Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Nearly every successful tech startup I’ve observed over the past 20 years has gone through a similar growth pattern: Innovate, systematize then scale operations. An alternate outcome that I also unfortunately observe in some cases are companies who had extreme early success with an initial product adoption but failed in key areas that limited the growth and therefore the ultimate financial outcomes.

Operations 286

Operations New York City Technical Review Startup 286

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

by Celina Kirchner, full-stack attorney at Michelman & Robinson, LLP. Yep, you read that title right. Insurance is the next big industry due for a disruption. And with that I know just what your thinking: insurance = SNORE. But wait, before letting your eyes glaze over or clicking out of here entirely, give me just two minutes of your time to explain – because the opportunity is big and the technology is really cool.

Technical Review 183

Technical Review Los Angeles Artificial Inteligence San Francisco 183

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

In my experience as an advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs in business, one of the biggest failures I see is a lack of self-leadership. You can’t lead a business to success, if you can’t lead yourself. I define self-leadership as the capacity to set direction and make decisions, to positively drive your own performance. Leadership in business starts with making good personal choices.

Leadership 149

Leadership Reputation Venture Capital Global 149

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Editor’s note: This article was updated in November of 2017. One of the best ways to prepare to conduct a SWOT analysis is to use examples for help and inspiration. Even if you already know what a SWOT analysis is and what it’s used for, it can be tough to translate that information and examine your own business with a critical eye. Reading an example SWOT analysis for a business that is either in your industry or based on a comparable business model can help get you started.

Botswana 148

Botswana Business Plan Oregon Distribution 148

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

Startup

The Equity Kicker

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

You might have seen that the week before last Balfour Beatty ( here ) and Mace ( here ) weighed in on the future of construction. Both are quite radical in the breadth and depth of impact they predict, whilst the technologies they choose are perhaps unsurprising to anyone immersed in the startup ecosystem. The Balfour Beatty piece is more detailed and they predict humanless construction sites by 2050 (which is admittedly a long way off – broadband is less than twenty years old) saying that

Technical Review 75

Technical Review eCommerce Restful Technology 75

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

If you are looking towards the end of 2017 and you plan on jumping out of your comfort zone for 2018, you may be an entrepreneur in the making. Entrepreneurial flair and tendencies are something which many people may have, a lot will act upon, but only a few will succeed. If you are looking to build a business from scratch in the new year there are a few things you will need to know and consider. 1.

Software Review 186

Software Review Startup Finance Software 186

Hearpreneur

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

The idea of exactly what your business is going to be usually comes first. Secondly, most often, is giving a title to your idea. What exactly is going to be the name of your business? Some people turn to their childhood for inspiration or a beloved family pet. It could be a made up word you dream of one night and feel it has the right ring to it. Even still there are some people who study foreign words for the perfect meaning behind their chosen business.

Naming 55

Naming Baltimore PR Entrepreneur 55

Austin Startup

NOVEMBER 12, 2017

A frequent metaphor I use in customer acquisition, fundraising, or any kind of deal making is that you as the founder and promoter should present the finished meal on the dining table and not drag your counterparts into the kitchen. The decision is yours as to how you package up your offering in a way that matches your goals. If you have a sales model that involves relationship selling to high-level decision makers, you can be sure they would prefer a detailed proposal from you with a request to

Term Sheet 48

Term Sheet Technical Review Due Diligence Merger 48

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

by Keith Johnstone, Head of Marketing of Peak Sales Recruiting. Winning teams – in sports, business and in all areas of life – have deep benches. Even if your company is fully staffed, taking your eye of the ball when it comes to recruiting is a sign of complacency which is the kryptonite of success. What if one of your stars decides to take another job?

Artificial Inteligence 113

Artificial Inteligence B2B Reputation Hiring 113

Jeff Hilimire

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

I took the Dragon Army team offsite last week for a 4-hour retreat to roll out our new Purpose, Vision, Tenets & Values. We had the retreat at the new co-working space downtown, Post Office (which also hosted 48in48 Atlanta a few weeks back!). One of the exercises I took the team through was focused on helping them identify what truly makes each of them happy.

Atlanta 51

Atlanta Hosting Developer 51

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2017

Too many customers have long felt distanced from many successful brands, seeing them as closed and mysterious environments, focused only on profits and killing competitors. They may not have noticed the wave of “open businesses,” spawned by the Internet and social media. These are responding to the demands of this new world for collaboration, trust, and transparency.

