Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Visionary CEOs are product and business model centric and extremely customer focused. Between 2001 to 2008, Jobs reinvented the company three times. They know who their customers are because they spend time talking to them. They confused world-class execution with the passion for product and customers, and market insight.

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2016

Visionary CEOs are product and business model centric and extremely customer focused. Between 2001 to 2008, Jobs reinvented the company three times. They know who their customers are because they spend time talking to them. They confused world-class execution with the passion for product and customers, and market insight.

Azure 120

Azure Business Model Cloud Artificial Inteligence 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 11, 2021

On the other hand, most people thought Segway was the next big thing back in 2001, as an electric “personal transporter,” but it has yet to find a foothold. In reality, every startup brings new unknowns, new people, new competitors, and new customers. Yet today, Twitter is a fifty billion behemoth, and MySpace is forgotten.

Dilution 428

Dilution Entrepreneur Merger Acquisition 428

Up and Running

APRIL 1, 2021

Once you start to see that recognition filtering back to you – via happy customers, peer reviews, or the endorsement of a respected industry leader — you can start to think about branching out. Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, didn’t turn a profit until 2001, seven years after it was founded.

.Net 123

.Net Technical Review Early Stage Finance 123

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 22, 2010

I’ve had a long-standing rule of thumb in product design, which I call “design for the novice, configure for the pro.&# I started saying this back in 2001/02, long before the era of Web 2.0, I recently wrote about my philosophy of minimalism that “ less is more &# with the mantra “when in doubt, leave it out.&#.

Design 325

Design AJAX Green Web Development 325

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 5, 2015

Agile was created as a way to enable greater productivity and responsiveness in the software industry to changing customer demands. With that in mind, the key tenets of agile development from the 2001 Agile Manifesto include: Satisfying customers through continuous, early delivery. Harnessing change to improve product.

Agile 100

Agile SCRUM Nashville Software Developers 100

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

In 2001 companies IPO’d very quickly if they were working, by 2011 IPOs had slowed down to the point that in 2013 Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures astutely called billion-dollar outcomes “unicorns.” We can’t wait for customers to use the product for 12–18 months and do customer interviews or look at purchase cohorts.

Pre-Money Valuation 471

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Venture Capital Early Stage 471

ConversionXL

JULY 15, 2020

51% can change gears quickly based on feedback from customers. With actual customer outcomes in mind, marketers spend longer in planning and insist on more access to customer data. To top it off, marketers even have their own Agile marketing manifesto , separate from the Agile manifesto created by software developers in 2001.

Agile 87

Agile SCRUM Software Review Marketing 87

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 18, 2016

Max Emelianov started HostForWeb in 2001. In his role as HostForWeb’s CEO, he focuses on teamwork and providing the best support for his customers while delivering cutting-edge web hosting services.

Advertising 100

Advertising Software Review Revenue Internet 100

Venture Chronicles

DECEMBER 5, 2012

Paul Greenberg recently wrote about the phenomena of companies declaring themselves to be focused on customer experience, and graciously giving them the opportunity to put up or shut up. He is right, and to his credit Paul saw the importance of customer experience and wrote about this in 2001.

Customer 47

Customer Technical Review Software Review Analytics 47

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2010

We went “nuclear&# and slimmed down to 33 people (yes, I know, still large by today’s standards but this was 2001), raised $10 million and we built a real company. I learned everything I know about startups in these lean years: 2001-2004.

Warrant 333

Warrant Germany France Cost 333

ConversionXL

MARCH 19, 2020

They do more of the same with less, often lowering quality and customer satisfaction. Companies in this category add features when customers desire greater value. As the authors conclude, “Progressive companies stay closely connected to customer needs—a powerful filter through which to make investment decisions.”. Promotion.

Marketing 121

Marketing Campaign Non-Compete Lean 121

Steve Blank

AUGUST 18, 2010

Here’s his story of when Customer Development failed. We were lucky to learn about Customer Development early on in the life of our startup. More importantly, we’d witnessed Customer Development’s massive success at another local startup. So how did Customer Development fail us? It’s your vision damn it!

