Dealing with Critics

July 7, 2010 Leave a comment

Most people seek approval from their peers and strive to be liked. Entrepreneurs are no different.

Putting yourself out there with your startup can make you a target for cynics and test the thickness of your skin.

The sad truth is that you’re going to encounter petty people with negative attitudes who will try to undermine you and your efforts.

Understanding bullies is a good start to dealing with them. Recognize that just like in grade school, these individuals are insecure and cowardly.

Individuals who lack self-confidence will try to justify their inadequacies by putting others down. The people who tend to try to exert dominance are typically the very people who have none.

The best vindication is to succeed. Harness the negativity of naysayers and use it as motivation. Hustle just that little bit more, push even harder and silence your critics with your epic win.

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Effective Prioritization and Managing Your Time

June 30, 2010 Leave a comment

With competing priorities and busy schedules, an entrepreneurs time is invaluable.

Despite this, many of us still fall prey to being reactionary and trying to keep up with our email.

Avoid the trap by creating a to-do list every morning that focuses on strategic deliverables and sticking to it.

Rank your action items based on their contribution to your overall objectives and attack them in order of importance.

Set aside a specific time each day to go through your email; set up filters to categorize and highlight the ones that require immediate attention.

Most importantly: stop letting your inbox dictate your focus.

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Resourcefulness: Your Single Greatest Asset

June 23, 2010 Leave a comment

A lot of people think that the key to a successful startup is a great idea.

Reality is, most startups iterate and change so much over time that the initial concept is drastically altered from its original vision.

What matters most is not the idea, but the people who have them.

Success comes from ongoing recognition of opportunity, circumvention of obstacles and unfailing perseverance.

Startup employees need similar enterprising characteristics as their founder; a readiness to take on challenges and an innate will to always find a way.

The trait to hire for is resourcefulness. Surround yourself with bright, passionate people who will creatively find solutions to problems.

If you’re looking for best hiring practices, I highly recommend Topgrading from Bradford Smart; I read it several years ago and really benefited from the tactical and actionable templates and theory. I think you’ll find it both helpful and easy to implement.

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Escaping the Echo Chamber: Challenge Your Assumptions

June 16, 2010 Leave a comment

We tend to gravitate towards people like ourselves.

While it’s comfortable surrounding yourself with like-minded people, it is also a potentially dangerous manoeuvre in a startup.

Unknowingly limiting opinions can lead to one idea reverberating between narrow walls; never challenged with opposition, it’s never given a proper chance to expand and evolve.

As a founder you need to stop talking to yourself. Get out there and actively solicit new sources of feedback. Talk to potential clients and partners to get a sense of relevant trends and existing needs.

Escape the echo chamber – find people with counter perspectives. Test your predictions, gain knowledge from a variety of sources and welcome differing opinions. Look to have your assumptions challenged.

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Get Excited! The Importance of Visible Enthusiasm

June 9, 2010 Leave a comment

One of the marks of successful entrepreneurs is their enthusiasm around their business.

Enthusiasm attracts investors, enthusiasm sells customers and enthusiasm motivates the team.

Great business leaders are unapologetically ambitious and unashamedly optimistic.

Bold visions are enthralling, passion is contagious and confidence portrays capability.

Modesty has no place in a startup. Kick it up a notch.  Get out there and share your excitement.

If you don’t believe in your product or service – no one else will.

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Motivation & The Importance of Quick Wins

June 2, 2010 Leave a comment

This week I was reminded of the importance of quick wins.

It’s much easier to establish a sense of urgency around shorter time frames than large, never-ending projects.

Success energizes. A sense of victory defuses cynics and re-invigorates the team.

A sense of progress is the best source of internal motivation.

Break your behemoth goals into smaller projects; celebrate your small victories and harness the momentum to achieve the next task.

Try creating bite size objectives for you and your team to rally around. I suspect you’ll see better engagement and better output.

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Overcoming Setbacks & Chasing Opportunity

May 26, 2010 Leave a comment

Startups are tumultuous evolutions.

Things are not always going to go according to plan; there are times where you are going to fail, you’re going to have chaos and you’re going to have uncertainty.

Amidst crisis you need to find a way to rise above to find clarity, adapt, and prevail.

Resourcefulness is the single greatest trait you have at your disposal.

Endeavour to continually evaluate your options, readily employ Plan C and move towards wherever the optimal opportunity lies.

And remember – you’re not alone. Everyone in the Sprouter community faces adversity. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

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Balancing Execution & Strategy

May 19, 2010 Leave a comment

Many entrepreneurs are so busy working in their business, that they fail to work on their business.

Don’t fall prey to your busy schedule. Ensure ongoing pulse checks; survey your circumstances and review your strategy.

Is the landscape changing? What’s working? What’s not working? Pulling yourself away and forcing yourself to evaluate your business is an important exercise.

Take some time out to think and discover the incredible value that comes in gaining a new perspective.

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Effectively Pitching Your Startup

May 12, 2010 Leave a comment

Learning how to effectively pitch your startup can be difficult.

Entrepreneurs have a tendency to be either overly modest or wildly over the top.

Striking the right balance is an important skill that you need to be able to employ all day every day.

Spend the time to learn how to competently and succinctly explain what you do with conviction.

You should be able to pitch your startup several ways: try crafting a pitch for one sentence, a paragraph and for a two minute conversation.

In all conversations about your business ensure you are conveying your passion.

Passion is what is truly intriguing, compelling & contagious.

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Thank You.

May 5, 2010 Leave a comment

Last week a note went out asking for your feedback on Sprouter. We were overwhelmed by the response!

I want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to share their insight.

We want to build a tool that helps you in your day to day life as an entrepreneur.

The more you tell us about what you need, the more useful we can become.

We’re continuing to develop the Sprouter platform based on your ongoing feedback.

We’ll be trying out some new things over the next several weeks that we’re excited for you to use.

Your ongoing support and insight is greatly appreciated. You can reach me anytime directly at sarah@sprouter.com.

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