March, 2012

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Never Negotiate Piecemeal. Here’s Why

Both Sides of the Table

When I started my first tech company in 1999 I had pretty good tech chops and had led teams but had very little exposure to many other things that matter in a startup including sales, marketing & business development. Like most first-timers, I learned the hard way. Negotiating was a subset of every activity in a startup – it really was a way of life.

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Investors Seek Entrepreneurs With Fire in the Belly

Startup Professionals Musings

I’ve noticed that some entrepreneurs seem to have no trouble attracting investors, while others with a great business plan struggle with it. The reality is that angel investors are humans, and personal traits often make or break the relationship, even before the investment is considered. On the top line, angel investors look to invest in entrepreneurs that have an almost unwavering passion and sense of urgency.

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How Perfect Pricing got me 1500 Sales in 2 Days

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

This is a guest post by Sacha Greif – a designer and entrepreneur who recently sold thousands of copies of a self-published eBook that shows how to design a user interface step by step. He’s worked with multiple startups and is also the founder of Folyo , a service that helps companies find vetted freelance designers. Here, Sacha explains how he set the pricing for his eBook — a critical step in its success.

Sales 279
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Eight Ways To Retrain Your Brain To Notice The Little Things

YoungUpstarts

by Jason Womack, author of “ Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More “ For many Americans, the 21st century has gone from being the age of information to feeling more like the age of information overload. Between the e-mails, memos, and other miscellaneous information you have to read at work, your friends’ Facebook updates, your Twitter community recommending articles for you to read, and that book that’s been sitting on your nightstand (unopened) for the pa

Product 243
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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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Searching for the Kinect Killer App

Genuine VC

We at NextView have been thinking about and looking for investments in seed-stage startups which leverage the megatrend of transitioning computing away from a standard fixed-web PC world. Of course that includes “mobile-first” applications and companies which ride the adoption of tablet devices (more on those in upcoming posts). But this exploration also includes alternative user-interfaces and inputs, like gesture controls.

Search 211
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Doing > Talking

Startup Lessons Learned

I had an incredible couple of days at SXSW. The Lean Startup track was successful beyond my wildest imaginations (we'll have video up soon ). My personal highlight was watching newly-appointed United States CTO Todd Park receive a standing ovation from a crowd that is decidedly skeptical about government. What inspired the crowd that day was not just his personal charisma or what he said, but rather, what he had done.

Lean 165

More Trending

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10 Mental Toughness Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

In sports, mental toughness is defined as the ability to focus on and execute solutions, especially in the face of adversity. If anyone in business ever needed mental toughness, it’s an entrepreneur. Investors tell me that startup success is all about execution, all while facing determined competitors and overcoming customers’ resistance to change. Dr.

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Exclusive: Announcing a Startup that Brings More Efficient Government to the US and Other Countries

David Teten

(An aerial view of Parliament House in Singapore. Photo credit: Wikipedia). I’m exceptionally excited to announce that I’m now Chairman and lead investor with some other angels in a new company, Spright Governance Inc. Spright is a spinoff of the Singaporean government, which will leverage their proven expertise and technology to run other cities, states, and nations globally.

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47 Incredible iPad Apps for MBAs

YoungUpstarts

A master of business administration is looking more attractive to many white-collar workers today as a way to take their game to the next level, and app developers are taking notice. Business applications for the iPad are becoming a huge section of the market, as the tablet grows in popularity as more than just a vehicle for Angry Birds. If you need a tool to enhance your MBA instruction or to clue you in on a subject the curriculum never covered, here are 47 great apps with a AAA investment gra

Audio 185
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Twitter Link Roundup #122 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

crowdSPRING Blog

Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account , I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design , web design , startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!

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Yes Elvis, Prescriptions Drugs Can Kill You

Gregg Fraley, Author of Jack's Notebook

Yes, Elvis, prescription drugs can kill you. Yes, I’ve updated my website and blog. It’s been a surprisingly fun project due to having a great technology and brand innovation partner in the firm Reuben-Hunter. Not only does it look better, it will be easier to change — and I can do it myself! I’m confident it’s more engaging, and will achieve higher rankings, sell more books and speeches and lead to more business.

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Always Go Home with the Lady Who Brought you to the Dance

Both Sides of the Table

I had this ethical dilemma pop up on one of the first deals I even did as a VC. I had been looking around at several deals in late 2008 as the markets were tanking. I had gotten close on a couple of deals but nothing rose to the level of “must do.” I was learning which VCs I wanted to work with, what stage & check size I wanted to commit do and what teams would be a good fit for me.

