Startup Whisperer

Latest Podcasts and Online Events

Here are some recent podcasts and online events that I participated in during Q2 2020.

 

• Collision 2020 Conference. The future of education panel was a lot of fun and can be viewed here.
• Up Next In Commerce
• The Lawyer That Rocks
• Something Ventured

 

 

How Technology Can Help Tackle Our Nation's Literacy Crisis

Please read my latest post on Forbes. I explain how technology can truly be a game changer to help solve the U.S. literacy problem.

 

 

Listen To These Two Podcasts

I have been active with speaking and writing but I have been lazy about updating my own blog! I wanted to highlight two podcasts that I did in 2019 that I am quite proud of:

1) A true career highlight was to sit in the famous 'red chair' across from one of those most recognized and talented tech journalists today. Kara Swisher. Kara is smart, funny, and frenetic in her interviewing style. She kept me on my proverbial toes and you can listen to our discussion here.

2) Entrepreneur.com's Problem Solvers that can be found here.  The host (Jason Feifer) works extremely hard to edit his shows down to short and salient episodes.  He is wicked smart and a delight to talk to.

I definitely had to re-train some of my bad practices with my media engagement.  I might write a post about how to better prepare for the press.  But for now, enjoy the podcasts.

How The Power Of Language Can Grow Your Career And Business

My latest post on Forbes about the power of language learning here.

Here's an excerpt:

You’ve probably heard that being multilingual is a great resume builder and a valuable asset to promote career growth. Being able to speak a language that’s in demand may even result in a promotion or a higher salary, especially in a competitive industry like the technology sector. I wanted to move beyond anecdotal information and quantify the value of speaking another language in the workplace.

A Startup Is Born: 4 killer traits of an accidental entrepreneur

I have never really started a company from scratch.   I usually come on-board once either there is a founding team or there is something wrong and the company needs some help.  I have always deeply respected entrepreneurs. To be honest, I haven't had the guts to start something from scratch. It is hard. They are passionate, creative, full of grit, as well as a little nuts. I didn’t realize that I had an entrepreneur in my house…my wife.

My wife has a background in both technology product management and nutrition.  Her expertise in these arenas has tee'd her up for a new venture that she has been working on called Rock Grace.  Rock Grace is a bottled crystal elixir infused with a variety of crystals, botanicals, and adaptogens that encourage a healthier lifestyle.  I like to think about the drink as giving consumers a healthy alternative to alcohol.

This post is not an advertisement for my wife though.  She has done an amazing job and is acting like many of the passion-driven startup founders that I have come to know over my tenure in the tech industry.

My wife didn't join an incubator or have a mentor to tell her what to do.  Heck, she rarely sought my advice. She just naturally figured out what needed to get done.  The term 'agile' or 'lean' is used very frequently in the tech industry. In essence, Anne was building a minimal viable product -- specifically,  spending the least amount of capital to validate whether the idea had enough merit to continue. Watching her go through her ideation phase to a product launch was fascinating and she naturally exhibited many of the behaviors that I see successful startup entrepreneurs exhibit, including:

1.       Build a movement

Anne is very passionate about health and found a very clear need in the market.  There are no alternatives between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage that are really compelling if you are in a social situation.  So she created a drink for herself that was non-alcoholic and made her feel like she was part of the fun...while living a healthier lifestyle.  She is more passionate about creating a movement versus reaping profits. Anne has had customers buy her merchandise (e.g, hats and bags) without even trying the product.  They send her pictures of themselves wearing the merchandise because they support the mission first.

2.       Dream (and act big)

Most people do not put the necessary effort into producing amazing goals and outcomes.  Everyone has ideas but very few people act on them. There are not that many successful beverage companies at scale.  There are also not a lot of examples of alternative beverages producing transformational sales. There is a growing mega trend towards reducing alcohol consumption.  Mixed (pun intended) with the fact that there are not a lot of great alternatives nor great tasting non-alcoholic beverages, I really think my wife is onto something.  Of course, I am biased.

3.       Bootstrap: Test before spend

Anne did something that is very savvy.  She marketed the product before the product existed.  She had no idea how people would respond to it. Anne literally tested her messaging and cultivated feedback on Instagram.  She crafted her image and marketing message while she was building her product, carefully 'formulating' her product brand while learning in real-time what messages resonate and who the persona is.  Anne had no idea that a drink with crystal energy and super herbs would resonate with her audience, but she has already built a stable of loyal customers and followers who actually haven't had the product yet.

