.Net 235

.Net Resource Competition Customer 235

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

InfoChachkie

JULY 9, 2013

'A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. To the surprise of no one, other than snooty film critics, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey broke Christmas box office records this past weekend. In addition to being a classic children''s tale of good versus evil, the film also contains some surprising 2013 job hunting tips for joining a startup.

Startup 230

Startup Technical Review Tips RSS 230

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2013

'Making the decision to become an entrepreneur is a major commitment, with huge implications for skills and lifestyle. Yet there is no standardized testing or certification required or available anywhere to help you decide if you are a good fit for entrepreneurship, or entrepreneurship is right for you. An MBA or other academic credentials just don’t do it.

Entrepreneur 114

Entrepreneur Startup Statistics Guide 114

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 23, 2013

'I have long advised startup companies that if you don’t control your messaging somebody else will and your potential customers will form impressions of you shaped by somebody else or by nobody at all. It’s why it’s important to establish a brand, know what your key messages are and communicate them often and simply. I have published many of these PR Tips before.

Technical Advisors 385

Technical Advisors Marketing Startup Venture Capital 385

socalTECH

JULY 15, 2013

'A new study released earlier this month has ranked the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta metropolitan area, as well as the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos metropolitan area among the top ten markets for venture capital activity. The report, from The Atlantic , found that Santa Barbara-Santa-Maria-Goleta was number five in the nation in terms of venture capital activity per 100,000 people, with $59.1M in deals in 2012 and 3.3 venture capital deals per 100,000 people.

Santa Barbara 263

Santa Barbara San Diego Venture Capital Capital 263

Berkonomics

JULY 11, 2013

'There is such leverage in high gross profit margins once a company is past breakeven. Every dollar of gross profit falls to the bottom line, increasing net profit faster with each transaction. A ten percent increase in revenues for a company with 50% gross margin and 5% net profit before the increase would double net profit for the period with that ten percent increase in revenue.

.Net 207

.Net Sales Tool Social Network 207

InfoChachkie

JULY 29, 2013

'Easy To Start, Hard To Control. A version of this article previously appeared on Forbes. Brian Coryat, Founder and CEO of Local Market Launch and former founder of ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) recently spoke as part of UCSB''s Distinguished Lecture Series. His talk was entertaining and informative and contained a number of witty entrepreneurial insights, such as: "Startups are like high school.

Startup 229

Startup Course Entrepreneur Marketing 229

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2013

'Successful entrepreneurs are the ones who think the most creatively, not only in their initial product or service, but more importantly all through the stages of growth from startup to maturity. But even the best of them can easily slip into some bad decision habits that limit or hurt their business, due to natural human tendencies and the pressures of business challenges.

Metrics 110

Metrics Entrepreneur Demand Statistics 110

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 29, 2013

'This month TechZulu is heading to NextSpace Coworking in Culver City! For those unfamiliar, held the last Friday of every month, TechZulu Final Fridays (#TZFF) are a creative blend between mentorship, networking event, startup showcase, and community celebration. Join us as we introduce you to featured faces and spaces across our great city, highlighting the many flavors of innovation that make up the LA tech ecosystem…plus plenty of free food and drinks.

Culver City 110

Culver City Social Media Startup Media 110

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2013

'Last year I wrote a blog post on entrepreneurs with a chip on their shoulders. I think it’s an important read. A chip on one’s shoulder as in, “F**k the system, it’s broken and I want to fix it” is exactly the energy I look for in entrepreneurs. My internal compass says that “country-club” entrepreneurs struggle to make as big of an impact because it’s really hard to totally change a system that you’re part of and have a vested interest in.

Startup 371

Startup Press Blogging Entrepreneur 371

socalTECH

JULY 8, 2013

'If there were such a thing as a "Dream Team" for mobile advertising, you would be hard pressed not to pick the founding team of Los Angeles-based Gradient X (www.gradientx.com), whose founders include Michael Lum (formerly of OpenX), Brian Baumgart (formerly at Adconion), and Julie Mattern (formerly of Rubicon Project). We caught up with Michael to learn more about what Gradient X is doing, and why the three have teamed up at the company.

Advertising 253

Advertising Mobile OpenX Software Review 253

Berkonomics

JULY 25, 2013

'We all know that the world of marketing has turned upside down these past years through the power of the Internet. College professors teaching marketing must be having a real challenge keeping up with the new channels of communication, the relative values of advertising buys in this new world, and explaining how to make the most out of these cheaper and more powerful channels.

