We were down to our last few dollars and I didn’t know how we were going to make payroll. Our business model wasn’t working the way we planned, and we were burning cash faster than expected. Something needed to change. Something big – and something now. The year was 2008 and TakeLessons was working to …
I’m a big believer in CANI – Constant and Never Ending Improvement (or Kaizen). It’s one of the core values I live by and it’s one of the joys of life. So, in that spirit, I wanted to share with you four things I learned about start-ups, business, and life during 2012. Lesson 1: Get …
Diane Smith is the Senior Director of Customer Service and Experience for TakeLessons. She has over 20 years in customer service with Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue and led a team of over 1,600 customer support representatives. In this interview, Diane gives some customer service interviewing tips and a description of the STAR method of …
I was chatting with a young employee over a beer the other day and we started talking about confidence and its importance. Here is a summary of the conversation along with a diagram on the cyclical pattern of confidence. What is confidence? Confidence is a state of mind. It is a lens that we choose …
I’d love to say that my best ideas were formed inside of my head, but truthfully, the biggest breakthrough’s I’ve had are because I was able to take the raw thought material in my head and receive insights from other smart people. If you’re smart, that’s a good start. But someone not as bright can …
The Importance of Mentors and Your Chance of Business Success Read More »
Drive life. Say Yes more often. Challenge your barriers. Be comfortable outside your comfort zone. But, don’t just drive life. Design it. Design your outcome. And design time in between driving, to be still – to float. To explore. To be, without trying. To breathe, without thinking. And to surrender, without wanting. – Steven 2011.
It’s incredible to get “there” with another person. It means not thinking about the fear. Not thinking about inadequacies. Not thinking about where “there” is. It means not having to think at all. Just – being – “there”.
Here is an email I sent this morning to my team. First, I wanted to have them see that most startups go through the same struggles that we go through. Second, I wanted them to know that I have full confidence, faith, and trust in their abilities and that I see them as leaders within …
My friend Erin Mellinger posted this on facebook the other day. It’s so insightful, I wanted to share it with you: “There are only 3 colors, 10 digits, and 7 notes; its what we do with them that’s important.” Wow! How powerful that is when you think about it. Every number ever produced is a …
You have all that you need to create an incredible life. Read More »
Recently, I got to attend the Crosslink Investor Meeting where partners of the firm spoke on what their seeing in the marketplace. A couple key takeaways for me was that technology and the internet is still very early. Lots of room for growth and expansion as software eats the world. Second, some of the largest …
Things I Learned at the Crosslink Startup Investor Meeting Read More »