What you know about Startups is wrong.

Finding the right coach for your pre-revenue startup.

Last night I was at dinner with a mentor, and we were discussing my goal of writing an article every day. So far, this goal hasn’t been easy, but it also hasn’t been the hardest thing that I’ve done. He asked me a great question: “why?”

Do the work!

This week I had a great conversation with a friend who does freelancing consulting. She was facing the challenge of hitting her income potential. She’s a one-person operation and has a fixed number of hours that she can work. So say she has 40 hours a week available and, accounting for other non-billable…

How I learned Customer Discovery from Law and Order

My recommendation to entrepreneurs embarking on customer discovery is to watch a few hours of Law and Order. The original, not the derivative work.

Tell me your story, here is mine.

Most of my entrepreneurial career has been spent chasing markets. In the last few years, though, I’ve had the fortune of the market moving my direction. It’s a lot less exhausting and disappointing. And I’ve gotta admit — as a civil engineer/serial…

How to create a monopoly?

In fifth grade, we got an Apple computer at school. The computer was carted around from class to class in a wooden credenza with wheels. I was a nerd (which I always saw as a positive thing — I’m glad other people are starting to see it that way, too) so I was put in charge of it…

Hire a Unicorn Salesperson

If you are reading this because of the above title, you already need to adjust your thinking. My first sales hire was a total bust. I was 26 years old and came from a civil engineering firm. I hired someone on commission only — a terrible move. Would you work for someone with no…

How to bootstrap and still scale your startup

I launched my first tech startup when I was 22. I was working in civil engineering by day, and coding on nights and weekends. I was both sales and development. I went full time at 25. I owned sales while my partner owned development. All of my…

The psychosis of an entrepreneur

Going it alone as an entrepreneur is often a recipe for disaster.

I’m not saying you don’t have what it takes; I’ve just seen far too many solo entrepreneurs fail. Startup success is not just about the entrepreneur and their idea. It has a lot to…

I’m an Expert! You could be too.

Building an effective team is one of the hardest tasks for any entrepreneur. It’s like how I shop for my house (yes, I am comparing people to furniture). I go out looking for a dining table, but end up finding a sofa that I love at a great price. I need a sofa too, but I…