Social Media 179

Social Media Advertising .Net Content 179

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

'A version of this article previously appeared on Inc. The ability to consistently give horrendous investor pitches is within your grasp. If you follow the tips outlined in this entry, you will be guaranteed to suffer absolutely no. dilution, as there is zero chance a reasonable investor will give you money. Investors are overrated. Who needs them? If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly Infochachkie articles!

Slides 220

Slides Tips Startup RSS 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 18, 2013

'Starting a business is usually the result of a personal dream or need. Investors tell me that they invest in people, more than the idea. Customers buy from people, not from a company, at least at the startup stages. That’s why it’s important to build a personal brand, in parallel and before your business brand. This will kick-start your business, and improve your odds of success.

Startup 109

Startup Customer Custom Ideas 109

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 25, 2013

'Did you know that Los Angeles was ranked as the second best startup city in the U.S. by the Startup Genome’s Startup Ecosystem world report? Did you even know there was such a thing as the Startup Genome’s Startup Ecosystem world report? Well, it was and there is, which goes to show that while Silicon Valley (ranked #1) gets most of the press, LA is no slouch when it comes to tech.

Mobile 108

Mobile Demand Santa Monica Social Network 108

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

'One of my favorite events last year was attending Startup Grind where I got to interview Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma. Not just because meeting Clayton was influential in shaping my thinking about markets but also because Derek Andersen (who founded Startup Grind) is such an awesome host and runs a very informative events.

Startup 337

Startup Entrepreneur Ideas Venture Capital 337

socalTECH

JULY 22, 2013

'Encinitas-based ForwardMetrics has just taken $1M in a seed funding round, to help companies better conduct their strategic planning. The startup said that the new funding round brings its total raised to $1.75M. ForwardMetrics, which is headed by Ozzie DiVinere, said its cloud-based software helps organizations create and track their strategic plans, helping to track the progress of employees towards business results--rather than just activity.

Seed Funding 252

Seed Funding Funding Metrics Venture Capital 252

Berkonomics

JULY 18, 2013

'Substitute the word “money” for “water” and we have an explanation for most all of the reasons why successful products move from concept through early adopters through mass market. Money flows to the cheapest effective solution to a problem. Fighting this fact will just extend the misery of accepting a product or marketing failure in the marketplace.

.Net 179

.Net Email Examples Pricing 179

InfoChachkie

JULY 15, 2013

'A version of this article previously appeared in The Wall Street Journal . Tenderfoot Boy Scouts are taught to differentiate between the three combustibles required to build a sustainable fire: tinder, kindling and fuel wood. It''s a long, cold night if the tinder does not light the kindling or if the kindling fails to ignite the fuel wood. However, once the fuel wood is lit, a fire is relatively easy to sustain, as the resulting hot coals readily trigger the combustion of new fuel.

RSS 206

RSS Journal Entrepreneur Advertising 206

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 21, 2013

'To be an entrepreneur, you have to be navigate lots of unknowns, and the path is fraught with risk. Once you are past a certain mental age, you know too many of the things that can go wrong, so you never start. Sort of like the old saying that if we didn’t have young men to fight our wars, we could achieve world peace in no time. People who are young, or young at heart, don’t know all the negatives, or don’t worry about them.

Startup 106

Startup Entrepreneur Company Companies 106

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 31, 2013

'Tonight, in my Facebook feed, ( thanks to Micah Baldwin ), I came across the Hello Flo video. It is YouTube marketing at its best. Huffington Post is already calling it the “ Best Tampon Campaign Ad in the History of the World” and the video only went live yesterday. YESTERDAY. From the time I took a screenshot of the view count for this article, to my fingers clicking away typing these words, the video has already shot up over an additional 300,000 views totaling 1,851,189 views in 2 days.

Dollar Shave Club 101

Dollar Shave Club Customer Custom Marketing 101

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2013

'This is final part of a series that describes a sales methodology for technology companies or frankly many other types of companies, too. We developed this at our first company and called it PUCCKA – the overall methodology is described here. Pain. Unique Selling Proposition. Compelling Event. Champion. Key Players such as enemies, sages and blockers.

