Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2014

These days, it is almost impossible to find a small business where everything is done at the home location, by full-time employees. These approaches allow your startup to grow more rapidly, save costs, but costly mistakes can lead to business failure. business Chris Ducker entrepreneur mistakes outsourcing startup'

Entrepreneur 231

Entrepreneur Philippines Bandwidth Cofounder 231

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

These days, it is almost impossible to find a small business where everything is done by full-time employees, in the office or at home. These approaches allow your startup to grow more rapidly, save costs, but costly mistakes can lead to business failure. As with real estate, it’s still about location, location, location.

Cost 346

Cost Philippines Bandwidth Cofounder 346

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Most small businesses have now forgotten the recent pandemic, and are back to “business as usual.” They don’t realize that business as usual is gone forever. Entrepreneurs that are not listening, not engaging, and not changing are destined to be left behind even in the best of times.

Agile 379

Agile Technical Review Leadership Social Media 379

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 5, 2014

Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. Marketing ,” which provides some pragmatic marketing tips for small businesses as follows: Don’t tell customers how great you are. entrepreneurs need to focus more on who they are marketing to and why. Marty Zwilling.

Technical Review 259

Technical Review Technology Entrepreneur Marketing 259

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 23, 2013

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. In fact, most of the rich entrepreneurs you know actively turned away early equity proposals. Need to spread the risk.

Bootstrapping 252

Bootstrapping Sweat Equity Entrepreneur Technical Review 252

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 6, 2017

Could you survive and flourish as an entrepreneur, or should you be satisfied working for someone else? That’s a question I get every day in my role as an advisor to business professionals, and it’s a good one to ask. Success in business, as in life, is about turning pain into satisfaction and happiness. They cannot move.

Entrepreneur 147

Entrepreneur Dividend Technical Review Small Business 147

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

According to most definitions, an entrepreneur is one who envisions a new and different business, meaning one that is not a copy of an existing business model. Many entrepreneurs have a passion and an idea, or even invent a new product, but are never able to execute to the point of creating a startup.

Matching 270

Matching Entrepreneur Startup Seed Stage 270

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Until the recession a decade ago, market research indicated that as many as 90 percent of the roughly 20 million American small business owners were motivated more by lifestyle than growth and money. Being called a lifestyle entrepreneur should be a point of pride, not an insult. According to William R. Cobb and M.

Entrepreneur 371

Entrepreneur Equity Dilution LLC 371

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

There is so much written these days about how to attract investors that most entrepreneurs “assume” they need funding, and don’t even consider a plan for “bootstrapping,” or self-financing their startup. In fact, most of the rich entrepreneurs you know actively turned away early equity proposals. Need to spread the risk.

Sweat Equity 255

Sweat Equity Technical Review Entrepreneur Bootstrapping 255

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

As an advisor and mentor for many startups and small business founders, following my initial career in big business, I realize that the key strategies to achieve success in small businesses are often different from those that make larger businesses successful.

Small Business 173

Small Business Finance Sales Matching 173

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2023

This point was highlighted well in the classic book, “ Disrupting Digital Business ,” by R “Ray” Wang, CEO and Principal Analyst of Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research. Of course, it can also be a negative force multiplier, if you are not paying attention as an entrepreneur, or choose to challenge your customer’s view of reality.

Silicon Valley 265

Silicon Valley Flash Social Media Software Review 265

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 16, 2011

I often get asked the age-old question (by men) of “Who are the best entrepreneurs, men or women?” According to the Center for Women’s Business Research , only one in five firms with revenue of $1 million or more is woman-owned, but the number of female-owned firms is growing twice as fast as all businesses.

Entrepreneur 244

Entrepreneur Technical Review Revenue Finance 244

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2022

Yet I see many technology entrepreneurs that focus on the basics of marketing too little and too late. Marketing ,” which provides some pragmatic marketing tips for small businesses as follows: Don’t tell customers how great you are. entrepreneurs need to focus more on who they are marketing to and why.

