Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more. Even non-profits need a profitable business model to offset staff and operating costs. Assume passion level defines business opportunity.

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 436

Start Up Blog

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

Ross helped me understand social media, blogging, and the emerging business models the internet was facilitating. This became a global viral sensation. On top of that, he has a keen business sense and is calm under pressure when things go awry. And I’m calling it now – it will be a global viral sensation.

Romania 62

Romania Viral Cofounder Australia 62

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Implement a modern real business model. Too many entrepreneurs put all their resources in one big make-or-break effort they can’t measure, or they count on word-of-mouth and viral marketing, which are totally unpredictable. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Management 322

Management Entrepreneur Forecast Stock Options 322

VC Cafe

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

Benchmarks are typically specific to stage/business model/geo. In Rob Go’s words: For seed and Series A deals, investors will also need to see a high-potential team with founder/market fit , a large and attractive market opportunity , and a business model with increasing returns to scale.

B2C 141

B2C Technical Review Startup Retention 141

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 6, 2011

The other was a consumer play with possible viral growth. Would the consumer one get traction and be viral? " One was an enterprise software product. Neither felt like a slam dunk. Would it take more work to sell the enterprise product than they could make on it? In both cases, my gut said that as framed it needed work.

Customer 227

Customer Fractional CTO Viral Lean 227

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

As part of our Lean LaunchPad classes at Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia and for the National Science Foundation, students build a startup in 8 weeks using Business Model Design + Customer Development. Read Business Model Generation pages 1-72, and The Four Steps to the Epiphany Chapter 3. Step 1: Set Up Team Logistics.

Lean 333

Lean Web Coder Business Model 333

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2013

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. So how do you go about proving the business model? Prove the technical concept.

Business Model 235

Business Model Product Advisory Board Angel Investor 235

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 23, 2013

So no, this upside-down business model isn’t what a SaaS business should construct. Use viral growth to offset cancellations. Few B2B companies can truly claim “viral growth” characteristics. The mindset works like this: It costs a lot of money to land an enterprise customer.

Business Model 335

Business Model .Net Revenue Retention 335

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2012

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. So how do you go about proving the business model? Prove the technical concept.

Business Model 248

Business Model Advisory Board Entrepreneur Angel Investor 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

If possible, quantify these in non-technical business terms, such as dollars saved or replacement costs over time. Provide specifics on the customer business model. Don’t let your passion convince you that word-of-mouth and viral marketing will suffice against well-funded competitors and ever more demanding customers.

Business Plan 423

Business Plan Product Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 423

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2012

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. I support her assertion that a business model consists of at least the first seven of the following ten basic elements: Value proposition.

Business Model 242

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 242

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2011

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. So how do you go about proving the business model? Prove the technical concept.

Business Model 234

Business Model Advisory Board Startup Angel Investor 234

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2011

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. I support her assertion that a business model consists of at least the first seven of the following ten basic elements: Value proposition.

Business Model 246

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 246

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2023

More than one smart entrepreneur has been caught in the lofty lifestyle of big money investors, viral growth, and movie star status. Never take your eye off the ball in business. While there should be no stigma for failure, there is no joy in being a dead business walking. Startups can go down many times faster than they go up.

Intellectual Property 314

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Bankruptcy Viral 314

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2016

More than one smart entrepreneur has been caught in the lofty lifestyle of big money investors, viral growth, and movie star status. Never take your eye off the ball in business. While there should be no stigma for failure, there is no joy in being a dead business walking. Startups can go down many times faster than they go up.

Business Model 120

Business Model Intellectual Property Startup Bankruptcy 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

Investors and founders alike have been obsessed about “growth at all costs,” just as a virus colony grows without care to its effect on its host cells or whether the colony’s growth ends up destroying the host body completely, taking the colony down with it in a viral version of Lord of the Flies. This is growth driven by values.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Viral Metrics Salary 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

Implement a modern real business model. Too many entrepreneurs put all their resources in one big make-or-break effort they can’t measure, or they count on word-of-mouth and viral marketing, which are totally unpredictable. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Startup 283

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 283

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

Implement a modern real business model. Too many entrepreneurs put all their resources in one big make-or-break effort they can’t measure, or they count on word-of-mouth and viral marketing, which are totally unpredictable. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Forecast 161

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

New business models that provide an ongoing revenue stream, or a secondary stream from advertising, raise your margins and can give you some additional satisfaction. Surprisingly, word-of-mouth and viral efforts require more work and a larger budget than you would expect. Celebrate the ability to pay yourself a salary.

Sweat Equity 296

Sweat Equity Startup Salary Viral 296

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Your product is designed with natural tripwires to trigger other pricing ( Freemium model ), or not (business model left as an exercise to your future self). Requires venture funding because you have no income, and if you’re successful you’ll need lots of people and tech to run the business. . $1/mo

Bootstrapping 294

Bootstrapping Technical Review B2C Sales Cycle 294

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2021

Truly satisfied customers are a joy to every business person. A business model that works. Word of mouth advertising and viral marketing cost big bucks these days so budget for it. Watching the orders come in, or the product moving off the shelf, is the feedback you have been looking for. Marketing is top priority.