Social Media 143

Social Media Demand Equity Partner 143

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

VCs love to talk about Unicorns, where a giant return is possible. Some friends in the impact investing world have recently started talking about generating giant returns by investing in Zebras (such as a nonprofit building in rural Colorado) and Ponies (an immigrant restaurant in Seattle currently using payday lending at 35% for their working capital).

Colorado 123

Colorado Denver Seattle Cofounder 123

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 12, 2017

by Gary Douglas, author of “ How To Become Money “ Money. Whether you have a lot, a little, or just enough to get by, most of us would like to increase our financial resources. You can do that through working hard and saving every penny or you can think outside of the box, ask questions and create the multiple revenue streams that would allow you to increase your money with less effort and more ease.

Revenue 190

Revenue Cofounder Portfolio Leadership 190

The Next Web

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

It’s no secret that venture investors hear a lot of pitches. In fact, it is not uncommon for us to see several thousand a year and invest in less than one percent of the startups making them. As you might imagine, we say no — a lot. You may have heard other investors comment that saying no is one of the hardest parts of the job and it’s true. It often seems as though I have to tell great founders with great ideas “no” when I wish I didn’t have to.

Web 120

Web Founder Startup Entrepreneur 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

It seems like everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and get rich these days. As a business mentor, I sometimes feel besieged by people begging for my view and support of their latest idea. In reality, I like most ideas, but I have to tell them that the real challenge is taking the inspiration from a dream to a business reality. All the evidence says that over 99% fail to make that leap.

Non-disclosure Agreement 141

Non-disclosure Agreement Elevator Pitch NDA LLC 141

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Mark Cuban had a great line a few weeks ago at the interview I did with him and Charlie Ergen at Denver Startup Week. He said: “I like to invest in people who reduce stress and avoid people who increase stress.” As I was dealing with something yesterday, this reappeared in my brain but slightly modified. “I like to be the person who reduces stress and avoid people who increase stress.” My world is filled with people who increase stress.

Denver 117

Denver Founder Startup Management 117

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

by Patricia Reed, mentor at Female Founders. Recent revelations on the alleged abuses of Harvey Weinstein and other powerful Hollywood figures have pushed the pitfalls of organizational culture into the limelight. Company culture is a key factor in the talent selection process and plays an important part in the success and growth of major firms; but is ‘culture fit’ really the right answer to diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

Framework 184

Framework Government Retention Hiring 184

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Competence is understood by everyone as being critical to professional achievement, success in the workplace, and even personal satisfaction. However, competence can only take you so far if you lack confidence. Unfortunately, confidence is lacking in very many perfectly capable leaders. Building your confidence doesn’t need a complete overhaul of your personality.

Matching 106

Matching Leadership Partner Networking 106

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

If you are one of the many professionals still trapped between jobs by circumstances outside your control, or are about to dump the loser job you have now, you should be actively defining and starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Let me explain why this is a win-win deal, no matter what the outcome. You have probably secretly always wanted to run your own show, but with an existing job, never took the time to consider a startup.

LLC 141

LLC Social Network Naming Search 141

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

The science fiction of the last 30 years is rapidly becoming reality as technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence are becoming more real and present with each passing day. While my jetpack still seems ponderously far away and cars are becoming self-driving instead of flying, we are making progress. In medicine, progress is methodical and incremental.

Artificial Inteligence 99

Artificial Inteligence Seattle Engineer Technology 99

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

by Christine Correia, Audiobooks.com. Are you brimming with bright ideas, but unsure of how to proceed next? You are not alone. Often times, entrepreneurs excel at innovation and creativity, but fall short on leadership and organizational skills. Below you will find a list of stories about successful entrepreneurs and the techniques they have used to manage people and develop successful business plans.

Jordan 162

Jordan New York City Green United States 162

YFS Magazine

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

When you write cold emails with the intention of getting a response, you are helping your future email deliverability. Here's how to get started.

Email 117

Email Sales Marketing 117

Eric Friedman

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

(A huge thanks to my friend and the founder and CEO of Andie – Melanie Travis who prompted me to finally write up my thoughts on this topic and was nice enough to let me guest post. – this something I have been only talking to people about over the years, and excited to share publicly below.). I talk to a lot of folks at interesting crossroads in their careers and many times the topic of getting an MBA comes up.

Cofounder 97

Cofounder Programming Networking Framework 97

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

Yesterday, I wrote about the upcoming CO Impact Days. In it, I pointed to a Medium post titled Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break , which turns out to be the Zebra Manifesto. Per the manifesto, a Zebra (unlike Unicorns) are real: Zebra companies are both black and white: they are profitable and improve society. They won’t sacrifice one for the other. Zebras are also mutualistic: by banding together in groups, they protect and preserve one another.

