Every entrepreneur and business executive knows that continuous innovation is required to survive, but most struggle with this more than any other challenge they face. They know they need to act proactively but still are often blindsided by a new competitor coming out of the blue with a future they never imagined. Innovation driven by the next crisis is not leadership.
Management
Why No One Tells Founders “It’s over, move on”
My startup is long since out of money and I’m doing everything I can to keep the show going. I feel like I owe it to my investors, staff, and customers to make this work even though at this point everyone has pretty much abandoned me. They would tell me if I should stop killing myself, right?
Quotes to Entrepreneur By: Hope in the Time of Covid
It has been a long year. It feels like several long years, actually, jam-packed into a few dreary months. Locked down, cooped up, hemmed in, beset by a profusion of woes, wary of illness and peeking between our fingers to see what fresh Hell comes next. 2020 hasn’t been a romp in the sun.
How to Navigate the Changing Role of People Operations in 2020
In the midst of the pandemic, the election, and the resurgence of significant social justice movements, people operations professionals are needing to navigate a far more complex environment lately.
6 Observations on Key Challenges Facing Every Startup
When entrepreneurs introduce new products to the market, their passion and conviction often leads them to assume that every potential customer will see the immediate need and value, and will quickly adopt the solution. They are devastated when their business growth never starts or stalls, and they have no idea how to get it moving again.
Career Advice in a Pandemic
Empathy is needed now more than ever. Times are tough right now, that much is a given. But, that phrase, “times are tough” does nothing to help. No one has all of the answers, but we can all lend each other an ear and offer advice when necessary. Keep reading to hear Gary Vaynerchuk’s advice for anyone looking to switch careers during a pandemic.
At Some Point, Founders Become “Just Employees”
At some point after we’ve been so diluted by investors, are we really “Founders” anymore, or are we just glorified employees with a little bit of stock? At what point is it no longer worth sticking with our startup and may be worthwhile to just go start something else?
Where We Are Investing Now: Neuroscience
Neuroscience has always been a focus area for Social Starts and Joyance Partners and should continue to be due to the large and clear unmet need. Stress, anxiety, mental illness, and their associated impacts are at all-time highs. People seem desperate for solutions. Science points toward many potential new approaches. We also recognize that there […]
5 Factors Which Define the Scope of Your Competition
In 1979, Michael E. Porter proposed his Five Forces framework for analyzing the competitive environment which I think makes even more sense today. Every existing business, as well as every startup, needs to reassess their product or service in the context of these five forces.
What New Brands Need to Know
Many emerging entrepreneurs understand one thing: they need to build a brand. A business is much more than the goods and/or services you provide. Your business is your relationship with your customers, your reputation in the marketplace, and what people think of when they think of your company. All of this equals brand. The problem is, while many people understand what a brand is, they don’t understand how to build one themselves. Keep reading to find out what I think most new brands need to know.
What Founders Learn From Growing up Broke
Are there any benefits to being a Founder who came from nothing? What kind of behaviors or expectations might they have which are an advantage at a startup company and why?