How to Mitigate Startup Risk
Behind most great startup success stories is a long list of mistakes! Unfortunately, for every success story you see, there is an even longer list of failure stories with mistakes…
Lean Startups and the Art of the Pivot
The popular view of a real entrepreneur is someone with a big vision, and a stubborn determination to charge straight ahead through any obstacle and make it happen. The vision…
Non-Organic Methods to Accelerate Growth
Startups are usually so focused on selling more of their branded product or service to their own customer base (organic growth) that they don’t consider the more indirect methods (non-organic…
6 Ways to Adapt to a Changing Market
Change is about the only thing constant in the world of startups. Despite their focus on changing the world, they often forget that they, too, have to change rapidly and…
Crossing the Chasm: Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Everyone in the business world has heard of the book by Geoffrey A. Moore titled Crossing the Chasm (1991), but most entrepreneurs have no idea how it relates to them…
Openness Can be a Competitive Advantage
With the tenth anniversary of 9/11 behind us and our ongoing financial woes, there seems to be a growing population out there worried about all the people and companies watching to…
Your Startup Can’t Fail if You Don’t Quit
When I heard a friend make the statement “Your startup can’t fail if you don’t quit,” I realized that every entrepreneur should adopt it as their mantra. Pivoting or dealing…
Prepare a Battle Plan Before Seeking Investors
Don’t charge the hill until you are “ready.” This probably seems obvious to military types, but I see entrepreneurs violating this rule all the time. They approach key potential investors…
Grow Your Knowledge, Grow Your Startup
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. On average, the entrepreneurs I know are struggling. But one…
8 Core Competencies for All Startups
Even when your startup is a one-person show, you will soon find that you are “out of control” unless you start organizing and writing down how and when key things…