YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

by Jason O’Brien, Chief Operating Officer of TollFreeForwarding.com. No matter what stage your business is currently at, it can cause significant difficulties when employees move on to find new employment. The time and energy it takes to look for new recruits, the loss of productivity whilst new staff learn the ropes – not to mention the financial repercussions, which can often run into the tens of thousands – are all going to have a drain on your business.

Technical Review 156

Technical Review Retention Employee Technical Support 156

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

Entrepreneurs who experience success with their first startup are often amazed to realize that the risks and fears of doing it right the second time go up, rather than down. Encores are tough, especially in the high-risk world of startups, yet every entrepreneur I know can’t wait to start over and do it again. Sometimes their haste or ego causes them to ignore basics, and they fall hard.

Technical Review 217

Technical Review Due Diligence Business Model Demand 217

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

How can you market your startup more effectively? Offering a free trial of your product or service in exchange for a review on a well-trafficked blog is one creative way. In a recent article, Palo Alto Software founder Tim Berry equates startup marketing to throwing darts at a dartboard. While existing companies can get away with throwing their “marketing darts” a little aimlessly, a startup has to be more careful and precise.

Marketing 113

Marketing Social Media Startup PR 113

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

The Blockchain is such an innovative and fundamentally transformative technology, but Bitcoin and Blockchain apps have not yet scaled as much as I would have liked. This slow traction is likely due to two things. First, Bitcoin startups that focus on commerce/payment solutions in North America are competing with existing products with strong network effects.

North America 108

North America Technical Review America Green 108

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

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

It is a shame to see the fact that most site owners do not actually understand much about mobile websites and about the importance of having a site that is perfectly optimized for mobile browsing. This is due to the fact that many site owners do not have much knowledge about webs development. It is normal. After all, it is why people tend to hire other professionals to get the work done for them.

Mobile 149

Mobile Web Development Web Design 149

crowdSPRING Blog

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

Jack Anderson was a student at Dodge College when he made this video for his student thesis project. Clearly talent and hard work went into the project and it paid off with awards from major festivals and competitions, including recognition as a finalist in the 2015 Student Academy Awards, a finalist in the 2015 Student BAFTA Film Awards, and winning the Best Student Film honors at the Nashville Film Festival!

Small Business 81

Small Business Design Social Media Nashville 81

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

The NextView podcast Traction explores all the clever, creative, and atypical things entrepreneurs do to make initial progress against the odds. If startups should do things that “don’t scale,” then this podcast asks a simple question: What ARE those things? Past episodes include stories from founders of LinkedIn , DraftKings , General Assembly , The Muse , Behance , InsightSquared , and more.

Silicon Valley 259

Silicon Valley Cofounder Software Founder 259

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

by Tony Campbell, founder and managing partner at WhichVoIP.com. Setting up your own business involves a lot of start-up costs, many of which you may not have even been aware of when you first launched. If you go into business without fully preparing for these costs, you may find that they take you by surprise, which can cause you unexpected problems.

Small Business 147

Small Business Technical Review Software Review Cost 147

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

In the last year, as I built the model for SAP Nation, I have had conversations with several cloud vendors and shared my view that outsourcers/SIs from the on-premise world are looking for new parking places for their massive workforces.

Cloud 249

Cloud Conversion Offshore 249

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

What is eBay and how does it work? eBay is an online shopping and auction website that allows people to buy and sell used or new products, either as a business, or as way to clear out clutter and make a bit of extra cash doing so. While the site is free to use, eBay does charge a per-item insertion fee and a final value fee, as well as fees for any additional but optional features used.

Limited Liability Company 105

Limited Liability Company Stock LLC eCommerce 105

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

Too many people, young and older, let their career and their lifestyle happen to them, rather than proactively making things happen based on their personal passions, skills, and interests. Others make decisions based on someone else’s interests, such as the father who wants his son to take over the family business, or dreams openly of having a doctor in the family.

North Carolina 230

North Carolina Entrepreneur Finder Matching 230

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

by Daniel Evans , founder and CEO of Garbshare. When I was in high school, our football coach told us about the three F’s of life: “Faith, family, and football — and not necessarily in that order.” In those days, it was just a funny phrase that was good for a laugh, but today, it serves as a reminder of how phrases stick with you. While telling a few friends about my old coach, I came up with an updated version of the three F’s for the startup world: “Focus, fire, and fortitude — and not neces

St. Louis 160

St. Louis Startup Cofounder Founder 160

Brandanew

SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

Inane selfies, lame memes, ridiculous games, unverified yet incendiary political as well as religious propaganda, photographs of breakfast, lunch and dinner, it goes on. Social networks today are full of things that arguably add nothing towards any cerebral cause. In their contemplative moments, many people do ask: is social media making us stupid? We spend over 20 minutes globally on an average purely on Facebook , where’s it taking the next generations?

