A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 12, 2010

Software patents are especially useless for small, bootstrapped startups. You live in the era of the flat world where millions of people have access to technology, education, and a powerful sales, marketing, and communication platform (the Internet). Except in certain industries (e.g. We're better at SEO and social media.

Intellectual Property 319

Intellectual Property Bootstrapping Software Review Open Source 319

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

External investors will demand a financial forecast, but it’s equally valuable to you, even if bootstrapping. There is no black magic involved in predicting the future, if you use these four simple steps, with my basic rules of thumb to keep you on the right track: Determine your margin on sales. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Forecast 369

Forecast Burn Rate Startup Widget 369

ConversionXL

MARCH 31, 2021

Agencies looking to grow have traditionally relied on fostering strategic relationships to land deals and increase sales. The same goes for your sales conversations; why did new leads seek you out, and what objections do you hear during the sales process? Cash flow is a matter of life or death when bootstrapped and pre-funding.

Audience 127

Audience Non-Compete Distribution Channel 127

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 29, 2024

Will you opt for direct sales, subscriptions, or a freemium model? Develop a marketing strategy that leverages both digital and traditional channels. Whether it’s through bootstrapping, seeking angel investors, or applying for grants, explore all options available to you.

Intellectual Property 125

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Operations 125

Hippoland

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Should you raise money or bootstrap? (By By bootstrap, I actually mean raise < $250k from individuals / angels). Having run a startup that raised money and now in running a VC, ironically, if I were starting a product company today, I would start out with the mentality of bootstrapping for as long as I could.

Bootstrapping 48

Bootstrapping Cap Table Salary .Net 48

Duct Tape Marketing

AUGUST 23, 2023

He is the co-founder of Boast.ai, where he leveraged the Community-Led Growth model to bootstrap the company. where he leveraged a community-led growth model to bootstrap the company. Then another time was when we were bootstrapping both. They said sales and marketing. My guest today is Lloyed Lobo.

Community 53

Community Cofounder Bootstrapping Kuwait 53

Gust

JUNE 19, 2012

Last weekend I caught Mashable announcing that Ebook Sales Surpass Hardcover in the U.S. For example, with any outside investment, you give up some ownership and control, and with bootstrapping your growth curve will likely be longer and more organic. By far the best validation of a plan is actual sales made already.

Startup 180

Startup Forecast Angel Investor Software 180

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

To do a solid holiday season he will need to balance the inventory and marketing budgets, and getting stuck in a complex situation with inventory being stuffed in the retail channels with bad terms will be a kiss of death. I will connect the company to a few larger companies that may be good OEM channels for them. JCLABoutique.com.

India 114

India Silicon Valley Incubator Bootstrapping 114

ConversionXL

JANUARY 9, 2019

Often, little more than a form fill tells you about the potential for a five-figure sale months down the road. Google Analytics insights frequently end with raw counts of goal completions, leaving a yawning gap between on-site behavior and sales for companies with long sales cycles. Why bother? Analytics incentivize behavior.

Sales Cycle 127

Sales Cycle Bootstrapping Conversion Web 127

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

And in 1M/1M, we're trying to short circuit their process of learning and maturing into successful, seasoned entrepreneurs by teaching them things that they need to know, and augmenting their rolodex (or lack thereof) by putting ours to work on their behalf to help recruit customers, channel partners, and investors. Rangrut.com.

Silicon Valley 114

Silicon Valley Technical Review Startup Early Stage 114

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Businesses require an equally elegant business model, with the right price, messaging and delivery channel to the right target customers to keep the dream alive and growing. Test your channel and support strategy. It’s also valuable to talk to potential investors for their views, even if you are bootstrapping the effort.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review Business Model 220

Haystack

JUNE 5, 2018

Not yet profitable but invaluable to developers worldwide, the decade-old company bootstrapped, differentiated from formidable competitors GitLab and Atlassian’s BitBucket, weathered leadership upheavals, and eventually ingested lots of venture capital which helped them weather the challenges they faced.

Acquisition 71

Acquisition Azure Open Source Seattle 71

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 18, 2013

by Annie Tsai, author of “ The Small Business Online Marketing Handbook: Converting Online Conversations to Offline Sales “ The technology takeover is here. As you’ve bootstrapped your business, you’ve had to synthesize a lot of new information, and you’ve had to frequently learn by doing. Don’t panic, though.

