Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 7, 2019

The simple answer is that we all have to start thinking like entrepreneurs, rather than entitled employees. This may seem scary, but it’s the reality, and what every entrepreneur has to do at every stage of survival and success. With one of these, the step into the gig economy will be much less painful.

Artificial Inteligence 96

Artificial Inteligence Startup Social Media Training 96

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 1, 2013

Driven by the recent recession, smart entrepreneurs of all ages are jumping into the fray with new ideas, new recovery strategies, and discarding outmoded business models. I see it most in the newest generation of entrepreneurs (Gen-Y), who were shocked out of entitlement into action by the recession. Focus on your core competency.

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Startup Geni Entrepreneur Layoffs 98

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2009

I recently got a phone call from an entrepreneur whom I respect and who runs a company that I hope will do great things one day. Entrepreneurs get so used to friends and family congratulating them on their press coverage that they forget sometimes that this isn’t real. Many entrepreneurs have a PR page in the PowerPoint deck.

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Venture Capital Press News Startup 291

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2013

Understanding “The Funding Angle” I sit at enough board meetings to hear conflicting advice given to entrepreneurs about how to handle PR and announcements at startups. So while you get the benefits of recruiting, being on VC radars and customer legitimacy there are also downsides. Should I Bundle it With More Juicy News?

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Startup Funding News Press 355

InfoChachkie

APRIL 9, 2012

These entrepreneurs do not risk everything, work outrageous hours and put themselves under extreme pressure because they want to. If it were a decision to be an entrepreneur, then most right-minded individuals would decide to turn back when they encountered the first inevitable startup crises. Entrepreneurs want to matter.

Startup 243

Startup Ideas Entrepreneur Statistics 243

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 1, 2013

I will outline here ten key principles and disciplines that every entrepreneur must understand and practice to minimize surprises and failures in this area: Failure to document cash flow projections is a disaster. If you try to vary the number of employees to match, that costs even more cash for hiring, firing, and layoffs.

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Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 114

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2016

In the new business world, many entrepreneurs are so excited with large initial orders that they don’t anticipate the cash flow challenges that can quickly kill their startup. If you try to vary the number of employees to match, that costs even more cash for hiring, firing, and layoffs. Even good customers don’t always pay on time.

Startup 64

Startup Sales Layoffs Slides 64

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2010

Perhaps a simpler way to think about culture is to think of it in terms of how an organization makes choices, how it develops its values, its ethics, how it trains, recognizes and rewards its associates, its spirit, and not to be overlooked, how it treats its customers - both internal and external. Employee turnover is extraordinary low.

Organization 89

Organization Training Layoffs Journal 89

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2010

Driven by the recent recession, smart entrepreneurs of all ages are jumping into the fray with new ideas, new recovery strategies, and discarding outmoded business models. I see it most in the newest generation of entrepreneurs (Gen-Y), who were shocked out of entitlement into action by the recession. Focus on your core competency.

Startup 51

Startup Geni Layoffs Entrepreneur 51

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 20, 2010

But most business processes, like negotiating a contract, closing a sale, customer support, or managing employees, are much more complicated than just words. I’m supportive of using text messaging for agreeing on a time and place for a customer visit, but when I read that text messages are the new pink slips for layoffs, that’s just wrong!

Layoffs 94

Layoffs Email Tool Study 94

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

You don’t need to invent an innovative product to be a real entrepreneur. Many of these new entrepreneurs were regular employees a few years ago, focused on a skill specialty. Tomorrow, a similar change is likely to happen to sales personnel, customer service, even manufacturing and construction jobs. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Services Search Engine Optimization Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

You don’t need to invent an innovative product to be a real entrepreneur. Self-employed services specialists are just as important, and are a growing part of this new “ age of the entrepreneur ” that I discussed last week. Many of these new entrepreneurs were regular employees a few years ago, focused on a skill specialty.

Entrepreneur 89

Entrepreneur Services Product Search Engine Optimization 89

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Entrepreneurs who run startups have to be generalists to survive. Yet I’m seeing another critical group of entrepreneurs, self-employed specialists, who are a growing part of this new “ entrepreneurial revolution ” that I discussed a couple of weeks ago. Many of these new entrepreneurs were regular employees a few years ago.

Entrepreneur 48

Entrepreneur Search Engine Optimization Startup SEM 48

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2020

We have been advising a lot of entrepreneurs so I thought I’d “open source” some of the advice I have been sharing. If you do massive layoffs (RIFs) you can assume that you will need to repay your loan since the intent of the loan is to protect jobs. I am not claiming to be the world expert on this. Do I need to rush my application?

Venture Capital 279

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Doc 279