Stress and Leadership: My Experience as a Startup CEO and Some Steps to Cope I got involved with my first start-up in my mid-20s. I was hired as the first “business” hire, where most others were on the engineering side except for me and the CEO. I was hungry for the challenge to prove myself […]
Early-stage Ventures: 4 Keys to Get the Best People on Your Bus I’ve had a lot of experiences building execution teams that were effective at building products and companies in the “early stage.” The early stage of a venture is unique because information is generated very quickly, and must be immediately put to work to […]
Mentoring relationships can yield a lifetime of value if you put in some effort Over my career I have been lucky to have had some amazing mentors who have invested in my development. In an effort to pay it forward, I’ve done my best to make time for mentorship with many employees and first time […]
The Imperative for Corporate Entrepreneurship In my conversations with executives charged with innovation and corporate transformation, I hear a pretty consistent refrain: innovation is friggin’ hard work. Even with a commitment to “innovation” from the top, real impact takes unwavering focus and often new DNA that isn’t resident in the current organization. It also requires […]
Over the years as I have operated or worked at early stage ventures, I have built relationships with many Fortune 500 companies as customers, investors, and distribution partners for my products. Most of the time their relationships grew with us over the years, became our friends, and these relationships had a huge impact on a […]
I have had the (mostly) good and (sometimes) bad fortune of being involved with creating new ventures as an advisor, early executive, co-founder and CEO. Through the years, I’ve seen a lot of internal and external forces at work that can disrupt your vision as your business grows and evolves. Externally, the market you originally went after […]
Building companies over the long term is challenging but incredibly rewarding. There is truth to the statement I’ve heard many times “once you’re an entrepreneur it’s hard to do anything else.” Early stage is driven by pure passion and wearing many hats and moving toward early goals at the pace of light. As you start […]