Startups

Startup Outlook 2012: Entrepreneurs are Optimistic and Hiring, but Concerned about Government Policies

05.18.12 From Tech Cocktail

Today, Silicon Valley Bank released its Startup Outlook 2012, based on a February survey of 270 executives from early-stage US startups. Here’s a quick roundup:

The Good

According to the report, “The survey revealed that the tech sector in the U.S. is healthy, hiring, has great business qualities and that startups are optimistic.” 64% of startups met or exceeded their 2011 revenue goals, and 61% believe business conditions are better than a year ago. And these numbers are even higher for software startups. Meanwhile, 90%t of software startups are hiring this year.

The Bad

Entrepreneurs’ concerns boil down to two main issues: education and government policy. 60% of entrepreneurs surveyed believe the education system isn’t preparing students properly for the workforce. And again, that number is higher for the software industry.

The fact that so many startups are hiring might mean that they can’t find or attract high-quality talent. “If I look at my own portfolio … we must have several hundred open positions,” said Jeff Clavier, founder of SoftTech VC, on a call today. “There is so much competition today across the growth stage that it’s really, really hard to attract that talent.”

Read more from Tech Cocktail

Startups

Top 10 Mistakes First-Time Entrepreneurs Make

05.04.12 from BostInno

Here at IDEA, we work with first-time entrepreneurs on a regular basis. Our job is to provide a network of resources as we guide these budding entrepreneurs through all the steps necessary to propel their ideas into real, successful businesses.

We decided to compile a list of the top ten entrepreneurial mistakes we see students make as they learn the ins and outs of what it takes to survive as entrepreneurs in today’s complex society.

1.  Not having a clear focus. The most important—and often most difficult—part of starting a business comes down to knowing how to prioritize and understanding the tasks involved.

2.  Hiring the first person they interview. Venture Capitalists invest in teams, not just business ideas. It is crucial to put the time and energy into bringing the right people on board. Read more from BostInno

Startups

PAUL SINGH ON VENTURE CAPITALISTS AND RAISING MONEY

02.21.12 From Tech Cocktail

Last week I got a chance to listen to Paul Singh from 500 Startups talk about raising money at The Fort. First of all, I have to say that almost every sentence Paul uttered could have been used as a quote on its own. Below are the best ones, which I broke down into 3 basic steps for raising capital for your startup.

Step 1 – When you are ready to start approaching investors, do not run around knocking on every door. Have a targeted approach.

“Think of investing as phases. Create a hit list of investors and sort them by ranking. Take the people on the bottom and test your pitch on them first. Pay attention to the questions they ask you, because there is a 90% chance you will get those questions again.” Read more from Tech Cocktail

Startups

Women 2.0 PITCH Conference & Competition

02.07.12 By Lori Anne Wardi

Women 2.0 PITCH Conference & Competition (February 14, 2012 in Mountain View, CA) is a full day event to learn from the product innovation leaders who built Flickr, Facebook, Zipcar, TaskRabbit, LARK and more. Both men and women working in technology (from early-stage startup to corporate) are invited to hear speakers share best practices, growth strategies and stories of disruptive product development at their ventures. Learn about launching products from concept to cash and customers! Watch the Women 2.0 Startup Competition finalists pitch live to a panel of investors for feedback and prizes. Network with 800+ members of the Women 2.0 community at our biggest event of the year!

To register, visit http://women2.org/conference2012 and save 10% with discount code “CO-COMMUNITY”.

I joined the .CO team way back in 2008, when we were putting together the bid to win the right to launch the .CO domain globally.   Our little startup won the right to administer .CO in 2009, beating out industry giants like Verisign, which runs the .com and .net domain extensions. What a great coup!  I was passionate about our mission from the very start – and continue to be so to this day. Read more from Lori Anne Wardi

Startups

Show some love for female startup founders

01.23.12 By Betsy Aoki

Betsy Aoki is Senior Program Manager at Bing

I first met Lori Anne Wardi, a vice president at .CO, during a Geeks on a Plane tour of Asia last fall. While on the shuttle to and from various startup accelerators and meeting spots, we chatted about the wacky dot-com 90s and how things have changed (and stayed the same) in startupland since those days. More consumers know what a domain name is now but people are still faced with the dilemma of how to fund and shape their new companies. And, just like the 90s, there is still a marked shortage of women tech entrepreneurs. Read more from Betsy Aoki

Startups

How to Start Up in the New Year

01.19.12 Posted from Fox Small Business Center

Is your New Year’s resolution to start a business? If so, don’t wave goodbye to the security of a steady paycheck so fast.

In workshops with prospective entrepreneurs, I preach the “slow go” approach to start up a business organization. My preference for first-time entrepreneurs is to wait to quit a salaried job as long as possible to preserve personal savings.

Too often eager entrepreneurs leave salaried positions with only a vague notion of their business goals. They quit to start a business but haven’t really thought through what might work with customers in the marketplace. With each passing month, their savings and confidence drop. This is why so many startup businesses fold early – they start from a point of weakness rather than strength. Read more from Fox Small Business Center

Get Inspired

The entrepreneurial lure — should you bite?

01.12.12 Posted from CBS MoneyWatch

Entrepreneurship is all the rage these days. What with the breakout success of social media, the coming of age of Gen Y, and corporate America not hiring, it’s not surprising that the question of whether to start your own company or join someone else’s startup is a hot topic.

What is surprising are all the popular myths, obvious platitudes, and downright bad advice from people who have no idea what they’re talking about because they’ve never walked the talk in the real world. So let me shed a little light on the subject. Read more from CBS MoneyWatch

Startups

A 10-Step Recipe for Marketing Success

01.10.12 By Owen Frager

Owen Frager is Chief Innovation Officer of the Frager Creative Group, and principal blogger at Frager Factor. One of the nation’s first virtual marketing communications agencies serving Fortune 500 brands, Frager Creative and Owen Frager prove every day that big agency creativity doesn’t have to come with big agency drawbacks — or costs.

There’s a lot more to interactive digital marketing than eye-catching banner ads, discount packages and clever domain names.

Marketing, has finally come into the industry. Marketing gives personality and differentiates for advantage. Marketing creates relationships with customers that go deeper than anything you sell or make. And of course, social marketing, yet to be mastered by most, facilitates those relationships and drives word of mouth. Read more from Owen Frager

Startups

Startup CEO New Years Resolution: Five Things I’ll Stop Doing Next Year

01.01.12 Posted from Tech Cocktail

1. I’m going to stop waiting till next year.  I’m not waiting till next week, next month, next year.  The next time I look at an item on my to-do list for the 2nd or 3rd time, instead of putting it off again for another indefinite future execution date that I won’t meet, I’m taking it off my list or getting it done now.  If every time I come to this to-do item, I push it back, it’s either not important so I’ll drop it or I’m avoiding it for the wrong reason’s and I’m going to stop avoiding it. Read more from Tech Cocktail

Startups

Busyness vs. Business

11.23.11 Posted from Epic Launch

Entrepreneurial achievement requires solid and consistent follow-through. Seems straight forward enough. Well, it may be straight forward, but it’s far from easy.

Coming up with the business idea is the easy part. You discover a passion that truly drives you. You get all excited, chart a path, write up a business plan and get started. Right on!!! But then something sort of…fizzles. While you honestly know in your heart that this is your dream – that this is exactly what you want – at some point you stop going after it with the same fervor you started with. You start engaging in “staying busy” without focusing on the right actions, the smart choices, the ideas that will serve your business. Quickly you notice that days become weeks. Weeks become months. And suddenly you have very little to show for all this time you are putting in. WTF? Read more from Epic Launch