Questions about all things related to people starting and running new ventures in business.
54
votes
29answers
4k views
Entrepreneurs, what are the 3 best pearls of wisdom you've received for your startup ventures?
This is general guidance that you've found is key in achieving success. Can be marketing related, funding, technology, hiring, anything. If you could just pick 3 that you think have held up over time ...
18
votes
12answers
2k views
"Which entrepreneurs have made $20mill+ in under a decade with a balanced lifestyle (no more than 50hrs work/wk)?
Do you think it’s possible to do it all? Myself and entrepreneur Martin Bjergegaard are making it our mission to find this out in hopes of writing a book outlining the lessons of our findings. We are ...
14
votes
7answers
953 views
did having a business partner contribute sufficiently to your business or do you regret you had one?
please only first hand experience, no books or blogs.
13
votes
8answers
3k views
5 tests my next business idea will have to pass - Can you add more?
I launched my most recent app a few days back. The idea is to aggregate all the business related videos, compile the meta data and also generate more meta data and present to the users. I have been ...
12
votes
11answers
438 views
Is it about more than money?
Is it all about making money -- or is there something more?
Is there value in a mission about positive impact on the world? Is there a value in start-ups that are addressing issues of global climate ...
11
votes
9answers
530 views
How to Build a Strong Social Network for a Young Entrepreneur?
"It's Not What You Know, It's Who You
Know" -Old English Proverb
Having a strong social network is a Must-Have of every entrepreneur. Our friends and partners make us stronger in areas we're ...
11
votes
4answers
527 views
Finding a start-up partner as a developer
I have been coding solutions since like the dawn of time, at least that's how it feels, and I love it so now I want to help found a new start up or help an existing start up that needs a technical ...
10
votes
22answers
3k views
What are the top 3 skills or characteristics that every entrepreneur should have?
Entrepreneurs tend to have great ideas but struggle to bring them to life. This seems to be partly due to not having the right skills to move beyond the idea and into the marketplace. Am I off base on ...
10
votes
14answers
928 views
What is the single most influential book every entrepreneur should read? [closed]
What is the most important business book to you?
9
votes
9answers
792 views
Help! I'm a serial entrepreneur that keeps coming up with ideas that never get completed
I am a web applications developer and one of my big problems in launching my own self-initiated and funded web applications is that I just can't stop coming up with application ideas. Seriously, I ...
9
votes
3answers
604 views
What are the typical bad personality traits and problems of entrepreneurs?
The list of personality traits entrepreneurs should have are all over the web. We all heard those, every startup blog has at least one post about how tolerance to uncertainty, risk-taking, the will to ...
9
votes
9answers
1k views
I have a great idea for a web site. I created a prototype. Now what?
An idea came to me a couple years ago. I saw a good opportunity for a web site, something that doesn't exist yet. I created a working prototype. Now what?
It's going to take a chunk more money to ...
9
votes
6answers
413 views
How do entrepreneurs start their first bootstrap startup?
I really want to start my entrepreneurial career, the problem is I don't have money. I am mid-level IT manager, read lot of startup blogs, articles and books and keep planning (aka dreaming) about ...
8
votes
12answers
658 views
The best solution for creating a screen-shot movie to demonstrate a website feature?
We recently just launched a new space planner/floor plan tool on our site and would like to create a screen-shot movie (with a voiceover commentary) to visually demonstrates its ease of use. Can ...
8
votes
4answers
325 views
What steps can be taken to ensure security within a shared office space?
At first blush a shared office space seems like a "no brainer".
For an individual or company burdened with carrying the cost of their unused (spare) office space, a small business or entrepreneur in ...
7
votes
8answers
763 views
How to get the passion back and to stay focused and organized?
I've been running my business for 3 years now. It's grown substantially and doing quite well but I seem to be losing the passion of running the business. I'm interested in doing newer things but need ...
7
votes
5answers
1k views
What concrete steps can I take to make money on the side as a software developer?
I've been working for a few years as a software developer and my career progression is satisfactory. I'm just not making enough money because of the region I live in. Other positions here pay ...
7
votes
6answers
523 views
Advice for “first time” entrepreneurs
As a current or prior small business owner, what would be the most important piece of advice you would give a startup entrepreneur today to help him/her avoid some of the problems or issues you faced ...
7
votes
5answers
574 views
True Story: I broke one relationship, and missed another because of my startup, is it worth it? [closed]
Note 1: I am a frequent contributor to SE sites, my account is obviously a throwaway account, for obvious reason.
Note 2: I'm not too sure whether such a question is allowed here, I would like to ...
7
votes
3answers
648 views
How to get users enganged and active in a new website?
Me and my team are working on an online project where people can give away unwanted stuff and get stuff they are looking for.
The problem is that from my experience people tend to get engaged in ...
6
votes
8answers
755 views
Is it a good strategy to quit college and learn about entrepreneurship just by reading books at home?
There are alot of resources online about best books for entrepreneurs, is it good to quit college and learn that at home and then do a startup after learning it?
6
votes
7answers
449 views
Lots of ideas, but no clue how to get started
I am an entrepreneur wannabe. I have an engineering background. I have very broad albeit shallow skill set in various areas (web, mobile, GIS, general programming, math etc.). And I have a ...
6
votes
4answers
281 views
Is the web startup overdone?
First of all, I was wondering if anybody else had the impression that as Internet-startup-people, most of our ideas are about things that are Internet-related and tend to follow the big trends such as ...
6
votes
4answers
386 views
How to respond to an RFI from a large company?
Our startup was recently contacted by a large global company for an RFI (request for information) for implementing an enterprise software solution. We have a great product which on technical merit can ...
6
votes
2answers
201 views
Never give up - when to apply this?
