Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Thus I was happy to see a recent book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. A sales fanatic on the founder team helps to contain that risk. These people also have the credibility to attract investors.

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Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 120

View from Seed

JULY 24, 2015

The invite-only event was attended by 300 of the area’s best tech leaders, founders, product managers, designers, developers, investors, engineers, salesmen and women, and more, all of whom are hard at work in consumer tech. The other pillar company CEO to speak closed the Summit — Niraj Shah, Co-founder and CEO of Wayfair: .

Boston 120

Boston Cofounder B2C PR 120

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

In practice it can be a fine line between sparring partner / coach and stepping over the line to brute-force persuasion. At times I wanted the engineering team to produce features to support our sales efforts to I occasionally leaned on them a bit. ” PR. ” Of course I agree with this. I did this.

Startup 150

Startup CTO Hire Sales Leadership 150

Steve Blank

JUNE 3, 2013

Roominate , one of my favorite Lean LaunchPad teams came out to the ranch last week for a strategy session. They outlined their retail channel and PR strategy and told me about the type of consultants they wanted to hire. Hiring PR Agencies. That’s smart I thought, a real clear charter for PR. They learned a ton.

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Hearpreneur

JULY 3, 2020

Enhanced tracking will enable more remote work, decoupling the requirement to be local to the other partners or contractors for the business being founded. The only remaining limiting factor is the lack of trust by some founders. Thanks to Christine Perkett, Mindfull Marketing + PR ! #13- And that’s exciting.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Entrepreneur Software Review Artificial Inteligence 143

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

I recently spoke at the Founder Showcase at the request of Adeo Ressi. I said that at the Founder Showcase, too. And for many of these they were (over) funded 7-10 years ago and don’t necessarily all represent great returns for investors or founders. some founders lose their life savings.

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Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

ConversionXL

MARCH 19, 2020

Greater discipline during boom times offered more flexibility during lean years. And getting it right during the lean years, Bain reports , has a massive impact on companies’ growth rate after things improve: ( Image source ). As the recession wrapped up, they had to remind consumers of lean times. recession in 2009.”.

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ConversionXL

AUGUST 11, 2021

All companies that This Week in Startups’ audience of entrepreneurs, company founders, and marketers would be interested in. PR Week does this in a Twitter poll. Next, look at any companies or suppliers you already partner with. Lean on your professional networks too. What do they dislike? Are they a potential sponsor?

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Audience Social Media Email Ruby 139

ConversionXL

JANUARY 18, 2022

Lean into your strengths, and don’t try to appeal to everyone. At a startup, this can be as simple as defining why the founder started the company in the first place. CXL’s founder, Peep Laja, has a specific “reason why” his company Wynter exists. Why should customers choose to do business with you? Image source.

Marketing 109

Marketing Social Media Non-Compete Audience 109

Steve Blank

JUNE 3, 2013

Roominate , one of my favorite Lean LaunchPad teams came out to the ranch last week for a strategy session. They outlined their retail channel and PR strategy and told me about the type of consultants they wanted to hire. Hiring PR Agencies. That’s smart I thought, a real clear charter for PR. They learned a ton.

PR 211

PR China Lean Channel 211

VC Cafe

DECEMBER 1, 2022

Main takeaways from “Into the Metaverse” The event opened with a presentation by Hamza Khan , a Partner at McKinsey & Company and author of the “ Value creation in the metaverse ” report shared it will take time for VR to become mainstream and enable “fully immersive 3D worlds” but there’s a ton of innovation happening in web 2.5

Generative AI 88

Generative AI Vertical Early Stage PR 88

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2018

This is part of a series of advice for founders who need to raise money from venture capitalists. Somehow many first-time founders equate “sales” with something that is beneath them. I always tell founders … “An investors job is to deploy capital and make a return. This is where most founders err. To be clear?—?your

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Term Sheet Due Diligence Campaign Sales 332

Brandanew

JULY 6, 2015

As usual, here’s a round up of all the content we shared with our partners in the last month. a) How to hire social media marketing staff for your Startup is a question that’s not easy for a lean organization. c) Has social media negatively impacted PR ? c) How can one manage the workings of a lean Startup ?

