Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

Thankfully, most mistakes won’t be as spectacular as the America Online merger with Time Warner for $350 billion, back in 2000, engineered by then superstar entrepreneurs Stephen M. These questions should all be contemplated and understood by every entrepreneur and startup founder, starting on day one of their quest. Case and Gerald M.

Leadership 265

Leadership Founder Startup Merger 265

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2022

These are the stereotypical left-brain engineers. Engineering creativity, like innovate low-cost solutions, needs to be combined with marketing creativity, like viral social media campaigns, to build a sustainable competitive advantage today. Creativity is the key word here. Keep it simple and focused.

Engineer 343

Engineer Viral Cofounder Social Media 343

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Thus the top priority of every entrepreneur who wants funding should be to build and highlight their “dream team” of co-founders, executives and advisers, to attract the biggest and best investors. Fundable entrepreneurs have to feel comfortable talking and listening to engineers, financial people, marketing and especially customers.

Sweat Equity 152

Sweat Equity Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Software Review 152

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 1, 2022

To check out the Google founders, and because I still see so many business plans that are modeled after Google (more search engines, and more billion dollar growth models), I had to take a look at the classic book about them a while back, called “ Inside Larry & Sergey’s Brain ,” by Richard L. They’re ruthless businessmen.

Startup 328

Startup .Net Advertising Search 328

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Of course, their answer is that the second intends to get to market faster, but every engine has limits regardless the fuel applied. This could equate to two technical founders (with a minimal salary), funding two developers for a year. Social media is not rocket science. The timing of cash flow is everything.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2022

CEO brought in to replace the founder, 5 - 10% CTO, CFO, VP of Marketing or Sales, 1.5 - 3% Chief Engineer or Architect, 1 - 1.5% Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% 7% Product Manager,2 -.3% 3% If you are not on this list, just worry about getting whatever your peers are getting.

Stock Options 343

Stock Options Advisory Board Stock Startup 343

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site.

New York City 202

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 202

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

He and Bill Lowe somehow managed to convince then CEO Frank Cary to give them a dozen engineers, a small budget, and a few months, to set up a small skunk-works called Entry Level Systems in Boca Raton, Florida, to develop a low-cost personal computer (code name “ Acorn ”). Here are a few PC-related examples: CPU speed was 4.77 mHz, now 3.0

Software Review 185

Software Review Startup Florida Technical Review 185

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2010

Remember that up to this point, the investor has primarily seen and talked to the founder and CEO, and studied written documents. Technical due diligence typically starts with a full one or two day review with the engineering and product marketing staff. Tags: entrepreneur investor due diligence founder business. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 225

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Private Equity 225

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

That’s why I recommend that they find a co-founder who loves business challenges, including marketing and finance. I usually envision a 50-50 ownership split for their efforts, but every engineer believes the technology side deserves the majority share. Most founders bootstrap product development.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2014

Now the real work begins – promotion, marketing, blogging, and all types of search engine marketing. The net is that if I see a website business plan today with a projected development cost greater than $200K, I suspect the founder must be including some fancy perks, or they don’t understand the market dynamics of website applications today.

Startup 252

Startup eCommerce Hosting Bootstrapping 252

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Remember that up to this point, the investor has primarily seen and talked to the founder and CEO, and studied written documents. Technical due diligence typically starts with a full one or two day review with the engineering and product marketing staff. Product or service readiness.

Technical Review 237

Technical Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property Private Equity 237

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2023

I’m not proposing that anyone promise things that they don’t intend to deliver, but it’s time that founders switch to start selling their product before they build it, rather than believing the old adage of “if we build it, they will come.” Craft and hone your elevator pitch early.

Elevator Pitch 315

Elevator Pitch Public Relations Social Media Startup 315

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2014

Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site.

New York City 254

New York City Silicon Valley Bootstrapping Technical Review 254

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Now the real work begins – promotion, marketing, blogging, and all types of search engine marketing. The net is that if I see a website business plan today with a projected development cost greater than $200K, I suspect the founder must be including some fancy perks, or they don’t understand the market dynamics of e-commerce today.

Hosting 248

Hosting Bootstrapping .Net Social Network 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2013

Now the real work begins – promotion, marketing, blogging, and all types of search engine marketing. The net is that if I see a website business plan today with a projected development cost greater than $200K, I suspect the founder must be including some fancy perks, or they don’t understand the market dynamics of e-commerce today.

eCommerce 196

eCommerce Hosting Bootstrapping .Net 196

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2021

As a member of an angel investment group for years, I’m sometimes surprised to see founders with a good technical business case get rejected for funding, while others seem to have a hidden quality that gives them credibility to be fundable despite some missing elements. Draw people into your story to make them insiders.

Entrepreneur 436

Entrepreneur Engineer Search Video 436

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2016

You have tried all the popular initiatives and quick-fix remedies, including social media, search engine optimization, and content marketing. You never have the time and resources for International expansion, acquisitions, venture capital investors, or going public. Conventional strategies don’t seem to work for you.

Founder 120

Founder Venture Capital Social Media Acquisition 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. Stealth mode normally means no time for search engine optimization prior to product launch, not to mention relevant blogging activity, and link building.

