Do you have what it takes to be a founder?
(Editor’s note: Serial entrepreneur Steve Blank is the author of Four Steps to the Epiphany. This column originally appeared on his blog.)
When my students ask me about whether they should be a founder or cofounder of a startup I ask them to take a walk around the block and ask themselves the following series of questions:
Are you comfortable with chaos? (Startups are disorganized)
Are you comfortable with uncertainty? (Startups never go per plan)
Are you… Continue Reading
Leveling the education landscape for entrepreneurs
(Editor’s note: Lewis Drummond is CEO of FledgeWing.com, an online community for entrepreneurial students. He contributed this column to VentureBeat.)
In the mid-1960s, the Kauffman Foundation had the foresight to see the need for an organization promoting entrepreneurship. More than 40 years later, it boasts an asset base of $2 billion, has a global reach that includes ties with the US Department of Commerce and has become one of the world’s most important training facilities for entrepreneurs.
Where the… Continue Reading
Calling all entrepreneurs…
Thinking of starting a business or looking for ways to grow your recently launched firm? VentureBeat’s Entrepreneur Corner is filled with expert advice on taking your company to the next level.
Here are a few of the most recent stories that you might have missed:
Do you need a loyalty program? – Loyalty problems tend not to be on the forefront of entrepreneurs’ minds. But an aggressive retention marketing program, even in early stages of a company’s history,… Continue Reading
Entrepreneurs: Cash in on non-English search engines and more
In case you’ve missed any of our recent advice for startups over at VentureBeat’s Entrepreneur Corner, here’s a wrap up:
Market research vs. gut instinct — Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm Computing and inventor of the Palm Pilot, discusses how to balance market research with your intuition.
Cashing in on non-English search engines — Global consumers are more than five times more likely to buy from a website with content in their native language. Here’s how to outwit your… Continue Reading
Calling all entrepreneurs…
In case you’ve missed any of our recent advice for startups over at VentureBeat’s Entrepreneur Corner, here’s a wrap up of the must-read stories. Be sure to click through and check them out:
Harnessing the power of analytics — Too many new business owners ignore their web logs. That’s a critical mistake. A good analytics program can give you valuable insight into your customers, their habits and their interests.
Four keys to a great PR campaign — You’ve… Continue Reading
Four keys to a great PR campaign
While you can’t underestimate the power of a good press release, too many businesses forget that it’s just the beginning of a process. The real trick to successful marketing is ensuring you have all the elements of your public relations campaign in place before turning the spotlight on yourself.
Consider the four “Ps” when it comes to establishing the groundwork for a successful PR campaign: photography, pitch, profile and pack. With these elements lined up, you’ll… Continue Reading
Key steps for developing customer loyalty
Most entrepreneurs rightly focus on revenue generation from new customers. But many do not plan for — or flat out ignore — customer retention and the opportunity it represents.
By your company’s third year, it’s typical that 50 percent of your revenue will come from just 10- to 15 percent of your customers. To achieve this level of loyalty, though, there are a few steps you’ll need to take as your company goes through three growth… Continue Reading