Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2020

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many strategies leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Intellectual Property 436

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 436

Steve Blank

MARCH 3, 2015

Starting in the 1950’s, Stanford’s engineering department became “outward facing” and developed a culture of spinouts and active faculty support and participation in the first wave of Silicon Valley startups. At the same time Berkeley was also developing Cold War weapons systems. We had multiple business plan competitions.

Business Plan 120

Business Plan Silicon Valley Saudi Arabia Lean 120

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

A version of this article first appeared in the Harvard Business Review. But NewTV doesn’t plan on testing these hypotheses. With fewer than 10 employees but almost $2-billion dollars in the bank, they plan on jumping right in. It’s the antithesis of the Lean Startup. ” Fire, Ready, Aim. And it may work.

Lean 335

Lean Burn Rate Startup IPO 335

Up and Running

JULY 6, 2016

Often, a business plan introduces a new technology that requires some explaining. On one hand, as a reader of business plans for investors, I see way too many business plans that ask a reader to wade neck-deep through technology to get to the business. It’s a business plan, not a term paper or thesis.

Technical Review 72

Technical Review Software Review Business Plan Development Team Review 72

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2014

At the same time, he was always pushing the limits of our business relationship with new ideas. I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. Here are a few: Business networking. Product development. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 270

Technical Review Startup Software Review Retention 270

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2013

Product development is stuck at that 90% mark, a key person leaves, and customers are talking but not buying. I challenge any startup to show me they have avoided all of these: One of the founders isn’t delivering. The team buys its own propaganda, and fully expects customers to be leaping tall buildings to get to your product.

Founder 250

Founder Startup Software Developers Software Development 250

Steve Blank

MAY 7, 2009

I hate business plan competitions. I Love Business Plan Competitions I had a breakfast with a friend who has founded a few companies in Thailand and started the New Ventures Program at one of their universities. Local venture investors and/or companies offer cash prizes for the winners.

Business Plan 140

Business Plan Silicon Valley RSS Venture Capital 140

YoungUpstarts

MAY 6, 2019

by Arsalan Sajid, startup community manager at Cloudways. Life is not a box of chocolates and startups are not always easy to start. There is a complete process that governs the startup lifecycle including inception to exit. They make money by starting a product from scratch and then selling it in thousands of dollars.

Startup 113

Startup Technical Cofounder Merger Early Stage 113

YoungUpstarts

MAY 21, 2020

You envision your business as the next Uber or Spotify, yourself as the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, reaching that prestigious ‘unicorn’ startup status in record time. Product discovery is the purpose of identifying the smallest amount of software needed to determine market value. Wait a minute… Stop right there!

Product 264

Product Cofounder Audience Product Development 264

Up and Running

MARCH 17, 2022

Many business owners know and understand the value of a business plan. The business plan is a key component of the startup and fundraising process and serves as a foundation for your organization. What is a business plan? It lays out who is running the business and what the business does.

Business Plan 145

Business Plan Operations Lean Forecast 145

YoungUpstarts

MAY 23, 2018

Most startups do not fail because they had a bad idea that could not find a market, but rather because the founders and startup teams got overwhelmed or were missing key ingredients to success. Many founders or startup teams gravitate toward sales or design.

Due Diligence 133

Due Diligence Startup Finance Leadership 133

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

Software Development Process via Wikipedia. Even when your startup is a one-man show and lots of fun, a “business” needs some discipline and controls to keep it from being defined as a hobby by investors, and assure some financial return. Develop your business plan. Product development process.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 6, 2011

Product development is stuck at that 90% mark, a key person leaves, and customers are talking but not buying. I challenge any startup to show me they have avoided all of these: One of the founders isn’t delivering. The team buys its own propaganda, and fully expects customers to be leaping tall buildings to get to your product.

Startup 245

Startup Software Developers Software Development Business Model 245

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

These investments are a tremendous help to your startup because they will serve as a stepping stone to reach your target eventually. It is necessary to cover the early stages of product development, thorough market research, and other processes during the initial step. Hence they will miss the finish line.

Seed Stage 124

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 124

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2016

In my view, starting a new business has never been easier, and according to reports from the Kaufmann Foundation , the numbers are finally here to show it. The number of startups rose in 2015 for the first time in five years, with the largest year-over-year increase in two decades. Establishing your brand with interactive social media.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Groups Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many shortcuts leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. I certainly agree that starting a business is fraught with risk, and none of us get it all right the first time.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 7, 2024

Every new startup is exciting. However, many startups also suffer from growing too fast too soon, which is unsustainable for many companies. Rather than change anything, they become the latest in a long line of the costliest startup failures resigned to history and a case study on what not to do to avoid a startup flameout.

Startup 109

Startup Forecast Social Media Cost 109

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 4, 2013

Aligning the Startup Team Strategy with the Capitalization Strategy. The single most important factor to raising capital for any tech startup is the management team. A bonafide team is the assurance that the idea can be executed and that the business can scale when the time is right. Early Stage. Seed to Series A.

