Stop telling entrepreneurs to get a real job. We’re busy creating them.
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Startup
Five Lessons from Five Startups
These five lessons were offered by companies created during Startup Weekend.
- Release your product or service quickly to take full advantage of early adopters’ suggestions. – Zaarly
- Don’t put off recruiting others who can help you bring your idea to life. – TripLingo
- Seek feedback from as many people as possible to gain wider perspective on your company’s offerings. – Foodspotting
- Don’t be afraid to experiment—you may find unexpected opportunities. – Planely
- 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 I Failed Before I Even Started
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
There’s Nothing Wrong with Being a Follower
The video ‘First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy’ has been making the rounds, and basically shows that there’s nothing wrong with being a follower. Derek Sivers observes that the first follower is as crucial to the movement as leaders themselves. Derek provides viewers with great insight, and as an early adopter I’ve encountered the same situation in startups. I hope you always find that first follower for your ideas, as crazy as they may seem.
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Superior Customer Service at Every Level
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.
Danielle Geva 