Advice

Five Lessons from Five Startups

| Danielle Geva

These five lessons were offered by companies created during Startup Weekend.

  1. Release your product or service quickly to take full advantage of early adopters’ suggestions. – Zaarly
  2. Don’t put off recruiting others who can help you bring your idea to life. – TripLingo
  3. Seek feedback from as many people as possible to gain wider perspective on your company’s offerings. – Foodspotting
  4. Don’t be afraid to experiment—you may find unexpected opportunities. – Planely
  5. It takes a variety of skills to build a successful company, so don’t undersell what you bring to the table. – Giant Thinkwell

Read the full post on Inc.com

 

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How To Plan and Prioritize Effectively

| Danielle Geva

Time is a limited resource, and we rarely stop to think how we spend it in the grand scheme of things. We get so caught up in being busy; we end up sacrificing effectiveness for efficiency.

Managing your time might involves notes, to-do lists, and calendars, which often leave little room for items with long-term benefits. In addition to neglecting reading or exercising, we end up leaving no room for spontaneity.

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How I Failed Before I Even Started

| Danielle Geva

This week’s post is a little personal, but it’s always best to learn from the mistakes of others.

In one of my first entrepreneurship courses, we were instructed to come up with unique business ideas, which were then harshly evaluated by our Teaching Assistant.

I had a couple hits and a couple of misses, but it didn’t really matter since I wasn’t invested in those ideas, I was saving the best for last. The specifics of my vision don’t matter, and since I didn’t pay much attention to grades, the F didn’t hurt. The thing that did bother me was the comment claiming my idea was ‘impossible to execute’. Continue reading →

Superior Customer Service at Every Level

| Danielle Geva

Regardless of company size, it is crucial to remember that you exist to serve your customers.

In startups, team members might think it is understood that customers should be treated with respect; unfortunately, this is not always common sense. Those who are not directly involved in sales & marketing might be careless when responding to customer emails. These individuals excuse their behavior by stating that customer support is not their specialty. However, friendly and polite communication should be explicitly required across the board, especially in small startup teams where the roles might be fluid.

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The 7 Characteristics of a Good Mentor

| Danielle Geva

Our company was designed to offer clients quick & professional feedback, but I preferred to think of our team as mentors. Ideas that become a reality require on-going consulting and coaching. We found great joy in helping businesses succeed and grow.

While browsing through Michael J. Freeman’s Leadership Knowledge Base, I found the following characteristics of a good mentor, which can be used as a guideline to select mentors.

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