ReadWriteStart

MAY 21, 2012

Why does founding a startup sometimes feel like the loneliest journey on the planet? The answer: Find yourself a mentor. Surrounding yourself with “yes men” is a stupid startup move. says Bob Godlasky, a mentor and counselor with SCORE OC in Santa Ana, Calif. How do you find the right mentor for your business?

Jamaica 150

Jamaica Founder Small Business Administration Technical Review 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 19, 2023

Unfortunately many founders I work with as a mentor are experts on the technical side, but have no insight into leading a team. Otherwise, in my experience, the startup will fail. The value of startup teams with the founder as an effective leader is many times the value of many strong individuals working independently.

Leadership 318

Leadership Technical Review Technical Cofounder Development Team Review 318

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2021

Here are the key recommendations from both of us, based on my own business mentoring insights: Re-launch using your enhanced core competency. Use that same technical and business expertise that served you well on this startup to find the next opportunity. Find mentors who have the skills you lack.

Technical Review 417

Technical Review Entrepreneur Due Diligence Institutional Investors 417

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2022

One of the biggest myths in the business world is that startups are no place for Baby Boomers, that aging generation born between 1945 and 1964. Today people over 55 are almost twice as likely to create successful startups as Gen-Y, age 20 to 34. Yet credible reports on current trends tell us just the opposite.

Advisory Board 368

Advisory Board Dividend Angel Investor Cofounder 368

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 29, 2022

One of the things I’ve learned over my years as a business mentor and investor is that life isn’t fair when it comes to succeeding in business. These authors speak from their own wealth of experience in creating and growing technology startups, marketing, and fundraising. Use friends and mentors with extensive experience to gauge both.

Silicon Valley 325

Silicon Valley Angel Investor Technical Review Boston 325

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Workship - Mentor. Unlike the mentor, who is a coach and teacher, the advocate inspires you to be the best that you can be. As a result, you are incented to be a trailblazer for others, which leads to stronger relationships throughout the team, and a stronger startup. Workship - Advocate. Workship - Communicator.

Business Model 229

Business Model Developer Partner Entrepreneur 229

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2021

Almost every entrepreneur and new business owner I mentor is certain that his/her idea has a very high probability of success, and all find it hard to believe that ninety percent of startups ultimately fail. I realized that he and I see several common patterns that account for a large percentage of new venture failures.

Technical Review 329

Technical Review Merger Software Review Acquisition 329

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 20, 2019

Mentoring a startup is a rewarding way to pay if forward and when done right not only can you give something back to a community, but you can also receive some amazing rewards. However, what I found is that many of the mentors I come across just aren’t prepared or aware of what their role really is and how to support a Startup.

Artificial Inteligence 114

Artificial Inteligence Startup Matching Global 114

ReadWriteStart

JULY 19, 2023

of the American population is involved in the startup industry. Effective and efficient mentorship in these startup companies from when they first emerge is pertinent to overcoming the challenges these businesses will undoubtedly face in their infancy. remains a hub for startup development and success.

Founder 100

Founder United States Startup Government 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 14, 2023

Cash flow is a basic survival metric for every startup. Yet it always amazes me that I can find two different startups, seemingly working on the same problem, with one having a burn rate several times higher than the other. They understand startup realities. Desperate entrepreneurs lose their leverage and die young.

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Burn Rate Hockey Stick Management Salary 258

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 17, 2022

During my many years of mentoring professionals and entrepreneurs in business, I more often see people focusing on how to get their ideas heard , than how to promote themselves. Take full advantage of every mentoring and coaching opportunity, and network with peers both inside and outside the company.

Leadership 304

Leadership Technical Review Social Media Global 304

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 29, 2019

If you are like most entrepreneurs I know, there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get all your own work done, as well as run the many one-hour meetings each team member seems to demand for decisions and mentoring. For one-on-one coaching from the startup founder, I call this approach five-minute mentoring.

