Perfection Rejection

You tweak and prod and edit and iterate.
You feel your product or service has to be a "Goldilocks just right" before you launch.

As a new entrepreneur you probably have a streak of perfectionism. The vision is so crystal clear in your mind that anything that strays from that image is not going to pass your test.

There are two watchouts with this:

1. If you are a first time entrepreneur, beware of choosing a product, service or business model that takes a while to launch. Your may exhaust your runway before you make any traction. 
2. If you take too long to launch, the ship may have already sailed. Your customers may have moved on. The platforms may have changed. The systems may be outdated.

Seasoned entrepreneurs recommend an approach in which you identify quick wins and test small incremental mock ups and products while working closely with your customers.

How long did it take to sell your first product? Let us know in the comments below.

Entrepreneur's Death Defying Acts

Death-defying feats of bravery, object manipulation, dangerous beasts and stunt-oriented artistry - these are sights you traditionally would see at the circus.

Select and Elect

Choices are tough. Americans have a major choice to make on November 8th. New entrepreneurs also have important selections to make.

More Work Coming at You

No good work is left un-rewarded.

Jack of All Trades or Master of One?

If you are launching a service business, you have choices: 

1. Be everything to everyone
2. Be very targeted with a niche service to a small subset
3. Be some combination of the above

Target the Low Hanging Fruit

The most important step in a new business is finding the first customer. And then finding the next customer after that and the one after that...

Are you a control freak?

Ever seen intense video gamers? Their eyes are glazed and they are intently focusing on the screen. They are gripping the controller with both hands, thumbing the buttons and advancing to the next stage of the game.

Perfection Selection: What would an entrepreneur choose?

"We can't launch! There are still a million things to do!"

Fail on Sale

Trying is scary. 

An Entrepreneur's Iconic Love Story

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I recently had an entire conversation with a startup founder with a handful of emojis, some bitmojis, and a picture.  As time is of the essence for founders, not a second should be wasted on non-essentials.  Who has time to type out words?

Flaking Bad: Who can you trust?

I promise, I promise. I'll refer you to my whole network, and bring you tons of business. 

Bullseye: Focus like a new entrepreneur

If you can read this sentence without thinking about your next sales call, the line of buggy code you have to fix, the intern you must hire, or the appointment you are itching to make....then congratulations! You probably have better focus than many new entrepreneurs.

Building a Startup Empire

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"Rome wasn't built in a day either..."

I first saw this unapologetic declaration on a billboard sign on a highway that is perennially under construction. And it always reminds me that startups have to be treated the same way.

Cofounder Needed: Toons Need Not Apply

Let's set the scene: 
It's a CoFoundersLab Meetup group set in a fun, colorful coworking hub in town. You see introverted onlookers assessing the scene and you see aggressive sales-y types already making their rounds. And you look on and you wonder if you'll ever find your match here.

Falling into the Non-Technical Founder Trap

Oh yes, I'm a self-declared, bona fide non-technical founder.

Entrepreneurship: What you Thought vs. What you Got

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Poll any entrepreneur - new, old, successful, flailing, product-focused, service-focused, solo or with a team - and they will all say the same thing:

"What I thought, was definitely not what I got",  each one would scream in unison.

Quiz: Top 10 Things Entrepreneurs Never Say

The term "wantrepreneur" may have a derogatory connotation, indicating someone is wannabe entrepreneur.  I think every successful small business owner was once a "wantrepreneur, " so it's not really a bad thing to be a "wannabe" for a bit.  

Drown in Inventory or Save a Tree

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"But when are you going to launch the printed version of the book? I still like leafing through a physical books. It's unfortunate that you are only launching an e-book." 

Sure, the thought of launching a print book crossed my mind before I published my recent ebook. However, I was surprised how many times I received the above reaction after my book launch.

Navigating the Entrepreneur's Zoo

It's a jungle out there.

This may be the only zoo most familiar to those in the startup world - let's call it the Entrepreneurs Zoo! Just coincidentally, many of the vendors, services and products, we (and other entrepreneurs) use in starting a business have "animal" names. We've used many of them, and here is a line up and maybe one of them can help you.

I’m All In: Why is Entrepreneurship Like Poker

I played my first poker game recently. Although my hope for beginner’s luck didn't pan out, I learned a lot during that game and saw many parallels to starting a company. And the more I understood poker, the more it made sense as to why poker was declared a game of “skill”, instead of a game of pure chance. Entrepreneurship is much more like poker than other games in that: