Managing and motivating a team in a startup is more than just using the right interpersonal skills. It’s more than providing recognition, tangible incentives, and clear work goals. key influencer of satisfaction and motivation, top-ranked by employees, is positive progress and the completion of meaningful work. Small losses can overwhelm small wins. MORE >>

[This is a guest post I wrote in 2010 on 24waystostart. It still applies, so I thought I'd repost it here]. “No.”  ”  It has to be one of hardest, yet most frequent words an investor says…. It’s not easy for us to say, and many times, not easy for an entrepreneur to hear. Great. Investors are such idiots” you’ll think… well, maybe. MORE >>

There was collective heartbreak in Houston when the Federal Government announced the end of NASA as we know it. When they cancelled the Space Shuttle program and the Constellation program , it left a hole in our identity, and a lot of unemployed engineers south of town. She told me that every house in every direction was for sale or foreclosed. MORE >>

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways for small businesses to keep in touch with customers. It is inexpensive and, if done properly, can build brand awareness, loyalty, and increase sales. Email marketing also plays an important role in content marketing. The day of the week when you send your emails is also important. MORE >>

For the past two springs, a great program has run in NYC called the FinTech Innovation Lab. It's an accelerator program of a different sort. They accept a half dozen innovative financial technology companies into a twelve week program where the companies get direct access to top executives in the leading financial services companies in NYC. MORE >>