Customer Development 230

Customer Development Developer Customer California 230

Duct Tape Marketing

JUNE 7, 2023

She is the global customer growth and innovation evangelist at Salesforce and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Growth IQ. Key Takeaway: Prioritizing the employee experience alongside customer experience drives business success. 06:25] In most companies, the customer interacts with their employees. [06:25]

Employee 75

Employee Technical Review Advisory Board Sales 75

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 6, 2014

Here’s an example of how they made performance-based compensation work: If someone sold 100 cases in April 2000, and 100 cases in April 2001 (these numbers are unrealistically small for simplicity), their commission would be the same in both years. That’s why we turned down opportunities to cut costs and labor many times.

Employee 208

Employee Leadership Technical Review Hiring 208

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

When Johnny Earle, the founder of Johnny Cupcakes, started in 2001, he didn’t make baked goods; he sold t-shirts about baked goods! Discover an audience of eager buyers, and then focus on customer segmentation. What makes the difference between an ordinary service business and a startup is how fast the startup grows into a big company.

Cofounder 100

Cofounder Montana Startup Seed Capital 100

YoungUpstarts

MAY 14, 2014

Chances are, when you come across these situations in your daily life, you chalk them up to customer service slip-ups, leadership breakdowns, personnel issues, and poor communication. We put the customer first.” Watch out for individuals who spout platitudes while leaving customers unsatisfied. The feel-good tagline spouter. “We

Employee 187

Employee Leadership Customer Naming 187

Brandanew

JULY 15, 2015

A frequency, far too low for the usual online customer. If an influencer is working with you, you need to be able to use that to propel and amplify you brand presence further and get in-roads into their customers and communities too. Do remember, organic brand searches/ interests ARE your strongest customers/ advocates.

Social Media 100

Social Media Media Technical Review Internet 100

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 29, 2017

Not only do document management systems simplify auditing for regulators, they create the efficiency businesses need to increase output for customers and better tend to their needs — an imperative given the era in which we live—one in which the customer is “always right,” and demands more than ever. Founded in 2001, eFileCabinet, Inc.

Management 100

Management Technical Review Albuquerque Security 100

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 10, 2017

Launched in 2001, it is the world’s sixth most popular website regarding overall visitor traffic. Call centers work with more reliable, accurate customer information, much to everyone’s satisfaction. This concept has the power to transform entire industries. Wikipedia is a good example of user collaboration in action.

Government 113

Government Technical Review Asia Japan 113

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 21, 2014

There’s no place for hipster lingo, inside jokes about customers, snarky tweets. It trivializes the gravity of bad behavior and normalizes superior attitudes toward customers and, often, coworkers. First, there’s the external trust between an organization and its customers: Will a company stand behind its products?

Employee 189

Employee Balance Sheet Leadership Chicago 189

Feld Thoughts

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Well before the web existed, I was physically tearing articles out of industry magazines and sending them to customers, prospects, other entrepreneurs, and my partner Dave, who probably got tired of the stack of paper with notes scribbled on them that landed on his desk each day.

Technical Review 154

Technical Review Angel Investor Partner Database 154

YoungUpstarts

MAY 19, 2014

There’s no place for hipster lingo, inside jokes about customers, snarky tweets. It trivializes the gravity of bad behavior and normalizes superior attitudes toward customers and, often, coworkers. First, there’s the external trust between an organization and its customers: Will a company stand behind its products?

Employee 160

Employee Leadership Balance Sheet Chicago 160

Growthink Blog

JANUARY 19, 2014

That changed in 2001, however, and GoDaddy.com quickly grew. What it has managed to do is take something which is ordinarily very technical, in this case domain registrations, and make it appeal to a wide range of customers. When a customer comes to GoDaddy for domain registration they immediately have access to everything else.

