Posts Tagged ‘ United States ’

Apr 06
Monday

Questions Every Boss Should Ask

Filed under Tips/Advice
Don't be an old-school boss

Don't be an old-school boss

•    How should I manage and lead differently in light of the economy? You need to communicate almost everything that’s going on to your team. They know something isn’t right, and if you’re not open about it, then productivity will tanker.
•    How often should I communicate the status of the company to employees? Every time there’s something new to communicate, your employees should know. Why? Well, it’s what we discussed with the last point, they need to be informed on how things are going, or they’ll immediately think the worse.
•    Should I allow employee feedback? Of course. Your employees want your company or startup to work, because they live from it. Allow them to input ideas on how to make your company more productive and help it stay afloat. Who knows, they might come up with a solution to your problems.
•    Should I give a heads up on layoffs? Yes. Sadly, those things are better when employees know. Now, don’t give a month’s notice, give them enough time to process it, but not enough time so that productivity goes down. Be ready for adverse reactions, even violent ones. It’s the way the world is, you just have to deal with it.

Continue…

All entries filed under this archive


LaunchCapital Gives Us Clues Into What VCs are Looking For
Comments - Posted 03.31.09
A while back, we had a chat with LaunchCapital’s managing director Elon Boms. He talked about the future of investing, and how there seems to be a grey line between angel investing and entry level VC funding. LaunchCapital has already invested in some great companies, and they keep at it. They ...continue
5 Motivation Killers
Comments - Posted 03.18.09
Getting motivated is great, but if you want to avoid de-motivation, then you’re going to have to avoid these things: -    When things are going great, you get a boost. When something goes wrong, you get a knockback. Avoid those at all costs. -    Avoid inaction. If you are coming out of ...continue
Let Employees Manage Their Own Time
Comments - Posted 03.05.09
Running a business is hard work. And when your business grows, it’s going to get harder. As you have to manage what more and more people are doing, you’re going to come to the conclusion that you can’t do everything. What to do, then? How about letting your employees manage ...continue
Location Matters for Startups, Get Over It
Comments - Posted 02.19.09
[caption id="attachment_2627" align="alignright" width="184" caption="Location, location, location..."][/caption] This debate is as old as startups themselves: does location matter when setting up a company? The sad truth is this: it does matter. It doesn’t matter how much of a believer you are in the fact that you can set up a successful startup ...continue
Questions To Ask Yourself Before Ditching the Free Model
Comments - Posted 01.23.09
-    What percentage of free users convert to paid users? -    What is the cost of keeping free members? -    Are there competitors ready to take your free users? -    How will startups attract new users without a free version? continue
Obama & Tech: What Does It Mean?
Comments - Posted 01.21.09
[caption id="attachment_2266" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Let's see if the President delivers"][/caption] Here are some things that the 44th President of the United States promised to do while in office for the world of technology. If these things are put in practice, it could mean a better, safer, and faster internet for everyone: •   ...continue
How To Help Obama Deliver Change
Comments - Posted 01.20.09
[caption id="attachment_2250" align="alignright" width="300" caption="You Can Help Bring That Change By Using the Internet"][/caption] Today, the 44th President of the United States takes charge (yeah, I bet you didn’t know that). Being it the slow news day that it is, I’m going to share with you some pointers as to how ...continue
Founder of AirBed & Breakfast Walks the Talk
Comments - Posted 01.13.09
AirBendandBreakfast.com is a website that lets you stay in the houses of other registered users in other cities. It’s a pretty innovative service. In fact, it’s so good, that it’s founder (Brian Chesky) is using it to crash Barack Obama’s inauguration. He even started a blog telling about his experiences, which ...continue
Startup Expenses You Might Not Have Thought About
Comments - Posted 01.08.09
[caption id="attachment_2092" align="alignright" width="149" caption="A Starup will take more out of your wallet than you thought"][/caption] Startups are cheap to set up, but they’re not free, here are some costs you might not have thought about previously: -    Business Filing Fees -    Accountant -    Lawyer -    Liability / E&O Insurance -    Health Insurance -    Disability Insurance -    Life ...continue