Customer 324

Customer Custom Marketing Newsletter 324

socalTECH

JULY 23, 2013

'What''s one of the hottest, fastest growing mobile apps out there out of a Southern California startup? No, not Snapchat--it''s Tinder --a mobile app and service which lets users rate people nearby them, and if the feeling is mutual, connect them. The app has been extremely popular for dating, but co-founder and CMO Justin Mateen says it''s more than dating, it''s about meeting all sorts of new people.

Mobile 245

Mobile Southern California News Snapchat 245

Frank Addante

JULY 26, 2013

'Exercise helps you think and work better. And that’s why I’ve been trying to do as many “walking meetings” as possible. If there isn’t a presentation or material to look at during a meeting, I try to encourage a “walking meeting.” I purchased a Jawbone UP for “self measurement” – and it tracks everything from my sleep to the number of steps I take during the day.

Help 89

Help Product 89

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

'A version of this article previously appeared on Inc. The ability to consistently give horrendous investor pitches is within your grasp. If you follow the tips outlined in this entry, you will be guaranteed to suffer absolutely no. dilution, as there is zero chance a reasonable investor will give you money. Investors are overrated. Who needs them? If you haven''t already subscribed yet, subscribe now for free weekly Infochachkie articles!

Slides 154

Slides Tips Startup Research 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2013

'One of the first harsh realities that every entrepreneur has to learn is that most of the things that are critical to startup success are outside of their direct control. Just because you dream it and build it, doesn’t mean they will come – that encompasses not only customers, but also investors, partners, team members, and even your own family. They won’t come if they don’t trust you.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Startup Metrics Writing 106

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 15, 2013

'Industry-specific networking site Kaleio , has partnered with Indeed.com to include both national and international job listings within the Kaleio Marketplace in a move that is expected to make it a one-stop professional networking and business tool for students and the non-executive workforce. According to Kaleio founder & CEO, Jim Riley, “This partnership marks a significant step in us becoming an invaluable resource for college students and working-class professionals to not only f

Yahoo 100

Yahoo Platform Social Network Tool 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 4, 2013

'This is part of a series that describes a sales methodology for technology companies or frankly many other types of companies, too. We developed this at our first company and called it PUCCKA – the overall methodology is described here. Pain. Unique Selling Proposition. Champion. Compelling Event. This post talks about the “K” or Key Players involved in a buying decision.

Sales 321

Sales Organization Startup Resource 321

socalTECH

JULY 16, 2013

'As much as the idea of "Silicon Beach" wants to represent the whole of the local technology industry in Los Angeles, there are -- as one would expect in such a large metropolitan area -- many different neighborhoods and communities spread across the region, all with their own individual identities, companies, and technology focuses. In the same way that the technology community is not the same when you''re talking San Francisco versus Palo Alto versus San Jose, Southern California''s technology

Pasadena 242

Pasadena Santa Monica CalTech Technical Review 242

Frank Addante

JULY 26, 2013

'Innovation requires many inputs, not just a “list” of feedback from customers and your sales team. It’s easy to fall into that trap, because customers represent a critical channel for feedback – yet they shouldn’t be the only one. Yes, they understand their pain, but engineers need more information to create true innovation in order to alleviate that pain.

Customer 81

Customer Custom Sales 81

InfoChachkie

JULY 15, 2013

'A version of this article previously appeared in The Wall Street Journal . Tenderfoot Boy Scouts are taught to differentiate between the three combustibles required to build a sustainable fire: tinder, kindling and fuel wood. It''s a long, cold night if the tinder does not light the kindling or if the kindling fails to ignite the fuel wood. However, once the fuel wood is lit, a fire is relatively easy to sustain, as the resulting hot coals readily trigger the combustion of new fuel.

Journal 147

Journal Entrepreneur Advertising Resource 147

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2013

'Based on my own experience and feedback from friends, every investor is approached by at least ten entrepreneurs with a “hot idea” for a new business, for every one who has a real “plan” for a new business. That’s why I often say that ideas are worth nothing, until they are put in the context of a business plan and real people committed to executing the plan.

Ideas 106

Ideas Startup Summary CalTech 106

Tech Zulu Event

JULY 1, 2013

'Since landing in LA five years ago I’ve had countless conversations around what it takes to build a tech scene. It’s not often that one gets to see a community emerge from the ground up, but it’s happening more and more in smaller cities across the U.S. and around the world. Why, you ask? Some say it’s sparked by economic downturns.

Twiistup 98

Twiistup Clearstone Conference Training 98