Why is strong color for a website important? Many organizations leave this decision in the hands of the web designers. They show you some samples and you will have to pick one from them. But this concept doesn’t work now. Your website is going to be visited by people all over the world. It will…… Continue Reading
If you have ever dealt with a mean boss, then you probably know what a pain it can be. The question that you might be asking yourself on a regular basis is how to deal with him and get him to respect everyone else around him. The answer to that always depends on the Boss.…… Continue Reading
There are several advantages of implementing the most appropriate timesheet software package for your business. They have been known to propel moderate-sized businesses to significantly larger ones time and again. The hardest part is choosing the timesheet software package that is most appropriate for your business. How will you know which one best suits your…… Continue Reading
How to choose the correct uniform for Employees, when your business needs uniformed employees, can be a complex decision. You have to take into account a range of factors. Also, changing the selected uniform will be costly, inconvenient and may confuse your branding. So, you would prefer to select the correct uniform the first time.…… Continue Reading
It is crucial to be productive. It can be that you are trying to be productive, but something is in your way. Now, if you really want, you can determine what those things are and then you can address them promptly. Become Productive Easily. Have the confidence to become productive: You must have confidence in…… Continue Reading
There are Focus Group Research Issues. Focus Groups are a tool used in the past, present and likely, the future by the market research industry. They are basically organized by marketing companies in order to research what kind of an effect a certain product has on the market, how people react to it, whether they…… Continue Reading
Backfile Document Scanning is the scanning of archived and recent paper files, blueprints, documents and selected other documents. These are converted from paper form to electronic format. After scanning and indexing, you can open the documents with the help of any network connected PC, tablet, smartphone, etc. This is beneficial in many ways. A significant…… Continue Reading
If your SME is growing and has its own business and marketing organization; is the organization starting to be complex? If so then Distributed Leadership brings out the best in you and your business. Distributed Leadership Brings Out the Best in You and Your Business As Wikipedia says, in the “context of a complex organization ….…… Continue Reading
For your business to be run well, it helps a great deal if you are a perfect boss. So, you should try to be one of the best bosses. You can set the right attitude, image, and tone. If you are a good and respected boss, your employees will follow your lead. There are several…… Continue Reading
A challenge that Startup, SME and new division CEOs face is proper communication by the CEO. You need to communicate in the most appropriate tone when leading a team.… Continue Reading
Business Process Management can be defined as a method to study the processes of an organization and then try to control them while ensuring that the business productivity is not hampered.… Continue Reading
Too many startups, new ventures and SMEs do not take seriously the immense problems that a security breach can create. They may be thinking “We can do that later.” Security Risk Examples Examples of recent security risks/issues that have inconvenienced or may inconvenience customers include: 32 million users account information was exposed by hackers who…… Continue Reading
The importance of Government Relations for New Ventures varies from country to country. Within a country it can vary from state to state (province to province). Corporate Growth Government programs, laws and regulations, and networking can strongly impact corporate growth of resident parent companies and/or their resident subsidiaries. Relocation of Headquarters Government programs, laws…… Continue Reading
Preparing for and adapting to Business Culture Shock and simple business cultural differences is a normal part of international growth activities. Chinese Companies Are Expanding Overseas The Washington Post Article Chinese companies face culture shock in countries that aren’t like China describes such issues for Chinese entrepreneurs. Several of their points are summarized below. “Chinese…… Continue Reading
We live in an evolving world; a transforming world of change and disruption. Click here for a LinkedIn list of executives with Global Transformation in their title. This includes executives at AIG, DHL, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Johnson Controls and other corporations. There is a Global Transformation Forum (conference) which had 3,000 delegates in 2015. Deloitte Ireland…… Continue Reading
A CEO of a new venture needs a Startup CEO Reward Structure to reward him/her. No one else will provide it for you. This is to reward yourself for completing a task or accomplishing something worthwhile. I suggest that you should be earning 5-7 rewards per week; of various sizes. Startup CEO Reward Structure So…… Continue Reading
Appropriate informed actions during (prospect) intent-rich moments are critical to achieving a close. This is important during online desktop; online mobile and offline sales activities for both B2B and B2C prospects. Richard Saling calls these “Want-to-know moments. Want-to-go moments. Want-to-do moments. Want-to-buy moments.” in an article at tipsandtricks-hq.com. To explore this from a mobile B2C…… Continue Reading
Does your new venture’s business model include the potential for disruption to sales of legacy products being sold by established corporations? Is this likely to result in positive negative or confused situations? Survey by IMD Funded by Cisco “Business leaders believe four out of 10 top-ranked companies in their industries worldwide won’t survive the next…… Continue Reading
Does your business model require significant interaction with societal infrastructure? Might it cause Unpredictable Disruption instead of useful disruption? Unpredictable Disruption Business models whose innovation opens up the potential for Unpredictable Disruption include: Some taxi-like business models have experienced contentious interaction with city regulations concerning taxicabs. This can have an impact on the company’s ability to do business…… Continue Reading
Annual performance reviews for officers are problematic for some small, busy new ventures. One Process of Annual Performance Reviews For Officers in New Ventures From a US business culture perspective, one good approach for a small, busy new venture is for the vp/ceo to ask his/her subordinate to write one page that addresses: What I (the subordinate) did well…… Continue Reading
