Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2016

I found this illustrated well in a new book I just finished, “ A Paperboy’s Fable ,” by a young entrepreneur and writer Deep Patel. Although just seventeen years old, Patel has some great insights that I can extrapolate for every aspiring entrepreneur to answer the most common question I get as an advisor and mentor – “Where do I start?”

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Entrepreneur Social Media Satisfaction Customer 99

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2016

Every entrepreneur knows what it’s like to face adversity. The best entrepreneurs tackle these one at a time without losing their stride or their passion and many secretly get their highest satisfaction from overcoming an impossible problem. Thomas Edison called every failure an experiment (now it would be a pivot).

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Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 26, 2016

Here are seven key principles that I recommend you follow as an aspiring business leader or entrepreneur, based on my own experience in large companies as well as startups: Proactively ask for input to hone your vision. It’s time for all of us to ask more, listen more, learn more, and lead the way to our own success and satisfaction.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2016

One of the myths I often hear as an advisor to many entrepreneurs is that their lifestyle would somehow be better if they could more easily find other people’s money to build their startup. Most entrepreneurs never forget for a moment that having investors means owing money, even if they can legally argue that equity is not debt.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2016

They swallow their pride, ask for help when things get tough, and actively listen and respond to recommendations. They also get satisfaction from mentoring others. Everyone appreciates a productive worker who does the hard work, makes no excuses, and gets satisfaction from positive customer and executive feedback.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2016

I meet many entrepreneurs with a real passion for their new idea, but unfortunately they don’t all realize that passion is necessary but not sufficient fuel to turn their idea into a successful business. It helps to document a total business plan rather than rely on your total recollection of all essential elements.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 6, 2017

They get more personal satisfaction from giving than from receiving. Every good entrepreneur learns to pivot, and learn from that experience, but never see failure. Many experts believe that the single biggest cause of startup failure is entrepreneurs simply giving up just prior to success. Always give more than you get.

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Startup Social Media Entrepreneur Satisfaction 60

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Rather than focus on negatives, let me summarize key positive attributes that I look for in people to move ahead, from my own experience as a corporate executive, and many years mentoring entrepreneurs. Many times, extra help is temporarily needed due employee illness, order surges, or holiday coverage.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2016

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Yet many managers unintentionally de-motivate their team by being too busy with business challenges to communicate, understand, or help people. Start today.

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