Category: Entrepreneurship

COVID as a Platform - Reagan Pollack

COVID-as-a-Platform: How COVID-19 Disrupts Behavior, Business Models and Builds the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

Sterilize. Sanitize. Disinfect. Decontaminate. Wipe Down. Rinse Off. Repeat. Welcome to the Contam Culture – a new “normal” modus operandi if you will, we’ve been forced to accept in a pandemic induced world. As the weeks become months under the quarantined, sheltered, physically-distanced era, businesses and consumers have had to adapt to this radical shift …

Startup Zen

Finding Calm in the COVID-19 Storm

Startups are not only a biggest test of our abilities to execute on a market hunch, but more deeply, the limitations of our own mind. They fully test everything we think we know about ourselves — from our deepest fears to our highest hopes — and most startups fail in the mind first, and the market second. …

Startup Success during COVID-19

Startup Success during COVID-19 – How to Thrive, Not Just Survive

During COVID-19, the world of business has come to an abrupt halt – nearly every industry, sector, and business type (products and services) have been and will be impacted by the pandemic. If you are on the fence still wondering if now might be a good time to start your new business, I say, “Yes! …

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Fairest Co-founder of them all?

It was 2007 — with a freshly inked business degree hanging proudly on my wall, an empty 600 square-foot office space surrounding me, and a stack of resumes 3 inches thick, I sat back in my gray telescopic chair, fumbling through the first dozen resumes, each one looking identical to the last; “Lead Developer”, “Experienced …

Alchemy by Rory Sutherland - Ogilvy Vice Chairman - Reagan Pollack

Alchemy: The Surprising Power Of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense

Ad: One of my favorite past times is reading books on business, marketing and behavioral economics. I’ve recently come across a book over the holiday break that hit the nail on the head in today’s over saturated product world.   Alchemy, by Rory Sutherland, https://amzn.to/2tnIU7Q, is not just a fun read (it literally had me …

Startup Forecasting - How to easily build your startup financial proforma

Startup Forecasting (the easy way)

Happy New Year and welcome back to my Startup Tip of the Day. I remember being 20 years old, sitting in front of a blank Excel spreadsheet without a clue in the world as to how I was going to build an accurate forecast for my first startup. Without proven revenues or associated costs, the …

Ready to give up? Just wait a second.

Startups — The Ultimate Video Game It’s the end of the year — end of a decade to be exact — and that’s the time when many Founders find themselves asking the hardest question that they’ll ever face — should I just give up on my startup? After running four startups, managing teams, and seeing …

Top 5 FAQs from 2019 Entrepreneurs

Looking back on 2019, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with and advising many different entrepreneurs. I’ve compiled my list of the top 5 most frequently asked questions asked by founders:  1. Do you think this is a “good” business idea?  What’s interesting, is that the most frequently asked question of “Do you think this …

Ben Horowitz, John Zimmer, A16Z, Reagan Pollack, Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley

Culture Through Action

What exactly is corporate culture? Can we see it? Does it emanate from a business plan, an un-written code of ethics, or a placard on the wall? Last night we got to sit in on a fireside chat with Ben Horowitz (VC, Andreessen Horowitz​) and John Zimmer (Co-founder, Lyft) to discuss culture, and moreover, the …

Business Plan Idea - Entrepreneurship - Founder - Startup - Reagan Pollack

Why Good Ideas Kill Most Startups

STARTUP SECRET #1 YOU DON’T NEED A “GOOD” IDEA   While everyone’s out there hunting for the next Uber®, Airbnb®, Google® or Alibaba®, the real entrepreneurs are busy testing new concepts instead of dreaming, writing business plans, and overthinking the crap out of everything. Entrepreneur: Average Idea + Massive Action x Initial Results/Adjustments = Progress …