When the economy tanks as it did in the last recession, that’s a strong signal that things have to change, and it’s hard to miss. But most of us in business have to deal most of the time with weak signals, or change that is happening in a far more subtle way. These changes can […]
10 Key Components Of Every New Startup Strategic Plan
Deciding to be an entrepreneur is a lifestyle move, and should be part of a long-term strategic plan. You shouldn’t be making this decision just because you are mad at your boss, or you would like to be rich, or someone else thinks you have a good idea. In these changing times, if you already […]
How Idea People Can Transform Into Visionary Leaders
A popular approach for aspiring entrepreneurs these days seems to be to corner anyone who will listen, with a pitch on their current “million-dollar idea.” The initial monologue usually ends with the question “How much money do you think this is worth?” In my opinion, ideas are a commodity, and are really not worth much, […]
8 Strategies to Avoid the Entrepreneur Arrogance Trap
In my years of mentoring entrepreneurs, a problem I have seen too often is low self-esteem, and over-compensating through arrogance and ego. These entrepreneurs find it hard to respect customers or team members, and their ventures usually fail. As a team member, low self-esteem leads to low confidence, poor productivity, and no job satisfaction. Fortunately, […]
10 Keys To Making Money By Investing In Entrepreneurs
Investing in entrepreneurs and startups is a fun but different world from investing in conventional stocks, bonds, and commodities. First of all, it’s more of an investment in people than in a business, since the startup is usually an idea barely half-baked when they need your money. Secondly, the risk is very high, since as […]
6 Founder Actions That Can Kill a Promising Business
In my experience as an advisor to entrepreneurs, business startup founders most often point to a shortage of funds as the primary cause of their startup failure. Yet I often see evidence that points right back at the founder or business owner, attempting to maintain excessive power and influence over of the effort, leading to […]
8 Indications of an Entrepreneur Sought by Investors
An entrepreneur is literally “one who creates a new business.” The best new businesses are ones that have never been done before, so mastering creativity and recognizing creativity are key skills and mindsets. But how does one recognize and nurture creativity in a person or team? In researching this question, I reviewed a classic book […]
New Entrepreneurs Are Rebuilding Our Business Engine
Large corporations and conglomerates, the engines of growth and vitality in the twentieth century, have lost their edge and their image. They have proven themselves unable to innovate, and they have lost more jobs than they create. My friends who “grew up” with lifetime careers in General Motors, Exxon Mobil, or even IBM, are now […]
8 Keys To Business Success For Entrepreneur Introverts
As an introvert myself, I remember worrying that I could never be comfortable giving a sales pitch or networking to find clients. Yet I soon found that knowledge is power, and a little training and determination goes a long way toward removing the qualms. In fact, I’m now convinced that many extraverts rely too much […]
10 Keys to Surviving the Growth From a Startup to an Enterprise
By definition, second-stage ventures generally have 10 to 99 employees and/or $750,000 to $50 million in revenue, and see that as just the beginning. Of course, not every entrepreneur wants to tackle this challenge.
Real Entrepreneurs Must Make Good Decisions Quickly
Every so often a promising entrepreneur seems to freeze in the oncoming headlights and gets run over by his competition. Why is it that his idea which seemed so fundable only months ago fails to attract investors today? The team is the same. The company’s market is the same. The only change might be a […]