March, 2017

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Why Some Startups Win

Steve Blank

If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? I was having a second coffee with an ex student, now the head of a marketing inside a rapidly growing startup. His company had marched through customer discovery, learning about the customer problem, validated solutions and was now scaling sales and marketing. All good news.

Startup 310
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6 Keys To Hiring The Best Team For Your New Business

Startup Professionals Musings

Startup investors tell me they invest in a new venture with a higher caliber of people, rather than the product or service, and I agree. In my role as a business advisor, I see successful businesses most often emerging from great teams rather than great products. Yet I find the people building teams are usually product experts, often with no experience in team building.

Hiring 147
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4 Reasons A Diverse Sales Team Will Boost Revenue

YoungUpstarts

by Eliot Burdett, co-founder and CEO of Peak Sales Recruiting , and author of “ Sales Recruiting 2.0: How to Find Top Performing Sales People, Fast “ Diversity in the workplace has been an issue since the civil war. In February, 1869, a letter to the editor of the New York Times questioned why female government employees were not paid the same as male counterparts.

Revenue 124
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5 Reasons Why Every Entrepreneur Should Learn To Code

YFS Magazine

Fortunately, it has never been easier to learn how to code. Learning to code can make you a better entrepreneur. Here's how.

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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

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When Do You Really Need Insurance for Your Business?

Up and Running

As an entrepreneur, you know that not every part of the job is glamorous. Buying insurance can feel like a hassle, but if you invest in finding the right policies now, you’ll save yourself from potential legal headaches and unexpected costs down the road. You probably have a lot of questions surrounding what specific risks different types of coverage actually protect against, and whether or not they apply to your business.

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Takeaways from the Domino Data Science Pop-up: Defining a data scientist

Version One Ventures

Three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Domino Data Science Pop-up , which was one of the best days of talks on data science that I have attended. You can check out recordings of the talks as well as copies of the presentations on SlideShare. I won’t dive into all the nitty-gritty discussions on math and statistics, but I do want to share some insightful discussions surrounding the definition and role of data scientists in today’s startups.

More Trending

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7 Ways to Use Data and Analytics for Strategic Change

Startup Professionals Musings

More than ever, businesses need to take full advantage of automation, data, and analytics to run their business more productively and competitively. Yet, in my role as a small business advisor, I still see many founders and executives who see data and analytics primarily as a measurement device on current results, rather than using it to evolve the business strategy and direction.

Analytics 149
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The Importance Of Website Design And How It Can Influence Business

YoungUpstarts

In these days of technological prowess and tremendous advancements in the digital area, most, if not all companies rely on a website to reach their consumers and potential clients, and to maintain a relationship with people across the globe. Many companies have built legacies that have accumulated to decades of hard work, but in this day and age, a website is absolutely crucial for business survival.

Design 145
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7 Useful Web Design Tips For Entrepreneurs

YFS Magazine

Effective web design involves creating a practical and aesthetically pleasing site. Here are 7 useful tips to keep in mind.

Web 116
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13 Entrepreneurs Share Their Pick for a Dream Mentor

Hearpreneur

Share Entrepreneurship and mentorships are often seen as going hand-in-hand. Business mentors are as old as concept of entrepreneurs themselves. From Oprah and Maya Angelou to Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, famous mentorships have a powerful impact on the lives of entrepreneurs. Having a strong figure in your life to help steady you through the currents of growing your business can be a lifesaver.

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Do you need data engineering before data science?

Version One Ventures

Last week, I shared some lessons learned from a Domino Data Science Pop-up that I attended a month ago. There were some very important discussions surrounding the world of data science today. One thread explored the differences between data science and data engineering. I’ll admit that I was completely unaware of the engineering behind data science when we first launched Insight Data Science back in 2012.

Engineer 102
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How Black People Leveraged Tech Bigotry to Boss the Blockchain Below the Radar

Austin Startup

By the time Silicon Valley white privilege culture, tech magazines that promote only white faces, Ethereum/Bitcoin fanboys, sellout black tech wannabees and globalists promoting their blockchain consortium get a hold of this article, it’s already too late and the game already ended a while ago. The African-American community with a global movement known as the Afro-Tech quietly mastered blockchain/distributed ledger technology several years ago to benefit urban communities.