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9 Things to Know About Influencing Purchasing Decisions

ConversionXL

If you want to get people to buy your stuff, you need to understand how people make purchasing decisions. Product quality and seller reputation matter , goes without saying. What about when the product matches the customer’s needs and wants, and they trust the seller? What are the things that influence purchasing decisions once those fundamentals are in place?

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How VCs Can Accelerate Portfolio Company Returns

David Teten

( This post co-written with Koen Bremer , Gyorgy Buslig , and Adham Hussein. Koen, Gyorgy, and Adham are all Columbia Business School MBA 2012 students and former consultants with McKinsey and BCG. I’ve also posted this at Betabeat.). Best Practices in Venture Capital Portfolio Company Value Creation. View more presentations from David Teten.

Portfolio 144
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[Malaysia] [Event] InfoSecurity World 2012 – Combating The Rapid Rise In Cyber Threats

YoungUpstarts

by Yi Ning Lim, marketing specialist at GMO GlobalSign. The Infosecurity World Exhibition & Conference 2012 ( ISWec 2012 ) was held at Putra World Trade Centre from 21 to 22 March 2012. This inaugural event was officiated by Y.A.Bhg Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia (pictured right). The central theme of this event was the enhancement of information security against the rapid rise of cyber threats.

Malaysia 178
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Lean Marketing Tips: Hyperlocal Marketing Channels

crowdSPRING Blog

We write often about marketing strategies and tactics for small business and startups. These companies typically have limited budgets, thin resources, and strained capacity which combine to create a challenge for managers and owners: how to develop an effective marketing campaign using tactics that will work for their business. The Lean Startup movement provides a wonderful template, and Ross wrote a great post in which he discussed how managers can use these principles in their own marketing c

Lean 98
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Massaging the Octopus: Jiro Dreams of Startups

This is going to be BIG.

The other day I want to go see Jiro Dreams of Sushi --a documentary about an 86 year old sushi chef working out of a 10 seat restaurant in a Ginza subway station. Oh, did I mention that the restaurant is rated 3 stars by the Michelin folks? This guy is like a throwback to another era. He doesn't feel as if he's gotten to the pinnacle of his craft yet.

Startup 117
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Technology Trend Tracking – Fast Path to Innovation Glory

Gregg Fraley, Author of Jack's Notebook

Innovators need to keep an eagle eye on new technology trends. Things are developing so quickly now and in so many areas that keeping tabs on what’s happening is daunting. These new developments offer a constant stream of opportunities (if you think and take action on them), but it’s a bit like that famous clip [.].

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Capital On Stage – the conference where VCs pitch to startups

The Equity Kicker

Please take a few minutes to read the passage below about the upcoming Capital On Stage conference in London. Arjen Strijker (the conference organiser) and I had a meeting of minds when we spoke last week about the importance of demystifying venture capital, it is one of the reasons I write this blog, it is why he started his conference and it is why I’m promoting it now.

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Private Sector Bandaids, and Making the US Competitive Again

David Teten

On Monday night I attended a Harvard Business School “Paths Forward” event tied to the March issue of Harvard Business Review , which consists of a wide range of research on How to Increase U.S. Competitiveness. I also contributed a blog post to the HBS Competitiveness website on some initiatives I’m working on personally with ff Venture Capital and HBS Angels related to increasing competitiveness.

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5 Ways for Small Business to Jump on the Big Data Train

Duct Tape Marketing

5 Ways for Small Business to Jump on the Big Data Train This content from: Duct Tape Marketing. The idea of something that’s being called “ Big Data ” has definitely reached the trend tipping point. Tech firms like are all about it. PR firms are forming teams to promote it and consulting firms have their business technology teams all over it. So, what is it and what does it mean for small business. tsuda via Flickr CC The “what is it” part is pretty easy to explain in textbook terms,

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Some Thoughts about Selling at Startups

Both Sides of the Table

Many MBA programs still cater too much to the needs of large, corporate management jobs or prepare students to enter big consulting companies or investments banks. If you haven’t read Adam Lashinsky’s awesome new book about Apple , you should. It takes on many of the lessons MBA programs and Corporate America have been teaching about business for the past 50+ years and questions whether lessons from Apple might be more applicable in thinking about the future.

Startup 319
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The Leader of the Freemium World

This is going to be BIG.

I didn't write most of the following and the original text had nothing to do with entrepreneurship. "All entrepreneurs are unsuited to the job, and therefore all entrepreneurs fail in certain crucial aspects of the job. And all are mis-assessed while in their job, for reasons that typically depend more on luck and historical accident than on factors within their control.

