Start-ups – Page 5

Change Management in SME

November 3, 2010

This is the last installment in my series on Change Management: Chapter 1: Leading Change – Part 1 of a Series Chapter 2: Leading Change – The Art of Change Management Chapter 3: Leading Change in a Perfect Storm Chapter 4: Leading Change – The Need for Speed Chapter 5: Leading Change – Putting it ...

Software Pricing – What message are you sending your customer?

October 31, 2010

At a recent breakfast meeting, I asked a CEO to explain what he charges for his SaaS based solution. His company is an early stage start-up and is still testing its value proposition and pricing. Early prospects for the solution have ranged from mid-market size companies up to a few large multinationals with thousands of ...

Six Characteristics of a Technology Juggernaut

October 27, 2010

If you are an entrepreneur, looking for funding and you haven't read Howard Gwin's post on Digital Puck entitled Six Characteristics of a Technology Juggernaut, read it now. It is a sobering recipe for what it takes to get funded. It is also a scorecard that every Board and CEO of a start-up should be using before they ...

Optimists, Pessimists and Pragmatists

September 17, 2010

Have you ever been accused of being “Cup Half Empty” versus “Cup Half Full”? Winston Churchill once said “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” I love being around entrepreneurs because as a group, they are “Cup Half Full” people. They are the first to see the ...

Making Big Bets

September 15, 2010

It was Bridgescale’s Mentor Monday this week and one of the speakers was David Ossip, formerly the founder and CEO of Workbrain, now founder and CEO of Dayforce. David is creating Dayforce by making big bets, but as a successful four-time entrepreneur, his bets are calculated. David believes that it is easier to enter established ...

Focus – Focus – Focus

August 28, 2010

A big challenge for companies going through their start-up phase is "FOCUS". I was recently with a client. They are early start-up. Their product is built and they have won their few first customers

Youthful Entrepreneur: An Oxymoron?

August 23, 2010

I read an interesting article in Newsweek (The Golden Age of Innovation) that argues that "new research has found that older workers are more likely to innovate than their under-35 counterparts." Contrary to stereotypes, the most successful entrepreneurs are not the 20-something tech savvy, but rather the 40+mature, experienced engineer. In fact, "the highest rate ...

Managing Risk in your Go-to-Market Strategy

August 18, 2010

If you haven’t read Howard Gwin’s blog on Digital Puck regarding VC’s and start-ups in Canada, I would recommend that you do. It has some powerful arguments about how VC’s and entrepreneurs should look at building great companies. Howard also uses a model for assessing risk on go-to-market strategies. He looks at company growth opportunities ...

When is it time to fire?

August 9, 2010

I recently met a CEO of a start-up. He was describing his business to me and that even though he had hired a Sales leader, he was being dragged into every sales deal in order to close it. His sales leader had been hired to find & close deals, create & grow a sales force and ...

A glimpse into the VC world

August 8, 2010

In sales, a good salesperson learns what motivates their customer's behaviour, including how they are personally incented and rewarded in their job. When negotiating any deal, they must understand what is "in it" for the other side, both at a business and personal level. They also learn to speak the customer's language and acronyms. Yet, ...

Category: Start-ups