Posts Tagged ‘Startups’
Startup Culture is as Leaders Do
The question over on Quora was How should a new startup develop and sustain a strong company culture? I decided not to answer the essential how-to, but rather to share my experience in this area, which is more like a reality check on startup culture than anything else. The following is straight from my Quora answer. Culture is not what…
Read MoreHow Young Companies Can Take Advantage of Co-Working Office Spaces
Expanding your office is one of the most exciting and important moves a young company can make. But that doesn’t mean it comes without anxiety. Setting goals, budgeting, hiring, holding investor meetings and planning are huge priorities. And with that type of acceleration, other essentials can sneak up on a CEO, including the physical space…
Read More10 Tried-and-True Strategies for Funding New Ventures
One of the most frequent questions I get as a mentor to entrepreneurs is “How do I find the money to start my business?” I always answer that there isn’t any magic, and contrary to the popular myth, nobody is waiting in the wings to throw money at you, just because you have a new…
Read More5 Valuable Tips for Startups Harnessing Social Media
Social media is a dream for startups if utilized to its full potential. Essentially, it allows a company to reach millions of people on a shoestring budget. Luckily, most of us today have dipped a toe in the vast ocean that is social media. But, running a company account on any platform is vastly different…
Read More5 Offline Marketing Tips That Could Save Your Startup
No advice, no demand, no plan, no forecast and no budget. Or it is the opposite problem—growth is too fast to cope with. Whether it’s the aforementioned or the latter, they are just some of the reasons why 90% of new start-ups fail. So what are the other 10% doing to survive and thrive? They…
Read More10 Myths vs. Reality on Business Plans and Startup Investment
I gather from a stream of emails I’ve received that there are a lot of misconceptions on the relationship between a business plan and getting seed money and/or angel investment. So here’s a list of reality checks to apply to all those lists. Business plans are necessary but not sufficient. Even a great business plan…
Read MoreBootstrapping Your Business: A Reality Check
Philip Soriano has trouble fitting into dress shirts. This, along with his fashion and business experience, informs his role as co-founder of Hugh & Crye, a menswear company. For the dreamers, starting a small business might feel like stepping out into an open prairie. Endless room for growth, no bosses in sight, unexplored trails to blaze.…
Read MoreHow to Match Your Startup Stage to Investor Interest
Time is too precious to waste trying to close a deal with the wrong investors at the wrong time. Luckily, not all investors are looking for the same thing, so it pays to know what type of investors are most interested in what your startup brings to the table. The key is understanding how potential…
Read MoreElevator Speech Part 1: The Market Story
Can you describe your business in 60 seconds? In grad-level venture contests, and in startup groups and the startup eco-system, they call it “the elevator speech.” It’s a formal event in many business plan competitions, but aside from that specialty use, do you agree with me that every business owner should be able to do it?…
Read MoreHow to Reduce Startup Risk Using Existing Technology
It may not be as sexy, but starting a new business which builds on an existing technology or business model is usually less risky than introducing that ultimate new disruptive technology. There are many levels of innovation that go beyond copying someone else’s idea, but stop short of pushing the leading edge (bleeding edge). Many…
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