Sat.Nov 19, 2016 - Fri.Nov 25, 2016

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13 Red Flags To Avoid In Your Investor Funding Pitch

Startup Professionals Musings

After listening to hundreds of startup pitches, and reading even more business plans, most new venture investors develop their own favorite list of “red flags” that signal the beginning of the end of their interest. Others, like Guy Kawasaki , have irreverently called some of these “entrepreneur lies,” but I prefer to think of them as innocent enhancements or omissions that can kill your deal.

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Hacking for Diplomacy – The State Department Takes Notice

Steve Blank

We’ve just held our seventh and eighth weeks of Hacking for Diplomacy at Stanford, and the attention our course is getting from Washington – and around the world – has been interesting. Following Secretary of State John Kerry’s meeting with the students early in the quarter, Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken paid a visit to the class in Week 7 and four foreign ministers in week 8.

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A New Age Of Marketing: How To Mix Traditional And Digital

YoungUpstarts

Marketing a brand or product can be a daunting task for the uninitiated. However, take a moment to think back to how the old guard used to handle it. Newspaper advertisements, billboards, phone books, radio—they always found a way to advertise even in an age where “digital” didn’t exist. Yes, there are arguments those methods are dead. There are people who are screaming about the death of traditional media — but that simply isn’t true.

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5 Recruiting Hacks to Help Startups Hire Top Talent

Up and Running

If you’re an entrepreneur or working in a startup, you’ve heard all the hype around the extravagant perks and benefits some companies, especially in the tech scene, are offering. Stories about companies with lots of ping pong tables, free yoga classes, gourmet chefs—it’s starting to feel like the TV series “Silicon Valley” is a little too much like the real-life Silicon Valley.

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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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Don’t go dark

David Cohen

I’ve had a couple of situations lately where a portfolio company founder or CEO went dark on me. They just stopped communicating. Sometimes takes me a while to notice it. When I do, I usually check in with the person and just ask something like “Hey – I haven’t heard from you in a while, how’s it going?” Sometimes the response is benign, and all is more or less ok with the company and people in question.

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Hacking for Diplomacy – The State Department Takes Notice

Steve Blank

We’ve just held our seventh and eighth weeks of Hacking for Diplomacy at Stanford, and the attention our course is getting from Washington – and around the world – has been interesting. Following Secretary of State John Kerry’s meeting with the students early in the quarter, Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken paid a visit to the class in Week 7 and four foreign ministers in week 8.

More Trending

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Your Invoice Has Been Rejected: Top 8 Tips for Invoicing Corporations

Up and Running

Closing a deal with an enterprise or a corporate customer is a major boost for any business, small and big alike. Getting paid, however, is another thing entirely. It can go as smoothly as you’d hope, or end up in a total mess. It all depends on the way you invoice your customers. Once received and recorded, the invoice triggers a series of processes that result in money hitting your account—unless something goes wrong.

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10 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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The ROI of Lead Scoring

Duct Tape Marketing

The ROI of Lead Scoring written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing. According to the Content Marketing Institute, more than 85% of marketers consider lead generation to be their top priority in 2016 – a telling statistic on the priorities of the modern marketer. However, lead generation neglects a critical element for creating a real return on investment: lead scoring.

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How To Keep Track Of Employees’ Hours

YoungUpstarts

Keeping track of the hours your employees are working is essential. Upon starting out a business it may seem like a simple task. But once you start taking into account lunch breaks, people having to go home early or working overtime, holidays, sick days, jury duty and all other manner of paid absences, it can all get very complex. There are various methods in action today for keeping on top of your staff’s working hours.

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4 Disciplines Are Key To Perfecting Business Skills

Startup Professionals Musings

Entrepreneurs seem more quickly frustrated these days when their “million-dollar idea” doesn’t turn into a sustainable business overnight. They don’t realize that it takes many skills to build a business under the best of circumstances, and today’s world of instant gratification doesn’t leave room for the patience and practice to develop these skills.

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Automate this!

deal architect

In my new book, Silicon Collar I looked at automation and impact on jobs in 50+ work settings. On my innovation blog I have been excerpting weekly from those settings — you can see some of them linked below. In.

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The Key to Ranking Your Local Business in Google

Duct Tape Marketing

The Key to Ranking Your Local Business in Google written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. For local businesses, showing up on page one is a must – showing up in the Google 3-pack (or whatever it is called this week.) can be the difference between thriving and merely surviving. All Google products evolve as they find ways to make search better and, let’s face it, make more money from that fact.

