Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2016

Angel investors are still the lifeblood of early-stage startups, despite the surge of activity in crowdfunding and an increasing early interest from venture capitalists. Highlight existing presence on the Internet and social media. In addition, your company and social media names are key intellectual property.

Angel Investor 120

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Angel Groups 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2014

They couldn’t possibly understand the new social media culture, new technologies, or have the determination to beat their younger counterparts in the market. One of the biggest myths in the business world is that startups are no place for Baby Boomers, that aging generation born between 1945 and 1964.

Entrepreneur 266

Entrepreneur Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor 266

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 6, 2014

In this context, investors are attracted to thought-leaders visible on social media, and people with strong technical credentials. Since your product or technology may still be in the early stages of development, the investor in actually investing in you, and your previous achievements, as much as your current startup.

Angel Investor 268

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Early Stage 268

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

You can’t get any word-of-mouth or media activity by hiding. Most people agree that even negative media attention is better than none. This means your whole startup effort will appear as very early stage for investors, and will likely not be adequately tuned for customers. Evaluate customer response prior to development.

Stealth 263

Stealth Marketing Startup Early Stage 263

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 29, 2023

As an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs, I see a lot of dreams, but not so many business results. The business world doesn’t thrive with yet another social media or dating site – it’s begging for paradigm shifts in the technology or business model. A business entity has to be created and real resources applied.

Startup 264

Startup Early Stage Social Media Business Model 264

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2020

You can’t get any word-of-mouth or media activity by hiding. Most people agree that even negative media attention is better than none. This means your whole startup effort will appear as very early stage for investors, and will likely not be adequately tuned for customers. Evaluate customer response prior to development.

Stealth 436

Stealth Early Stage Social Media Web 436

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2023

The first step is to set your criteria, including a match for your sector type and stage, and then proactively seek out and contact the best candidates: Review profiles on professional social media sites. The right investor also changes as you move through the different startup stages.

Angel Investor 246

Angel Investor Stealth Bootstrapping Early Stage 246

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2014

The partner most obsessed with the startup lifestyle tests the water by going to work in an early-stage startup, similar to one they might hope to start someday. There are many networking groups on FaceBook, LinkedIn, and others social media sites, which can help you increase your odds of finding a match early.

Technical Review 250

Technical Review Stock Options Due Diligence Silicon Valley 250

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 31, 2022

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In her book, Jan devotes a whole chapter to speaking to the media, as a key aspect of public speaking.

Marketing 283

Marketing Early Stage Lead Generation Hosting 283

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2012

Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Instead, you need to undertake an aggressive campaign in the new media, with creative selling messages and promotions. Too slow or too fast to change. Ironically, startups that are all about change often are slow to see the need, or slow to implement.

Advisory Board 240

Advisory Board Forecast Early Stage Product Development 240

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

The first step is to set your criteria, including a match for your sector type and stage, and then proactively seek out and contact the best candidates: Review profiles on professional social media sites. The right investor also changes as you move through the different startup stages.

Stealth 434

Stealth Startup Angel Investor Bootstrapping 434

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2021

For early stage investors, you probably don’t enough results to prove the power of your solution. Blindly following someone else’s strategy, or even your own, will not facilitate learning and an ability to pivot along the way. Every startup demands logical changes along the way. Don’t forget to focus on the value of you and your team.

Exit Strategy 406

Exit Strategy Merger Angel Investor IPO 406

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2016

Enthusiastic startup founders may try to deflect or minimize these questions in true media-training style, so you need to be patient, calm, and persistent to get the whole story. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 25, 2023

The cost of entry has never been lower, with new tools to create your own website , and free social media to get your message out everywhere. Pick a name, location, and marketing strategy early. Make sure the name and trademarks you want are available, as well as web site address, social media tags, and any other intellectual property.

Intellectual Property 245

Intellectual Property Social Media Angel Investor Metrics 245

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2011

Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Instead, you need to undertake an aggressive campaign in the new media, with creative selling messages and promotions. Too slow or too fast to change. Ironically, startups that are all about change often are slow to see the need, or slow to implement.

Advisory Board 232

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 232

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2015

Enthusiastic startup founders may try to deflect or minimize these questions in true media-training style, so you need to be patient, calm, and persistent to get the whole story. Early stage burn rates over $50K per month, or a runway of less than six months may indicate an inefficient or desperate startup.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2015

The partner most obsessed with the startup lifestyle tests the water by going to work in an early-stage startup, similar to one they might hope to start someday. There are many networking groups on FaceBook, LinkedIn, and others social media sites, which can help you increase your odds of finding a match early.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Entrepreneur Stock Options Due Diligence 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2020

As an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs, I see a lot of dreams, but not so many business results. The business world doesn’t thrive with yet another social media or dating site – it’s begging for paradigm shifts in the technology or business model. A business entity has to be created and real resources applied.

