YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 21, 2015
by Richard Milam , the Founder and CEO of EnableSoft Incorporated. Budgets are a tricky facet for any business owner however being one of the most critical aspects to the operations, productivity, profitability, and growth of a business. Every year, dynamic markets, the state of the economy, and consumer demands change the requirements of a business and the costs of operation.
Steve Blank
DECEMBER 23, 2015
Knowing your customers is the single biggest driver of startup success, and there’s no substitute for getting out of the building to learn about their problems and needs. How and why Customer Development shapes a startup was the subject of discussion with the two latest guests on Entrepreneurs are Everywhere , my radio show on SiriusXM Channel 111. Joining me at the Stanford University studio were: Matthew Wallenstein , chairman and co-founder of Growcentia , which aims to revolutionize manageme
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Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 23, 2015
The world of marketing is changing faster than technology these days. Winning entrepreneurs have long since supplemented conventional print and video “push” marketing with digital online interactive “pull” marketing, and more recently added social-local-mobile ( SoLoMo ) to the mix. Mobile and global are driving all of these in innovative new ways to grow your business.
Up and Running
DECEMBER 22, 2015
Angel investors can teach you a lot about money, whether or not you’re seeking funding from them. I’ve seen this over and over in my dealings as a member of a local angel investment group. We don’t just reject startups; we explain why. And we don’t just say yes either; we explain what else is needed. What we do at the Willamette Angel Conference is the rule, not the exception.
Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic
Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in
ConversionXL
DECEMBER 21, 2015
Various studies have estimated the average consumer sees anywhere from 3,000 to 20,000 marketing messages each day. Of course, most of these go unnoticed. One possible reason? People are increasingly tuning out inauthentic and blatant marketing attempts. For this reason, we’ve seen a recent rise in what’s known as ‘transparency marketing.’. Though transparency and authenticity have always been virtues extolled by thought leaders, certain blogs, companies and movements have given greater exposure
Both Sides of the Table
DECEMBER 25, 2015
Like many of you I read in awe last week about the accomplishments of the Washington Post since Jeff Bezos acquired the company two years ago. The killer chart is below: In the article it raved particularly about the WaPo’s amazing mobile app and how Bezos personally intervened to get the team to improve loading times – whatever the short-term costs. “His focus on customer experience has become a near mandate within the news operation.
Start Up Roar brings together the best content for start up professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 21, 2015
by Kevin McHugh , president of JKM Management Development and author of The Honest Executive. The idea of Donald Trump as president of the United States is past the phenomenon stage. His campaign is no longer a circus sideshow. It is in the center ring – the main event. The proclaimed master of self-promotion has the world where exactly where he wants it.
Brandanew
DECEMBER 21, 2015
Christmas is literally around the corner. If you’ve stepped towards the malls or shopping centers you probably already realize that it is busiest time of the year. Online businesses and brands are no exception. ECommerce sales during Christmas tend to see a big surge as customers prefer the quietness of at home shopping compared to the hassles of finding parking and a store full of people.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 25, 2015
Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. A few companies are leading the way, including Apple with their iPad and iPhone, offering irresistible stores with friendly experts, elegant packaging, and customer service that never ends. People love Apple’s whole customer experience, and willingly pay a premium for the product.
View from Seed
DECEMBER 23, 2015
We like to joke that VCs often advise founders to focus on being great at one thing but rarely heed that advice when it comes to their own seed investing. In 2015, we decided to triple down on this idea of focus. We’ve always believed in having one great product, but we focused on how to better articulate our place in the startup ecosystem this year: We are high conviction, hands-on seed investors.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 23, 2015
For many young entrepreneurs, starting your own business is as easy as coming up with a good idea. In reality, though, coming up with the idea is just the beginning. It’s taking the product to market where the complications will arise. This is the process that will separate the dreamers from those who have what it takes to succeed in the business world.