Social Media 203

Social Media Media Maryland Internet 203

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

I tend to gloss over most press releases where vendors announce new customers, but have been noticing several industry trends. Unit4 is starting to show momentum in the N. American local government market – several recent wins. It mirrors their.

Vertical 199

Vertical Government Customer Marketing 199

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

Business dreams are fun, but they don’t change the world or make you any money if you can’t turn them into a reality. Many aspiring entrepreneurs are stuck in the idea stage, and only a few have the discipline and the insight to move on to the execution phase. There is no magic formula for building a good business, but I’ve seen enough successful ventures to pick out some common elements.

Due Diligence 219

Due Diligence Seed Stage Angel Investor Entrepreneur 219

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

Have you ever called a company’s call center to get assistance with a product, make a reservation, or get information, only to be put on hold, and then been so frustrated you move on to another company? A Company with Callback Technology… It happened to me recently with a major computer company, where the mechanical voice said, “due to customer calls, your wait will be approximately 15 minutes.”.

Technical Review 135

Technical Review Technology Customer Differentiation 135

Brandanew

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

Branding is immensely important for any business. Among aspects such as instant recognition, it can truly tilt the consumer decision firmly in favor of a product. This is a complex topic that combines elements of consumer psychology with the tenets of marketing. In trying to invest in the branding for your Startup and small business, let us help you answer, how does branding impact consumer purchase decisions!

Small Business 175

Small Business Developer Product Media 175

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

Fellow Enterprise Irregular, Mark Crofton alerted me to opportunities for young professionals who may be interested in starting or building their career in Sales or Presales at SAP. The Sales program (which Mark leads globally) is an 8 month program.

Global 197

Global Programming Sales Software 197

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

One of the realities of being an entrepreneur is that you have to keep learning and changing to survive. Everyone on the startup team knows there is no buffer, and no personal isolation from impact based on your job description that can save you. Thus everyone has to make sure they are focusing on what is important, and making leadership decisions to save the business.

Entrepreneur 218

Entrepreneur Leadership Customer Employee 218

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

by Varda Meyers Epstein. You’ve created a great piece of content for your company blog, added compelling images every three paragraphs or so, and have a perfect Yoast plug-in score (oh how those little green dots thrill the soul). Now what? Time to share the piece on social media, of course. As chief blogger at the Kars4Kids educational blog for parents, I generally spend three hours researching and writing my pieces and another 45 minutes to an hour sharing them here, there, and everywher

Social Media 174

Social Media Community Green Media 174

Venture Chronicles

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

VW has been embroiled in a massive controversy. Here is the summary: VW has been marketing “clean diesel” technology on the basis of being environmentally friendly while also being fun to drive. Independent testing done by West Virginia University revealed that VW diesel cars were not in fact clean when compared to competitors, and exceeded EPA regulations governing emissions.

West Virginia 37

West Virginia Virginia Technical Review Global 37

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

Gartner has been talking about "postmodern ERP" for a couple of years now: "Businesses looking to improve administration today can take advantage of lower costs, better functional fit and process flexibility offered by blending cloud applications with on-premises applications in.

Cloud 188

Cloud Cost Software 188

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

As a startup advisor, when I suggest cooperating with competitors, most entrepreneurs initially think I'm crazy or suggesting something illegal. But trust me, I’m not talking about anything sinister here, just a concept known in smart business circles as "coopetition," recognized as one of the best and fastest ways to grow a company. And growth is the lifeblood of every startup.

Non-disclosure Agreement 210

Non-disclosure Agreement Intellectual Property Non-Compete Startup 210

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

by Kevin Xu , CEO of MEBO International. For many, becoming an entrepreneur represents the chance to not only break free from becoming a corporate drone, but also to become significant. It’s a chance to make a mark on the world and to be “somebody” rather than just “something.”. However, what often gets overlooked in the constant hustle and bustle of being a successful entrepreneur is that becoming significant and making your mark can be accomplished through philanthropy as well.

