One of the single hardest things for startups to grasp and initiate is consistent branding from the beginning. When venture capital rolls in, it’s hard not to just spend on development and growth, and forget about the bones of the business: branding and marketing. But a hastily selected website name can create unforeseen issues. Here…
It has been said that when we stop growing, we start dying. Of course, this famous quote from William S. Borroughs was meant to explain biological and mental growth in living beings, but it’s also just as true when referring to a business. Even when it seems like you have the most perfectly loyal customer…
I was recently becoming a new fan of JP Sears, for his funny, satirical take on life’s topics. If you never heard of him, JP is the author of “How To Be Ultra Spiritual” has a popular YouTube account (366K subscribers and 32M views – and counting) that contains both ‘serious’ and comedy videos. “Satirical…
I love talking about my mistakes publicly. Why? Two reasons: One, so that I keep myself grounded; and two, so that you can learn NOT to make the same mistakes as I do. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a big fan of failing. Failing is good – but only if you learn from it. To…
Visionaries often get the crappy end of the stick when it comes to getting credit for the impact they have on their respective companies. This happens everywhere – at big and small companies, including startups. At least until they’ve ascended to the god-like greatness of Steve Jobs and other Silicon Valley standouts. The road traveled…
Managing a startup can be overwhelming at the best of times. Fifty percent of new startups fail inside the first year. It’s estimated that of the remaining who survive this milestone, some ninety-five percent will fail before year five hits (source). That’s business though. From conception, to your first successes, right on to your first…
I was reading this Fortune’s article about the growing list of startup scandals, and I was surprised to learn some facts about the scandalous startups. I knew about the Theranos’ involvement in selling tests which were actually rarely work. I also knew about Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company, which allegedly “mislabel” its products. But reading…
Startups are in a tough predicament when it comes to tech purchases. On one hand, modern smart technology, laptops, PCs, and essential (or very helpful) software are paramount to running a thriving business. However, you start to ride a very slippery slope quite quickly if these purchases get out of hand. Profits need to come…
The trend is confirmed: Regardless of the very low startup success rate, budding entrepreneurs are rushing into the world of business like there’s a gold mine in sight. While it’s true that the opportunities are there, most of startups won’t struck gold at the end. But why entrepreneurs are still doing it even though the…
I have no f***ing idea. So, there you go – Slack‘s Founder Stewart Butterfield has given his answer to the question why Slack has explosive growth. Has this post concluded? No, not yet. I want to dig deeper on his answer. Is it just pure luck? I know that startup involves some level of the…
