Sat.Jul 15, 2017 - Fri.Jul 21, 2017

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How to Pick a Partner Who Will Amplify Your Efforts

Startup Professionals Musings

As a long-time business advisor and angel investor, I’m a believer that “two heads are better than one” in building a new business. Very few entrepreneurs have the range of skills and experience to be the solution creator as well as business creator, or operational as well as sales leader. The challenge is to recognize and recruit that ideal partner match early with minimal cost and risk.

Partner 140
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Why You Need To Jump On The Computer Checks Bandwagon

YoungUpstarts

It’s fair to say computer checks have been around for some time. In fact, your standard large corporation has long utilized the method of printing computerized checks for their benefit. Yet, in recent years, and thanks to the improvement of modern technology and the lower cost of equipment/software, this advantage has become increasingly accessible to small businesses.

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Announcing our investment in Ada Support – the AI support platform that’s answering 2 million questions a month

Version One Ventures

As Ada Support launches its automated chat platform from stealth and announces an impressive $2.5 million seed round, we’re looking back at our journey with founders Mike Murchison and David Hariri. The story underscores the importance of perseverance and having the right founding team. Just after closing Fund II in October 2014, Boris took a trip to Toronto.

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What Millennial Women Leaders Can Teach You About Entrepreneurship

Up and Running

In 2013, a Pew Research Center study revealed some sobering insights into the reasons why 34 percent of millennial women weren’t interested in becoming a boss or top manager. But beyond gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace, some experts also referred to a confidence gap—less self-assurance compared to men—as essential as competence for success.

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Building Healthy Innovation Ecosystems for Your Projects

Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic

Every startup and innovation project exists within an ecosystem that either helps or hurts that project. As innovation managers, we need to keep a pulse of that ecosystem and make sure we're helping those innovation projects we're managing every step of the way. In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in

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Startups Need Employees Who React Like Entrepreneurs

Startup Professionals Musings

Every startup lucky enough to get some traction gets to the point where they decide to hire some “regular employees” for sales, marketing, and administrative tasks. Then they are surprised to see productivity and creativity take a big dip. What they should be doing is hiring only “entrepreneurs,” meaning people who think and act as if this is their own business.

Employee 173
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Six Big Problems You’ll Solve When You Apply Design Thinking To Your Learning And Development 

YoungUpstarts

by Jack J. Phillips, PhD, and Patti Phillips, PhD, are coauthors of “ The Business Case for Learning: Using Design Thinking to Deliver Business Results and Increase the Investment in Talent Development “ It’s no secret that learning and development departments are in a tough spot. Though businesses rely on skilled employees, CEOs and other senior leaders today are far more skeptical about the payoff of the learning and development programs that create those skills — and far mor

Design 127

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How Founders Can Become Better Leaders

Up and Running

Dr. James R. Bailey, of George Washington University School of Business and the Centre for Management Development, London Business School. As a founder, you’ve probably been focused on writing your business plan , building out your financial forecasts to position yourself to get funding, and managing the day-to-day minutia of running a business. But have you thought about how your leadership skills and your ability to shape positive company culture can affect your startup’s survival ?

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5 Stages of Technology Adoption Compared To Grieving

Startup Professionals Musings

How many times have investors heard startups start their pitch by touting that their technology is “disruptive?” What entrepreneurs forget or don’t realize is that most customers are wary of all technology, educating the market on new technology is expensive, takes a long time, and people buy problem solutions rather than technology. Investors will likely wait for more traction.

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[Interview] Bradley Fauteux Talks Social Entrepreneurship And Being An Agent For Environmental Change

YoungUpstarts

Bradley Fauteux has spent the majority of his career finding ways to champion the environment and enlisting others in support of sustainability initiatives and the preservation of our natural resources. To a significant extent, that’s given him an inside/out perspective. Brad Fauteux, who today is an environmental consultant , has worked for years within the system as a leader of government agencies charged with protecting and promoting public lands in Canada.

Canada 100
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5 Famous Introverted Leaders And What You Can Learn From Them

crowdSPRING Blog

Most people imagine a successful leader as fast-acting and larger-than-life. In other words, an extrovert. Our Western culture naturally assumes that leaders must be extroverted “men of action.” But why? Marti Olsen Laney , doctor of psychology and author of The Introvert Advantage reports that 75% of the world’s population is extroverted.

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Innovative TV Network Using Crowdfunding For Capital Raise

The Startup Magazine

Crowdfunding for startups is taking off, as well as entertainment platforms that deliver great shows across mobile and at-home devices. There is a startup TV network that is riding both waves, so now you don’t need to be Oprah to own a television network. Courtesy of popular equity crowdfunding site StartEngine , the public will have the opportunity to invest and acquire equity in a growing television network that is rapidly building its distribution partnerships and viewership.