Analytics 110
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Nail the Customer Development Manifesto to the Wall

Steve Blank

When Bob Dorf and I wrote the Startup Owners Manual we listed a series of Customer Development principles. I thought they might be worth enumerating here: A Startup Is a Temporary Organization Designed to Search. for A Repeatable and Scalable Business Model. There Are No Facts Inside Your Building, So Get Outside. Pair Customer Development with Agile Development.

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5 Ways to See If Your Business Integrity is Showing

Startup Professionals Musings

As an entrepreneur, your personal integrity is critical for getting and keeping the support of investors and team members, and your company’s integrity is critical for getting and keeping customers and vendors. But in a practical sense, what does that really mean? Most definitions of integrity include something like “the quality of being honest and morally upright.

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SAP TCO spreadsheet cell D45

deal architect

Dennis Howlett reporting from Australia picks up on worries about Oracle DB costs in SAP customers. For the 20 years I have dealt with SAP customers, it has been a line item in their TCO spreadsheet, but the accounting is.

Australia 256
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Persol is Stuff that Works

Duct Tape Marketing

Persol is Stuff that Works This content from: Duct Tape Marketing. This is a new Sunday series that I’m calling Stuff that Works. Each Sunday I’ll pick an item that is for me a foundation element in my line up of stuff that matters or as legendary Texas singer songwriter Guy Clark put it – “The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall.”. Steve McQueen's blue tinted lens Persols in Thomas Crown Affair.

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If you saw your competitor’s roadmap would it matter?

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

This is part of an ongoing startup advice series where I answer (anonymized!) questions from readers, like a written version of Smart Bear Live. To get your question answered , email me at asmartbear -at- shortmail -dot- com. Clever Idea Hoarder writes: I’d like to take everyone’s advice and talk to potential customers and investors about my ideas, but what if someone else steals my idea?

Cofounder 237
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[Infographic] Anatomy Of A Top Performing Salesperson

YoungUpstarts

Being a salesperson is tough – finding a great one to hire is even tougher. But what makes a top performing salesperson? There are certain qualities that leads to one excelling at sales – being results-driven, persistent, and having a strong ego, amongst others, for example. Here’s an infographic from Peak Sales that demonstrates what it takes to be a top performer in sales, and why employers struggle to find and recruit sales people who will consistently overachieve: This info

Sales 193
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Search versus Execute

Steve Blank

One of the confusing things to entrepreneurs, investors and educators is the relationship between customer development and business model design and business planning and execution. When does a new venture focus on customer development and business models ? And when do business planning and execution come into play? Here’s an attempt to put this all in context.

Search 320
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10 Ways to Build a Business Culture Like Apple

Startup Professionals Musings

One of the big advantages of being an entrepreneur and starting your company from scratch is that you get to set the culture, which is much easier than changing the culture of an existing business. The challenge is how to do it, and how to do it right. Why not learn what you can from companies like Apple, who are leading the way with great growth and a great culture?

Portfolio 272
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Le Sacre du Printemps

deal architect

Spring is in the enterprise software air. 3 signs this week were about transition and optimism. Aneel Bhusri, co-CEO of Workday presented to the same CIO audience I did at Stanford this week. He did it without slides in a.

Software 253
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Overly-Direct Feedback to VC Pitches

Genuine VC

When I first started in the VC business in 2004, I usually shared some reactions with entrepreneurs whenever we passed on pursuing an investment, but I admittedly erred towards communicating generic thoughts that were fairly non-specific but perhaps mildly helpful. After a few years into this role, however, I developed a style and approach where I always try to share some type of real meaningful constructive thoughts as to why an opportunity wouldn’t be a fit for my firm.

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Intense Asymmetry and Self-Flagellation

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

Erica Douglass bootstrapped her company and sold it for a million dollars while her friends were switching majors for the third time or dicking around at some entry-level job. She’s successful by any measure. But it just a few short months of super-charging our marketing efforts at WP Engine for her to start turning herself inside out about her lack of “success,” and by implication, lack of ability and self-worth: WP Engine is killing it right now.

San Jose 233
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50 Terrific Twitter Chats For Journalism Students

YoungUpstarts

The web has become the place where a large number of people go to get their news, and with good reason. It’s always on, numerous viewpoints are represented, and anyone can contribute. Thus, students of journalism not only need to study web journalism itself but would also be well-served by keeping up with the best ways to use the web to find information, network, and learn about their chosen career path.

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Stanford 2012 Lean LaunchPad Presentations – part 1 of 2

Steve Blank

Today, the first half of the Stanford Engineering Lean LaunchPad Class gave their final presentations. Here are the first five. It Feels Like 20 Years Ago Today. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a year since we taught the first 10 teams in the Stanford Lean LaunchPad class. To share what we learned, we blogged each of those class sessions , (all the slides can be found here.

Lean 256