Startups Archives - Page 10 of 30

What Startup Founders Might Consider Before Seeking VC

Tuesday, 05 November 2019 by Paul O'Brien

Venture Capital seeks opportunity, not a sales pitch. The mindset to have is that you don’t want to have to seek VC, you want investors to seek you. Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to do the work and start the conversation; it’s a mindset – what are you doing to build the

Published in Startups

32 Comments

Education in Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Thursday, 17 October 2019 by Paul O'Brien

Two VERY different things. Love this question, I mentor in our local High School program and with University incubators and accelerators. Our schools can do better, if we help them do so. Peter Drucker (economist notable in the 70s and 80s), “Only two things create value in business – Marketing and Innovation; and Marketing is the

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Published in Advertising, PR, Social Media, Startups

2 Comments

Startups Often Try to Monetize too Early

Thursday, 17 October 2019 by Paul O'Brien

I was just asked, What are examples of startups that tried to monetize too early? and my gut reaction was, “all that fail.” Before you jump all over that blunt and obtuse, and too narrow, reaction, let’s explore… Encourage you actually ask the question in the inverse. How or why are so many dominant and

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Published in Startups

21 Comments

“A VC is asking 6% for acting as an advisor…”

Friday, 27 September 2019 by Paul O'Brien

As a startup mentor, that’s the start of the all too common question from founders trying to figure out if they should part with equity to get someone involved. As a venture partner, that’s a reflection of what too many startups are offered and it’s a turn of the phrase that ranks right up there

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Published in Featured, Raising Capital, Startups

104 Comments

The Insecurity of Costs – Accelerating New Business Development

Monday, 09 September 2019 by Paul O'Brien

GENERAL STARTUP STATISTICS 69 percent of U.S. entrepreneurs start their businesses at home. According to the National Association of Small Business’s 2017 Economic Report, the majority of small businesses surveyed are LLCs (35 percent) followed by S-corporations (33 percent), corporations (19 percent), sole proprietorships (12 percent), and partnerships (2 percent). 51 percent of people asked, “What’s the best way

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Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Startups

13 Comments

Wasting Development Cycles to Update Content is Absurd

Tuesday, 27 August 2019 by Paul O'Brien

Yeah that’s a bottle of wine. And I know what you’re thinking… “What they heck does a bottle of wine have to do with content and web development?!” Well, a good CMS is like a fine bottle of wine; with just enough of it, you’ll forget your problems. With the startup community, and in incubators,

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Published in Blog, Blogs & Blogging, Insights / Research, Startups, Web Design

6 Comments

The Introverted Entrepreneur

Tuesday, 13 August 2019 by Paul O'Brien

“How do I become a better CEO as an introvert?” So I’ve been asked. And it’s a surprisingly common topic hinting that many are questioning if their introverted nature is handicapping them as a founder, leader, executive, or that CEO. At first blush, a thought to appreciate is Confirmation Bias OR Perception Bias. Confirmation Bias

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups, Uncategorized

7 Comments