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What Customers Mean to our Startup

Austin Startup

Note that got left by a customer. Last week I had the honor of speaking at the “Engineers turned Entrepreneurs” panel at the 3 Day Startup Global Roundup. Having graduated as an Electrical Engineer and worked as a Software Engineer at IBM, I felt I perfectly fit the bill. Since I’ve been doing my own startups for the past couple of years, I got excited about the opportunity to share some of the wonderful-yet-painful lessons learned through this journey.

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Transcript of How to Free Up More Time in Your Work Week

Duct Tape Marketing

Transcript of How to Free Up More Time in Your Work Week written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Back to Podcast. Transcript. john: So what’s your biggest problem? Is it time, is it focus, is it delegation? Those are the things I hear all of the time so that’s why I’m speaking with Mandi Ellefson. She is the CEO of the Hands Off CEO.

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6 Steps To Saying No At Work To Your Boss And Peers

Startup Professionals Musings

Every dedicated business professional I know can’t find enough hours in a day to do their best work, and yet they often find themselves saying yes to new requests from the people around them. In some cases it may be fear of retribution by the boss, but more often they just hate to disappoint others, and end up instead with high stress and low credibility in the crisis to deliver.

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Designing a digital health platform for Generations X & Y: What you can learn

The Startup Magazine

Designing a user experience for both Generation Y and Generation X is not simple. They’re demanding, they’re used to fast, easily streamed, top quality, low cost products and top customer service. It’s definitely easier when built by a young team, aligned with the generations’ mindsets. The mobile generation. Generations X and Y are known for being constantly on their phone; it’s how they read the news, catch up with friends, shop, play games, track their health and fitness, check the weather fo

Design 62
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How To Be A Better Negotiator

YoungUpstarts

by Craig Dalziel , Senior Manager at Pearson Frank International. If you really think about it, you probably negotiate at least once every day of your life. When you put your takeout lunch order in you’re negotiating the contents as well as the estimated delivery or pickup time. When you’re speaking with your cable provider you’re negotiating a lower bill with increased benefits, much like you would with a vendor or when dealing with a customer.

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Transcript of The Power of Little Ideas

Duct Tape Marketing

Transcript of The Power of Little Ideas written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Back to Podcast. Transcript. John Jantsch: “Innovate or die.” That’s what Peter Drucker said and I think a lot of people took that to mean that you had to create a company that disrupted an entire industry and you should be looking for ways to innovate on your products and services like nobody ever thought about, but I really think it was misunderstood.

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10 Business Idea Assertions Mask The Real Challenge

Startup Professionals Musings

Most people think innovation is all about ideas, when in fact it is more about delivery, people, and process. Entrepreneurs looking to innovate need to understand the execution challenge if they expect their startup to carve out a profitable niche in the marketplace, and keep innovating to build and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. Everyone thinks they know how to make innovation happen, but I can’t find much real research on the subject.

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Is the World Actually Getting Better?

The Startup Magazine

As a world, we’re experiencing huge problems that are painfully obvious. These are problems that desperately need to be addressed and resolved. They range from mercurial leaders to destructive national policies, from outbreaks of xenophobia to violent religious intolerance, from widespread bombing of fringe terrorist groups to a growing refugee crisis.

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5 Ways To Help Manage Your Energy

YoungUpstarts

by Clara Capano, author of “ Find Your Focus: 52 Weeks of Clara-Ty “ In today’s digital era our pace is rushed and relentless. We’re wired up and connected at all times, and in the same moment, we’re melting down and crashing hard. Time management is no longer a viable solution. How can we keep our energy to endure high performance at work as well as maintain our health, happiness, and overall life balance?

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The Power of Little Ideas

Duct Tape Marketing

The Power of Little Ideas written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with David Robertson. Podcast Transcript. “Innovate or die.” That’s what Peter Drucker said, and I think a lot of people took that to mean that you have to create a company that disrupts an entire industry and that you should be looking for ways to innovate on your products and services like nobody has in the past, but I personally think that line was misunderstood.

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10 coworking spaces in New York City that make regular offices feel like medieval torture

The Next Web

Gone are the days of working in a traditional office setting, where cubicles separate colleagues and the only social interactions occur around the water cooler. The rise in coworking spaces in New York City, and other tech hub cities around the world, has left more people yearning for work environments that are open, collaborative, inspiring and stimulating.

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How Can Employers Cut Back On the Productivity Loss Due to Smoking Breaks?

The Startup Magazine

Whether you work in a building full of thousands of people or a small team of less than ten workers, maximising the productivity of each and every employee is vital for any business to succeed. However whilst the quality of each of these workers is (hopefully) undeniable, being human means the vast majority if not all of them will fall victim to distractions of some sorts.

