SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

Steve Blank , January 25, 2010 10 Tips for Adding Game Mechanics to a Non-Gaming Service - ReadWriteStart , September 21, 2010 Startups & VCs: Learn How to Design, Market, & Eat Your Own. - First Principles.

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Yet every business and every entrepreneur I know struggles with this challenge, focused on hiring the right people and implementing the right process. I was happy to see my own view reinforced in the classic book, “ Innovation Thinking Methods for the Modern Entrepreneur ,” by long-time entrepreneur and innovation expert Osama A.

Entrepreneur 158

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Design 158

socalTECH

AUGUST 7, 2014

Bryce Maddock: TaskUs is the best provider in the world of customer care and back office services for emerging growth companies. Customer care, obviously, is emails, phone calls, and customer service back office services. We do a whole host of other back-office services in that space. So, what is TaskUs?

Startup 231

Startup Technology Outsource Santa Monica 231

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 19, 2013

Many young startups are being advised not to have a professional services business and in my opinion this is a big mistake. The line of reasoning goes, “Services businesses are not scalable and the market won’t reward this revenue so make sure that third-parties do your implementation or clients do it themselves.

Startup 403

Startup Sales Software Review Technical Review 403

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2014

Startups that sell innovative new products seem to get all the attention these days, but services may be the quicker way to larger profits and faster growth. If you think about it, services make more sense in this social media age where relationships, personalization, and interaction are king. Advisory services. Everybody wins.

Services 101

Services Startup Outsource Technical Support 101

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2020

Even if you ignore all the hype around crowdfunding, there can be no doubt that it is a real alternative for entrepreneurs to achieve visibility and funding today. are not for crowdfunding, but actually are matchmaking sites between entrepreneurs and professional investors or banks, or incubators.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Satisfaction Equity 129

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2020

I recognize that entrepreneurs tend to substitute vision and passion for formal processes, but using no discipline or process in building something new is a sure way to spend money, rather than see any return and build a self-sustaining business. Marketing, sales, support, and service operations. Solution development and delivery.

Entrepreneur 131

Entrepreneur Outsource Development Startup Competition 131

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 27, 2014

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Services 105

Services Startup Training Writing 105

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2010

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Don’t outsource your core competency. Product or services. Technology level.

Outsource Development 51

Outsource Development Outsource Software Offshore 51

SoCal Tech Calendar

JUNE 5, 2011

Saturday, June 11, 2011 -- Crowdsourcing for the Entrepreneur: Unlocking the Power of Online Communities. Crowdsourcing, as a method of leveraging the massive pool of online users as resources, has become a viable set of techniques, tools, and marketplaces for organizations and entrepreneurs to drive innovation and generate value.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Enterprise Forum Netflix CalTech 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2020

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Startup 174

Startup Training Services Writing 174

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

But recently I was asked about success factors for services startups, and I quickly realized that there is very little published to help the thousands of startups that fall in this category. The distinction between product companies and services companies is easy to see. Scaling services means cloning yourself.

Product 91

Product Services Satisfaction Patents 91

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2014

With the appearance of do-it-yourself services on the Internet, entrepreneur curriculums at every university, and a wealth of new books on the subject, the need for expensive consultants and business advisors has also been mitigated. budget business e-commerce entrepreneur startup' Work out of your home, and keep your own books.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Social Media Commerce 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2013

On the other hand, everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. This next frontier lies in building your own enterprises as an entrepreneur, rather than waiting for innovation and opportunity from large corporations. Outsourcing and manufacturing “offshore” have become the norm. The cost of entrepreneur entry is at an all-time low.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Offshore Startup Technical Review 105

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 13, 2010

I had joined AC in 1991 as a programmer when it was a relatively small practice focused on building corporate IT systems for Fortune 500 companies and there were a handful of companies that offered the same service. Bryce is a bit like the entrepreneurs I search for. By 1999 it seemed like everybody was growing, though. I love that.

Technical Review 302

Technical Review Marketing IP Outsource Development 302

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2012

Customer service has always been reactionary, meaning someone to wake up and answer website email requests. Great startups are getting ahead of the game with “anticipatory customer service,” like providing smart phone access to product and account data to head off complaints. Self-service needs to have escape hatches.

Customer 97

Customer Custom Services Startup 97

socalTECH

MARCH 1, 2018

As part of the lead in to the conference, and as a part of our sponsor relationship with the conference, we're running a series of interviews with speakers from the conference about their experience in the area of recurring revenues, customer service, and similar topics. It sounds like you actually do all your customer service in house?

Customer 113

Customer Custom Services Conference 113

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2020

Driven by the current pandemic, smart entrepreneurs of all ages are jumping into the fray with new ideas, new recovery strategies, and discarding outmoded business models. I see it most in the newest generation of entrepreneurs (Gen-Y), who were shocked out of entitlement into action by an economic downturn.

Geni 172

Geni Layoffs Entrepreneur Outsource 172

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2013

Many aspiring entrepreneurs are looking to the Internet as an opportunity to get rich quick, instead of a place where you can start a business you love, for very little capital and minimal technical expertise. Use free e-commerce software and services like PayPal before building an expensive customized solution. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Startup Technical Review Case Study 105

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 6, 2018

Simi Valley-based Xavient Information Systems , a provider of outsourced IT services, has been acquired by TELUS International , the two announced this morning. Xavient was founded and was led by serial entrepreneur Rajeev Tandon. The deal--which had been announced in October--was worth an estimated $250M.