Marketing 145

Marketing Social Media Reputation Small Business 145

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2021

Businesses require an equally elegant business model, with the right price, messaging and delivery channel to the right target customers to keep the dream alive and growing. Test your channel and support strategy. It’s also valuable to talk to potential investors for their views, even if you are bootstrapping the effort.

Technical Review 399

Technical Review Product Advisory Board Business Model 399

Up and Running

DECEMBER 23, 2019

Bootstrapping, saving funds over years, borrowing from friends and family, taking out a bank loan and pitching investors are all viable options, but some will work better than others for your specific business. . The Garage Sale Approach. Bootstrapping and Borrowing from Family. Inexpensive Freelance Labor.

Finance 92

Finance Sweat Equity Bootstrapping Entrepreneur 92

Early Growth Financial Services

MAY 27, 2014

CHANNEL YOUR INNER SETH GODIN “When I was starting TalentEgg, I read a lot of Seth Godin, and one point stood out to me in particular. ” — Lauren Friese | Founder, TalentEgg DEVOTE RESOURCES TOWARD CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT “Bootstrapping is the act of scaling a product based on its merit.

Bootstrapping 35

Bootstrapping Advertising Marketing Channel 35

ReadWriteStart

SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

so it shouldn't be long till they hop across the Channel. They themselves receive both public and private funding, which they use in turn to provide financial support to startups through incubators and other established channels. Vente-Privée is a retail site selling designer products at invitation-only online sales.

France 163

France Technical Review Incubator Early Stage 163

YoungUpstarts

JULY 8, 2014

Fund R&D: Bootstrapped raising funds is far ‘cheaper’ than debt or equity. Tactically, you’ll want to establish a few ‘communication channels’ to facilitate marketing and support. Establishing Sustainable Sales Channels.

Campaign 197

Campaign Channel Bootstrapping Database 197

The Next Web

AUGUST 26, 2013

Raise your first round of money, or bootstrap. You either do it on your own, taking all risks and responsibility yourself (“bootstrapping”), or you find investors that believe in your company. We’ve had a lot of success promoting job openings through newsletters to our user base as well as through our social media channels.

Management 120

Management Cofounder Startup Europe 120

www.entrepreneur.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Human Resources Play Video Shark Tanks Barbara Corcoran on Bootstrapping a Growing a Business (Video). Marketing Sales & Marketing Home Marketing Basics Sales Online Marketing Finding Customers Social Media Branding Social Media Does Your Companys Social Personality Need a Makeover? Sales & Marketing. Online Business.

Sweat Equity 55

Sweat Equity Equity Fractional CTO CTO 55

ReadWriteStart

JULY 18, 2011

The first stage is bootstrapping, where you raise between $50k and $100k and you try to make that money last as long as you can. VCs need to figure out the people side of the company and raising money is a sales job. Clavier recommends the book Do More Faster: Techstars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup. The stages of funding.

Investment Bankers 153

Investment Bankers Technical Review Cofounder Due Diligence 153

YoungUpstarts

JULY 20, 2015

For example, the KPI (Key performance indicator) for your business may be to achieve sales of $10,000 in the first 12 months of operations. It is important for the business to have systems and processes in place that will track and manage their expenses, as well as to have a system in place that will fuel the growth of new business sales.

Angel Investor 100

Angel Investor Channel Bootstrapping Operations 100

Version One Ventures

DECEMBER 11, 2013

First, there’s the aggressive one who spends money very quickly, building a large team, buying early growth through aggressive marketing and sales, and hoping for a large upround in the next financing round. It can be particularly tricky as investors are usually looking for growth and evaluating start-ups as defined by growth. Final thoughts.

Early Stage 162

Early Stage Venture Capital Acquisition Bootstrapping 162

The Next Web

NOVEMBER 16, 2013

A few years ago, this is where you would sink all your hard earned bootstrap cash – but these days our friends at Amazon have given you a bunch of free hosting and space to get your next venture launched at no cost. Step 5: Marketing and sales. You don’t need to be a marketing MBA to learn how to generate sales leads.

Cofounder 159

Cofounder PHP Analytics Java 159

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 10, 2010

These companies typically make money either by charging sellers for listing (akin to the yellow pages) or by charging a sales commission (akin to a "finder's fee"). These are distinct operations — different clients, different technology, different sales process — almost like two separate companies. So what's the problem?