Marketing 353

Marketing Technical Review Social Media Technology 353

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2021

Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). Here again, the entrepreneur will be the one hurt most, by having fewer funding sources to access.

Angel Investor 361

Angel Investor Accredited Investor IRR Angel Groups 361

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2021

In the last few years, I’ve heard more and more about a new type of small business, called a “micro-business” (or micro-enterprise). These businesses are usually run out of the home, and cover the gamut from consulting services to e-commerce. Find free stuff. Be creative. Write down agreements.

Entrepreneur 304

Entrepreneur United States Dilution .Net 304

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2013

These instincts kill you in a small company, where requiring more resources is a negative. This is one of the harder transitions for people joining small businesses. Small-company heroes are consistently self-reliant. These conditions don't apply in a small business. Small companies can face them daily.

Early Stage 264

Early Stage Entrepreneur Technical Review .Net 264

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2021

Based on my experience advising new entrepreneurs as well as more mature businesses, I recommend the following strategies for building business momentum, while still optimizing the limited resources of every small business: Find more customers that like what you do best. Focus on the mainstream customer majority.

Technical Review 400

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Advisory Board Cofounder 400

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 13, 2011

Every entrepreneur is flooded with information from all directions, but despite their best efforts to absorb it, they likely miss the information really needed to start a business. In the past century, curators for business information were specialized news magazines like Forbes and Inc., Lessons Learned , by Eric Ries.

Curation 230

Curation Technical Review Entrepreneur Cofounder 230

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2020

In my experience with entrepreneurs, there seems to a wealth of self-proclaimed “idea people” who aspire to start businesses, but only a few who are willing and able to dig in and get the job done. All the great ideas in the world won’t make a business, if the ideas never get implemented. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 307

Entrepreneur Cofounder Term Sheet Acquisition 307

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 1, 2020

Most small businesses have now forgotten the last recession, and are back to “business as usual.” They don’t realize that business as usual is gone forever. Entrepreneurs that are not listening, not engaging, and not changing are destined to be left behind even in the best of times.

Agile 315

Agile Technical Review Leadership Social Media 315

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 4, 2023

Winning entrepreneurs have long since supplemented conventional print and video “push” marketing with digital online interactive “pull” marketing, and a while back added social-local-mobile ( SoLoMo ) to the mix. Mobile and global are driving all of these in innovative new ways to grow your business.

Global 267

Global Marketing Technical Review Mobile 267

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2023

Small business growth over the past three years has been phenomenal. New and old entrepreneurs submitted over five million startup business applications in 2021 and again in 2022, making these the most popular years on record , according to data released by the U.S. More jobs are now available than people to fill them.

Non-Compete 282

Non-Compete France Japan Technical Review 282

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2014

Sponsored by VISA Business With all the new technology available today for video conferencing, interactive social media, and webinars, you may think that travel is no longer a requirement for starting a small business. Yet I still see business plans and funding plans for startups that have minimal or no allocation for travel.

Small Business 251

Small Business Advisory Board Silicon Valley Boston 251

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2014

Sponsored by VISA Business Running a small business as an entrepreneur is a never-ending challenge of new products, customers, competitors, and an unpredictable economy. Too many entrepreneurs never find the time to reflect on the positives of their lifestyle, or even take a break. High level of excitement.

Small Business 231

Small Business Restful Salary Entrepreneur 231

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2020

Winning entrepreneurs have long since supplemented conventional print and video “push” marketing with digital online interactive “pull” marketing, and a while back added social-local-mobile ( SoLoMo ) to the mix. Mobile and global are driving all of these in innovative new ways to grow your business.

Mobile 434

Mobile Marketing Technical Review Differentiation 434

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2014

The advisor helps the entrepreneur fill an experience gap, and a coach helps fill a skill gap. Most entrepreneurs have lots of ideas. A good mentor will have some knowledge and some perspective on almost every business subject, which compounds their effectiveness. Entrepreneurs tend to be driven by the crisis of the moment.