Brandanew
DECEMBER 22, 2015
On December 14th earlier this year, I attended the finals of the Entre-SLAM event in Ann Arbor. It’s a business storytelling event. Founders share their startup story with the audience and judges after a year’s worth of honing their storylines. The theme of this year’s Entre-SLAM event was “finding your purpose” As a Startup owner and a branding person, I can tell you, any Startup going through periods of self-doubt, questioning and the zone of disillusionment.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 19, 2015
Image via Flickr by socialautomotive Most technical entrepreneurs cringe when they finally realize that marketing is still king, despite the power of technology, and they are up against competitors who have a hundred times their spending power. Luckily, the digital revolution has been a great equalizer in the marketing world, if used effectively to target the audience, engage the customer, and measure results.
YFS Magazine
DECEMBER 21, 2015
There's no doubt that in order to be successful you have to work hard. However, the difference between successful entrepreneurs and unsuccessful ones is that they work hard on the things that matter the most.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 22, 2015
by Ben Holder of GradStaff. If you’re a college senior or recent graduate about to head back home for the holidays, you’ll likely be forced to engage in soul-crushing conversation about your job search and future plans. Believe me, we’ve all been there. Even seemingly innocent grandmas can be completely relentless. These family members obviously have the best intentions at heart, but the last thing you want is for them to shake your confidence.
Brandanew
DECEMBER 23, 2015
Recently I had a quick look at Quora and found out that users were still talking about whether or not blogs are for them. Sometimes it’s good to take another look at the basics. While you’ve heard enough insights and stats on blogging itself on our blog, this post is starting from the start. Blogs are one of the most powerful tools that you can use to spread the word about your business.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 20, 2015
Whether you are an entrepreneur managing a startup, or a corporate executive with thousands of employees, it’s hard to ignore the evidence of big value from happy employees. For example, the Harvard Business Review a while back included an analysis of hundreds of studies showing an average of 31% higher productivity, 37% higher sales, with creativity three times higher.
Mike Michalowicz
DECEMBER 21, 2015
Also Available On. Show Summary. Nick Dancer joins Mike Michalowicz, Chris Curran and Kristina Bolduc for Episode 59 of the Profit First Podcast! Nick talk about his experience with implementing the Profit First system in his business. Our Guest . Nick Dancer began his work with concrete right out of high school working a summer job pouring concrete basements.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 21, 2015
Regardless of the industry a company operates in, there are certain practices and processes that need to be optimised in order to facilitate ideal business outcomes. Whether you offer a product or service, or cater to other companies or consumers, systems need to be established and fine-tuned to promote customer satisfaction, reduce overheads, increase profits, and create a more sustainable business model.
SiliconHills
DECEMBER 19, 2015
Diversity Fund recently launched in Austin and aims to help startups and ongoing businesses raise capital through equity-based crowdfunding. In particular, Diversity Fund, founded by Charlie Jackson, aims to help women, LGBT and minority-led businesses get financing directly from investors through debt or equity funding up to $1 million a year for any Texas business. […] The post Diversity Fund Helps Women, Gay and Minority Businesses Get Funded appeared first on SiliconHills.
Feld Thoughts
DECEMBER 21, 2015
Two words: Mattermark Daily. When I started blogging in 2004 I think I was the third VC blogger after David Hornik and Fred Wilson (if you were, or know, of another pre-2004 VC blogger, please tell me so I can update my historical recollection.). I remember lots of people asking me why I was doing it. I heard plenty of trash talk from other VCs, especially second hand, such as “He doesn’t have enough to do”, “He’s not spending his time doing his job”, or &#
For Entrepreneurs
DECEMBER 22, 2015
The following is part three of a guest post series by Rob Gonzalez. You can find part 1 here and part 2 here. Rob is the co-founder of Salsify, a leading cloud-based product content management and syndication solution that I invested in in 2013 and where I currently serve on the board. Prior to founding Salsify, Rob.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 20, 2015
by Rochelle Ceira. Where’s the best place to look for business-minded professionals like you? We’re not just talking about finding them to build a connection or find a job. This has to be the go-to place for professionals to speaks their minds, read breaking news, learn about trending topics, and getting into meaningful conversations. If you said Twitter, you got it right!
