Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. In that spirit, I offer my perspective on ten common startup failure sources that rarely get admitted by entrepreneurs: Choose to skip the written business plan.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

The Next Web

DECEMBER 4, 2013

Back in 2009, Cloudera placed news of its Distribution for Hadoop launch in tech blogs and reputable news sources , and reached 1.5 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.

Social Media 158

Social Media Media Viral Startup 158

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2020

Too many entrepreneurs don’t know what to do at this point, largely accounting for that disappointing 50 percent of startups that fail in the first five years, according to Gallup. Others do far too little, assuming the viral effect and word-of-mouth will soon kick in, and sales will suddenly grow exponentially.

Social Media 329

Social Media Metrics Viral Channel 329

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

Every entrepreneur I know has their favorite excuse for a previous failure – an investor backed out, the economy took a downturn, or a supplier delivered bad quality. In that spirit, I offer my perspective on ten common startup failure sources that rarely get admitted by entrepreneurs: Choose to skip the written business plan.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2011

Viral marketing and word-of-mouth are not enough these days to make your product and brand visible in the relentless onslaught of new promotional media out there today. Then it’s time to innovate through the channels or platforms that are relevant. Digital quite simply is not for repurposing content that exists in other channels.

Viral 228

Viral Marketing Startup Demand 228

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Channel-level expertise: An understanding of how the channels work (e.g., Where Airbnb recognized the value in another platform, Dropbox doubled down on the strength of its product as a distribution channel. Neither would have achieved virality had customers not received something tangible for their efforts.

Retention 113

Retention Marketing Acquisition Channel 113

Berkonomics

APRIL 8, 2021

Discord is a great example of a company going viral mostly from word of mouth. How do you make your product go viral? What are the elements needed to focus upon in making the attempt to take a product viral? Email readers, continue here…] Second: channels. A story of an app from nowhere to near dominance.

Viral 62

Viral Product Channel Audience 62

www.forentrepreneurs.com

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Blog About Log in Register Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition In the many thousands of articles advising entrepreneurs on what they have to focus on to build successful startups, much has been written about three key factors: team, product and market, with particular focus on the importance of product/market fit.

Acquisition 103

Acquisition Cost Customer Entrepreneur 103

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 25, 2014

What are the elements needed to focus upon in making the attempt to take a product viral? It was as much in reaction to my getting blank stares from entrepreneurs when I asked that question as it was for me to better understand the problem itself. of going viral that makes all the difference between failure and success.)

Viral 71

Viral Matching Syndicate Syndication 71

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. 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.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review Business Model 220

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2021

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. 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.

Technical Review 399

Technical Review Product Advisory Board Business Model 399

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2013

Viral marketing and word-of-mouth are not enough these days to make your product and brand visible in the relentless onslaught of new promotional media out there today. Then it’s time to innovate through the channels or platforms that are relevant. Digital quite simply is not for repurposing content that exists in other channels.

Marketing 260

Marketing Viral Demand Channel 260

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

I break the answer to that question down into three engines: Viral - this is the business model identified in the presentation as "Get Users." Here, the key metrics are Acquisition and Referral, combined into the now-famous viral coefficient. If the coefficient is > 1.0 , you generally have a viral hit on your hands.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco CPA SEM CTO Hire 167

crowdSPRING Blog

AUGUST 6, 2017

With time and attention scarce, it’s difficult for entrepreneurs and small business owners to upgrade or learn new skills. There are terrific free YouTube channels for entrepreneurs and small business owners and many online schools and sites offer free or low-cost online courses. ” Body Language for Entrepreneurs.

Programming 73

Programming Technical Review Small Business Illinois 73

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

Viral marketing and word-of-mouth are not enough these days to make your product and brand visible in the relentless onslaught of new promotional media out there today. Then it’s time to innovate through the channels or platforms that are relevant. Digital quite simply is not for repurposing content that exists in other channels.

Customer 250

Customer Marketing Viral Demand 250

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Costs of product on YouTube content is literally 99% cheaper than traditional TV and; Distribution of content can now go viral and can predictably distributed via social networks. Over time if you produce compelling content you can package it up and repurpose it to distribute through other channels.

Silicon Valley 374

Silicon Valley Los Angeles Distribution Java 374

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. Word-of-mouth and viral marketing are popular terms these days, but are rarely adequate to initiate a new business. Distribution. Sales/Marketing.

Business Model 242

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 242

crowdSPRING Blog

AUGUST 6, 2017

With time and attention scarce, it’s difficult for entrepreneurs and small business owners to upgrade or learn new skills. There are terrific free YouTube channels for entrepreneurs and small business owners and many online schools and sites offer free or low-cost online courses. ” Body Language for Entrepreneurs.

Programming 48

Programming Technical Review Small Business Illinois 48

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2016

Too many entrepreneurs don’t know what to do at this point, largely accounting for that disappointing 50 percent of startups that fail in the first five years, according to Gallup. Others do far too little, assuming the viral effect and word-of-mouth will soon kick in, and sales will suddenly grow exponentially.

Social Media 120

Social Media Metrics Viral Channel 120

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. Word-of-mouth and viral marketing are popular terms these days, but are rarely adequate to initiate a new business. Distribution. Sales/Marketing.

Business Model 246

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 246

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

AUGUST 27, 2011

I love hearing stories of entrepreneurs, it keeps me motivated and there are always great lessons to be learned. At first glance, Mickiewicz is a very happy-g0-lucky type of guy, but don’t be fooled because he is a serious entrepreneur. The main difference is that they were able to leverage their distribution channel.

