Forums Search

When startup founders hear the word “lean” in reference to business, we usually think “lean startup.” But Eric Ries wasn’t the first person to apply the word “lean” to a business philosophy. Here’s a look at what lean means, how it applies in business versus manufacturing, and a quick explanation of lean startup.

1. What is lean business?

“Lean,” at its essence, is about using fewer resources in order to provide a great product to your customers. A company that’s implementing a lean system is focusing on streamlining its systems in order to reduce waste, ideally to the point of creating no waste at all.

One big advantage of adopting a lean business model the ability to change course quickly when the needs of your customer base change. When...

Most consumers discover products and services on the internet, and this has leveled the playing field for all kinds of vendors. A two-person startup with an eye-grabbing web presence can attract customers just as well as a big corporation.

But there’s a catch: With so many options available, the target audience is going to size up a company in an instant. The first impression a company makes will determine whether a potential customer passes or gives it a closer look. And design is largely responsible for that first impression.

But let’s face it: Design is subjective. As with fashion, people tend to be pretty complimentary of their own design tastes. If they think something looks good to them, it must look good to everybody, right? And bec...

Back in 2005, some of you may know I ran a website called Great Adventure Online, a fan site for the popular New Jersey theme park, Six Flags Great Adventure. It was so popular, that for awhile when you Googled the theme park, my website would be ranked higher than the actual official site to Six Flags.

I managed to grow this site to an active online community of over 2,500 daily fans with over 40,000 hits a month; and even larger during peak season.

When you’re 12–14 years old, this is an unfathomable number.

I still remember clearly the advice given to me by then park president, Mark Kane. He asked me how I was making money on this.

I told him I wasn’t.

He was shocked, and immediately followed up with a stern, why not?

I couldn’t compreh...

You know that feeling you get when you just know your idea is going to be the next big thing? Well none of us had that feeling when we first started working on DashMetrics as a side-project. I’d love to rewrite history and tell you we knew our project was going to take off from the start, but this began like any other passion project. We had this hard problem of trying to make data visualization easier for the average person to understand without a dashboard looking like some hi-tech stock trading program with crazy looking candlestick charts, or a DevOps monitor displaying two-tone colored website traffic in real-time. No, we were going tackle the gnarly task of making metrics look sexy. It felt like our calling.

People rarely remember exa...

Imagine for a moment if you could shape every minute of your life to work exactly as you wanted it to.

Well, you can’t. Not exactly. Sorry about that.

But you can actually control more of your daily schedule than you ever thought possible, creating more time to do the things you enjoy or at the very least spending less wasted time on pointless meetings.

“Free time you say? No pointless meetings? Woohoo! Sign me up!”

Well now, that’s the spirit!

Take Command of your Calendar

The problem we tend to face with our calendars is that we let others control it for us.

Sometimes that’s necessary – like when a client or your boss insists on meeting right away at their offices. But often our calendars are left simply to fate and serendipity which soun...

It’s tempting for young companies to put “getting involved in the community” on the to-do list for the future. They wait until the company is more established, more employees are on board, or a few more clients are locked in.

But carving out precious time to help the community, especially in the early days, can be a defining moment in building your company.

I’m not talking about the grand gesture of a big donation. Who can afford that, especially in your company’s early days? I’m talking about real grassroots involvement that engages your company and your employees in the community.

At Rocksauce Studios, we set out to establish core values that gave us a road map to consistently deliver happiness for our employees, customers, and the world ...

My career has taken many unexpected turns, from pastor-in-training to investment banker, hedge fund manager, and tech entrepreneur. Along the way, I learned a thing or 10 about career transitions — many of which involved changing industries.

When I started my undergraduate studies at Emory University, I wanted to be a pastor. I was the only undergraduate taking seminary classes, and I took a few business classes I thought would help me learn to lead, inspire, and manage people.

At some point, I realized I’d graduate with a mountain of debt and enter a profession that would leave me in a cycle of debt forever. The finance industry offered a great way to pay off my student debt before I entered the ministry.

Wolfed by Wall Street

I started t...

Entrepreneur and video marketing pioneer Michael Litt sat down and acquainted us with the power of video and its connection to sales through his so-called “smarketing” strategy. Michael’s foresight in both tech and marketing enabled him to create VidYard, a software company that allows users to host customized videos and fully analyze those who watch them.

Why We Use Video

Litt first established the significance of video on the Internet today with a handful of quick stats. Seventy percent of B2B content marketers use video in their marketing mix and 60 percent believe video is the most effective tool they have. Visitors who watch video stay twice as long as those who do not, and video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80 percent. ...

This is a bit of a different piece of content for me. In his brilliant book “The Tipping Point” Malcolm Gladwell defines 3 archetypes of people – Salesmen, Connectors and Mavens.

Though I see a bit of all 3 in me, relentless Maven. According to Gladwell, Mavens are “information specialists”, or “people we rely upon to connect us with new information.” He goes on to say: “Mavens are really information brokers, sharing and trading what they know.”

When I discover great things it’s hard for me not to share it with others. I simply can’t help myself. When a company has done such great work developing a product that it becomes an integral part of my work life (or personal life) they deserve to have others know about it.

We all lead busy lives, ...

Pitching a room full of investors can be one of the most important things you do to get your company off the ground. Learn how to tell your story and keep your audience engaged with these 5 tips from pitch strategist, Tyler Crowley.

1. Hook the audience

On average, you only have around 15 seconds to capture your audience (less if you present right before lunch), and you’re competing with email/Facebook for their attention. People’s brains are wired to remember stories and not PowerPoints, so cut out the stuff that doesn’t matter and start with a story. Create a persona and introduce them to the audience. What problems do they have? How does your product/service solve them?

2. Add a twist

When you’re telling your story, keep it interesting. Pe...