Stealth 263

Stealth Marketing Startup Early Stage 263

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2015

For example, hydrogen-fueled engines were invented over a century ago, with a continuing promise of breathing air and exhaling pure water vapor and having over 200 companies active in the hydrogen sector today. In addition, every solution has to fit into the current political, cultural and economic environment to make it a viable business.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Product Curation Technology 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2021

In fact, you need to have at least a prototype web site published several weeks before you expect anyone to find yours, since it takes that amount of time for the web search engine “spiders” to find you and index your content. Finalizing the web site validates your product plan and sales strategy.

Web 349

Web Viral Naming Internet 349

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 17, 2019

These are the stereotypical left-brain engineers. Engineering creativity, like innovate low-cost solutions, needs to be combined with marketing creativity, like viral social media campaigns, to build a sustainable competitive advantage today. Creativity is the key word here. Keep it simple and focused.

Entrepreneur 240

Entrepreneur Engineer Viral Cofounder 240

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

Yet, I find that startup founders often fixate on one or two sources, often to the detriment of their business. Exchanging equity for services is worth negotiating with legal counsel, accountants, engineers, and even sales people. An example would be getting free office space by agreeing to be the property manager for the owner.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2016

Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go: All the co-founders are first-time entrepreneurs. On the Internet, I am wary of one more search engine provider, clones of existing social-media sites, and yet another new dating site.

New York City 120

New York City Silicon Valley Startup Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2022

Thankfully, most mistakes won’t be as spectacular as the America Online merger with Time Warner for $350 billion, back in 2000, engineered by then superstar entrepreneurs Stephen M. These questions should all be contemplated and understood by every entrepreneur and startup founder, starting on day one of their quest. Case and Gerald M.

Management 297

Management Merger Leadership Affiliate 297

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 24, 2019

To check out the Google founders, and because I still see so many business plans that are modeled after Google (more search engines, and more billion dollar growth models), I had to take a look at the classic book about them a while back, called “ Inside Larry & Sergey’s Brain ,” by Richard L. They’re ruthless businessmen.

Startup 247

Startup .Net Advertising Search 247

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2020

It’s still popular these days for startup founders to operate in stealth mode, meaning no details about the idea or progress are shared with anyone until the big reveal and rollout. Stealth mode normally means no time for search engine optimization prior to product launch, not to mention relevant blogging activity, and link building.

Stealth 436

Stealth Early Stage Social Media Web 436

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Now the real work begins – promotion, marketing, blogging, and all types of search engine marketing. The net is that if I see a website business plan today with a projected development cost greater than $200K, I suspect the founder must be including some fancy perks, or they don’t understand the market dynamics of e-commerce today.

Cost 220

Cost Startup Hosting Bootstrapping 220

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 11, 2022

The hard part is providing the leadership required to align and motivate all the constituents and players – from engineers, to investors, vendors, and ultimately customers. In building successful businesses, I find that creating a new and innovative product or service is usually the easy part.

Leadership 286

Leadership Framework Matching Entrepreneur 286

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2016

Remember that investors at this stage have heard primarily from the founder, and only reviewed written business plans and collateral. This element is usually called technical due diligence and typically consists of a day with your engineering and marketing team led by internal team leaders. Solution readiness and quality.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Cap Table Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

CEO brought in to replace the founder, 5 - 10% CTO, CFO, VP of Marketing or Sales, 1.5 - 3% Chief Engineer or Architect, 1 - 1.5% Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% 7% Product Manager,2 -.3% 3% If you are not on this list, just worry about getting whatever your peers are getting.

Equity 237

Equity Stock Options Advisory Board Stock 237

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2020

I’m not proposing that anyone promise things that they don’t intend to deliver, but it’s time that founders switch to start selling their product before they build it, rather than believing the old adage of “if we build it, they will come.” Craft and hone your elevator pitch early.

Elevator Pitch 312

Elevator Pitch Public Relations Marketing Social Media 312

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2011

Yet, I find that startup founders often fixate on one or two sources, often to the detriment of their business. Exchanging equity for services is worth negotiating with legal counsel, accountants, engineers, and even sales people. An example would be getting free office space by agreeing to be the property manager for the owner.

Technical Review 233

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 233

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2020

Elon Musk , for example, admits to reading up to two books per day in various disciplines, including physics, engineering, product design, business, technology, and energy, to give him insights on new solutions and new opportunities, despite his large portfolio already. Be forever curious and optimistic.

Artificial Inteligence 336

Artificial Inteligence Startup Cofounder Framework 336

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

To check out the Google founders, and because I still see so many business plans that are modeled after Google (more search engines, and more billion dollar growth models), I had to take a look at the definitive book about them, called “ Inside Larry & Sergey’s Brain ,” by Richard L. In 2003, just four years old, sales hit $1.5

Entrepreneur 232

Entrepreneur .Net Founder Advertising 232

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 13, 2021

Yahoo has been an example of a company which expanded in all directions through 53 acquisitions, to the point where most customers were confused, and it was overtaken by Google as your main search engine. Make sure your vision is clear and communicated. Obsessive sales – must meet revenue goals.

Dilution 334

Dilution Metrics Acquisition Revenue 334

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2017

CEO brought in to replace the founder, 5 - 10% CTO, CFO, VP of Marketing or Sales, 1.5 - 3% Chief Engineer or Architect, 1 - 1.5% Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% 7% Product Manager,2 -.3% 3% If you are not on this list, just worry about getting whatever your peers are getting.

Stock 140

Stock Stock Options Advisory Board Startup 140