Years ago, I led a deal and invested in a company that looked like it had lots of promise to disrupt the women’s clothing industry with special algorithms and an online store. But something had bothered me from the very start – unsalable inventory. An entrepreneur makes a claim that stretches comfort You see, women’s […]
Dave Berkus
Go Ahead, Revert to “Old School” Marketing – If You Dare…
“Broadcast the message and they will come!” “Segment my broadcast and I will have better response.” Both of these time–honored methods of reaching our customers have worked for as long as there was print and radio–TV to get the message out. The obsolete marketing message And both have become increasingly obsolete as new channels of […]
Steve Jobs’ “Aha” Moment!
There is a process to innovation that can be summed up with four words: “Whoa. Wow! Hmmm. Yes!” Credit Dr. Mark Goulston with this. He states, that’s exactly how Steve Jobs described his “aha moment.” So, let’s paraphrase the late Mr. Jobs as we describe this process. A bit of history that “made” Apple rich […]
Branding Yourself: A Critical Decision
We’re talking about brand strategy here. Not advertising, and certainly not an easy grasp for amateur marketers. So how developed is your company’s brand? Is your message clear, concise, and consistent? Here’s the professional’s process: There is a process used by professionals to get to clear messaging. It starts with “discovery,” the process of finding […]
Customer empowerment? Blame the Internet.
Customer empowerment is moving so fast nowadays that many of us are running to just catch up. Yet if we don’t or can’t, it is a sure thing that someone else will. Yes, we can blame the Internet for this. But don’t close your eyes to the fact that your customers have grown to expect your […]
My Hard-Earned Lessons From Negative Exits
In my life as an early-stage investor, I’ve been closely involved with so many businesses, there were bound to be numerous stories of actual and near failures, hopefully from which to learn lessons for all of us as we go forward. The emotions we feel when “turning out the lights.” Several times in my investing […]
The Question Asked By Jeff Bezos That Blew Me Away
Here’s the question This piece of wisdom came from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, during a board meeting for one of the companies where he sits as board member. Jeff asked the question “Is there anything big or small, which is working better than you expected? Is there anywhere we could double down?” What a great insight. […]
Is There Gold in Your Old Intellectual Property?
Digging through your IP closet for gold… In past years, several times a month I’d have lunch with one of my CEOs, and each time we’d find ourselves digging into the intellectual property developed by the company over the years, just to refresh ourselves about what the intended use was back then and whether new developments […]
Entrepreneurism is All About Personal Risk
Well, of course it is. So, let’s dig a bit deeper. Sometimes, you can reduce your personal risk by taking in other people’s money in various ways, perhaps starting with a consulting contract with a customer, purchasing a going business where profit or loss is known, or spinning off an existing revenue-generating portion of an […]
Can You Defend Your Plan & Not Be Defensive?
When meeting with investors or even your board, during the period devoted to feedback after your presentation, you will hear comments and recommendations that don’t resonate with you. Some will be from a misunderstanding of your explanation. Some listeners will challenge your assumptions. Some will seem to ask just plain show-off questions, in which the […]
