Category Archives: Positioning

Here’s how NOT to define your competition

We investors see this all the time. An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. When asked (as we always do,) the response is “This is new. We have no competition.” Niet!  No! Unh unh. Professional investors … Continue reading

Posted in Finding your ideal niche, Ignition! Starting up, Positioning, Raising money | 1 Comment

Can you overcome five risks and create wealth?

Of course, we are speaking of increased valuation of your company when we speak of “wealth.”  Especially if you are in the early stage of growing a business, these five risks can and often do derail entrepreneurs before realizing the … Continue reading

Posted in Positioning, Protecting the business | 3 Comments

Can you become a master negotiator?

Think you don’t use negotiation most every day of your life? From the time we learn to manipulate our parents from the crib to today, we learn to negotiate to obtain our wants and needs.  As we grow, we negotiate … Continue reading

Posted in Growth!, Positioning | 7 Comments

Investors, your board, and you: Who controls strategy?

You’re building a company from your vision and a passion, and lots of people are going to tell you that you have this or that wrong, and that it just won’t work. Business plans rarely survive market contact The truth … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Finding your ideal niche, Positioning | 2 Comments

Can a revolutionary concept be too late to market?

Too many startup businesses, especially in the technology world, are built upon brand new concepts that have not yet been proven in the field against products from other companies that already have revenues flowing. As a rule, creating a product … Continue reading

Posted in Finding your ideal niche, Ignition! Starting up, Positioning | 2 Comments

Can you profit by serving early adaptors?

I am a gadget freak, often purchasing new technologies in their first release.  And my closet is full of such gadgets, from early pen-based computers to early brick-sized cell phones to an electronic handwriting recognition pad received as a gift … Continue reading

Posted in Finding your ideal niche, Positioning | 4 Comments

Catch up to your market or be lost!

Markets and competitors change. Are you being left behind? Over the years, I have often heard the complaint from CEO friends that they have become so swamped by the demands of their growing businesses that they feel themselves further and … Continue reading

Posted in Growth!, Positioning | 2 Comments

Can you defend your pricing niche against your competition?

This week, we continue our series on marketing and positioning. There can be nothing more important in your business planning that selecting the proper pricing niche, making your story clear using that niche, and the defending your position against the … Continue reading

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Why buy IT? Why buy MINE? Why buy NOW?

What a powerful set of three questions.  These are so succinct, so well defined, so precise that everyone in sales and everyone involved in marketing must be able to answer these three questions without pause, and convincingly.   Turning these into … Continue reading

Posted in Positioning | 2 Comments

Faster is sometimes more valuable than better.

And doing both well usually wins the day. This is one of those arguable insights, where both sides win.  Dell is a great example of emphasis upon fast, creating a customized computer in 48 hours or less, bringing in assemblies … Continue reading

Posted in Finding your ideal niche, Growth!, Positioning | 2 Comments