A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 7, 2013

This is the fifth article in a series on novel ideas for SaaS metrics, which started with The unprofitable SaaS business model trap , COC: a new metric for cancellations , The mistake of 1/c in LTV , and SSEBITDA: Steady-state profit metric. Documented in this great SaaS metrics overview by David Skok.)

Metrics 244

Metrics Technical Review Revenue Cost 244

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 17, 2011

As a preamble to the metrics, it’s useful to know what you’re measuring and why it’s vital. make sense in your case: Percentage of current customers who canceled in a given day/week/month. ” Percentage of new customers in a given month which end up canceling at any later date.

Business Model 245

Business Model Metrics Engineer Technical Review 245

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2023

No matter how well your business seems to have worked for you up to this point, you can be certain that it will need to be heavily transformed for tomorrow’s new world-wide economy and no industry sector boundaries. Others, lured by hot new markets, abandon their core prematurely, with equally disastrous results. Always keep a balance.

Partner 350

Partner Operations Metrics Leadership 350

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Investors hate technology solutions looking for a problem, due to the high risk of no customers. Implement a modern real business model.

Management 322

Management Entrepreneur Forecast Stock Options 322

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

I was in New York last week with my class at Columbia University and several events made me realize that the Customer Development model needs to better describe its fit with web-based businesses. In it, I got asked a question I often hear: “What if we have a web-based business that doesn’t have revenue or paying customers?

Customer Development 219

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 219

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

In this article, you’ll learn what growth hacking in marketing is and what it’s not. Growth hacking is a practice that aims to acquire as many customers as possible while spending as little money as possible. Growth hacking is a practice that aims to acquire as many customers as possible while spending as little money as possible.

Retention 113

Retention Marketing Acquisition Channel 113

VC Cafe

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

It’s not just the competition against the incumbents and the large tech platforms that founders has to worry about, but most importantly is the company’s performance and product market fit. Understanding the benchmarks on conversion, retention, and churn for your business is therefore critical.

Retention 109

Retention Conversion Churn Rate B2C 109

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2018

According to most investors I know, traction is some clear evidence that the “dogs are eating the dog food” – usually meaning that you have at least one customer paying full price for your solution. Another term often mentioned is “momentum,” or growing visibility and advocacy within your customer set.

Advisory Board 199

Advisory Board Technical Review Metrics Business Model 199

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

Reading the NY Times article “ Jeffrey Katzenberg Raises $1 Billion for Short-Form Video Venture, ” I realized it was time for a new startup heuristic: the amount of customer discovery and product-market fit you need to find is inversely proportional to the amount and availability of risk capital. ” Fire, Ready, Aim.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 1, 2019

In the first post , we drilled down into the often-overlooked notion of “market-engineering” and why it’s so critical. Go-to-Market. But when it comes to that crucial second phase – go-to-market – entrepreneurs find themselves devoid of help and support. In other words, they need go-to-market traction. Go-to-Product.

Cleveland 150

Cleveland Framework Marketing Early Stage 150

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 23, 2022

” No one questions the importance of revenue, but asking the question enabled us to start thinking on what would be the right metric. Did you know that companies like Airbnb, Spotify and Netflix purposely avoid setting revenue as their North Star Metric? Why is revenue not a good ‘North Star’ Metric?

Metrics 179

Metrics Revenue B2C Portfolio 179

The Startup Magazine

JULY 16, 2021

The lesson of the pandemic era is clear, as market conditions change, business models must evolve. Success is not, as you would think, about having stable business models across market conditions. Find a Defensible Market Segment. A third option, hard to achieve, is to go for both.

Business Model 167

Business Model Aggregator Revenue Analytics 167

SoCal CTO

MARCH 5, 2007

There are quite a few other Software Development Companies in Southern California working on open source and/or freemium business models. Common revenue streams are consulting, training, support, customization, upgraded versions for corporate applications, etc. Early Stage Marketing and Branding – Farida Fotouh.

Open Source 150

Open Source Business Model Technical Cofounder Southern California 150

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2023

Most experts agree that the pace of business change is increasing , and all the business owners I know are struggling to keep up, much less surpass the wealth of global competitors now entering the market. Potential customers these days rely more and more on name recognition for credibility and new brand adoption.

Marketing 290

Marketing Leadership Differentiation Equity 290

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2021

While you all recognize that reacting to weak market signals is critical to staying in business and staying competitive, I find that many don’t have the skills and focus to trigger change decisions on a timely basis. You may be getting killed today by customer expectations you never worried about just a few years ago.

Marketing 405

Marketing Flash Social Media Metrics 405

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 15, 2019

Once upon a time every great organization was a scrappy startup willing to take risks – new ideas, new methods, new customers, targets, and mission. If they were a commercial company, they figured out product/market fit; or if a government organization, it focused on solution/mission fit. Companies Run on Process.

Government 315

Government Technical Review Acquisition Metrics 315

Up and Running

APRIL 29, 2019

When your marketing plan aligns with your branding goals, your company becomes memorable to the masses. Nearly every business owner has goals , but how you define and carry them out often makes the difference between success and failure. percent of American companies use some type of digital content marketing.

Marketing 142

Marketing Social Media Lean Campaign 142

VC Cafe

MARCH 1, 2024

AI to build enterprise software – In the future, every enterprise could have their own custom ERP, CRM or HRIS that is continually updating itself as the company itself is changing. Technological Convergence – The global equity market value associated with disruptive innovation could increase to 60% by 2030.

Artificial Inteligence 176

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software Review Generative AI 176

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2011

Entrepreneurs always work hard to create an innovative product or service, but often count on standard seller marketing for sales. But the reality is that sellers are no longer in charge of the customer buying process. The best way to do this is with real customer interviews. Include planned measurements and metrics.