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8 Reasons Why Startups Should Focus on Digital Strategies in 2017

Brandanew

One of the biggest questions of today’s digital entrepreneurship is – where do you start? Which digital strategies in 2017 will enhance your brand performance? Using a digital plan to support digital transformation and lead it towards your objectives is the first step to take. Surprisingly, even though the internet is in its full swing (as are companies giving birth online each day), it seems that not many organizations have a plan.

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Proper Staffing is Key to Effective Global Expansion

Startup Professionals Musings

By Ernst Gemassmer, Chairman, Startup Professionals Some time ago you needed to achieve success and size before venturing into international markets. However, international customers have found you through social media, US trade shows and technical papers. In order to manage international growth your company needs to be directly involved in international expansion rather than relying on distribution partners.

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How Parcel Tracking Has Changed The Parcel Delivery Process

YoungUpstarts

Sending packages a few years back was a daunting procedure as you would have to take your parcel to the post office, stand in the queue to pay for it and then leave it under a charge of the post office authorities for safe couriering. After this lengthy procedure, you can expect your parcel to be delivered successfully at the mentioned address within a few days.

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Some of My Favorite Books in 2016

Feld Thoughts

Amazon is setting up Kindle bookshelves for some people, including me. If you want to see some of my favorite books from 2016 that I read on my Kindle, take a look at my Feld Thoughts 2016 Books. I log all the books I read (Kindle or physical) on my Goodreads page. Interestingly, Goodreads is also owned by Amazon. It’ll be fun to see if / how they ultimately integrate all this stuff.

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How 5G will change the way we use the web

The Next Web

The promise of 5G includes faster internet, greater mobile connectivity for businesses, and the ability to take futuristic digital experiences like VR and AR mainstream. With such limitless potential, the question becomes just how 5G will change the way people use their devices. To find out what’s coming, I asked a group of entrepreneurs from YEC the following question: How do you see 5G changing the way consumers or businesses use the internet in the next five years?

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What’s Really Important to You?

Rembrandt Communications

Thanksgiving insights for you and your business “What are you serving for Thanksgiving?” “I’m making the potatoes and I need to get to the store.” “Well, we’ll be vacationing near the outlet stores so I can get some good shopping in on Black Friday.” That was the buzz outside of the door. But all I […]. The post What’s Really Important to You?

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Why Your Startup Can’t Ignore SEO Marketing

YoungUpstarts

Nursing your startup through it’s infancy can be grueling, hard work. It’s easy to put some things to the side and handle later; some things you need to push to the side and deal with later. But SEO is not one of them. It is the most important form of marketing for your startup’s website, as all other forms of marketing contribute to it in some shape or form.

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#GivingThanks: David Cohen and the Techstars Foundation

Feld Thoughts

Today’s #GivingThanks is to David Cohen , one of the founders and co-CEO of Techstars. If David has done something that has touched your life is a positive way and you want to give thanks to him, make a donation online to the Techstars Foundation. I met David on one of my random days in 2006. I can’t remember who introduced us, but David reminds me that it took him four months to get a meeting with me.

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16 key red flags for startup investors

The Next Web

I recently a read a good book called The Art of Startup Fundraising written by Alejandro Cremades, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Onevest, a venture investing community platform. One of the chapters in Alejandro’s book specifically talks about these red flags for investors, and Alejandro was kind enough to let me share that list with you. Too many members of the founding team Giving equity is a great way to motivate and enroll the help of more individuals when your startup is lean on ca

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How to Be a Business Owner and Also Have a Life

Up and Running

According to The Alternative Board’s January 2016 Small Business Pulse Survey, the average business owner works 49.4 hours per week—but they’d love to cut that down to 41.7. Last year, our research showed that the number one reason business owners start a company is to be their own boss. Considering business owners are working 400 hours a week more per year than they want to be, it seems they’re no longer their own boss—the work is.

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How To Use Technology To Enhance Your Business

YoungUpstarts

Keeping up with all the latest gadgets and gizmos can be tiring, especially in this fast-paced digital age. However, in business, in can be essential for keeping ahead of the game, especially when trying to compete with the big leagues. Your staff may be the most competent and efficient human beings available, but equipped with ancient tech, you might as well be taking fists to a gunfight.