Sweat Equity 400

Sweat Equity Intellectual Property Startup Viral 400

venturedig.com

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

The business models within the social media realm are much different than traditional businesses. Reason : as soon as someone sits down to outline ways social networks can be monetized, another model emerges, and another model ceases. Display Ads: This is your bread and butter business model.

Social Network 55

Social Network Business Model Networking CPA 55

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 15, 2019

This can be the same for business models that have worked for decades. Recently, McDonalds shifted from plastic straws to paper straws after a twitter campaign went viral on how they use 1.8 But, if it does not go well with the customers, it’s a flop. Accept it and move on. If it doesn’t work anymore, change it.

Small Business 152

Small Business Software Review Technical Review B2B 152

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, September 22, 2008 The three drivers of growth for your business model. The AARRR model (hence pirates, get it?) He also has a discussion of how your choice of business model determines which of these metric areas you want to focus on. Choose one.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco CPA SEM CTO Hire 167

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2023

Most modern investors still look for a business model that embodies a gross margin over 50%, and a net margin in the 20% range. A healthy business, ready to scale, has been doing this for a year or more, with an existing customer set generating a non-trivial and growing revenue stream.

Valuation 235

Valuation Revenue Viral Retention 235

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2021

Yet there are big challenges to hyperlocal, at least for consumer-focused hyperlocal startups, according to Sean Barkulis, Founder of UPlanMe, whose initial consumer-focused business model was an early casualty, writing in Street Fight : Every site requires real curated local content to engage users. This is not just a fad.

Startup 361

Startup Finder Curation Seattle 361

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. It's far less expensive to nail down repeat business from your existing customers than it is to land new ones. Examine every cost center in your business.

Viral 430

Viral Revenue Distribution Cloud 430

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

New business models that provide an ongoing revenue stream, or a secondary stream from advertising, raise your margins and can give you some additional satisfaction. Surprisingly, word-of-mouth and viral efforts require more work and a larger budget than you would expect. Celebrate the ability to pay yourself a salary.

Sweat Equity 435

Sweat Equity Salary Viral Leadership 435

Steve Blank

APRIL 20, 2021

Note that if you’re familiar with the business model canvas, Steps 1-4 below are equivalent to a visual map of the choices a founder makes as they develop a business model canvas. Shawns guest blog post describing describing the MVP Tree is below. Step 5 and 6 leads you to selecting the right MVPs.).

Product 436

Product Viral Channel San Francisco 436

The Next Web

DECEMBER 4, 2013

As a startup, you’re working with limited resources and a lean business model. With an innovative product in the consumer payment space, the company had viral-ready content. Take good care of them, and organic, viral sharing may welcome your product to the marketplace. Prioritize social networks. Target influencers.

Social Media 158

Social Media Media Viral Startup 158

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2020

Most modern investors still look for a business model that embodies a gross margin over 50%, and a net margin in the 20% range. A healthy business, ready to scale, has been doing this for a year or more, with an existing customer set generating a non-trivial and growing revenue stream.

Revenue 434

Revenue Valuation Viral Retention 434

Start Up Blog

JUNE 19, 2014

That’s the promise of something going viral. That’s the promise of being shared on the Verge or Buzzfeed or Viral Nova. But here’s the truth about that piece of viral marketing. But here’s the truth about that piece of viral marketing. Viral activity, in real terms is just scenery.

Viral 75

Viral Internet Video Business Model 75

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 5, 2010

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. So how do you go about proving the business model? Prove the technical concept.

Business Model 120

Business Model Advisory Board Angel Investor Channel 120

Hearpreneur

APRIL 13, 2022

Moreover, I like inspiring myself with interesting online business models and Wikipedia is a great example of a user-generated content-based website. It led the way to a new kind of business model and changed the game. And he is not afraid to take bold bets on new technologies and business models.

Artificial Inteligence 77

Artificial Inteligence Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review 77

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Eric Ries in Times Square For any model to be useful it has to predict what happens in the real world – including the web. I realized the Customer Development model needs to be clearer in what exactly a startup is supposed to do, regardless of the business model. “What is the “Business Model” of your startup?&#

Customer Development 219

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 219

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2020

More than one smart entrepreneur has been caught in the lofty lifestyle of big money investors, viral growth, and movie star status. Never take your eye off the ball in business. While there should be no stigma for failure, there is no joy in being a dead business walking. Startups can go down many times faster than they go up.

Intellectual Property 310

Intellectual Property Startup Bankruptcy Viral 310

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2016

Beyond basic business and technical credentials, here are some of the key startup team attributes that every investor is looking for: Team shows an appreciation and plan for marketing. Similarly, mentioning viral marketing without specifics won’t assure fundability. Plan includes a business model with good margins.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence Angel Investor 134