One of the biggest challenges I find for new business owners is for them to move from working in the business to working on the business. You are so engaged in building and selling your product or service, that you “don’t have time” to focus on strategy and the next round of changes for the business to survive and grow. The result is a business plateau that hits you like a ton of bricks.
Management
How to Use Twitter to Build Your Brand
Twitter is still an incredible platform to build brand. It’s fascinating to me as a marketer because it allows me to initiate relationships with people 1 on 1. It’s how I built my brand in the early days from 2007 – 2011 when I was working at a wine retail store in New Jersey and […]
Should I Care About an Exit Plan?
We all know that there’s a possibility of selling our company, but how much planning can we really do to make that happen?
7 Minute Diligence
So in a world where diligence on private-market operating businesses can take months, it’s natural to wonder how much accuracy would be lost if we compressed all that work down to seven minutes.
9 Elements of Every New Startup that Investors Expect
New entrepreneurs are always looking for a shortcut in getting their venture story and plan across to investors, and closing on the funding they need. An effective tool I see used more and more, as a prelude to a more detailed business plan, is the Business Model Canvas, first introduced by Alexander Osterwalder back in 2008. It forces […]
10 Ways Your Startup Cofounder Is Like A Good Spouse
As a long-time business advisor and angel investor, I’m a believer that “two heads are better than one” in building a new business. Very few entrepreneurs have the range of skills and experience to be the solution creator as well as business creator, or operational as well as sales leader. The challenge is to recognize […]
The 3 Dimensions of Reputation to Building Your Innovation Capital
We’ve all heard comments like “I’ve heard Sarah is really great” or “I’m glad Anup is on the team.” Although Sarah and Anup may not be known for anything in particular, these favorable impressions have a more beneficial effect than does just being known…
The Most Important Concept for Sales Success
I wanted to talk about a concept for sales success that I’m struggling to see others talk about. It’s a big reason behind why people struggle to get others to buy into them – whether it’s trying to change someone’s mind, or sell them on a product.
Why We Turned Down a Chance to Double Sales
It is perfectly acceptable and prudent to say no to a sale if there are high odds it will end up capsizing your boat. Read about George Deeb’s take on a specific deal he had to turn down for the best interest of his company.
How Do We Tell Our Staff We’re About to Run out of Money?
The key to communicating with our staff about money is to do it early and to get everyone on the same page.