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Lessons Learned

Why Product Management Should Be Its Own Department

In my 15+ years in technology I have had the privilege of working as a product manager who reported to various department heads. In some cases I reported to engineering...

Thinking about student entrepreneurship…Boston can do better!

Below is a terribly written note, but I hope it conveys the point I am trying to make…May is a special time in Boston. With finals & graduation around the corner, students...

How Collaborative is Your Approach to Selling?

I read a fascinating article in the Harvard Business Review  about teamwork.  One of the sentences that caught my eye was this, “Team members are more likely to want to...

Why One of Your Board Meeting Goals Should Be Addressing the Elephant in the Room

When you look up the phrase “the elephant in the room” in Wikipedia you get: “Elephant in the room” is an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is being...

Raising VC money: how to negotiate the legal documents

This is the seventh post in a Friday series on “raising VC money.”  I’ve really enjoyed writing these posts and to have an opportunity to interact with many folks.  Thank you...

Raising VC money: how to negotiate a term sheet?

This is the sixth post in a Friday series on “raising VC money”.  For the list of topics we are covering, click here.  In this post, we’ll focus on “how to negotiate a VC term...

When Selling is the Worst Way to Win Customers

Customers hate being sold to. They don’t mind getting expert help when they want to buy something. But much of the time they are not ready to buy, and one of the most...

Hiring Tips for First-Time Entrepreneurs

You're a first-time entrepreneur. You have an idea that will change the world and you have been fortunate to find an investor to fund it. Now you're faced with your...

Got a Term Sheet. Now What?

Congratulations, your start-up received a term-sheet. Now what?  If you’re a first time entrepreneur, you’ve been pounding the pavement for months – maybe even years...

Top 5 Challenges Migrating to a New Cloud

Over the last year I’ve had the opportunity to gain hands on experience building software to support multiple clouds. While most cloud consumers can live within the gated...

Email Rookie Mistakes

I've watched some people struggling with some email blow ups and frustrations over the years and I was just thinking about some of the...

Tools to Launch Your Startup on a Shoestring (Part 3)

This is the final part in a three part series about how to launch your startup on a shoestring budget. In the first post, we looked at back office and operational tools that enable...

The 7 Deadly Mistakes That Make Websites Slow [Infographic]

There are several common mistakes people make that slow down their website. Are you making any of them? See the mistakes below (and how you can fix them if you are making...

 

Tools to Launch Your Startup on a Shoestring (Part 2)

This is the second part in a three part series about how to launch your startup on a shoestring budget. In the first post, we looked at back office and operational tools that enable...

Raise More Debt Before You Raise More Venture Capital

Did you have to re-read that headline a few times? I admit, it might seem a bit confusing coming from a venture capitalist.  But here’s the truth: there are plenty of expansion stage...

Raising VC money: how to handle the 1st VC meeting?

This is the third post in a Friday series on “raising VC money”.  For the list of topics we are covering, click here.  In this post, we’ll focus on “how to handle the 1st VC...

Tools to Launch Your Startup on a Shoestring (Part 1)

During a Sunday afternoon last year, I came across an article about how to quickly and cheaply launch a business. I had been wanting to start a side project to get more familiar with...

Simple (yet important) tips to make a great first impression

Without dating myself or even just admitting I like classic rock and folk music, one of the best stories told through a song is “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin. For those of you...

The 7 Business Slides for Startups

You’re an early stage entrepreneur building a Web-based subscription business. You have your board meeting coming up soon, or you’re sitting down with your close...

Scaling for Growth? How to Hire Superstars

The idea is working… you have great investors, you have hired exceptional people, your core product is built, your customers are happy and they want to know what is coming...

7 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Teachers & Students

Teachers and students have a mutual goal: to learn. The best teachers constantly adapt their plans - sometimes at a moment's notice - to ensure that they meet the needs...

Tech IPOs Are Back – So Now What?

In the fall of 2010 I laid out reasons why all the tech “bubble” chatter was really more the hallmark of a reasonably sustained boom, and then revisited the topic almost one year ago to the...

Be Quick But Don't Hurry

One of many famous credos of the late, great Coach John Wooden.  Everybody talks about moving at web speed.  As it applies to making decisions about All Things People...

Startup Mentoring: a delicate balance of creative destruction

I have been involved in many environments in which mentoring is a core part of the value proposition.  Seedcamp or TechStars succeed almost exclusively on the quality of their...

5 Things You Need to Forget When You Join a Startup

A couple of months ago Mark Stephens wrote a guest post on OnStartups about the benefits of gaining experience at a large company.  Having worked at a large company, and having...

KNOW and BELIEVE Your Elevator Pitch, Don't Just Memorize It

Every entrepreneur has heard of the importance of his/her "elevator pitch"... the succinct description of your business you're supposed to have at the ready when a VC says "so, what's your...

Mentor Like You Mean it

There’s something magical happening in Boston right now, and it’s going to make history.  Like many Startup scenes, Boston’s is truly exploding, vibrant with...

What Happens After The VC Associate Cold Call?

An entrepreneur I really admire asked me for advice on how to handle associate cold calls from VC firms.  I thought the best way to answer that question is to share what happens...

If You Can’t Recruit a Tech Co-Founder, Learn to Market, Not to Code

I’ve noticed a growing amount of advice for business entrepreneurs on how to find a technical co-founder.  The advice seems to be “don’t delay if you can’t find one; learn to code.” It’s really...

Tips on building out your early stage marketing team

I’ve been getting this question often: “What positions do you fill first when building early stage marketing teams?”  Well. Here’s the deal. I’ve been fortunate enough to work at several...