Technical Review 104

Technical Review Private Equity Hosting Advertising 104

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 22, 2020

million people or 12% of the population worked for themselves in 2001. What do they offer customers? How do you bill your customers and clients? Businesses thrive on connections: not only do you need a brilliant product or service, but customers who can and are happy to buy it. According to ONS data , 3.3 Where are they?

Networking 147

Networking Social Network Campaign Email 147

The Startup Magazine

JULY 4, 2017

Determined to give their customers the best software solutions, they have support structures that give the best experience to entrepreneurs. Subsequently, after acquiring the license, the next step involves establishing payment method so that customers can deposit and start playing. They provide the casino with an identity.

Securities and Exchange Commission 60

Securities and Exchange Commission Software Review United Kingdom Affiliate 60

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

The A round was done in February 2000 (end of the bull market) and my B round was done in April 2001 (bear market). People buy companies for 3 primary reasons: 1) they want the management team / talent 2) they want the technology or 3) they want the market traction (revenue, customer base, profits, etc).

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Term Sheet Valuation Stock Options 282

BeyondVC

JANUARY 3, 2019

Once again, we led each of these rounds at slide deck stage and helped land the first handful of customers to accelerate path to product market fit and their Series A rounds. This means more collaboration with the Fortune 500 and more go-to-market experience as our portfolio companies navigate their path to first customers.

Stealth 79

Stealth Advisory Board Cloud Virginia 79

Up and Running

DECEMBER 14, 2016

See Also: How and Why to Collect Customer Email Addresses. MailChimp is ideal for the startup and small business customer that needs to grow an email list with industry-leading tools and best practices. See Also: 13 Ways to Make Customers Desperately Want to Open Your Emails. Your customers are not one size fits all.

Email 60

Email Small Business Marketing Campaign 60

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I had previously raised VC in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. It included one firm who I asked not to call Salesforce.com as a reference (they were our largest pilot customer) and in their kindness they called Marc Benioff (the CEO) and asked his opinion. I thought, what would I do if I was trying to sell to a customer.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Term Sheet San Diego Viral 274

Mucker Lab

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Combined with the usual summer slowdown, some are already raising the spectre of 2001 or 2008. Yes, it’s a big risk because the market can turn at any time, but if you believe in your product, and if your customers see the value, stop worrying about VCs. The “venture recession” of 2016 is in full swing.

Harvest 60

Harvest Vertical IPO Early Stage 60

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

Just ask anybody who was trying to close funding the fateful week of September 11, 2001 or even March 2000. The pricing problem – So an investor put $5 million at a $10 million pre-money valuation in a company with a great beta product but no real customers. The deal was done in late 2007.

Burn Rate 263

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Private Equity 263

Ben's Blog

JUNE 18, 2011

In 2000, I was CEO of the first cloud computing company, Loudcloud, where the price for a customer running a redundant version of a basic internet application was approximately $150,000 per month. Second, Salesforce.com—the internet is now working and customers like it way better than the old software model.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Software Review Valuation Internet 76

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 7, 2014

Will it be able to provide great services or products to customers? In 2001, drawing on their respective years of experience in senior global leadership at Motorola, Julie Miller and Brian Bedford joined forces to establish MillerBedford Executive Solutions. Will it be a place where great people want to work?

Leadership 145

Leadership Employee Metrics Hiring 145

Ben's Blog

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

We would have won, but the other guys gave the deal away” – “The customer selected us technically and thinks we are the better company, but our competitor just gave the product away. If you hear this lie, try to validate this claim with the actual customer. We would never sell so cheaply as it would hurt our reputation.”

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Churn Rate Engineer Employee 78

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

An obvious example is Google who may have gotten less market attention if there would have been 8 well-financed competitors during the 2001-2005 timeframe. customers who paid for services often get burned. Those with strong business models suddenly stand out when the tide goes out. some founders lose their life savings.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

In this time, building a successful business meant building a company that had paying customers quarter after quarter. It did not mean building a startup into a company to flip or hype on the market with no earnings or revenue, but building a company that had paying customers. They taught you about customers, markets and profits.

Silicon Valley 217

Silicon Valley IPO Technical Review Venture Capital 217