Chaotic situations are an all to frequent occurence in new ventures such as startups and new divisions. Factors Impacting How to Understand a Chaotic Situation Quickly understanding and acting on a chaotic situation can be very important. Unfortunately, for any specific situation each participant sees (and remembers) things a little differently. So, from time to…… Continue Reading
Ground truth in a new venture within a company is different from ground truth within an unaffiliated startup. These corporate centric issues can be much more political than factual. The more the new revenue stream is likely to be a new division; the more complex are these issues. What You Need To Know BeforeYou Launch a New…… Continue Reading
Some say that a new product should be very disruptive. But How Disruptive Should Your Product Be? Most VCs and executives will not invest in products that are so disruptive that major changes in the way of doing business are required (of the ultimate end user; or of intermediaries). How Disruptive Is Your Product? The…… Continue Reading
Several have asked what are the Criteria To Be A Successful Startup CEO. Criteria To Be A Successful Startup CEO Vary Depending on the Situation Unfortunately, the criteria to be a successful startup CEO vary depending on the person, his/her experience, the offering of the startup, the target market, the stage in the business life…… Continue Reading
Before First Contact With An Investor In planning your first contact with an investor: Develop a list of criteria that an investor in your company must have Research relevant investors and develop a list of candidates Plan your first contact with each investor Before your first contact with a specific investor: Further research the relevant…… Continue Reading
Monthly plans are an important aspect of planning growth and of management control. Monthly Plan Format A 2-3 page Monthly Plan for an emerging revenue stream can include some or all of the following bullet style sections. Please adapt this list to match your situation. This format can be used by the CEO officers and…… Continue Reading
As a Rule of Thumb; you as a startup CEO should schedule only half of your workweek; thus only 4 hours per day. Then you should have time to: Actually complete those important tasks that you scheduled Also have time to address the many things that “come up” in a new venture or startup Planning…… Continue Reading
For an emerging revenue stream (startup, new venture or new division), a One Year Plan is typically developed based on a Business Plan. Weekly, Monthly; and other plans and reports should also be developed and used. Those units that are a part of established entities likely have document/planning/reporting requirements that overlap with the suggestions in…… Continue Reading
The Monthly Report for a new venture is an important part of communications within a new venture. Monthly Report Components A one (1) page Monthly Report for an emerging revenue stream includes the following bullet style components. Please adapt this list to match your situation. Title – Unit Name, location, contact information Executive Summary “Department”…… Continue Reading
As an officer in a new venture of some kind you need to negotiate many things; with internal executives with outside stakeholders with suppliers customers and everybody else. Attitude for Negotiation Always Negotiate With Strength! Never anticipate you will have to accept whatever the other side offers. You always approach a negotiation with the attitude…… Continue Reading
A term sheet is a document that describes the agreement by which a startup acquires financing. Some use the phrase Term Sheet to describe the terms of any business agreement. You should always obtain advice from a lawyer before signing a Term Sheet. Problems in a Bad Term Sheet A bad term sheet may include…… Continue Reading
A new venture needs a laser sharp focus to survive and prosper. Setting priorities is important for any stage company. It is especially important for new ventures and startups. The successful CEO learns to set aside those tasks that are not important. Further, he works to complete many important tasks before they become urgent. Extremely…… Continue Reading
Launching a new venture new revenue stream or startup is a serious undertaking. Before you incorporate you need to perform the following tasks, not necessarily in this order. The important point is that you perform tasks similar to these before you commit to your startup in serious ways; such as quitting your day job or…… Continue Reading
“Real” competitive differentiation is very important to prevent other companies from taking over your market and also to attract investors. Intellectual property is usually the best and longest lasting type of differentiation. Strong patents are excellent. But, some types of patents are less powerful. Types of Competitive Differentiation Other types of competitive differentiation can be: Business Relationships…… Continue Reading
Fundraising is an important part of the corporate life cycle of both startups and new revenue streams within established companies. As a part of that the startup CEO must select or reject potential investors. The CEO of a new venture within an established corporation may be raising funds externally. If so then that CEO must…… Continue Reading
At any given time here are thousands of new ventures and startups. Many have high energy officers and exciting new ideas. It can be difficult to separate out those with more likelihood of success. Early Stage Startup Desired Characteristics When you see an early stage startup with characteristics such as those listed below, they are…… Continue Reading
Unique information in your investor presentation will help you to stand out. Each new venture needs to be unique. So during Investor Presentation Development one needs to consider unique information that has not been addressed in other sections. Unique Information in Your Investor Presentation This section/slide of your presentation to investors should address information that does…… Continue Reading
Fund-raising is a subject the Company usually wants to discuss only with Investors. However, business partners and customers are also interested and in early days may insist on knowing about it. Business development executives and Investors prefer that the Company include valuation expectations. However, the Company is advised to be informed on this; but not…… Continue Reading
Financial projections (Profit & Loss and Cash Flow) are best presented in initial meetings with a one page spreadsheet showing units shipped, revenue, and etc. In some cases, projections can not yet be made for some reason. In that event it is better that this be stated in a believable way as opposed to creating…… Continue Reading
A number of well informed executives feel that for an early stage new venture having developed a robust business model is more important than spending time on writing a good business plan. Robust Business Model The Business Model section/slide of an investor presentation should address: A robust description of the Company’s business model The best…… Continue Reading