Dave Kerpen, founder and CEO of Likeable Local, just published an interview with me on Linkedin, which I’ve included below . (He’s the #1 LinkedIn Influencer of all time in page views, ahead of Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Mark Cuban, and President Barack Obama. Incidentally, this is a great example of why it’s helpful to move to...
[Continue Reading]How to get world class experts to support your company
As the former CEO of a professional expert network, I’m a firm believer in the value of speedy access to relevant experts. I was excited to see that GLG (formerly Gerson Lehrman Group), the industry leader, is now offering a professional network service geared to the needs of the startup community: GLG Share. When you’re...
[Continue Reading]The real reasons adults love to give kids sugar
The world rains sugar on my children. The bus driver offers my child bubble gum. The teachers offer a cupcake for every birthday party. The school vending machine is full of junk food; so is the one at the Y. At camp, the counselors offer candy and a freeze pop at the end of the...
[Continue Reading]You are leaving money on the table: the secrets of pricing
Oscar Wilde said that a cynic is a “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” A startup CEO should know both. One of the most powerful levers a CEO has to impact profitability is pricing. Typically, a 1% price increase has more than twice the impact on profit of...
[Continue Reading]How to disrupt the investing business, with Katina Stefanova (Ex-Bridgewater Management Committee)
I had a conversation recently about the investing business with Katina Stefanova, who recently left Bridgewater, the largest hedge fund in the world. I’ve always had great respect for Bridgewater, which unlike most investing organizations realizes just how critical processes and culture are to investing success. Katina served as a Senior Executive and Management Committee...
[Continue Reading]Why are venture capitalists (76% white men) ignoring the future?
Why do so many venture capitalists ignore the single best predictor of the future: demographics? Paul Graham, cofounder of Y Combinator, observes, “Many suspect that venture capital firms are biased against female founders. This would be easy to detect: among their portfolio companies, do startups with female founders outperform those without? A couple months ago,...
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