EC2 53

EC2 Social Network Distribution Demand 53

Rob Go

JANUARY 12, 2015

Your product may have gotten traction due to some distribution hack or novelty factor, both of which may not lead to sustained usage and growth. Great teams fail to build a product and get early distribution successfully all the time. Generally speaking, this is because of what it takes to get early distribution in these markets.

B2B 28

B2B Early Stage Distribution Software Review 28

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Rarely do entrepreneurs launch businesses without intending to succeed. There’s a lot at stake, and entrepreneurs need to build an arsenal of techniques to fight adversity and overcome the challenges that stand in the way of their success. Content doesn’t have to “go viral” to benefit your business. It’s personal, too.

Social Media 113

Social Media Sales Cycle Audience Media 113

View from Seed

JANUARY 13, 2015

Great teams fail to build a product and get early distribution all the time. The observation here is that founders of great B2B companies more often than not have some demonstrable track record as operators or entrepreneurs. Generally speaking, this is because of what it takes to get early distribution in these markets.

Seed Stage 120

Seed Stage B2B Distribution Early Stage 120

The Next Web

JANUARY 26, 2014

Jon Yongfook is a serial entrepreneur based in Asia. If a big corporation is pushing a new product, you might expect them to take out TV ads, online ads, maybe hire a PR agency and set up big distribution partnerships. Rely on cheaper forms of marketing : Blogging, email, viral tactics etc. Entrepreneur How-To''s'

Thailand 167

Thailand Social Network PPC Singapore 167

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 17, 2010

As a Kellogg alum (worlds greatest marketing school, after all, uh huh) I would be remiss not to write occasionally about marketing in the context of our world: online entrepreneurs. At crowdSPRING, we are constantly evaluating our own mix of marketing strategy, tactics, and resources and the “debates&# can get extreme.

Marketing 84

Marketing Startup Small Business Viral 84

Up and Running

JULY 26, 2016

Cost of Acquisition (CAC): The total cost of acquiring a user through a given channel. If you are measuring these two correctly, you can make simple rules/decisions based on your results: If the CAC is over twice the LTV don’t even bother—this channel is likely not going to work. The cornerstone of any business is that LTV > CAC.

Revenue 60

Revenue Acquisition Channel Campaign 60

Steve Blank

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Yet most entrepreneurs and their VC’s make startups use financial models and spreadsheets that actually hinder their success. What’s the distribution channel? Viral Acquisition Ratio. Here’s why. Managing the Business. A startup is a search for a repeatable and scalable business model. How do we create end user demand?

Balance Sheet 304

Balance Sheet Startup Burn Rate Metrics 304

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 18, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Thursday, September 18, 2008 How to get distribution advantage on the iPhone I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of iPhone-related companies lately. There are other models, in other distribution channels. On Facebook, viral distribution has proved decisive. I havent found any yet.

Distribution 74

Distribution San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 74

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 23, 2013

In the Udemy course, Alistair and Ben expand these basics into a description of how to create empathy, stickiness, virality, revenue, and scale. We decided to find out, and talked with around 130 founders, entrepreneurs, investors and analysts. It''s a good measurement because it captures both satisfaction and virality.

Analytics 167

Analytics Lean Widget Metrics 167

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

Most technical entrepreneurs focus hard on building an innovative product, but forget that an elegant solution doesn’t automatically translate into a successful business. 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.

Business Model 120

Business Model Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review 120

crowdSPRING Blog

JANUARY 29, 2012

A global pool of creativity has always existed, but technology has enabled the creators to find new access to clients, new channels for sales, new tools for self-marketing, and new opportunities to find audiences without the interference of the traditional gate-keepers. Related posts: Personal branding in a world of meat.

Social Media 86

Social Media Distribution Viral New York 86

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Too many entrepreneurs look for that one magic bullet -- an exciting new technology, perhaps, or their own determination to make the world a better place -- to override any shortcomings in their startup model. Product distribution or service delivery. Physical products often require access to existing distribution channels.

Exit Strategy 120

Exit Strategy Technical Review Distribution Viral 120

ConversionXL

JANUARY 11, 2013

Appsumo is an daily deals website for the coolest web apps and other digitally distributed goods. This is what they say about themselves: We are an distribution channel for companies that help entrepreneurs start, grow, optimize, and scale their businesses. Image credit. Case #1 – Appsumo. Case study #3 - Noritz.

Campaign 95

Campaign Estonia Social Media Viral 95

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

I have counseled innumerable entrepreneurs to change their focus to revenue, and many companies who refuse this advice get themselves into trouble by running out of iterations. Because they have no presence in the market, they have to find distribution channels to bring in customers. April 23, 2010 in San Francisco.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Cracking the Code

DECEMBER 11, 2015

The best entrepreneurs are often those who can articulate their vision and roadmap in a simple, elegant and purposeful manner. 6 Passion While everyone wants to make money, good VCs look for more in an entrepreneur than the desire to cash out. They invest in entrepreneurs who want to change the world.

San Francisco 48

San Francisco Churn Rate Silicon Valley Engineer 48

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 7, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Tuesday, October 7, 2008 The App Store after the gold rush I wrote earlier about the issue of distribution advantage on the iPhone. The App Store is a channel for customer acquisition. On the web, we have many of these channels: SEM, SEO, world of mouth, PR and viral. So what can you do?

San Francisco 68

San Francisco Lean Retention SEM 68