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Should Startups Focus on Profitability or Not?

Both Sides of the Table

If you hire 6 sales reps in January at $120,000 / year salary then you’ve taken on an extra $60,000 per month in costs yet these sales people might not close new business for 4-6 months. So your Q1 results will be $180,000 less profitable than if you hadn’t hired them. Hiring more people isn’t always the right answer.

Startup 418
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What Makes an Entrepreneur? Cojones (7/11)

Both Sides of the Table

If this idea was so big then why would they risk not being first to market, not building defensible IP for the sake of a few hundred thousand dollars extra in lock-up money at a big company? Partners in VC funds only wanted to fund entrepreneurs who had a certain percentage of their net worth tied up in their venture. Not my problem.

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Anatomy of an Innovation-friendly School

This is going to be BIG.

They netted more on that deal than Fordham has in it's whole endowment (but still, go Rams!). I've been thinking a lot about what an innovation-friendly school looks like and have a few thoughts--and it doesn't just mean building labs or creating more flexible IP licensing schemes. Teach students how to fish in their careers.

Incubator 116
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Why There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Startup Within a Big Company’

Hunter Walker

Many quarters and dollars later, the Western CEO leaves with some China experience and the Chinese partner keeps the IP, money, business… You cannot fight the nature of the beast, this is China. We hired people directly into YouTube. The Chinese are used to this Western arrogance and welcome the foreigners. We made acquisitions.

China 135
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What Should You Do with Your Crappy Little Services Business?

Both Sides of the Table

It would not be a big stretch to image a well run service business like this making 15-25% net profit margins. If you really want to do a product business then hire a professional manager for your services company, quit that job and focus 100% on your product company. You own the IP you create. But it might not.

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10 Concrete Steps to Assure Business Innovation

Startup Professionals Musings

Longer-term, enhanced product value begets superior company valuation through your organization’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Proper hiring of people with a natural curiosity, open-mindedness, and ability to see the big picture is the way to create and enhance the right mind-set. Net result and reward. Accountability.

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Ten Principles Which Spell Continuous Innovation

Startup Professionals Musings

Longer-term, enhanced product value begets superior company valuation through your organization’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Proper hiring of people with a natural curiosity, open-mindedness, and ability to see the big picture is the way to create and enhance the right mind-set. Net result and reward. Accountability.