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ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Back in 2016, I read a book called Sprint by Jake Knapp, founder of Google Ventures. And so, the concept for a digital PR service was born. Using my existing skills and resources (including an old domain name), I tested a productized digital PR offer. About 18 months later, we pivoted our messaging to evolve beyond digital PR.

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PR B2B Lean Audience 120

500hats.com

AUGUST 2, 2012

First Round became a very active investor in consumer internet and e-commerce, on a rather lean investment budget, with several notable exits (including Mint.com to Intuit in 2009 for $170M). but the food was awesome, & the PR wasn’t bad either). and no, we didn’t. Rise of Y Combinator, 1st Branded Entrepreneur Guild.

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Silicon Valley Early Stage Venture Capital Valuation 74

The Equity Kicker

JULY 8, 2019

From around 2000, and perhaps coinciding with the need to work harder to win deals as opportunities dried up after the internet bubble burst, individual partners at VC firms began adding ‘helping CEOs win’ to their job descriptions. . Value add strategies make partners at VC firms more personally effective. Building platforms.

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Portfolio LP Venture Capital Partner 84

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Last spring, Dave Graham , founder of software consulting firm Arizona Bay, learned that a major client, Jumpstart Automotive Media, had been acquired for more than $80 million. Graham is careful about whom he chooses to partner with. But Ive definitely had to lean on Dave. FROM OUR PARTNERS. ); ); ); ADVERTISEMENT.

Arizona 40

Arizona Equity Iowa Venture Capital 40

Steve Blank

APRIL 5, 2017

I reminded her that all the Lean tools she learned in class–Customer Discovery, business model and value proposition canvases– contained her answer. Create awareness for fundraising (VC, angels, corporate partners). Founders ask me all the time whether they should hire a PR agency. Here’s how. they’ll win.).

Marketing 316

Marketing Audience Technical Review PR 316

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 13, 2009

Announce a new product, start its PR campaign, and engage in buzz marketing activities. Even if you must launch to your customers, avoid the urge to also launch in extra places, just because your PR firm can do it at the same time. Establish credibility with potential partners. First off, what does it mean to launch?

San Francisco 168

San Francisco PR Lean Early Stage 168

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

Step 1: Start with a lean plan. It’s the fastest way to get your idea onto paper, and it’s the very first step in the lean planning process, which is much easier and more iterative than traditional business planning methods. List key partners and resources you will need, and then list your core team as well as their roles.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Eric Friedman

JULY 11, 2016

I typically lean towards tech oriented products and services, but they are doing a great job of building a platform to support many different categories. Attention/PR – Obviously, but down on my list as I don’t think its the main reason to participate. What is Product Hunt? How should you post on Product Hunt?

Product 60

Product Cofounder Community PR 60

Hearpreneur

APRIL 29, 2021

Both of our founders have struggled with mental health, and have found solace in counseling, journaling, and lots of self-reflection. When Clare DeNicola and I decided to start a full-service marketing and PR firm 10 years ago, we knew we didn't want to take the usual agency branding route: put our names on the door.

Naming 162

Naming Entrepreneur LLC Colombia 162

Austin Startup

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

I’m Hannah, founder and CEO at Babbler. We change the way PR gets done by connecting companies with relevant reporters. We are simplifying the process of getting featured (for companies) and curate PR content (for reporters). As Uber’s founder Travis Kalanick is fond of quoting: “Uber is efficiency with elegance on top.

Burn Rate 54

Burn Rate Product Cofounder PR 54

Hearpreneur

JANUARY 4, 2023

We are a PR and digital marketing agency specializing in regulated markets, like cannabis and psychedelics. I am the founder of NeoCandle where we talk all about scented candles. The wolf and heron symbolized the merging of our businesses and exemplified the characteristics of compelling and inspirational leaders.

Naming 107

Naming Entrepreneur SEO Wisconsin 107

Steve Blank

MAY 21, 2009

The Message Sitting around a conference room table brainstorming messages that might resonate with customers, or worse having a PR agency doing that for you, is a firing offense in a small company. For a small company this is like throwing your tradeshow money on the floor. Plus tips on overall trade show strategy.

