TNW’s Post

One of the strengths of the article is its emphasis on the need for founders to balance their maverick impulses with rigorous evidence about what actually leads to success. With many startups, it can be tempting to rely on gut instincts and bold visions. A more measured approach that takes into account the realities of human behavior and organizational dynamics is more likely to yield positive results. #StartupManagement #StartupLeadership #EntrepreneurshipTips

Every month, I talk to tons of clients, founders, and brands. I'm actively mentoring a few startups, and here are the three most important things I've learned from each conversation with founders and CXOs. 1) A startup idea is not a single, perfect concept. It's a culmination of 1000 ideas, 10000 decisions, and 1000000 headaches. The path to success is never a straightforward, fixed process. Each journey is unique, with its unexpected twists. 2) One key realization is that the less ego at the top, the more everyone benefits - customers, employees, and stakeholders. Consistently, businesses thrive when they prioritize their customers' needs over personal egos. 3) We founders spend a lot of time overthinking and overplanning. I prefer to focus on small experiments, as they give us larger insights with less risk. Successful founders run a lot of small experiments, expecting some to work out due to point number 1. There are a few more, but these three are the biggest lessons I've learned after interacting with some fantastic people over time. Please let me know your learnings in a comment - I'm eager to learn from you. #startups #growth

Great talk today by Alexander Radchenko on why Startups fail. Having been part of multiple startups myself and directly worked with multiple founders. I resonate with a few things that Alexander mentioned.   a)  Being bootstrapped is not always a good thing   Organizations can choose the path of no funding as a philosophy. But if being bootstrapped is coming at the cost of a company’s overall growth and every decision is boiling down to “can we afford it?” then the organization’s overall wellbeing has taken a backseat to the founder’s wanting to hold on to their equity.   Would you want to work in an organization that is not spending much need revenue on growth and expansion? What future do you have in an organization like that?   b) Products can solve problems: but who is buying the solution?   As a founder, would you build a product that is great and gets great reviews. However, when it comes time to buy the product, no one is buying.   Or would you build a product that has competition in the market, but you know there will always be buyers for the product?   At the end of the day, great ideas die a slow death if no one is buying them or no one is able to sell them.   c)  The founder’s ambition is translated downstream   Having worked in organizations that spent considerable time and money in raising multiple rounds of funding, I can confidently say, I have worked with ambitious founders so far.   Every move and decision made by the founders I have worked with have been to improve the organization and to forward the team’s well-being. Shout out to the team at Zen Launchpad for putting this together. Look forward to many more. #sales #startups #learning

Early-stage founder CEOs with strong self-awareness of their natural strengths can: - Identify where their contributions can move the needle most. - Identify new areas within which they can grow/learn what the business needs of them for that stage. - Identify where they can use support/feedback. The ideal outcome: having the right team and processes so they can stay at a higher, strategic elevation... Seems intuitive. However, early-stage startups is one of those fascinating contexts that requires unconventional approaches to scale. In this case, founder CEOs often have to do a lot of things that don't scale, stay in the weeds longer than they would like, often doing things that feel horrible (out of their comfort zone and zone-of-genius). My observation is that the needle moves proportionally to the degree that founders can endure (or even embrace) this unpleasantness. This doesn't mean they have to recreationally suffer or do it alone: it means normalizing chronic growth pains as being part of the journey, and, gaining the support they need to get through it. #founderperformance #foundercoaching #startups

I've learned a lot over the years launching startups, and this is one of them. I understand the drive to set your brand apart, from product to operations. However, many new founders don't realize that sustaining a groundbreaking product usually takes a fair amount of structure on the front end. There's a great deal of volatility in change. In these instances, conventional management is a worthwhile safety net. #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Insight #Leadership

The Wartime CEO: 9 Leadership Principles for Strong Startups

I just love Paul Graham, and this reminds me exactly why. “VCs who haven’t been founders themselves don’t know how founders should run companies, and C-level execs, as a class, include some of the most skillful liars in the world” Of course, there are many in the C suite who are exceptional at what they do, not just functionally but as leaders too. Nevertheless, there is immense value in ‘saying the unsayable’, especially when it comes from someone with such an exceptional track record. #Innovation #startup #dowhatmakessenseforyou https://lnkd.in/eAHdajNj

