As business owners, we are always looking for ways to make our companies more efficient and cost-effective. However, as any successful owner or CEO knows, “most cost-effective” does not necessarily translate to “cheapest.” This is particularly true when thinking about the professional services that any small (or large) business needs. Certainly, you can make low […]
Category Archives: Tips and Thoughts
With 2012 well underway, predictions for what the year will bring – whether politically, economically or culturally – are already being put to the test. Before too many more weeks pass us by, we wanted to find out what predictions our colleagues and friends in the education business are making for 2012. Comment below with […]
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article (“So, What’s Your Algorithm?”) focusing on the growing use of data in business and even personal decisions – “playing ‘Moneyball’ at life,” as the author summarized it. While the article looked at using data on a scale that requires sophisticated analytic software, there are also ways to […]
As this year comes to an end, next year’s sales numbers and January board presentations are looming large for many company leaders. In the midst of all the holiday festivities, now is an important time to consider what and how to communicate to your board, investors and key stakeholders, particularly when the economic picture may […]
In this session we showed how to maximize your valuation to secure outside investment at each stage of the company life-cycle, from development/pre-revenue and early revenue, to cash flow positive and rapid growth. For each stage, people learned which investors to target, the key benchmarks they want to see and the valuation criteria they will use. Click here to download […]
At its most fundamental level, a board of directors provides stewardship for shareholder interests, including governance, oversight and approval of major corporate decisions. In our experience in serving on the boards of many companies, we have found that board members should provide at least one of three things: connections, wisdom or capital. But to get […]
As we have all learned in today’s precarious economy, measuring a company’s value only in dollars is not enough. Instead, look at the company Steve Jobs left behind. By concentrating on creativity, innovation, aesthetics and customer loyalty, Apple is now worth more than Microsoft, though reaching today’s revenue levels took many years of putting value […]
Something many companies struggle with, particularly as they transition between growth stages, is how to structure compensation in a way that attracts top talent at all levels. Though figuring out salary and bonuses can be difficult, it’s usually the long-term incentives that take the longest to figure out. Long-term incentives, which align personal outcomes with […]
Every entrepreneur remembers the days of doing it all (perhaps because some of you are still in that phase!) Negotiating contracts, pursuing early adopters and emptying out the coffee pot at the end of the day was (or is) all in day’s work. But there comes a time in all early-stage companies when you need […]
As we have talked about in the past, it is critically important to stay as close as possible to your customers, through frequent, meaningful conversations that give you a pulse on their coming initiatives, needs and wants, and give you an advantage in meeting those needs and wants. However, in today’s economy, just as important […]