Over 30 years of business insight in one place.
I've been a business owner for over 30 years. I was a remote CEO starting in 1993. I've been a coach helping other owners learn from my mistakes since 1995. Since 2006 I've been posting, writing, making videos and tools for my clients. In my semi-retirement I'm putting all that stuff here in a (mostly) organized fashion for free.
Owners, Partners and Boards
Should you take VC?
August 28, 2015
Asking “Should you take VC?” is like asking “Should you play in the NBA?” The answer is NO. Of course the answer isn’t no for everyone. But both of these options only make sense for very, very, very, few people.…
Goals & Vision, Strategy
Mission? Critical!
June 8, 2015
It’s critical that a company have a mission. Having a mission STATEMENT? Not so much. A mission is the reason that a company exists. It doesn’t have to be worthy of a nobel prize. “We make the best damn pizza…
Advisor Stack
How to Avoid Mentor Whiplash
May 27, 2015
If you’re an entrepreneur in any incubator or accelerator you've probably got access to a mentor — or several. And there’s the problem. More often than you think, different mentors will give you conflicting advice about what to do. Who’s…
Productivity
Everything Search Engine
January 5, 2015
File under: Software I Can NOT Live Without. How much time have you wasted looking for files on your PC? If it’s more than a minute, stop what you’re doing and go to and get a copy of the Everything…
Growth & Plans
What’s Your Water?
November 11, 2013
They tell the story of two young fish who were swimming up the stream one morning when an old fish came swimming by. “Good morning fellas,” said the old fish, “How’s the water?” and he swam off. One of the…
Organizational Design
How Mature are Your Processes?
October 9, 2013
. The Capability Maturity Model was developed to rate the maturity of a process for software development. It was funded by the US Department of Defense and written by Carnegie Mellon University in the early 1990s. I've adapted it to…
CEO Mindset
How to Spend Money
September 19, 2013
Most entrepreneurs only know one way to spend money. But there are two. And using the wrong one can get you into trouble. Before I tell you about them, you should think of why you spend money in a business.…
CEO Mindset, Growth & Plans
3 Reasons Companies Don’t Grow
August 27, 2013
In my experience, there are 3 reasons why small firms stop growing. I’m talking about companies with up to 100 employees or so. I don’t know about larger companies, I suspect at that scale the dynamics are different. . Reason…
Partners and Boards
Sharing Equity
July 31, 2013
A friend asked how to split equity with a technical person she’s bringing on in her startup. Here are some thoughts in no particular order. Coincidentally, Steve Blank published a great article that’s relevant. Are you considering equity because you…
Partners and Boards
Bootstrapping is the New Black
July 6, 2013
There’s a Lot Going on in Connecticut. In my work, I see a lot of companies looking for investment. At the AIF (Angel Investor Forum) where I’m president, we screen a few hundred companies per year, ask a couple dozen…
Information & Communication, Work Flows
Entrepreneurs are NOT control freaks. Are we?
June 4, 2013
No question entrepreneurs have a hard time giving up authority, or letting go. Check out this article by Jason Fried of 37 Signals. You often hear business owners say things like “No one can do it as well as I…
CEO Mindset
Why you can’t learn to be Successful by studying Successful People
May 28, 2013
Talk to people who’ve been married a long time about why their marriages last and you’ll hear that they’re in love. Great. But so is everyone who gets married – even those who will be divorced in 18 months. So…
Finance
Sunk Costs
January 20, 2013
Let's say you're driving when you come to a fork in the road and don't know which way to go. So you pick one and drive on. An hour later you realize you're going in the wrong direction. What do…
CEO Mindset, Leadership, Partners and Boards, People
How do we Measure Commitment?
December 28, 2012
It takes commitment to build a business - or for that matter, to build anything. But what exactly does that word mean? I've been thinking about it lately and I've come up with this short cut. Commitment is not measured…
Leadership, Management, Organizational Design
Think Plan Do
November 20, 2012
Mark Suster just posted a great piece on taking time to THINK as an Entrepreneur. Here’s the money quote (paraphrased). 1. I think the best leaders are Thinkers. They often need teams of people to help them Plan how to…
Closing Deals, Money
5 Rules for Giving Discounts
October 24, 2012
People who are not seasoned in sales often think discounts are more powerful than they are. As a result they end up giving away things they don’t need to. Here are some tips on using discounts. Rules for Giving Discounts.…
Money
How do You Handle Accounting?
June 11, 2012
I was asked a question on Quora recently, specifically about start ups but I think my answer applies to more established companies as well. Hope you'll find it useful. The Original Question. How do bootstrapping start-ups in New York handle…
Growth & Plans, Productivity
Use a Change Map to make Change Easier
April 17, 2012
A change map is a way to understand the ramifications of a change in your organization (or your life). It could be a change you’ve already adopted, or one you’re considering. It’s a great tool to bring together the smart…
Marketing & Sales
What Makes a Quality Product?
April 13, 2012
As soon as I ask that question, I’m sure several aspects of your product come to mind that define quality. In this piece, I want to challenge those thoughts. Andrew Sullivan points to Matthew Yglesias about the benefits of inferior…
Marketing, Marketing & Sales
The Only Customer Satisfaction Survey You Should Ever Use
March 17, 2012
It only has 2 Questions: Would you recommend this to a friend? Why or Why not? This is a slightly modified version of John Mariotti's approach. I added the phrase "to a friend" because it adds an emotional element to…
CEO Skills
Do you LIKE being a Firefighter?
February 10, 2012
I understand the appeal. After all, didn’t we start our companies because we wanted to make money doing something we love? In my experience the things most entrepreneurs love revolve around sales or making product. Then as the organization grows,…