Entrepreneurs anonymous
SEVEN years ago Joe Jones (not his real name) left his job with a big NASDAQ-listed company to strike out on his own. He was sick of corporate life and he wanted to test his inner mettle.
SEVEN years ago Joe Jones (not his real name) left his job with a big NASDAQ-listed company to strike out on his own. He was sick of corporate life and he wanted to test his inner mettle.
A YEAR AGO Jody Sherman shot himself. His online shop, Ecomom, which sold eco-friendly and health products for children, was running out of cash. A few weeks later the business closed its virtual doors. A new owner relaunched it in June.
Small businesses rule our economy, and each successful small businesses is expected to get bigger. Many successful small businesses are easily scaled. The owner has created something that can be repeated, a product that can be mass produced, a process that can be franchised.
Research shows that even if the rewards aren't immediately apparent, contributing to the success of others pays off in the long run. Kat Cole started helping out early. Raised by a single mother of three who held three jobs to support the family, Cole entered the workforce as soon as it was legal.
“WE EVEN HAD to host the servers in our own office.” Naval Ravikant laughs as he describes how in 1999 he and some friends founded his first startup, Epinions, a website for consumer reviews.
Growing up as a kid, I never exposed myself to books unless I absolutely had to. Sometimes I’d “have to” read a book and write up a report. Other times, I’d “have to” read a book to prepare for an exam of some sort.
(For readers for whom Japanese is easier than English / 日本語が読みやすい方：上杉周作さんが本投稿を日本語に翻訳してくださいました。ビジネス・イン・ジャパンをご参照ください。)
After having spent the majority of my 20's working for five different companies, I finally decided to strike out on my own. I started my own online business, and quickly discovered the unexpected challenges that come with the territory.
At the resplendent China World Hotel in Beijing, scores of cameras snapped as colorful confetti floated down from the ceiling. It was Aug. 11, 2005, and this was the global coming-out party for Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce upstart.
We hear more and more that organizations must have a compelling “purpose” — but what does that mean? Aren’t there already a host of labels out there that describe organizational direction? Do we need yet another?
A company is nothing more (and nothing less) than three things: people, processes and purposes. In the language of the software engineer these would be inputs, algorithms and specifications.
I probably don’t have to tell you that pricing is slippery business. It requires a lot of perspective, experience, and luck (read: trial and error). There are a number of ways we can correlate monetary value to what we do, and each has its pros and cons.
Getting people to work together isn’t easy, and unfortunately many leaders skip over the basics of team building in a rush to start achieving goals. But your actions in the first few weeks and months can have a major impact on whether your team ultimately delivers results.