Business Model 310

Business Model Finder SEO Bootstrapping 310

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2015

External investors will demand a financial forecast, but it’s equally valuable to you, even if bootstrapping. There is no black magic involved in predicting the future, if you use these four simple steps, with my basic rules of thumb to keep you on the right track: Determine your margin on sales. Forecast sales-volume expectations.

Forecast 120

Forecast Entrepreneur Burn Rate Widget 120

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

Google Webmasters has a fantastic channel, chock-full of helpful guides based on the expertise of the team that makes Google work. Creating a web presence that converts into sales comes down to two key factors: Are your websites and social media properties easy to use, full of valuable information, and regularly updated?

Sweat Equity 60

Sweat Equity Equity Sales PR 60

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2016

In fact, it is your job to show how the technology will be embodied in a solution that satisfies a painful customer need, what channels will be used for sales and what business model maximizes return.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Angel Investor Reputation 120

OnlyOnce

JULY 9, 2013

Chapter 2: Defining and Testing the Story…Start Out By Admitting You’re Wrong, A Lean Business Plan Template, Problem, Solution, Key Metrics, Unique Value Proposition and Unfair Advantages, Channels, Customer Segments, Cost Structure and Revenue Streams. What About Sales & Marketing?, Part II: Building the Company’s Human Capital.

Startup 95

Startup Advisory Board Elevator Pitch Forecast 95

Hippoland

AUGUST 1, 2012

These days, our advertisers run the gamut — some of our advertisers make billions each year while others are bootstrapped individuals who don’t earn anything right now. This is what I’ve learned from our advertisers: 1) Don’t go for a sale right away. If you assume that you can get a direct sale on average 0.1%-1%

Marketing 117

Marketing Startup Bootstrapping Advertising 117

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

For a startup, having great sales DNA is a wonderful asset. This is the magic of sales: by learning about each customer in-depth, they can convince each of them that this product would solve serious problems. But here’s where a truly great sales artist comes in. They are closing orders.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco Customer Lean Hockey Stick 167

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Apply in the sky - impressed that the two women founders bootstrapped, but was hoping one of the founders were a techie, the list of potential partnerships is promising, working demo/app is good, but showed too many features in the pitch, liked the idea that AitS could be transferable to life management like job hunting, my vote went here.

CTO Hire 49

CTO Hire Cofounder Fractional CTO San Francisco 49

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Apply in the sky – impressed that the two women founders bootstrapped, but was hoping one of the founders were a techie, the list of potential partnerships is promising, working demo/app is good, but showed too many features in the pitch, liked the idea that AitS could be transferable to life management like job hunting, my vote went here.

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Cofounder Fractional CTO San Francisco 40

Up and Running

MARCH 21, 2017

Starting in 2011 and over the course of four years, my startup pivoted from an online community tool, to a live sales and support tool, to an outreach platform for businesses, to finally finding its identity in a campaigning and advocacy tool. But I never had a solid strategy in place for SEO, content marketing, and sales.

Campaign 80

Campaign Startup Cloud Channel 80

Hippoland

AUGUST 8, 2018

For example, if you are running affiliate ads for hotels, you might get 3-5% on a sale. So you will likely get outspent on any paid marketing channel you may use to drive traffic to you at scale if there are other people trying to drive traffic to the same property. Sales cycles matter though. 2) B2B startups have high margins.

Founder 48

Founder Sales Cycle Affiliate Retention 48

Hippoland

AUGUST 8, 2018

For example, if you are running affiliate ads for hotels, you might get 3-5% on a sale. So you will likely get outspent on any paid marketing channel you may use to drive traffic to you at scale if there are other people trying to drive traffic to the same property. Sales cycles matter though. 2) B2B startups have high margins.

Founder 48

Founder Sales Cycle Affiliate Retention 48

Steve Blank

AUGUST 23, 2016

Previously, at Blackstone Computing, a computing and IT consulting company for scientists, Gloss led the sales initiative that launched the company in the life sciences market. You can bootstrap it. Tune in Thursday at 1 pm PT, 4 pm ET on Sirius XM Channel 111. I learned that you can actually do things very inexpensively.

Silicon Valley 134

Silicon Valley Cofounder Entrepreneur San Francisco 134