Intellectual Property 169

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Curation California 169

Brandanew

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

How do we learn about our early ancestors, the early Homo Sapiens, who were yet to develop writing skills? Yes, the most vivid evidence of their times are the cave paintings they left behind. The earlier known cave paintings are thousands of years old and they tell the story of those societies, how they lived, hunted or gathered. We are a species that has been telling stories from the very start.

Audience 162

Audience Developer Small Business Customer 162

deal architect

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

As with previous books, I have been excerpting 10% of the contents. You can buy the book at several stores (online in paperback at CreateSpace and ebook at Amazon). 2.0 looks at the prospects of S/4HANA which SAP launched in.

Customer 163

Customer 163

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

Three weeks ago, Mardy Fish wrote an amazing article on The Players’ Tribute site titled The Weight. I stopped halfway through the article and took a deep breath. “This is a story about how a mental health problem took my job away from me. And about how, three years later, I am doing that job again — and doing it well. I am playing in the U.S.

Asia 135

Asia Matching Restful Conversion 135

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

When it comes to a recession-proof business in these continued tough economic times it doesn’t come much better than the auto repair business. Americans just cannot manage without their automobiles. As long as this remains the case, there will always be a need for auto repair businesses to help fix mechanical issues that inevitably happen over the period of car ownership.

.Net 164

.Net Reputation Government Operations 164

Brandanew

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

Each social platform has its own little quirks. Today, we’ll focus on Twitter- which many professionals use for industry related updates and gaining a strong loyal community following. It does come with its own difficulties though. Standing out and reaching your target audience may become a herculean task in itself – apart from engagement.

Social Media 160

Social Media Audience Media Community 160

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

This post originally appeared on the Crew blog. There’s a lot of stories of freelancing success out there and to most people looking from the outside I could be one of them too. I’m not going to shy away from the facts here. I’m going to be brutally honest. I’m not gloating. I’ve screwed up more than most. This is simply my story. I’m not shaming the freelance lifestyle, and I’m not saying ‘everyone should build something bigger’.

Web 131

Web Entrepreneur 131

The Equity Kicker

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

There were two articles on my Twitter list today about the mindset of good investors. The first was a Techrunch article explicitly about bias in VC decision making. They identified six cognitive biases investors suffer from (similarity bias, local bias, anchoring, information overload, and gender bias) and offer some tips for making bias free decisions.

Saudi Arabia 131

Saudi Arabia Iraq Forecast Internet 131

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

For any business, one of the greatest fears is the dreaded online customer review. In fact, studies show that such reviews have a direct correlation with purchase intent – a positive review can boost purchase intent by 10% among potential customers while negative reviews lower intent by 11%, which goes to show that online customer reviews can impact the bottomline.

Social Media 152

Social Media Media Small Business Conversion 152

Brandanew

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

Many businesses have tried running contests and quizzes on their social profiles, and most of them failed miserably. The reason? Launching a contest isn’t all that challenging, but targeting the right audience, keeping things fun and simple most definitely can be hard. You need to plan ahead , gauge all your options and only then go online. Use this tips and brands to inspire your next social contest!

Costa Rica 152

Costa Rica Social Media United States Viral 152

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

Jason Zook (née Sadler) makes a living writing books, designing Web products and attending speaking engagements, but you might know him best as the man who sold his last name as a billboard. Owner of IWearYourShirt.com, Zook originally began his project by getting companies to pay him to wear their T-shirts while he records UStream or YouTube videos, or engage with his thousands of social media followers.

Naming 131

Naming Social Media Campaign Web 131

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

Last Tuesday, while I was enjoying a week off the grid, AvidXchange announced they had raised a $225 million financing led by Bain Capital Ventures. I’m psyched to be joining the board of a company co-founded and run by Mike Praeger, a friend of mine for over 20 years. It was big news in Charlotte, North Carolina where AvidXchange announced the groundbreaking on a new headquarters complex in the N.C.

North Carolina 126

North Carolina Finance Charlotte Advisory Board 126

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

by Andrew Armstrong. It is important to understand that as a technology startup, having a strong supply chain strategy in place can help an organization reduce costs and reduce certain risks. The ability to manage the various aspects of the supply chain, from development, manufacturing, inventory and logistics are critical to achieve success. This is especially important to startup hardware technology firms as the connections made early on in the supply chain process become increasingly importan

Technology 151

Technology Los Angeles San Francisco Startup 151