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This is part of my ongoing series “ Start-up Lessons. &# If you want to subscribe to my RSS feed please click here or to get my blog by email click here. I often talk with entrepreneurs who are kicking around their next idea. Imagine you pour 5 years of your life into your next gig and it starts to become successful.
I have long advisedstartup 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. For 1991 I was very technical and also had a lot of practical business implementation experience in technology.
In my years of advisingstartups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideasstart and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. That’s why investors say they invest in people (bet on the jockey, not the horse), rather than the idea.
I've had several Startup CTO Consulting sessions recently where it became apparent that the Founder needed help with the business and product as much or more than the technology. Then we discussed how they could go about finding this startup business advisor. Do you have any suggestions for how to find a good mentor?
I made every textbook mistake at my first startup, which is why I believe I was much more effective at my second one. The following are some lessons I learned about early-stage startup marketing. Most people totally advise against stealth. But once a VC has heard your idea he can’t “un-think&# it.
In my years of advisingstartups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideasstart and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. That’s why investors say they invest in people (bet on the jockey, not the horse), rather than the idea.
I’ve worked with 30+ early-stage companies in all sorts of capacities (and spoken to many, many more), so I thought it might be worthwhile trying to classify the various ways that I’ve engaged in different technology roles in startups. Later he posted about his experience in Challenges of Startups.
This is part of my Startup Advice series. at a startup that has already raised $5 million the chances of you making your retirement money on that company is EXTREMELY small. I often have career discussions with entrepreneurs – both young and more mature – whether they should join company “X&# or not. That’s Ok.
This is part of my Startup Advice series. I spent nearly a decade building software for large companies and then advising companies on the same. So I was surprised at the sheer volumes of decisions that had to be made when I became a startup CEO. So we discussed his ideas several times. This was such a guy.
Over my many years of mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals, I often hear a desire to start a new business, with a big hesitation while waiting for that perfect idea and perfect alignment of the stars. So don’t wait for that “idea of the century” that no one has ever thought of before.
Of course, there's no law saying you have to go to college to start a business. Current young adults have grown up hearing about Bill Gates as the paragon of success. Too many startups fail simply by missing the practical elements of money management, time management, and setting priorities. Pick an idea, any idea.
Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. Show focus and your understanding that your company is something more than just a good idea. A winning product or service.
In my years of advisingstartups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideasstart and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. That’s why investors say they invest in people (bet on the jockey, not the horse), rather than the idea.
One of the biggest complaints you hear from both entrepreneurs and investors in Los Angeles, is the lack of a credible, visible startup accelerator in the Los Angeles area. We caught up with Erik to hear more about MuckerLab, and its efforts to grow the Los Angeles technology ecosystem. Erik, thanks for the time.
Let me start with a story. We ended up agreeing a term sheet for $16.5 We had people hearing through the grapevine that we were about to raise money and new investors started calling us to get in on the deal. Guys, I accept that we could probably shop this around but we could also end up with nothing. I was resolute.
In my years of advisingstartups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideasstart and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. That’s why investors say they invest in people (bet on the jockey, not the horse), rather than the idea.
For those who haven’t heard of what Startup Weekend is all about, it’s building a company on STEROIDS! Friday Night, people started trickling in at Coloft at 6pm. People were so excited for the weekend, many of who have participated in Startup Weekend before and a few like me, who were there for the first time.
I would argue that this mostly consists of consumer Internet companies (although not exclusively) and it is predominantly early-stage people who are product gurus and have a mildly technical bend to them. I talked about this in the TWiVC video but I didn’t do a good enough job of writing it up in the summary notes in the post.
Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. Show focus and your understanding that your company is something more than just a good idea. A winning product or service.
In my years of advisingstartups and occasional investing, I’ve seen many great ideasstart and fail, but the right team always seems to make good things happen, even without the ultimate idea. That’s why investors say they invest in people (bet on the jockey, not the horse), rather than the idea.
Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. Show focus and your understanding that your company is something more than just a good idea. A winning product or service.
Many of the entrepreneurs I advise or invest with spend considerable time on the Internet, keeping up with technology, customers, and competitors, but very few feel the need for an early personal presence. Every future entrepreneur should start by networking. A positive personal brand will give your product instant credibility.
PartySlate (www.partyslate.com)--which is backed by a slate of LA area investors--offers up a place to browse photos on events, find venues, and most importantly, planners who put those events on, so your next big event can be an unforgettable one. Being a digital person, I kept looking online for new ideas. He's based in LA.
What’s The Remedy: At social mixers make eye contact at least 20% of the time with people who approach you; temper negative feedback with some positive reinforcement on the struggles of trying to come up; don’t treat people differently based on the amount of money you think they can make you. The WannaBe Board of Advisor.
Many entrepreneurs are convinced that banks are not worth the effort for startups, especially early-stage ones that still don’t have a revenue stream, or collateral to back up their financing needs. Show focus and your understanding that your company is something more than just a good idea. A winning product or service.
I’m not saying success is rare, but the list of famous entrepreneurs who started their career in a big company is small. I made the jump myself from IBM several years ago, and now have a satisfying startupadvising small businesses and mentoring entrepreneurs. Already have dependents and employees who look up to you.
Most of the entrepreneurs I advise today are ready to declare success when they get that first surge of traction with a real customer. This is a good sign, but they have no idea that the hard work of scaling the business is still ahead of them. Here again, it’s important to measure value, rather than project cost.
I’ve had many startup founders tell me that their startup literally has no competition,” said Frank Gruber, Cofounder of Tech.Co, Startup of the Year , and Established. “In What startup teams don’t realize is that having competition is good. It’s validating that there is a market for their idea.
► August (1) Stay Positive ► July (2) Go Fast, but Don’t Hurry The DNA of an A++ Team ► June (1) Setting up Shop - Picking an Office Space ► May (3) Startup 6.0 - the Rubicon Project: Internet Advert. ► May (5) the Rubicon Project The Journey Startup 6.0: Visit StrongMail Website Startup 4.0:
► August (1) Stay Positive ► July (2) Go Fast, but Don’t Hurry The DNA of an A++ Team ► June (1) Setting up Shop - Picking an Office Space ► May (3) Startup 6.0 - the Rubicon Project: Internet Advert. No, it’ Startup 2.0: Startup 1.0: “The Bug Bite&# - The Internet Needs.
Something is rotten in tech startup land. It’s not that I’m anti innovation or a disbeliever in disruption or calling it a full-scale bubble or saying every darling startup is going to fail. The uninvited crowds have all turned up. He turned up for the fun but went too hard, too early. None of those.
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