Startups have a hard time staying focused. It’s the nature of the beast. The enthusiasm founders have for their startups can very quickly lead to chasing too many opportunities. The big risk? Running in every direction, chasing every lead, idea and opportunity only to realize at the end that you’ve made very little progress. And […]
Keeping a 20,000 Foot View One Day at a Time
How do you maintain a 20,000 foot strategic view of your startup and business, while frantically managing the day-to-day efforts? I’ve been thinking about this a lot, because it’s something I’m dealing with now. Immediately after launching Standout Jobs, things accelerated incredibly. And that should be the goal of every startup. Prior to launching you’re […]
Is a Lack of Experience Really Such a Bad Thing?
Young entrepreneurs don’t have a lot of experience. That’s a given. And in many cases this is rarely brought up as an issue. But in certain industries (especially in “older industries” or B2B-related industries) that lack of experience will be a sticking point. At least for many people inside the industry. It’s certainly been a […]
The Importance of Advisory Boards for Startup CEOs
When a startup receives financing it will need to setup a Board of Directors. The Board probably existed beforehand, but was made up only of the founders. Once funding takes place, the angels or VCs will want a seat at the table. There’s no surprise there. But there’s another kind of board that’s equally important. […]
Paying Lip Service to Failure Is Not Enough
Failure sucks. Let’s not sugarcoat it. No one goes into business, pours their heart (and money) into a startup, and hopes it will fail. But failure is common enough. The statistics on it are immaterial (and I’m too lazy to look them up right now) — suffice it to say, lots of startups fail. And […]
How Important Is Intellectual Property For Startups?
For most first-time entrepreneurs, intellectual property is a giant black hole. Most of us are familiar with the concepts of intellectual property – copyrights, patents, etc. – but few of us have been involved in really assessing and understanding intellectual property, its value and whether it’s important or not. Jason Mendelson does a great job […]
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