Founders – Embrace Your First Times We all have our firsts. Here are a few of mine: → The first time my startup grew over 500%. → Becoming the 9th fastest-growing company in Kansas City. → The first of many milestones that followed. The first time we made the INC 500. The first time we made the Deloitte Tech 50. We were swinging for the fences. Despite the obstacles and mistakes, we were making history, laying down first times. Back then, these weren’t just numbers—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀. → I love first times. → And the first times won’t be the last time. → But while you’re experiencing them, remember to stop and smell the roses. If you’ve been around me, you know I’ve got plenty of war stories. After 40 years as an entrepreneur (yes, longer than many of you have been alive) and 20 years leading a venture studio, I’ve seen more than my fair share of firsts. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁: → Running out of cash, more than once. → Having a co-founder betray you. → Taking a startup through Chapter 11. → And still coming out on top. No matter where you are in your startup journey, you’re going to have some memorable first times. Embrace them. Even the tough ones. They’ll shape you. Setbacks can become comebacks. As Patrick Bet-David says: “The future is bright.” When God is with you, these victories are your Baal Perazim moments—breakthroughs. Something Patrick and I share is a deep trust in God. We know He’s with us. So, keep swinging for the fences, founders! Your best times are ahead. ~~~ We're looking for the future 1%, if that's you 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 and reach out. Follow me, Gerald Duran for daily startup and VC mentorship, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘁 from CanaGlobal's faith-driven venture studio and startup incubator. #startups #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

Reflecting on my time consulting with a vibrant startup, a crucial lesson in startup dynamics stood out. We were in the thick of developing a new feature, and the approach was admirably democratic. Every voice was heard, every idea considered. Yet, when the product was finally launched, it was a stark deviation from the original vision. This experience shed light on an essential aspect of startup culture. In startups, democratic decision-making is often celebrated for its inclusivity and diversity of thought. However, this approach can sometimes lead to a product that, while a collective effort, strays from the founder's initial vision. Here lies a profound truth: Founders are often dreamers, visionaries with a touch of irrationality that propels startups beyond conventional boundaries. Their vision, sometimes unorthodox, is what gives the startup its unique edge in a competitive market. When the product development process becomes too democratic, there's a risk of diluting this vision, and ending up with a product that's safe but uninspired. This isn't to undermine the value of team contributions. Instead, it's a call to acknowledge the unique role of the founder's vision in a startup's journey. Founders see possibilities where others see improbabilities. It’s this unique perspective that often leads to breakthrough innovations and market disruptions. So, while collaboration and team input are invaluable, they should not overshadow the core vision. Striking this balance is crucial. The most successful startups often are those where the founder's vision is the guiding star, complemented, but not overridden, by team insights. The takeaway for startups is clear: respect and include diverse viewpoints, but always ensure that the founder's vision remains at the forefront. It's this vision that will differentiate your product and pave the path for extraordinary achievements.#StartupVision #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #startups #startupjourney

Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode: Which is Better for Startups? Y Combinator's Paul Graham has sparked a debate in the startup world. He argues that startups should prioritize "founder mode" over "manager mode." A. Founder Mode: A hands-on approach with minimal bureaucracy. B. Manager Mode: A more structured approach with experienced managers. According to PitchBook data, founder-led startups have consistently outperformed manager-led ones in terms of value creation. This year, founder-CEOs saw a 22.4% increase in valuation compared to 4.7% for non-founder CEOs. Key takeaways: - Founder-CEOs are more agile and can drive higher growth. - Investors often face the dilemma of balancing founder-friendliness with scaling potential. - While founder mode can be effective, survivorship bias may play a role. What are your thoughts on this debate? Do you believe founder-led startups always have an advantage? #startup #venturecapital #founder #manager #leadership #business #growth #ycombinator #pitchbook #product #digital