In a previous post, I identified some of the advantages of using ratios to help gauge the health of an organization, including understanding how your organization compares not only to industry averages, but against the best you are up against. The results may provide insight into areas of improvement, and areas where the company appears [...]
As much as we want to be everything to everyone; life and business just do not work that way. Companies that succeed know they need to hone their focus on their vision. They translate this vision into a powerful mission statement. They realize that mission statements are more than pithy phrases or something to fill [...]
Most startups fail for one of the following reasons:
Poor Management Acumen
Many entrepreneurs start relatively early and consequently do not have a lot of management experience under their belt. Often they are technical experts and lack business acumen, and either cannot or will not bring in the resources necessary for success. This one is key, because [...]
Most of the times, start ups are heads down, focused on what they need to do to keep afloat and make it to that next milestone. Every so often its good to come up for air and take stock of how you are doing compared to your competition, and your industry in general. One way [...]
I saw this great post on the blog called Conversation Agent – “7 Keys to Social Branding”. The post struck me because I thought it full of common sense. Not everyone understands or appreciates social branding or social media, but what the author, Tamsen McMahon, talks about is helping the customer understand your company, and this could [...]
Looking over the SBA’s report on the “State of Entrepreneurism in the United States” it occurred to me that their criteria may not necessarily be what an entrepreneur considers as their information is funneled. However taking a step back and gaining a broader view of the options available can make a difference. I thought this [...]
When I say shades of grey, I’m focused on employee experience and expertise; often acquired after years of work, hence the shades of grey. I first came to the Bay Area right at the height of the dot com boom and stayed to experience most of the bust. One thing that struck me, at the [...]
I recently attended a panel on start-up funding, and while this information is mostly common sense, its always good to be reminded. So here’s a quick summary of my notes along with my own commentary thrown in.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Be ready for the pitch, and remember you are making a sale, but at the end of [...]
KISS plays an important role (Keep It Simple Stupid)
You do not need many slides and they should be to the point. These slides will probably not fall into place but result from a lot of sweat and tears to get them down to their core message. This may be challenging as everyone is excited about [...]
Economic signals are telling us that the worse is over and we are pulling out of the recession. Before we forget the pain, I’m curious if there was any lessons learned that we’ll take with us as the economy starts to prosper?
Make those critical connections – Get to know the people now that can help [...]
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