Portland 87

Portland Cofounder Community Founder 87

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Starting your own business as a student is a challenging experience. But university years are the best time for young people to build a startup. They have free research facilities, mentorship, and easy-to-reach customers. If you’re reading this article, you probably have an idea you’ve been thinking about for some time. Entrepreneurship may seem a tricky thing to do.

Startup 160

Startup Social Media Forecast Early Stage 160

YFS Magazine

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

As a small business owner, you’re often told to hire someone to manage your finances, but you’re rarely given advice to make sure you hire the right person.

Small Business 106

Small Business Hiring Finance Management 106

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Do home-based employees work with the same dedication and productivity as those in office cubicles next to each other? That depends upon the management as much as the employee. I have a friend who is a. CEO of a recruiting firm who “virtualized” her company after a decade of maintaining a fixed office location. She organizes morning conference calls, has each employee tweet the others in their department when starting work and ending the day, creates the feel of closeness with employee contest

Social Network 97

Social Network Employee Email Revenue 97

OnlyOnce

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

We were excited to close the sale of our Consumer Insights business last week to Edison, as I blogged about last week on the Return Path blog. But it brought back to mind the great Yogi Berra quote that “it ain’t over ’til it’s over.” We’ve done lots of deals over our 18 year existence. Something like 12 or 13 acquisitions and 5 spin-offs or divestitures.

Due Diligence 87

Due Diligence Acquisition Finance Equity 87

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

Online networking has become an integral part of career growth in the modern world. Regardless of your age or your position, there are benefits to online networking that are too great to be ignored. You can make contacts and keep in touch with individuals who can help you both maintain and grow your career. In the end, it is still about who you know, and online networking lets you make valuable connections in ways that were either not possible, or not as accessible before networking went online.

Networking 150

Networking Security Hiring Management 150

YFS Magazine

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Here’s how my team both examined and experimented with digital media industry trends to yield better insights and innovation.

Marketing 107

Marketing Media Sales 107

SiliconHills

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

By LAURA LOREK Publisher of Silicon Hills News Being a woman in the technology industry is not easy. The technology industry is male-dominated at all levels and the pay disparity can reach 50 percent for women, compared to the salary for men in similar jobs, said Lauren Hasson, founder of Develop(Her). “I decided to own […]. The post InnoTech Austin’s Women in Technology Summit Focuses on Ways to Handle a Male Dominated Tech Industry appeared first on SiliconHills.

Technology 87

Technology Salary Austin Founder 87

Feld Thoughts

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

The audiobook version of Startup Opportunities: Know When To Quit Your Day Job is now available on Audible. Unlike the Audible version of Venture Deals , this one was read by Stephen Hoye. If you like audiobooks, grab a copy , give it a listen, and tell me what you think. The post Startup Opportunities Available on Audible appeared first on Feld Thoughts.

Startup 73

Startup 73

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

by Eric Fishman, MD aka Dr. MONQ. The holiday season can be a wonderful time to spend with friends and family. However, for many, it is a period of high stress and anxiety. . Here are some suggestions on 5 top ways to reduce holiday stress: 1. Forest Bathing. Forest bathing has been promoted since 1982, and it encompasses the concept of spending time in wooded areas and ‘bathing’ all the senses.

Developer 147

Developer Product 147

Hearpreneur

NOVEMBER 12, 2017

André Gide wrote that,”Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” Quotes are an important part of motivation, though many of them are repeats of another turn of phrase. Business owners are particularly partial to famous quotations. Reading a motivational speech from a business legend or famous creative mind can give you a spark.

Entrepreneur 77

Entrepreneur Venture Capital Cofounder Jordan 77

SiliconHills

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Virtual agents, virtual assistants, bots, and other automated technologies are supercharging workforces, said Doug Reeder, innovation leader at NTT DATA Services. These technologies easily execute tasks that are mundane and repetitive, Reeder said. “They allow people to do less of the mundane things,” he said. Reeder delivered the keynote address Thursday morning at the InnoTech […].

Technology 78

Technology Austin 78

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

Buying an e-commerce store for the first time is an exciting time. It’ll give you the chance to own an e-commerce business that’s already established and has a small client base for you to work with. However, buying an e-commerce store alone won’t guarantee that it’s a success, as you’ll need to build on that foundation to help it grow in the future.

Software 69

Software Marketing Management Cost 69