Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2019

Every new business dreams of growing from a startup to a global market leader in a few years, like Amazon.com, but that goal is elusive. As a mentor to entrepreneurs, I often get asked for the magic that has made Amazon the world's most valuable brand , from a total unknown only twenty years ago.

Global 308

Global Marketing Technical Review Algorithm 308

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Every engineer who has invented some new technology, or is adept at creating solutions, believes that is the hard part, and it should be a short step to take that solution to market as an entrepreneur. Clearly, engineers should think twice before assuming they have an advantage over the rest of us toward being an entrepreneur.

Engineer 261

Engineer Entrepreneur Distribution Restful 261

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 21, 2020

Here’s what entrepreneurs had to say about the companies they admire for their innovation. #1- There are many companies I admire for innovation, but the one that affected me most personally, enough to change my entire business model and gear it toward serving companies that actively help people, is Open Bionics. 1- Open Bionics.

Entrepreneur 149

Entrepreneur St. Louis Technical Review Mobile 149

Hearpreneur

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Its role in business will keep changing more and more with the advancement. It will have an impact on every business type. We asked our entrepreneurs what changes do they expect due to technology shortly, and this is what they have to say. #1- That’s not an HR policy or a perk; it’s our actual business model.

Technical Review 105

Technical Review Software Review Artificial Inteligence Technology 105

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2017

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the business model.

Startup 161

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 161

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 6, 2022

Founders Space was ranked the #1 incubator for overseas startups by Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazines. Steve is also the author of Surviving a Startup: Practical Strategies for Starting a Business, Overcoming Obstacles, and Coming Out on Top. 20:21] Where can people find out more about your programs and your book?

San Francisco 96

San Francisco Technical Review Incubator Silicon Valley 96

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 9, 2012

TLDR: Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits , authors of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development are back with a new book called The Lean Entrepreneur. There continues to be an incredible demand out there for actionable, practical lessons in how to apply this emerging set of ideas. Illustrations by FAKEGRIMLOCK.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur Lean Southern California San Diego 167

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2020

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Entrepreneur 310

Entrepreneur Architecture Business Plan Startup 310

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2012

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the business model.

Startup 296

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 296

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. We generally have a policy to only fund entrepreneurs once the first version of a product has shipped or it near to shipping.

Southern California 359

Southern California San Francisco CTO Hire SEM 359

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2017

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008.

Business Model 143

Business Model Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor 143

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Yet in my role as a small business advisor, I still see a singular focus on achieving repeatable processes and “cookie-cutter” manufacturing. These business leaders are constantly are on the prowl for mistakes to avoid and opportunities to improve their impact. I don’t believe these two objectives have to be mutually exclusive.

Stock Options 236

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 236

Hearpreneur

DECEMBER 18, 2022

This could be a home-based business, franchise option or whatever option looks attractive to you. One thing is certain, your business can succeed if you can put in the right energy and bring in the right people to kick-start it. 1- Health consulting business. I'm going to start a health consulting business.

Affiliate 62

Affiliate United States Entrepreneur Software Review 62

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

More entrepreneurs want to be socially responsible these days, but fear a negative impact on profits, growth, and the ability to find an investor. Of course, investors still require a profitable business model, and the potential for high returns. Startups can use social responsibility as a competitive advantage.

Vermont 373

Vermont Maryland Startup California 373

VC Cafe

MARCH 1, 2024

That’s why lists like Ycombinator’s Requests for Startups (RFS) help entrepreneurs thinking about starting a company (or picking a problem) and can be a good barometer for founders on what’s interesting to investors right now. Verticalized Video Understanding – machine interpreted video.

Artificial Inteligence 177

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Software Review Generative AI 177

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Success demands testing the solution early and quickly in the market, then iterating to get it right. Nail the business model.

Startup 286

Startup Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator 286

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 7, 2023

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. As an angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. People who shape the future, like Steve Jobs, did this.

Angel Investor 297

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Startup 297

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

The book has been shepherded and edited by a great Japanese VC at Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, Takashi Tsutsumi, with help from Masato Iino. Amazon did not carry it yet, and I was nervous spending money at a website known mostly for cups and t-shirts, completely irrelevant to business books.

Japan 299

Japan Customer Development Developer Customer 299

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2017

The question every entrepreneur and business executive should be asking is what are the drivers of the digital transformation, and how can you make them opportunities rather than costs. Historically, many businesses profited from the time lags between supply and demand by exploiting geography, relationships, and buying habits.

Technical Review 136

Technical Review Demand Valuation Business Model 136

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2013

Every engineer who has invented some new technology, or is adept at creating solutions, believes that is the hard part, and it should be a short step to take that solution to market as an entrepreneur. Clearly, engineers should think twice before assuming they have an advantage over the rest of us toward being an entrepreneur.