Elevator Pitch 312

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Dividend Leadership 312

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

Even though the color of their money is always green, all startup investors are not the same. Investor due diligence on a startup is not a mysterious black art, but is nothing more than a final integrity check on all aspects of your business model, team, product, customers, and plan. It’s no fun for either side.

Technical Review 345

Technical Review Due Diligence Term Sheet Offshore 345

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

More and more entrepreneurs are hearing about the successful graduates and investors queued behind a few well-known startup incubators, including Y Combinator, TechStars, and the Founder Institute. His tests focus on personality traits alone (ignoring your startup idea), looking for fluid intelligence, openness, and agreeableness.

Incubator 366

Incubator Technical Review Due Diligence Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Yet as I mentor entrepreneurs around the country, crowdfunding still seems to be one of the least understood approaches to startup funding, with more myths than accredited angels and professional venture capital investors combined. With this model, a startup pre-sells their product early, at a cheaper price, in exchange for a pledge.

Accredited Investor 352

Accredited Investor Startup SEC Equity 352

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

As a mentor to startups, I see more startups that are really an individual professional, marketing themselves as a consultant or freelancer in this new gig economy. Tomorrow you may be looking for a Personal Finance Professional, Health-Care Professional, or even a Startup Professional.

Angel Investor 267

Angel Investor Social Media LLC Viral 267

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2023

The best startups give everyone business cards and encourage team members to talk about the business with anyone who should be interested. A single marketing coordinator can accelerate your efforts by being the coach and mentoring key members of the team on soft marketing. Empower engagement.

Founder 239

Founder Architecture Startup Public Relations 239

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2020

Workship - Mentor. Unlike the mentor, who is a coach and teacher, the advocate inspires you to be the best that you can be. As a result, you are incented to be a trailblazer for others, which leads to stronger relationships throughout the team, and a stronger startup. Workship - Advocate. Workship - Communicator.

Business Model 339

Business Model Developer Partner Entrepreneur 339

Steve Blank

JULY 9, 2018

There’s no handbook on how to evaluate and process “suggestions” and “advice” from a boss or a mentor. Throughout my entrepreneurial career I was constantly bombarded by advice – from bosses, mentors, friends, investors, et al. The first time your boss or mentor will assume you were too busy to follow up.

Technical Review 318

Technical Review Email Naming Conversion 318

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2023

The most valuable assets of a new startup are the people on the team, and the most challenging task of the entrepreneur and team leaders is to spend their leadership time and energy productively. Most new startup founders start out by assuming they need to spread their leadership efforts evenly across all team members. Squeaky wheels.

Employee 267

Employee Leadership Cofounder Matching 267

Steve Blank

JANUARY 17, 2023

Three types of organizations – Incubators, Accelerators and Venture Studios – have emerged to reduce the risk of early-stage startup failure by helping teams find product/market fit and raise initial capital. They do the most to de-risk the early stages of a startup. Reducing Startup Risk.

Technical Cofounder 346

Technical Cofounder Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 346

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2020

As a mentor to startups, I see more startups that are really an individual professional, marketing themselves as a consultant or freelancer in this new gig economy. Tomorrow you may be looking for a Personal Finance Professional, Health-Care Professional, or even a Startup Professional.

Startup 410

Startup Angel Investor Social Media LLC 410

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In my role as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, I find that most have the technical challenges well understood, but many are a bit short on some basic street smarts , or basic business realities. Thus I often recommend that before you kick off your own business, you join another startup or existing business to see how things really work.

Intellectual Property 432

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Technical Review Angel Investor 432

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

In this week’s episode, Peter and Jonathan talk about Robot Paper, a startup comic book company founded by Brian Wyrick. We also learn how to find a mentor with Caroline Cummings, and chat about how small businesses can use Big Data. How to Find a Mentor, with Caroline Cummings – (12:44). How do you find a mentor?