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3 Ways The Best Leaders Set Themselves Apart

YoungUpstarts

by Mayur Ramgir , author of “ Evolve like a Butterfly: A Metamorphic Approach to Leadership “ Great leaders are in great demand, whether a coach for a football team, a CEO for a corporation or a general for the Army. But in many cases people are mistaken about what makes a good leader. Often, leadership is viewed as being able to establish resources and priorities to acquire worthwhile goals.

Georgia 145
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Curating On-Demand Content For Your Readers

Brandanew

I just came across SFMOMA’s fantastic text response service. Send a text with your mood or keywords, and they send you back a relevant art-work. This curation process has so many possibilities! Imagine were curating on-demand content your readers who are interested in various topics. You could send it at a moment’s notice. Using text as the main platform to send/ receive these content pieces makes art extremely accessible.

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Barcelona isn’t the new Silicon Valley – and that’s a good thing

The Next Web

In post-crisis Spain things are beginning to pick up. The country is the 4th destination for international tech talent and Barcelona, the second largest city after Madrid, is ranked at number 5 of 60 European startup hubs in Europe by the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Attracted by the lifestyle, a relatively low cost of living, and dozens upon dozens of co-working spaces, you’ll find many startups, “digital nomads” and European entrepreneurs operating in the city.

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How to stand out from the crowd in an interview

The Startup Magazine

Got an interview coming up? Want to stand out from the crowd? Then read on to discover some great tips for success. Do your research. Before the interview, do research on the company and about the specific role. Go through the job description and specification; and think of examples of how your skills and experiences match their needs. This preparation will help you to demonstrate how you could make a valued contribution to the organisation.

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The KAIZEN Way – Five Steps To Awaken Your Passion For Work And Life

YoungUpstarts

by Kay Hirai , author of “ Sheer Determination: Swimming Upstream in a Downstream World “ KAIZEN: A Japanese word for “life-long learning in small incremental steps” Making a determined effort to learn on a continual basis is the most important skill you need if you want to practice KAIZEN. How to practice KAIZEN in your business and personal life: 1.

Community 145
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India is Facebook’s Largest Market – But Not for Women

Brandanew

India just overtook the United States in having the largest Facebook audience in the world. Although it looks honky dory for the network, there’s something very unique about the Indian audience. It is heavily skewed towards young people and men. As a business trying to advertise to or reach the Indian audience, this demographic skew is an interesting.

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Ecommerce in the Middle East: Amazon’s entrance and difficult legislation

The Next Web

In the last couple of years, entrepreneurs across the Middle East have launched new products, businesses, and shown the possibility of creating a vibrant startup scene similar to Europe and the United States. Startups from the region have shown great promise with big exists. One such example is the recent acquisition of Souq, an ecommerce player that got acquired by Amazon for close to $800 million.

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Contentment

Feld Thoughts

Amy and I were at a delightful dinner with friends (new and old) last night who are deeply involved in Naropa. After a very long couple of days where I was very tired, it was nice to sit in a cozy house, eat home cooked food, and just talk about life. Near the end of the evening, I heard a line that will stick with me for a very long time. “Contentment used to be a virtue.

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Stand Out: Three Areas That Visually Push Your Business

YoungUpstarts

by Lea Schneider. When it comes to running a business, you want to stand out and be outstanding. As a small brick-and-mortar business, you can easily be lost in a crowd of others. Potential customers driving down the road may only see a blur of shops outside the car window. You’ve got to clear the vision by making sure your company stands out. Address these three key areas to help you stand out so you are well on your way to be outstanding.

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How To Handle Unreasonable Client Requests

YFS Magazine

At many points in my career, I’ve been faced with the predicament of sky-high performance expectations that can’t be fulfilled. Here's how I handle it.

Customer 124
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Lean Startup Week Call for Proposals is Open Until July 31

Startup Lessons Learned

Guest post by Jennifer Maerz, Program Chair of Lean Startup Co. Some exciting news about this year’s Lean Startup Week (Oct. 30-Nov. 5) for all you potential speakers out there: we’re shaking things up in 2017. The flagship conference is directly tied to Eric Ries’s upcoming book, The Startup Way , and we’re hosting the event at two locations in downtown San Francisco (The Warfield and The Village).

Lean 109
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Optimism in the Face of Uncertainty: A Look at Small Business in 2017

Up and Running

My neighborhood of Alberta in Portland, Oregon, where small local businesses are plentiful. Source. If you’re considering making the leap and starting your own business, you’re likely eager to ensure that you’re making a smart decision. While it won’t guarantee success, putting your finger on the pulse of the small business environment can help you determine your path forward.

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How To Make Your Boss Like You

YoungUpstarts

by Jesse Wood, CEO of eFileCabinet. The relationship between bosses and subordinates has existed since the dawn of humankind. But the time we’ve spent handling these relationships as a species doesn’t equip us to handle their tension in modern office environments itself. So, what can? The answer is lots and lots of practice, patience and learning. Given the complexity of the modern workplace, the world of work serves as a perfect backdrop to improve these increasingly important relationships.

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