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Coining a New Word for Putting Yourself in Another’s Shoes

One of the core values I have always championed is the ability to understand people and the decisions they make. I gave a speech recently on this subject and as I was pondering the best word to describe this core value, I discovered a hole in the English language. This could be a breakthrough or I could just be exposing my limited vocabulary.

The problem with working with people and teams is that you have to work with people and teams. Unlike working with computers and algorithms, when dealing with humanity, you have to factor feelings into decisions and actions. I looked up the definition of empathy to put in my slides but I realized that empathy, by definition, is the ability to u...

Data Visualization expert Bill Shander shared with us his tips, tricks and best practices for converting your data into compelling communications, regardless of your audience or the medium. Bill has over 2 decades of experience decoding data and helping clients communicate big ideas online – from startups and nonprofits to global corporations. Want to learn how to put data to work for your startup? Read his advice below.

The Four Main Types of Content

In order to engage readers of all interest levels, you have to create different types of content for your audience. The first type is “Water Cooler Content.” This includes things like headlines, visuals, and quick, 30 second or less videos. Think of these like a movie preview. 80% of people w...

If we all had the opportunity to go back to where we were at just a few years ago, I imagine we would have at least one piece of advice to share with our past selves that would eliminate unnecessary mistakes and wasted time. When you’re in the moment, you don’t really think about how certain actions (or a lack of actions) are really impacting you. Hindsight is always 20/20, though.

I recently had an opportunity to talk with Rob Walling about Drip, an email marketing automation platform launched in 2013 in an increasingly-competitive space, and how his productivity has increased over the years as he grew and learned from his errors.

Staying Productive With a Remote Workforce

Sujan: How about a quick introduction, Rob?

Rob: Sure. I’ve starte...

Last week I had a dozen business founders over for beer and pizza to catch up and talk shop. It’s one of my favorite things to do, because I think when you get a group of fellow founders in a room together, there’s instant fraternity among them. People let their guards down. When surrounded by peers, Founders talk about things that no one else can appreciate or understand.

After enough vodka gimlets, the conversation gets very, very honest.

Some of the founders present had already grown and sold companies, while others had just gotten started. Despite the wide spectrum of business stages, the sentiments shared were universal – no matter what industries their businesses were in, or how much they had accomplished.

1. Being a Founder is Lonely...

Entrepreneurs are constantly befuddled by how an investor would choose one deal over another to review or invest in. The refrain pretty much looks like this:

“What?! How can that investor possibly invest in {Insert Undeserving Startup Name} when my company is far more attractive?”

The truth is there are lots of potential reasons for these decisions, but it’s important to understand what the landscape looks like, and how your deal stacks up to others.

It’s Kind of Like a Dating Site

Imagine investors were just regular people like you on a dating site. They would sort through tons of profiles looking for a few things that are important to them. Maybe it’s the picture, maybe it’s your height, maybe it’s whether or not you like long walks on th...

When you’re confident about a business model, you will have absolutely nothing holding you back.

When I call Miguel Madrid at his Austin apartment, he’s glued to his computer, handling exchange requests in the wake of fulfilling the two massively successful pre-order campaigns his company Comfortable Club ran on Kickstarter last year.

“We shipped about 15,000 items in three days,” he tells me.

Comfortable Club is an online apparel brand that delivers ridiculously cozy underwear and loungewear at half the price of retail. The idea seems to be striking a chord: between those two Kickstarter campaigns, Comfortable Club has taken in more than $350,000 in pre-order revenue from over 5,000 backers — now customers.

All of which means things have b...

Here at Startups.co, we do our best to help Founders and other startup folks build better businesses. As part of our mission, we love sharing the experience and perspective from some of the most seasoned Founders in the Startup Scene, who drive change and have gained a unique perspective as a result of their experience.

In this interview, Craig Newmark, who founded craigslist.org, talks about how doing well by doing good can be an effective business model.

Wil Schroter: Founders worry all the time that there is some big, looming “Grim Reaper of their Business” that will come and get them if they don’t react accordingly. People have tried to be the Grim Reaper of craigslist since your inception. Of all the threats, what was the one that fe...

Whenever I sit down with a soon-to-be startup founder or a prospective employee at my startup, I always ask one fundamental question:

“Is your spouse cool with what you’re about to do?”

In my book, it’s all that matters. Having the support of your spouse can make or break an entrepreneur or anyone working in the startup world.

Or, said differently, not having their support is a recipe for disaster.

You Can’t Fight Two Wars

Working at a startup is a grind that takes every ounce of your energy to create something from nothing. If you come home with even an ounce of energy to spare, it’s a gift.

So, if you walk through the door at home, and you’re presented with an entirely new war to fight, it sucks.

No one has enough energy to fight one batt...

It was recently reported that the co-Founder of WeWork Adam Neumann took over $700 million off the table from investors long before the company had gone public.

How do these Founders go about getting cash out of their startups long before the startups ever cash out themselves?

Why would investors let me take money off the table?

Investors will often dangle the option of providing some Founder liquidity only when the deal they are trying to get into feels incredibly competitive.

This happens only rarely, and only amongst investors who are open to providing some Founder liquidity (some are very against it!).

Generally speaking, it only helps the investor by allowing them to get into the deal but provides very little upside to the company a...

Think money motivates your employees? Sure. But it’s not the biggest motivator.

Many entrepreneurs believe that digging into their pocketbooks will help drive employee engagement, but the reality is that 67% of workers say praise and commendation from a manager is what truly motivates [Tweet This] (vs. the 52% who say an increase in base pay does the trick).

Instead, consider making quality time with each employee a priority, pick up a personal tangible gift, offer a high five or fist bump, tell them they’re doing a great job or pitch in on a task. Connect with them. They’ll respect you more and work harder as a result.

This infographic takes a look at the truth behind employee motivation and how you can motivate your workforce without reac...