Posts Tagged ‘Getting Started’
8 Key Ingredients to a Profitable Consulting Business
Most of the guidance you see for entrepreneurs is aimed at those who are selling a product (Apple, Tesla, Xiaomi), or selling a service (Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat). Yet, according to statistics from the Small Business Association (SBA), over half of new businesses offer something else—personal professional services, including consulting, business coaching, and advisory services. The challenges for…
Read MoreStartup Vision: Paradox of Consistency vs. Opportunity
The world is full of paradox, like this one. Here’s research on startup vision that shows “The tech landscape is lush with entrepreneurs whose success blossomed only after the founders had modified or even abandoned their original vision.” That makes sense when you see examples and details. But wait – what about the idea that the…
Read More3 Secrets of Success That Influencers Don’t Tell You
Jim sat on his dingy bed. Around and under the center of his universe were the bits and bric brac of a life collected. Books, a radio and just some tired essentials. Some of these were the leftovers of Jim’s story. Dog eared photos of past relationships and distant memories. The boundaries of this one room dwelling…
Read MoreWhich is More Important: Management Quality or a Better Plan?
So, what do you think is more important? The quality of your management team, or the plan you execute toward success? Checking with professional investors from angels to VC’s, the answer appears to be near unanimous: the quality of the proposed or actual management team comes in a strong first, before the attractiveness of the business…
Read MoreHow to Build a Service Business with an IoT Framework
What is the machine of the future? It’s still an assembly of parts, gears, and electronics—but that’s not all. The machine of the future is also an integrated collection of sensors and actuators connected by software (think Tesla). That’s according to Dr. Timothy Chou, author of Precision: Principles, Practices, and Solutions for the Internet of Things (Crowdstory, 2016).…
Read More8 Disciplines for Transforming Ideas into Businesses
Entrepreneurs are people who dream up new ideas, and then commercialize them into new businesses. Most people believe that the hard part is coming up with the idea, and the easy part is turning it into a business. Yet, in my experience as a mentor to entrepreneurs, the majority of failures I see are related…
Read MoreStartups: What Are Your Odds for Success?
Well, the numbers don’t lie, even if there are several sources of these statistics. Starting a company is HARD—in so many ways. And risky too. I read several years ago, that the average startup restaurant lasts only about a year. Ouch! Here I am a professional investor in early stage companies, and I attempt to…
Read More5 Steps to Building a Successful Tech Startup
Entrepreneurship has become the buzzword as it seems everyone in every part of the world is seeking to become the next big thing in tech development. There are stories all around us that speak about a single piece of motivation, an idea, or even a mistake that became the foundation stone of a billion dollar…
Read MoreHow to Protect Your Business Idea While You Build the Business
How to protect your business idea while you build your startup. I’ve been kind of hard-line in this space on the value of ideas. I’ve said they are a dime a dozen, aren’t owned, can’t be sold. My personal favorite is this one: A good idea is like a beautiful day. Everybody owns it. I’ve posted here on…
Read More4 Great Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms
During the first few years of being a new mum, all of your time is taken up looking after your little one. As they grow up, though, and especially after they start going to school, you might find yourself at something of a loose end. This can be a difficult period, perhaps the first in…
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