Customer 242

Customer Technical Review Business Model Revenue 242

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 6, 2013

This is the second article in a series on novel ideas for SaaS metrics, which started with The unprofitable SaaS business model trap. You probably know this is because as you get large it’s hard to continue growing fast enough to cover the amount of customers you’re losing by cancellation.

Metrics 270

Metrics Business Model .Net Revenue 270

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Sales is all about how to get more customers, and relationship funnels prioritize establishing a genuine connection with your customers. To boost customer engagement and prepare them so that they can be presented with your offer, which will be the ideal answer to their problem at the ideal time. Build and define relationships.

Sales 152

Sales Audience Social Media Email 152

Steve Blank

MARCH 26, 2019

In my experience, I saw that most business plans don’t survive first contact with customers. The class was unique in that it was 1) team-based, 2) experiential, 3) lean-driven (hypothesis testing/business model/customer development/agile engineering). Product/Market Fit Versus The Business Model Canvas.

Lean 248

Lean Business Model Balance Sheet Video 248

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Legal cannabis generated $16 billion in total economic output in the United States in 2017, and research indicates it will increase 150 percent by 2021, according to a report from cannabis industry analysts Arcview Market Research , in partnership with BDS Analytics. If you’re seeking investment, you need a traditional business plan.

Business Plan 154

Business Plan Technical Review Forecast Software Review 154

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

I recommend you read Fred Wilson’s recent blog post about the need for a well articulated business strategy before pushing a particular business model. He then brought her to board meetings so nobody could accuse him of not having a business model. You need product / market fit.

Technical Review 401

Technical Review Startup Business Model Non-Compete 401

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

Like any popular business term, “customer centricity” is often abused by businesses that shoehorn it into their core values. It’s actually better not to claim customer centricity if you can’t get people across your business to really care about your customers. Find new ways to fix old customer pains points.

Customer 85

Customer Community Revenue Software Review 85

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. Are there customers for what you are building? How many are there?

Customer Development 262

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 262

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 8, 2023

Keeping up with trends is the reality show of the e-commerce world, which is constantly developing, gaining a significant market share, and driving online sales. The story behind its substantial growth in the market is simple: people love to shop in the most convenient way possible, and a smartphone is a perfect way to do it.

eCommerce 185

eCommerce Technical Review Software Review Analytics 185

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2017

Subscription business models have been around for a pretty long time, but thanks to modern technology, this model has evolved from milk or newspapers delivery to a versatile eCommerce experience. Subscription business brings recurring revenue. It is a bootstrappable model. Conclusion.

Churn Rate 149

Churn Rate eCommerce Business Model Bootstrapping 149

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 13, 2021

As a business adviser, I often see entrepreneurs practicing what Tom Peters calls the “ ready-fire-aim ” go-to-market strategy to their detriment. Yet even I have been known to recommend that approach, in cases where you have a highly innovative product, speed is of the essence, and no clear existing market is available.

Marketing 347

Marketing Demand Social Media Metrics 347

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2021

How do you convince investors that your business model will really work, before you have a revenue stream that exceeds your expenses? Even if you are bootstrapping your business, and you are the only investor, you should be asking yourself the same question. Marketing is everything these days.

Business Model 414

Business Model Angel Investor Bootstrapping Revenue 414

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2019

As a business advisor, when I bring this up, at best I will hear the defense that you are focused on the strategy of the moment, such as such as how to increase sales, or reach a new market. This requires constant study of what your customers value, what competitors offer, and your target market.

Technical Review 218

Technical Review Revenue Analytics Metrics 218

ReadWriteStart

JULY 7, 2021

On the other hand, the global courier delivery market covering Express delivery and Parcel Pickup and Drop services is all set to surpass a whopping $400 billion by 2024 with a growth rate of 8-10% every year. Various business models in an on-demand courier delivery app. Why would courier service apps always be in high demand?

Technical Review 163

Technical Review Artificial Inteligence Demand Social Media 163

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

I feel like “conversion rate optimization” is in 2013 what “social media marketing” was in 2009. Not because they have a conversion problem but because they never really nail the product or how to market it. This is a customer development problem. So What is Customer Development?

Customer Development 126

Customer Development Conversion Developer Customer 126

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 4, 2016

The single most important SaaS metric is retention , because cancellations indicate lack of product/market fit, no matter the cause (price, features, severity of need, duration of need). If it cannot be fixed, it means the business is a failure even if other metrics are stellar. Once you’re scaling (i.e.

Metrics 270

Metrics Retention Revenue Equity 270

ConversionXL

MARCH 19, 2020

“Rare is the business that has a formal disaster plan, let alone one that covers a global Black Swan event.” An article on growth and marketing in the middle of a crisis—the current one or any other—can seem tone deaf. They do more of the same with less, often lowering quality and customer satisfaction. Tim Stewart, trsdigital.

Marketing 121

Marketing Campaign Non-Compete Lean 121

Steve Blank

MARCH 31, 2014

Think about this; 7 years ago Nokia owned 50% of the handset market. Fast-forward to today—Apple is the most profitable Smartphone company in the world and in Spain Android commands a market share of more than 90%. Its worldwide market share of Smartphones has dwindled to 5%. Apple owned 0%.

Private Equity 325

Private Equity Metrics China Intellectual Property 325

leananalyticsbook.com

AUGUST 19, 2012

The One Metric That Matters. One of the things Ben and I have been discussing a lot is the concept of the One Metric That Matters (OMTM) and how to focus on it. That doesn’t mean there’s only one metric you care about from the day you wake up with an idea to the day you sell your company. Lean Analytics Book.

Metrics 58

Metrics Clickthrough Lean Analytics 58