by ALTWPAdmin | Jun 28, 2018 | Accountability, Strategy
Every successful entrepreneur can recall a few key mentors and advisors who have influenced their journey and helped them along the way. If you have raised equity funding, you may benefit from the guidance and mentoring that investors provide (yes, qualified investors don’t just write a check!). After all, it does take a village to raise an entrepreneur! Both mentors and advisors are an important part of the entrepreneurial journey, and although the terms are being used interchangeably, it is important that you understand the difference, so that you can benefit the most from their guidance. Mentors: A mentor is someone who will support you and encourage you to sharpen your critical thinking and self-awareness. They have some entrepreneurial experience and a general business acumen. They can be close friends, professional acquaintances or come from organized groups. Mentors are most beneficial in the ideation and early stage of a business. Why? Because their main focus is you as your business results are in direct relation to your development and maturity as an entrepreneur. It often takes an outsider’s perspective to help you broaden yours. A mentor just wants to see you succeed! Like a barrel of monkeys, someone pulls you up and you keep a hand down to pull the next woman up (or guy *smile*). The first step to find a mentor is to ask. Let the person know that you are interested in learning about them and their experience. Offer a chat over coffee. Listen. Ask a few questions. Like any other relationships, ease into it. After a few informal conversations, you can create together a more...
by ALTWPAdmin | Jul 24, 2017 | Accountability
Why Good People Leave Large Tech Companies – ThinkGrowth.org I was visiting with an ex-student who’s now the CFO of a large public tech company. The company is still one of the hottest places to work in tech. They make hardware with a large part of their innovation in embedded software and...
by ALTWPAdmin | Jul 21, 2017 | Accountability
If You Want To Succeed, You Need to Accept These 5 Hard Truths Now Whether we’re rebranding after 20 years in business or still working on the paperwork for our LLC, there are a few undeniable truths we must all keep in the forefront of our minds if we want to achieve our highest level of...
by ALTWPAdmin | Jul 10, 2017 | Accountability, Strategy
How Entrepreneurs Can Resist Shiny-Object Syndrome This story appears in the July 2017 issue of Entrepreneur . Subscribe ” Apply now to be an Entrepreneur 360™ company. Let us tell the world your success story. Get Started ” Have you ever worked with someone who is full of big ideas and constantly hops from one project to the...
by ALTWPAdmin | Jun 19, 2017 | Accountability
A CEO who meets every job candidate interviewing at his company gives his best hiring advice There’s no room for doubt in the hiring process. That’s a mantra that Luis von Ahn, CEO and founder of language learning app Duolingo, lives by. He meets with every single person interviewing at his company, which currently employs about 70...
by ALTWPAdmin | Jan 25, 2017 | Accountability, Strategy
How To Avoid Being Professionally Ghosted Rose Dawydiak-Rapagnani, a San Francisco-based communications strategist, recently struck out on her own to start a consultancy. In the first months, she signed up a company that made a strong impression. But after she wrapped up the job and sent along an invoice, the client disappeared off the face of the...