Outsource 113

Outsource Acquisition Sites Entrepreneur 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2013

I’ve focused these more towards startups and entrepreneurs: Show a personal face. Offer a story, entertainment, or a compelling idea that you can link convincingly to your brand, rather than trying to sell products or services directly. Try branding yourself, not selling a product. Offer utility to each audience member.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Startup Content Media 111

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2012

Driven by the recent recession, smart entrepreneurs of all ages are jumping into the fray with new ideas, new recovery strategies, and discarding outmoded business models. I see it most in the newest generation of entrepreneurs (Gen-Y), who were shocked out of entitlement into action by the recession. Focus on your core competency.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Geni Layoffs Outsource 93

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2014

Most entrepreneurs work long hours and weekends to get the job done. If one of your core values is exceeding your customer expectations for quality and service, and your potential partner ascribes to the low cost, high profit mantra, a successful partnership is highly unlikely over the long-term. Compatible work styles. Marty Zwilling.

Software Review 107

Software Review Entrepreneur CTO Hire Outsource Development 107

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2014

If you have a software development background like mine, Im sure you often get questions about when to outsource, versus building the solution in-house. Outsourcing is defined as contracting the work to another company, usually located in a developing country, like India, China, or Eastern Europe. Factor in all the cost elements.

Outsource Development 95

Outsource Development Outsource Offshore Software Review 95

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2011

I define a product plan as a detailed description of your product or service, with a bit of business thrown in at the end. Enough detail is required so that someone else can build it without you (outsourcing). Show the timeline, milestones, costs, and people required to produce the product or service. Don’t get me wrong.

Product 93

Product Entrepreneur Outsource Development Competition 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 15, 2013

Customer service has always been reactionary, meaning someone has to wake up and answer website email requests. Great startups are getting ahead of the game with “anticipatory customer service,” like providing smart phone access to product and account data to head off complaints. This exemplary customer service is just savvy marketing.

Customer 89

Customer Custom Services High Tech 89

socalTECH

MAY 11, 2016

CSM Software , and engineering and high tech services outsourcer whose founder and chairman is based in Westlake Village, has been acquired by Japanese company SOLIZE Group , acording to the companies. Narayanaswami is a serial entrepreneur, and had founded CSAR Corporation, which he sold to MSC Software in 1999. READ MORE>>.

Westlake Village 100

Westlake Village Software Outsource High Tech 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2019

On the other hand, everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. His focus is on entrepreneurs in America, but what he says applies to every other country as well. This next frontier lies in building enterprises as an entrepreneur, rather than waiting for innovation and opportunity from large corporations.

Entrepreneur 87

Entrepreneur Offshore Technical Review Outsource 87

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

Many experts are certain that successful entrepreneurs are the ones with the most inspiration (passion and dream), while others will assert that it’s about more perspiration (working harder). This is the confirmation that your product or service fills a real need in the marketplace. Note the growth of your team and your own leadership.

Satisfaction 174

Satisfaction Customer Custom Outsource 174

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2020

Entrepreneurs who search for real pain points, and build solutions around them, have the best chance of changing the world. As an alternative, if you are an entrepreneur looking for the next big thing, where should you look? That’s the great thing about being an entrepreneur. Some kind of natural or man-made disaster.

Customer 167

Customer Custom Startup Outsource Development 167

socalTECH

OCTOBER 20, 2011

Back in 2003 and 2004, we were focused on the international market, and started outsourcing to India and the Philippines for call center services. Many entrepreneurs think about starting your own thing, did you ever think about that compared to turning around a company? I think the model is a little bit on its head.

Outsource Development 190

Outsource Development Startup Outsource Altadena 190

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2020

Most consulting services, like marketing, are not scalable, since they must be delivered by experts, and cloning experts is slow and expensive. Investors don’t invest in services startups. I see too many business plans that are really product plans for customers, touting free services and long feature lists.

Startup 154

Startup Outsource Ideas Research 154

socalTECH

MARCH 5, 2014

We caught up with founder and CEO Grant Kirkwood --a serial entrepreneur and veteran of providing infrastructure to the enterprise markets--on the vision behind the company. Companies were saying--we want to outsource these kinds of things, because they''re not our core competency. Explain to us what Unitas Global does?

Cloud Computing 217

Cloud Computing Outsource Development Outsource Startup 217

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

You can’t outsource that one. If you see a customer service problem hurting the company, step up proactively with a proposal to fix it. entrepreneur startup Harvey Mackay employee business' The truly indispensible person in a startup is a problem solver, because every startup has plenty of problems. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 103

Startup Entrepreneur Journal Outsource 103

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

New this year are application services and outsourcing, cloud application infrastructure services, cloud security, privacy and smart cities. For the latest info, Gartner recently released their Hype Cycle Special Report for 2011 , detailing some of the biggest trends in technology this year. It’s definitely worth a look.

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Press Cloud Computing Technology 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

If your forte is a service, like consulting or web site design, it’s harder to find guidance on what will get you funded, and how you can scale your business. With services, scaling the business often implies cloning yourself, since you are the intellectual property and the competitive advantage. Capture your “secret sauce.”

Services 72

Services Startup Training Writing 72

InfoChachkie

MAY 5, 2016

Given TimeHop’s failed experiment, I was especially intrigued when I learned that a team of a dozen remote entrepreneurs hack the typical corporate structure and creates a company that generated nearly $100 million in revenue. Dan Engel, Co-Founder and former CEO of FastSpring, is a highly successful serial entrepreneur. FastSpring.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Santa Barbara Email Outsource Development 100