The Equity Kicker
DECEMBER 23, 2015
I met recently with an early investor in Deliveroo, a current darling of the UK tech scene, who cited their financial model as one of the things that made her invest. The model she said was well thought through and covered all the important elements of the business without being too detailed. And it didn’t have any mistakes. That struck a chord with me mostly because what we’ve seen over the last two years of working with idea stage companies is it works best when they have a financi
Feld Thoughts
DECEMBER 20, 2015
A few days ago, I noticed that my MacBook Air fully charged battery life had suddenly gone from around seven hours to under two hours and the fan was going full speed. This has happened in the past and I couldn’t remember what I did to fix it. I blew it off for a few days until I got tired of having to plug my computer in every few hours. A quick look at Mac Activity Monitor showed me that Google Chrome Helper was eating up all my CPU (often at 100%) and subsequently crushing the battery l
SiliconHills
DECEMBER 20, 2015
Oracle announced last Friday that it has acquired StackEngine, a year old Austin-based startup focused on cloud computing. All of the employees of StackEngine will join Oracle, the company announced. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Last October, StackEngine, a platform for Docker apps, announced it had raised $1 million in seed […] The post Oracle Acquires Austin-based StackEngine appeared first on SiliconHills.
YFS Magazine
DECEMBER 24, 2015
It happens to all of us. We wake up and have a first cup of coffee and a shower, and suddenly, we have an epiphany. We think it’s a real game-changer.
The Equity Kicker
DECEMBER 22, 2015
The chart below is taken from a McKinsey Global Institute report into digitisation of the American economy (it’s page 5 of the executive summary). The major conclusion of the report is that large swathes of the economy still haven’t digitised, and they estimate digitisation could add $2.2tn to US GDP by 2025. That’s 13.4% of the $17.4tn GDP recorded in the US last year.
Feld Thoughts
DECEMBER 25, 2015
It’s a beautiful almost snowy morning in Boulder. Crisp and cold, but subdued. Amy is on the phone with a cousin, Brooks is asleep on the floor, and Cooper is whining a little every now and then but generally happy to be on his tether chilling out after running around the yard like a maniac puppy for 30 minutes. For many years, Christmas time was difficult for me.
Up and Running
DECEMBER 23, 2015
Many distinctive brands are known for their colors and fonts. Target is famous for its bold red bullseye. Starbucks is inextricably linked with a deep forest green. Coca-Cola has a script font that generations have grown up with. The famous Coca-Cola logo. It may seem like these colors and fonts are randomly chosen, but usually there is a deliberate and careful planning process that leads to the selection and design of brand colors and fonts. .
YFS Magazine
DECEMBER 23, 2015
What differentiates those who do have the bones of an inventor from us regular people? See if you’ve got what it takes to invent.
The Equity Kicker
DECEMBER 24, 2015
There’s been a lot of productivity and happiness in my feeds this morning. I guess it might be because we are heading into the holidays and a lot of people are looking forward to spending time with their families. Certainly I’m thinking about how we can all work smarter at Forward Partners next year. Here are three tips that struck a chord with me: Effective prioritisation – focusing time on the most important things is so important.
Feld Thoughts
DECEMBER 24, 2015
When I think of geniuses who inspire me, Stephen Wolfram is near the top of the list. I’ve never met him but have followed him from a distance since I was introduced to Mathematica in grad school in the late 1980s. Backchannel just published a a long, detailed exploration of the life of Ada Lovelace and her work with Charles Babbage that Wolfram wrote a few weeks ago.
Up and Running
DECEMBER 21, 2015
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not because of time with family and celebrating the holidays, although those thing are pretty fantastic. This is my favorite time of the year to watch movies. As the year comes to a close and things start to wind down, I like to catch up on the movies I meant to see, and check out the holiday’s big new releases.
SiliconHills
DECEMBER 20, 2015
By BOB METCALFE Reprinted with permission Ahoy! What is today’s single most impactful driver of human progress? Connectivity AKA Networking AKA The Internet. The Internet is spreading rapidly, already reaching half the human race since turn-on in 1969. And with the Internet’s spread come freedom and prosperity. Democracy and Free Enterprise.
YFS Magazine
DECEMBER 23, 2015
Your company name means a lot. But, the name itself, is only as valuable as the activities related to it. A successful brand is built on the sum total of all of customer interactions, online and offline.
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