Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2022

A common pain of startups after an exhilarating first surge of early adopters is a long and frustrating plateau of slow growth, where it seems like nothing you do will get your business to profitability. Others do far too little, assuming the viral effect and word-of-mouth will soon kick in, and sales will suddenly grow exponentially.

Startup 335

Startup Social Media Metrics Viral 335

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

If you’re a technology startup you need to excel at product, of course. While many tech startups do this intuitively (say, SnapChat thinking it would be much better if our photos out partying disappeared) it still happens. Others copy the method and the channel grows weary of that tactic and begins to change the rules.

SEM 379

SEM Viral Marketing Widget 379

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 11, 2023

Enjoy that first video interview at an industry conference, or the newspaper story which enhances your startup visibility and credibility. Surprisingly, word-of-mouth and viral efforts require more work and a larger budget than you would expect. Appreciate the media accolades and peer success feedback.

Sweat Equity 296

Sweat Equity Startup Salary Viral 296

Steve Blank

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

As part of our Lean LaunchPad classes at Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia and for the National Science Foundation, students build a startup in 8 weeks using Business Model Design + Customer Development. How To Build a Web Startup – The Lean LaunchPad Edition. Use the Startup Tools Page as the resource for tool choices).

Lean 333

Lean Web Coder Business Model 333

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 3, 2016

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and angel investor, I still see too many shortcuts leading to failure that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Startup Angel Investor Viral 120

The Next Web

DECEMBER 4, 2013

If you’re running a startup, working for one, or just considering turning an idea into a company, calling your work life “busy” is a severe understatement. Here are five essential, efficient ways to eliminate guesswork and make your startup a success on social media. Startup Example: Zappos. Startup Example: Cloudera.

Social Media 158

Social Media Media Viral Startup 158

Version One Ventures

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Your business has a high viral co-efficient (or perhaps even a network effect) that lets you amass users cheaply without worrying too much about the monetization per user or spending money on paid acquisition. High LTV can usually be found in transactional or subscription businesses. In addition, churn tends to rise as a company grows.

Churn Rate 168

Churn Rate Viral Acquisition Cofounder 168

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

The father of “Growth Hacking” appears to be Sean Ellis who wrote this widely read post, “ Find a Growth Hacker for your Startup. ” He advocates for people who test all channels, use quantitative methods and commit to growth as one’s “true north.” Doesn’t. Success begets success.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review Hockey Stick SEM Channel 384

ReadWriteStart

APRIL 8, 2023

TikTok and Influencers One viral video on TikTok can reach 1.5 Omnichannel: Diversity and Inclusion Every successful organization uses multiple channels to communicate with potential customers and advertise its products. So, do not be surprised if you come across a startup whose technology is now considered a trend in 2023.

eCommerce 185

eCommerce Technical Review Software Review Analytics 185

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 4, 2011

Viral marketing and word-of-mouth are not enough these days to make your product and brand visible in the relentless onslaught of new promotional media out there today. Then it’s time to innovate through the channels or platforms that are relevant. Digital quite simply is not for repurposing content that exists in other channels.

Viral 228

Viral Marketing Startup Demand 228

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 18, 2020

Businesses and startups are looking for new ways to survive in this pandemic. They also have immense viral potential on social media. According to Explainer Videoly’s research on a client’s YouTube channel, animated videos sit at the top 3 rankings by viewership and likes. But social distancing comes at a price.

Video 203

Video Advertising Technical Review Viral 203

The Next Web

OCTOBER 28, 2012

Why has growth hacking so strongly resonated with the startup community? One explanation is that “growth hacking” is just a catchy way to rebrand marketers, but this begs the question as to why “growth hacking” went viral in the first place. Startups are facing growth challenges that were not apparent a few years ago.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Software Review Distribution San Francisco 150

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 4, 2011

It’s a very important concept for me because in a startup you are constantly under pressure and have way too many distractions. Commitment & urgency are key drivers of success in startup businesses. I was recently talking with a startup company who wanted me to try their product. You already know it from your personal lives.

Metrics 346

Metrics Startup Acquisition SEM 346

crowdSPRING Blog

DECEMBER 15, 2010

Small businesses and startups face many challenges when marketing their products and services. Small businesses and startups have minimal brand recognition, are often located in geographic or demographic areas that limit their marketing options, and most have small (or non-existent) marketing budgets.

Lean 129

Lean Small Business Marketing Startup 129

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2022

I expect that should seem intuitive to all entrepreneurs, but every investor I know has many stories about startup funding requests with major business model elements missing. A target market is the group of customers that the startup plans to attract through marketing and sales their product or service. Who are you selling to?

Business Model 256

Business Model Distribution Viral Green 256

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Startups need to survive and thrive on a shoestring budget, which is why it’s based on rapid experimentation. Channel-level expertise: An understanding of how the channels work (e.g., Where Airbnb recognized the value in another platform, Dropbox doubled down on the strength of its product as a distribution channel.

Retention 113

Retention Marketing Acquisition Channel 113

Version One Ventures

OCTOBER 31, 2016

As an investor and former founder, I know that scalable growth (and the pretty hockey stick graph) is the holy grail for every startup. Just a decade ago, most software/cloud startups used a traditional model where product and marketing were siloed: product teams created the product and marketing drove people to the website to buy it.

Software Review 60

Software Review South Africa Hockey Stick Viral 60

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2021

An all-too-common question I get from startups and small businesses is “Which is the right social media platform for my business?” It highlights the story of how United Airlines paid no attention to social media while Dave’s story of his crushed guitar and poor customer service went viral around the world.

