Category Archives: Surrounding yourself with talent
How can you let a talented employee go to pursue a new career?
It is tough to lose your best employees wanting to advance their careers. Sometimes you can be the coach, helping them even if it means losing them. And, as in today’s story, sometimes it can mean the beginning of an amazing … Continue reading
You are your company’s moral compass.
Here’s yet another story that you may identify with – or have yet to experience in your business life. It’s one of those that define your leadership for all to see, sometimes based upon decisions made in the moment – … Continue reading
Have you been celebrating each victory?
Here comes another story. Of course. This one may be like one or more you have experienced in your company. It is a story about focus upon the customer, first. And about reinforcing the culture of the company in support … Continue reading
Any advice can be worthless, or worse.
[wdm_image_effects effect=”no_effect” animation=”slideInUp” shape=”no_shape” color=”#000″ social=”” title=”bad-advice” description=”bad-advice2″ id=”3352″ show=”hover” counter=”0″ size=”thumbnail”/] Ever get bad advice? Sure. We all have in our past. Ever take that advice without question because the person giving it was an investor, a superior in … Continue reading
How about your board members’ time commitments?
Expect a board member to give a meeting a month, emails and phone calls between. Urgent issues require more of all. Board members are usually busy people, often running other companies or serving on multiple boards. Early stage boards usually … Continue reading
How do you pay an early stage board?
Give one percent equity to each outside board member vesting over four years of service. Many early stage CEOs and board members have asked for some guidance regarding pay and time commitments for board members. Here is my best advice, … Continue reading
Please learn this: “Noses in; fingers out!”
Many of us have someone who reports directly to us and who supervises others in return. If that fits, well then, this one is for you. And it is one of the most important lessons you can learn as a … Continue reading
Hire a consultant; ignore the advice.
At one time or another, most all businesses use consultants to fill the gaps in knowledge or to provide guidance for management. Consultants are good in that you can sample their work with short projects, change to other consultants quickly, … Continue reading
Bankers: love ’em or hate ’em. They may affect your future.
Let’s get right down to it. Your banking relationship can be like a great marriage or a bad trip to the DMV. In most cases it is strictly your choice. But the results of that choice will reverberate for what … Continue reading
Take only “smart money” investments
[wdm_image_effects effect=”no_effect” animation=”zoomIn” shape=”no_shape” color=”#000″ social=”” title=”Smart-Mone” description=”Smart-Money” id=”3294″ show=”hover” counter=”0″ size=”thumbnail”/] This statement could be considered controversial. We have previously made the case that professional investors demand more in the form of restrictive covenants and lower valuations. Now we … Continue reading