Small Business 60

Small Business Email Startup Aggregator 60

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

A college syllabus is enough work for the typical student, but some enterprising students still desire to create a startup company in college. This smaller group of students are voluntarily increasing their work quota, with the additional responsibility of running a startup company. Conduct A Personal Evaluation.

Startup 264

Startup Social Media Finance Media 264

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I found their five phases of the process to be compelling, based on my own years of experience mentoring startups: Nail the pain. Only then is it time to focus on the get-big-fast strategy, and the transformation of three key areas from startup to a managed growth company. It’s time for a new startup model.

Angel Investor 359

Angel Investor Technical Review Incubator Business Model 359

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 27, 2019

Perhaps sparked by the now forgotten recession, I’m seeing a new era of the entrepreneur, with startups springing up all around. Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. Problems will occur in every startup, simply because you are stepping into uncharted territory.

Technical Review 212

Technical Review Entrepreneur Partner Restful 212

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

Many entrepreneurs I have mentored make big mistakes in this area, by hiring low-cost friends and family, with minimal skills or training, and expecting them to have the same work ethic , passion, and business knowledge as the founder. Outsourcing can give your startup a more mature image. Startups all need that flexibility.

Technical Review 308

Technical Review Due Diligence Startup Employee 308

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

As a long-time mentor to entrepreneurs, here is my collection of smart risks that investors and I look for in new startups: Focus on a tough customer problem rather than a fun technology. Investors know that startups with too much money fail just as often as those with not enough. Marty Zwilling.

Forecast 304

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 304

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2022

Most business mentors tell me that the single biggest problem they have to deal with in small companies is the lack of open, honest, and effective communication, both from the top down and from the bottom up. In startups, the best policy is transparent honest disclosure across all levels of the team.

Semantic 342

Semantic Technical Review Retention Distribution 342

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 9, 2022

Motivated entrepreneurs should strive to build relationships with mentors , Justin recommends. Mentors can be anyone who has achieved success in life. Ideally, choose a mentor in the same industry where you want to work. To find a mentor in your field, seek out people on LinkedIn.

Jacksonville 167

Jacksonville New Jersey Entrepreneur Florida 167

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 18, 2023

Seek Out a Mentor for Your Business Navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship becomes more manageable with a mentor. Every starting business needs a guiding light from a mentor. The post Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster Ride: 14 Strategies for Conquering Ups and Downs appeared first on The Startup Magazine.

Leadership 128

Leadership Agile Management Entrepreneur 128

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 17, 2013

Mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you don’t need the mentor anymore. In that sense, you should think of a mentor more like your advisor who has done all he can. Also don’t confuse a business mentor with a business coach. Friends tell you what you want to hear.

Exit Strategy 253

Exit Strategy Startup Matching Entrepreneur 253

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 21, 2018

Navigating the market and exploring the startup landscape can be difficult, especially with today’s market condition and challenges. It is even more challenging to get things right when the startup you’re running now is the first startup you founded. This is where a good mentor comes in handy. Transfer of Experience.

Startup 100

Startup Lean Networking Partner 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 14, 2020

The best startups give everyone business cards and encourage team members to talk about the business with anyone who should be interested. A single marketing coordinator can accelerate your efforts by being the coach and mentoring key members of the team on soft marketing. Empower engagement.

Developer 326

Developer Marketing Architecture Startup 326

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2022

As a startup mentor, I’m always amazed that some entrepreneurs seem to be an immediate hit with investors, while others struggle to get any attention at all. Finally I realized that venture capital and angel investors are actually humans, despite some views to the contrary.

Intellectual Property 278

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Early Stage Venture Capital 278

NZ Entrepreneur

JUNE 19, 2023

A new batch of enterprising New Zealanders are being given the opportunity to fast track their ventures from idea through to startup, thanks to an online education initiative backed by Callaghan Innovation and entrepreneur education platform Startup NZ.

New Zealand 98

New Zealand Technical Cofounder Early Stage Entrepreneur 98