startups

The buzz from startup executives, especially high-tech ones, has long been that startups are no place for Baby-Boomers (1946-1964) – you must have the high energy and crazy determination to work 20-hour days to succeed. Only the under-35 age group need apply. But times have changed and Boomers might help to grow your business by taking advantage of some key roles...[read more]

The concept of crowdfunding has exploded in recent years with platforms such as Kickstarter, GoFundMe and IndieGogo. We've complied four interesting articles about crowdfunding, accidental entrepreneurs, and startup trends for 2013 to keep you in the know![read more]

Every week a “we are in a tech bubble” article seems to come out in a major newspaper or blog. People who argue we aren’t in a bubble are casually dismissed as promoting their own interests. I’d argue the situation is far more nuanced and that people who engage in this debate should consider this.[read more]

Join us March 7th at 3pm ET to learn innovative ways to find funding, including crowd funding, private investment, Internet-based campaigns, and traditional venture capital. The social web is drastically changing the way young companies get noticed, monetized, and begin to grow, and we'll show you how to participate.[read more]

Is your small business struggling with the cost of employee health insurance? How much of your small business health insurance costs can be offset by the small business tax credit? What is the difference between a health reimbursement account and a health savings account? Download this ebook for 5 tips from small business guru Barbara Weltman, top resources, info-graphics and more.[read more]

Greg Muender is President of Ticket Kick, a California company that helps drivers get <a href=”http://www.ticketkick.com/red-light-camera-tickets/”>red light tickets</b>, <a href=”http://www.ticketkick.com”>speeding tickets</b> and other traffic tickets dismissed by helping drivers through the <a href=”http://www.ticketkick.com/how-it-works/”>trial by written declaration</b> process. The company, which formally launched in 2010 after providing similar services since 2006, is the leading company in this space and growing rap[read more]

If you’re a woman who is looking to start a business and you have both a great idea and a comprehensive plan, but find yourself woefully lacking in funds, then you’ll be happy to hear that there are a lot of resources out there geared at helping you get your enterprise off the ground.[read more]

What working backstage at a Grateful Dead concert can teach entrepreneurs: be passionate, and create beauty out of controlled chaos.[read more]

Following startup, many small businesses are so concentrated on daily business operations that they do not, or cannot, take the time to actively focus on business growth.  While others are focused on growth but do not have a strategic plan to achieve it. The Top Ten Ways to Grow Your Business is provided to help your small...[read more]

This the latest installment of our Q&A Series – short interviews with talented, experienced, and successful entrepreneurs who are on the front lines of running online businesses. I’ve always believed that it’s a big mistake to not at least listen to those who have worn the same shoes that we are putting on every day. I hope...[read more]

The 4th of the 5 Keys to Successful Cross-functional Team Leadership Over the years, I have brow-beat, begged, babied, and over-rewarded just to get team members to be accountable - the fact of the matter is you can't force accountability. Team members must make themselves accountable, not just to themselves but to the team.  The...[read more]

One of the questions facing venture capitalists in the internet/web sector is how big a portfolio is optimal. The economics of internet/web startups means the capital requirements for each investment are often lower and the best ones get profitable on one or two rounds of investment. That leads many venture capital firms participating in...[read more]

In my first post on cross-functional teams, 5 Keys to Successful Cross-Functional Team Management, I outlined the 5 keys needed for successful cross-functional team management: Goals, Roles, Responsibilities, Accountability, and Reward. My second post addressed the first of those keys: Cross-functional Team Leadership in Startups and...[read more]

Goal Setting For Success I could talk about the perils of virtual cross-functional teams; and spout percentages on how most go over schedule, budget, or fail to meet company, customer, and personal expectations. But if goals are not clearly defined, how are the ever to be tracked and met? The first of five keys in this series on cross-...[read more]

Humans are a community-oriented species; this behavior has been crucial to our evolutionary success over the last 4.5 million years. The fact that many of us are now engaging with Web 2.0–enabled communities is not surprising, but how do we interpret the future of this trend? As Liam Fahey so aptly said during a recent meeting I attended...[read more]

Small business and startup companies are not hindered by the politics and processes of larger companies and can operate at a higher level of business velocity, an especially important need in this age of social media. In a startup, public relations is the mouthpiece of marketing and PR.  Marketing and sales are connected at the hip...[read more]

As a leader you are ultimately responsible for creating, architecting and driving the core values of your organization and motivating employees to deliver on the promise of these values to your customers and partners. The same is true for government, NGOs, and/or non-profits; they must deliver on the core value promise to their citizens...[read more]

In the last two posts I discussed the top ten characteristics that startup employees should have, followed by the top ten pitfalls of startup decision making. This week it’s the top ten business strategies that startups should consider at the critical early stages of their development. 1.    Architect a clear business...[read more]

If your business has anything to do with online services or Web 2.0, you’ll be pleased to know that there is a conference and tradeshow taking place this week in San Francisco, CA, USA, for everyone who is passionate about the topic.    Whether its Web 2.0 marketing, design strategies, or development paradigms that web 2.0...[read more]

One of the by-products of a struggling economy and wide spread layoffs is the inevitable birth of many new consultants and budding entrepreneurs. For some, it's a natural evolution and wise choice. For others, it's the lesser of the evils and usually ends when the new full time job is secured. I think the key question that is often...[read more]