I wrote a post several weeks ago about the many lessons I’ve learned from my entrepreneurial father. Now I would like to share some tips from experience I have gained working in a startup world for 12+ years. These are things you definitely learn from rolling up your sleeves and working, not from a classroom or a textbook.
- Even one word in a 40-page contract can land you in a very bad situation. It does not matter how experienced or expensive your attorney is – learn how to read contracts yourself.
I recently read a great article by Steven Blank, who is a down to earth and experienced entrepreneur I greatly admire. While the case he describes is a bit dramatic and partly stems from deeper issues, many of his points were definitely something I have seen. The one sentence summary of his article: brand new offices disrupted SuperMac’s culture, detracted from growing the company, caused excess politics, and gave competitors lead time. I will not discuss the benefits or detractions new offices create. At one time or another we will all need to move our companies. Instead, I wanted to share what I have learned from my experiences.
It has been almost a decade since I lost my father to cancer, but the lessons I learned watching him run large companies, creating startups, and turning around languishing businesses are still fresh in my mind. I credit him for my business ethics, “workaholism”, leadership style, and pragmatic yet optimistic outlook. He was a man of few words, but when he opened his mouth, everyone listened. In this post I will share some of the rules of business he taught me…
I chat with many consultants during my busy events schedule. Boston boasts a large number of consultants who are true experts in their areas. But, we also have snake-oil salespeople who love to call themselves business “coaches”, “gurus”, etc. If you are smart, you just smile at them, look for an excuse to run away, take their card, and chuck it the next moment you find a trash can. But, some early stage entrepreneurs fall prey to these vultures. That is part of learning process and natural selection. This article is for those of you with solid expertise and experience getting ready to start your startup consulting career.
Apolinaras is a business operations leader with 12-year track record of helping companies manage growth, build diverse teams, harness technology, and get a lot more profitable.