Three facilitation questions for more effective meetings

Here’s my thesis statement of the day: communication is hard and it’s constantly getting F’ed up. In fact, in my dozen or so years of consulting it’s without question the number one issue facing all the leadership teams and management teams I’ve worked with. These days I work primarily with startups, but these principles work with organizations of any size.Continue Reading …

Why I think you should take early startup revenue even when it’s off target

I dropped this tweet today which got a lot of attention:

My #startup mentoring summation: no matter who you are or what your model there is *some* way to make revenue early. Do it. #leanstartup

I honestly believe this goes hand in hand with the true discipline of the Customer Development Process. The idea here is really simple: don’t start a company around something you think is a good idea, rather start it around something that someone else indicates he or she will pay you for. That’s the true essence of the MVP — it’s the least product someone will pay you for right now.Continue Reading …

Short term failure doesn’t matter in the context of forever

Since 1996 I’ve been a contributor to several teen leadership development organizations, my favorite of which are the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). I’ve designed and run RYLA programs for more than 2,000 teens in New Jersey and Tennessee. I credit most of my early managerial skills to these programs. I had to figure out how to build and scale real teams, none of whom got paid a dime, and all of whom were rabidly passionate about what we were doing, namely, changing the lives of teens who came from some of the richest and poorest zip codes in the country (together in the same room).Continue Reading …

DETERMINING STARTUP REVENUE MODEL

Decision_MakingSoftware as a Service is a very alluring business strategy for a mobile web startup. In this model customers are dependent on the system, and tracking usage statistics is easy. It’s cheaper to add features than in the client-side model, and all important code remains securely on private servers.Continue Reading …

WHY IS INTEGRATED MARKETING SO IMPORTANT?

Integrated_AdvertisingIn spite of the internet’s popularity, which really goes without saying you would think, there are still businesses relying on traditional media exclusively for marketing. At the same time, most businesses are using digital marketing in some way, but treat it like a separate entity.
Continue Reading …

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET A TECH STARTUP INVESTOR?

wilsonMany technology entrepreneurs are frustrated by the difficulty of obtaining start-up capital in today’s economy. No matter how terrific the idea for a mobile app or web application, it’s often incredibly difficult to convince an angel investor, venture capital firm, or startup investors to make a gamble on great ideas.
Continue Reading …

DIGITAL MARKETING OPTIONS FOR STARTUP LAUNCHES

launch buttonMany startups end up spending more money than necessary. However, a company can be launched for much less than expected. The key is to use a marketing strategy that is innovative, ROI focused and customer-centric rather than one that relies on branding and traditional mass media. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through digital marketing.
Continue Reading …