Thoughts for entrepreneurs from someone who's been in the trenches.
Cold calling is out of vogue – basically uncool. Marketing and startup pundits bash cold calling as a waste of time and “pushy.” Instead, they say you should pursue partnerships, content marketing, public relations, social media, request referrals, or other cool methods. (By the way, content marketing is really cool!) Read More
I would consider myself a pretty passionate person, especially when it comes to things I enjoy. I am passionate about my startups, my family, hiking, fishing and especially tennis. Read More
As a startup founder, having the opportunity to answer the “HOW?” questions in a way that is specific to the founder’s personality and uniqueness is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling parts of the startup journey. Read More
Musician Tom Petty reminds us that “the waiting is the hardest part.” Here is how he went about writing this song that became such a classic with a sharp lesson.
But in entrepreneurship, the waiting isn’t the hardest part; it’s the “how?” that’s the hardest. Read More
While speaking to a group of university business students about entrepreneurship, I described four entrepreneurs. Three started fast-growing, innovative firms worth millions. The other was Amanda Bordeaux, founder of Stellar Sitters that connects babysitters with parents.
A follow-up from “Why I’m Charging $200 to Meet You for Lunch” that I released one year ago today.
I haven’t charged anyone $200 for lunch. I don’t want to charge people and consulting is not what I do for a living, anyway. But I’m still overwhelmed by constantly being asked for ”meet-ups” with those: raising capital, looking for new jobs, seeking advice, trying to sell me something, or building connections. If you’re also frustrated by the number of meet-up requests you get, then hopefully this blog will help you figure out how to say “no” more often. Read More
From 1999 to 2007, I was cofounder of First Research, which provides industry profiles for sales and marketing professionals. We maintained good profit margins, but we kept our foot on the gas—adding employees and quickly expanding the business without taking outside funding. Chasing fast-growth was the only strategy I knew. But could I have implemented a different strategy and still created a valuable, fun company? Read More
When I was growing my first company, First Research, from 1999 to 2007 I only sought fast-growth. Before I knew it, I had a company with 30 to 40 employees and multiple departments with their own VPs. Read More
“This is a fairly typical ‘big [company] MSA [Master Services Agreement], with lots of overreach and terms that are not applicable to the nature of your services. This is why the issues list is lengthy.”
When I was 29 and starting First Research I was young and energetic with very few distractions to slow me down. Read More