Startup 294

Startup Early Stage Social Media Business Model 294

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2019

Image via Wikipedia As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. Believe me, talking in front of TV cameras requires all the skills of public speaking, and more.

Early Stage 218

Early Stage Lead Generation Hosting Entrepreneur 218

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2010

Stretch” goals in early-stage are not advised. Instead, you need to undertake an aggressive campaign in the new media, with creative selling messages and promotions. Too slow or too fast to change. Ironically, startups that are all about change often are slow to see the need, or slow to implement.

Advisory Board 125

Advisory Board Startup Forecast Early Stage 125

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 26, 2017

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In her book, Jan devotes a whole chapter to speaking to the media, as a key aspect of public speaking.

Early Stage 242

Early Stage Lead Generation Hosting Entrepreneur 242

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 24, 2012

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In her book, Jan devotes a whole chapter to speaking to the media, as a key aspect of public speaking.

Entrepreneur 315

Entrepreneur Early Stage Lead Generation Media 315

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2014

You can’t get any word-of-mouth or media activity by hiding. Most people agree that even negative media attention is better than none. This means your whole startup effort will appear as very early stage for investors, and will likely not be adequately tuned for customers. Evaluate customer response prior to development.

Stealth 252

Stealth Startup Early Stage Social Media 252

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2013

As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background, but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In her book, Jan devotes a whole chapter to speaking to the media, as a key aspect of public speaking.

Startup 291

Startup Early Stage Lead Generation Hosting 291

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

If you expect to seek investors, or you expect to have a sustainable competitive advantage against sleeping giants, you need to register all your patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets early. Intellectual property is also often the largest element of early-stage company valuations for professional investors.

Intellectual Property 251

Intellectual Property Startup Viral Early Stage 251

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2012

If you expect to seek investors, or you expect to have a sustainable competitive advantage against sleeping giants, you need to register all your patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets early. Intellectual property is also often the largest element of early-stage company valuations for professional investors.

Intellectual Property 274

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Viral Early Stage 274

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2016

You can’t get any word-of-mouth or media activity by hiding. Most people agree that even negative media attention is better than none. This means your whole startup effort will appear as very early stage for investors, and will likely not be adequately tuned for customers. Evaluate customer response prior to development.

Stealth 120

Stealth Startup Early Stage Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2019

Funding for early-stage startups is more available than ever. Social media is a boon for entrepreneurs and startups. With the key social media platforms today, an entrepreneur can tune a product, build a brand, and grow the business with very low cost and a high interactivity never before possible.

North America 320

North America Incubator Initial Public Offering Exit Strategy 320

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2017

As an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs, I see a lot of dreams, but not so many business results. The business world doesn’t thrive with yet another social media or dating site – it’s begging for paradigm shifts in the technology or business model. A business entity has to be created and real resources applied.

Early Stage 120

Early Stage Social Media Entrepreneur Business Model 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

The media tends to highlight experienced entrepreneurs who succeed with early new venture funding, like Uber’s Garrett Camp , but fail to point out the more common bootstrapping successes. Investors expect nothing less than a full-time commitment, even in the early stages when the business model has not yet been proven.

Bootstrapping 120

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Exit Strategy 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2016

The first step is to set your criteria, including a match for your sector type and stage, and then proactively seek out and contact the best candidates: Review profiles on professional social media sites. The right investor also changes as you move through the different startup stages.

Stealth 120

Stealth Startup Angel Investor Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2013

Funding for early-stage startups is more available than ever. Social media is a boon for entrepreneurs and startups. With the key social media platforms today, an entrepreneur can tune a product, build a brand, and grow the business with very low cost and a high interactivity never before possible. Marty Zwilling.

IPO 273

IPO Entrepreneur Social Media Startup 273

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2018

Funding for early-stage startups is more available than ever. Social media is a boon for entrepreneurs and startups. With the key social media platforms today, an entrepreneur can tune a product, build a brand, and grow the business with very low cost and a high interactivity never before possible.

Entrepreneur 166

Entrepreneur Valuation Incubator Initial Public Offering 166

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2015

Funding for early-stage startups is more available than ever. According to Statistic Brain , angel investors, numbering almost 300,000, contributed a record $25 billion to early-stage startups in the U.S. Social media is a boon for entrepreneurs and startups.

IPO 120

IPO Angel Investor Startup Incubator 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2011

Modern digital curators for early-stage entrepreneurs are the expert bloggers who put “content into context.” Mark is a serial entrepreneur who is now active in the venture capital community for early-stage startups. He also co-authored the book "Inbound Marketing" about the power of social media and blogs.

Curation 230

Curation Technical Review Entrepreneur Cofounder 230