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If you’re involved in the startup world, you’ve probably heard the term “lean startup” thrown around. No, it’s not a new weight loss plan — although I wouldn’t doubt that there are health and fitness apps out there who have used lean startup methodology.

It’s a system for creating a business that was first introduced by entrepreneur Eric Ries in 2008 and then outlined in his 2011 book The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Business.

In our article 19 Startup Books Every Founder Should Read, Lauren Foundos, Founder & CEO, FORTË said the following:

“Damn, I’m going to have to part company with Debbie – how do I even do that?”

Firing a co-founder isn't like an employee termination, it's more like a divorce. It's messy, it's complicated, and it usually involves both parties being poorer for it.

But unlike a divorce, there's not a lot of discussion out there about what is even possible or where to turn.

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Can I legally "fire" a co-founder?

As an employee, almost anyone can be fired, although there may be jurisdictional laws in your area of the world that require certain steps or conditions.

But co-founders are typically not just employees – they own stock (usually, a lot of it) – so these conditions become far more complicated. Plus, some of these issues may exi...

Update (12/7/17): The previous video lesson is no longer available and we’ve since removed it. However, you can still see more from Jenny Lefcourt including her lesson on Fundraising Series Seed.

Pitching to investors can be the make or break point for startups. The impression you make on them can be the difference between getting the funding you need to continue to the next stage of startup success, or finding your product, research, and ideas on the chopping block.

In this short video, Jenny Lefcourt teaches the science behind pitching: start big and broad and dive into specifics as the investor asks more involved questions. Treat investment meetings like a dialogue instead of a speech and hit the essentials before getting more granular....

When you're in charge of a business, you're all too familiar with that feeling of racing to catch up. But no matter how hard you push or how much you work, you never seem to reach the finish line.

There's always more marketing to do, more emails to send, another meeting around the corner, more prospects to qualify…

Terminal “behinderness” is an affliction that generates heart-pounding stress and makes you wonder how the most successful founders and leaders manage to be so productive while you feel like you're constantly drowning.

A lot of it comes down to how they structure their days.

Curious about how some of the top business leaders spent their time, John Rampton (CEO of Due) and Chris Stowell (VP of the International Center for Management a...

It’s a war of attrition, it really is. Most entrepreneurs in most industries just give up. So the question is — how long can you last? How long can you survive?

When I ask Derek Andersen about the biggest challenges of building his company, Startup Grind from the ground up, his response is refreshingly blunt: “All of it.”

“We didn’t have any money, so we couldn’t really hire anyone. We worked out of my garage for a year, just to just try to save money and run really really lean. We had no documents or templates or process for onboarding or anything.”

And on top of all those logistical challenges, there was this tiny one: “We didn’t have a brand, so nobody knew who we were or why we should exist.”

Funnily enough, the challenges that Startup ...

It’s one of the classic phrases of the startup universe. We’ve all heard it a million times. It’s so ubiquitous, it inspired a Cards Against Humanity card:

“I have a great idea for a startup.”

If you’re anything like the Startups team, chances are you’ve caught yourself saying this more than a few times. If you’re really like the Startups team, you find yourself saying it a few times a day.

But what exactly is a “great idea?” How do you know when that idea you scribbled down on a cocktail napkin or a post-it note has the makings of a full-blown business? Is it really just a matter of “you know it when you see it”? Or is there more to it than that – something structured and systematic, a template of sorts that you can follow, time and time a...

What is an angel investor?

Angel investors are typically high net worth individuals who invest very early into the formation of a new startup company, usually in exchange for convertible debt or equity. The role of angel investors serves as a critical bridge between the startup financing needs of a company and their larger capital needs later on.

Who can be angel investors?

In order to be an angel investor, a person does not have to be an accredited investor. However, a lot of angel investors are accredited investors.

In order to be an accredited investor, according to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), a person must:

1. Have made at least $200,000 a year (or $300,000, for a couple) for the past two years and must have the expectation...

There are many examples of beautifully designed decks from startup companies that successfully raised funds from investors and became multimillion-dollar businesses—all thanks to a few presentation slides. So, in order to come up with a perfect pitch deck, it would be good to take a look at what worked well for other founders.

The ideal investor presentation for a company would depend on its product, needs, vision, team, and audience. These are the best ones picked based on different criteria.

Best Business School-Approved Deck: YouTube

YouTube’s 2005 pitch deck is a classic. It closely followed Sequoia Capital’s suggested deck template for startups with excellent results, since YouTube was la...

You can’t throw a rock these days without hitting a company that practices corporate social responsibility. You want proof? The Harvard Law School study “CEO Materialism and Corporate Social Responsibility” revealed that Fortune 500 firms spend more than $15 billion on philanthropy and CSR.

On a personal note, giving back has always been part of my company’s DNA; it’s a policy that my father started and that I’ve continued during my own leadership tenure. CSR is near and dear to me because I’ve seen the amazing work we’ve done affect communities and influence and change the culture within our own offices.

For businesses looking to make a philanthropic mark, implementing CSR strategies won’t be an overnight overhaul. For small businesses and...

A lot of people want to start a startup — but they don’t know where to start. And where there’s plenty you can do to get the ball rolling, there’s actually one place that everyone has to start: The idea.

But, what are the best startup ideas? What are the worst?

Before we dive into that big question — one disclaimer:

This is not a plug-and-play list of startup business ideas that you can cherry pick from in order to create the next unicorn startup. (That doesn’t exist. If it did, everyone would actually be killing it, all the time.)

Instead, we’re going to talk about some general categories of startups that are more or less difficult to start, help you figure out how to pick your best startup idea, and talk to some founders about their expe...