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#GivingThanks: Lucy Sanders and NCWIT

Feld Thoughts

Next up in my #GivingThanks series – in appreciation for people during Thanksgiving who have had a profound impact on me – is Lucy Sanders , the CEO of the National Center for Women & Information Technology ( NCWIT ). Unlike the last post about the Jason Mendelson Entrepreneurial Award Fund , I’m not going to bury the lede – go here if you’d like to make a financial gift to NCWIT as part of #GivingThanks.

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Why your app could fail before you launch — and how to avoid the crash

The Next Web

Even with the best idea in the world, if you’re trying to do too much or you haven’t gotten user feedback before you build, your app is likely to fail. To help you avoid crashing and burning before you even launch, I asked 13 entrepreneurs from YEC the following question: What is the most common reason apps fail in the development stage, and how can you prevent it?

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7 Takeaways from InnoTech Austin’s Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Workplace for Women in Tech

SiliconHills

At InnoTech Austin, a day long series of sessions focused on Women in Technology. It included one on one mentoring meetings and lots of talks designed to help women succeed in the technology field. In the afternoon, Barbary Brunner, Chief Executive Officer of the Austin Technology Council, moderated a panel discussion on creating a welcoming […] The post 7 Takeaways from InnoTech Austin’s Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Workplace for Women in Tech appeared first on SiliconHills.

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Climb the Ladder Of Intentionality To Unleash Your Potential

YoungUpstarts

by Jeremy Cage, President of The Cage Group and author of “ All Dreams on Deck: Charting the Course for Your Life and Work “ Most of us will die full of potential – and that includes businesses as well as people. One of the key drivers of this phenomenon is the lack of intentionality. We all have dreams – for our businesses, our careers and our lives – but far too often we lack the intentionality to make them happen.

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The Jason Mendelson Entrepreneurial Award Fund

Feld Thoughts

Thanksgiving is a pensive time for me. The world slows down a little as it gets ready for the mad dash to the end of the year. Four day weekends are rare in the United States and even though the retail world is extremely busy on Friday, my Thanksgiving has a very different tempo as the email slows to a crawl, the calendar becomes empty, and Amy and I generally have a lot of hanging out time.

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Abstract launches private alpha to redesign the design process

Version One Ventures

Last week, one of our newest portfolio companies, Abstract , launched their Private Alpha. You can read co-founder Josh Brewer’s announcement here. Josh was previously the principal designer at Twitter. Abstract is building a common infrastructure to support the modern design workflow. If you’re a digital designer, you’ve probably run into some or all of these challenges: Your assets are disorganized and scattered across several places.

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How to Optimize a Site Without a Clear Online Conversion

ConversionXL

No one ever said optimizing any website is easy. But at least if you’re working on an eCommerce site, you have clear metrics to hit. You have goals on which (probably) everyone agrees. But what if you’re an analyst, optimizer, or digital marketer and working on a site without a clear conversion? It’s a pretty different ballgame. The Problems with Non-Financial Measurement.

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You Need More Than An Idea To Start A Business

YoungUpstarts

An idea is where all business begins. But it’s not enough to have you take the first step on your journey to make it a reality. You’re going to need financing, momentum and the personal capital to get the ball rolling. Here, we’re going to look at the tools you use to acquire those: Have a goal. You might think that starting a business and selling goods or services is enough to get people on board.

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The Techstars Origin Story

Feld Thoughts

Greg Avery recently wrote a detailed story in the Denver Business Journal of the origin story of Techstars a decade ago. It’s unfortunately paywalled but comes with a video. For all of you who have participated in or supported Techstars to date, thank you! The post The Techstars Origin Story appeared first on Feld Thoughts.

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10 Things Your ‘Business’ Should Say About You

YFS Magazine

Here's a look at 10 powerful statements you should aspire to and how to let your business reflect them without saying a word.

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Encouraging Austin Entrepreneurs to Think Big

SiliconHills

By LAURA LOREK Reporter with Silicon Hills News Do Austin entrepreneurs think big enough? That’s a question Silicon Hills News has heard debated in several forums for the past six years. The conclusion is often that Austin needs bigger thinkers. But at the “Think Big! With Mike Maples Jr., Jimmy Treybig and Brett Hurt,” panel […] The post Encouraging Austin Entrepreneurs to Think Big appeared first on SiliconHills.

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Things You Will Need To Start A Career As An Uber BLACK Driver

YoungUpstarts

One of the toughest decisions that you will have to make in your life is in regards to the career that you will pursue. In order to pick the right career, you will have to take some time to do a bit of research. Among the best ways to make a living is as an Uber BLACK driver. By choosing this line of work, you will be able to provide transportation to the movers and shakers in an area.