In addition, she did make private batches of her product before she worked with a professional formulator.  She would do tastings at Barre3 classes and for friends, meanwhile collecting valuable insight into the color, the taste, and the product positioning. All of these activities were basically free.  She also opened up her direct-to-consumer channel and opened up the store for pre-orders.

4.       Hustle wins.  Every time.

I have worked with my fair share of hustlers.  The good kind. In other words, the willingness to get things done.  Anne doesn't have a background in the beverage industry. But, she figured it out via her own research and through networking.  In fact, she contacted CEOs of beverage companies and experts in operations so that she could both get up-to-speed more quickly but also to validate her order of operations.  I consistently like to hire and attract talent where the person has a 'hustler' mentality. For example, when I am working on a product, I don't want a product manager to be theoretically building out product requirements.  I want someone who understands the industry and talks to customers.

Whether this is the new replacement for La Croix or Rose remains to be seen.  The journey has been fun to watch. From a business perspective, it has been very eye-opening what can get done with not a lot of capital and a lot of perspiration.  And heck if you want to try out the product, you can buy it here.

Try this CORE workout for your company

My most recent post in Forbes was inspired by core workout training. In the post, I discuss the importance of 4 practices that can better help your companies
strength and stabilization in order to better execute. The key pieces to your core workout for your business is to:

1. Check In Weekly On Strategic Alignment
2. Have Transparent One-On-Ones
3. Create A Compelling Scorecard
4. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Let me know how if you have feedback, comments, or your own feedback.

Four Ways A Startup Mentality Can Improve Your Next Project

My most recent post on Forbes can be read here.  In the post, I talk about specific ways that larger companies can operate and execute like a startup.
The tenets to the post are to do the following:

1. Keep the team small.
2. Break the habit of top-down thinking.
3. BHAGs are powerful incentives.
4. Don’t be afraid to fail.

Again, the meat of the post is here. Enjoy and I would love to get your feedback.

Chevy Chase and Machine Learning

My most recent post on ForbesIt is rare that one can reference both Chevy Chase and machine learning in the same blog post.  Let me know what you think of the post.

There's a massive opportunity gap in our country. Here's how you can help.

I recently had the great pleasure of getting involved personally as well as professionally with Year Up -- a fantastic program that I encourage everyone in my network to investigate because they make a real social impact. Year Up enables underprivileged young adults to move from minimum wage to meaningful careers in just one year by matching them with companies that need their talent. The first six months are focused on skills training and then Year Up matches the young adult with a six-month internship. Millions of young adults in the US have talent and motivation, but lack opportunity. At the same time, companies have opportunities available, but lack the talent they need to succeed. Year Up’s quest to close the opportunity gap is an important and noble mission.

Some incredible companies are involved with Year Up, and I’m proud to say that Rosetta Stone is one of them. We are helping their students improve their language learning skills through our Catalyst software, and we’re participating in their internship placement program.

On a personal note, I was fortunate to be matched with a talented young mentee named Anthony Le.  Anthony has the type of fire that you do not typically see in a 19-year old. Anthony wasn't born with a lot of privilege but he is taking all of his drive and passion and using that as momentum to get to where he wants to go in his life. He recently landed an internship at Aquent, which is one of the largest marketing and creative staffing firms in the United States. He is also busy working with a team that is competing in robotics tournaments. Sheesh, I wish I had that kind of drive when I was 19.

I have mentored and helped many young entrepreneurs over the years but I must say that working with Anthony and Year Up has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career. Most of the tech entrepreneurs with whom I’ve worked started with many advantages and have no concept of the challenges people like Anthony have had to overcome in order to succeed. It’s been one of the greatest honors of my life to be part of Anthony’s journey

Anthony would like to be a CEO someday and sees himself being an entrepreneur or a division manager of a technology firm. He is seeking to make meaningful connections with other successful people.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would reach out to Anthony on LinkedIn and connect with him. Many of us will probably end up working for him anyway, so you might as well connect with him. Thanks for your consideration and don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to know more about Year Up or Anthony.

Augmented Reality Post On Forbes

I recently did a post on Forbes about augmented reality. You can read that here.

Outside of the technology itself, I gave some advice around general practices that can be applied to kickstarting any innovation.  That advice is:

 

1. Fire Bullets First, Then Cannonballs - focus on product market fit before you go all-in your business strategy.
2. Break The Model - tips on how to cannibalize yourself.
3. Link And Leverage - bootstrapping your growth using new platforms.

I haven't been active in awhile but expect more to come.