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Office distractions take many forms: checking emails throughout the day, responding to text messages, making phone calls, responding to Skype requests, having quick meetings, and even figuring out what’s for lunch. All of these sap our daily decision-making “battery” (yes, science has proven we can only make so many decisions during a day) and subtract from our ability to focus on what’s most important.

For these reasons, I’ve found that quarterly meetings that are unplugged and off-site are a reliable way to get more clarity about where my team and I are going, what’s working, and what isn’t working.

Why Go Off-Site?

My friend Leo Patching, one of the most seasoned, successful entrepreneurs I know, calls an off-site meeting a chance to get...

So, you’re launching a startup. Big goals obviously aren’t an issue. You want 10x customers! You want to 4x your retention rate! You want to be the next Facebook or the Airbnb of X!

The big stuff is what entrepreneurs are good at. But it’s in breaking those big steps down into smaller, actionable ones where we tend to trip up. I’d even go as far as to say that the inability to break big goals down into smaller business goals and then into short-term objectives is one of the main reasons that the majority of startups fail.

Sound familiar?

So, how do you go from big goal to smaller goal to actionable steps you can start taking right now? The process is going to be different for every startup, of course, but here’s how to start.

Name the big g...

See part one of our interview.

James Wolf started one of his companies, The Bike Shop — which is located in the expat hub of Thao Dien in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — after pressure from friends pointing out that it was a much-needed business for the neighborhood. But he’s not in it for the cash. Ultimately, he told me, it’s more about meeting a neighborhood need and not so much about making any real money.

“There’s virtually no profit in the business,” Wolf chuckles. “If you just pay everyone salaries, keep people employed, and keep the neighborhood rolling along, you have to consider that successful. You can’t expect to take home money as a bike shop owner. It’s kind of the standard — there’s no money in the industry. But as far as keepin...

There’s never a good time for an entrepreneur. Twice I’ve thought about going back to the corporate life, but there’s always been something that kept me out of it. Each time it’s felt like a message from the startup gods.

When I quit my first ever full time job, I had nothing lined up to transition into. It was a time of year when no one was hiring. I had quit with intentions of freelancing instead, but I was still applying for full time jobs, just in case.

I struggled a lot in the first month or two which were full of rejections, work that left me feeling unsatisfied, and low pay.

I had an idea for a project and I needed some sponsors to get it off the ground. The first person I contacted was a cold email to my state’s library manager. Ar...

“Because you’re worth it.”

The L’Oréal Fallacy afflicts those founders who find themselves faced with an offer for their company and the chance of an exit.

This is the moment many have dreamed of. But life is no respecter of dreams: the potential exit is often smaller than the founder has hoped. The founder finds himself conflicted: wanting an exit, but believing that the offer on the table undervalues his work and the potential of his company.

The L’Oréal Fallacy is the belief that you should hold out for the exit you deserve—because you’re worth it.

This fallacy corrupts decision making at a crucial point—the point when monetary success is actually a tangible prospect.

First-time founders, in particular, should take their exit when they c...

The startup ecosystem – especially the one found online like places here at Startups.co – is full of helpful material. Unfortunately, other internet sources can be full of myths. Let’s untangle some of the common startup myths you’ll hear, so that you can get started on rolling out a successful venture.

Ready to get started? Good.

Myth 1: All You Need Is an Idea

One of the most dangerous myths about start-ups is the idea that a “great idea” is enough to pull in a significant amount of money that will help your startup get started. In our competitive global landscape, investors aren’t interested in just ideas so much as they’re interested in a significant return on investment. How do you get past the idea?

Put in the Work: Investments are t...

Millennials have set a high bar in terms of tech and entrepreneurship, but Generation Z could be even more ambitious than its predecessor. The newest generation in the workforce grew up surrounded by Snapchat, YouTube, and Musical.ly — and Gen Zers probably had an iPad before they could walk.

A whopping 98 percent of Gen Zers own a smartphone, and this generation expects to get smartphones at a younger age than any other generation. Research indicates that 45 percent of Gen Zers are on their phones “almost constantly,” and about 62 percent of Gen Z and Millennials would rather leave their wallets at home instead of their phones.

But the differences go beyond tech. Young people in 2018 know how to work for what they want, know how the gig ec...

Reflecting on building a diverse and inclusive workplace in the tech industry, Michele Perras, Director, Global Ecosystem and Alliances for Pivotal Software, looks back on what she has learned in her 15 years of personal experience as a woman in tech and her time on Pivotal’s Diversity and Inclusion council.

Here are a few things her experience has taught her:

1. Have an evolving definition of diversity and inclusion

It’s important to recognize that the diversity and inclusion goals you initially address will change and evolve. “It is about making sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to excel and communicate in their role, especially over their time at your organization,” she says, noting that the mindset should include more than wo...

I often see entrepreneurs searching for domains that enable them to stuff their URLs with keywords. Thanks to William Shakespeare, most people don’t think a name is worth much as long as their businesses do what they’re supposed to.

But think about it: The titles of books, movies, and bands are all representative of the things attached to them. Names mean something, and they shouldn’t be slapped on as mere afterthoughts.

Tips on Establishing a
brand identity for startups

For a decade, our business was called Domainsatcost.ca. It followed all the “best practices” we commonly see — it was rich in keywords, search-friendly, short, straightforward, descriptive, and geographically situated. Yet it lacked something very important: an identity. R...

“Think of business as a good game. Lots of competition and a minimum of rules. You keep score with money.”
—Bill Gates

It’s called “competitive landscape” for a reason: competitors are a crucial part of the terrain your company will have to navigate in order to get where you’re going. Who your competitors are, what they’re doing, how they’re doing it – these considerations will impact some of the most important decisions at your company, touching everything from pricing to messaging to marketing.

Doing a solid competitive analysis is like setting up for a game of Battleship with the divider down. When you can see where your opponent is putting their ships, you can be that much more strategic about where you’re placing your own.

For this se...