I've read lots of entrepreneurs' advice, and most of them boil down one concept:
never give up.
This is easier to say than to do. My question is, when is the time to give up and move on? When is not ...
6
votes
6answers
166 views
While the concept of FREE is not taboo, is the word, especially as it relates to promoting on twitter and other marketing collateral?
My company is approximately 1-2 weeks away from launching a major upgrade to our site. The new upgrade contains many valuable features for entrepreneurs and small businesses, however the new features ...
6
votes
10answers
361 views
How do you know if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?
Many professionals want to start their own venture but are scared of failing. Many of them do not know if they have a multi-faceted personality that is needed to run a business successfully. How ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What's the difference between a founder and a co-founder?
I was wondering what the difference between a founder and a co-founder was.
I am the founder of a company and I have worked on the project by myself then brought on board a partner to work on the ...
6
votes
3answers
175 views
What would you spend 15 minutes a day of “Social Media” on?
I work in the B2B market. Many of our clients are owned and managed by the entrepreneur or owner. These are not high-tech companies. They make things, they manufacture, they develop, they produce and ...
6
votes
1answer
231 views
Investor documents during fund raising
I have few question related to fund raising
When you are raising money from VCs, what type of documents are expected from you?
How much of your internal and confidential data/stats do you reveal ...
6
votes
1answer
169 views
Good startups resources on Europe? [closed]
I'm looking to expand my network in Europe. I have a good set of US-based sources that enable me to stay updated and in the loop about startups, funding and the sort of things I'm interested in as a ...
5
votes
7answers
401 views
My Entrepreneurial Spirit
So it comes down to this. I'm not suited to work for someone. I have had an extreme entrepreneurial spirit for as far as I can remember. I need to be doing my own thing, calling my own shots, and ...
5
votes
11answers
386 views
'To be' or 'Not to be'…an MBA…that is the question !
Hi
I read a number of posts on this forum before asking my own question.
First of all - this is an amazing place to find answers to your questions on your startup venture. Kudos to all who came up ...
5
votes
6answers
468 views
Any startups in software service industry?
Here, I've seen almost all the discussions are related to startups offering some kind of a product. It looks like a de-facto standard when anyone talks about a startup on this forum.
Is there anyone ...
5
votes
7answers
895 views
What are the characteristics of successful Internet entrepreneurs (with 12 from excellent article) [closed]
This is the full article which has 12 listed with examples and write ups):
http://www.focus.com/fyi/small-business/12-characteristics-successful-internet-entrepreneurs/
To summarize:
- Determination
...
5
votes
7answers
284 views
Can mistakes be made because you are too close to your own product?
I am a web developer and designer, and am working on a business plan and essentials for a new product. After spending some time working on a logo for my product, I came to the conclusion that my ...
5
votes
2answers
109 views
Are books, videos, and blogs targeting startups really useful or are they just a distraction?
These days internet startups have gained a lot of popularity among young people and developers of all ages. Because of this same reason, many people have also started to benefit from this popularity ...
5
votes
3answers
325 views
How does start-up experience hurt your chances of being hired in a non-startup?
There have been a few OnStartups threads about how an employer could look at your start-up experience. Since this board favors people who are either currently involved in a start-up or are ...
5
votes
7answers
1k views
Start Up Seed Funding
How much is too much and how much is too little in getting funding for a web based start up?
5
votes
3answers
319 views
What are the some innovative/effective ways to streamline office expenses?
We are in the process of compiling a list of the most effective/innovative ways of streamlining office expenses. Can you offer some suggestions?
5
votes
3answers
191 views
Why can some start and other's not?
This will probably be a open-ended question, considering that it might be very opinionated... But I'm curious to hear from the community here-- why do some fail at getting past the conceptual phase of ...
5
votes
3answers
416 views
How do you get involved with RFPs from government?
I am thinking that I should somehow find end users of my software that I had developed. I don't have lot of money for advertising but the software can be modified enough to fit the needs of ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
What is the difference between a entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur?
What is the different between a entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur? Are all social entrepreneur also entrepreneur? Are social entrepreneurs not real entrepreneurs?
How much "mission" does there ...
4
votes
5answers
639 views
Resources for young entrepreneurs in Toronto
I'm going to be finishing my master's degree in computer science soon, and am interested in pursuing entrepreneurship. I'm currently based in Montreal, but for personal reasons, am considering moving ...
4
votes
4answers
314 views
How do entrepreneurs make sure they read only books which matters every month?
How do entrepreneurs make sure they read only few important books which matters every month and disregard the others due to information overload ?
4
votes
4answers
328 views
Does going Public make the CEO lose his “full control” over the company?
I could not understand why does a company (hint: Facebook) not want to go public.
I can understand that it is important for a CEO to have full control of a company, but if the company hands off 49% ...
4
votes
6answers
682 views
What are the essential components of a marketing plan?
If you are a startup that is just about to launch your product/service are there steps that every startup should take to form a solid foundation for their marketing outreach strategy?
What were some ...
4
votes
7answers
336 views
What would you say to a new Entrepreneur about why you chose the entrepreneur lifestyle?
Several of my friends want to become entrepreneurs and they always ask me what draws me to it. For me, it’s the freedom to create, seeing that what I do really matters and the focus on building ...
4
votes
4answers
378 views
What positions/companies are best suited for entrepreneurs?
I'm an undergraduate senior who has always dreamed of being an entrepreneur. However, I still do not have my passionate idea to run with. I'm interested in seeking employment with a company that will ...
4
votes
4answers
396 views
STARTUP: partnership or hire?
Ok I invested in my business and built the software, now got to run it!
If I hire my friend, to do all this business, and I do all things technical.
How should I pay him?
1) salary
2) with ...
