Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

Manage customer service. They probably have arbitrated differences many times before in their lives, and know how important it is to remain calm and soft-spoken in the face of emotional customers and processes that are not working. All the learning from parenting pays big dividends here. Marketing and sales to Gen-Y customers.

Entrepreneur 266

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor 266

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2019

Often these projects took 12–18 months so by the time companies shipped product they often found out that the product didn’t meet customer needs. Yes, there is some overhead in the increased communications, seeking opinions and asking for favors but in the long-run I believe it pays huge dividends in keeping your board aligned and supportive.

Management 234

Management Startup Dividend Early Stage 234

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 11, 2017

Whether you’re a startup looking at taking those first steps into the business world or an established company wanting to expand your customer base, marketing your business is an important step in getting your brand in front of the right people. Get social with customers and clients. Then we come to good old-fashioned networking.

Database 164

Database Software Review Dividend Social Media 164

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 17, 2018

impactful work (we point to specific features that are being used by 100s of customers) and 3. Tools such as LinkedIn are obviously useful, but it can also pay dividends to use your network to find potential hires. As an example, the reasons we provide to prospective engineers are 1. cutting edge technology (WebRTC), 2. Be Specific.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Elevator Pitch Hiring Dividend 164

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

From his own successes and failures in this domain, he explains how the rules and customer expectations have changed in today’s world, and he offers some practical guidance on how to survive in this new world. Flexible business models, including value-based pricing, bundling, and custom proposals are the places to begin.

Differentiation 141

Differentiation SBA Social Media Dividend 141

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2021

Yet, these days, I am seeing overwhelming evidence that customer buying decisions, especially with consumers, are often based on emotional and psychological factors , including passions from others, your experience, and social relationships. Other startups use technology to provide personalized products to all customers.

Customer 432

Customer Social Media Dividend Technical Review 432

Duct Tape Marketing

AUGUST 21, 2019

Through his work at FutureCast, Fromm studies consumer trends and consults with major brands on how to best reach their customers. While it’s paid dividends for some major brands, like Glossier and Bombas socks, it’s been hard for others to make it work. Is there a process to finding your business’s purpose?

Dividend 72

Dividend Technical Review Business Model Small Business 72

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 1, 2017

Ask your current customers for “introductions,” not “referrals.”. Create an upsell strategy for current customers. Your customers are already spending money with you, so now we just need to increase the amount. One strategy is to set up mid-year assessments with your customers to evaluate what they might need.

Revenue 127

Revenue San Diego Technical Review Dividend 127

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

Your website is what meets the customers’ eye first when they come looking for you. If the investment is what’s causing you to back out, remember, this is an investment that will pay dividends far into the future. However, for a website that really works for your business, you need much more than this. Track and Measure Your Success.

Dividend 113

Dividend Early Stage Social Media Hosting 113

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Getting investors to trust you with their money is always a challenge, and it’s even more difficult in the early stages, where you don’t have a significant revenue stream, a few customers, or maybe even a product yet. Here is my list of red flags that cause many investors to look elsewhere: No well-defined need or viable customer set.

Due Diligence 271

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Preferred Stock 271

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Even if you are no longer a student, or not enrolled now, it can pay big dividends to get to know people there and explore the possibilities, including the following: Potential to get technical work done as a class project. For example, I live in Arizona, home of Arizona State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Arizona 276

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Entrepreneur 276

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

paying for travel data from ITA or others (customers acquisition spend is not included in COGS). liquidation preference, 6% accumulated dividend (1). liquidation preference, 6% accumulated dividend. liquidation preference, 6% accumulated dividend (1). liquidation preference, 6% accumulated dividend (1).

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

YoungUpstarts

MAY 19, 2020

In a classic scene from the rock mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, guitarist Nigel Tufnel shows off his custom-built guitar amplifiers. The investment you make in these relationships upfront will pay dividends in the weeks, months and years ahead. Oh, how little I knew. The disruptions were just warming up.

Leadership 147

Leadership Software Review Dividend Employee 147

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2022

Most customers today won’t pay you five times the cost of alternatives, just because yours is “green.” That’s a win-win business for the customer and the entrepreneur. Sustainability and social responsibility alone don’t make a viable business. The whole can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Green 275

Green Dividend Angel Investor Global 275

YoungUpstarts

MAY 17, 2018

The profit collected from the efficient working of the organization is distributed among the members in the form of the dividends. They provide better customer service as they remain open for 24/5. The market condition is certain and it’s next to impossible to make accurate prediction of the upcoming future.

Software Review 124

Software Review Technical Review Dividend Demand 124

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

A broken process or a subtle quality issue can generate a flood of customer satisfaction problems, cost overruns, and loss of market share. Without this mindset, and the determination to make a decision, nothing happens, and customers find alternatives. Build motivation through rewards and incentives.

Dividend 382

Dividend Metrics Cost Internet 382

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2022

Just because you dream it and build it, doesn’t mean they will come – that encompasses not only customers, but also investors, partners, team members, and even your own family. A debt repaid before it is asked for reaps a huge dividend in trust. They won’t come if they don’t trust you. Formalize business promise keeping.

Leadership 290

Leadership Dividend Metrics Entrepreneur 290

ConversionXL

JULY 16, 2021

This will help you gauge who your audience is and how to speak to them at every customer touchpoint. The point isn’t to complicate your content creation—it’s to ensure your messaging is aligned with the customer journey every step of the way. Instead, pinpoint your unique customer base and speak directly to them.

Audience 127

Audience Framework Differentiation Software Review 127

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

Funding is depleted before customer sales ramp up. One of the pitfalls of optimism is the expectation for early customer growth, and understating the real costs of design, development, and inventory. Don’t underestimate your own value as customers arrive, establishing a line of credit, and borrowing against inventory.