Small Business 261

Small Business Founder Exit Strategy Matching 261

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 1, 2020

This point was highlighted well in the classic book, “ Disrupting Digital Business ,” by R “Ray” Wang, CEO and Principal Analyst of Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research. Of course, it can also be a negative force multiplier, if you are not paying attention as an entrepreneur, or choose to challenge your customer’s view of reality.

Silicon Valley 312

Silicon Valley Flash Social Media Software Review 312

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Outside of dreams, there is no real business opportunity without risk. Serious entrepreneurs know that, but too many “wannabes” still fall for that elusive get-rich-quick scheme with no risk. As an active angel investor, I still hear entrepreneurs asserting large opportunities with minimal risk and no competition.

Entrepreneur 267

Entrepreneur Burn Rate Angel Investor Operations 267

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

The realm of an entrepreneur is all about change, but in my experience as a mentor to business founders, I hear too much about incremental change, and not enough about revolutionary change. Today every small business can look big, via a modern website, visibility on social media, and taking an active role in popular causes.

Artificial Inteligence 258

Artificial Inteligence Entrepreneur Social Media China 258

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2021

To complement local face-to-face networking, you can always use one of the many online matchmaking sites that have sprung up in the last few years, like CoFoundersLab and Startbee (think eHarmony™ for entrepreneurs, or Match.com meets LinkedIn). Also, trusted advisors and experienced investors should be polled for good candidates.

Exit Strategy 407

Exit Strategy Leadership Founder Networking 407

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 5, 2023

In my experience with entrepreneurs, there seems to a wealth of self-proclaimed “idea people” who aspire to start businesses, but only a few who are willing and able to dig in and get the job done. All the great ideas in the world won’t make a business, if the ideas never get implemented. Marty Zwilling

Startup 389

Startup Cofounder Term Sheet Acquisition 389

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 12, 2019

Unfortunately, even today, building a good product doesn’t guarantee you a business. Most entrepreneurs realize and budget for the additional costs of incorporating a business, marketing, equipment costs, and manufacturing. These are just a few of the expenses that will sneak up on you as an entrepreneur.

Cost 264

Cost Founder Software Review Startup 264

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2019

In the interests of helping you work smarter and last longer, I would like to offer my top ten list of key resource drains to avoid in early businesses and startups, based on my years of advising entrepreneurs and my own business experience: Expanding your product line too quickly for scaling.

Technical Review 306

Technical Review Metrics Social Media Channel 306

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2014

Sponsored by VISA Business If you have a unique product or service, and you are not selling it around the world on the Internet, now is the time to start. Anyone can be an entrepreneur today, without a huge investment, bank loans, lawyers, venture capitalists, or Angels. business ecommerce entrepreneur startup'

Startup 252

Startup eCommerce Hosting Bootstrapping 252

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2022

Success in any business these days requires a constant flow of new and innovative solutions, to keep up with changes in the market, competition, and to attract new customers. Yet in my role as a small business advisor, I still see a singular focus on achieving repeatable processes and “cookie-cutter” manufacturing.

Stock Options 277

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 277

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 2, 2019

A refrain I often hear from technology entrepreneurs to investors is that their product or solution is so innovative that it will cause a “paradigm shift” in the industry. Clearly large-scale change efforts, whether driven by an entrepreneur or an enterprise, need strong leaders and a proven approach to beat the odds of failure.

Technical Review 226

Technical Review Leadership Portfolio Matching 226

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2018

These days, it is almost impossible to find a small business where everything is done at the home location, by full-time employees. These approaches allow your startup to grow more rapidly, save costs, but costly mistakes can lead to business failure. As with real estate, it’s still about location, location, location.

Philippines 181

Philippines Bandwidth Cofounder Affiliate 181