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The No Excuses Culture

Steve Blank

Getting ready for our next semester’s class, I asked my Teaching Assistant why I hadn’t seen the posters for our new class around campus. Hearing the litany of excuses that followed –“It was raining.” (The posters go inside the building.) “We still have time.” (We had agreed they were to go up a week ago) — I had a strong sense of déjà vu. When I took the job of VP of Marketing in a company emerging from bankruptcy, excuses seemed to be our main product.

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Pay Your Payroll Tax With R&D Credits

YoungUpstarts

by Evan Stephens, Senior Tax Manager at Sensiba San Filippo and Carlos Freitas, Director with Hull & Knarr LLP. Starting in 2016, Research and Development (R&D) tax credits can be used to offset payroll taxes. Previously, these credits could only be used to offset income taxes. Since many start-ups produce little to no profit in the first few years, there was no income tax for the R&D credits to offset, and therefore, no opportunity to use the research tax credit.

Indiana 113
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How To Hire The Perfect CTO

YFS Magazine

As your business grows, so do your technology needs. Here's a look at how to find a good candidate and the qualities you should look for.

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The Importance of Boards

ithacaVC

I have written quite a few posts on the topic of Boards of Directors. Just put in “board of directors” into the search bar. As a quick review, it is the Board of Directors or “Board” that literally by law makes all critical decisions for the company. The Board has to vote on issuing stock, approving the annual budget, setting the company’s strategy, changing the company’s by-laws and certificate of incorporation, selling the company, merging with another co

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Are enterprise suites dying?

deal architect

Most large vendors still talk in terms of selling entire application suites, growing their “wallet share” of customer IT spend, and the joy of their “all you can eat” buffets. It all sounds so retro, 90s talk because so many.

Customer 223
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SXSWi 2017 Wrap up coming soon

Austin Startup

South by Southwest interactive portion is just about wrapping up. Stay tuned for a complete run down on: IBM’s Experience studio  — Including a new Watson SDK for Unity and Voice VR (tried and tested). The “internet of caring things” and the “cognitive study of elderly care”. I had a conversation with “Watson” who assessed my personality type (I’m a Dynamo by the way — and I have the t-shirt to prove it).

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Create a Referral Engine That Works Every Day

Duct Tape Marketing

Create a Referral Engine That Works Every Day written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. I’ve written about this topic many times, but it just never get’s old! (Check out the referral marketing archive on Duct Tape Marketing ) The fact is, although I’ve been writing about the idea of referral generation for years, it always remains relevant, no matter what marketing trends and technologies come and go.

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Keys To Develop A Great Small Business Growth Strategy

YoungUpstarts

by Cameron Johnson. There are approximately 28 million small business in the United States, and each one is vying for growth and an increased share of profits in the marketplace. Small businesses are responsible for as much as 65 percent of the new jobs created since 1995. Clearly, other small businesses are finding productive, efficient ways to grow, and you may be wondering what steps you can take to foster growth and development in your venture.

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6 Ways to Kill Bad Habits One Small Step At A Time

Startup Professionals Musings

Every entrepreneur I know has a few bad habits they intended to overcome a long time ago, such as micromanaging, or failure to get enough rest and relaxation. As a result, both their business and their personal lives continue to suffer. Wouldn’t you like to know how to make that big step to get past your procrastination and get to your maximum potential once and for all?

Restful 211
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Relationships Are 100/100, Not 50/50

Feld Thoughts

In a vox with my partner Seth recently, he said something that stuck with me. “Relationships are 100/100, not 50/50.” He was referring to a business dynamic between two people, but it applies to any relationship and any number of people. It’s a simple idea, but a great one. When I consider my relationship with Amy, it’s 100/100.

Partner 159
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The CIO is dead. Long live the CIO.

deal architect

Is there a company left which has not developed smart products and services which leverage software, sensors and satellites? I asked myself that question as I read two consecutive BusinessWeek issues with such smart products and services. Phillip Morris has.

