Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 30, 2010

Many of the investors and entrepreneurs I know still don’t realize that they need to use and understand the Internet, even if their business is not e-commerce. Maybe you have also heard a lot of Internet terms, but are not sure you can explain how, when, and why they are relevant to your business success. Here is a quick test of your real Internet savvy.

Internet 224

Internet SEM Wiki Entrepreneur 224

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

Everyone can recognize a great manager a mile away, so why is it so hard to find one? We all remember a few that are “legends in their own mind”, but that doesn’t do it. In fact, the clue here is that the view in your mind is the only one that matters, rather than the other way around. Almost every one of us in business can remember that one special manager in their career who exemplifies the norm, who commanded our respect, and treated us like a friend, even in the toughest of personal or busin

Technical Review 241

Technical Review Leadership Employee Management 241

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

A while back, I wrote about the importance of a “ sustainable competitive advantage ,” and outlined the business plan value and limitations of patents and competitor feature comparisons. But once you start selling products, all of these pale in comparison to your level of customer service. I agree with John Spence, in his book “ Awesomely Simple ,” that in a world of nearly limitless product options and highly educated consumers with instant access to price, features, and benefits of almost ever

Differentiation 225

Differentiation Customer Matching Employee 225

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Due diligence should always be a two-way street. A while back, I published an article on “ Understanding the Dreaded Investor Due Diligence ,” describing what investors do to validate your startup before they invest. Here is the inverse, sometimes called reverse due diligence, describing what you should do to validate your investor before signing up for an equity partnership.

Due Diligence 224

Due Diligence Offshore Angel Groups Matching 224

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 31, 2010

In addition to the “green” sector, which I outlined a few weeks ago , I see biotech as one of the places where startups can always go for real opportunities. Recession-proof products with innovation continue to come from the biotechnology industry. Plus, it was the top industry attracting VC money in the most recent quarter of 2010 , with a total of $944 million.

Startup 192

Startup Viral Early Stage Green 192

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

We all know that every startup is risky. No risk means no reward. Yet every investor has his own “rules of thumb” on what makes a specific startup too high a risk for his investment taste. You need to know these guidelines to set your expectations on funding. Of course, if you intend to fund the business yourself, or have a rich uncle, external investment funding concerns are not a problem.

Startup 224

Startup Russia Government Social Network 224

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 5, 2010

I often get asked the age-old question (by men) of “Who are the best entrepreneurs, men or women?” Women already believe they know the answer, so they never ask. I always try the diplomatic answer of “It depends”, but that doesn’t satisfy anybody. First, here are a few facts to set the stage. Only one in four companies in the USA today are run by women, but the number of female-owned firms is growing twice as fast as all businesses.

Entrepreneur 282

Entrepreneur SBA Technical Review Finance 282