Part-Time VPE 79

Part-Time VPE Fractional VPE Cofounder CTO Hire 79

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 10, 2021

A key to making this entire process much easier is to invest a little time and write a business plan. It’s true — not all investors will ask to see your business plan. Why do investors want to see a business plan? The business plan document itself isn’t what’s important to investors.

Business Plan 138

Business Plan Forecast Balance Sheet Exit Strategy 138

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

For those of you who have been following the discussion, a Lean Startup is Eric Ries ’s description of the intersection of Customer Development , Agile Development and if available, open platforms and open source. Over its lifetime a Lean Startup may spend less money than a traditional startup. Lets see why.

Lean 244

Lean Silicon Valley Startup RSS 244

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2015

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Business commercialization.

Product Development 120

Product Development Developer Product Angel Investor 120

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Steve Gilison worked as a market researcher and product manager at a startup where my company, TechEmpower , did the software / web development. I have about 11 years in the technology sector including roles doing market research, sales and product development. Most people think they can do product design.

Los Angeles 179

Los Angeles Southern California Management Product 179

Steve Blank

AUGUST 31, 2009

After 20 years of working in startups, I decided to take a step back and look at the product development model I had been following and see why it usually failed to provide useful guidance in activities outside the building – sales, marketing and business development.

Customer Development 238

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 238

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 2, 2019

Most of you aspiring entrepreneurs have no idea how dramatically your own role has to evolve as you develop a solution, start a business, and expect it to scale into a successful self-managed company. Thus my job as a small business advisor really is really more about getting you developed than perfecting the business.

Leadership 248

Leadership Technical Review Cofounder Social Media 248

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Business commercialization.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Early Stage Incubator Government 256

Up and Running

FEBRUARY 12, 2022

Learn why the traditional way of writing a five-year business plan is often a waste of time and how to use a Lean Plan instead for smarter, easier strategic planning to establish your long-term vision. But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t plan for the long term. What is a long-term plan?

Business Plan 83

Business Plan Lean Forecast Exit Strategy 83

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 16, 2013

At the same time, he was always pushing the limits of our business relationship with new ideas. I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. Here are a few: Business networking. Product development.

Entrepreneur 275

Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review Retention 275

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 15, 2022

There are many benefits of selling your startup through a mergers and acquisitions advisor. In many cases, your advisor will identify key employees and create a business plan to help you find a buyer and negotiate the best price possible. Creating a business plan. Source: Pixabay. Identifying key employees.

Merger 128

Merger Acquisition Due Diligence Valuation 128

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology. Business commercialization.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

billion Iridium was one of the largest, boldest and audacious startup bets ever made. Conceived in 1987 by Motorola and spun out in 1990 as a separate company, Iridium planned to build a mobile telephone system that would work anywhere on earth. With an out-of-this-world business plan. A Business Plan Frozen in Time.

Business Plan 335

Business Plan Customer Business Model Customer Development 335

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2012

Product development is stuck at that 90% mark, a key person leaves, and customers are talking but not buying. I challenge any startup to show me they have avoided all of these: One of the founders isn’t delivering. The team buys its own propaganda, and fully expects customers to be leaping tall buildings to get to your product.

Software Developers 229

Software Developers Software Development Business Model Product Development 229

Up and Running

DECEMBER 22, 2015

We don’t just reject startups; we explain why. Angel investors are individuals willing to invest their own money to fund new startups. Most of them have made money with startups; they’ve been through the ringer, they’ve succeeded, and they are in a position to share. So if you’re a startup, always focus on listening first.

Angel Investor 60

Angel Investor IRR Software Review Startup 60

Steve Blank

MAY 6, 2015

It’s time to update Build, Measure, Learn to what we now know is the best way to build Lean startups. Build a product, get it into the real world, measure customers’ reactions and behaviors, learn from this, and use what you’ve learned to build something better. Waterfall Development. Here’s how.

Lean 120

Lean Agile Business Model Customer Development 120

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 17, 2021

Big data is a prominent subject for many businesses around the world, and for those of you who operate entirely online enterprises, studying statistics and numbers is perhaps even more important, and, can be convenient using online business education. The post How Can Pursuing an MA in Data Analysis Benefit Your Online Business?

Analytics 173

Analytics Technical Review Social Media Software Review 173

Business Plan Blog

AUGUST 20, 2013

Every Tech Startup Needs a Chief Technical Officer. However, the biggest mistake that a non-tech entrepreneur launching a tech business is to neglect bringing on a tech savvy co-founder on the management team. Development Plan (Timelines/Costs/Budgets). Product Development Team. CTO Employee (Salary).

CTO Hire 55

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Architecture Cofounder 55

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2010

At the same time, he was always pushing the limits of our business relationship with new ideas. I can think of several related aspects of starting and running a business where follow-up, or lack of it, can make or break your startup. Here are a few: Business networking. Product development.

Entrepreneur 237

Entrepreneur Technical Review Software Review Retention 237

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 2, 2020

90% of all registered startups fail to survive the first year. The truth is, to survive in a startup jungle, you need to prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions. But we need to ask ourselves what makes a difference between a successful and failed startup? The product needs to fit market demands.

Startup 147

Startup Demand Software Acquisition 147