Social Media 355

Social Media Media Reputation Viral 355

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

So why is online video such an attractive market to build a startup? These markets represent about $600 billion of total spend between them, leaving tons of opportunities for startups to disrupt and grow large. The number of channels grew with cable & satellite TV but we still have limitations that makes distributing content high.

Video 339

Video Technical Review Distribution Aggregator 339

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2023

That means they normally only invest in startups with a working product that has already been sold to at least one customer for full price (beta tests, giveaways and best friends don’t count). These days, even viral marketing requires real money, for events and promotions. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 228

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 228

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 9, 2020

A common pain of startups after an exhilarating first surge of early adopters is a long and frustrating plateau of slow growth, where it seems like nothing you do will get your business to profitability. Others do far too little, assuming the viral effect and word-of-mouth will soon kick in, and sales will suddenly grow exponentially.

Social Media 329

Social Media Metrics Viral Channel 329

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2020

Enjoy that first video interview at an industry conference, or the newspaper story which enhances your startup visibility and credibility. Surprisingly, word-of-mouth and viral efforts require more work and a larger budget than you would expect. Appreciate the media accolades and peer success feedback.

Sweat Equity 435

Sweat Equity Salary Viral Leadership 435

www.forentrepreneurs.com

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Blog About Log in Register Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition In the many thousands of articles advising entrepreneurs on what they have to focus on to build successful startups, much has been written about three key factors: team, product and market, with particular focus on the importance of product/market fit.

Acquisition 103

Acquisition Cost Customer Entrepreneur 103

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 1, 2015

These things outside your control do happen, but based on my years of experience as a startup advisor and Angel investor, I still see too many common failure causes that are inside the entrepreneur decision realm. Viral marketing costs real money, and your support staff and hosting systems cost even more.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Viral Distribution 120

The Next Web

DECEMBER 12, 2013

It’s important to constantly question traditional assumptions whenever new platforms arise, as it’s these disruptions which incumbents often fail to adopt, leaving room for innovative startups to spring ahead in new land-grab opportunities. So many commerce startups get it wrong – focusing on customers before community.”.

Mobile 136

Mobile Silicon Valley Viral Technical Review 136

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2013

It’s not uncommon for me to see a startup business plan “mission” to be the “premier brand” for their product, yet their marketing budget in the financials is trivial. When questioned, founders usually mention word-of-mouth, viral marketing, and a top quality product.

Marketing 265

Marketing Viral SEM Startup 265

YoungUpstarts

JULY 19, 2018

The channel IRL (In Real Life) has people live streaming everyday things from: painting, drawing, playing music, building things. Maybe I should set up the first live growth hacking channel before someone else does…. Most people try and go for a multi-channel approach and hit all bases.

Social Media 104

Social Media Media SEO Channel 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2020

That means they normally only invest in startups with a working product that has already been sold to at least one customer for full price (beta tests, giveaways and best friends don’t count). These days, even viral marketing requires real money, for events and promotions. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 336

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 336

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Startup strategy is like Kung Fu. All startups are screwed up. HT Mike Maples Jr ) Corollary: A startup has to be so excellent at one or two key things, that they can screw up everything else up and not die. Sometimes that’s defensible distribution channels. But many startups top out between $5m-$20m in revenue.

Restful 202

Restful Founder Revenue Acquisition 202

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Master of 500 Hats: Startup Metrics for Pirates (SeedCamp 2008, London) This presentation should be required reading for anyone creating a startup with an online service component. I break the answer to that question down into three engines: Viral - this is the business model identified in the presentation as "Get Users."

San Francisco 167

San Francisco CPA SEM CTO Hire 167

The Startup Magazine

JULY 28, 2023

Breaking it down into this 5-point strategy could help your startup business get ahead. You must represent your brand in your bricks & mortar building, online via your website, through your social channels, and in any other ad campaigns you run. If you go viral, your brand will soar. trillion E-commerce industry.

Marketing 103

Marketing Social Media Audience SEO 103

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 6, 2021

Since the internet is the dominant force in every industry, startups need to conquer many challenges to succeed these days. Do your market research to see what type of service consumers look for in your line of work, what products are currently trending, as well as what channels of communication and type of content your consumers prefer.

Social Media 173

Social Media Audience Affiliate Startup 173

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Should you be buying key words from search engines, building fabulous web content, blasting out e-mail campaigns, or putting all your efforts into viral videos or social media? Research the top digital channels for your business today. There is no one best channel for all businesses.

Marketing 240

Marketing Viral Channel Metrics 240

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

Based on my experience as a mentor and an entrepreneur, if you fail on your first startup, you are about average. Every young entrepreneur knows implicitly that startup success is a long hard road. Statistics show that the failure rate for new startups within the first 5 years is higher than 50 percent. Inexperienced team.

Intellectual Property 251

Intellectual Property Startup Viral Early Stage 251

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 22, 2023

For example, a startup SaaS company can use a specialized app to create a good product management process and keep track of the project's progress. Another similar trend I can foresee is streamlining multiple channels of business called the ‘omnichannel’ strategy, which involves managing online channels websites, mobile, and social media.

Artificial Inteligence 122

Artificial Inteligence Technical Review Entrepreneur Social Media 122

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2013

An all-too-common question I get from startups and small businesses is “Which is the right social media platform for my business?” It highlights the story of how United Airlines in 2008 paid no attention to social media as Dave’s story of his crushed guitar and poor customer service went viral around the world. Marty Zwilling.

Social Media 271

Social Media Media Startup Reputation 271

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

You need to be visible in marketing efforts, viral videos, and interactions with key customer segments. Make sure you communicate the right message, and use every channel possible, including body language, to make sure the message is understood by everyone. Online it may be time to take a formal position via blogs and interviews.

Stealth 362

Stealth Leadership Viral Social Media 362