Engineer 250

Engineer Distribution Technology Entrepreneur 250

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 3, 2023

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Business Plan 280

Business Plan Product Architecture Business Model 280

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Most of the guidance you see for entrepreneurs is aimed at those who are selling a product (Apple, Tesla, Xiaomi), or selling a service (Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat). The “product” value is difficult to quantify, the costs are nebulous, and entrepreneurs have to clone themselves to scale the business.

Differentiation 141

Differentiation SBA Social Media Dividend 141

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2022

Every entrepreneur thinks he can relax a bit after his business model is proven, funding is in place, and revenues are scaling as projected up that hockey-stick curve. Unfortunately, the market is changing so fast these days that any upward climb can level off quickly, as the core business growth begins to stall.

Hockey Stick 265

Hockey Stick Guerilla Acquisition Startup 265

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2022

Many entrepreneurs still don’t understand that building a business culture today of doing good, like helping people (society) and planet (sustainability), is also a key to maximizing profit. By adding to perceived value, a company attracts more sophisticated and demanding customers less expensively and more quickly.

Leadership 359

Leadership Early Stage Demand Hiring 359

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 6, 2013

” The local kennels were full as many people had pre-booked for vacations. She sprung into action and called the house I wanted to book directly (they obviously don’t provide phone numbers for you to call directly although a Twilio integration couldn’t hurt!). ” Booked it. Supply and demand.

San Diego 344

San Diego Technical Review Seed Capital Sacramento 344

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2022

One of the quickest ways to become an entrepreneur these days is to develop and publish a smartphone app. I also recommend the app development strategies outlined in the classic book, “ Vaporized: Solid Strategies for Success in a Dematerialized World ,” by Robert Tercek, who has lived on the digital edge for many years.

Developer 345

Developer Mobile Revenue Advertising 345

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 4, 2014

If there’s a sure sign that shows how interest in online flash sales have waned, it’s how many daily deal sites have either deadpooled or pivoted away from that particular business model. In the News business model daily deals flash sales luxury travel Singapore TheLuxeNomad'

Flash 164

Flash Business Model Sales Singapore 164

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2016

Most technical entrepreneurs I know demand the discipline of a product specification or plan, and then assume that their great product will drive a great business. Serious investors, on the other hand, look for a professional business plan or summary first, and hardly ever look at the product plan.

Business Plan 120

Business Plan Product Architecture Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 13, 2021

This sharing economy is rapidly becoming the new business of sharing, with major winners already including Airbnb (rooms), Uber (rides), and Chegg (books). If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, or an existing business, and haven’t yet sized any of these opportunities, you may be already late to the game.

Cuba 316

Cuba Venture Capital Community Valuation 316

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2022

Pivoting” is changing a fundamental part of your business model. The pivot can be as simple as changing the pricing model, or as complex as moving from a product business to a services business. Real change demands new goals based on new market realities. Carpenter, Gary F. Gebhardt, and John F. Sherry, Jr.,

Social Media 317

Social Media Lean Distribution Business Model 317

Steve Blank

APRIL 23, 2018

A version of this article appeared in the Harvard Business Review. The entrepreneur who founded and grew the largest startup in the world to $10 billion in revenue and got fired is someone you have probably never heard of. Sloan’s book My Years with General Motors , written half a century ago, is still a readable business classic.

Michigan 279

Michigan Cofounder Stock Forecast 279

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

The cost of entry to the entrepreneur lifestyle is at an all-time low, but the challenge of winning and success is at an all-time high. As an angel investor, I quickly look behind the idea or solution, to gauge the mindset and the leadership capabilities of the entrepreneur. People who shape the future, like Steve Jobs, did this.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Leadership Social Network Matching 359

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

Yet in my role as a small business advisor, I still see a singular focus on achieving repeatable processes and “cookie-cutter” manufacturing. These business leaders are constantly are on the prowl for mistakes to avoid and opportunities to improve their impact. I don’t believe these two objectives have to be mutually exclusive.

Stock Options 141

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 141

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2021

As an advisor to startups and entrepreneurs, I often hear the myth that all new businesses must start with a great idea. I believe the best entrepreneurs start by finding a large opportunity, and only then use good ideas to capitalize on that opportunity. It takes a real selling opportunity to sustain a business idea.

Startup 280

Startup Green Social Media Audience 280

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 16, 2011

Freshdesk First, Girish Mathrubootham from Chennai, India, pitched Freshdesk , a SaaS company that provides small and medium businesses with on-demand customer support software that offers multi-channel social support. The company already has paying customers and a validated business model.

India 123

India Bootstrapping Non-Compete Entrepreneur 123

Entrepreneurs-Journey.com by Yaro Starak

MARCH 11, 2010

The point he’s making is that many marketers teach a business model that relies on using outsourcers, who often don’t have English as a first language, to create ebooks and other information products, which are then sold online using clever marketing. So Which Model Is Right For You? Yaro Starak.

Vertical 80

Vertical Business Model PPC Internet 80

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 13, 2019

New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas , first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008.

Intellectual Property 250

Intellectual Property Business Model Angel Investor Channel 250