Posts in Start-up
Pivoting or the Art and Science of Moving to Plan B

Changes and adjustments are a natural part of operating a business. A business is always looking to optimize sales funnels, cut costs, and better understand the needs of its customers. In some situations, though, it may take more than slight refinements to keep a business going.

Read More
Consultant vs. Employee vs. Contractor

Each option comes with its obvious pros and cons. I believe the decision of which route to pursue starts with what the person is asked to accomplish and what the environment looks like they will operate in.

Read More
Sales-Centric or Bust

I think that sales-centric and customer-centric are inherently the same. In today’s transparent markets, one cannot sell without putting the customer front and center. Simply put, salespeople work to understand customer needs or problems and then sell solutions that address those.

Read More
The Corporate Soldier versus The Entrepreneur

It is a comfortable environment to navigate. It does not require original thinking, and there is always a justification. And CYA and righteousness are built in. Everything within the corporate system seems to make ‘sense’.

Read More
Do Not Hire

Especially in the startup world, pivots on everything from product to GTM strategy are very common. Most of those directly impact employees. And even without major pivots, startups go through phases or stages in their growth process.

Read More
How to Lead a Sales Team at an Enterprise Software Company

When executives put their hiring criteria together, I would implore them to throw out the regurgitated and stale approach so often used and statistically unsuccessful - wait for it - “the rolodex and product experts.”

Read More
How to Grow Your Startup

There is a lot out there: advice from founders and investors, stories of unicorns, tools and services that claim to guarantee success, ultimate tips and steps, … Starting, growing, and succeeding with a startup is complex and has a multitude of aspects.

Read More
Business Development as a Solopreneur (part 2)

Sometimes they are flexible, maybe even adjusting to your availability. And there are what I would label “best practices” in Business Development for a fractional executive that, in the end, allow building a pipeline.

Read More
Business Development as a Solopreneur (part 1)

The ratio between those two is a balancing act, one that does determine whether the solopreneur is successful and their practice survives. But is there an ideal ratio, an ideal amount of time to spend on Business Development?

Read More
No Product Sells Itself

“I hate paying salespeople big bucks. My product will be designed so well that it sells itself.” As a sales leader and an entrepreneur, this is the last thing I want to hear because no product sells itself! If you disagree, I challenge you to name one.

Read More