Software 218
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A Credit Card and a Dream: How We Owned #SXSW for $221.96, Roundtrip

Austin Startup

Written by Chad Hall, Cofounder + CEO at RemodelMate , a humble ventures company that intends to disrupt the home improvement industry by setting the standard for residential renovations and transforming the buying experience for customers as well as the way that contractors attract customers and sell their services. As we — myself and my cofounder, Victor Etongwe — drive through Dandridge, TN, still 6 hours and 38 minutes from our headquarters in Washington, DC I am reflecting on our very first

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Transcript of Get Anybody to Do Anything You Want

Duct Tape Marketing

Transcript of Get Anybody to Do Anything You Want written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Transcript provided by Verbatim Transcription Services. Back to Podcast. Transcript. John: What if you get anybody to do anything you wanted? On this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast, I’m going to visit with sales trainer Phil Jones, where he talk about his magic words and this is not just for salespeople, in fact this is for non-sales people.

Sales 30
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7 Secrets To Help The Self-Employed Reduce Their Tax Bill

YoungUpstarts

by Brian Ashcraft, Director of Tax Compliance, Liberty Tax Service. Taxes can be complicated for most of us, but for the self-employed, they can get especially tricky. You need to know your business status, such as sole proprietor/independent contractor instead of an employee. For example, is your business really a business and not a hobby (Clue: Did it make a profit?).

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9 Keys To Measuring Your Social Media Campaign ROI

Startup Professionals Musings

If you are an entrepreneur these days, or trying to grow an existing business, everyone is telling you that you need to use social media. There are many ‘experts’ out there telling you how to do it, or even offering their services. But very few are talking about how to measure your results and return on investment (ROI), and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment.

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Top 10 Tips To Take Your Brand From Good To Great

YFS Magazine

When you know the value of a brand, it’s easy to appreciate why taking your brand from good to great is a smart move. Start with these 10 tips. This article Top 10 Tips To Take Your Brand From Good To Great appeared first in YFS Magazine.

Sales 148
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Why these lawsuits should have started two decades ago

deal architect

MillerCoors is suing HCL for a botched SAP project. As usual there will be plenty of finger pointing and analysts saying everyone is to blame – the customer, SAP and the SI. Probably true but as in an auto accident.

Customer 210
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RideAustin #SXSW Weekend 1 Rideshare Recap (and yes — we’re still true to our open data pledge even…

Austin Startup

RideAustin #SXSW Weekend 1 Rideshare Recap (and yes — we’re still true to our open data pledge even while getting beat up in the press)… By Andy Tryba & Marisa Goldenberg Ah the joys of the spotlight… With 70k visitors and all eyes on Austin this week for SXSW — we at RideAustin certainly received some sharp (and legitimate) criticism on the hours on Saturday where we weren’t at our best.

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How to create a successful corporate-startup collaboration

The Next Web

The idea that corporations and startups excel better together isn’t new. We all know innovation is key to sustained success, and one way to accelerate innovation is through collaboration. Three-quarters of startups that collaborated with corporations reported their experience to be highly beneficial. And research shows that collaboration leads to increased business for corporation.

Startup 138
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The Startup’s Guide To HR

YoungUpstarts

If you’ve arrived at the genesis of an idea which you think can make money, it’s probably a fair bet that you won’t immediately want to explore the minutiae of HR. But the early steps you take in this area are crucial. TribeHR co-founder and CEO Joseph Fung said : “Ask any startup CEO to rank their greatest challenges, and inevitably human resources makes the list.

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5 Signals To Evaluate To Test The Value Of Your Brand

Startup Professionals Musings

Brands are people first. Customers are people too, so customers tend to take their relationship with a brand personally. Thus it’s not a surprise that people love their favorite smartphone brand, cringe when you mention their cable company, or even hate the mention of a particular bank. Startups, as well as every existing business, need to realize that this brand perception is becoming more and more driven by their relationships with customers, as well as feedback from other customer brand relat

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10 Female Entrepreneurs Taking Over The World

YFS Magazine

Here's a look at 10 inspiring female entrepreneurs who are pioneers making moves and taking names every day of the week. Be inspired!

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Yet another AI hype cycle?

deal architect

In my recent book, Silicon Collar, I profiled a number of examples of machine learning, cognitive computing and other evolving artificial intelligence. With growing and diverse data sets and massive computing power we have never had so much opportunity to.

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The Past, Present and Future of Gender Lens Investing

Austin Startup

While the value of diverse teams and women in leadership are relatively new topics in the business world, the field of gender lens investment is even newer. Since the field’s estimated beginnings in 2009 , subsegments like “feminomics” and “inclusive finance” have spun off, but at it’s core gender lens investing is: incorporating gender as a factor to guide investment strategies.