Entrepreneur 328

Entrepreneur Startup Dividend Flash 328

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

In addition, creating a business requires leading and interacting with other people, including partners, investors, and customers. At least the first time around, it pays big dividends for an idea person to find a partner with the business skills you haven’t tested yet. You must also learn from your customers.

Elevator Pitch 315

Elevator Pitch Cofounder Dividend Leadership 315

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 14, 2020

Getting investors to trust you with their money is always a challenge, and it’s even more difficult in the early stages, where you don’t have a significant revenue stream, a few customers, or maybe even a product yet. Here is my list of red flags that cause many investors to look elsewhere: No well-defined need or viable customer set.

Due Diligence 308

Due Diligence Intellectual Property Preferred Stock Seed Stage 308

Hunter Walker

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Is it an evolution or a revolution for your business and customers? Our customers were growing and hiring quickly, and as a result our business was growing fast. That third one generally means “Selling” though that can take various forms, such as exiting via IPO, paying themselves a dividend, etc.

Private Equity 78

Private Equity Equity DC Leveraged Buyout 78

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 30, 2020

Even if you are no longer a student, or not enrolled now, it can pay big dividends to get to know people there and explore the possibilities, including the following: Potential to get technical work done as a class project. For example, I live in Arizona, home of Arizona State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Arizona 310

Arizona Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Dividend 310

Up and Running

JUNE 12, 2019

Then there’s live chat, which is gaining in popularity for companies looking to outfit their websites with real-time, 24/7 customer support. Adopting a holistic digital marketing approach pays obvious dividends to a company’s bottom line. Custom websites. Hiring the right team for digital marketing.

Marketing 109

Marketing Social Media SEO Entrepreneur 109

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 11, 2021

With their affordability, you can invest in several and gain more return by earning customer trust before a sale occurs. They’ve built more trust with their followers, so customers might be more willing and trusting when they check out your website after the micro-influencer recommends you. Thanks to Ben Reynolds, Sure Dividend ! #3-

Entrepreneur 127

Entrepreneur Technical Review Social Media Bootstrapping 127

NZ Entrepreneur

OCTOBER 30, 2019

The knowledge you collect from speaking candidly to your customers or clients can be invaluable too. If you have a customer database, consider implementing a quarterly or biannual survey to collect anecdotal feedback. For your customers, the beauty in dealing with a small business can often be that personal touch.

New Zealand 40

New Zealand Software Review Dividend Analytics 40

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Visionary CEOs are product and business model centric and extremely customer focused. They deeply understand products, and they have their own coherent and consistent vision of where the industry/business models and customers are today, and where they need to take the company. This may work in stable markets and technologies.

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Visionary CEOs are product and business model centric and extremely customer focused. They deeply understand products, and they have their own coherent and consistent vision of where the industry/business models and customers are today, and where they need to take the company. This may work in stable markets and technologies.

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2018

Customers and peers still expect follow-up and timeliness. Businesses grow based on customers served. There is no simple formula for delighting customers, and anticipating the next business challenge. Your ability to satisfy the needs of customers and peers in any role can never be fully defined by a job description.

Dividend 225

Dividend Social Media Management Web 225

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2019

Attempting to make a job more challenging, as well as to improve productivity, managers may sometimes ask for higher outputs, such as 15 customer support calls per hour rather than 10. For an employee who enjoys direct people interaction, adding floor time with customers would better serve everyone.

Dividend 241

Dividend Employee Matching Cost 241

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 28, 2019

Most customers today won’t pay you five times the cost of alternatives, just because yours is “green.” That’s a win-win business for the customer and the entrepreneur. Sustainability and social responsibility alone don’t make a viable business. The whole can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Green 234

Green Dividend Angel Investor Global 234

The Equity Kicker

FEBRUARY 1, 2013

There was a good post on Gamesbrief a couple of days back about customer segmentation – i.e. dividing the customer base into groups based on behavioural characteristics and targeting each group with different communication campaigns. Gifts for the best customers. Reactivation campaigns.

Customer 116

Customer Dividend Campaign Internet 116

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 23, 2019

They don’t recognize that employees drive customer growth, improve productivity, and drive company success. Keeping employees in the dark on business problems and customer issues is a sure way to lose their trust and their engagement in the business. They, like you, are the key assets of every thriving business.

Dividend 242

Dividend Employee Hiring Leadership 242

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

  Note that this applies only to earl stage Series A-type equity financings and assumes no cash dividends are paid to investors.   First , dividends. In some cases, dividends are often paid at the discretion of the board and not required by the terms.   A cumulative dividend compounds annually.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 21, 2019

It’s a simple and cost-effective means of equipping your remote workers with the right tools to do their jobs — especially if your remote workers spend a lot of time on the phone to customers and suppliers. They can stay connected, perform tasks more productively, and keep your customers happy.

Dividend 147

Dividend Cloud Framework Employee 147

View from Seed

APRIL 21, 2015

Joris Poort , Founder and CEO, Rescale (Software platform and hardware infrastructure to perform scientific and engineering simulations; undisclosed capital raised, per CrunchBase): We spent two and a half years writing custom software to run large-scale simulations on Boeing’s data centers.

Founder 120

Founder Las Vegas Entrepreneur Cofounder 120

YoungUpstarts

MAY 28, 2020

But some entrepreneurs will find their businesses in trouble because they had the wrong mindset toward customers all along. Business owners who built long-term relationships with customers and clients can weather this storm. Businesses generate revenue by solving problems for their clients and customers.

Florida 147

Florida Dividend Small Business Campaign 147