In every business, especially new ones, quick and effective problem solving is a critical skill. The problems you face are more complex and moving faster than ever before, and the consequences of a poor or incomplete solution can be costly to your business, and well as to your community, human health, and the environment. What […]
5 Key Drivers For Creating A Board For Your Startup
Here is a set of considerations for every entrepreneur to consider when deciding when and how to create a board that has the most value to a specific CEO and a specific business.
8 Steps For Developing Employees To Generate Loyalty
It’s a whole new world out there in the workplace. Millennials want work that matters, and don’t care for hierarchies. Boomers are coming back to work, but because of their experience, they may be insulted by constant feedback. All prefer more flexible hours, the chance to work from home, and the traditions of lifetime loyalty […]
Why It Pays To Focus Your Business On A Narrow Niche
Most in the business world has heard of the old bestseller by Geoffrey A. Moore titled “Crossing the Chasm,” but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them. In fact, it’s all about the “focus” required to get early-stage technology products across the deadly chasm from early adopters to mainstream customers. Most investors […]
8 Key Disciplines Are Essential To Scale Any Business
As a mentor to many small business owners, I always caution them that you can never relax completely, just because your initial solution or product set appears to be getting traction, and the market buzz is positive. Unfortunately, your next stage of scaling the business is fraught with potential oversights that can lead to the […]
7 Criteria to Help Startups Find the Right Investor
Too many entrepreneurs tell me they are looking for an investor, and can’t differentiate between venture capital (VC) investors and accredited “angel” investors. They argue that the color of the money is the same from either source. They fail to realize that the considerations are quite different for each, which can make or break their investment efforts, and ultimately, their startup.
6 Reasons To Overcome Your Fear of Talking Publicly
As a mentor for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, I talk to a fair number who may have a great vision and a strong engineering background but have a negative interest in the role of public speaking in business. In fact, they often claim to be part of the survey group that fears public speaking more […]
6 Settings When Ready-Aim-Fire May Doom Your Startup
I know entrepreneurs who have suffered from premature execution often associated with the ready-fire-aim quick-to-market approach. Yet, I believe that many more have benefited from this approach, especially in early startup stages. If your product is highly innovative, and speed to market is critical, you won’t get it right the first time anyway, no matter how cautiously you plan.
7 Strategies For Brand Leadership Through Influencers
These days, the influencers at the top of your business make your brand, rather than a brand making influencers of your leaders. Consider Jeff Bezos at the top of Amazon, or Howard Schultz at the top of Starbucks. They were influencers before they were a brand. You too can become an influencer through social media, […]
8 Advantages of Leader Focus on People Versus Process
Every business needs repeatable processes to grow and thrive, but modern business processes need the right people to make them efficient and productive. In addition, today’s customers judge a company by perceived people relationships through social media, phone conversations, and sales experiences. The right people make productive processes, not the other way around.