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Silicon Valley RSS California Customer Development 203

justinmares.com

OCTOBER 8, 2012

Through my work on Traction Book (and interviews with over 25 entrepreneurs) I’ve noticed a few things successful founders have in common. At Unbounce, founder Rick Perreault told us they spent the first six months of the company’s existence building an audience through their blog – before they even had a product.

Vertical 44

Vertical Lean Channel PR 44

Up and Running

JULY 24, 2015

Founders Workbench. The Founders Workbench has a variety of tools to help you get your startup off the ground. See Also How to Do Your Own PR If You Can’t Afford to Hire an Agency. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. The Lean Startup is a popular book for entrepreneurs. Networking for Professionals. Startup books.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur Small Business Administration SBA Pennsylvania 60

Steve Blank

JUNE 22, 2009

Hewlett’s partner Dave Packard wanted to get into the computer business.) Cultural Revolution at Large Corporations – the Founders Return Of the companies that do reinvent themselves it’s interesting that often its the founder or an outsider that has the insight and makes the radical changes.

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Silicon Valley RSS California Agile 186

Up and Running

APRIL 1, 2015

David Daneshgar, Gregg Weisstein, and Farbod Shoraka, the founders of BloomNation.com. But, of course, they need funding—and wouldn’t you know it, one of the founders is a world class poker player. So, from the consumer end, the founders believed they could do better. Creating a better experience for both florists and consumers.

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Venture Capital Startup Cofounder Chicago 60

crowdSPRING Blog

JULY 19, 2018

Lee Fredericksen, Managing Partner at Hinge Marketing explains : A brand promise is an extension of a company’s positioning. The Stanley brothers – founders of Charlotte’s Web – know this well. Ever since President Nixon declared a war on drugs in 1971, cannabis has gotten some pretty bad PR.

Charlotte 61

Charlotte Design Ghana Web 61

crowdSPRING Blog

JULY 19, 2018

Lee Fredericksen, Managing Partner at Hinge Marketing explains : A brand promise is an extension of a company’s positioning. The Stanley brothers – founders of Charlotte’s Web – know this well. Ever since President Nixon declared a war on drugs in 1971, cannabis has gotten some pretty bad PR.

Charlotte 48

Charlotte Design Ghana Web 48

Steve Blank

JULY 13, 2009

The positive effect of the tidal wave of press was as a door opener for us to raise money from corporate partners. The Customer Discovery lessons of “get outside the building and test your hypothesis with customers,&# and “the founders need to hear the results,&# came from this debacle. << (tags: startups) [.]

Silicon Valley 122

Silicon Valley Product RSS California 122

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 7, 2010

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Wednesday, April 7, 2010 Learning is better than optimization (the local maximum problem) Lean startups don’t optimize. The Lean Startup methodology does not advocate using optimization techniques to make startup decisions. That’s the local maximum. That’s right.

San Francisco 154

San Francisco Lean Metrics Design 154

Steve Blank

JULY 16, 2009

We Don’t Need Domain Experts When I looked around at our executive staff, there wasn’t a single founder who was a gamer. Meanwhile my partner was in heaven working with his newly hired group of game designers directing and producing our first games. “No,” Founders need to validate their vision in front of customers early and often.

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Silicon Valley RSS Video San Diego 222

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 22, 2015

Lean Doesn’t Always Create the Best Products [link] crowdspring.co/1FcPnhs NerdWallet raised $64 million in Series A led by Institutional Venture Partners – Silicon Valley Business Journal [link] crowdspring.co/1IClQlq Ghost founder on how to grow a successful design career by blogging [link]. link] nyti.ms/1bWa0Uz

Small Business 48

Small Business Design Social Media Startup 48

betashop.com

OCTOBER 8, 2012

This past week while I was in Tokyo for meetings with potential partners for Fab, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion on startups. million registered users, 7500 supplier partners, 600 team members, and a run-rate of more than $150M in sales in just 15 months. Founders need to personally own something big themselves.

Technical Review 108

Technical Review Technology Software Review Valuation 108

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 29, 2011

I would put my firm, GRP Partners in with the group working with teams in different ways. Maybe Micro VCs will get larger and emulate a multiple-partner strategy like True Ventures or First Round Capital. They should start “lean.&# There are also others. But obviously I’m biased. I think some will do this.

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Venture Capital Software LP Early Stage 296